Weekday Recipes

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

BLUEBERRY PEACH CRISP

This yummy recipe is from Kathy Kingley, About.com's American Food expert. She writes, “This version of a truly American dessert consists of ripe, juicy fruit and a crunchy sweet topping. The dessert takes it name for the crumbly mixture that bakes over the fruit into a crisp topping. To my mind, few things are as wonderful to eat than this blueberry peach crisp warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and I think you'll agree.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Yield: 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pint fresh blueberries rinsed and picked over

2 pounds ripe fresh peaches (about 6 medium), peeled, pitted and sliced (see note below)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned or instant rolled oats

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Put the blueberries, peaches, sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon in an 1 and 1/2 quart baking dish. Toss to mix and then spread the fruit mixture evenly in the dish.

o make the topping, put the brown sugar and flour into a medium bowl and stir to mix well. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the oats with a fork.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit, then press down gently.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and lightly browned.

Remove the crisp from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Note: To easily peel peaches, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Immerse the peaches in the boiling water for about a minute, then remove them with a slotted spoon and cool under cold running water. Use a paring knife to slip off the skins.

Berry Ideas

What could be more wonderful than a bowl of unadorned and perfectly fresh blueberries? Well that is hard to beat, but here are some ideas for a few ways to enjoy them at their best:

• Combine blueberries and fresh melon chunks and top with chopped fresh mint.

• Slice bananas and blueberries with a dash of orange juice and sprinkled with some cinnamon.

• Fresh pineapple chunks and blueberries tossed with finely chopped crystallized ginger.

• Spoon fresh blueberries over rice pudding.

• Fill a ready to serve cookie pie crust with ice cream and top with a mixture of fresh blueberries and raspberries.

• Mash some fresh blueberries over vanilla stir into slightly softened ice cream.

• Mix blueberries into a bowl of vanilla yogurt and top with crunchy granola.

QUICK BANANA FROZEN YOGURT

This easy recipe comes from Kimberly Kunaniec, About.com's Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts expert. She writes, “Frozen bananas are great for making frozen desserts. Not only can you dip them in chocolate and eat them as-is, but you can give them a quick spin in your food processor or Vitamix and make instant banana sorbet. This recipe adds some plain yogurt and honey to produce a creamy frozen yogurt. If you keep frozen bananas on hand (see step one of the directions), you can put this recipe together in just a few minutes whenever you want fresh frozen yogurt.” Prep Time: 2 minutes; Cook Time: 2 minutes; Total Time: 4 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 bananas

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Preparation

Peel the bananas and slice them into rounds. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. At this point, you can store the bananas in zip-top freezer bags or make the frozen yogurt immediately.

Pulse the banana and honey in the work bowl of your food processor until the bananas are finely chopped and starting to break down into a paste.

Add the frozen yogurt, blend until thoroughly combined. Give the frozen yogurt a taste and add more sugar as necessary.

Serve immediately for a texture that is like soft-serve, or put the frozen yogurt in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm it up a little more.

Tips:

Because this is a simple base, you can always add ingredients to spice it up. A half teaspoon of cinnamon will give a warm spice to the finished yogurt, but be careful not to overdo it. Or, grate a small amount of fresh nutmeg into the dish. Just a pinch will add a little bit of something extra without becoming too overpowering.

You can substitute Greek yogurt for the regular yogurt. Because it has a more tart flavor, you may want to add more sugar. Luckily, this is an easy recipe to do so. Simply taste the frozen yogurt once the yogurt has been added and decide if you want a little more. If you don’t want to add too much honey, try using superfine or confectioner’s sugar to up the sweetness a little. These will leave less of a grainy texture than a regular granulated sugar will.

This recipe is great with walnuts. Sprinkle toasted nuts over the top or stir some in after the ice cream is finished. The flavor of walnuts is perfect with bananas. Add some fresh whipped cream and you have a perfect and non-traditional ice cream sundae.

GRILLED BRUSCHETTA

This comes from FamilyTime.com, and starts off, “This delicious tomato bruschetta is enhanced by serving with grilled Texas toast. It's a simple way to make an easy appetizer really special.” Serves: 8 servings; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 2 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 package (11.25 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Parmesan Texas Toast or Garlic Texas Toast

Directions

Stir the oil, vinegar, garlic, black pepper, parsley and tomatoes in a medium bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.

Heat the grill to medium. Grill the toast slices for 2 minutes or until they're browned on both sides and heated through.

Divide the tomato mixture evenly among the toast slices and serve immediately.

Ingredient Note:

Omit the garlic if using Garlic Texas Toast.

ITALIAN SPINACH PIE

Makes: 8 servings

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/626.shtml

Source: Kraft

Ingredients

1 container (16 oz.) Breakstone's or Knudsen 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 cup Kraft Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, well drained, chopped

1/3 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Options: Substitute 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers for the roasted peppers.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients until well blended.

Pour into greased 9-inch pie plate.

Bake 40 min. or until center is set.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 150; Protein: 15 g; Fat: 8 g; Sodium: 450 mg; Cholesterol: 125 mg; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 6 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable + 2 Lean Meat

SUMMER GUMBO

This comes from the June 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 34. It begins, “Rather than use meat substitutes, we turned to pecans to give this gumbo its 'meaty' heft and a hit of protein. As they cook, the pecans become tender and chewy while lending the sauce a hint of nutty flavor. Feel free to spice things up with extra Cajun seasoning and hot sauce.” Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup glutinous rice flour

1 small green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

1 cup diced celery

2-3 Tbs. Cajun seasoning

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 cup raw pecan halves

2 small yellow squash or zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups halved radishes

6 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch lengths (1 1/2 cups)

1 cup frozen cut okra or 1 1/2 cups fresh okra pods, cut 1/2-inch thick

3 cups cooked brown or white rice

6 green onions, thinly sliced (2/3 cup)

Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in glutinous rice flour until smooth paste forms. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until roux is caramel-colored, stirring constantly.

Add bell pepper, onion, and celery, and stir to coat with roux. Stir in 1 cup water and Cajun seasoning, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, scraping up any stuck-on bits from bottom of pot. Stir in broth, 2 more cups water, tomato paste, and garlic, and season with salt, if desired. Add pecans. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add squash, radishes, carrots, and okra. Cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick and glistening. Serve gumbo over rice, and sprinkle with green onions.

nutritional information per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calaories: 394; Protein: 7g; Total Fat: 25 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 43 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 779 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 7 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

CITRUS CHICKEN AND RICE

This is from FamilyTime.com. It starts off, "A simply delicious combination of orange juice, chicken broth and onion simmer together to flavor this delicate chicken and rice skillet dish." Serves: 4; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast half

Swanson® Chicken Stock or 1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cook the chicken in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Stir the broth, orange juice, onion and rice in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked though and the rice is tender. Stir in the parsley.

Serving Suggestion: For a special touch, cook orange slices in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until they're lightly browned. Serve over the chicken.

Ingredient Note: We develop our recipes using a 4-to 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast half per serving. However, there are a range of sizes available in-store, from the butcher counter to the meat case and the freezer section. Use whichever you prefer- just follow the recipe as written above for the best result. If you're using larger chicken breasts they may require a little longer cooking time.