Cookies...COOKIES...COOKIES! We all love 'em (well, most of us do). But what happens if a cookie-loving person decides to go vegan? Have no fear. While cleaning out my email inbox, I happened to run across an old email from http://www.onegreenplanet.org/ with some of the best looking vegan cookies. These are holiday cookies, but there's no need to wait for a holiday to whip up a batch of them. And if you want to see all ten of the recipes on the email list, go to http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/our-top-10-holiday-vegan-cookie-recipes/. Even if you're not a vegan, I have a feeling that you'll find something on here to make your cookie-lover happy.
CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY COOKIES
Recipe by Nikki Haney: Blogger, The Tolerant Vegan
(makes about 24 cookies)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
1 cup refined sugar
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
24 dark morello cherries in syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup non-dairy vanilla milk
3 teaspoons morello cherry juice, from jar
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread and refined sugar in a large bowl. Mix on low-medium speed until fluffy. Add in the mashed banana and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on medium speed until fully combined. The cookie batter will be pretty thick.
Scoop the batter onto a baking pan and make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Scoop the cherries out of their jar and place one cherry in each thumbprint.
In a small pot over low heat, melt the chocolate chips and non-dairy milk, stirring constantly. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the cherry juice. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the melted chocolate over top of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, spoon another teaspoon of chocolate over each cookie and allow them to cool to room temperature.
GLUTEN-FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine almond flour, salt, sugar, Earth Balance, vanilla and peanut butter in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until thoroughly blended. Form into 1″ balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes until set and lightly browned. Cool.
Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave (for 45 seconds at a time, stirring in between until melted) or a double boiler, and drizzle on top of cookies.
SANDWICH COOKIES
Ingredients
Cookies1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup Earth Balance, room temperature
Ener-G Egg Replacer for one egg (1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons water)
Filling
1/2 cup Earth Balance, room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and Ener-G egg replacer. Mix until well blended dough.
For mini sandwiches, drop by teaspoons onto lined baking sheet. For bigger sandwiches, drop by tablespoons onto lined baking sheet. Use hand to flatten cookies. Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes. Cool on a rack.
While cookies are cooling, beat together softened Earth Balance and confectioner’s sugar at low speed. Add vanilla and mix at higher speed for about 2 minutes. Use a pastry bag and a small star or drop flower tip and pipe icing onto one cookie, and top with another cookie. Enjoy!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Off The Wall Cooking, and Zelda's Clam Chowder
Most of us have recipes that we've picked up along the way from friends, relatives, acquaintances, etc. Today's post has several such recipes, along with a short blurb about the recipe and/or the person I got it from.
ZELDA'S (AND SHELLA'S) CLAM CHOWDER
I'd "met" Shella on a feminist bulletin board that has long since closed. She and her other half, Zelda, on a bulletin board that they then put together that also has long since closed. This was one of the recipes they shared.
Zelda wrote, "I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and altered it slightly." She also added at the end of the recipe, "This tastes really good with toasted sourdough bread! Yum!"
Also, since I lean towards vegetarianism, I'd probably forgo the clams and just make this into a potato soup.
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (10 ounce) cans minced clams, drained with juice reserved
1 quart half-and-half cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Sauté onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter for about 8 minutes or until tender. Add dried thyme and sauté another two minutes. Let cool about ten minutes and then blend with enough water to make a smooth paste.
In a large pot, combine potatoes, celery (I like a lot of celery so I usually add more), salt, pepper, onion mixture, and juice from clams. Augment with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
With the flour and the rest of the butter you will make a roux. This will do away with the raw flour taste and help to thicken the chowder. To make the roux, melt the butter in a skillet (I prefer cast iron), add the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes on a medium to high heat, stirring constantly. The color of the roux will be a light cream color when it is finished. Set aside.
Stir the half-and-half into the pot. Whisk roux into the chowder. Cook and stir until thickened. Stir in clams and adjust seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes or until the clams are heated though.
WATERMELON PUNCH
This recipe, as well as the rest of the ones here, are in an e-book I've got for sale at Amazon.com. The book is titled Off The Wall Cooking and can be found here.
Years ago, I was a bride’s maid at a friend’s wedding. A friend of the couple held the reception dinner; this punch was served with the hors d’oeuvres. I’ve added ginger ale to the recipe; it’s good either way.
