Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's double post deals with yummy homemade soup, and includes Instant Pot® Hamburger Soup and Firehouse Chili Gumbo. Enjoy!
ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP WITH TURKEY MEATBALLS
This is from Sarah Copeland in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sarah wrote, "Classic Italian wedding soup is beloved for its simplicity and satisfaction. This turkey version is lean, while meatballs stay moist by simmering in broth. Start with the most flavorful broth you can get your hands on (homemade is ideal, but store-bought works well too), then pack the meatballs with flavor (garlic and parsley) and staying power (egg, panko and cheese, to gently bind them together). Traditionalists may be tempted to add a small grated onion to the meat mixture, and sweat celery and carrots into the broth, but for a quick weeknight meal, you won’t miss them here. If speed is your game, roll the mixture into 12 large meatballs—or opt for 20 smaller ones if serving kids (mini meatballs will cook through even faster). Either way, finish with a healthy dose of olive oil, lemon, cheese and dill, or any fresh Italian herb you may have on hand."
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019925-italian-wedding-soup-with-turkey-meatballs.
Ingredients
12 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for greasing and serving
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 packed cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
3/4 cup orzo, ditalini, acini di pepe or another small soup pasta
3 packed cups baby spinach or kale, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and halved
1/4 cup fresh dill, oregano or basil, roughly chopped (optional)
Preparation
Combine the chicken broth and 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, add the turkey, panko, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup Parmesan to a large bowl. Mix with a fork or clean hands until combined. Gently roll the mixture into 12 medium (2-inch) or 20 small (1 1/2-inch) meatballs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat.
Heat the broiler to high and set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat. Broil the meatballs until brown on two sides, turning halfway through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Add the pasta to the boiling broth and cook over medium until al dente, then lower the heat to a low simmer.
Add the meatballs to the broth and simmer on low until completely warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, and add the spinach and lemon zest, stirring well, to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the soup among four bowls. Drizzle each with olive oil, sprinkle with more Parmesan and squeeze a bit of lemon over the top. Scatter the dill over the top, or stir in.
FIREHOUSE CHILI GUMBO
This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “This recipe is adapted from the one that a Louisiana firefighter named Jeremy Chauvin entered into a national cook-off run by Hormel Foods in 2017, and that took home the prize for America’s Best Firehouse Chili. It is not really a chili in the Texas sense of the word. There is a roux at its base — it’s more like a chili gumbo, a bayou take on the original red. Serve with grated cheese and corn chips. Chauvin told me he was moved to enter the chili contest as a way to honor his brother Spencer, also a firefighter, who was killed in the line of duty in 2016. ‘I just want people to remember his sacrifice,’ he said.”
Yield: Serves 8 to 10; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in “This Is the Best Firehouse Chili” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Chili:
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
3 pounds ground beef, ideally coarse-ground
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons steak sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
For the Gumbo:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 medium shallots, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, trimmed and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 to 2 cups tomato juice
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar, or to taste
2 tablespoons hot sauce, or to taste
Preparation
Make the chili. Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the beef, stirring often, until it has begun to brown at the edges. Using a slotted spoon, transfer browned meat to a bowl.
Pour off excess fat, turn heat down to medium and return the browned beef to the skillet or pot. Add salt, peppers, chile powder, turmeric, oregano and cumin, and stir to combine. Add steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce and diced tomatoes, and stir again. Cover the skillet or pot, and cook, stirring a few times, for 15 minutes or so.
Make the gumbo. Place a large pot with a heavy bottom over medium heat, and put the butter and oil into it. When the butter is melted and foaming, sprinkle the flour into the pan, and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture is golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Add the onion, shallots, bell peppers, celery and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have started to soften, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Make the chili gumbo. Add the beef mixture to the pot with the vegetables along with the tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato juice and ketchup, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes, then add apple-cider vinegar and hot sauce to taste. Take the pot off the heat, and serve, or allow to cool and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to cure. Heat before serving.
FRENCH COUNTRY BEAN SOUP
Recipe Yield: Makes 8 servings (with chicken)
Source: AICR
Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.
View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/french-country-bean-soup.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 carrot, cut in half-moons
1 rib celery, sliced
1 small onion, chopped in bite-size pieces
1 small leek, chopped in bite-size pieces
3 outer leaves Savoy cabbage, rolled and cut in 1/2" strips
4 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 cups squash (e.g. butternut), peeled and diced
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas or white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked chicken cut in bite-size pieces (optional)
Directions
Heat oil in medium Dutch oven or large, deep saucepan. Saute carrot, celery, onion, leek, and cabbage until leaves are bright green and other vegetables start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add broth. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add thyme, garlic, squash and beans. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in chicken, if using. Ladle soup into deep bowls and serve accompanied by toasted slices of whole-grain French bread or other rustic bread. (This soup reheats well. It keeps up to 5 days, covered, in refrigerator.)
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 123; Fat: 4 g; Sodium: 464 mg; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 1 Lean-Meat, 1 Vegetable
INSTANT POT® HAMBURGER SOUP
This is from Angela Giannetti Snyder on AllRecipes. She wrote, "Easy and delicious soup with a nice thickness. You can make it in the Instant Pot® or on the stovetop. When this cools, it will be very thick, but it thins out when reheated. Freezes very well."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Makes: 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/268565/instant-pot-hamburger-soup/.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 (14.5 ounce) cans beef consomme
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup
4 carrots, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 tablespoons pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Directions
Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot(R)) and select Saute function. Cook and stir beef and onion until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in beef consomme, tomatoes, water, and tomato soup. Add carrots, celery, barley, thyme, and bay leaf.
Close and lock the lid. Select Soup function; set timer for 30 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.
Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 10 minutes.
Cook's Note:
If you're making it on the stovetop, brown ground beef and onion together, then add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours.
