Weekend Meals

Finally, it's the weekend! Here are some recipes to get your weekend off to a great start. Enjoy!

LEMON SOUR CREAM COFFEECAKE

This is from Seattle's Macrina Bakery. It starts off, “This is probably our most popular coffeecake. Our customers love it, but when Jamie & Bobby Deen from Road Tasted tried it…then aired it on national television …we couldn’t keep it in stock. It is a breakfast coffeecake but has a texture and appeal of a pound cake. We are fortunate to be located in the Pacific Northwest, home of Chukar Cherries. These sweet and sour dried cherries are harvested here in our area and dried for year round pleasure. The lovely compliment of the cherries is great with the tart lemon juice and zest used in the coffeecake.”

For The Batter:

1-1/2 cups dried tart cherries

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2-1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

5 eggs

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup plain yogurt

For The Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a 12-cup bundt pan.

Preparing The Batter:

Place dried cherries in a medium bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let soak and plump for 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly and check for pits.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Toss with your hands and set aside.

Combine butter, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes. The mixture will become smooth and pale in color. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully mixed into the butter before adding another. After the last egg is incorporated, slowly add the lemon juice and mix for 1 more minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds to make sure all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Alternately add small amounts of the flour mixture and the yogurt to the batter, mixing with a wooden spoon just until all dry ingredients are incorporated into the batter. Set aside 10 or 12 cherries for garnish and gently fold the remainder into the batter, taking care not to over mix. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan, filling two thirds of the pan. Bake on center rack of oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Check the center of the coffeecake with a skewer. It will come out clean when the cake is finished. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.

Loosen the sides of the cake with a sharp knife. Place a serving plate, upside down, on top of the cooled bundt pan and invert the pan to remove the cake. Let cake cool completely.

Glazing The Cake:

Sift powdered sugar into medium bowl, then add lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix with a spoon until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the cooled coffeecake and top with the reserved plumped cherries.

BLACK BEAN AND TOMATO SALSA

Yield: 4 servings

Source: "The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/87.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup seeded, diced plum tomatoes (3-4 tomatoes)

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1 tablespoon lime juice

1-1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2-1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle in adobo sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to blend. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/2 cup each): Calories: 83, Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Carbohydrate: 11 g, Protein: 4 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sodium: 283 mg; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch

FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH ASPARAGUS

This recipe, from FamilyTime.com, starts off, “Ready to go at a moment’s notice, this asparagus-embellished classic is not only creamy, quick, and delicious, but it dirties only one pot.” To view this online, click here.Prep. time: 10 minutes; Cooking time: 12 minutes;
Serves: 4; Source: Food and Wine Quick from Scratch

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus

3/4 pound fettuccine

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 cup heavy cream

pinch ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fettuccine until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook until it and the pasta are just done, about 4 minutes longer.



Drain the pasta and asparagus. Toss with the butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan.

LATE SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND FRESH CORN

This comes from the September 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 61, and starts out, “Bright, beautiful, and bursting with veggies, this colorful minestrone is a great way to stretch the harvest.” Serves 6.

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 cup sliced leeks

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 tsp. salt, optional

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage, or 2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

2 large tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (1 cup)

2 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (3/4- to 1-inch cubes)

2 cups green beans or flat beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 15-oz. can or 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2–3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish, optional

Heat oil in 5-qt. Dutch oven or other large soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks, celery, bell pepper, and salt, if using. Cover, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until veggies are softened, stirring occasionally. Uncover, and continue cooking 5 to 6 minutes more, or until celery is somewhat shrunken and leeks are browned.

Add garlic, sage, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Stir 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and 8 cups water, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Add squash, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Add green beans, white beans, and corn; simmer 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, stir in vinegar and mint.

nutritional information Per 2-cup serving: Calories: 185; Protein: 7 g; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 30 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 130 mg; Fiber: 9 g; Sugar: 7 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

PUMPKIN CHEESE-SWIRLED PIE

Got this from one of the many emailing lists that I was on years ago. Not sure which list, or who sent it. It makes 8 servings.

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

2 eggs

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/4 sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry pie shell

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup corn syrup and vanilla until smooth; set aside.

In medium bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Beat until smooth. Pour into pie crust.

Drop tablespoonfuls of cream cheese mixture onto pumpkin filling. With knife or small spatula, swirl mixture to give marbled effect.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

I drove cab for a number of years. I figured if my ex- could make money driving cab (and he did), I'd give it a try. Ended up meeting my second husband that way; by the time he quit driving, he'd been a cab driver for "only 37 years," garnering the nickname Rookie by one of the dispatchers.

One Friday just before Thanksgiving, I got a call to pick up a fare at a nearby grocery store. After we'd loaded his groceries and found out where he was going, we headed off. During the drive, we talked; I discovered he was a single parent (divorced, sole-custody of a son and daughter, both late middle-school age), where he worked, etc. As we pulled up into his yard, he had me honk the horn and his two kids came out to help. The first thing his daughter asked was if he'd gotten the ingredients for the peanut butter pie. He had, then explained that their church was having a pre-Thanksgiving get-together for church members and everyone was to bring an item. This was their offering.

"What's in the pie?" I asked. He gave me a funny look and answered, "Well, there's peanut butter..." By this time, the groceries were unloaded, the trunk closed, and it was time to leave.

The following week, I managed to pick the same man up. This time, during the small talk on the way home, I discovered the ingredients for the pie, but not the amounts. It wasn't until the third trip - three weeks in a row! - that I was able to get the recipe from him.

There are several restaurants in the area that have peanut butter pie. While I've tasted a few, this simple recipe is, by far, the best. I've tweaked the recipe a little: the original calls for 1/3 cup of confectioner's sugar and 1/3 cup of peanut butter; I've upped both to half-a-cup. I first posted this on January 9, 2013. It's also in an e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

8-ounce tub of Cool Whip (see note)

8-ounce block of cream cheese (see note)

1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth is preferable)

1/2 C Confectioner's (10X) Sugar

Put Cool Whip, cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With beaters, beat on high. Pour into pie crust, smooth out, and freeze for 1 hour.

Note: Cool whip (or store equivalent) can be fat-free. Cream cheese can be regular cream cheese or the 1/3 less fat kind, but do not use fat free, as the pie won't set up right. I usually use a store-bought graham cracker crust for the pie, which is what the man used to make this. However, you can also use an Oreo cookie crust.