1 watermelon
6 oz. can orange juice, undiluted
1 T honey
1 liter bottle ginger ale
Put watermelon (excluding rind and seeds) in a blender—and blend. Pour juice through a strainer into a large bowl. Add orange juice and honey, stir, and add ice. Add ginger ale just before serving.
ROSE HIP MARMALADE
This recipe is from friends of the family, an Episcopal priest and his wife. Both were involved in the civil rights movement. He past away several years ago, but I still remember them fondly.
3 lbs. Rose hips
6 C sugar
1 large lemon
4 C boiling water
2 large oranges
Remove stem & flower area ends from rose hips. Cut each berry in half. Cover with boiling water; simmer for 30 minutes. Rub through sieve or food mill. Add to pulp juice of lemon & oranges, coarsely ground-up rind of oranges, & sugar. Boil about 20 min-utes. Pour into jelly glasses. When cool, cover with paraffin.
YUMMY FRUIT SALAD
My mom used to make a variation of this when I was a teen. Great with baked ham.
1 package mini-marshmallows
2 bananas, cut up
1 large can pineapple
1 C shredded coconut
1/2 C grapes
1 small can mandarin oranges
2 C sour cream
Mix & chill.
VEGETARIAN LASAGNA
I’d been making lasagna for years, using a favorite cookbook. One year, my oldest sontook the same recipe, and replaced the meat with eggplant. His came out tasting better than when I made it. I tried recreating the eggplant version, but it never quite came out the same. So, I ended up changing the recipe drastically, changing ingredients and amounts. The funny thing is that, while I use one or two packages of tofu crumbles instead of meat, it tastes enough like meat to fool several non-vegetarians. One person, after eating this, looked at me aghast, asking, “What are you, some kind of vegetarian?”
Tomato sauce:
2-3 onions, chopped
1 T oregano
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. basil
28 oz. can tomatoes
1 tsp. thyme
2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. dill
2-6 oz. cans tomato paste
1 tsp. anise
2 T oil
2-10 oz. package tofu crumbles
Brown onions & garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, simmer for 1 hour. While sauce is cooking, in a separate pot, cook 16 oz. lasagna noodles & make cheese layer.
Cheese layer:
2 C sour cream
4 C mozzarella, grated
2 C cottage cheese
2 C cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 C Parmesan cheese
Mix ingredients together in large bowl.
Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 9” X 13” pan, place half the cooked lasagna noodles length-wise. Top with half the cheese mixture, then half the tomato sauce. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before cutting, as it tends to be a little runny when it first comes out of the oven. Serve with a salad and a loaf of hot Italian bread. Very yummy.
ZELDA'S (AND SHELLA'S) CLAM CHOWDER
I'd "met" Shella on a feminist bulletin board that has long since closed. She and her other half, Zelda, on a bulletin board that they then put together that also has long since closed. This was one of the recipes they shared.
Zelda wrote, "I found this recipe at allrecipes.com and altered it slightly." She also added at the end of the recipe, "This tastes really good with toasted sourdough bread! Yum!"
Also, since I lean towards vegetarianism, I'd probably forgo the clams and just make this into a potato soup.
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (10 ounce) cans minced clams, drained with juice reserved
1 quart half-and-half cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Sauté onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter for about 8 minutes or until tender. Add dried thyme and sauté another two minutes. Let cool about ten minutes and then blend with enough water to make a smooth paste.
In a large pot, combine potatoes, celery (I like a lot of celery so I usually add more), salt, pepper, onion mixture, and juice from clams. Augment with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
With the flour and the rest of the butter you will make a roux. This will do away with the raw flour taste and help to thicken the chowder. To make the roux, melt the butter in a skillet (I prefer cast iron), add the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes on a medium to high heat, stirring constantly. The color of the roux will be a light cream color when it is finished. Set aside.
Stir the half-and-half into the pot. Whisk roux into the chowder. Cook and stir until thickened. Stir in clams and adjust seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes or until the clams are heated though.
WATERMELON PUNCH
This recipe, as well as the rest of the ones here, are in an e-book I've got for sale at Amazon.com. The book is titled Off The Wall Cooking and can be found here.
