Wednesday Recipes

It's the middle of the work week...Hooray! Here are six recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

EASY 3-INGREDIENT COCONUT MACAROONS

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She writes, “These easy coconut macaroons are made with only 3 ingredients. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper for best results.” Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 8 minutes; Total Time: 18 minutes; Yield: 4 dozen

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

14 ounces shredded coconut (about 5 1/3 cups)

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Heat the oven to 325° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; blend well.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.

Remove to rack to cool.

IRISH CABBAGE AND POTATO SLAW

Makes 16 servings

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/640.shtml

Ingredients

2 medium white potatoes (8 oz.), peeled and cut in 1/2" slices

1 small Savoy cabbage (about 1 1/4 lb.) or 1/2 medium head green cabbage

1 carrot, shredded

4 scallions, green part only, chopped

2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper, or to taste

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/4 cup fat-free or low-fat buttermilk

Directions

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water to a depth of 2 inches. Cook over medium-high heat.

When the potatoes still have some resistance to a thin knife, drain them. Cut them into 1/2" strips and set aside.

While potatoes cook, quarter the cabbage, cut away the core and shred into 1/2-inch strips (there should be about 6 cups).

Place cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Add carrots and scallions.

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, mustard powder, sugar, salt and pepper, mixing until sugar dissolves. Mix in the oil. Pour dressing over vegetables. Using hands, mix to coat vegetables with dressing. Add potatoes and mix again.

Cover slaw and set aside for 15 minutes to wilt cabbage.

Pour in buttermilk and mix again. Cover and refrigerate slaw until ready to serve, or up to 6 hours. The slaw is best when the cabbage and carrots still have some crunch.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 35; Protein: 1 g; Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 196 mg; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 6 g

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

This comes from TasteofHome.com. Prep Time: 25 min; Bake: 50 min + cooling. Makes 12 - 16 servings.

To view this online, go to http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-chiffon-cake.

Ingredients

7 eggs, separated

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup canola oil

4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon Frosting:

1/3 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

4-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Dash salt

Directions

Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Place oven rack in the lowest position. Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, water, oil, lemon peel and vanilla; add to dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Add cream of tartar to egg whites; with clean beaters, beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites.

Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake 50-55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour.

Run a knife around side and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate. In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over top of cake, allowing frosting to drape down the sides. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Nutritional Facts: 1 slice equals 345 calories, 13 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 100 mg cholesterol, 288 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

BAKED VEGETABLES

This comes from the now-infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 carrots, sliced

1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets

4 zucchinis, sliced

salt to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

you can also use cauliflower and mushrooms

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking dish.

Combine vegetables in prepared baking dish, and lightly salt. Brush with olive oil until well coated. Sprinkle with dry soup mix.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.


LASAGNA PRIMAVERA

This comes from FamilyTime.com, and starts off, "Using oven-ready lasagna noodles makes this recipe simple to prepare...and layering vegetables into the lasagna is a brilliant way to add flavor and lighten up this delicious dish." Serves: 8 (about 1 1/2 cups each); Prep time: 40 minutes; Cook time: 45 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons light butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 medium zucchini, or summer squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

1 package (10 ounces) cremini mushroom, , sliced (about 3 3/4 cups)

1 medium red pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces (about 2 cups)

3 cups Prego® Heart Smart Ricotta Parmesan Italian Sauce

12 oven-ready lasagna noodle, (no boil)

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or the mixture is golden. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the milk mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the nutmeg and black pepper. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Heat the remaining butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, pepper and asparagus and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.

Layer 1/2 cup Italian sauce, 4 lasagna noodles, 3/4 cup Italian sauce, one-third of the milk mixture and half the vegetable mixture in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Repeat the layers. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles, sauce and milk mixture. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375°F. or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
VEGAN PUMPKIN RISOTTO

I think this came from About.com, but I'm not completely sure, since it's been kicking around my email account for more than five years with not note. The person who sent this wrote, “A vegetarian and vegan twist on classic Italian risotto - pumpkin! Why not? Pumpkin adds a sweet and unique flavor perfect for fall, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving entree, or anytime. This Italian risotto recipe is both vegetarian and vegan.”

Ingredients:

1 onion. diced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups arborio (risotto) rice

1 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for three to five minutes, or until soft. Add the rice. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly add the wine. Start to add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.