ROASTED AUTUMN VEGETABLE SOUP
This comes from an old Weight Watchers emailing list, and begins, “This warm, comforting soup will stick to your ribs on cold fall
days. Roasting the vegetables helps bring out their natural sweetness.”
POINTS® Value: 2; Servings: 8; Preparation Time: 25 min; Cooking Time: 30 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
6 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups winter squash, cubed
2 servings cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large roasting pan combine onion, carrots, parsnips and squash; coat with cooking spray. Roast for 15 minutes.
Place vegetables in a large pot; add broth and milk. Season to taste. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender in pot, and blend until smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes. (Puree soup in batches to prevent hot liquid from splatterng, if necessary. Or allow soup to cool before pureeing.) Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
Notes
You can add more water or broth to the pureed soup to achieve desired thickness.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Showing posts with label Cream of Broccoli Soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cream of Broccoli Soup. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2020
Monday, December 9, 2019
Meatless Monday
It's time for another Meatless Monday. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the holiday season and beyond, including Home/Made Mushroom Lasagna and Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake. Enjoy!
WORLD’S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Yotam Ottolenghi in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “The recipe for this cake, adapted from "Sweet" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, first appeared in an article written about Ms. Goh when she ran her cafe, the Mortar & Pestle, in Melbourne, Australia. Rather intimidatingly for her, the headline for the article was "World’s Best Chocolate Cake." It could actually be called lots of things: “world’s easiest cake,” possibly, requiring nothing more than one large bowl to make it all in. Or “most versatile cake,” given that it can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here, with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and served with espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. In the Ottolenghi shops in London, it is smaller and goes by the name Take-Home Chocolate Cake, designed to be shared by four people after a meal. This larger version is no less delicious, and keeps well for four to five days. As with any baking project, you should weigh your ingredients in grams for the best results.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling.
This was featured in “Yotam Ottolenghi on Creating Recipes for His Cookbook ‘Sweet’” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1 1/2 tablespoons), at room temperature and cut into 3/4-inch cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (see note)
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Ganache (Optional):
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), broken or chopped roughly into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Espresso Cinnamon Mascarpone Cream (Optional):
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup mascarpone
Scraped seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod
2 1/2 teaspoons finely ground espresso
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don’t think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it’s not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESECAKE
This is from Rian Handler on Delish. The recipe begins, “This luscious cheesecake will be your new pumpkin obsession.”
Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3/4 c. graham crackers, crushed
3/4 c. ginger snaps, crushed
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
kosher salt
3 (8-oz.) bars cream cheese, softened
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice, plus more for garnish
Warm caramel, for garnish
whipped cream, for garnish
Chopped, toasted pecans, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 325° with a rack in the middle position. Grease an 8” springform pan with cooking spray.
Make crust: In a large bowl, add cookie and graham cracker crumbs. Stir in butter, granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt and mix until well combined. Press crust into bottom of pan.
Meanwhile, make cheesecake batter: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin puree, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Add eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined, then beat in flour, pumpkin spice, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour cheesecake mixture over crust.
Double-wrap outside of pan in aluminum foil, making sure to cover the bottom. Place pan in a large baking dish, place the baking dish in the oven, and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the pan. Bake until only slightly jiggly in center, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
With oven door propped open, turn oven off and let cool 1 hour in the oven. Remove from water bath and discard foil, then refrigerate cheesecake until cooled completely, at least 3 hours or overnight.
Garnish with a layer of caramel and a few dollops of whipped cream around the edge of the cheesecake. Sprinkle all over with pecans and more pumpkin pie spice.
GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES
This is from Ina Garten of The Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa.
Total: 1 hr 10 min; Prep: 10 min; Cook: 1 hr; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 pounds small red or white potatoes
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking in order to ensure even browning.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.
HOME/MADE MUSHROOM LASAGNA
This comes from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Monica Byrne, with her partner, Leisah Swenson, runs a tiny restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn, called Home/Made. A plurality of words that appear on the Home/Made menu: ‘cheese,’ ‘smoked,’ ‘bacon,’ ‘caramelized.’ Three of those four appear in Byrne’s lasagna, leaving out only bacon, which would be a fine addition. She layers smoked mozzarella over a painting of rich, garlicky béchamel and sheets of pasta, then radicchio roasted into sweetness and tossed in sauce. Sautéed mushrooms add heft and loamy funkiness, and a mixture of Fontina and Gruyère add zing.”
Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in “Gooey Wild-Mushroom Lasagna” and can be viewed onlinehere.
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or herb oil
6 large shallots, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wild or best available oyster, shiitake, cremini, trimmed and sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 softball-size head of radicchio, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or herb oil
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons flour, ideally instant or all-purpose
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
2 tablespoons best-quality truffle oil (optional)
2 9-ounce boxes of no-boil lasagna sheets
1 baseball-size ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of the olive oil or herb oil. When it begins to shimmer, add half of the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add mushrooms and toss to coat, then cook until they begin to color but are still plump, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze pan and allow to cook down into a syrup, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Put the mushrooms into a large bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, toss the radicchio with 1/4 cup olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the strips out onto a baking pan and place in the oven until the strips are lightly browned around the edges, approximately 15 minutes. Combine with mushrooms and reserve.
Make the béchamel. Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the rest of the shallots and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine, then cook until the garlic has started to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 10 minutes. Add milk to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the nutmeg and 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère and 1/4 cup of grated Fontina, then stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reserve a cup of béchamel. Pour the rest over the mixture of mushrooms and radicchio, and stir to combine. Add truffle oil, if using.
