Meatless Monday

It's Meatless Monday. Here are six yummy vegetarian diabetic recipes to help you through the day, including Sweet Potato Pie and Roasted-Vegetable Lasagna. Enjoy!

ROASTED-VEGETABLE LASAGNA

This recipe begins, “Who needs meat? This gourmet veggie lasagna from one of our favorite chefs will be the centerpiece of your dinner table.”

This is from Diabetic Connect.

To view this online, go to http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/4198-roasted-vegetable-lasagna.

Ingredients

Vegetables:

4 red bell peppers

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 large onion, cut into 16 wedges

4 garlic cloves, minced

Cheese mixture:

2 cups 2% low-fat cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated sharp provolone cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

White sauce:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking spray

9 cooked lasagna noodles

2 cups spinach leaves, divided

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Directions

Preheat broiler.

To prepare vegetables, cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel; set aside.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine oil, salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, squash, and onion on a baking sheet; toss well. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; combine squash mixture and garlic in a bowl.

Decrease oven temperature to 375°.

To prepare cheese mixture, combine cottage cheese and next 3 ingredients (cottage cheese through oregano) in a bowl.

To prepare white sauce, place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk; stir with a whisk. Place over medium heat. Cook until thick; stir constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons chopped basil and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Spread 1/4 cup white sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce; top with 1 1/4 cups cheese mixture, 1 cup spinach, 4 bell pepper halves, 2 cups vegetable mixture, and 1/4 cup white sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining white sauce over noodles. Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.

Note: Use a sharp, potent cheese in this dish for the most flavor. Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, or sharp cheddar will all work as well in the filling. Stick to mozzarella for the top, however, as it melts and browns the best. For extra browning, place the lasagna under the broiler for a minute or two at the end of cooking.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 9; Amount per serving Calories: 275; Calories from fat 30%; Fat 9.1 g; Saturated fat: 5.2 g; Monounsaturated fat: 2.6 g; Polyunsaturated fat 0.6 g; Protein: 19.3 g; Carbohydrate: 29.3 g; Fiber: 2.9 g;Cholesterol: 24 mg; Iron: 2.3 mg; Sodium: 564 mg; Calcium: 308 mg

VEGGIE PATCH SOUP

Yield: 10 servings

Print version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=835

Online version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/835.shtml

Source: Mr. Food Every Day's a Holiday Diabetic Cookbook

Ingredients

6 cups water

2 medium-sized white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 large tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

3 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 medium-sized green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

2 medium-sized onions, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

In a soup pot, combine all the ingredients; mix well and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are tender.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 84; Protein: 2 g; Sodium: 383 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 2 Vegetable

CREAMY CORN SALAD

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 8 minutes.

This one is from Diabetes Self Management and can be found online here.

Ingredients

4 ears of corn, about 6–8 inches in length

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons nonfat mayonnaise

1/2 medium red pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

6 cherry tomatoes

Directions

Fill a large saucepan or stockpot 2/3 full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. While water heats, remove husks and silk from corn, then add corn to boiling water, cooking it no more than 8 minutes. Carefully remove with tongs and allow to cool to room temperature on a plate. In a blender or food processor, puree cottage cheese until smooth. Using a sharp knife, slice corn kernels off cobs and place in a small mixing bowl (yield should be about 2 cups). Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, red pepper, parsley, black pepper, and dill and stir to combine. Pour into serving dish. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and place around the rim of the dish as a garnish. Chill prior to serving if desired, or serve at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings. Serving size: 1/2 cup.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 183, Carbohydrates: 33 g, Protein: 8 g, Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 1 mg, Sodium: 218 mg, Fiber: 7 g;Exchanges per serving: 2 carbohydrate, 1/2 fat. Carbohydrate choices: 2.

ARTICHOKE FRITTATA

Yield: 6 servings

Print version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=833

Online version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/833.shtml

Ingredients

5 large whole frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon plus a few pinches salt

5 eggs

7 egg whites

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme

Directions

Slice the artichoke hearts into 1/2-inch pieces.

Heat a saute pan over high heat. Lightly coat the bottom with olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the artichoke slices, reduce the heat to medium-low, and saute the artichokes until they're tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season the artichokes with salt as you saute them. Remove them from the heat.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the egg whites and season them with a few pinches of salt. Whisk them until they're well blended.

For a large frittata, heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and then add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and allow it to coat the bottom of the pan.

Place half of the cooked artichoke slices in the pan and sprinkle them with parsley and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and pour half of the egg mixture over the artichokes.

Quickly stir everything together so that the artichokes are evenly distributed. Cook the mixture, without stirring, until the eggs are almost set, approximately 4 minutes, and then flip the frittata over and let it cook for another minute or so. Slide out of the pan and onto a serving plate.

Repeat step 4 to make a second frittata. Cut each frittata into 3 pieces. Serve hot or cold with bread.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 119; Protein: 10 g; Sodium: 382 mg; Cholesterol: 182 mg; Carbohydrates: 2 g; Exchanges: 1 Medium-Fat Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat

SWEET POTATO PIE

Yield: 1 pie (8 servings)

Print version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=805

Online version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/805.shtml

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large sweet potatoes (1-1/2 pounds total), cooked, peeled, and mashed

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

3 large egg whites

1 prepared 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat together the margarine, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon; mix well. Stir in the sweet potatoes and milk; mix again.

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them into the sweet potato mixture; pour into the pie shell.

Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and cut the pie in 8 equal slices.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 291 ; Protein: 7 g ; Fat: 13 g ; Sodium: 313 mg; Cholesterol: 28 mg; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 17 g; Carbohydrates: 38 g; Exchanges: 2-1/2 Other Carbohydrate, 2 Fat

SPINACH SOUFFLE

Serves: 4

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/292.shtml

Ingredients

1 small onion, minced

1 teaspoon margarine

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 package (10-oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

Pinch white pepper

4 egg whites

Pinch cream of tartar

Directions

Saute onion in margarine in medium saucepan until tender; stir in flour and nutmeg and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and broth and heat to boiling, whisking until thickened. Whisk about half the sauce into egg yolks; whisk yolk mixture into saucepan. Mix in spinach and white pepper.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl to stiff, but not dry, peaks; fold into spinach mixture and spoon into souffle dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. until puffed and browned, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 118; Protein: 9.7 g; Fat: 3.9 g; Sodium: 167 mg; Cholesterol: 107.1 mg; Carbohydrates: 12.1 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Bread, 1 Meat