Wednesday Recipes

“Forget the withered rose or faded vow from Mr. Right. Love departs – but sauerkraut, once savored, stays the night.” - Barbara J. Petoskey

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 43.

While I can't think of the last time I posted a recipe with sauerkraut in it, I stumbled across this quote while looking up quotes for my Quote of the Day blog and liked it. (And while you're at it, feel free to check out my quote blog.)

It's Wednesday, half-way through the work week. Here are six recipes to help you through the day, including Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Chili and Ultimate Stuffed Acorn Squash. Enjoy!

LOADED SWEET POTATO

This is from page 35 of the June 2017 issue of Runner’s World website, and begins, “Sweet potatoes have more antioxidants than white ones do.”

Makes 4 servings

To view this, as well as other recipes in the article, online here.

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon each paprika, garlic powder, cumin

1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, kosher salt

1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until potato pieces are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Halfway through cooking, stir in beans. Cover and continue cooking. In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir spices and vinegar into skillet. Uncover skillet to let any excess water evaporate. Divide mixture among 4 bowls and top each portion with yogurt and cilantro.

ULTIMATE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The Native American 'three sisters'—corn, beans, and squash—come together in these individual holiday entrées stuffed with corn pudding and black beans.”

Makes 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.), divided

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded

1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder, plus more for sprinkling squash

1/2 tsp. ground coriander, plus more for sprinkling squash

3 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels, divided

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

4 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil

3 oz. soft goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (1/3 cup)

3 oz. grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3/4 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops, optional

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large poblano chile or 1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

8 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oil and 2 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl. Brush squash halves with garlic oil, and sprinkle lightly with ancho chile powder and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and place on large baking sheet.

Pulse 2 cups corn kernels in food processor until finely chopped and milky. Set aside.

Whisk 1/2 tsp. each coriander and ancho chile powder into cornmeal, along with sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne (if using) in medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in separate bowl. Whisk in butter, then puréed corn, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, goat cheese, Cheddar, and remaining 2 tsp. garlic. Fold in cornmeal mixture with spatula, then fold in black beans, poblano chile, and green onions.

Divide filling among squash halves. Sprinkle each squash with extra Cheddar (if using).

Bake squash halves 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash are tender and filling is set. Sprinkle with green onions. Squash can be prepared 24 hours ahead, then reheated 20 minutes at 325°F.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 425; Carbohydrate Content: 53 g; Cholesterol Content: 80 mg; Fat Content: 20 g; Fiber Content: 8 g; Protein Content: 15 g; Saturated Fat Content: 10 g; Sodium Content: 533 mg; Sugar Content: 6 g

PUMPKIN SHEET PAN PIE

This is from LandOLakes, and begins, “Pie for everyone! Classic pumpkin pie topped with the most delicious caramel whipped cream is perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert.”

Makes 24 servings; Prep Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups cold Land O Lakes® Butter cut into chunks

1 1/4 cups cold water (additional if necessary)

Filling

4 large Land O Lakes® Eggs

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup Land O Lakes® Heavy Whipping Cream

1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

Caramel Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups Land O Lakes® Heavy Whipping Cream

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in 1 cup water with fork, adding enough additional water just until flour is moistened.

Divide dough into 1/4 and 3/4 portions. Shape each portion into ball; flatten slightly. Wrap larger portion of dough in plastic food wrap; refrigerate.

Roll out smaller portion of dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using various fall-shaped cookie cutters, cut out at least 40 pieces. Place 12-18 cut-outs onto prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate remaining cut-outs. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake 5-7 minutes or until crust is lightly golden brown. Cool completely. Set aside.

Beat eggs at medium speed in medium bowl until thick and pale yellow in color. Add all remaining filling ingredients; beat until well mixed. Set aside.

Roll out larger portion of dough on lightly floured surface into 19x14 (1/8-inch thick) rectangle. Fold dough rectangle into quarters. Place dough into ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Crimp or flute edges.

Pour filling into crust. Decorate top of crust with remaining unbaked cut-outs. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350°F. Bake 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted into center of pie comes out clean. Cool completely.

