Monday Recipes

Hope you had a good weekend. Here to start off this week's food are six yummy vegetarian recipes, including Banana Snacking Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze and Vegan Chinese Kung Pao. Enjoy!

APPLE SPICE CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTER SAUCE

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 10 servings.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon Apple Pie Spice

1 teaspoon Ground Allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

2 apples (Granny Smith or Gala), peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Vanilla Butter Sauce (recipe follows)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, apple pie spice, allspice and salt in small bowl; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla on low speed just until blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in apples, raisins and walnuts. Spread evenly in greased 9-inch round cake pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving plate.

Serve warm with Vanilla Butter Sauce.

Vanilla Butter Sauce:

Bring 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and 1/2 cup heavy cream to boil in 2-quart saucepan on medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract. Serve warm. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Test Kitchen Tip: The cake and sauce can be prepared and refrigerated separately the day before. Warm the cake in the oven and the sauce on top of the stove before serving.

CANNOLI QUESADILLA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

This was in an old Weight Watchers email (we're talking more than 10 years ago). The plan has changed several times since then.

This recipe begins, “Whip up this Italian-inspired specialty in honor of Mother’s Day. Topped with a simple strawberry sauce or just sliced strawberries, it’s a sweet treat every mom will love.”

POINTS® Value: 3 (value from when this recipe was emailed); Servings: 4; Preparation Time: 10 min; Cooking Time: 1 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

8 oz fat-free ricotta cheese

3 Tbsp McNeil Nutritionals SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener, or similar product, or to taste

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

4 medium whole wheat tortilla

5 oz sweetened frozen whole strawberries, partially thawed and pureed (1/2 a 10 oz package), or whole sliced strawberries if you prefer

Directions

Mix together ricotta cheese, Splenda and almond extract by hand in a large bowl until well-combined and smooth; gently fold in chocolate chips. Chill for at least 2 hours (and up to overnight); drain off any liquid.

To soften tortillas, wrap them in layers of paper towels and then microwave them on high for 30 seconds.

Place about 1/4 cup of cheese mixture down the center of each cooled tortilla; fold tortilla over in half (or roll up burrito-style). Drizzle each serving with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of strawberry sauce or top with fresh strawberry slices; serve immediately. Yields 1 cannoli per serving.

Notes: Add more Splenda if you prefer your desserts very sweet. And feel free to top the quesadillas with freshly sliced strawberries when they’re in season. Or you can use a combination of pureed and sliced strawberries.

Note: Okay, this is me talking. I personally would refrain from the Splenda, simply because I'm not a big fan of non-sugar (read not-quite-sure-it's-not-synthetic) sweeteners. But that's my preference. I would use sugar or no sweetener at all. It's your call here.

EASY VEGAN TEMPEH CHILI

This is from OnTrackDiabetes, a site with some good information for diabetics and their families.

Servings: 6; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 30 minutes; Total: 40 minutes

You can view this at https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/recipes/easy-vegan-tempeh-chili.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces tempeh

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 15-ounce can of organic pinto beans (undrained)

1 15-ounce can of organic kidney beans (drained)

2 15-ounce cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (undrained)

3/4 cup of water

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large (6-quart) saucepan on medium heat.

Remove tempeh from the package and crumble it into saucepan. Brown for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chopped onion, bell peppers and celery to saucepan. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes.

Add beans (1 drained and 1 undrained), tomatoes, water and remaining seasonings. Stir well to combine.

Simmer on low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until peppers are cooked yet still firm.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 330 calories (33% calories from fat), 18 g protein, 12 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 38 g carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 767 mg sodium

BANANA SNACKING CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL GLAZE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This buttery snacking cake is a bit like banana bread, but richer, and topped with a sticky caramel frosting that is dotted with crunchy flakes of sea salt. The frosting, made from brown sugar and heavy cream, is easier than a classic caramel, but just as compelling, with the sea salt contrasting perfectly with its sweetness. It’s important to use ripe bananas here. Soft, spotty ones with dark yellow skins will be the sweetest and most complex. Firm, pale yellow bananas just don’t have enough intensity to flavor the cake.”

For the Glaze:

Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling

This was featured in “Three Snacking Cakes to Change Your Afternoons”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 cup mashed banana (from 2 to 3 very ripe bananas)

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into pieces

1/3 packed cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

Large pinch of fine sea salt

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Flaky sea salt, for serving

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch pan, and then line with parchment paper, letting the two long ends hang over the edges by at least 2 inches.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk in bananas, melted butter, sour cream, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Scrape into baking pan and smooth the top. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

When cake is cool, make the glaze: In a medium or large pot (not a small one because the mixture will bubble up), combine butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Bring to a full boil and continue to boil over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth, then immediately pour over cooled cake. Spread evenly across cake and let set for at least 30 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving.

