Wednesday Recipes

I'm planning to make a few changes here over the next few weeks...A little chattier, more photos, maybe one or two highlighted recipes and five or six accompanying recipes...But then, I think the changes will make a better blog, all the way around.

In the meantime, here are today's six vegetarian recipes to try out. Enjoy!

7-LAYER MEATLESS TORTILLA PIE

Tortillas without meat? Yes, most assuredly! This yummy recipe is from FamilyTime.com, and begins, “Black beans and pinto beans are flavored with Pace® Picante Sauce and seasonings to make separate and delicious bean mixtures, which are then layered with flour tortillas and Cheddar cheese, and baked until hot, but into wedges and served.” Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 40 minutes; Serves: 6 servings (1 wedge each)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 cans (about 15 ounces each), pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons choped fresh cilantro leaves

1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

7 flour tortillas (8-inch)

8 ounces Shredded Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)

Directions

Mash the pinto beans in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in 3/4 cup picante sauce and the garlic powder.

Stir the remaining picante sauce, cilantro, black beans and tomato in a medium bowl.

Place 1 tortilla onto a baking sheet. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over the tortilla to with 1/2-inch of the edge. Top with 1/4 cheese. Top with 1 tortilla and 2/3 cup black bean mixture. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat the layers twice more. Top with the remaining tortilla and spread with the remainning pinto bean mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the filling is hot. Uncover the pie. Top with the remaining cheese. Cut the pie into 6 wedges. Serve with additional picante sauce and spring with additional cilantro, if desired.

BAKED TOFU SALAD WITH BROCCOLI AND PINEAPPLE

This recipe, also from the January/February 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 44, begins, “This lovely winter salad highlights how easy it is to use chewy baked tofu right out of the package.

Dressing

1/3 cup mango chutney

1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise or unsweetened coconut yogurt

2 Tbs. lime juice

Salad

1 medium head broccoli, cut into small florets

1 8-oz. pkg. baked tofu (any flavor), cut into short, thin sticks

1 1/2 cups fresh or drained canned pineapple chunks

2 large celery stalks, sliced diagonally

1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts, optional

1/4 cup golden raisins

To make Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in small bowl. Set aside.

To make Salad: Steam broccoli florets 4 to 5 minutes, or until bright green and tender-crisp. Transfer to colander, rinse with cool water, and drain well.

Toss broccoli with remaining Salad ingredients. Add Dressing, and toss to coat.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 266; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 419 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 19 g; Vegan

VERY BLUEBERRY SUNDAES

Yield: 4 servings

Source: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/793.shtml

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 cup frozen blueberries

3 tablespoons orange juice OR 2 tablespoons orange juice plus 1 tablespoon orange liqueur

Sugar substitute equal to 2 tablespoons sugar

Rest of ingredients:

2 cups low-fat vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans or sliced toasted almonds

Directions

To make the sauce, place the blueberries, orange juice, and sugar substitute in a mini food processor and process until smooth. Set aside for about 15 minutes, until the mixture has thawed. Or transfer to a covered container and chill until ready to use.

To assemble the sundaes, place a 1/2 cup scoop of ice cream in each of 4 dessert dishes. Top the ice cream in each dish with a quarter of the sauce and a sprinkling of the nuts. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 176; Protein: 3.9 g; Fat: 7.6 g; Sodium: 50 mg; Cholesterol: 5 mg; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Carbohydrate, 1-1/2 Fat

ORIGINAL PLUM TORTE

This is from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “The Times published Marian Burros’s recipe for Plum Torte every September from 1983 until 1989, when the editors determined that enough was enough. The recipe was to be printed for the last time that year. “To counter anticipated protests,” Ms. Burros wrote a few years later, “the recipe was printed in larger type than usual with a broken-line border around it to encourage clipping.” It didn’t help. The paper was flooded with angry letters. “The appearance of the recipe, like the torte itself, is bittersweet,” wrote a reader in Tarrytown, N.Y. “Summer is leaving, fall is coming. That's what your annual recipe is all about. Don't be grumpy about it.” We are not! And we pledge that every year, as summer gives way to fall, we will make sure that the recipe is easily available to one and all. The original 1983 recipe called for 1 cup sugar; the 1989 version reduced that to 3/4 cup. We give both options below. Here are five ways to adapt the torte.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

This was featured in “Eating Well” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup unbleached flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt (optional)

2 eggs

24 halves pitted purple plums

Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.

Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.

Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

Tip

To freeze, double-wrap the torte in foil, place in a plastic bag and seal.

ALL-PURPOSE BISCUITS

This comes from Sam Sifton, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Biscuits are what take us into the kitchen today to cook: fat, flaky mounds of quick bread, golden brown, with a significant crumb. Composed of flour, baking powder, fat and a liquid, then baked in a hot oven, they are an excellent sop for sorghum syrup, molasses or honey. They are marvelous layered with country ham or smothered in white sausage gravy, with eggs, with grits. Biscuits are easy to make.” Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “A Quest for New York’s Perfect Biscuit”, and can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 scant tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, preferably European style

1 cup whole milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.

Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

ITALIAN EGGPLANT RAGOUT

This also comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The meaty texture of eggplant makes it an ideal ingredient in vegetarian entrées, and its antioxidant content makes it a nutritional powerhouse. Eggplant is rich in a phenolic compound called chlorogenic acid, a potent free-radical scavenger that confers antiviral, antimicrobial, and cholesterol-lowering benefits. Prep tip: Salting the eggplant before cooking it draws out any bitter juices and helps the vegetable hold its shape when cooked.” Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants, halved

2 Tbs. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tbs. capers

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

Scoop out center and seeds of eggplant halves. Cut eggplants into 3/4-inch dice. Toss with salt in bowl, and let stand 30 minutes. Drain, rinse well, and pat dry.

