Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. Here are six vegetarian recipes to help you through the weekend, including Two Bean Chili and Vegetarian Kofta Curry. Enjoy!

MASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND BASIL

This is from Pierre Franey in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. (Hint: If you haven't signed up for their enewsletter, I highly recommend it. You'll be able to access their yummy recipes, guides, and tips for cooking.)

Total Time: 30 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

This was featured in "60-Minute Gourmet," and can be found online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4118-mashed-potatoes-with-garlic-and-basil.

Ingredients

6 to 8 medium Washington, Idaho or Yellow Gold potatoes

6 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1-1/4 cups warm milk

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Freshly ground white pepper

Preparation

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the pieces in saucepan and cover with water. Add the garlic and salt.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Do not overcook.

Drain. Discard garlic. Put the potatoes through a food mill or ricer, or mash them well with a potato masher.

Add the olive oil, and beat to blend. Add the warm milk, basil and pepper. Blend well. Serve piping hot.

SMOKED TOFU FARFALLE CASSEROLE

This was on the Vegetarian Times web site, and begins, "Here's a new twist on old-fashioned tuna noodle casserole." Serves 6

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/smoked-tofu-farfalle-casserole/.

Ingredients

4 tsp. olive oil

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas

3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)

2 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme

8 oz. farfalle pasta (bows)

1 3/4 cups low-fat milk

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

3 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)

6 oz. smoked tofu, diced

3 Tbs. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425F. Heat 1 tsp. oil in 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bell pepper, and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes. Stir in frozen peas, garlic and thyme, and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes more. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Wipe out Dutch oven; fill with water, and bring to a boil. Add pasta, and cook about 4 minutes, or until just al dente. Drain and transfer to clean bowl. Drizzle with 2 tsp. olive oil, and toss to coat. Return Dutch oven to stove.

Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in Dutch oven over medium heat until almost simmering. Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup milk with flour in small bowl, then whisk into hot milk. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 2 minutes, or until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add pasta, bell pepper mixture and tofu, and stir to combine.

Mix breadcrumbs with remaining 1 tsp. oil in small bowl; sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered, 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot.

VEGETARIAN STUFFED PEPPERS

This recipe was posted by DWYATT on AllRecipes, and begins, "This was the first vegetarian recipe I ever made--green peppers stuffed with a mixture of brown rice, nuts, dried cranberries, tofu and cheese. Substitute soy cheese for the Parmesan to create a vegan delight."

Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes; Ready In: 1 hour 20 minutes

View this online here.

Note: If you're like me and don't have cooking sherry around, feel free to replace it with with alcohol-free cooking sherry (if there is such a thing) or 3 tablespoons of water. Personally, it's been decades since I've had cooking wine/sherry/etc in my house, as well as non-cooking (drinking) alcohol. When I want to celebrate, say at New Year's, etc., I've found that there are plenty of non-alcoholic sparkling juices on the market.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown rice

6 large green bell peppers

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons cooking sherry

1 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups extra firm tofu

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a saucepan bring 3 cups water to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, core and seed green peppers, leaving bottoms intact. Place peppers in a microwavable dish with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. Microwave on high for 6 minutes.

In a small frying pan bring soy sauce, wine and Worcestershire sauce to a simmer. Add tofu and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Combine rice (after it has cooled), tofu, cranberries, nuts, cheese, salt and pepper; mix and pack firmly into peppers. Return peppers to the dish you first microwaved them in, and bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, combine tomato sauce and brown sugar; heat until hot throughout. Spoon sauce over each serving.

TWO BEAN CHILI

Yield: Makes about 7 cups (7 servings)

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/509.shtml

Ingredients

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons canola, corn, or olive oil

One 14-15 ounce can stewed tomatoes with juice

1 can or bottle beer (12 ounces)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or 1 tablespoon hot salsa or picante sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

One 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

One 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

Direction

Saute the onions and garlic in oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their liquid, the beer, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and salt (if desired).

Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Stir in the beans and green pepper; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes longer.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 173; Protein: 9 g; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 238 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 32 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 2 Vegetable

VEGETARIAN KOFTA CURRY

This yumminess is from Tejal Rao in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Tejal wrote, "Kofta curry — a saucy dish of gently spiced meatballs — is often made with meat. But this one, based on my grandfather’s, swaps in a mash of beans. Bound with bread crumbs and seasoned with ginger, garlic, green chile and herbs, it’s a variation full of flavor and texture. Have it with some flatbread and some sliced cucumber in yogurt, or spooned over a bowl of rice. It’s also delicious in a sandwich the next day."

Time: 1 hour; Yield: 4 servings

This was featured in "I Think of My Grandfather Every Time I Make Kofta", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021415-vegetarian-kofta-curry.

Note: Seriously, you might want to click the link above to the article. I found it to be interesting. Thanks for the good read, Tejal.

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled

2 green chiles (such as jalapeño or serrano), stems removed

1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 spring onions or scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved for garnish

1 bunch fresh mint, chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved for garnish

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon garam masala, plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon red chile powder

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed

1/2 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

8 to 10 ripe Roma tomatoes (about 3 pounds) or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Black pepper

Preparation

Put the garlic, ginger and green chiles in a food processor, and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Put half the paste into a large bowl. Set the rest aside.

Add the beans, spring onions, fresh herbs, bread crumbs, egg, garam masala, chile powder and salt to the large bowl with the paste. Mix well with a fork, mashing up the beans as you go into small pieces.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange on the pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, ginger and chile paste, and sauté until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. If using fresh tomatoes, purée them until smooth in the food processor. Stir the tomato purée or crushed tomatoes, coriander and cumin into the skillet, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the kofta to the skillet, and turn the heat to low. If necessary, add enough water for the liquid to come about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the meatballs, then simmer another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kofta are warmed through and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a light dust of garam masala and some extra herbs.

SIMPLE VEGETARIAN SPINACH LASAGNA

This is from Vicki Shata Retelny, RDN, at VeryWellFit. She wrote, “There's nothing like lasagna to soothe a craving for a creamy, dreamy meal. With a foundation of vitamin C-rich tomato sauce, which is loaded with the carotenoid lycopene, this Italian classic takes on a healthy bend with a good dose veggies nestled in its layers.

“Chock full of leafy green spinach, this dish is good for your brain health, as eating a serving of veggies each day has shown to fend off cognitive decline. Spinach is also loaded with iron and calcium for a total body wellness boost.​“

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 65 minutes; Servings: 9 (1 cup each)

To view this online, go to https://www.verywellfit.com/vegetarian-spinach-lasagna-4144632.

Ingredients

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles

2 28-ounce cans tomato sauce

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon oregano

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated

3 cups raw baby spinach leaves

Preparation

Preheat the oven the 350F.

On the stovetop over medium heat, pour the tomato sauce into a saucepan. Add salt, oregano, and garlic. Bring to a light boil, lower the heat, and simmer for a few minutes. Stir occasionally.

On the bottom of a 9x13 pan put a layer of tomato sauce. Place a layer of noodles on top, covering the bottom of the pan. Spread ricotta cheese on top of the noodles, top with spinach, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and coat with a small ladle full of sauce. Repeat the layers until you get to the top of the pan. Sprinkle the final layer with mozzarella cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a 10 minutes before serving.

Ingredient Variations and Substitutions

Make this dish higher in fiber with whole wheat noodles, although they may only be available in the boil variety. Add other vegetables such a sliced carrots, zucchini, or eggplant. For an alternative green, use baby kale or arugula. Spread pesto between the layers or incorporate it into the tomato sauce for a rich, nutty flavor.

If you want to add meat, add cooked, diced chicken breast or ground turkey to the sauce. For a non-dairy twist, use vegan cheese in lieu of ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

Cooking and Serving Tips

To save time use no-boil lasagna noodles—they're quick and easy to assemble. Plus, the part-skim ricotta cheese and mozzarella reduce the fat but still offer good-quality protein.

This dish can be assembled and placed, uncooked and covered, in the refrigerator overnight. Simply heat and serve the next day. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.