Note: Since Christmas is this coming Friday, this will be a shortened week. Next week will have the usual five posts, including New Year's Day.
MUSHROOM, CHEESE, AND VEGETABLE STRUDEL
This comes from the November/December 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 72, and begins, “Whole-wheat phyllo dough lends a wholesome, nutty taste and golden color to the finished strudel. Veganizing this recipe is a snap too—simply substitute vegan cream cheese and vegan Cheddar cheese.” Serves 12.
To view this online, click here.
Filling
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. white mushrooms, sliced (5 cups)
2 10-oz. bags baby spinach
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 14-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained
8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese, softened
1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
Strudel
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. whole-wheat phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 tsp. poppy, sesame, or fennel seeds, optional
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 18- x 13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
To make Filling: Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme in oil 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook 10 minutes, or until wilted. Stir in spinach and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until spinach has wilted, stirring occasionally. Drain, and cool in bowl.
Purée tofu, Neufchâtel cheese, and Cheddar cheese in food processor until smooth. Stir into mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
To make Strudel: Heat oil, garlic, and thyme in small pot over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Cool.
Cover bottom of prepared baking pan with 2 phyllo sheets, allowing sheets to overlap each other and hang off sides. Brush with garlic oil. Place 2 more phyllo sheets on top, and brush with garlic oil. Repeat 4 times, until you have a 6-layer bottom crust.
Spread Filling in crust, leaving 3-inch edge all around. Brush edges with garlic oil. Fold sides of phyllo over filling. Cover filling with 2-sheet layer of phyllo (4 sheets total), overlapping sheets in center. Brush with garlic oil. Repeat layering 2 sheets at a time until you have 4 layers (16 sheets phyllo total), brushing every second sheet with garlic oil. Tuck under edges. Sprinkle top with seeds, if desired. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into slices.
nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 299; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 15.5 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 31 g; Cholesterol: 24 mg; Sodium: 541 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 2 g
HOME-STYLE GINGERBREAD
This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. If you've been following this blog, or my Confessions of a Foodie blog, you know I've posted quite a few of Diana's recipes here, along with links to her recipes and About.com site. That's probably because she comes up with some great recipes! For this one, she writes, “This wonderful ginger and cinnamon-scented cake is sure to bring a smile to your face, and it's the perfect dessert for a cold winter weekend. Top this warm gingerbread with a generous dollop of fresh sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.”
To view this yummy recipe online, click here.
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup molasses
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan or spray with a baking spray with flour. Heat oven to 325°. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat on low speed of electric mixer until ingredients are combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to medium; beat for about 3 minutes longer. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cut into squares and serve with freshly whipped cream. To serve leftover gingerbread, warm slightly in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds.
This gingerbread freezes well: cut into squares and wrap individually. Thaw and warm in the microwave just before serving.
HOMEMADE MACARONI AND CHEESE
I had been looking for a really simple but good homemade macaroni and cheese recipe, and this fits the bill. My daughter and granddaughter had come over on my granddaughter's birthday; while they were here, my daughter whipped up this recipe. She'd been making it for quite a while. It was a definite hit with everyone in the house.
1 box (16 ounce) cannelloni pasta (see Note)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Note: Just about any tubular pasta can be used in this recipe, though it seems to work best with something bigger than elbow macaroni. Some of the better substitutes for the cannelloni would be ziti, penne, rigatoni, or elicoidali.
Turn oven on to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package directions. If the package gives you a bracket – say, 12 – 14 minutes – lean toward the lower time, since you don't want the pasta to be too mushy. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
In a large pot, melt butter on low heat, then add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk and cook on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes until mixture thickens, stirring continuously.
Remove from heat and add macaroni, stirring it into mixture. Add the shredded cheese, and stir in completely.
Pour mixture into a 13 X 9 inch pan and bake at 350 for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove carefully, as it will be hot. (You knew that, right?) Dig in.
This makes 4 – 5 servings.
Photo: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, on the left in the blue dish, and Benecol Macaroni and Cheese, on right, in orange casserole dish (from Avon)
BENECOL MACARONI AND CHEESE
For several years, there was a magazine dedicated to walking, titled Walking Magazine. It had many good articles, tips and recipes for those of us who feel a little more comfortable race-walking than running. Unfortunately, the magazine folded several years ago. This recipe was in it during its final year. Serves 4.
1/2 lb. small shell style macaroni
4 Tbs. Benecol
3 Tbs. all purpose flour
3 Tbs. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 C 2% milk, warmed
few drops Tabasco Sauce
1-pint nonfat cottage (or ricotta) cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C flavored bread crumbs
1 Tbs. olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-9 inch pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Cook shells according to package directions, strain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
To prepare sauce, melt Benecol in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Quickly whisk in flour, add onions, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour milk into flour mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add Tabasco Sauce and cook an additional minute. Whisk in cheese and salt, and blend in shells; transfer mixture to prepared pan.
In small bowl, mix oil and bread crumbs together; spoon over top of macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.
Per Serving: 510 calories; 27.2% calories from fat; 3G saturated fat; 65G carbohydrates; 12MG cholesterol; 612MG sodium; 2G fiber
CREAMY SWEET POTATO RISOTTO WITH PECANS
This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She writes, “This is a fabulous cobimation, and you'll want to make this dish again and again. Serve as a side dish or serve as a main dish or lunch with a chopped salad and crusty bread.” Serves 3 to 4; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 medium sweet potato, cut in small dice, about 8 ounces or 2 cups
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 to 3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup Arborio rice (about 6 to 7 ounces)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion tops or fresh parsley
Preparation
Heat 3 cups of vegetable broth to the boiling point; reduce heat to the lowest setting to keep hot.
In a medium saucepan melt butter; add minced shallot and pecans; cook until shallot is tender. Add rice and cook, stirring, until well blended. Stir in sweet potato. Stir about 3/4 cup of the hot broth into the rice mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed.
Continue adding liquid, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice and sweet potato are tender, but not overly soft.
The texture should be creamy a little loose. This will take about 25 minutes and about 2 to 3 cups of broth.
Stir in Parmesan cheese and green onion or parsley, then taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP
I'm not sure where I originally found this; probably on an old emailing list.
2 pounds Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix together apples, cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place evenly into baking dish.
In the same bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. With a fork, mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown, and apples are tender.
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