Years ago, I was a bride’s maid at a friend’s wedding. A friend of the couple held the reception dinner; this punch was served with the hors d’oeuvres. I’ve added ginger ale to the recipe; it’s good either way.
1 watermelon
6 oz. can orange juice, undiluted
1 T honey
1 liter bottle ginger ale
Put watermelon (excluding rind and seeds) in a blender—and blend. Pour juice through a strainer into a large bowl. Add orange juice and honey, stir, and add ice. Add ginger ale just before serving.
ROSE HIP MARMALADE
This recipe is from friends of the family, an Episcopal priest and his wife. Both were involved in the civil rights movement. He past away several years ago, but I still remember them fondly.
3 lbs. Rose hips
6 C sugar
1 large lemon
4 C boiling water
2 large oranges
Remove stem & flower area ends from rose hips. Cut each berry in half. Cover with boiling water; simmer for 30 minutes. Rub through sieve or food mill. Add to pulp juice of lemon & oranges, coarsely ground-up rind of oranges, & sugar. Boil about 20 min-utes. Pour into jelly glasses. When cool, cover with paraffin.
YUMMY FRUIT SALAD
My mom used to make a variation of this when I was a teen. Great with baked ham.
1 package mini-marshmallows
2 bananas, cut up
1 large can pineapple
1 C shredded coconut
1/2 C grapes
1 small can mandarin oranges
2 C sour cream
Mix & chill.
VEGETARIAN LASAGNA
I’d been making lasagna for years, using a favorite cookbook. One year, my oldest sontook the same recipe, and replaced the meat with eggplant. His came out tasting better than when I made it. I tried recreating the eggplant version, but it never quite came out the same. So, I ended up changing the recipe drastically, changing ingredients and amounts. The funny thing is that, while I use one or two packages of tofu crumbles instead of meat, it tastes enough like meat to fool several non-vegetarians. One person, after eating this, looked at me aghast, asking, “What are you, some kind of vegetarian?”
Tomato sauce:
2-3 onions, chopped
1 T oregano
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. basil
28 oz. can tomatoes
1 tsp. thyme
2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. dill
2-6 oz. cans tomato paste
1 tsp. anise
2 T oil
2-10 oz. package tofu crumbles
Brown onions & garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, simmer for 1 hour. While sauce is cooking, in a separate pot, cook 16 oz. lasagna noodles & make cheese layer.
Cheese layer:
2 C sour cream
4 C mozzarella, grated
2 C cottage cheese
2 C cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 C Parmesan cheese
Mix ingredients together in large bowl.
Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 9” X 13” pan, place half the cooked lasagna noodles length-wise. Top with half the cheese mixture, then half the tomato sauce. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before cutting, as it tends to be a little runny when it first comes out of the oven. Serve with a salad and a loaf of hot Italian bread. Very yummy.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
More Soups and Rolls (And Challah)
It's another rainy day, which means soup and homemade bread or rolls. The first two recipes, Texas Moppin' Rolls and Bean Soup, were last posted here on February 12, 2012.
There are some foods that just go perfectly with certain types of weather. A hot August afternoon screams for a dinner requiring little or not cooking (think hoagies, potato salad, or burgers grilled to perfection) with a large glass of iced tea, iced coffee, or other cold drink. And cold winter days require something hot to warm you from the inside out.
While Florida doesn't get as cold as, say, New England, New York, Minnesota, or Canada, we still get our occasional cold days. Today, it is merely rainy as a cold front makes its way across the state.
Right now, I've got the beginnings of bean soup cooking on the stove while the dough for Texas Moppin' Rolls rises in the oven. While the beans come in a nice, neat little package with instructions on how to cook up a nice pot of soup, I have a habit of glancing at the recipe, then going my own way.
The Texas Moppin' Rolls are another story. Years ago, right after getting hooked up to cable, I was channel surfing and discovered a show on the Food Network titled Breaking Bread With Father Dominic. The show is no longer on the Food Network (hey, Food Network people: how about bringing Father Dominic's show back!), but Fr. Dominic still has a website.