Assemble lasagna. Spread plain béchamel across the bottom of a 9- by-13-inch baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna sheets across the sauce, being careful not to overlap. Spread a generous layer of mushroom mixture on top of the pasta, and follow with some grated Fontina and Gruyère. Put another layer of pasta above the cheese, and top with smoked mozzarella. Repeat until the pasta is gone and the pan is full. Top with remaining cheeses and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Cover with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is golden and bubbling.
GLAZED CARROTS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER
This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “When carrots are cooked, it’s often a sad affair. They are boiled to death and presented almost as an apology. Yet when they’re treated with the respect they deserve, even ordinary supermarket carrots can be among the most reliable and enjoyable of vegetables, especially from fall through spring. This braise-and-glaze technique can be varied at will and can also be used with other roots, like beets, turnips and radishes. Once you have the hang of the technique, changing the flavorings is a snap. Try substituting a mixture of half balsamic vinegar, half water or soy sauce similarly diluted for the orange juice, adding a few cloves of peeled garlic with the carrots. Or add a half cup or so of chopped onions, shallots, scallions or leeks, or of chopped pitted dates or raisins, dried currants or even dried tomatoes.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
This was featured in “Versatile Carrots, Repectfully Braised” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary, cut into 1/4-inch coins or sticks
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, dill, mint, basil or chervil leaves for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and garnish in a saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to coat, then adjust heat so mixture simmers. Cover.
Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 minutes. Uncover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or within an hour or two, garnished with herbs, if you like.
WORLD’S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Yotam Ottolenghi in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “The recipe for this cake, adapted from "Sweet" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, first appeared in an article written about Ms. Goh when she ran her cafe, the Mortar & Pestle, in Melbourne, Australia. Rather intimidatingly for her, the headline for the article was "World’s Best Chocolate Cake." It could actually be called lots of things: “world’s easiest cake,” possibly, requiring nothing more than one large bowl to make it all in. Or “most versatile cake,” given that it can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here, with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and served with espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. In the Ottolenghi shops in London, it is smaller and goes by the name Take-Home Chocolate Cake, designed to be shared by four people after a meal. This larger version is no less delicious, and keeps well for four to five days. As with any baking project, you should weigh your ingredients in grams for the best results.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling.
This was featured in “Yotam Ottolenghi on Creating Recipes for His Cookbook ‘Sweet’” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1 1/2 tablespoons), at room temperature and cut into 3/4-inch cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (see note)
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Ganache (Optional):
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), broken or chopped roughly into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Espresso Cinnamon Mascarpone Cream (Optional):
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup mascarpone
Scraped seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod
2 1/2 teaspoons finely ground espresso
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don’t think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it’s not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESECAKE
This is from Rian Handler on Delish. The recipe begins, “This luscious cheesecake will be your new pumpkin obsession.”
Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3/4 c. graham crackers, crushed
3/4 c. ginger snaps, crushed
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
kosher salt
3 (8-oz.) bars cream cheese, softened
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice, plus more for garnish
Warm caramel, for garnish
whipped cream, for garnish
Chopped, toasted pecans, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 325° with a rack in the middle position. Grease an 8” springform pan with cooking spray.
Make crust: In a large bowl, add cookie and graham cracker crumbs. Stir in butter, granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt and mix until well combined. Press crust into bottom of pan.
Meanwhile, make cheesecake batter: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin puree, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Add eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined, then beat in flour, pumpkin spice, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour cheesecake mixture over crust.
Double-wrap outside of pan in aluminum foil, making sure to cover the bottom. Place pan in a large baking dish, place the baking dish in the oven, and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the pan. Bake until only slightly jiggly in center, 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
With oven door propped open, turn oven off and let cool 1 hour in the oven. Remove from water bath and discard foil, then refrigerate cheesecake until cooled completely, at least 3 hours or overnight.
Garnish with a layer of caramel and a few dollops of whipped cream around the edge of the cheesecake. Sprinkle all over with pecans and more pumpkin pie spice.
GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES
This is from Ina Garten of The Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa.
Total: 1 hr 10 min; Prep: 10 min; Cook: 1 hr; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 pounds small red or white potatoes
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking in order to ensure even browning.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.
HOME/MADE MUSHROOM LASAGNA
This comes from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Monica Byrne, with her partner, Leisah Swenson, runs a tiny restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn, called Home/Made. A plurality of words that appear on the Home/Made menu: ‘cheese,’ ‘smoked,’ ‘bacon,’ ‘caramelized.’ Three of those four appear in Byrne’s lasagna, leaving out only bacon, which would be a fine addition. She layers smoked mozzarella over a painting of rich, garlicky béchamel and sheets of pasta, then radicchio roasted into sweetness and tossed in sauce. Sautéed mushrooms add heft and loamy funkiness, and a mixture of Fontina and Gruyère add zing.”
Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in “Gooey Wild-Mushroom Lasagna” and can be viewed onlinehere.
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or herb oil
6 large shallots, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wild or best available oyster, shiitake, cremini, trimmed and sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 softball-size head of radicchio, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or herb oil
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons flour, ideally instant or all-purpose
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
2 tablespoons best-quality truffle oil (optional)
2 9-ounce boxes of no-boil lasagna sheets
1 baseball-size ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of the olive oil or herb oil. When it begins to shimmer, add half of the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add mushrooms and toss to coat, then cook until they begin to color but are still plump, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze pan and allow to cook down into a syrup, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Put the mushrooms into a large bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, toss the radicchio with 1/4 cup olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the strips out onto a baking pan and place in the oven until the strips are lightly browned around the edges, approximately 15 minutes. Combine with mushrooms and reserve.
Make the béchamel. Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the rest of the shallots and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine, then cook until the garlic has started to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 10 minutes. Add milk to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the nutmeg and 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère and 1/4 cup of grated Fontina, then stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reserve a cup of béchamel. Pour the rest over the mixture of mushrooms and radicchio, and stir to combine. Add truffle oil, if using.
