Mid-Week Recipes

Here's to the middle of the week, and the recipes to go with it. Enjoy!

PUMPKIN CHILI MEXICANA

This comes from the Very Best Baking newsletter from Nestle. Prep time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 40 minutes; Makes 6 servings; skill level: easy.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 lb. ground turkey

2 cans (14.5 oz each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (15.25 oz.) kidney beans, drained

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles

1/2 cup loose-pack frozen whole-kernel corn

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add turkey; cook until browned. Drain.

Add tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chiles, corn, chili powder, cumin and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

PUMPKIN GOUDA MACARONI & CHEESE

This also comes from Nestle's Very Best Baking newsletter. Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Skill level: easy; Makes 4 1-cup servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup dried regular or whole grain elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk

1/3 cup water

3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded Gouda cheese

1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 tablespoon snipped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon finely cut fresh rosemary

1/4 cup (about 1/2 slice bread) soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling water until al denté in texture. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add evaporated milk and water all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and slightly thickened. Stir in cheese, pumpkin and sage until cheese melts. Pour sauce over pasta to coat. Spoon mixture into four, ungreased 8-ounce ramekins.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, walnuts and oil in small bowl. Sprinkle over pasta.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Variation: For a casserole, pour mixture into ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish and top with crumb mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

IRISH SODA BREAD

This is from Fiona Haynes, About.com's Low Fat Cooking expert. She writes, "Irish Soda Bread requires only a few simple ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Throw in a cup of raisins if you like, and some orange zest, too. Traditional Irish Soda Bread is made without these, however, as it was made as a daily bread to accompany meals. Enjoy the original version warm with a little low fat spread with some tea, or as an accompaniment to a lean beef stew." Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Yields 1 round loaf (8 - 10 wedges or slices)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together with a whisk. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup of the buttermilk, reserving 1/2 cup. Combine dry ingredients and buttermilk with a fork, gradually adding more of the remaining liquid until a soft dough is formed.

Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface for 1 minute. Form into a slightly flattened circle. Place on a parchment lined (or silicone baking mat) cookie sheet. Mark a large 1/2-inch deep X with a sharp knife and bake soda bread for 40-45 minutes. The bread is ready when it is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Per Serving: Calories 148, Calories from Fat 6, Total Fat 0.7g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 582mg, Carbohydrate 30.5g, Fiber 1g, Protein 5g

COLCANNON

This also comes from About.com's Fiona Haynes, who writes, "Colcannon is a perfect side dish for St. Patrick's Day. It's basically a mashed potato and cabbage dish, although many variations exist. I like to blend in milk-simmered leeks in this version. Other people swear by kale rather than cabbage, which may be more in keeping with tradition. Add a little nutmeg or mace if you have it." Prep Time: 0 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Serves 6 - 8.

To view online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

1 small cabbage, cored and chopped

2 small leeks, white parts only, sliced

1 cup fat-free milk

4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a second pot, boil or steam cabbage for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, cover and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, simmer leeks in milk for 5 minutes. When leeks are soft, remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side, reserving the milk.

When potatoes are tender, drain well. Add half the milk used to simmer the leeks. Mash the potatoes until all the lumps have gone. Add cream cheese and white pepper then mash again until blended. Use remaining milk if needed. Stir in cabbage and leeks.

Serve immediately.

Per Serving: Calories 132, Calories from Fat 6, Total Fat 0.7g (sat 0.2g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 113mg, Carbohydrate 25.3g, Fiber 4.2g, Protein 6.2g

INA'S PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY BARS

This comes from Ina Garten of The Food Network's Barefood Contessa. Total Time: 1 hr. 55 min; Prep: 10 min; Inactive: 1 hr; Cook: 45 min; yield: 24 bars; level: intermediate

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/peanut-butter-and-jelly-bars-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam

2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

SLOW-COOK VEGGIE CHILI

From http://www.mydailymoment.com/

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

4 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) package firm tofu, drained and cubed

4 (15.5 oz.) cans black beans, drained

2 (15 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

6 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1 tbsp. liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.

Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the sauted vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce; Stir gently and cover. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Additional Tips: Ready in 6 hours 10 min