Wednesday Recipes

It's Wednesday - half-way through the work week. Here are today's recipes. Enjoy!

CREAMY RICE PUDDING

This comes from Fiona Haynes, About.com's Lowfat Cooking expert. She wrote, “I adore rice pudding, and I wasn't prepared to give it up just because I wanted to eat low fat. The answer was straightforward enough: substitute whole milk and cream with fat-free milk and evaporated fat-free milk. Add your own flavor, such as cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger, if vanilla isn't enough, and stir in some of your favorite dried fruit. Enjoy your rice pudding warm (as I do) or chilled.” Cook Time: 25 minutes. Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 12 ounce can evaporated fat-free milk

1 1/2 cups fat-free milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown sugar

Preparation:

Heat rice, milk, vanilla and sugar in a small saucepan on medium heat, gradually bringing to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently until rice is tender and the pudding is thick and creamy. Serve warm or chilled. Stir in extra milk before serving if desired.

Per Serving: Calories 209, Calories from Fat 4, Total Fat 0.4g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 3mg, Sodium 100mg, Carbohydrate 42.8g, Fiber 0.4g, Protein 8.4g

BANANA BREAD PUDDING

Another desert recipe from Fiona Haynes, who wrote, “Here's a great way to use up over-ripe bananas, especially in the autumn and winter months. This easy-to-make low fat banana bread pudding is the perfect antidote to a cold and wet day.” Cook Time: 40 minutes. Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 ounces day-old French or Italian bread, cut into cubes

1 1/2 cups fat-free half and half

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 small bananas, mashed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 11 X 7 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place bread cubes in a large bowl and cover with half and half. Toss so the bread can absorb the liquid.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and mashed bananas. Add banana mixture to soaked bread and combine.

Empty into baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes until set.

Per Serving: Calories 215, Calories from Fat 27, Total Fat 2.9g (sat 1.1g), Cholesterol 55mg, Sodium 250mg, Carbohydrate 41.2g, Fiber 1.9g, Protein 5.7g

SWEET POTATOES WITH A HINT OF ORANGE

Servings: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds sweet potatoes, cooked

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

16 apricot halves, dried

Orange slices, fresh

Directions

Arrange the sweet potatoes in a shallow baking dish. Combine the margarine and cinnamon. Pour over the potatoes. Arrange the apricot halves on top. Cover the dish and bake in a 425F oven for about 15 minutes. Add the orange slices and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 139; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 96 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: .75 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 8 g; Carbohydrates: 27 g

HUMMUS-VEGGIE WRAPS

Yield: 4 servings

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/910.shtml

Source: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/60.shtml

Ingredients

4 whole-wheat flour tortillas (8 to 9-inch rounds)

1 cup ready-made hummus

1 small carrot, shredded with a potato peeler

2 slices red onion, separated into rings

12 thin slices peeled cucumber

16 young tender spinach leaves or 1 cup alfalfa sprouts

Directions

Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Lay the tortillas on a flat surface and spread the lower half only of each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the hummus.

Top the hummus on each tortilla with a quarter of the carrots, onion rings, cucumber slices, and spinach or sprouts, leaving a 1-1/2 inch margin on the right and left sides.

Fold the right and left margins in, then roll each tortilla up from the bottom to enclose the filling. Cut each warp in half and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 258; Protein: 10 g; Fat: 8.6 g; Sodium: 625 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g ; Carbohydrates: 38 g; Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch, 1 Very Lean Meat, 1/2 Vegetable, 1 Fat

CREAMY SPINACH SOUP WITH PANEER CROUTONS

This is from the October 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 32. It starts out, “Paneer, a mild Indian cheese, tops this tasty soup. If you can’t find paneer, substitute cubed fresh mozzarella or tofu.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

2 Tbs. butter, divided

1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1 cup frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

3 2/3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1-lb. pkg. frozen spinach

4 oz. paneer cheese, cubed (1 cup)

Heat 1 Tbs. butter in pot over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, curry powder, mustard seeds, and turmeric. Cook 1 minute. Add hash browns and broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, and cook 2 minutes more, or until wilted. Purée with immersion blender until smooth.

Heat remaining 1 Tbs. butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add paneer cubes, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Spoon paneer over soup, and serve hot.

nutritional information Per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 264; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 9 g; Carbohydrates: 22 g; Cholesterol: 44 mg; Sodium: 453 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 6 g; Gluten-Free

PATATAS BRAVAS

This is from page 48 of the March 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Patatas bravas means ‘fierce potatoes,’ and hot smoked Spanish paprika gives the sauce for this roasted spuds an addictive bite. Spoon the sauce over the potatoes, or serve in a bowl along with toothpicks for dunking the potato wedges.” This vegan, gluten-free recipe serves 6.

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1-inch-thick wedges

3 Tbs. olive oil, divided

3 tsp. minced garlic, divided

1 tsp hot smoked paprika, or more to taste

3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss potatoes with 2 Tbs. oil on large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, if desired; cover tightly with foil; and roast 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue roasting 12 minutes, or until potatoes are golden on bottom. Carefully turn potatoes, and roast 8 minutes more, or until browned. Sprinkle 1 tsp. garlic over potatoes, and transfer to serving dish.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tsp. garlic, and sauté 30 seconds, or until just fragrant. Add paprika, sauté 10 seconds, then stir in tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and simmer 10 minutes. Serve potatoes with sauce.

Per 1-cup serving: 172 cal; 3 g protein; 7 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat); 23 g carb; 0 mg chol; 49 mg sodium; 2 g fiber; less than 1 g sugars