Assemble lasagna. Spread plain béchamel across the bottom of a 9- by-13-inch baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna sheets across the sauce, being careful not to overlap. Spread a generous layer of mushroom mixture on top of the pasta, and follow with some grated Fontina and Gruyère. Put another layer of pasta above the cheese, and top with smoked mozzarella. Repeat until the pasta is gone and the pan is full. Top with remaining cheeses and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Cover with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is golden and bubbling.
GLAZED CARROTS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER
This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “When carrots are cooked, it’s often a sad affair. They are boiled to death and presented almost as an apology. Yet when they’re treated with the respect they deserve, even ordinary supermarket carrots can be among the most reliable and enjoyable of vegetables, especially from fall through spring. This braise-and-glaze technique can be varied at will and can also be used with other roots, like beets, turnips and radishes. Once you have the hang of the technique, changing the flavorings is a snap. Try substituting a mixture of half balsamic vinegar, half water or soy sauce similarly diluted for the orange juice, adding a few cloves of peeled garlic with the carrots. Or add a half cup or so of chopped onions, shallots, scallions or leeks, or of chopped pitted dates or raisins, dried currants or even dried tomatoes.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
This was featured in “Versatile Carrots, Repectfully Braised” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary, cut into 1/4-inch coins or sticks
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, dill, mint, basil or chervil leaves for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and garnish in a saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to coat, then adjust heat so mixture simmers. Cover.
Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 minutes. Uncover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or within an hour or two, garnished with herbs, if you like.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Meatless Monday - Soup's On
It's time for another Meatless Monday. Today's Meatless Monday deals with homemade soups.
I've always associated homemade soup with autumn and winter. While there are many summery soups out there, a pot of home-made soup heating on the stove always seems perfect for fall and summer.
Here are six yummy soup recipes to help you through the day, including two pumpkin soup recipes and Black Bean Soup. Enjoy!
HEALTHY TOMATO BASIL SOUP
This is from Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD who, besides running Lively Table, writes for Very Well.
For this recipe, Kaleigh wrote, “Most canned soups—even the reduced-sodium versions—are very high in sodium. Making your own is a great solution. Homemade soup is a great way to use up fresh vegetables and add a serving of blood pressure friendly foods to your meal.
“Tomatoes are naturally high in the antioxidant lycopene, which is a carotenoid that could help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Using fresh summer tomatoes and basil makes this healthy tomato basil soup extra flavorful without the use of salt. Roasted red peppers add a nice subtle sweetness, and milk a little dose of protein. Add a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and serve with a fresh green salad for a light and healthy lunch.”
To view this online, click here.
Total Time: 45 min; Prep: 5 min, Cook: 40 min; Yield 4, 1.5 cup servings (82 cals)
Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup skim milk (or milk of choice)
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Preparation
Heat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds and stem.
Place tomatoes, red pepper, and garlic on the baking sheet and roast 10 minutes.
Remove garlic and flip pepper and tomatoes. Return to oven for another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let vegetables cool. Peel skins from pepper and tomatoes.
Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Heat soup to desired temperature in a saucepan over low heat.
Ingredient Variations and Substitutions
Use 1/2 tablespoon dried basil in place of fresh basil if you you don’t have fresh.
Cooking and Serving Tips
Serve with a salad or half a sandwich for a balanced lunch. Reheat leftovers on the stove over low heat. You can also enjoy it cold as a refreshing meal.
BLACK BEAN SOUP
This is from Rian Handler on Delish. The recipe begins, “A warm and spicy black bean soup.”
Total Time: 35 minutes; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4 servings
To view the recipe online, click here.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced jalapeños
1 tbsp. tomato paste
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
3 (15-oz.) cans black beans, with liquid
1 qt. low-sodium vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
sour cream, for garnish
Sliced avocado, for garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeños and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir to coat vegetables, and cook about a minute more. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin and stir to coat.
Add black beans with their liquid and vegetable broth. Stir soup, add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer and let simmer until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the soup to desired consistency.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, and cilantro.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
PUMPKIN SOUP
This recipe is from an article on WebMD titled "Three Tasty Reasons to Move Pumpkins From the Porch to the Pantry," by Jeanie Lerche Davis. It can be found athttp://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/pumpkin-recipes-packed-nutrition.
Makes 6 Servings
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup peeled and cubed (1/2-inch) sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 14 1/2-ounce cans fat-free, low-sodium veggie broth
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)
1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in flour, curry powder, cumin, nutmeg, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sweet potato, salt, broth, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
2. Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Return soup to pan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat; stir in juice. Garnish with chives, if desired. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 121 (21% from fat); FAT 2.8g (satfat 1.6g, monofat 0.7g, polyfat 0.2g); PROTEIN 5.1g; CARBOHYDRATES 19.7g; FIBER 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 565mg; CALCIUM 85mg.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Not sure where this recipe is from. Possibly from a long-since-forgotten emailing list...
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Serves 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups veggie broth
one 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
one 8-ounce jar applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
freshly ground pepper, to taste
croutons, optional
Heat the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until mixed. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and stir until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients except the cream, pepper, and croutons. Stir well, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until hot and the flavors have blended.
Stir in the cream and heat until hot. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and serve immediately with crisp croutons, if desired.
VEGAN SWEET POTATO CHOWDER
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Kelli Foster, Assistant Food Editor for The Kitchn, wrote, “This vegan sweet potato chowder delivers everything you want in a warm fall soup. It has a velvety broth laced with seasonal spices like sage and paprika, and chunks of tender root vegetables. It's delicious the day you make it, but like most soups, it's even better the next day. So make a big batch of this plant-based chowder and enjoy it all week long.
