Friday Recipes

It looks like the eastern U.S. is getting ready to have some very chilly weather. If you live where the weather is starting to get bad, don't go out unless you absolutely have to. Stay inside, fix warm food, and veg out. Here are six recipes to help out for the weekend. Enjoy!

APPLESAUCE COFFEE CAKE

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

Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Mash with fork until blended and coarse meal forms; set aside.

Cake

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup low fat buttermilk

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp (packed) grated lemon peel

2 large egg whites

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into large bowl. Whisk applesauce, buttermilk, oil, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk half of whites into batter; fold in remaining whites. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 min. Transfer to rack; cool in pan. Cut into wedges and serve.

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.

NO-BOIL CHICKEN & PASTA BAKE

This comes from The Kitchn, one of my favorite e-newsletters – along with its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven't signed up for their e-newsletters, I highly recommend doing so. Go ahead, I'll wait. (Sound of foot tapping.....) This recipe serves 4 to 6, and can be found online by clicking here.

8 ounces dried rigatoni pasta, uncooked

2 cups (about 8 ounces) chopped cooked chicken breast meat (omit to make vegetarian)

4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 cups shredded cheese, such as mozzarella or a mix of mozzarella and provolone

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups milk (see Recipe Note)

For the cheesy basil topping:

1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, and sage

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 3-quart casserole dish, Dutch oven, or 9x13 casserole pan with olive oil.

In a large bowl, mix the dried pasta, chicken, garlic, and tomatoes (with their juices). Stir in the salt and a healthy quantity of black pepper. (If the tomatoes you are using have no salt in them, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt.) Stir in the shredded cheese and the Parmesan. Spread this mixture in the prepared baking dish or pot and pour the milk over top.

Cover the dish or pot tightly with a lid or a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Remove the dish from the oven and turn the oven up to broil.

Meanwhile, prepare the herb topping. In a small food processor or chopper, whiz the breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, blending until the texture resembles wet sand.

Slowly remove the lid (or foil) from the casserole dish. Be careful, as steam will billow out. Spread the herbed breadcrumbs over the bubbling pasta and return the uncovered dish to the oven. Broil for 5 minutes or until the topping is toasted and crispy on top.

Take the casserole out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Eat with a green salad and a glass of red wine.

Recipes Notes:

Milk: The more fat in your milk, the thicker and more luxurious this dish will be. I have only made this with whole milk, which worked very well. I see no reason why lower-fat milks would not work as well, but they may be soupier, with a thinner sauce, when you first remove them from the oven.

BAJA BLACK BEANS, CORN AND RICE

This comes from Food.com's e-newsletter. It begins, “A south of the border blend of textures and flavors. serve hot as a main dish or a side dish with grilled meat or chicken.” Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, go to http://www.food.com/recipe/baja-black-beans-corn-and-rice-55768.

Ingredients

6 
cups cooked brown rice

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

4 fresh tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 
jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 
dashes hot sauce

Directions

Cook brown rice.

In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, oil, salt, pepper and hot sauce.

To serve, Place a scoop of hot rice in a bowl or on a plate, top with a generous scoop of the black bean mixture.

Stir together before eating.

MUSHROOM MEATLOAF

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds 95-percent-lean ground beef or ground turkey

2 cups very finely chopped fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup very finely chopped onion

3/4 cup quick-cooking (1-minute) oats

8-ounce can tomato sauce with roasted garlic or Italian herbs

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat-free egg substitute

1/4 cup very finely chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place all of the ingredients except for 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a large bowl, and mix well.

Coat a 9-by-5-inch meatloaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and press the mixture into the pan to form a loaf.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Spread the remaining tomato sauce over the meatloaf and bake for 30 additional minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink inside and a meat thermometer reads at least 160 degrees.

Remove the loaf from the oven, and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): Calories: 160; Protein: 20 g; Sodium: 399 mg; Cholesterol: 45 mg; Fat: 4.4 g; Saturated Fat: 1.6 g; Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g; Carbohydrates: 9 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch, 3 Low-Fat Meat, 1 Vegetable

SUPERFAST FUDGE BROWNIES

This recipe comes from The Working Stiff Cookbook, by Bob Sloan and illustrated by Michael Klein. I absolutely love this cookbook. Even vegetarians can find plenty to love in it. The great thing about this recipe is that it really doesn't take much longer than a boxed mix, and is so much better!

The recipe starts with, "The perfect comfort food to go with your burgers. (Burger Bliss was on the preceding page.) Brownies always lift the spirits. Especially these brownies. They're fast, easy, and foolproof." I agree!

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (or margarine), cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking pan.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the cocoa powder, stirring continuously until the butter is just melted. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the butter mixture to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each is well combined. Add the flour and stir just until combined. Do not overmix.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake on the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with tiny crumbs on it. Serve warm or at room temperature.