Weekday Food

I'm watching news of the blizzard in the Northeast (U.S.). Stay warm and safe, folks.

Here are some recipes to try, whether you're snowed in or simply in a cooking mood. Enjoy!

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She wrote, “Here's a delicious lemon meringue pie, made with fresh lemon juice, eggs, and other ingredients. Use a homemade or purchased pie shell for this pie.”

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

dash salt

1 1/2 cups hot water

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter

1 scant teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 baked pie pastry, 9-inch

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, the cornstarch, flour, and salt; whisk to blend well. Gradually stir in hot water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; continue cooking, stirring, for 8 minutes. Stir about 1/3 cup of the hot mixture into the slightly beaten egg yolks, then return to hot mixture in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 4 minutes longer. Add butter and lemon peel. Slowly stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Pour into baked cooled pie shell.

Beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice (if used) to soft peaks. Gradually add the 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks are formed and sugar has dissolved. Spread meringue over the hot filling, covering completely. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool pie completely before serving.

BROCCOLI QUICHE BITES

This is from FamiliyTime, and starts off, “After the pastry thaws, it takes just 10 minutes to put together these easy-to-make appetizers that get lots of flavor from a surprising ingredient – vegetable soup mix.” Serves: 24 pieces; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package of Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

4 eggs, beaten

1 envelope dry vegetable soup and dip mix

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained

1 cup whipped cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch shallow baking dish.

Stir the eggs, soup mix, broccoli and cottage cheese in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 9x13-inch rectangle. Place the pastry into the bottom of the baking dish. Prick the pastry with a fork.

Spread the broccoli mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Let stand in the baking dish on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Cut into 24 pieces.

THREE-BEAN SOUP

This is one of my favorite quick meals that I usually only fix on weekends, especially if it happens to be cold and/or rainy. It’s from the November/December 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 37, in that issue’s “30 Minutes; Quick, Fast Food” section. This vegan recipe serves 6, and starts off, “Here’s a straight-from-the-pantry soup that’ll become a weeknight favorite. (Or, in my case, weekend favorite.) Pureeing one of the cans of beans creates a creamy base without adding extra fat or cholesterol. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve with vegetable chips, if desired.”

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 15.5-oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbs.)

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water

1 15.5-oz. can great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft. Add navy beans, black beans and garlic, and continue cooking and stirring 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in 1 cup broth.

Meanwhile, put great Northern beans and remaining 1 cup broth into food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Pour puree into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.

Spoon into individual soup bowls, and serve hot.

Per serving: 231 calories; 13 g protein; 5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat); 39 g carbs; 0 mg cholesterol; 557 mg sodium; 11 g fiber; 5 g sugars

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.

BAKED ZITI

This was originally posted on April 2, 2010. Great for a yummy, easy meal.

What to fix when you've just gotten home from work and you want something good, hot and with a minimum amount of effort? Baked Ziti fits the bill on all three counts. And if you're like me, chances are you have all the makings in your cupboard and fridge.

Here's what it takes:

16 ounce box of ziti
26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar-full of water
2 C shredded cheese

Okay, I can hear you asking, "What brand of spaghetti sauce? What type of sauce? And the cheese...Cheddar? Mozzarella? Can it be the stuff already shredded and in a bag or does it have to be a block of cheese that I grate and measure?" Here's the good part: Use what you have.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Dump the dried ziti into the pan. (No, no, do NOT cook the ziti first. Dump the ziti uncooked straight from the box.) Pour the spaghetti sauce into the pan and add one jar-full of water into the pan. Stir to mix. Add most of the shredded cheese, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to mix. Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes for a total time of 40 minutes.

Serve with a salad and possibly garlic bread.

See? Simple, hot, good and with at minimum amount of energy. What could be better for an after-work or weekend dinner?

VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP

This recipe is from Diabetic Gourmet

Yield: 6 servings

Source: "The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/17.shtml

Notes: Easy substitution: To make this soup completely vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and additional olive oil for the butter.

Ingredients

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (14.5) cans chicken broth

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 summer squashes (zucchini or yellow squash, about 1 pound total), quartered lengthwise and chopped

1 (7 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (about 4 shakes) (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker crock and mix well. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Stir well before serving. If desired, stir in Tabasco sauce before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/6 of recipe): Calories: 210, Protein: 8 g, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 14 mg, Sodium: 1020 mg; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 2 Fat, 2 Vegetable