“We're calling this soup a chowder, given the fact that potatoes are the key to both its velvety base and its hearty texture. And thanks to the silky-starchy contents of sweet potatoes, you'll get the creaminess expected in a chowder without a drop of cream.
“After a quick simmer on the stovetop, a few cups of soup, both broth and vegetables, are whirled through the blender, then stirred back into the pot. Purée a little extra if you're after an even thicker soup, or less for a bowl that's more brothy.”
To view this online, click here. Serves 6.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sweet potatoes, coriander, paprika, sage, salt, and pepper; stir to combine; and cook for 1 minute.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer about 2 cups of the soup, broth, and vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Stir the purée back into the soup and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I've always associated homemade soup with autumn and winter. While there are many summery soups out there, a pot of home-made soup heating on the stove always seems perfect for fall and summer.
Here are six yummy soup recipes to help you through the day, including two pumpkin soup recipes and Black Bean Soup. Enjoy!
HEALTHY TOMATO BASIL SOUP
This is from Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD who, besides running Lively Table, writes for Very Well.
For this recipe, Kaleigh wrote, “Most canned soups—even the reduced-sodium versions—are very high in sodium. Making your own is a great solution. Homemade soup is a great way to use up fresh vegetables and add a serving of blood pressure friendly foods to your meal.
“Tomatoes are naturally high in the antioxidant lycopene, which is a carotenoid that could help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Using fresh summer tomatoes and basil makes this healthy tomato basil soup extra flavorful without the use of salt. Roasted red peppers add a nice subtle sweetness, and milk a little dose of protein. Add a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and serve with a fresh green salad for a light and healthy lunch.”
To view this online, click here.
Total Time: 45 min; Prep: 5 min, Cook: 40 min; Yield 4, 1.5 cup servings (82 cals)
Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup skim milk (or milk of choice)
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Preparation
Heat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds and stem.
Place tomatoes, red pepper, and garlic on the baking sheet and roast 10 minutes.
Remove garlic and flip pepper and tomatoes. Return to oven for another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let vegetables cool. Peel skins from pepper and tomatoes.
Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Heat soup to desired temperature in a saucepan over low heat.
Ingredient Variations and Substitutions
Use 1/2 tablespoon dried basil in place of fresh basil if you you don’t have fresh.
Cooking and Serving Tips
Serve with a salad or half a sandwich for a balanced lunch. Reheat leftovers on the stove over low heat. You can also enjoy it cold as a refreshing meal.
BLACK BEAN SOUP
This is from Rian Handler on Delish. The recipe begins, “A warm and spicy black bean soup.”
Total Time: 35 minutes; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4 servings
To view the recipe online, click here.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced jalapeños
1 tbsp. tomato paste
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
3 (15-oz.) cans black beans, with liquid
1 qt. low-sodium vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
sour cream, for garnish
Sliced avocado, for garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeños and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir to coat vegetables, and cook about a minute more. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin and stir to coat.
Add black beans with their liquid and vegetable broth. Stir soup, add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer and let simmer until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the soup to desired consistency.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, and cilantro.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
PUMPKIN SOUP
This recipe is from an article on WebMD titled "Three Tasty Reasons to Move Pumpkins From the Porch to the Pantry," by Jeanie Lerche Davis. It can be found athttp://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/pumpkin-recipes-packed-nutrition.
Makes 6 Servings
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup peeled and cubed (1/2-inch) sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 14 1/2-ounce cans fat-free, low-sodium veggie broth
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)
1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in flour, curry powder, cumin, nutmeg, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sweet potato, salt, broth, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes.
2. Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Return soup to pan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat; stir in juice. Garnish with chives, if desired. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 121 (21% from fat); FAT 2.8g (satfat 1.6g, monofat 0.7g, polyfat 0.2g); PROTEIN 5.1g; CARBOHYDRATES 19.7g; FIBER 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; IRON 1.5mg; SODIUM 565mg; CALCIUM 85mg.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Not sure where this recipe is from. Possibly from a long-since-forgotten emailing list...
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Serves 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups veggie broth
one 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
one 8-ounce jar applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
freshly ground pepper, to taste
croutons, optional
Heat the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until mixed. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and stir until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients except the cream, pepper, and croutons. Stir well, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until hot and the flavors have blended.
Stir in the cream and heat until hot. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and serve immediately with crisp croutons, if desired.
VEGAN SWEET POTATO CHOWDER
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Kelli Foster, Assistant Food Editor for The Kitchn, wrote, “This vegan sweet potato chowder delivers everything you want in a warm fall soup. It has a velvety broth laced with seasonal spices like sage and paprika, and chunks of tender root vegetables. It's delicious the day you make it, but like most soups, it's even better the next day. So make a big batch of this plant-based chowder and enjoy it all week long.
“We're calling this soup a chowder, given the fact that potatoes are the key to both its velvety base and its hearty texture. And thanks to the silky-starchy contents of sweet potatoes, you'll get the creaminess expected in a chowder without a drop of cream.
“After a quick simmer on the stovetop, a few cups of soup, both broth and vegetables, are whirled through the blender, then stirred back into the pot. Purée a little extra if you're after an even thicker soup, or less for a bowl that's more brothy.”
To view this online, click here. Serves 6.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sweet potatoes, coriander, paprika, sage, salt, and pepper; stir to combine; and cook for 1 minute.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer about 2 cups of the soup, broth, and vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Stir the purée back into the soup and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Meatless Monday
Today is Meatless Monday, and in honor Halloween (which is a little over a week away), a few of today's recipes are October-ish/Halloween-ish.
Seriously, it doesn't seem possible that we're only a couple of days away from November. Where did the year go?
If there's one thing we all need to do as time flies by, it's to take time to eat. And here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Creamy Baked Custard with Maple Syrup and Cream of Broccoli Soup. Enjoy!
