Confessions of a Foodie

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Friday, May 12, 2017

Friday Recipes

It's Friday, time to get ready for the weekend. Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including Apple-Chicken Quesadillas and Frozen Blueberry Lemonade Pie. Enjoy!

BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE SQUARES

This is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman.

Total:4 hr 5 min; Active: 30 min; Yield: 15 squares; Level: Easy

Ingredients

Crust:

Cooking spray, for spraying foil

One 11-ounce box vanilla wafers

1/2 cup pecans

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Filling:

Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

Topping:

4 cups blackberries

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust: Line a 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place the vanilla wafers and pecans into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse again until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. (If they come up the sides, that's okay!)

For the filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the sour cream and mix again.

Pour the filling into the crust, smooth the top and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the oven door and allow the pan to sit in the open oven for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

For the topping: Add the blackberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water to a saucepan or skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the juices thicken slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, make a slurry by stirring together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Add the slurry to the berries, return to the boil and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the mixture.

Pour the blackberries over the cheesecake and place the pan into the fridge to cool and set for at least 2 hours (several hours is better).

When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil. Slice into 15 pieces with a long serrated knife.

ONE-POT MAC ’N’ CHEESE

This is from The Food Network, and begins, “This one-pot wonder has humble beginnings: just milk and macaroni. As the pasta cooks, the starch released helps thicken the milk to make the perfect base for a sauce. The cheeses and seasonings are stirred in at the very end, and everything comes together magically.”

Total: 20 min; Active: 10 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/one-pot-mac-n-cheese.

Ingredients

4 cups whole milk

3/4 pound elbow macaroni (about 3 cups)

8 ounces mild Cheddar, shredded (about 3 cups)

3 ounces part-skim mozzarella, shredded (about 1 cup)

2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Large pinch cayenne pepper

Large pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt

Directions

Put the milk and macaroni in a medium saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the macaroni from clumping, then cook, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is tender and the milk has thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the Cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, butter, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and stir until smooth, thick and creamy. Serve hot. (The dish will thicken as it cools; thin it out with a little hot water if desired.)

Cook's Note

Be sure to buy blocks of cheese and shred it yourself. The pre-shredded cheese that comes in bags is often tossed with starchy cellulose, which can give this mac 'n' cheese a clumpy texture.

CHICKEN WITH CRISPY PANKO COATING

This comes from Diana Rattray, Southern food expert for The Spruce. Diana wrote, “Mayonnaise and honey mustard help flavor this easy crispy baked chicken.”

Serves 4 to 6 in 55 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup Dijon honey mustard blend

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon or thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

6 boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup fine dried bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Dash paprika, optional

Directions

Heat oven to 400 F.

Line a baking pan with foil and lightly grease the foil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the mayonnaise, honey mustard, tarragon or thyme, and parsley. Spread over the chicken to coat thoroughly.

Combine the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and paprika in a bowl or pie plate.

Press the chicken breasts in the bread crumb mixture, turning to coat thoroughly. Arrange chicken on the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes; turn and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until cooked through.

LASAGNA VERDE

This yummy recipe is from FamilyTime, and begins, “There is not a more delicious way to get your veggies – and a healthy dose of protein – than with this easy Lasagna Verde recipe.”

Serves: 8; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes. Source: Pasta Fits

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 oz. lasagna noodles (about 8 sheets or enough for 2 layers)

2 tsp. olive oil

2 lbs. spinach, well-washed

32 oz. part-skim ricotta

2 eggs

1 Tbsp./1/2 oz. garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 tsp. lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

2 cups/10 oz. frozen peas

2 cups/8 oz. asparagus, cut in 1/2” pieces

1/2 cup/2 oz. grated Parmigiano

8 oz. mozzarella, grated, divided

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, toss with olive oil, and reserve.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the spinach in a large pan over medium heat. If spinach is still wet, simply cover pan and wilt. If it’s dry, add 1/4 cup water to the pan, cover, and wilt. Drain spinach. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop it and squeeze out excess liquid.

Place spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, eggs, garlic, zest, nutmeg, peas, asparagus, Parmigiano and half of the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place half the noodles along the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan. Top with half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.

Strew remaining mozzarella over the top. Place in the oven and cook until heated through (about 30 minutes).

FROZEN BLUEBERRY LEMONADE PIE

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. Diana wrote, “Blueberries give this frozen lemonade pie extra color and flavor, and it is a fabulous pie for a hot summer day. The pie takes just a few minutes to mix - just freeze and eat!” Prep Time: 6 minutes; Cook Time: 0 minutes; Total Time: 6 minutes; Yield: 8 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade

1 tub (8 ounces) whipped topping, regular or "lite," thawed in the refrigerator

1 deep dish graham cracker pie crust, homemade or purchased

Preparation

Put the blueberries, sweetened condensed milk, and frozen lemonade in a blender container. Blend until well mixed.

Pour into a bowl and fold in the whipped topping until well blended.

Spoon into the prepared crust.

Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours.

If frozen solid, take it out of the freezer 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Note: I used a "2 extra servings" deep dish ready crust for the pie. A smaller pie shell will leave you with extra filling.

Just freeze any excess in small ramekins or 4-ounce canning jars and serve as a frozen pudding.

APPLE-CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

This recipe begins, “You may be surprised at the idea of combining chicken and apples inside a crispy tortilla, but the taste will amaze you.”

This is from Diabetic Connect.

Click here to view this online.

Ingredients

2 medium tart apples, sliced

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 low-carb tortillas, fajita-sized, warmed

3/4 cup shredded lettuce

3/4 cup salsa

6 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Place about 3/4 cup on half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling and secure with toothpicks.

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Carefully turn quesadillas over; bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Discard toothpicks. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 12; Calories – 121; Total Fat – 5 g; Saturated Fat – 3 g; Sodium – 196 mg; Carbohydrates – 13 g; Fiber – 2 g; Sugars – 4 g; Protein – 7 g

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