Weekend Recipes

Here's to the weekend; hope your's is good! Here are six recipes to try over the next few days. Enjoy!

ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE

Yield: 10 slices

Serving Size: 1 slice

Source: Great Healthy Food - Diabetes

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/613.shtml

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 large eggs

1/2 cup reduced-fat margarine, at room temperature

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/3 cup ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease the base of an 8-inch non-stick baking pan and line with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Beat the eggs until they are light and frothy.

Beat the margarine and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the beaten eggs gradually, beating well between each addition. If the mixture shows any signs of curdling, beat in a little of the flour mixture.

Stir in the flour mixture together with the ground almonds, almond extract and orange zest and mix lightly to a thick, fluid (but not runny) consistency, adding a little orange juice or water if necessary.

Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake in the center of the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Strip off the parchment paper and leave the cake to cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 122; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 99 mg; Cholesterol: 32 mg; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 16 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 2/3 Other Carbohydrate, 1 Fat

VANILLA CHEESECAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL

This comes from Tablespoon.com, and begins, “Creamy vanilla cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and drizzled with a dark salted caramel.” Prep Time: 1 hr 30 min; Total Time: 5 hr 30 mini; Servings: 12.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake:

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 large eggs

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Salted Caramel:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup whipping cream, warmed

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (and more for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

For the crust: Combine the graham cracker crust, sugar, and butter until well combined. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

For the cheesecake: Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each egg. Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until center is set.

Let cheesecake cool. Run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake before removing the rim. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight if possible.

Once cheesecake has cooled, prepare the whipped cream. For the whipping cream: Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread over the top of the cheesecake.

For the salted caramel: In a large heavy saucepan combine the sugar and water over medium heat stirring constantly. Once mixture starts boiling, DO NOT STIR AT ALL. Continue to boil mixture for 8-12 minutes or until mixture turns a golden brown. Remove from heat. The mixture will continue to brown after removed from heat.

Quickly stir in butter and warmed cream, whisking until smooth. Add vanilla and sea salt and stir until combined. Pour into a container to cool. Caramel should be served at room temperature but stored in the fridge. Caramel will harden when cold.

BLT SKILLET PASTA

This also comes from Tablespoon.com. This one begins, “Bacon, arugula, and tomatoes in a creamy sauce.” Prep Time: 20 min; Total Time: 20; Servings: 3

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen™ fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 cups packed baby arugula

6-8 slices of bacon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons heavy cream

7 ounces refrigerated fettuccine

Directions

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, slice your bacon into 1/2-inch slices and put it into a hot skillet. Stir and cook on medium until cooked and starting to crisp, about 7 minutes. Strain out some of the fat but leave a good few tablespoons in the pan.

Add the can of tomatoes with the juices and the arugula and cook until the arugula is wilted, about 5 minutes. Whisk the mayo and cream together and pour it into the skillet. Stir well and turn heat to low.

The water should be boiling at this point, so make sure it is salted well and drop your pasta in. Cook the pasta for only about 3 minutes. Strain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet. Stir and cook for 2 minutes before serving.

BROCCOLI QUICHE BITES

This is from FamiliyTime, and starts off, “After the pastry thaws, it takes just 10 minutes to put together these easy-to-make appetizers that get lots of flavor from a surprising ingredient – vegetable soup mix.” Serves: 24 pieces; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package of Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

4 eggs, beaten

1 envelope dry vegetable soup and dip mix

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained

1 cup whipped cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch shallow baking dish.

Stir the eggs, soup mix, broccoli and cottage cheese in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 9x13-inch rectangle. Place the pastry into the bottom of the baking dish. Prick the pastry with a fork.

Spread the broccoli mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Let stand in the baking dish on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Cut into 24 pieces.

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. 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

BAKED ZITI

This was originally posted on April 2, 2010. Great for a yummy, easy meal.

What to fix when you've just gotten home from work and you want something good, hot and with a minimum amount of effort? Baked Ziti fits the bill on all three counts. And if you're like me, chances are you have all the makings in your cupboard and fridge.

Here's what it takes:

16 ounce box of ziti
26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar-full of water
2 C shredded cheese

Okay, I can hear you asking, "What brand of spaghetti sauce? What type of sauce? And the cheese...Cheddar? Mozzarella? Can it be the stuff already shredded and in a bag or does it have to be a block of cheese that I grate and measure?" Here's the good part: Use what you have.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Dump the dried ziti into the pan. (No, no, do NOT cook the ziti first. Dump the ziti uncooked straight from the box.) Pour the spaghetti sauce into the pan and add one jar-full of water into the pan. Stir to mix. Add most of the shredded cheese, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to mix. Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes for a total time of 40 minutes.

Serve with a salad and possibly garlic bread.

See? Simple, hot, good and with at minimum amount of energy. What could be better for an after-work or weekend dinner?