Friday Recipes

Here are today's six recipes to help you through the weekend. Enjoy!

EASY PEA SOUP

This comes from Nigella Lawson in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Nigella wrote, “One of my regular near-instant meals is pea soup, which I make by tossing sliced scallions in a little garlic-infused oil (or using regular olive oil and mincing a clove of garlic into it) and then by adding peas from the freezer.” Yield: 2 to 4 servings; Time: 15 minutes.

This was featured in “AT MY TABLE; In January, Comfort Comes On the Stove or in a Bowl and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon garlic-infused oil

2 scallions, finely sliced

4 cups (two 10-ounce packages) frozen peas

Chicken or vegetable stock concentrate (powder, paste or cube)

2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Place a saucepan over medium-low heat, and add oil and scallions. Stir until heated, then add frozen peas. Stir well with a wooden spoon.

Add 3 cups boiling water and stock concentrate to taste. Cover, and cook at a lively simmer until peas are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool until no longer steaming.

Transfer soup to a blender. Add cheese, and purée until mixture is very smooth. Serve immediately or, if desired, reheat to taste.

SOUTHWESTERN THREE-BEAN AND BARLEY SOUP

This recipe begins, “Serve this zesty bean and barley soup garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired.”

Time: 135 minutes (30 minutes prep)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion , diced

1 large stalk celery , diced

1 large carrot , diced

9 cups water

4 cups (32-ounce carton) reduced-sodium chicken broth , “no-chicken” broth or vegetable broth

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/3 cup dried black beans

1/3 cup dried great northern beans

1/3 cup dried kidney beans

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, barley, black beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours (adding more water, 1/2 cup at a time, if necessary or desired). Season with salt.

Slow-Cooker Variation: Use 2 cups water (instead of 9 cups) and combine all ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, about 4 hours on High or 7 to 8 hours on Low.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 6; Serving Size: about 1 1/3 cups; Calories: 205; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Protein: 11 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 10 g; Potassium: 601 mg; Sodium: 705 mg; Yield: 6 servings; about 1 1/3 cups each; Exchanges: 2 starch; 1 vegetable; 1 lean meat; 1/2 fat

FRENCH GREEN BEANS AND SHALLOTS

This is from Jacques Pepin, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Jacques wrote, “These are perfect green beans: simple flavors combined into an elegant dish that goes with almost anything. Mr. Pepin suggests a roast chicken, but they would pair equally well with a celebratory roast.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 21 minutes.

This was featured in “The Chicken Dinner, Both Humble and Noble” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 cups water

1 pound very small, firm green beans, cleaned

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons peeled and chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Bring the water to a boil. Add the beans and cover the pot. Continue cooking the beans, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes until tender but firm. Drain and rinse under cold water.

At serving time, heat the butter in a skillet, add the shallots and saute for about 1 minute, until the shallots start to brown.

Add the beans, salt and pepper, and saute briefly. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with the chicken.

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH POLENTA AND BABY GREENS

This comes from Publix's Greenwise Magazine. It seems that Greenwise Magazine is no longer being published – at least it looks that way – but Publix still carries their Greenwise products. This cam from the March 2006 issue of the magazine. And Publix, if you're listening, please bring back the magazine!

6 C cut-up vegetables, such as asparagus, red or green pepper wedges, zucchini slices, quartered mushrooms. and/or red onion slices

1/4 C organic olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbs organic olive oil

1/4 – 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 C milk

2 C water

1 C cornmeal

1/2 C finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 Tbs snipped fresh basil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Organic baby greens

In shallow roasting pan, combine veggies, 1/4 C olive oil & 1/4 tsp kosher salt; toss to coat veggies. Roast, uncovered, in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring once.

Meanwhile, in large saucepan, cook garlic in 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat. Stir in crushed red pepper. Stir in milk & 1 C water. Bring just to boiling. In small bowl, stir together cornmeal with remaining 1 C water. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Return to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cook, uncovered for 5 – 10 minutes more or until mixture is very thick, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/2 C Parmesan cheese, basil, & 1/2 tsp salt.

To serve, spoon polenta mixture onto individual plates or into shallow bowls. Place roasted veggies on top of polenta. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese & crown with greens. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 272 cal; 16 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 11mg cholesterol, 404 mg sodium, 26 g carbo., 4 g fiber, 9 g protein.

CHOCOLATE BEAN CAKE

This comes from the MyDailyMoment.com e-newsletter. It begins, “Think you've bean there, done that? Well, you haven't until you try this protein-packed chocolate cake that's a slice of heaven. If you want a dessert that's a deviation from the norm, try this simple slice of heaven. It's a chocolate lover's dream.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Ready in: 1 hour 10 minutes; Serves 12.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 in. round cake pan.

Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent.

Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

EASY LAYERED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

This is from Diana Rattray, About.com’s Southern Food expert. Diana wrote, “ This cheesecake is completely homemade, and it takes just minutes to prepare.

“From the homemade cinnamon-spiced graham cracker crust to the luscious double layer pumpkin filling, this cheesecake will look (and taste!) like you spent half the day in the kitchen!

“The cheesecake is made in a 9 1/2- X1 3/4-inch deep dish pie plate. If your pie plate is slightly smaller, you might have a little extra filling. There's very little expansion, so you can fill it nearly to the rim. Just be careful moving it to the oven!

“If you do plan to use a smaller ‘ready’ crust, I listed the measurements for a smaller amount of filling below the recipe.

“Make this cheesecake at least 4 hours before you plan to serve it to give it plenty of chilling time.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 57 minutes; Total Time: 72 minutes; Yield: Serves8.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 tablespoons melted butter (1 stick)

Vanilla and Pumpkin Filling

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

whipped cream or whipped topping for serving, optional

caramel sauce or butterscotch sauce for serving, optional

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375° F.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 8 tablespoons of melted butter in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until all crumbs are blended into the butter.

Spread the crumbs in a 9- to 10-inch pie plate and tamp down firmly over the bottom and the sides.

Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the 3/4 cup of brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until well blended. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture into the cooled crust.

Into the remaining cream cheese mixture, beat the pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the nutmeg. Spread over the first layer.

Bake the pie for 40 to 50 minutes, until set and just slightly jiggly in the center.

Cool on a rack. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (about 3 to 4 hours) before slicing.

Serve topped with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel or butterscotch sauce, if desired.

Serves 8, or up to 12 if slices are quite small.

Filling amounts for a smaller pie:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Follow the directions above, using 1 cup of the plain vanilla filling for the bottom layer.

Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Top the whole pie with whipped cream or whipped topping before serving, or add a generous dollop to each serving.