Tuesday Recipes

I hope everyone enjoyed their three-day weekend. Now to start the shortened work-week with today's six vegetarian recipes. Enjoy!

LEMON, ASPARAGUS AND CARROTS

Servings: 6

View online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/21.shtml

Ingredients

1/2 pound carrots, small

1 dash lemon pepper

8 ounces asparagus spears, frozen or fresh

1/8 cup lemon juice

Directions

Wash, trim, and peel small carrots.

Place carrots in a steamer basket above boiling water.

Cover and steam about 15 minutes or till crisp- tender.

Rinse carrots in cold water; drain.

In the meantime, cook frozen asparagus spears according to package.

Rinse asparagus in cold water, drain.

Cover and chill drained carrots and asparagus.

To serve, arrange carrots and asparagus on a platter.

Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and lemon pepper.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 26; Protein: 1 g; Sodium: 19 mg; Carbohydrates: 6 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable

ZUCCHINI BREAD WITH LEMON HONEY BUTTER

This comes from The Food Network Kitchen. Total Time: 1 hr 50 min; Prep: 35 min; Cook: 1 hr 15 min; Yield: 2 loafs; Level: Easy.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/zucchini-bread-with-lemon-honey-butter.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pans

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini (from about 1 medium zucchini)

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Honey Lemon Butter, recipe follows

Lemon Honey Butter:

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9- by- 5-inch loaf pans. In large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add the zucchini. Add the lemon zest and mix thoroughly.

In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add the zucchini mixture until completely combined. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the sides have started to brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a rack 15 minutes. Unmold and serve warm or at room temperature sliced with the Lemon Honey Butter.

Special equipment: two 9- by- 5-inch loaf pans

Lemon Honey Butter:

Combine all ingredients and mix together well. Chill and serve.

BUSH’S® APPLE PUMPKIN CAKE

This comes from Bush’s® Beans. It starts off, “Full of classic fall flavors, this delicious cake can be topped with whipped cream or your favorite cream cheese icing. Pureed BUSH'S® Country Style Baked Beans add a surprising sweetness.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 12.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 can (16 oz) BUSH’S® Country Style Baked Beans

1 pkg (16.25 oz) spice cake mix

3 large eggs

1/2 cup classic applesauce

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

Directions

Remove the bacon from the can of Country Style Baked Beans. Pour the can of beans and sauce into a blender and puree.

Combine the cake mix, use 3/4 cup of the pureed beans (discard small amount of remaining puree) and 3 eggs in a mixing bowl and mix well.

Add the applesauce and pumpkin and mix well till all ingredients are combined.

Spoon batter into a sprayed 9x13 cake pan at 350° F for 30-35 minutes or till a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan.

Top with whip cream or Cream cheese frosting for fun! Yields 12 servings OR Use cupcake pans with paper liners. Fill 2/3 full.

Bake at 350° for 12- 15 minutes or till a wooden pick comes out clean.

Makes 2-3 dozen muffins or frost for a nutritious cupcake.

CURRIED STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

From page 68 of the October 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Curry and winter squash pair well in fall dishes like this gorgeous stuffed squash.” Serves 4, and can be viewed online here.

2 spaghetti squash (1 1/2 lb. each)

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 small red onion, sliced (1 cup)

6 oz. extra-firm silken tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 Tbs. finely chopped jalapeño chile

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

2 Tbs. thinly sliced basil, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Pierce squash in several places with knife. Microwave 3 minutes on high power to soften. Slice off ends, and stand squash upright. Cut straight down length of squash. Remove seeds with spoon. Place halves cut side down on rimmed baking sheet, and add 11/2 cups water to cover surface. Bake 30 minutes, or until squash yields when pressed.

Cool squash cut side up 10 minutes. Scrape squash halves with fork to release strands.

Transfer strands to large bowl, and stir in chickpeas, onion, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, and jalapeño.

Whisk together coconut milk and curry powder in bowl; stir into squash mixture, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Fill squash shells with mixture, and return to baking sheet, cut side up. Bake 20 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with basil (if using).

nutritional information Per Squash half: Calories: 270; Protein: 10 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 47 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 210 mg; Fiber: 9 g; Sugar: 19 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

CREAMY SPINACH SOUP WITH PANEER CROUTONS

This is from the October 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 32. It starts out, “Paneer, a mild Indian cheese, tops this tasty soup. If you can’t find paneer, substitute cubed fresh mozzarella or tofu.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

2 Tbs. butter, divided

1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1 cup frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

3 2/3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1-lb. pkg. frozen spinach

4 oz. paneer cheese, cubed (1 cup)

Heat 1 Tbs. butter in pot over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, curry powder, mustard seeds, and turmeric. Cook 1 minute. Add hash browns and broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, and cook 2 minutes more, or until wilted. Purée with immersion blender until smooth.

Heat remaining 1 Tbs. butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add paneer cubes, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Spoon paneer over soup, and serve hot.

nutritional information Per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 264; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 9 g; Carbohydrates: 22 g; Cholesterol: 44 mg; Sodium: 453 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 6 g; Gluten-Free

ENGINE 2 DIET VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

This was on a long-forgotten email list. But it comes originally from a cookbook titled The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds. Personally, I'm considering picking up a copy for myself. Check it out!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

1 package Silken Lite tofu

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 jars pasta sauce

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles

16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Drain the silken tofu11 by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.

To Assemble:

Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 - 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna.