Friday Food

It's finally Friday. I tend to look forward to Fridays, figuring all the things to get done over the weekend; I know that Sunday evening, I'll look back and realize I haven't gotten half the stuff done. (Sound familiar?) But we still have to eat, so here are today's recipes. Enjoy!

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She writes, "A creamy macaroni and cheese recipe, made with Cheddar cheese sauce, cooked macaroni, and seasonings. Top this with buttered bread crumbs, if you wish." Serves 6.

Ingredients:

5 cups cooked macaroni (8 ounces raw)

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 pepper, or to taste

2 cups milk

3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

paprika, optional

Preparation:

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir flour into the butter until smooth and bubbly. Stir in salt. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese and continue to cook and stir until melted. In an 8x10-inch baking dish, alternate layers of macaroni and cheese sauce. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly

STRAWBERRY ORANGE SOUP

Rebecca Franklin, About.com's French Food expert, writes, "Both children and adults love this fresh berry soup. It’s lovely when used to round out an entrée salad for a light, healthy meal." Makes 8 servings. Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pints strawberries, hulled

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 cup water

1/3 – 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Preparation:

Using a blender, process all ingredients until smooth. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

CHOCOLATE COFFEE TIRAMISU

Makes: 16 Servings

Source: "The Best Diabetes Cookbook"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/25.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups 5% ricotta cheese

1/2 cup light cream cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 egg whites

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 strong, prepared coffee

3 tablespoon chocolate or coffee-flavored liqueur

16 lady finger cookies

Directions

Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with vegetable spray.

In a food processor, combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth; transfer to a bowl.

In bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the ricotta mixture.

Combine coffee and liqueur in a small bowl.

Put half of lady fingers in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with half of coffee-liqueur mixture. Spread half of ricotta mixture on top. Repeat layers. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/16 of prepared Tiramisu): Calories: 150, Carbohydrate: 21 g, Fiber: 0 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 5 g, Sodium: 102 mg, Cholesterol: 66 mg; Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 1 Other Carbohydrate, 1/2 Lean Meat, 1/2 Fat

EASY OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN FAJITAS

This is from the Tablespoon.com newsletter. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Serves: 9

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 large onion

1 medium red bell pepper

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ fajita seasoning mix

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Old El Paso™ tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch; from 8.2-oz package)

Sour Cream

Old El Paso™ Thick ‘n Chunky salsa

Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cut onion and bell pepper into even slices; place in baking dish.

Cut chicken breasts into thin strips; add to vegetables in dish. Sprinkle with seasoning mix; drizzle with oil. Stir until combined and pieces are coated.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking, until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Spoon small amount of chicken and veggies onto each tortilla. Top each with sour cream, salsa and cilantro, or your favorite fajita toppings.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

This comes from The Food Network. Total Time: 1 hour; Prep: 15 min; Cook: 45 min; level: easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pasta-e-fagioli-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Dash of red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups chopped whole tomatoes, with juices

3 cups low sodium chicken stock, or vegetable stock

1 can northern white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup tiny pasta shells (ditalini)

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper for garnish

Directions

In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, celery, and carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add dried basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes and toss to coat. Stir in tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. If necessary add an additional cup of stock or water and stir in beans and tiny pasta. Simmer for 6-8 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in parsley and serve hot with grated parmesan and ground black pepper.

LITHUANIAN APPLE CAKE

This comes from Brett Moore, About.com's Gourmet Food's guide. He writes, “The apple cake recipe is simple to throw together at a moments notice but wonderfully delicious. A spongy light cake stuffed with tons of spiced apples! Decorate with dried apples and serve with vanilla ice cream for a fancy end to your dinner or leave plain and enjoy for breakfast with a cup of coffee.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Apples

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons of sugar

Batter

4 large eggs

1 cup of vegetable oil/melted margarine

1/4 cup of orange juice

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of sifted flour

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of baking powder

Powdered sugar

Dried apple slices (optional)

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 70 minutes; Yield: Makes 1 9-inch cake

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix apples with cinnamon and sugar and let stand in bowl.

In another large bowl, mix together all batter ingredients except the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Butter and flour the cake pan (use a springform pan, deep 8-inch pan or a regular 9- by 13-inch pan). Pour half of the batter in the pan and arrange half of the apple slices on top of the batter. Pour the rest of the batter and arrange the remaining apple slices on top.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

If you like, decorate the top of the cake with dried apple slices. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Vanilla ice cream is a wonderful partner.