Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's Double-Post Tuesday. Today's offerings include Fresh Corn and Okra Fritters, Miniature Apple Muffins, and Apricot Semifreddo with Blackberry Sauce. Enjoy!

PAPRIKA CAULIFLOWER PITA POCKETS

This is from the September 2007 (?) issue of Vegetarian Times (page 76), and begins, "Cauliflower, like paprika, is frequently undervalued in home kitchens. What better way to highlight them both than with this simple dish. Try topping with fresh tomatoes, chopped black olives, and some low-fat Parmesan cheese." Makes 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/paprika-cauliflower-pita-pockets/.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower (2 lb.), cut into bite-size florets

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. sweet Hungarian paprika

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1 small red onion, diced (1 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbs. lemon juice

4 pita bread rounds, halved and warmed

Preparation

Steam cauliflower 7 to 9 minutes, or until tender.

Heat oil, paprika, pepper, and salt in nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, 2 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes more. Stir in broth and cauliflower, and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice. Serve with pita halves.

EASY SWEET POTATO ENCHILADAS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "Enchilada dinners are a great way to use up fillings and try out new flavors—take our Easy Sweet Potato Enchiladas, for example. Full of roasted sweet potatoes, spinach and chickpeas and spiced with chili powder, these vegetarian enchiladas with sweet potato are a game-changer when you want to introduce a vegetarian dish into your weekday lineup. You'll love that it takes just 30 minutes of prep time to get tasty vegetarian sweet potato enchiladas wrapped up and in the oven. Make them saucy with Old El Paso™ Mild Red Enchilada Sauce, and don't forget the cheese!"

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Makes 5 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/easy-sweet-potato-enchiladas.

Ingredients

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2-1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chili powder

3 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves

1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained, rinsed

2 cups Old El Paso™ Shredded Mexican 4 Cheese Blend (8 oz)

1 package (8.2 oz) Old El Paso™ Flour Tortillas for Soft Tacos & Fajitas (6 inch)

2 cans (10 oz each) Old El Paso™ Mild Red Enchilada Sauce

Fresh chopped cilantro and Old El Paso™ Crema Mexicana, if desired

Preparation

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish or pan with cooking spray.

Place sweet potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 to 60 seconds, stirring frequently, until softened. Stir in chili powder and spinach; cook 30 to 60 seconds to wilt.

Remove from heat; pour into medium bowl. Stir in chickpeas and roasted potatoes. Let cool 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

Place tortillas on work surface. Spread heaping 1/3 cup vegetable mixture down center of each tortilla. Wrap tortillas around filling; placing seam side down in sprayed baking dish. Top enchiladas with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with remaining ingredients.

Expert Tips

Want a little more heat? Try Old El Paso™ Medium Red Enchilada Sauce in your Easy Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

For this Easy Sweet Potato Enchiladas recipe, look for sweet potatoes with red skin and orange flesh.

Cooking vegetarian? Always read labels to make sure each recipe ingredient is vegetarian. Products and ingredient sources can change.

Add a fresh squeeze of lime to your vegetarian sweet potato enchiladas, if desired.

FRESH CORN AND OKRA FRITTERS

This is from the July/August 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 46. It begins, "In these fritters, okra shows its Southern heritage when paired with corn and cornmeal. These fritters resemble fried corn pone but with vegetables added. If you want to make your own baking powder, the formula is very simple: Combine 1/4 cup cream of tartar with 2 tablespoons baking soda, and sift the two together three times. Store the powder in a tightly sealed container away from sunlight. Makes about 12 fritters." Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/fresh-corn-and-okra-fritters/.

Ingredients

1/2 cup stone-ground white cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder, preferably homemade (see above)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup (about 5 oz.) thinly sliced (1/8- to 1/4-inch thick) okra

About 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

Put cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl, and stir well to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and water, and stir into dry ingredients, mixing just until well blended.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper over scallions, corn and okra, and fold vegetables into batter.

