Meatless Monday

You know the routine: If it's Monday (and my calendar says it is), then it must be time for another Meatless Monday. Today's offerings include Easy Vegan Tempeh Chili and Winter Fruit Salad. (I know, it's summer, but you can still try that fruit salad!) Enjoy!

EGGPLANT AND TOMATO CASSEROLE

Serves: 8

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/310.shtml

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/22.shtml

Ingredients

1 large eggplant (2 pounds), peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 eggs

3 medium tomatoes, sliced

1/4 cup grated fat-free Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook eggplant in 2 inches simmering water in covered medium saucepan until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well. Mash eggplant with fork; mix in breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, basil, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.

Spoon eggplant mixture into 11x7-inch baking dish. Arrange tomatoes in rows over eggplant; sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. until hot through, about 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 98; Protein: 5.1 g; Fat: 1.9 g; Sodium: 245 mg; Cholesterol: 53.3 mg; Carbohydrates: 16.9 g; Exchanges: 2 Vegetable, 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat

GARDEN VEGETABLE AND TEMPEH SAUTE

Yield: 4 servings

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes For People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/657.shtml

Ingredients

2 cups frozen stir-fry pepper blend

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

1 package (8 ounces) tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup tomato juice

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 cups (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

Salt, to taste

Directions

Saute pepper blend and garlic in oil in large skillet 2 to 3 minutes. Add tempeh and cook 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients, except tomatoes and salt; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add tomato wedges; cook, covered, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 180; Protein: 15 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 732 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 1 Bread/Starch, 1 Meat, 1/2 Fat

BROCCOLI WITH ASIAN TOFU

Optional: Delicious served on top of brown rice or Asian-style noodles (soba or udon).

Yield: 4 servings

Serving size: 2 slices tofu, with broccoli and marinade mixture

Source: Deliciously Healthy Dinners

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/995.shtml

Ingredients

1 pkg (16 oz) firm tofu, drained

2 Tbsp lite soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped or shredded (or 1 tsp ground ginger)

1 lb fresh broccoli, rinsed and cut into individual spears

1 Tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

4 Tbsp garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (about 8 cloves)

1 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Cooking spray

Directions

Slice tofu into eight pieces. Place on a plate or flat surface covered with three paper towels. Top with four more paper towels. Top with another flat plate or cutting board. Press down evenly and gently to squeeze out moisture. Throw away paper towels. Replace with fresh paper towels and press again. (The more liquid you remove, the more sauce the tofu will absorb.)

Place tofu in a bowl just big enough to hold all eight pieces lying on their widest side without overlapping.

In a small bowl, stir to thoroughly combine soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and ginger into a marinade, and stir thoroughly. Pour over tofu. Carefully turn the tofu several times to coat well. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick saute pan coated with cooking spray. Add broccoli and saute for about 5 minutes, until it turns bright green and becomes tender and crispy. Remove broccoli from pan and set aside.

Heat a grill pan or flat saute pan over high heat. Drain tofu, reserving marinade. Place on grill pan to heat for about 3 minutes. Gently turn. Heat the second side for 3 minutes.

At the same time, in the saute pan over medium-low heat, warm the peanut oil, crushed red pepper, and garlic until the garlic softens and begins to turn brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add broccoli and reserved marinade, and gently mix until well-coated.

Place two slices of tofu on each plate with one-quarter of the broccoli and marinade mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 183; Protein: 14 g; Fat: 11 g; Sodium: 341 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 13 g

EASY VEGAN TEMPEH CHILI

This is from OnTrackDiabetes, a site with some good information for diabetics and their families.

Servings: 6; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 30 minutes; Total: 40 minutes

You can view this at https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/recipes/easy-vegan-tempeh-chili.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces tempeh

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 15-ounce can of organic pinto beans (undrained)

1 15-ounce can of organic kidney beans (drained)

2 15-ounce cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (undrained)

3/4 cup of water

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large (6-quart) saucepan on medium heat.

Remove tempeh from the package and crumble it into saucepan. Brown for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chopped onion, bell peppers and celery to saucepan. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes.

Add beans (1 drained and 1 undrained), tomatoes, water and remaining seasonings. Stir well to combine.

Simmer on low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until peppers are cooked yet still firm.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 330 calories (33% calories from fat), 18 g protein, 12 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 38 g carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 767 mg sodium

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

This is from OnTrackDiabetes, a site with some good information for diabetics and their families.

You can view this at https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/recipes/salads/winter-fruit-salad.

Ingredients

8 red apples, such as Jonathan or Gala, cored and diced

8 green Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and diced

4 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed, sliced

2 cups fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (optional)

sugar substitute, to taste (optional)

4 bananas, sliced

Directions

Place all of the fruit (except bananas), juices and liqueur (if using) in a large attractive bowl. Add sugar substitute, if using. Gently mix.

Cover bowl and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, but no longer.

Just before serving, stir in banana slices.

Nutritional Information Per serving: 131 calories (5% calories from fat), 1 g protein, 1 g total fat (0.1 g saturated fat), 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 1 mg sodium

Diabetic exchanges: 2 carbohydrate (fruit)

GREEN MINESTRONE

Recipe Yield: Makes 6 servings

Source: AICR

Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/green-minestrone.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 scallions, chopped, white and green parts

1 medium leek, white part only, halved and sliced

1 small red onion, diced

1 celery rib, thinly sliced

4 cups reduced-sodium, fat-free vegetable broth

12 green beans, or 1 cup frozen, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 medium potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes

1 small zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch slices

3 cups stemmed fresh spinach leaves, or coarsely chopped Swiss chard

1 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Saute scallions, leek, onion and celery until onion is translucent. Cover, reduce heat and cook gently 5 minutes, or until vegetables have released their juices and softened.

Add broth, green beans, potato and zucchini. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in spinach. Add canned beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve, topped with some of the cheese. (Soup keeps up to three days if covered and refrigerated.)

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 111; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 532 mg; Protein: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Bread, 2 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat