Meatless Monday

It's Monday. Did you get everything done this weekend that you'd planned on doing? I know I sure didn't. But at least there's next weekend.

Since it's Meatless Monday, here are today's six vegetarian recipes to get the week started, including Baked Acorn Squash with Apple Stuffing and Vegetarian Chili with Brown Rice. Enjoy!

CROCK-POT™ VEGETABLE SOUP

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 4 hours.

Yield: 10 1/2 cups. Serving size: 1 cup.

View online at https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/recipes/soups-stews/crock-pot-vegetable-soup/

Ingredients

2 bags (16 ounces each) frozen mixed vegetables

1 can (28 ounces) Italian-style crushed tomatoes

1 pound lean stew beef, cut into bite-size pieces

1 envelope (1 ounce) dry onion soup mix

2 cubes reduced-sodium beef bouillon

1 1/2 cups water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a Crock-Pot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Stir once halfway through, being careful to stir and replace the lid quickly to prevent heat loss.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 167, Carbohydrates: 15 g, Protein: 20 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 328 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Exchanges per serving: 3 vegetable, 2 lean meat. Carbohydrate choices: 1.

VEGETARIAN CHILI WITH BROWN RICE

Yield: 6 servings. Serving size: 1 1/4 cups.

View this online at https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/recipes/soups-stews/vegetarian-chili-with-brown-rice/

Ingredients

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 jalapeño pepper,* minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups fat-free vegetable broth

1 can (about 14 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup no-salt-added canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, and garlic; cook and stir 7 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, rice, beans, oregano, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Uncover; cook 10 minutes or until thickened.

Ladle chili into bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

*Jalapeño peppers can sting and irritate the skin, so wear rubber gloves when handling peppers and do not touch your eyes.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 137, Carbohydrates: 23 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 5 mg, Sodium: 378 mg, Fiber: 5 g' Exchanges per serving: 1 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat.

VEGETARIAN HOT AND SOUR SOUP

Yield: 8 servings

Serving size: 1 cup

Source: Stella Fong

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1202

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1202.shtml

Ingredients

4 dried Chinese black (shiitake) mushrooms

hot water

2 tsp canola oil

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

5 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained, julienned

3 Tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

3/4 tsp ground white pepper

6 oz savory baked or firm tofu, julienned

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced

Directions

In small bowl, soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Cut off stems and any hard areas and discard. Cut caps into thin slices. Set aside.

In stock pot, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrots and cook 2 minutes or until carrots are just soft. Add vegetable broth and bamboo shoots and bring to a boil.

Add cornstarch mixture and stir until soup thickens, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and white pepper. Stir.

Add tofu and bring soup back to a boil. While stirring soup in circular motion in one direction, pour eggs in thin stream into soup.

Remove soup from heat. Stir in green onions. Taste and adjust flavor with rice vinegar and white pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 80; Protein: 4 g; Fat: 3.5 g; Sodium: 450 mg; Cholesterol: 55 mg; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 8 g

SLOW COOKER RATATOUILLE

This recipe begins, “Ratatouille is a traditional French dish that combines finely chopped vegetables with a tomato, olive oil and garlic base.”

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/7429-slow-cooker-ratatouille

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cubed, peeled (if desired) eggplant

1/2 cup coarsely chopped yellow summer squash or zucchini

1/2 cup coarsely chopped tomato

1/2 8 ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce

1/3 cup coarsely chopped red or green sweet pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

4 slices of baguette-style French bread, cut 1/2-inch wide

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil

Directions

In a 1-1/2-quart slow cooker, combine eggplant, squash, chopped tomato, tomato sauce, sweet pepper, onion, salt, black pepper, and garlic.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. If no heat setting is available, cook for 4 to 4-1/2 hours.

For Parmesan toast:

Preheat broiler. Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Place bread slices, oiled sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat about 15 seconds or until toasted (watch carefully to avoid burning). Sprinkle bread slices with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Broil about 15 seconds more or until cheese is melted.

Stir basil into mixture in cooker. Serve in shallow bowls with Parmesan toast. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Facts: Servings 2; Per serving: Calories 248; Total Fat 6 g; Saturated Fat 2 g; Cholesterol 5 mg; Sodium 739 mg; Potassium 560 mg; Total Carbohydrate 39 g; Dietary Fiber 6 g; Sugars 10 g; Protein 10 g

ORANGE AND JICAMA SALAD

Servings: 2

Source: The Diabetic Newsletter

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/9.shtml

Ingredients

Butter lettuce leaves

Salt

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Freshly ground pepper

1 large orange, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1 cup Jicama, julienned

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Line plates with lettuce.

Top with orange slices.

Mound with jicama.

Sprinkle with chopped red onion.

Blend juice, vinegar, salt & pepper in small bowl.

Whisk in oil in thin stream.

Spoon over salads.

Garnish with minced cilantro.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 282; Protein: 4.9 g; Fat: 2.8 g; Sodium: 36 mg; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Exchanges: 1 fruit; 1 vegetable; 1 fat; 1 starch

BAKED ACORN SQUASH WITH APPLE STUFFING

Yield: 4 stuffed squash halves (4 servings)

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/803.shtml

Ingredients

2 small acorn squash (1-1/2 pounds total), halved and seeded

1 large or 2 small apples, peeled, diced

2 tablespoons diced celery

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons margarine, melted

Pinch of salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a square baking pan with nonstick pan spray.

Place the squash cut side down in a baking pan. Bake 20 minutes.

While the squash is baking, combine the apples, celery, onion, margarine, and 2 tablespoons water in a medium bowl; mix well.

Turn the squash, cut sides up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Divide the apple mixture to fill the cavities of the squash. bake the stuffed squash halves, covered with foil, for 30 minutes more. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 87; Protein: 1 g; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 63 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugars: 10 g; Carbohydrates: 18 g; Exchanges: 1 Starch