Pour oil into a large skillet, and heat to 340°F. Scoop batter by about 1/4 cupfuls into hot oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning to brown evenly and to cook through, for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from skillet using a slotted spoon, and drain fritters on layers of paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and serve hot or at room temperature.

MINIATURE APPLE MUFFINS

Recipe Yield: Yield: 36 servings

Source: Splenda

Recipe and image appear courtesy of Splenda

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/miniature-apple-muffins.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons molasses

2 large eggs

1/3 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup peeled, shredded fresh apple

2/3 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray miniature muffin pans with vegetable cooking spray; set aside.

Beat Splenda Granulated Sweetener, butter, and molasses at medium speed of an electric mixer 1 minute or until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition; add apple juice concentrate and lemon peel, beating until blended.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, and salt; add to Splenda Granulated Sweetener mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. Stir in apple, oats, and raisins.

Spoon batter into prepared pans; filling three-fourths full. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Notes:

With the right amount of spice and a sprinkling of raisins, these bite-size muffins have the flavor of an old-fashioned apple cake.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 100; Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 3.5 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sodium: 125 mg; Cholesterol: 25 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Sugars: 4 g

APRICOT SEMIFREDDO WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 62), and begins, "Semifreddo' means partially frozen—and that makes this the perfect treat for a hot-weather day." Serves 12

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/apricot-semifreddo-with-blackberry-sauce-recipe/.

Ingredients

Apricot Semifreddo

2 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1/2 cup dried apricots

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh apricots

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream

1/8 tsp. almond extract

1 pint fresh blackberries

Blackberry sauce

1/2 pint fresh blackberries

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation

To make Apricot Semifreddo: Line 4-cup loaf pan with plastic wrap. Whisk egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl until thick and light yellow, about 1 minute. Bring milk to a boil in saucepan. Slowly pour hot milk over egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to saucepan; cook over medium-low heat (do not boil), stirring often, until custard is thick enough to coat the back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain, and cool.

Meanwhile, place dried apricots in heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water, and let stand 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, and cool. Put in food processor with fresh apricots, and purée until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Add custard, sour cream and almond extract.

Put egg whites in large bowl; beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into apricot mixture. Pour half of mixture into prepared pan. Place 3 rows of blackberries on their sides down the center of loaf pan; top with remaining mixture. Cover; freeze at least 4 hours.

To make Blackberry Sauce: Press blackberries through fine-meshed sieve into bowl. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.

Remove Apricot Semifreddo from freezer; let stand 10 minutes. Unmold onto plate, and cut into 10 slices. Drizzle with Blackberry Sauce; serve.

FALL HARVEST COLLARD GREEN ROLLS [VEGAN, GREEN-FREE]

This is from Denisse Salinas at One Green Planet. Denisse wrote, "These fall harvest collard green rolls feature seasonal wild rice pilaf rolled into collard leaves for handheld packages of seasonal goodness! Acorn squash, pecans, dried cranberry, and shredded carrot are stuffed into each collard leaf. Make the cranberry balsamic sauce for dipping/spreading/eating straight out of the jar with a spoon for added fall flavor!

Serves: 4

To view this online, go to https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/fall-harvest-collard-green-rolls/.

Ingredients

For the Collard Green Rolls:

8 collard green leaves

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice

1 cup acorn or butternut squash, roasted and diced

1/4 cup dried cranberry

1/4 cup pecans

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup shredded carrot

For the Cranberry-Balsamic Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove and discard thick stems from collard greens and place leaves in boiling water. Blanch for about 2 minutes or until just tender. Gently remove leaves from water and drain them in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss together wild rice, acorn squash, dried cranberry, and pecans. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay a collard leaf on a work surface and top with about 2 tablespoons of shredded carrot followed by 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of rice mixture depending on the size of the leaf. Roll up, starting with the large end of the leaf and rolling it over the filling, tucking in the ends, like a burrito. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

To make the cranberry balsamic sauce, combine sugar and orange juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and cinnamon and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes until cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat and let cool (sauce will thicken).

Transfer sauce to a food processor. Add balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt and purée until smooth. Serve with collard rolls.