TEXAS MOPPIN' ROLLS
YIELD:12 rolls
Ingredients:
2 packages FLEISCHMANN'S Active Dry Yeast
1 teaspoon honey
2 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/2 cup minced onion
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Directions:
Combine yeast, honey and warm water in large bowl; stir until completely dissolved. Add salt, hot red pepper flakes, onion, Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese; stir until thoroughly mixed. Add 6 cups of the flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing after each addition until the flour is completely incorporated. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 minutes, adding enough of remaining flour to form a fairly stiff dough. Rinse and dry the bowl, then oil surface of dough and place dough in bowl. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled.
Punch down dough. Knead briefly to expel large air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a fat oval. Place rolls in a lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan (three rolls across, four down). Let rise about 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled.
While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place on middle rack of oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is browned. Remove rolls from pan and let cool on racks.
Note: Fr. Dominic wrote, "With so many different palates to please, our abbey cooks are usually pretty cautious about spicy seasonings. As a result, sometimes monastery food is a bit bland, so I like to create breads with strong flavors. Every time I serve these rolls, one of the brothers is sure to comment on how he expected "just another roll" and got a mouthful of pepper-and-cheese-bread-with-an-attitude. These rolls are actually pretty mild compared to a lot of Tex-Mex food, so feel free to increase the amount of crushed red pepper. I used ordinary dried crushed red pepper (hot red pepper flakes) for this recipe, but if you keep fresh jalapenos or other hot peppers in the fridge, by all means use them. Three 3-inch jalapenos, minced fine, provide moderate heat. You can experiment with other peppers as well.
BEAN SOUP
1 package 15-bean soup mix
3 quarts water (see first note, below)
2 onions, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can stewed tomatoes
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Any small bag of frozen veggies
1 T oregano (see second note, below)
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Clean through package of beans to make sure there are not bits of small pebbles or dirt, then rinse. Place in large pot with 3 quarts water, bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat. Simmer for one hour.
Add remaining ingredients and cook for one more hour.
First Note: You'll probably need to add water as the soup cooks. This is normal. Just don't overdo it.
Second Note: Most 15-bean packages come with small packets of spices for whatever flavor the bag is labled as: chicken flavored, ham flavored, etc. I picked up the Cajun flavored packages. The beans themselves don't carry the flavors; while I haven't checked, I'm sure that if you take the time to read the ingredient lists, the beans on each flavor are the same. It's the spice packets inside that you're supposed to add near the end that add the flavor. I usually discard this spice packet, since I never know how much salt and/or preservatives are in the packets. I prefer to add whatever spices I feel like adding. So...if you want to add the packet, please feel free to. Just forgo the spices I've added...or, at least, forgo the salt.
Serve with Texas Moppin' Rolls.
ENJOY!!!
SPINACH TORTELLINI SOUP
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
Total Time: 15 min; Prep: 5 min; Cook: 10 min; Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 9 ounce package cheese tortellini
Dried basil
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
Salt and pepper
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
Directions
In a large pot, bring stock to simmer. Stir in tortellini and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in spinach, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Return to a simmer and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.
Read more here.
BROCCOLI CHOWDER
Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup each
Source: "The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook"
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (1-1/2 cups)
1 large carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)
1 large potato, peeled and diced (1-1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-1/2 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth (two 14-ounce cans)
8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (3 cups)
1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Directions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.
Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through. Season with salt.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cup each): Calories: 180, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Protein: 6 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sodium: 354 mg Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 High-Fat Meat
CHALLAH
YIELD:1 large loaf; about 20 to 25 slices
This one is also from Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic
INGREDIENTS:
2 packages FLEISCHMANN's Active Dry Yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 to 7 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten, for glaze
DIRECTIONS:
Combine yeast, 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl; stir to mix. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in 2 cups of the flour; let stand about 30 minutes to let the yeast develop.
Combine 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, oil and 3 eggs in a large bowl; mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the yeast mixture; mix well.
Add the remaining flour, about 1 cup at a time, until you get slightly firm dough. It will be a bit softer than ordinary bread dough because of the eggs. Knead in bowl about 5 minutes. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Punch down dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly to work out the larger air pockets. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, about 24 inches long. Braid ropes to form a loaf, tucking the ends underneath. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until nearly doubled in bulk. The loaf will be quite large.
About 15 minutes before loaf has finished rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush loaf all over with beaten egg. Bake in 375-degree oven about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. If your oven doesn't bake evenly, be sure to turn the pan every 10 minutes or so. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on a rack.