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, and eggplants. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until eggplants are tender but not mushy. Stir in capers and sugar, and cook 2 minutes more. Fold in parsley, and season with black pepper.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 197; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 5.5 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 33 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 681 mg; Fiber: 10 g; Sugar: 8 g; Yield: Serves 6

Tuesday Recipes

Enjoy!

VERY BLUEBERRY SUNDAES

Yield: 4 servings

View online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/793.shtml

Source: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/60.shtml

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 cup frozen blueberries

3 tablespoons orange juice OR 2 tablespoons orange juice plus 1 tablespoon orange liqueur

Sugar substitute equal to 2 tablespoons sugar

Rest of ingredients:

2 cups low-fat vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans or sliced toasted almonds

Directions

To make the sauce, place the blueberries, orange juice, and sugar substitute in a mini food processor and process until smooth. Set aside for about 15 minutes, until the mixture has thawed. Or transfer to a covered container and chill until ready to use.

To assemble the sundaes, place a 1/2 cup scoop of ice cream in each of 4 dessert dishes. Top the ice cream in each dish with a quarter of the sauce and a sprinkling of the nuts. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 176; Protein: 3.9 g; Fat: 7.6 g; Sodium: 50 mg; Cholesterol: 5 mg; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Carbohydrate, 1-1/2 Fat

ORANGE AND JICAMA SALAD

Serves 2. To view online, go to http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/9.shtml

Ingredients

Butter lettuce leaves

Salt

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Freshly ground pepper

1 large orange, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1 cup Jicama, julienned

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Line plates with lettuce. Top with orange slices. Mound with jicama. Sprinkle with chopped red onion.

Blend juice, vinegar, salt & pepper in small bowl. Whisk in oil in thin stream. Spoon over salads. Garnish with minced cilantro.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): Calories: 282; Protein: 4.9 g; Sodium: 36 mg; Fat: 2.8 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Exchanges: 1 fruit; 1 vegetable; 1 fat; 1 starch

EGGPLANT POLENTA STACK

Purchase package flavored polenta in the produce section; choose any favorite flavor for this dish.

Yield: 4 servings

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/846.shtml

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/22.shtml

Ingredients

8 slices (3/4 inch) eggplant (about 1 pound)

2 egg whites, lightly beaten or 1/4 cup no-cholesterol real egg product

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil cooking spray

1 package (16 ounces) prepared Italian-herb polenta, cut into 8 slices

Salt and pepper, to taste

2-4 ounces reduced-fat feta, or goat, cheese, crumbled

Directions

Dip eggplant slices in egg whites and coat with combined bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat until hot. Cook eggplant until browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes; spray tops of slices with cooking spray and turn. Cook until eggplant is tender and browned on other side, about 10 minutes longer.

Arrange eggplant in baking pan; top each slice with a slice of polenta and tomato. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper; sprinkle stack with feta cheese.

Bake at 450 degrees F. until tomatoes are hot and cheese lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 222; Protein: 10.9 g; Fat: 4.5 g; Sodium: 624 mg; Cholesterol: 9 mg; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 2 Bread/Starch, 1 Fat

CREAMY SPINACH DIP

Yield: 16 servings; Serving Size: 2 tablespoons.

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/842.shtml

Source: The Diabetes Food and Nutrition

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/details/11.shtml

Ingredients

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained very well

1-1/2 cups low-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced mint

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup minced water chestnuts

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the spinach and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, vinegar, mint, garlic, water chestnuts, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Add the spinach and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 33; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 27 mg; Cholesterol: 7 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 3 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Carbohydrate

RASPBERRY-ALMOND BAR COOKIES

An easy to make bar cookie that is filled with flavor rich raspberry spreadable fruit. This buttery treat has 31% fewer calories than the traditional recipe.

Yield: 24 servings

View this recipe here: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/944.shtml

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Equal Spoonful or Granulated*

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold stick butter or margarine, cut into pieces

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 jar (10 ounces) seedless raspberry spreadable fruit

3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

* May substitute 12 packets Equal sweetener

Directions

Combine flour, Equal and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in egg, water and lemon peel. Mixture will be crumbly.

Press mixture evenly onto bottom of well-sprayed 8 x 8-inch square baking pan. Bake in preheated 350F oven 12 to 15 minutes or until edges of crust are lightly browned.

Remove pan from oven and spread raspberry fruit over top. Sprinkle with almonds. Return to oven, and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until raspberry fruit is bubbly. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 86; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 4 g; Sodium: 16 mg; Cholesterol: 19 mg; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat

HUMMUS-VEGGIE WRAPS

Yield: 4 servings

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/910.shtml

Source: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/60.shtml

Ingredients

4 whole-wheat flour tortillas (8 to 9-inch rounds)

1 cup ready-made hummus

1 small carrot, shredded with a potato peeler

2 slices red onion, separated into rings

12 thin slices peeled cucumber

16 young tender spinach leaves or 1 cup alfalfa sprouts

Directions

Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Lay the tortillas on a flat surface and spread the lower half only of each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the hummus.

Top the hummus on each tortilla with a quarter of the carrots, onion rings, cucumber slices, and spinach or sprouts, leaving a 1-1/2 inch margin on the right and left sides.

Fold the right and left margins in, then roll each tortilla up from the bottom to enclose the filling. Cut each warp in half and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 258; Protein: 10 g; Fat: 8.6 g; Sodium: 625 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g ; Carbohydrates: 38 g; Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch, 1 Very Lean Meat, 1/2 Vegetable, 1 Fat