Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including Easy Skillet Chilaquiles and Dulce de Leche Banana Pie. Enjoy!

OLD-FASHIONED MEAT LOAF

A.K.A. ‘BASIC’ MEAT LOAF

This is from Paula Deen on The Food Network website.

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Active Time: 10 minutes; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy


To view this online, click here.
Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.

Topping:

Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

CHIPOTLE ASPARAGUS QUESADILLAS

This comes from the April/May 2014 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 34. It begins, “Canned chipotles in adobo sauce lend mellow, smoky heat to quesadillas. Leftover chipotles (there are usually four or five in a can) can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for future use.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

Quesadillas

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (2 cups)

1 red bell pepper, sliced (1 cup)

1 medium onion, sliced (1 cup)

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil or vegetable oil

1 tsp. dried oregano

4 8-inch sprouted-grain tortillas

Chipotle Spread

3 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise

2 tsp. minced, drained chipotles in adobo sauce

1 Tbs. lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425°F.

To make Quesadillas: Toss together asparagus, bell pepper, onion, oil, and oregano in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on large baking sheet, and roast 10 to 12 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, stirring once or twice.

Meanwhile, to make Chipotle Spread: blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.

Spread 1 1/2 tsp. Chipotle Spread on one side of each tortilla, spreading all the way out to edges. Top with 2/3 cup filling on one half of each tortilla, then fold over tortillas, pressing edges together to enclose filling and form half-moons.

Coat large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Cook each quesadilla in skillet 2 to 3 minutes, turning once.

nutritional information Per Quesadilla: Calories: 273; Protein: 8 g; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 235 mg; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 3 g; Vegan

GRILLED CHICKEN

This is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network show The Pioneer Woman.

Total: 24 hr 15 min; Active: 15 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

Olive oil

Juice of 4 lemons

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

A dash of salt

4 whole chicken breasts

Directions

Mix together some olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, honey and a dash of salt. Pound the chicken breasts until they are uniform thickness, then marinate them for about 24 hours in the fridge.

Grill 'em up ... they should take 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked all the way through ... turn them halfway through so they cook evenly on both sides, then set 'em aside and keep 'em warm.

EASY SKILLET CHIALQUILES

This is from tbsp.com, and begins, “Your cast-iron skillet isn’t just for fried chicken and cornbread — these quick and easy chilaquiles are right at home there, too!”

Prep; 35 minutes; Total: 35 minutes; Servings: 4

View this online here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from 6-oz can)

2 cups coarsely crushed Food Should Taste Good™ tortilla chips

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese (2 oz)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

In 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, salt, cumin and coriander; cook 7 to 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened. Stir in tomatoes, chicken and chipotles; heat to simmering. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes to combine flavors.

Stir in tortilla chips; top with cheese and cilantro. Serve immediately.

RED BEANS AND RICE

This is from Kim Severson in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Kim wrote, “Every Monday, you can find a pot of red beans and rice cooking in someone’s kitchen in New Orleans. The food writer and New Orleans bon vivant Pableaux Johnson’s house is no exception. The dish, an easy meal from when people used to reserve Monday to do the wash, was once made with the pork bone left over from Sunday supper. In this version, Mr. Johnson strongly encourages the use of hand-made Louisiana Andouille, but smoked sausage will do.”

Yield: About 12 cups; Time: 2 1/2 hours, plus at least 4 hours’ soaking.

Note: Several readers to the NYT cooking e-newsletter responded that they soak the beans for 10 minutes, bring to a boil for 20 minutes, then let them sit until ready to cook. I’ve usually boiled them for 10 minutes or so, then let them sit for maybe an hour. That also seems to do the trick.

This was featured in: Fluffy. Tasty. Tricky. and can be viewed online here.

LEARN: How to Make Rice

Ingredients

1 1/2 pound dried red beans (preferably New Orleans Camelia brand)

1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick (smoked sausage can also be used)

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium onions, finely diced

1 large rib celery, finely diced

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoon rubbed sage

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 bunch fresh green onions, chopped

Cooked white long-grain rice, for serving

Preparation

In a large bowl, cover beans in water and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. (Water should cover beans by at least an inch.)

In a large, heavy pot, brown sausage in 1 tablespoon of oil until slightly crisp. Add remaining oil, then the garlic and onions. Sauté over medium heat until onions become transparent and limp. Add celery and bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes.

Pour soaked beans and water into the pot and bring to a simmer. Add black pepper, cayenne, salt and all herbs except parsley.

Cook until beans are softened, about 11/2 to 2 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Fifteen minutes before serving, remove 1 cup of beans to a bowl and, using a fork, mash them and stir back into the pot to enhance the creamy texture of the dish. Add parsley and green onions. Simmer about 15 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning, and add up to 1 cup more water if beans seem too thick. Remove bay leaves. Serve over white long-grain rice.

DULCE DE LECHE BANANA PIE

This yummy recipe, from Old El Paso, begins, “A flaky homemade pie crust complements a caramel and banana cream filling.”

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; 8 Servings; 10 Ingredients

To view this yumminess, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/dulce-de-leche-banana-pie.

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling

1 can (13.4 oz) dulce de leche

3 ripe medium bananas

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

On lightly floured surface, shape dough into a ball. Flatten ball to 1/2-inch thickness, rounding and smoothing edges. With floured rolling pin, roll dough into 11-inch round, rolling from center to edge. Fold dough in half; place in 9-inch glass pie plate. Unfold; gently press in bottom and up side of plate, being careful not to stretch dough.

Fold and roll edge of dough under, even with plate; flute edge. Prick bottom and side of dough generously with fork. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Spoon contents of can of dulce de leche into center of cooled crust; gently spread to edge. Thinly slice bananas; arrange over dulce de leche.

In medium bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread over bananas.

In small resealable freezer plastic bag, place chocolate chips and oil; seal bag. Microwave on High 30 seconds; knead bag to mix melted chips and unmelted chips. Microwave 15 to 30 seconds longer or until all chips are melted and smooth. Snip off tiny corner of bag. Pipe melted chocolate mixture over whipped cream. Store pie in refrigerator.

Expert Tips

Dulce de leche is a traditional Spanish confection made from milk. It's a popular culinary reference to rich caramel flavors. Look for canned dulce de leche in the Hispanic section of the supermarket.