Wednesday Recipes

I know I'm running a little late, but better late than never, right? Enjoy!

EASY BAKED BEANS

This comes from the October 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Baked beans were meant to be doctored up to suit a cook’s taste, so feel free to make these with more or less sugar, a spicier salsa or mustard, and add-ins such as soy sausage or soy hot dogs.” Serves 8.

1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans

2 medium onions, thinly sliced (3 cups)

1 8-oz. jar medium salsa

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 Tbs. yellow mustard

Soak beans in 6 cups water overnight. Drain; reserve soaking liquid.

Coat Dutch oven with cooking spray, and heat over low heat. Add onions, cover, and cook 15 minutes, or until browned. Stir in 1 cup soaking liquid. Simmer 5 minutes, scraping up onion bits stuck to pot.

Stir in remaining ingredients and 5 cups water. Cover, and cook 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; simmer 1 hour more, or until sauce has thickened.

nutritional information per serving: Calories: 166; Protein: 8 g; Total Fat: 0.5 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Sodium: 566 mg; Fiber: 9 g; Sugar: 12 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

Prep Time: 25 Minutes - Cost: $
Servings: 10 - Difficulty Level: 3

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/130.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 T sugar

1 T brown sugar

1 T cold light butter or light margarine, suitable for baking

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, and sugars. WIth pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in yogurt, extract and chips until mixture holds together and forms a ball.

Place dough ball on prepared baking sheet. Pat into a 9-inch circle. Using a sharp knife, mark dough into 12 wedges, cutting into, but not through, dough.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve warm. Or, cool and store covered and/or freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, bake uncovered at 350 degrees F. for 5 to 10 minutes.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 136; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 4 g; Sodium: 181 mg; Cholesterol: 4 mg; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Exchanges: 1 starch; 1/2 fruit and 1/2 fat (2 carb choices)

SWEET POTATO MAC AND CHEESE

This comes from The Baker Chick. I've subscribed to her email newsletter for a few months now, and so far, the food is always yummy. While I haven't tried this recipe yet (it came in this morning's emails), I have no doubt that it's as good as everything else she's sent out. This yields 4 to 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

2 cups of milk

3 cups of grated cheese*

2 sweet potatoes, cooked**

6 cups of pasta, cooked to al dente

1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk constantly until golden brown. Gradually add the milk and stir until smooth and thickened (about 5 minutes.) Add all but a small handful of the grated cheese, and then sat & pepper to taste. Stir until smooth and creamy.

Scoop the sweet potato out of the skin, and pureé until smooth. Or, put the sweet potato chunks directly into the cheese sauce and use an immersion blender to pureé the sauce. Stir in the cooked pasta, tossing until evenly coated.

Turn the sauce/pasta into an 8x8 baking dish and top with panko and remaining grated cheese. Top with a bit more freshly ground pepper if you have, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Broil for an addition 5 minutes to really crisp up the top if desired.

Notes

* I mostly used sharp cheddar but I also used a few slices of Organic American Cheese that I had in my fridge- this always gives an amazing texture.

** To easily cook your potatoes, place directly on the oven rack with a sheet underneath for catching drips. Start with a cold oven and preheat to 450F. Cook for 45 minutes or until soft.

SHAMROCK SHAKES

This comes from Tablespoon.com. Prep time: 10 minutes; total time: 10 minutes; Servings: 2

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 cups vanilla ice cream

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon mint extract (gel green food coloring or paste food coloring recommended)

2 cups whipped cream

sprinkles

Directions

Combine the ice cream, milk, mint extract and food coloring in a blender and pulse until combined. Add more green food coloring as desired. Transfer the shakes to serving glasses, then top with whipped cream and sprinkles. Serve immediately.

LASAGNA PRIMAVERA

This recipe is from FamilyTime's newsletter. It starts off, "Using oven-ready lasagna noodles makes this recipe simple to prepare...and layering vegetables into the lasagna is a brilliant way to add flavor and lighten up this delicious dish." Prep. time: 40 minutes; Cooking time: 45 minutes; Serves: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each); Source: Campbell's Recipes To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons light butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 medium zucchini, or summer squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

1 package (10 ounces) cremini mushroom, sliced (about 3 3/4 cups)

1 medium red pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces (about 2 cups)

3 cups Prego® Heart Smart Ricotta Parmesan Italian Sauce

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, (no boil)

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or the mixture is golden. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the milk mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the nutmeg and black pepper. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Heat the remaining butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, pepper and asparagus and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.

Layer 1/2 cup Italian sauce, 4 lasagna noodles, 3/4 cup Italian sauce, one-third of the milk mixture and half the vegetable mixture in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Repeat the layers. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles, sauce and milk mixture. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375°F. or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

EASY VEGETARIAN COUSCOUS SALAD

Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian Food guide, writes, “Like couscous salads? This one is just about perfect. It's an easy vegetarian and vegan couscous salad recipe with chickpeas and cucumbers in a light lemon Dijon dressing with chopped fresh parsley. Couscous salad is always a good choice to bring to a vegetarian potluck or picnic.”

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked couscous

6 green onions, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans) pre-cooked or canned

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

dash pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the couscous, onions, tomatoes, cucumber chickpeas and parsley in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk or blend together the remaining ingredients and pour over the couscous, tossing gently to coat.