Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Here are six recipes to help you through the day, including Sloppy Joe Macaroni and Cheese and Watermelon Punch. Enjoy!

BAKED CHICKEN

This comes from Danilo Alfaro, About.com's Culinary Arts expert. He writes, “Baked chicken is different from roasted chicken in two ways. First, baked chicken is prepared with chicken parts (i.e., individual drumsticks, thighs, breasts and wings) whereas roasted chicken is cooked whole. Second, baked chicken is dredged in seasoned flour before cooking, which we don't do when roasting a whole bird.

”Your best bet is to buy a chicken already cut up, or pick out a whole bird and have your butcher cut it up for you. If you do this, be sure to take home the back, which hasn't got much meat on it but is great for making chicken broth.

”But if you're interested in doing it yourself, here's a quick video that shows you how to cut up a whole chicken.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 75 minutes; Serves: 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 large fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

1 tsp Kosher salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and other seasonings in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Working one piece at a time, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, dip it in the melted butter and then transfer to a baking dish skin-side-up.

Bake for about an hour or until the juices run clear and the chicken is nicely browned and cooked all the way through.

MARINATED GREEN BEANS

Yield: 1 serving (1/2 cup)

Source: The Diabetes Snack Munch Nibble Nosh Book

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/1.shtml

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/791.shtml

Ingredients

3-1/2 cups (3/4 pound) fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped

2 tablespoons chopped chives or thinly sliced green onion tops

2 tablespoons fat-free, low-sodium or regular chicken broth or bouillon

1 tablespoon catsup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)

2-3 drops hot pepper sauce

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook the beans in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain well in a colander.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chives, broth, catsup, vinegar, oil, mustard, salt (if desired), and hot pepper sauce. Stir to mix well. Add the cooked beans, and stir to coat the beans with marinade.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Stir before serving. Leftover beans will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 30; Protein: 1 g; Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 47 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 4 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable

WATERMELON PUNCH

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com.

Years ago, I was a bride’s maid at a friend’s wedding. A friend of the couple held the reception dinner; this punch was served with the hors d’oeuvres. I’ve added ginger ale to the recipe; it’s good either way.

Ingredients

1 watermelon

6 oz. can orange juice, undiluted

1 T honey

1 liter bottle ginger ale

Put watermelon (excluding rind and seeds) in a blender—and blend. Pour juice through a strainer into a large bowl. Add orange juice and honey, stir, and add ice. Add ginger ale just before serving.

PINK LADY PUNCH

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com. I'm not sure of its origins; I do remember getting it from my mom; not sure where she got the recipe from

4 C cranberry juice

4 C pineapple juice

1 1/2 C sugar

2 qts. chilled ginger ale

Add sugar to cranberry juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add pineapple juice. Chill. Pour into punch bowl & add ginger ale.

SLOPPY JOE MACARONI AND CHEESE

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She writes, “This great tasting family casserole is a meal in one dish. The "sloppy" part of this macaroni and cheese recipe is the tasty sloppy Joe layer. A ground beef layer is followed with a homemade macaroni and cheese layer, topped with bread crumbs and baked to perfection. If your family likes sloppy Joes and macaroni and cheese, this casserole will be a hit!” Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 70 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

To view this online, go to http://southernfood.about.com/od/hamburgcasseroles/r/Sloppy-Mac-and-Cheese.htm.

Ingredients

Ground Beef

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, 85% to 90%

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

1 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons brown sugar

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Macaroni and Cheese

8 ounces elbow macaroni

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or a combination of shredded Cheddar and American cheese

salt, to taste

Bread Crumb Topping

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add the ground beef and onions and cook, stirring, until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are lightly browned. Pour off excess grease.

In a small bowl or cup, combine the garlic powder, prepared mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. Stir into the ground beef mixture. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Set aside.

Cook the macaroni following package directions.

Drain in a colander and rinse with hot water.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the dry mustard and fresh ground black pepper. Add the milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir in the cheese and add salt, to taste.

Heat the oven to 350° F.

Combine the drained macaroni with the cheese sauce.

Spoon the ground beef mixture into a lightly greased 2 to 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Top with the macaroni and cheese mixture.

Combine the bread crumbs with the melted butter, mixing well to coat all of the crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the macaroni and cheese layer.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until hot and the topping is lightly browned.

BEST APPLE CRISP

This also comes from Diana Rattray, who writes, “This apple crisp is my favorite, with its buttery, crumbly oatmeal and brown sugar topping. I used a combination of Granny Smith and Fuji apples in the apple crisp, but any good baking or cooking apples will work well.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 65 minutes; Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

To view this online, go to http://southernfood.about.com/od/Apple-Crisp-Recipes/r/Best-Apple-Crisp.htm.

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup quick oats

8 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces

2 1/2 to 3 pounds baking apples, such as Fuji or Granny Smith, about 5 to 6 large apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish or 6 to 8 1- to 2-cup baking dishes.

In a mixing bowl or food processor bowl combine the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, salt, and butter.

Work the butter in with your hands, if using a mixing bowl, or pulse with the blade attachment of the food processor until the mixture is clumping together. Add the oats and mix or pulse to blend thoroughly. Set aside.

Peel and core the apples, then cut into wedges. Slice the wedges thinly. I like to chop a few of the apples in 1/2 inch pieces to give the filling a varied texture. Put them in a bowl with the lemon juice and toss periodically to keep the apples from becoming brown. Add the cinnamon and 1/3 cup brown sugar to the apple and lemon juice mixture.

Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish(es). Top the apple mixture evenly with the crumb mixture.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender.