Wednesday Recipes

We're half-way through the week. Here are six yummy vegetarian recipes to help you through the day, including Hard Rock's Cole Slaw and Starbuck's Frappucino. Enjoy!

The first four recipes are from the Healing Heart Foundation.

MOCK TUNA-PASTA MELT

An easy casserole favorite

8-oz. package baked marinated tofu (any flavor), finely diced

2 large stalks celery, finely diced

2 medium scallions, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 C fat-free mayonnaise

1/4 C ketchup

1 T sweet pickle relish (sour pickle relish may be used if preferred)

1 t Dijon mustard

3 oz non-fat soy cheddar cheese, grated or finely diced

10 oz. whole wheat pasta elbows (or any small fancy pasta)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil then add pasta. Boil until almost tender, but not soft (about 3/4 of regular cooking time). Rinse with cool running water to stop cooking, drain. Transfer to an oven-proof casserole or baking dish. Gently mix together all other ingredients except cheese, addding in the cooked pasta and sprinkle soy cheese on top. Oven bake for 25 minutes at 350 F. or microwave just long enough for the cheese to melt.

6 servings, each 184 calories: 6% from fat (1.4 g), 78% from carbohydrates (41.5 g), 16% from protein (8.8 g). Sodium 208 mg, Fiber 7.1 g.

Healing Heart Hint

Baked tofu is available in most health food stores. You can bake regular low-fat tofu after marinading (soy sauce, bbq sauce, etc) overnight in a moderate oven for 25 to 50 minutes, or until it starts to become firm.

If baked tofu isn't desired or available, rehydrated TVP flakes or dried bean curd will work as an excellent 'tuna' substitute

For a 'gourmet' touch, bake as above for 20 minutes, then place in hollowed-out tomatoes and bake 5 minutes more before serving.

Again, check out the Healing Heart Foundation at http://heart.kumu.org for more recipes and hints.

HARD ROCK'S COLE SLAW

"Our very low-fat taste-alike," according to the web site.

1 1/3 C fat-free mayonnaise

3 T white vinegar

3 T granulated sugar

2 T soy milk or rice milk

dash salt

8 C chopped cabbage (1 head)

1/2 C shredded carrot

Combine all ingredients except the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl and blend until smooth with a hand or electric mixer. Add cabbage and carrots and toss well. Cover and refrigerate overnight in a plastic or ceramic container (don't use metal).

8 servings, each 96.7 calories: 4% from fat (0.04 g), 82% from carbohydrates (22.4 g), 14% from protein (3.92 g). Sodium 76 mg, Fiber 4 g.

Healing Heart Hint

To bring out the full flavors, keep one or two days in the refrigerator before serving.

For variety (but not like the Hard Rock Cafe's slaw), try adding golden or brown raisins, poppy seeds or chopped chestnuts.

For a kimchi-style slaw add garlic and chili paste.

HARD ROCK CAFE'S BAR-B-Q BEANS

The low-fat vegetarian clone of HRC's famous beans

2 15-ounce cans low-sodium pinto beans (with liquid)

2 T water

2 t cornstarch

1/2 C ketchup

1/3 C white vinegar

1/4 C brown sugar

2 T diced onion

1 t prepared mustard

1/2 t chili powder

1/4 t salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 C soy imitation bacon bits

Preheat oven to 350° F. Empty the cans of pinto beans and liquid in a casserole dish. Dissolve cornstarch in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the beans. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and cover. Bake for 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir every half hour. Remove from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.

6 servings, each 337 calories: 10% from fat (2.6 g), 70% from carbohydrates (42.6 g), 20% from protein (11.8 g). Sodium 638 mg, Fiber 4 g.

STARBUCK'S FRAPPUCINO

Make this popular frozen delight at home, without the caffeine buzz(or with it)

1 1/2 cups strong cold decaffeinated coffee

1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat soy or rice milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon chocolate syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups crushed ice or ice cubes

Combine the coffee, milk, sugar, chocolate syrup and salt in a blender and mix on medium speed for 15 seconds to dissolve sugar. Add the vanilla extract and ice then blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Stir with a spoon if necessary to help blend. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses.

2 - 16 oz servings, each 191 calories: <1% from fat (0.029 g), 99% from carbohydrates (47.7 g), 1% from protein (0.24 g). Sodium 282 mg, Fiber 0 g.

Again, all these and more can be found at http://heart.kumu.org/.

CREAMY VEGAN MAYO-FREE POTATO SALAD

This is from Brittany at I Love Vegan and begins, “Good ol’ potato salad is a quintessential summer salad and a staple at barbeques and potlucks. This creamy vegan potato salad is made without mayo! 30 minutes of active cooking time. Makes 4 cups.”

Prep 30 mins; Cook 25 mins; Inactive 2 hours, 15 mins; Total 3 hours, 10 mins; Yield 4 cups

This can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 - 1.5lb bag of The Little Potato Company’s Blushing Belle Creamer potatoes

1/2 cup Coconut milk (full-fat)

1/3 cup Nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 cup Canola oil (or other neutral-tasting vegetable oil)

3 tbsp Dill pickle juice (or 2 tbsp white vinegar)

1 tbsp Granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)

1 tsp Hot mustard

1 1/2 tsp Sea salt, plus more to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup Chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup Thin-sliced celery (approx. 1 rib celery)

1/4 cup Grated carrot (approx. 1 medium carrot)

1/4 cup Chopped green onion (approx. 4-5 shoots)

2-3 tbsp minced shallot (soaked in salt water) (approx. 1 small shallot)

2 tbsp Chopped dill pickle (approx. 1 large pickle)

Instructions

Begin cooking the potatoes while you prep the vegetables and the dressing. In a large pot of cold water, heat the potatoes over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the largest potato is fork-tender in the center. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and set aside to cool slightly.

While the potatoes are cooking, combine coconut milk, nutritional yeast, canola oil, pickle juice, sugar, hot mustard, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix vigorously and set aside. Prepare the dill, celery, carrot, green onion, shallot, and pickle.

Once the potatoes are just cool enough to handle, halve them and transfer them to a large bowl. (Refer to recipe notes for tips on changing the texture of the potato salad)

Cover the warm potatoes with dressing and add all of the chopped vegetables. Mix roughly and thoroughly to the help break up the potatoes and thicken the dressing.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (until thoroughly chilled – overnight is best so there’s plenty of time for the dressing to thicken.)

Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning to suit your preferences.

Notes

Depending on your personal preferences, it's easy to adjust the texture of this potato salad. I coarsely mashed the halved potatoes for a thick salad with different-sized chunky pieces of potato. For a more evenly textured potato salad, dice 2/3 of the warm potatoes and thoroughly mash the remaining potatoes. If you prefer a mashed potato salad, fully mash the potatoes.

BE DAZZLED CRANBERRY PUNCH

This is from Ocean Spray. Prep Time: 5 minutes plus freezing; Yield: Makes about 14 6-ounce servings

To view this yumminess, click here.

Ingredients

1 64-ounce bottle Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail

24 ounces club soda

8 ounces orange juice

Ice ring, garnish

Orange slices, garnish

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except garnishes, in a large punch bowl. Gently stir ingredients. Add ice ring and orange slices just before serving.