Monday Recipes

It's Monday, time to get the week started. Here are today's six recipes, including Vegetarian Chili with Corn Bread Topping and Rice Pudding in a Mug. Enjoy!

APPLE CINNAMON-TOAST BREAD PUDDING

This comes from the September 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 65. It begins, “Try this delicious make-ahead brunch entrée that lets you enjoy time with your guests rather than slaving away in the kitchen. There are two ways to make it ahead of time: either prepare it the day before and warm just before serving, or assemble the dish the night before and bake it in the morning.” Serves 12.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 baguette, cut into 1-inch-thick slices (5 cups)

4 apples, peeled and quartered, each quarter cut into 4 slices (4 cups)

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk

Directions

Preheat oven to broil. Coat 10-inch round casserole dish or 4 1/2-qt. Dutch oven with cooking spray. Combine sugar and cinnamon on small plate. Put melted butter in shallow bowl. Set aside.

Halve each baguette slice. Dip each halved slice first in butter, then in cinnamon sugar, and set cinnamon-side up on baking sheet. Set remaining cinnamon sugar aside. Broil bread slices 1 to 2 minutes, or until cinnamon sugar gets dark and bubbly on top.

Spread 2 cups apple slices on bottom of prepared casserole dish. Top with 2 1/2 cups bread slices, cinnamon-side down. Repeat layering with remaining apples and bread slices.

Whisk together eggs, egg whites, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk in milk until smooth. Pour over bread and apples. Weigh down pudding with salad plate to keep bread submerged, and let stand 1 hour in refrigerator, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle bread pudding with remaining cinnamon sugar, and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until set in center and puffy and golden brown on top. Serve warm.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 175; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Cholesterol: 43 mg; Sodium: 189 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 20 g

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH APPLE AND TARRAGON

This also comes from the September 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 74. It begins, “This soup gets its golden hue from a pinch of ground turmeric.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

5 cups chopped cauliflower florets (1 lb.)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice

1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish

1 pinch ground turmeric

Directions

Bring cauliflower, apple juice, broth, onion, and coriander to a boil in saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender.

Blend cauliflower mixture, tarragon, and turmeric in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with tarragon.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 100; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 22 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 89 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 14 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

RICE PUDDING IN A MUG

This comes from The Kitchn's e-newsletters. I love the site, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven't checked out these two sites, and/or signed up for their e-newsletters, you should!

This recipe serves 2, and can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 large egg

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch salt

1 1/2 cups cooked rice, any kind

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cooked rice, and stir until well-combined. Divide the mixture between two tall mugs. Microwave on full power for 2 to 4 minutes, until the pudding has set. (Cooking time will vary greatly depending on your microwave and the width and depth of the mug. Start with 2 minutes and continue cooking in 30-second increments until it is done.)

Carefully remove the mugs from the microwave and let them stand for a minute or two before serving. If you like, top each pudding with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, citrus zest, raisins, or whipped cream.

THE HEART-HEALTHIEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES IN THE WORLD

This recipe comes from page 69 of the February 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “When you replace butter and eggs with ground walnuts, and all-purpose flour with a blend of oat flour and oatmeal, you get a moist, chewy, vegan cookie that’s loaded with good-for-your-heart ingredients.” Makes 30 cookies in 30 minutes or less.

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. canola oil

2 cups walnuts

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

3 3.5-oz. bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips (12 oz.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add canola oil, and blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.

Whisk together brown sugar and 1/2 cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain.

Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10 minutes. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.

Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

nutritional information Per Cookie: Calories: 173; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 21 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 122 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 12 g; Vegan

VEGETARIAN CHILI WITH CORN BREAD TOPPING

This comes from Nigella Lawson in The New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. Nigella wrote, “The idea behind this spicy, all-vegetable chili is ease: It’s easily made on a weekend, a meditative wintry afternoon in the kitchen, chopping and stirring. Then, on a weeknight made even shorter by commuting and homework, concoct an easy corn bread topping, spread it on the chili and bake it for a while. It’s healthy, filling food.” Time: 1 hour 35 minutes; makes 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups red bell peppers (about 2 large peppers), finely diced

2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 1/2 cups red lentils

3 cups canned chopped tomatoes

3 1/2 cups drained canned kidney beans

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

For The Corn Bread Topping:

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups cornmeal

2 tablespoons flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup butter milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar cheese

For Serving:

2 cups sour cream

1 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation

To prepare chili, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a deep, wide pan with a lid. Add onions, garlic and bell peppers, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin and cardamom pods. Stir in lentils.

Add chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, tomato paste, cocoa and 3 cups water. Stir well. Cover, and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Chili can be made ahead to this point and topping added later. (In that case, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, bringing to room temperature before proceeding.)

For corn bread topping, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil. Pour liquid ingredients into dry; stir until combined.

Pour chili into a baking dish 13 by 9 by 3 inches. Spread corn bread topping evenly over chili, and sprinkle cheese on topping. Bake until topping has risen and turned golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, and let chili stand about 5 minutes. To serve, cut into squares, and pass sour cream and cilantro at the table.

MINTY WINTER TABBOULEH

This comes from the February 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 27. It begins, “Chopped fresh herbs are the dominant ingredient in this grain salad. For beautiful bouquets of fresh peppermint at bargain prices, shop for the herb at Asian grocery stores.” Serves 8.

To view this online, go to http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/minty-winter-tabbouleh/.

Ingredients

3/4 cup bulgur

2 cups tightly packed fresh peppermint leaves

2 cups tightly packed fresh parsley leaves

1 small red onion, peeled and quartered

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced (2 cups)

1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, patted dry, and minced, plus 3 Tbs. oil from jar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

Cook bulgur according to package directions. Cool; transfer to bowl.

Pulse peppermint, parsley, onion, and garlic in food processor until finely chopped.

Stir peppermint mixture, cucumbers, hazelnuts, sun-dried tomatoes and oil, and lemon juice into bulgur. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill 30 minutes, or overnight.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 165; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 35 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 2 g; Vegan