Beat chilled whipping cream, caramel sauce, and sugar in chilled bowl at low speed, scraping bowl often, until caramel sauce has dissolved. Continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Serve pie with a dollop of whipped cream and crust cut-out garnish.

Tip #1

To make ahead, prepare pie crust and filling the day before serving. Cover and refrigerate separately overnight. Bake cut-outs, assemble and bake pie.

PANETTONE BREAD PUDDING

This is from Tejal Rao in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Tejal wrote, “If you’ve bought a loaf of truly fantastic panettone, made in the Italian tradition from a natural starter, the kind that’s airy and melting, we hope you don’t have any leftovers. But if you find yourself with an excess of mass-produced panettone, or simply very old panettone that’s past its prime, here’s how to transform it into something special. Cut it into thick slices, as the pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt does with brioche, when she makes her bread pudding at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Toast them. Now layer the bread in a wide dish, and pour over a whisked custard of milk and eggs. It will look like too much liquid, but as it bakes, the panettone will soak it all up, becoming moist and tender and impossibly rich. It’s close enough to a casserole of French toast to make it ideal for a special holiday breakfast, but sweet enough to step in as dessert on a cold night. Vanilla would be a classic way to flavor the custard, but panettone tends to be quite sweet and perfumed already, so taste the bread first before adding extras.”

Yield: 8 servings; Time: 10 minutes plus 1 hour baking

This was featured in “Panettone Has Become an Obsession for American Bakers,” and can be viewed here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

6 to 8 slices panettone

6 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups whole milk

Confectioners' sugar, to garnish

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a deep baking dish that will fit all the bread slices in a single layer, overlapping slightly, about 9 by 5 inches. Place the sliced panettone on a sheet pan and lightly toast it in the oven so that it’s still flexible, but dry to the touch, about 10 minutes. Arrange toast in the baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt, then add the milk and whisk until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer over the panettone, allowing the excess mixture to fill up the pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bread has soaked up all the custard and puffed up, and the custard is no longer runny. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before serving, then use a fine-mesh sieve to dust all over with confectioners' sugar and serve.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA

This comes from Chungah Rhee on her wonderful site, Damn Delicious. If you haven’t checked out her site, which I definitely recommend, you should!

For this recipe, Chungah wrote, “Save time/effort and make everyone’s FAVORITE Italian dish in your crockpot. You can also freeze half for another meal!”

Yield: 8 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes; Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1 pound penne



1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.

In a large bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, onion, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir into the slow cooker and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

Stir pasta and chicken into the slow cooker; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

SLOW COOKER SWEET AND SPICY CHILI

This recipe is from Kellie Hemmerly on TODAY’s, and begins, “This Sweet and Spicy Chili is made in the slow cooker for deep, concentrated flavor. The BEST chili recipe around, I use a secret ingredient to create a sweet-tart background to this slightly spicy recipe.”

Kellie’s website, The Suburban Soapbox, looks pretty cool; I recommend checking it out!

Anyway, to view this recipe online, click here.

Servings: 1 cup; Yield: 10-12 servings; Prep Time: 20 min; Cooking Time: 4 hr

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef (I used 80-20)

1 large onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 large jalapeno peppers, minced (remove the seeds and veins for less heat...leave them for more heat)

1/4 cup chili powder

3 tablespoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper

2 tablespoon crushed red pepper

6 ounce jar of chopped sweet peppers and juice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 - 28 ounce can tomato sauce

1 - 28 ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef until no longer pink and transfer to the slow cooker using a slotted spoon. Drain off all but two tablespoons of fat and add the onions to the pan. Cook the onions over med-high heat until they begin to soften. Add the peppers to the onions and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and jalapeno peppers, cooking for one minute longer. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker with the beef.

Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, sweet peppers and juice to the beef mixture and stir to combine. Add the brown sugar, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes stirring thoroughly to be sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook in the slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

Serve with your favorite chili toppings, we love greek yogurt, sour cream, shredded cheddar, green onions, and pickled jalapenos...just to name a few.