Wednesday Recipes

Wow, three days in a row...all after noon. I really need to get back to posting this before noon. (At least I'm posting, right?) Eventually, I will get back on track. In the meantime, here are today's recipes. Enjoy!

THREE-BEAN SOUP

This is one of my favorite quick meals that I usually only fix on weekends, especially if it happens to be cold and/or rainy. But I have been known to cook up a batch of it if I'm tired and/or in the mood for a quick, easy meal. It has become one of my favorite comfort-foods. It’s from the November/December 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 37, in that issue’s “30 Minutes; Quick, Fast Food” section. This vegan recipe serves 6, and starts off, “Here’s a straight-from-the-pantry soup that’ll become a weeknight favorite. (Or, in my case, weekend favorite.) Pureeing one of the cans of beans creates a creamy base without adding extra fat or cholesterol. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve with vegetable chips, if desired.”

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 15.5-oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbs.)

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water

1 15.5-oz. can great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft. Add navy beans, black beans and garlic, and continue cooking and stirring 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in 1 cup broth.

Meanwhile, put great Northern beans and remaining 1 cup broth into food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Pour puree into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.

Spoon into individual soup bowls, and serve hot.

Per serving: 231 calories; 13 g protein; 5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat); 39 g carbs; 0 mg cholesterol; 557 mg sodium; 11 g fiber; 5 g sugars

ONE-POT PASTA PRIMAVERA

Another goodie from Vegetarian Times, this time, from page 74 of the June 2011 issue. It starts off, "This easy recipe lends itself to endless variations. In place of fresh basil, try 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley, 2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 Tbs. finely minced fresh rosemary or oregano." Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

3 Tbs. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

8 oz. fusilli pasta

2 small yellow squash, halved and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 oz. small broccoli florets (3 cups)

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

8 green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan-style cheese for garnish, optional

Combine oil, garlic, and lemon zest in small bowl. Set aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Add squash and bell pepper 4 minutes before end of cooking time. Add broccoli 3 minutes before end of cooking time. Drain pasta and vegetables, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.

Return pasta mixture to pot, and stir in tomatoes, green onions, basil, oil mixture, and reserved cooking water. Heat over medium-low heat until tomatoes are hot. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

nutritional information Per 2-cup serving: Calories: 346; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 52 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 112 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 5 g

CURRY CHICKEN

I can almost hear the sigh of relief from non-vegetarians, who might have been thinking, "Wait, today's Wednesday, not Monday! What's with the vegetarian food?" So, for those who aren't vegetarian, here ya go. I'm not sure what emailing list I got this one from; maybe About.com? But when I saved it, it was without info.

The recipe starts off, "Curry chicken is a nice recipe for busy weeknights, with chicken breasts, onion, potatoes and carrots all cooked together in one dish. Feel free to use chicken thighs instead of breasts, and to replace the curry paste with 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons curry powder if needed." Serves 2 - 4; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into chunks about 1 1/2 inches

2 potatoes, peeled, chopped into chunks

1 red onion, peeled and chopped

10 baby carrots, washed, drained, cut in half

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

2 tablespoons curry paste (traditional Indian yellow curry paste is best)

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste

Ground coriander, optional

Preparation:

Heat a wok or deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the heated wok. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Stir-fry1 until the onion is softened and translucent. Add the curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant. (If using curry powder instead, add a small amount of water to form a paste).

Add the chicken and stir-fry for about 5 minutes so that the chicken is browned and coated with the curry paste.

Add the carrots and potatoes. Stir for a minute and add the chicken broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 - 20 minutes, making sure the chicken is cooked.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

From another long-forgotten emailing list. Prep Time 5 minutes; Cooking Time 8 minutes; Serves 4

Ingredients

3/4 pound elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

a few dashes Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni until just done, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pot.

Put the pot over the lowest possible heat and add the butter, cheese, mustard, Tabasco sauce if using, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts, and serve.

BEEF STEW

I tend to be a vegetarian for a variety of reasons. But I wasn't always a vegetarian; I do have fond memories of family gatherings where meat was served. This is one of my creations from years ago when the stew recipes that I'd run across seemed too bland. Granted, this one isn't spicy; for that, I go for spaghetti or chili. This is from my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking. If you have a Kindle or other ereader that handles Kindle stuff, check it out.

2-3 lbs. stewing beef

3 T oil

1 C flour

2 C water

1 onion, chopped

8 oz tomato sauce

6 oz tomato paste

1 T soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

4 carrots, cut up

1 large potato, peeled & cut up

4 T vinegar

3 T honey

salt & pepper

Cut beef into bite-sized pieces. Trim fat & dredge in flour & brown in oil. Add everything except carrots & potato. Cook 15 minutes. Add carrots & cook 15 more minutes. Add potato & cook 30 minutes. Add water as needed. Serve over noodles.

POTATO SOUP

From yet another emailing list, long forgotten. This one starts off, "This creamy potato soup needs a crispy salad and crusty bread and voila! You have a meal." Prep Time 45 minutes; Cooking Time 25 minutes; Serves 6

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if you want to keep it vegetarian)

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 (this and the butter can be switched for vegetarian options, if so desired)

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.