Meatless Monday- 12/16

Meatless Monday is a global movement with a simple message: one day a week, cut the meat. Each Monday, you can expect to see new and innovative recipes that will have you ready to put down the meat and opt for more veggies. Each recipe can be adapted to vegan if not specified.

On this week’s Meatless Monday, we’ll feature three signature dishes: fried cauliflower, lentils with okra, and vegan apple crisp. Paired with these delicious dishes is a homemade sangria.

Appetizer

Fried Cauliflower

What you’ll need:

 1 head of cauliflower, cut and cleaned into bite-sized pieces

 1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup water

1 tsp. baking powder

Pink Himalayan Salt

Tony Chachere (to taste)

Garlic powder (to taste)

Onion powder (to taste)

Dried parsley (to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

How to:

1)   On medium-high heat, add about one inch of oil into a large skillet.  

2)   In a bowl, combine dry seasonings with flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Remove lumps.

3)   Slowly stir in water, making sure the batter is thin and not lumpy.

4)   Dip cauliflower pieces into the batter and coat evenly. Allow excess batter to drip off. Repeat until all cauliflower pieces are coated.

5)   Fry until golden brown, turning pieces if necessary.  Drain on paper towels.

6)   Sprinkle with parsley flakes and additional seasoning if necessary.

 

Main Course

Lentils with Okra

What you’ll need:

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt (to taste)

Tony’s (to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (16oz) frozen okra

2 (16oz) containers of Vegetable broth

½ pound red lentils

½ pound green lentils

How to:

1) Preheat oven to 350. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onions and bell peppers until tender and onions are translucent.

2) On a baking sheet, place frozen okra onto the sheet.  Sprinkle with dry seasonings and cook until the slime is removed (approx. 15-20 minutes).

3) Slowly add vegetable broth to pot and bring to a high boil. Add in lentils once boil starts along with dry seasoning and reduce to medium heat.

4) Stir in okra and reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. 

Dessert

Vegan Apple Crisp

What you’ll need:

8 green apples

1 T Lemon Juice

3 T Sugar

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup Oats

1 cup Flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. nutmeg

¾ cup vegan margarine

How to:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Combine 8 green apples with 1 T lemon juice, 3 T sugar in a bowl.

3) In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. After blended, add vegan margarine.

4) Pour apple content into bowl and top with dry mix.

5) Bake for an hour until crisp.

Cocktail

Sadie’s Sangria

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ cup simple syrup

1/4 cup triple sec

1 bottle red blend wine

1 1/2 cups Sprite

Sliced strawberries (about 1 cup)

1 peach, sliced

1–2 oranges, sliced

1/2 lemon, sliced

1/2 lime, sliced

How to:

1) Mix orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup and triple sec in a pitcher until combined.

2) Add the wine, Sprite and fruit.

3) Chill for about an hour before serving.