Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. Here are six yummy recipes to get you through the weekend, including Ultimate Nachos and Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo. Enjoy!

BAKED POTATO SOUP

This is from Ali Slagle in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Ali wrote, "If we’re being honest, a baked potato isn’t really about the potato. It’s about the toppings: plush sour cream, butter, cheese, salty bacon, bright scallions. This soup version doesn’t skimp on those extras: The potatoes simmer in milk with garlic and scallions until just tender, then they join sour cream and Cheddar in the pot before the toppings — including potato skins — are added. It’s potatoey, creamy and adaptable. Make it smooth or textured, skip the bacon and serve it with a side salad (though it’s plenty hearty all on its own)."

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019913-baked-potato-soup.

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bunch scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, large skins reserved

6 cups whole milk

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 cup sour cream, plus more for serving

3/4 cup freshly grated Cheddar (about 3 ounces), plus more for serving

Preparation

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon (if using) until crisp, 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate or cutting board. Return the pot with just 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat to the stove. (If there’s not enough fat, supplement with butter to total 3 tablespoons.) If making the soup vegetarian, melt butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Over medium-low heat, sauté the white parts of the scallions and the garlic until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning the garlic. Add the potatoes, milk and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (resist the urge to heat it faster as this can lead to curdling). Once at a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

As soup simmers, prepare the potato skins: Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Working in batches if needed, add the potato peels in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until crisp and golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Crumble and set aside.

Once the potatoes are tender, take the pot off the heat, and purée the mixture with an immersion blender if you’d like a smooth soup. (Mash with a potato masher if you’d like a chunkier soup.) Stir in the sour cream and cheese until combined, then season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with crumbled bacon, more sour cream and Cheddar and the green parts of the scallions. Top with potato peels (eat any extra as chips, dipped in ketchup and mustard).

BEST EVER MEATLOAF

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “This moist and delicious meatloaf gets exceptional flavor from dry onion soup and a can of tomato soup. It's easy and tasty!”

Serves: 8 servings; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 80 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or Healthy Request®)

1 envelope (about 1 ounce) dry onion soup and recipe mix

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup water

Directions

Thoroughly mix the beef, 1/2 cup tomato soup, onion soup mix, bread crumbs and egg in a large bowl. Place the mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and firmly shape into an 8 x 4-inch loaf.

Bake at 350°F. for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through. Let the meatloaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Heat 2 tablespoons pan drippings, remaining tomato soup and water in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve the soup mixture with the meatloaf.

Easy Substitution: You can substitute Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free) for the Tomato Soup.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a steamed vegetable blend. For dessert serve brownies.

ULTIMATE NACHOS

Here's a goodie from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Extra lean ground beef

8 oz. Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 oz. Tortilla chips (about 7 cups)

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1 can (10 oz) Ro Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained well

Directions:

Brown meat in medium skillet; drain.

Microwave Velveeta in medium microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until completely melted, stirring after 30 seconds.

Place chips on large platter; top with Velveeta, meat and remaining ingredients.

LAYERED VEGETABLE TORTE

This is from Mark Bittman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, "Getting this vegetable torte right takes a little time. You really must grill (or pan-grill) or roast all the vegetables well — they have to become quite tender — before assembling the torte. Ultimately, you want the vegetables to almost melt together. Grilling is the technique of choice because it gives the vegetables a hint of smokiness."

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour

This was featured in "A Vegetable Torte Starts at the Grill", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013213-layered-vegetable-torte.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a grill pan over medium-high heat, or prepare a grill; the heat should be medium-high, and the rack about 4 inches from flame. Brush eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms lightly with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; if roasting, grease 2 baking sheets with oil. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft.

Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.

Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

TURKEY MEATLOAF

Recipe Yield: Makes 5 servings

Source: AICR

Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/turkey-meatloaf.

Ingredients

1/2 lb.ground turkey breast

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/3 cup ketchup

1 cup unseasoned whole-wheat breadcrumbs

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup green bell pepper, minced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 Tbsp. ketchup (optional, to use as a topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except 3 tablespoons of ketchup in a large bowl. Transfer mixture to a 9x5-inch non-stick loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, uncovered.

Remove from oven. Spread the 3 tablespoons ketchup on top, if desired. Cover lightly with foil and let meatloaf rest 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 278; Fat: 10 g; Sodium: 420 mg; Protein: 24 g; Carbohydrates: 23 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 3 Lean-Meat

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI ALFREDO

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “In just 30 minutes, you can serve this delectable dish, with a rich, satiny Alfredo sauce that coats chicken, broccoli and pasta.”

Serves: 4 servings (about 1 3/4 cups each); Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 of a 1-pound package linguine

1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast half, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare the linguine according to the package directions in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Drain the linguine mixture well in a colander.

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through, stirring often.

Stir the soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo: Substitute grilled chicken breasts for the skinless, boneless chicken.

Shrimp & Broccoli Alfredo: Substitute 1 pound fresh extra large shrimp, shelled and deveined for the chicken. Cook as directed for the chicken above until the shrimp are cooked through.

Easy Substitution: You can substitute spaghetti or fettuccine for the linguine in this recipe.

Serving Suggestion: Serve wth a mixed green salad topped with orange sections, walnut pieces and raspberry vinaigrette. For dessert serve almond biscotti.

Ingredient Note: We develop our recipes using a 4-to 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast half per serving. However, there are a range of sizes available in-store, from the butcher counter to the meat case and the freezer section. Use whichever you prefer- just follow the recipe as written above for the best result. If you're using larger chicken breasts they may require a little longer cooking time.