Note:
A large, braided loaf is one of the traditional forms of challah. One also finds it shaped as a large braid with a smaller braid on top. I generally prefer to make two smaller single braids, as may be necessary if you have a smaller oven.
MINESTRONE SOUP
Yield: 4 servings (about 1 cup each)
Source: "Cooking with The Diabetic Chef"
To make this truly vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock.
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 medium carrot, finely diced
1/4 stalk celery, finely diced
2/3 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons leeks, finely diced
3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) canned tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, diced
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
3 cups chicken stock
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) frozen spinach, chopped
3/4 cup white beans, cooked
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic and leek and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato, zucchini, thyme, oregano, and chicken stock. Bring the liquid to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the spinach and white beans. Return the liquid to a simmer for 20 minutes. Season with the salt and white pepper. Serve immediately and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (about 1 cup):
Calories: 110, Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 3 mg, Sodium: 283 mg, Carbohydrate: 15 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 7 g,Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1/2 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat
POTATO SOUP
I'm not sure where I found this recipe. Whoever wrote it added, "This creamy potato soup needs a crispy salad and crusty bread and voila! You have a meal." All I can really add is: Yum!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cooking Time 25 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 large yellow onions
6 leeks, well washed, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large saucepan; add the salt. Add the potatoes, onions and leeks; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes into the broth until it becomes a coarse-textured soup. Add the oregano, parsley, heavy cream and butter; simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
There are some foods that just go perfectly with certain types of weather. A hot August afternoon screams for a dinner requiring little or not cooking (think hoagies, potato salad, or burgers grilled to perfection) with a large glass of iced tea, iced coffee, or other cold drink. And cold winter days require something hot to warm you from the inside out.
While Florida doesn't get as cold as, say, New England, New York, Minnesota, or Canada, we still get our occasional cold days. Today, it is merely rainy as a cold front makes its way across the state.
Right now, I've got the beginnings of bean soup cooking on the stove while the dough for Texas Moppin' Rolls rises in the oven. While the beans come in a nice, neat little package with instructions on how to cook up a nice pot of soup, I have a habit of glancing at the recipe, then going my own way.
The Texas Moppin' Rolls are another story. Years ago, right after getting hooked up to cable, I was channel surfing and discovered a show on the Food Network titled Breaking Bread With Father Dominic. The show is no longer on the Food Network (hey, Food Network people: how about bringing Father Dominic's show back!), but Fr. Dominic still has a website.
TEXAS MOPPIN' ROLLS
YIELD:12 rolls
Ingredients:
2 packages FLEISCHMANN'S Active Dry Yeast
1 teaspoon honey
2 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/2 cup minced onion
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Directions:
Combine yeast, honey and warm water in large bowl; stir until completely dissolved. Add salt, hot red pepper flakes, onion, Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese; stir until thoroughly mixed. Add 6 cups of the flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing after each addition until the flour is completely incorporated. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 6 to 8 minutes, adding enough of remaining flour to form a fairly stiff dough. Rinse and dry the bowl, then oil surface of dough and place dough in bowl. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour, or until doubled.
Punch down dough. Knead briefly to expel large air bubbles. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a fat oval. Place rolls in a lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan (three rolls across, four down). Let rise about 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled.
While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place on middle rack of oven and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is browned. Remove rolls from pan and let cool on racks.
Note: Fr. Dominic wrote, "With so many different palates to please, our abbey cooks are usually pretty cautious about spicy seasonings. As a result, sometimes monastery food is a bit bland, so I like to create breads with strong flavors. Every time I serve these rolls, one of the brothers is sure to comment on how he expected "just another roll" and got a mouthful of pepper-and-cheese-bread-with-an-attitude. These rolls are actually pretty mild compared to a lot of Tex-Mex food, so feel free to increase the amount of crushed red pepper. I used ordinary dried crushed red pepper (hot red pepper flakes) for this recipe, but if you keep fresh jalapenos or other hot peppers in the fridge, by all means use them. Three 3-inch jalapenos, minced fine, provide moderate heat. You can experiment with other peppers as well.
