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