VEGAN CHINESE KUNG PAO TOFU

This is from Jolinda Hackett, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, “Never had kung pao tofu before? Looking for something new to try for a vegetarian dinner tonight? Try this vegetarian Chinese dish!

“Although this traditional Chinese food dish is usually made with chicken, you can use tofu to create a very similar vegetarian and vegan version of traditional kung pao chicken using all the same Chinese ingredients and seasonings, including sesame oil, red pepper flakes, onion, lime and hot sauce. This vegetarian kung pao tofu recipe also calls for lots of healthy Chinese veggies including snow peas, bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms.

“Serve this Szechuan-style Chinese kung pao tofu recipe over rice.

“Need this recipe to be gluten-free as well as vegan? Double-check that your is gluten-free, and use tamari in place of the soy sauce.”

Prep Time: 45 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Yield: about 3 servings.

View this online here.

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable broth

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari to keep it gluten-free)

1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 tbsp sesame oil + 2 tbsp

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 small bok choy, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup snow peas

1/2 small purple cabbage, sliced thin

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp hot sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare your tofu. Like most vegetarian tofu recipes, this tofu recipe will taste best if you press the tofu first. This allows the tofu to absorb more of the flavorings and seasonings which you add to it.

Once your tofu is ready, combine the 3 tbsp vegetable broth, lime juice, soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil and the tofu in a small bowl. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, mixing occasionally to coat the tofu well.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Grease a baking sheet or cover with foil and bake tofu for 15 minutes, turning once.

In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, saute the onion, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, mushrooms and ginger in 2 tbsp sesame oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bok choy and vegetable broth and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes. Add cabbage and snow peas.

Reduce heat to low and add tofu and remaining ingredients, cooking just until combined and heated through. Serve over rice.

COUSCOUS WITH MIXED VEGETABLES

This came from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

Couscous:

16 oz couscous

2 cups water

2 teaspoons oil or margarine

Salt & pepper

Aromatic broth:

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 Tablespoons turmeric

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon coriander, ground

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

Salt & pepper to taste

Vegetables:

1/2 zucchini

1/2 yellow squash

1 turnip

1 carrot

1/8 cabbage

Directions

Boil water with salt, pepper & oil. Mix in couscous & place plastic wrap on top. Let steam for 15 minutes. Sauté onion. Add raisins, turmeric, coriander, cumin & cinnamon stick & 6 cups of water. Boil for 25 minutes, then strain. Cook zucchini, yellow squash, turnip, carrot, & cabbage in broth & set aside until ready to use.

Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. Hopefully, the weather is nice where you are...

Here are six yummy vegetarian recipes to help you through the weekend, including Low-Fat Vegan Eggplant Lasagna and Cannoli Quesadilla with Strawberry Sauce. Enjoy!

HOME/MADE MUSHROOM LASAGNA

This comes from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Monica Byrne, with her partner, Leisah Swenson, runs a tiny restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn, called Home/Made. A plurality of words that appear on the Home/Made menu: ‘cheese,’ ‘smoked,’ ‘bacon,’ ‘caramelized.’ Three of those four appear in Byrne’s lasagna, leaving out only bacon, which would be a fine addition. She layers smoked mozzarella over a painting of rich, garlicky béchamel and sheets of pasta, then radicchio roasted into sweetness and tossed in sauce. Sautéed mushrooms add heft and loamy funkiness, and a mixture of Fontina and Gruyère add zing.”

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 2 hours

This was featured in “Gooey Wild-Mushroom Lasagna” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or herb oil

6 large shallots, peeled and minced

1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wild or best available oyster, shiitake, cremini, trimmed and sliced

1 cup dry white wine

1 softball-size head of radicchio, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or herb oil

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

4 tablespoons flour, ideally instant or all-purpose

3 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

1 cup Fontina cheese, grated

2 tablespoons best-quality truffle oil (optional)

2 9-ounce boxes of no-boil lasagna sheets

1 baseball-size ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced

1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of the olive oil or herb oil. When it begins to shimmer, add half of the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add mushrooms and toss to coat, then cook until they begin to color but are still plump, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze pan and allow to cook down into a syrup, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Put the mushrooms into a large bowl and reserve.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, toss the radicchio with 1/4 cup olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the strips out onto a baking pan and place in the oven until the strips are lightly browned around the edges, approximately 15 minutes. Combine with mushrooms and reserve.

Make the béchamel. Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the rest of the shallots and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine, then cook until the garlic has started to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 10 minutes. Add milk to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the nutmeg and 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère and 1/4 cup of grated Fontina, then stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reserve a cup of béchamel. Pour the rest over the mixture of mushrooms and radicchio, and stir to combine. Add truffle oil, if using.

Assemble lasagna. Spread plain béchamel across the bottom of a 9- by-13-inch baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna sheets across the sauce, being careful not to overlap. Spread a generous layer of mushroom mixture on top of the pasta, and follow with some grated Fontina and Gruyère. Put another layer of pasta above the cheese, and top with smoked mozzarella. Repeat until the pasta is gone and the pan is full. Top with remaining cheeses and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Cover with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is golden and bubbling.