BEAN SOUP
1 package 15-bean soup mix
3 quarts water (see first note, below)
2 onions, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can stewed tomatoes
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Any small bag of frozen veggies
1 T oregano (see second note, below)
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Clean through package of beans to make sure there are not bits of small pebbles or dirt, then rinse. Place in large pot with 3 quarts water, bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat. Simmer for one hour.
Add remaining ingredients and cook for one more hour.
First Note: You'll probably need to add water as the soup cooks. This is normal. Just don't overdo it.
Second Note: Most 15-bean packages come with small packets of spices for whatever flavor the bag is labled as: chicken flavored, ham flavored, etc. I picked up the Cajun flavored packages. The beans themselves don't carry the flavors; while I haven't checked, I'm sure that if you take the time to read the ingredient lists, the beans on each flavor are the same. It's the spice packets inside that you're supposed to add near the end that add the flavor. I usually discard this spice packet, since I never know how much salt and/or preservatives are in the packets. I prefer to add whatever spices I feel like adding. So...if you want to add the packet, please feel free to. Just forgo the spices I've added...or, at least, forgo the salt.
Serve with Texas Moppin' Rolls.
ENJOY!!!
SPINACH TORTELLINI SOUP
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
Total Time: 15 min; Prep: 5 min; Cook: 10 min; Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 9 ounce package cheese tortellini
Dried basil
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
Salt and pepper
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
Directions
In a large pot, bring stock to simmer. Stir in tortellini and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in spinach, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Return to a simmer and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.
Read more here.
BROCCOLI CHOWDER
Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup each
Source: "The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook"
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (1-1/2 cups)
1 large carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)
1 large potato, peeled and diced (1-1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-1/2 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth (two 14-ounce cans)
8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (3 cups)
1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Directions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.
Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through. Season with salt.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cup each): Calories: 180, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Protein: 6 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sodium: 354 mg Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 High-Fat Meat
CHALLAH
YIELD:1 large loaf; about 20 to 25 slices
This one is also from Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic
INGREDIENTS:
2 packages FLEISCHMANN's Active Dry Yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 to 7 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten, for glaze
DIRECTIONS:
Combine yeast, 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl; stir to mix. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in 2 cups of the flour; let stand about 30 minutes to let the yeast develop.
Combine 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, oil and 3 eggs in a large bowl; mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the yeast mixture; mix well.
Add the remaining flour, about 1 cup at a time, until you get slightly firm dough. It will be a bit softer than ordinary bread dough because of the eggs. Knead in bowl about 5 minutes. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Punch down dough. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly to work out the larger air pockets. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, about 24 inches long. Braid ropes to form a loaf, tucking the ends underneath. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until nearly doubled in bulk. The loaf will be quite large.
About 15 minutes before loaf has finished rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush loaf all over with beaten egg. Bake in 375-degree oven about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. If your oven doesn't bake evenly, be sure to turn the pan every 10 minutes or so. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on a rack.
Note:
A large, braided loaf is one of the traditional forms of challah. One also finds it shaped as a large braid with a smaller braid on top. I generally prefer to make two smaller single braids, as may be necessary if you have a smaller oven.
MINESTRONE SOUP
Yield: 4 servings (about 1 cup each)
Source: "Cooking with The Diabetic Chef"
To make this truly vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock.
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 medium carrot, finely diced
1/4 stalk celery, finely diced
2/3 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons leeks, finely diced
3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) canned tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, diced
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
3 cups chicken stock
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) frozen spinach, chopped
3/4 cup white beans, cooked
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic and leek and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato, zucchini, thyme, oregano, and chicken stock. Bring the liquid to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the spinach and white beans. Return the liquid to a simmer for 20 minutes. Season with the salt and white pepper. Serve immediately and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (about 1 cup):
Calories: 110, Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 3 mg, Sodium: 283 mg, Carbohydrate: 15 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 7 g,Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1/2 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat
POTATO SOUP
I'm not sure where I found this recipe. Whoever wrote it added, "This creamy potato soup needs a crispy salad and crusty bread and voila! You have a meal." All I can really add is: Yum!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cooking Time 25 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 large yellow onions
6 leeks, well washed, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large saucepan; add the salt. Add the potatoes, onions and leeks; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes into the broth until it becomes a coarse-textured soup. Add the oregano, parsley, heavy cream and butter; simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
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