PUMPKIN PATCH BROWNIES
This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “The sweetest pumpkin patch you ever did see.”
Total Time: 1 hour; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 - 10.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 box brownie mix, plus required ingredients
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
green food coloring
1 can chocolate frosting
1 c. crushed oreos
Pumpkin candies
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9-x-13” pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and green food coloring. Microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth then transfer to a small ziplock bag and cut the tip of one corner to pipe.
Spread chocolate frosting over the brownies, then sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Using the green chocolate, pipe vines over the surface of the brownies, then scatter pumpkin candies on top of the brownies.
Slice into squares and serve.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
CREAMY BAKED CUSTARD WITH MAPLE SYRUP
This is from Diabetes Self-Management and can be found online at https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/recipes/desserts-sweets/creamy-baked-custard-with-maple-syrup/
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half
1/2 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash ground nutmeg
3 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly spray 6 custard cups or ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine half-and-half, egg substitute, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg in large bowl. Pour into prepared custard cups.
Pour boiling water into 13×9-inch baking dish. Place custard cups in dish. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Centers will not be completely set.) Remove cups from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
Drizzle with maple syrup before serving.
Yield: 6 servings. Serving size: 6 ounces
Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 131 calories, Carbohydrates: 23 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 17 mg, Sodium: 139 mg, Fiber: 0 g
Exchanges per serving: 1 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Meat.
LOW-FAT VEGAN EGGPLANT LASAGNA
This comes from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian food expert. She writes, "A wonderful vegetarian lasagna recipe full of healthy spinach and eggplant. This vegetarian and vegan lasagna recipe uses no cheese, making it both vegan and dairy-free, as well as much lower in fat than a traditional lasagna." Serves 6.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, diced
2 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 64 ounce jar pre-made tomato sauce
1 pound lasagna noodles
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Sautee the garlic for two minutes, then add the eggplant and stir. Cover the frying pan and cook until the eggplant is just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking pan with 2 cups of the tomato sauce, then cover the tomato sauce with 4 or 5 uncooked noodles. Cover this with a thin layer of sauce, then add the cooked eggplant and another thin layer of sauce. Add another layer of noodles followed by a thing layer of sauce, then the spinach and another thin layer of sauce. Add the remaining noodles and sauce.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Noodles are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.
Makes six servings of eggplant and spinach lasagna. Reprinted with permission from The Compassionate Cook Cookbook.
Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 347, Calories from Fat: 41; % Daily Value: Total Fat: 4.6g, 7%, Total Carbohydrates: 65.8g, 22%, Dietary Fiber: 9.2g, 37%, Protein: 16.3g, Vitamin A 199%, Vitamin C 83%, Calcium 14%, Iron 32%
HOME/MADE MUSHROOM LASAGNA
This comes from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Monica Byrne, with her partner, Leisah Swenson, runs a tiny restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn, called Home/Made. A plurality of words that appear on the Home/Made menu: ‘cheese,’ ‘smoked,’ ‘bacon,’ ‘caramelized.’ Three of those four appear in Byrne’s lasagna, leaving out only bacon, which would be a fine addition. She layers smoked mozzarella over a painting of rich, garlicky béchamel and sheets of pasta, then radicchio roasted into sweetness and tossed in sauce. Sautéed mushrooms add heft and loamy funkiness, and a mixture of Fontina and Gruyère add zing.”
Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in “Gooey Wild-Mushroom Lasagna” and can be viewed onlinehere.
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or herb oil
6 large shallots, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wild or best available oyster, shiitake, cremini, trimmed and sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 softball-size head of radicchio, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or herb oil
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons flour, ideally instant or all-purpose
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
2 tablespoons best-quality truffle oil (optional)
2 9-ounce boxes of no-boil lasagna sheets
1 baseball-size ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of the olive oil or herb oil. When it begins to shimmer, add half of the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add mushrooms and toss to coat, then cook until they begin to color but are still plump, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze pan and allow to cook down into a syrup, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Put the mushrooms into a large bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, toss the radicchio with 1/4 cup olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the strips out onto a baking pan and place in the oven until the strips are lightly browned around the edges, approximately 15 minutes. Combine with mushrooms and reserve.
Make the béchamel. Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the rest of the shallots and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine, then cook until the garlic has started to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 10 minutes. Add milk to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the nutmeg and 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère and 1/4 cup of grated Fontina, then stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reserve a cup of béchamel. Pour the rest over the mixture of mushrooms and radicchio, and stir to combine. Add truffle oil, if using.
Assemble lasagna. Spread plain béchamel across the bottom of a 9- by-13-inch baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna sheets across the sauce, being careful not to overlap. Spread a generous layer of mushroom mixture on top of the pasta, and follow with some grated Fontina and Gruyère. Put another layer of pasta above the cheese, and top with smoked mozzarella. Repeat until the pasta is gone and the pan is full. Top with remaining cheeses and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Cover with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is golden and bubbling.
GLAZED CARROTS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER
This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “When carrots are cooked, it’s often a sad affair. They are boiled to death and presented almost as an apology. Yet when they’re treated with the respect they deserve, even ordinary supermarket carrots can be among the most reliable and enjoyable of vegetables, especially from fall through spring. This braise-and-glaze technique can be varied at will and can also be used with other roots, like beets, turnips and radishes. Once you have the hang of the technique, changing the flavorings is a snap. Try substituting a mixture of half balsamic vinegar, half water or soy sauce similarly diluted for the orange juice, adding a few cloves of peeled garlic with the carrots. Or add a half cup or so of chopped onions, shallots, scallions or leeks, or of chopped pitted dates or raisins, dried currants or even dried tomatoes.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
This was featured in “Versatile Carrots, Repectfully Braised” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary, cut into 1/4-inch coins or sticks
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, dill, mint, basil or chervil leaves for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and garnish in a saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to coat, then adjust heat so mixture simmers. Cover.
Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 minutes. Uncover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or within an hour or two, garnished with herbs, if you like.
Seriously, it doesn't seem possible that we're only a couple of days away from November. Where did the year go?
If there's one thing we all need to do as time flies by, it's to take time to eat. And here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Creamy Baked Custard with Maple Syrup and Cream of Broccoli Soup. Enjoy!
PUMPKIN PATCH BROWNIES
This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “The sweetest pumpkin patch you ever did see.”
Total Time: 1 hour; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 - 10.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 box brownie mix, plus required ingredients
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
green food coloring
1 can chocolate frosting
1 c. crushed oreos
Pumpkin candies
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9-x-13” pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and green food coloring. Microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth then transfer to a small ziplock bag and cut the tip of one corner to pipe.
Spread chocolate frosting over the brownies, then sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Using the green chocolate, pipe vines over the surface of the brownies, then scatter pumpkin candies on top of the brownies.
Slice into squares and serve.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
CREAMY BAKED CUSTARD WITH MAPLE SYRUP
This is from Diabetes Self-Management and can be found online at https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/recipes/desserts-sweets/creamy-baked-custard-with-maple-syrup/
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half
1/2 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash ground nutmeg
3 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly spray 6 custard cups or ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine half-and-half, egg substitute, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg in large bowl. Pour into prepared custard cups.
Pour boiling water into 13×9-inch baking dish. Place custard cups in dish. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. (Centers will not be completely set.) Remove cups from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
Drizzle with maple syrup before serving.
Yield: 6 servings. Serving size: 6 ounces
Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 131 calories, Carbohydrates: 23 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 17 mg, Sodium: 139 mg, Fiber: 0 g
Exchanges per serving: 1 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Meat.
LOW-FAT VEGAN EGGPLANT LASAGNA
This comes from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian food expert. She writes, "A wonderful vegetarian lasagna recipe full of healthy spinach and eggplant. This vegetarian and vegan lasagna recipe uses no cheese, making it both vegan and dairy-free, as well as much lower in fat than a traditional lasagna." Serves 6.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, diced
2 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 64 ounce jar pre-made tomato sauce
1 pound lasagna noodles
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Sautee the garlic for two minutes, then add the eggplant and stir. Cover the frying pan and cook until the eggplant is just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking pan with 2 cups of the tomato sauce, then cover the tomato sauce with 4 or 5 uncooked noodles. Cover this with a thin layer of sauce, then add the cooked eggplant and another thin layer of sauce. Add another layer of noodles followed by a thing layer of sauce, then the spinach and another thin layer of sauce. Add the remaining noodles and sauce.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Noodles are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.
Makes six servings of eggplant and spinach lasagna. Reprinted with permission from The Compassionate Cook Cookbook.
Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 347, Calories from Fat: 41; % Daily Value: Total Fat: 4.6g, 7%, Total Carbohydrates: 65.8g, 22%, Dietary Fiber: 9.2g, 37%, Protein: 16.3g, Vitamin A 199%, Vitamin C 83%, Calcium 14%, Iron 32%
HOME/MADE MUSHROOM LASAGNA
This comes from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Monica Byrne, with her partner, Leisah Swenson, runs a tiny restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn, called Home/Made. A plurality of words that appear on the Home/Made menu: ‘cheese,’ ‘smoked,’ ‘bacon,’ ‘caramelized.’ Three of those four appear in Byrne’s lasagna, leaving out only bacon, which would be a fine addition. She layers smoked mozzarella over a painting of rich, garlicky béchamel and sheets of pasta, then radicchio roasted into sweetness and tossed in sauce. Sautéed mushrooms add heft and loamy funkiness, and a mixture of Fontina and Gruyère add zing.”
Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in “Gooey Wild-Mushroom Lasagna” and can be viewed onlinehere.
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or herb oil
6 large shallots, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wild or best available oyster, shiitake, cremini, trimmed and sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 softball-size head of radicchio, halved, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or herb oil
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons flour, ideally instant or all-purpose
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
2 tablespoons best-quality truffle oil (optional)
2 9-ounce boxes of no-boil lasagna sheets
1 baseball-size ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of the olive oil or herb oil. When it begins to shimmer, add half of the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add mushrooms and toss to coat, then cook until they begin to color but are still plump, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze pan and allow to cook down into a syrup, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Put the mushrooms into a large bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, toss the radicchio with 1/4 cup olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the strips out onto a baking pan and place in the oven until the strips are lightly browned around the edges, approximately 15 minutes. Combine with mushrooms and reserve.
Make the béchamel. Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the rest of the shallots and cook until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine, then cook until the garlic has started to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 10 minutes. Add milk to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the nutmeg and 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère and 1/4 cup of grated Fontina, then stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reserve a cup of béchamel. Pour the rest over the mixture of mushrooms and radicchio, and stir to combine. Add truffle oil, if using.
Assemble lasagna. Spread plain béchamel across the bottom of a 9- by-13-inch baking pan. Place a layer of lasagna sheets across the sauce, being careful not to overlap. Spread a generous layer of mushroom mixture on top of the pasta, and follow with some grated Fontina and Gruyère. Put another layer of pasta above the cheese, and top with smoked mozzarella. Repeat until the pasta is gone and the pan is full. Top with remaining cheeses and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Cover with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is golden and bubbling.
