3 recipes

Yea for Millie for starting this new blog! Because my real blog is private, I thought I'd post a few recipes here that I have posted previously that are meat-free.
The first one is funky; 'funky' here means you might not want to tell people what it really is.

Linguine with Basil-Pea Cream
This comes from Cooking Light with a few modifications, not the least of which is the fact that I leave the word Pea out of the title when talking to certain family members.
3 TBS butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped leek
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided (or vegetable broth, of course)
20 oz frozen green peas
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 TBS extravirgin olive oil
2 (8oz) packages slices mushrooms
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
6 cups hot cooked linguine, about 12 oz uncooked pasta
Melt 1 TBS butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 3/4 cup broth and peas; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, add basil leaves, and simmer 5 minutes. Place pea mixture and remaining broth
and oil in a blender. Process until very very smooth (you don't want anyone to notice the peas, remember?).
Melt 2 TBS butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Stir in pea mixture and salt and pepper. Serve over cooked linguine. Garnish with additional fresh basil, if you desire. I think this recipe is better substituting about a half-cup of half and half for some of the broth.

The next recipe is also from Cooking Light. It's cooked in a crockpot. What's a Mo cooking site without a crockpot recipe? Am I right, or am I right?

Enchilada casserole:

• 3 tablespoons diced green chiles, divided
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I also add a can of pinto beans)
  
• 1 (11-ounce) can corn with red and green peppers, drained
• 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 (8 1/2 ounce) package corn muffin mix
• 2 tablespoons chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
• 6 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh cilantro

1. Place 2 tablespoons green chiles and next 6 ingredients (through enchilada sauce) in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 4 hours.

2. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon green chiles, egg substitute, muffin mix, and roasted bell peppers in a bowl. Spoon batter evenly over bean mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook 1 hour or until corn bread is done.

3. Sprinkle cheese over corn bread. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Top each serving with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

Finally, because we're moving into Fall, here is one of my favorite cool weather soups:
Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup
2 (16 oz) cans fat-free low salt chicken stock/good quality vegetable stock
2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin
1 (12oz) mango nectar
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 TBS rice vinegar
1 1/2 TBS minced green onion
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 small garlic clove, crushed
cilantro for garnish
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large Dutch over, bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
Combine 1 cup of the soup with the peanut butter in a blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to pan. Stir in vinegar and next 5 ingredients and cook three minutes until thoroughly heated. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with cilantro.
This is a low fat recipe if you use low fat peanut butter. If you can tolerate a little more fat in your diet, substitute 1 cup of broth for 1 cup of light coconut milk. You'll feel even more Thai if you do it this way.