Meatless but Fishy Monday

This Meatless Monday thing is turning out to be kind of tricky—specifically, the protein part. We frequently end up relying on pasta and a lot of cheese. Last week I made stuffed shells, which was only lukewarmly received—turns out I am the only fan of ricotta in this family, and I'm not even a big fan. 

I haven't yet won over any family members to the wonderful world of beans. Only Pete and Andy like eggs just as eggs, although we all like eggs cooked in something, like a frittata (more pasta and cheese!). We've had success with soy "crumbles" (faux ground meat), but they are all texture and no flavor, so they invariably end up being used in—you guessed it—those same pasta and cheese dishes.

So, last night I ignored the purists and made salmon. It is not meat, at least to my way of thinking. It turned out great, and I will definitely make it again.

Both recipes follow, for the ricotta lovers and the salmon lovers out there.

Spinach Manicotti Shells

1 box (8 oz.) uncooked manicotti (I used large shells instead.)
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (8 oz.)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (I omitted this.)
1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 box (10 oz.) cut spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (25.5 oz.) tomato sauce

Heat oven to 375°. Cook manicotti shells as directed on box. Rinse with cool water; drain well. In medium bowl, stir together 1½ cups of the Italian cheese blend, the red pepper, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, and egg.

In bottom of ungreased 13x9" baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into manicotti shells; place over sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti shells. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Salmon with Hoisin Glaze

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons honey
4 salmon steaks (each 8 to 10 ounces and 1 inch thick) (I used salmon fillets instead.)

Heat broiler. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, hoisin sauce, and honey.

Rinse salmon and pat dry. (Oops, do you need to rinse fillets? I didn't.) Season both sides with coarse salt and pepper. Place salmon on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush generously with glaze.

Broil salmon about 4 inches from the heat source, brushing with the remaining glaze after about 5 minutes, until opaque in center, 10 to 13 minutes total. (The fillets took only 10 minutes.)

Comments

[Elena]

What? You've never made salmon before?

[Deborah]

The salmon sounds awesome - we're big salmon fans. My Meatless Monday meal is almost always a mushroom-veggie stir-fry, to use up the odds and ends of vegetables in the fridge. I usually serve it over quinoa instead of rice to get more protein.

[steve]

I understand the bean thing is an issue chez toi, but we love the garbanzo chez nous. Mixed with some feta, black beans, and diced veg - delicious. Also, big big fans of the Quinoa. Will take on any flavor you add to it (e.g., lime juice).

Have you ever grilled portabello mushrooms and made burgers out of them?

[Janice]

Quite a few Mexican dishes features beans in an easy and fairly inoffensive way. My kids like burritos and quesadillas with some combination of refried beans, lettuce, rice, salsa, corn, and cheese. One of them loves guacamole while the other abhors it (although he likes jalapeños). If your kids like sauces, you can find Mexican casseroles like chilaquiles or enchiladas (mine don't do sauces). And their favorite, of course, is nachos with refried beans, although we don't do that too often.

[Janice]

Another idea: My kids LOVE the golden sesame tofu from Whole Foods. The good news is that you can make it for much less at home, and it's even better. It takes a while to prepare and disappears instantaneously, but it might make a nice component of a meatless Monday meal. (You can find the recipe by googling "whole foods golden sesame tofu recipe"--I'm not sure which version we use.) You would want to cook at least a double batch--the leftovers are great, too!

[Wendy]

I know, I know, broken record here, but there is no need to worry about protein for one meal a week. Americans consume WAY more protein than they need to. That said, the fried egg sandwich, on toast, with a little mayo, tomato, lettuce, sliced red onion, maybe a peperoncini or two, is a big hit around here. Also v. popular: a saute in a little olive oil of parboiled sliced potatoes with greens (kale or chard, usually), a clove or two of garlic and couple of tomatoes, diced, with some Parmesan or Romano.

[Katy]

I make stuffed shells with sausage, but I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, following a recipe I saw on Frugal Gourmet years and years ago. IT just sort of melts together with the grated mozz and parm and doesn't have the graininess I don't like in ricotta. I've used Penzey's sausage seasoning to give a meaty flavor to veggie Italian dishes before, like veg calzones...I wonder if you substituted cottage cheese and some sausage seasoning in your filling if you and the troops would like it better? Or just use the sausage on one of the other six days of the week some night:) PS - Love the kitties and their names!

[Sandy]

Thanks for salmon recipe! Does your family not like the burrito beans of yours, that I got from this blog years ago?! In our house, one child does not like beans, so he has cheese & rice & lettuce in his tortilla, with cut veggies on the side and it's a decent meal. (The rest of us have avocado & salsa, too.)