LOW-FAT VEGAN EGGPLANT LASAGNA

This comes from Jolinda Hackett, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. She writes, "A wonderful vegetarian lasagna recipe full of healthy spinach and eggplant. This vegetarian and vegan lasagna recipe uses no cheese, making it both vegan and dairy-free, as well as much lower in fat than a traditional lasagna." Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium eggplant, diced

2 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1 64 ounce jar pre-made tomato sauce

1 pound lasagna noodles

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Sautee the garlic for two minutes, then add the eggplant and stir. Cover the frying pan and cook until the eggplant is just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking pan with 2 cups of the tomato sauce, then cover the tomato sauce with 4 or 5 uncooked noodles. Cover this with a thin layer of sauce, then add the cooked eggplant and another thin layer of sauce. Add another layer of noodles followed by a thing layer of sauce, then the spinach and another thin layer of sauce. Add the remaining noodles and sauce.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Noodles are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.

Makes six servings of eggplant and spinach lasagna. Reprinted with permission from The Compassionate Cook Cookbook.

Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 347, Calories from Fat: 41; % Daily Value: Total Fat: 4.6g, 7%, Total Carbohydrates: 65.8g, 22%, Dietary Fiber: 9.2g, 37%, Protein: 16.3g, Vitamin A 199%, Vitamin C 83%, Calcium 14%, Iron 32%

PINEAPPLE CREAM PIE

This is one of those gems from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing lists.

Ingredients

1 graham cracker crust or pre-baked regular crust

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained

1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk. Stir in pineapple and pecans. Put into pie crust and top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Refrigerate for several hours.

CANNOLI QUESADILLA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

This was in an old Weight Watchers email (we're talking more than 10 years ago). The plan has changed several times since then.

This recipe begins, “Whip up this Italian-inspired specialty in honor of Mother’s Day. Topped with a simple strawberry sauce or just sliced strawberries, it’s a sweet treat every mom will love.”

POINTS® Value: 3 (value from when this recipe was emailed); Servings: 4; Preparation Time: 10 min; Cooking Time: 1 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

8 oz fat-free ricotta cheese

3 Tbsp McNeil Nutritionals SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener, or similar product, or to taste

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

4 medium whole wheat tortilla

5 oz sweetened frozen whole strawberries, partially thawed and pureed (1/2 a 10 oz package), or whole sliced strawberries if you prefer

Directions

Mix together ricotta cheese, Splenda and almond extract by hand in a large bowl until well-combined and smooth; gently fold in chocolate chips. Chill for at least 2 hours (and up to overnight); drain off any liquid.

To soften tortillas, wrap them in layers of paper towels and then microwave them on high for 30 seconds.

Place about 1/4 cup of cheese mixture down the center of each cooled tortilla; fold tortilla over in half (or roll up burrito-style). Drizzle each serving with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of strawberry sauce or top with fresh strawberry slices; serve immediately. Yields 1 cannoli per serving.

Notes: Add more Splenda if you prefer your desserts very sweet. And feel free to top the quesadillas with freshly sliced strawberries when they’re in season. Or you can use a combination of pureed and sliced strawberries.

Note: Okay, this is me talking. I personally would refrain from the Splenda, simply because I'm not a big fan of non-sugar (read not-quite-sure-it's-not-synthetic) sweeteners. But that's my preference. I would use sugar or no sweetener at all. It's your call here.

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

This is from OnTrackDiabetes, a site with some good information for diabetics and their families.

You can view this at https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/recipes/salads/winter-fruit-salad.

Ingredients

8 red apples, such as Jonathan or Gala, cored and diced

8 green Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and diced

4 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed, sliced

2 cups fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (optional)

sugar substitute, to taste (optional)

4 bananas, sliced

Directions

Place all of the fruit (except bananas), juices and liqueur (if using) in a large attractive bowl. Add sugar substitute, if using. Gently mix.

Cover bowl and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, but no longer.

Just before serving, stir in banana slices.

Nutritional Information Per serving: 131 calories (5% calories from fat), 1 g protein, 1 g total fat (0.1 g saturated fat), 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 1 mg sodium

Diabetic exchanges: 2 carbohydrate (fruit)

HEALTHIFIED BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP

This yummy recipe is from the Food Network. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

This can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 medium red-skinned potato, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

One 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Note: The recipe originally called for either chicken or vegetable broth. For obvious reasons, I've left this as just the veggie broth.

Directions

Separate the stems and the florets from the broccoli. Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough outer layers. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside separately.

Mist a large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved florets and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the entire contents of the pot with the florets to the soup along with the nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Stir in the Cheddar, Worcestershire and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the scallions.

Cook’s Note

Leftover soup should be reheated in the microwave rather than the stovetop, where the cheese will "break" or separate from the broth.