Tuesday Recipes

Enjoy!

MAC AND CHEESE

This comes from Ina Garten, The Food Network's Barefoot Contessa. Total Time: 55 min; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 35 min; Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-cheese-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (see Note)

1 quart milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)

8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated (2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Note: To make ahead, put the macaroni and cheese in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Put the tomatoes and bread crumbs on top and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes.

PERFECT PEACH PIE

This is from Sam Sifton, founding editor of NYT Cooking. He wrote, “Eat a perfect peach under the summer sun and you'll experience the fruit at its messy, dripping, sugar-bright best. Rinse your chin and understand that no melon, apricot or blackberry can compete. But how often does this happen? For most of us, a great and truly perfect peach is a rare event. We can expect but one or two a season, for all our trying. Enter the pie. A peach pie can elevate good peaches to excellence and great ones to the sublime. Even a peach pie made with frozen fruit is a terrific thing. The addition of sugar helps; so, too, do a dash of lemon juice and a light sprinkle of nutmeg, which offers a slight bitterness to offset the sweet. Add a crown of vanilla ice cream for a perfect diner-style à la mode effect.” Serves 6 to 8 in 2 hours.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For The Pie Dough:

2 1/2 cups or 300 grams all-purpose flour

12 tablespoons or 169 grams unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Yolk of 1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup water, from 3/4 cup ice water

White of 1 egg, beaten

Pinch granulated sugar

For The Filling:

6 or 7 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced, approximately 5 cups

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup or 30 grams all-purpose flour

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Preparation

Make the pie dough. Using your fingertips or the pulse function of a food processor, blend together the flour, butter and salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There should be pebbles of butter throughout the mixture.

Add egg yolk and vinegar to 1/4 cup ice water, and stir to combine. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of this mixture over the dough, and gently stir or pulse to combine. Gather a golf-ball-size bit of dough, and squeeze to combine. If it does not hold together, add a little more of the liquid, and stir or pulse, then check again. Repeat as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather together into a rough ball. Divide the ball in half with a knife or a pastry scraper, then divide each portion in half again, and again, to create 8 portions. Using the heel of your hand, flatten each portion of dough once or twice to expand the pebbles of butter, then gather the dough together again in one ball. Divide this ball in half.

Flatten each ball into a 5- or 6-inch disc, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap the discs in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425. Make the pie filling: Combine sliced peaches, lemon juice, sugar and flour in a large bowl, and gently mix to combine. Set aside.

Take the larger of the pastry discs out of the refrigerator, roll it out on a lightly floured surface and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Add the peaches. Sprinkle them with the ground nutmeg.

Roll out second disc of pastry. Place on top of filling. Wet edges of the bottom pastry disc with some cold water. Trim pastry, pinch bottom and top edges together and cut a few slits to allow steam to escape from the pie. Brush the egg white on the top, particularly around the edges, and sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375. Cook until peaches bubble and pastry is golden, approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

BONELESS BUFFALO WINGS

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 2 oz. chicken per serving

Source: The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/658.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Pinch cayenne

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 pound chicken tenders

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup reduced-fat blue cheese dressing

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Celery Sticks

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, combine the hot sauce, cayenne, and paprika. Roll the chicken tenders in the mixture.

Place the chicken tenders on a small nonstick baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes until chicken is tender.

Combine the dressing ingredients.

Serve the dressing with the chicken and celery sticks.

CHERRY TOMATO FOCACCIA

This is from the July/August 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 61. The recipe starts out with, “This bread is hearty enough to be served with a salad for a light lunch or supper.” Serves 8.

Topping

1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

Focaccia

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1 Tbs. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

2 tsp. salt

Olive oil, for greasing baking sheet

To make Topping: Pulse pistachios in food processor until ground, but with some larger pieces. Transfer to bowl, and stir in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.

To make Focaccia: Stir together flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and 1 1/4 cups water in bowl. Knead dough in bowl 5 minutes. Cover bowl with towel, and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Generously grease rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Stretch dough into 12- x 11-inch rectangle in sheet pan. Let dough rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Dimple dough with fingers. Whisk 2 Tbs. water into pistachio mixture, and brush onto dough. Press tomato halves cut-side up into dough. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bottom.

nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 329; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 589 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 3 g; Vegan

CLASSIC BLUEBERRY PIE

This recipe comes from Seattle's Macrina Bakery. The recipe starts out, “Few things in life are as wonderful as homemade blueberry pie. It is heaven on earth! I recommend using slightly tart organic blueberries whenever possible.”

Makes one 9-inch double-crusted pie

7 cups (3-1/2 pints) organic blueberries

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

One top and bottom pie crust, chilled

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water

Coarse raw sugar


Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Sort through the blueberries, removing any stems and leaves. Gently rinse the berries and lay them out on paper towels to air dry.

Combine 3-1/2 cups of the blueberries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla extract and flour in a medium saucepan. Mix with a spoon. Cook over medium heat until the fruit juices have been released and the mixture has thickened, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the mixture from burning. Pour the cooked fruit into a large stainless steel bowl and add the remaining blueberries. Stir with a spoon and set aside until the fruit has cooled to room temperature.

Divide the chilled pie dough into 2 pieces, making one piece slightly larger than the other. Coat your hands with flour and shape the larger piece of dough into a ball. Working on a floured surface, flatten the ball slightly, then roll it into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges of the dough to leave a 1-inch overhang around the pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough 1/8-inch thick and trim it into a 10-inch circle. Set aside. This will be the top crust.

Pour the cooled fruit into the pie shell and dot with butter. Brush the top side of the overhanging dough with a little egg wash. Lift the top crust onto the pie, folding it in half to make it easier to accurately position. Lift the overhanging dough onto the top crust and crimp with your fingers. Mark the crimped edges with a fork, then brush all of the crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse raw sugar and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the pie on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife cut 4 slits in the center of the crust. Bake pie for 50 to 55 minutes. The crust will be golden brown and the fruit will be bubbling in the center of the pie. Let cool for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

BROCCOLI CHOWDER

From Diabetic Gourmet. Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup each

Source: "The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook"

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (1-1/2 cups)

1 large carrot, diced (1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 large potato, peeled and diced (1-1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3-1/2 cups vegetable broth (two 14-ounce cans)

8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (3 cups)

1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.

Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through. Season with salt.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cup each): Calories: 180, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Protein: 6 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sodium: 354 mg Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 High-Fat Meat