GLAZED CARROTS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER
This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “When carrots are cooked, it’s often a sad affair. They are boiled to death and presented almost as an apology. Yet when they’re treated with the respect they deserve, even ordinary supermarket carrots can be among the most reliable and enjoyable of vegetables, especially from fall through spring. This braise-and-glaze technique can be varied at will and can also be used with other roots, like beets, turnips and radishes. Once you have the hang of the technique, changing the flavorings is a snap. Try substituting a mixture of half balsamic vinegar, half water or soy sauce similarly diluted for the orange juice, adding a few cloves of peeled garlic with the carrots. Or add a half cup or so of chopped onions, shallots, scallions or leeks, or of chopped pitted dates or raisins, dried currants or even dried tomatoes.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
This was featured in “Versatile Carrots, Repectfully Braised” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary, cut into 1/4-inch coins or sticks
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, dill, mint, basil or chervil leaves for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and garnish in a saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to coat, then adjust heat so mixture simmers. Cover.
Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 minutes. Uncover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or within an hour or two, garnished with herbs, if you like.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Double-Post Thursday
Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's also Double-Post Thursday. Here are six recipes to help you through the day, including Slow Cooker Baked Ziti and Cream of Broccoli Soup. Enjoy!
OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS
This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Here's a delicious way to enjoy chimichangas without all the mess from deep-frying...and guess what? They actually taste better this way.”
Serves: 6 servings (1 chimichanga each);Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
2/3 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 green onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
Stir the picante sauce, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions in a medium bowl.
Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold the opposite sides over the filling. Roll the tortillas up from the bottom and place them seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush the tortilla rolls with butter.
Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. Serve with additional picante sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
Helper: For 1 1/2 cups chopped chicken, in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, in 4 cups boiling water, cook 3/4 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed, for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Drain and chop the chicken.
Tip: Substitute 2 cans (4.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained, for the cooked chicken.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI
This is from Ashley Fehr, “a high school teacher turned food blogger” in Canada. Her food blog, The Recipe Rebel is really nice. Check it out!
This recipe begins, “This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is actually made completely in the crockpot -- even the pasta! It is so much easier than the traditional version but packs all of the same flavor!”
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes.
To view this online (and to read Ashley’s notes on the recipe), click here.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef, turkey or Italian sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 650ml (around 22 ounces) jar pasta sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 375g (about 13-14 ounces) box Penne or Ziti (or other short) pasta (about 4 cups)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Stir in garlic and salt and cook 1 minute.
Add beef mixture, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and water to a 4qt (or larger) slow cooker. Stir.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Add pasta and stir until combined. Cover and continue cooking for 20-45 minutes (depending on how hot your slow cooker is) -- check and stir at the 20 minute mark.
Sprinkle with cheese and cover for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
SLOW COOKER BEEF AND VEGETABLE TZIMMES
This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The recipe begins, “Honey-sweetened tzimmes is a classic dish for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Toss all the ingredients into a slow cooker in the morning before heading out to temple and you'll return home to a fabulous, no-fuss holiday meal.”
POINTS® Value: 8; Servings: 8; Preparation Time: 24 min; Cooking Time: 480 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
7 oz frozen chopped onions, about 2 cups
3 pound raw lean beef brisket, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (boneless)
2 large garlic clove(s), minced
2 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 pound baby carrots, cut in half if large
8 small uncooked new potatoes, cut in half (unpeeled)
1 cup Dole Pitted Prunes, or other brand
4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons)
5 tsp honey, divided
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup canned beef broth
Directions
Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth; stir well.
Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons of honey; cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of solids and gravy per serving.
Notes: You can substitute dried apricots for the prunes if you prefer.
For a thicker gravy, spoon 1 tablespoon of flour into a cup and stir in 1/4 cup of the tzimmes liquid until the mixture is lump-free. Add the flour mixture to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. (Adding the flour does not affect the recipe’s POINTS value.)
MEZZI RIGATONI WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SPICY SAUSAGE
This wonderful recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis, star of The Food Network's Giada At Home, and posted on The Today Show's cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Need to put dinner on the table but the fridge and pantry are looking scarce? You're in luck because Giada De Laurentiis has two delicious meals that only use five simple ingredients. Here, the celebrity chef is sharing two great five-ingredient recipes: mezzi rigatoni with butternut squash and spicy sausage, plus flat iron steak with piquillo pepper pesto.”
To view this online, go to http://www.today.com/recipes/mezzi-rigatoni-butternut-squash-spicy-sausage-t64641
Ingredients
1 pound mezzi rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons for finishing
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups roughly chopped baby arugula
Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until just al dente. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into bite sized pieces, until the sausage is cooked though. Add the diced squash to the pan and stir to combine. Add the water and season with the salt. Using the wooden spoon, make sure all of the squash is submerged. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender and the liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and 3/4 cup parmesan. Stir vigorously to combine, breaking up the squash slightly as you go and thinning with pasta water as needed until the pasta is coated in a light and creamy sauce. Stir in the arugula and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook just until the arugula is wilted. Serve topped with the remaining Parmesan.
QUICK PASTA PESTO
This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The recipe begins, “Pasta with cheese and cream sauces can rack up a lot of empty calories, but make simple substitutions, like swapping cream for evaporated skim milk, and you can enjoy your favorite pasta dishes anytime.”
POINTS® Value: 8; Servings: 4; Preparation Time | 5 min; Cooking Time: 10 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
3 Tbsp pesto sauce, sun-dried tomato variety preferred
3 cup mixed vegetables, chopped, fresh or frozen
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
4 cup cooked pasta
1 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
Heat a large nonstick pan coated with cooking spray. Add pesto sauce and vegetables; cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in pasta and cheese; cook until heated through. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS
This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Here's a delicious way to enjoy chimichangas without all the mess from deep-frying...and guess what? They actually taste better this way.”
Serves: 6 servings (1 chimichanga each);Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
2/3 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 green onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
Stir the picante sauce, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions in a medium bowl.
Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold the opposite sides over the filling. Roll the tortillas up from the bottom and place them seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush the tortilla rolls with butter.
Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. Serve with additional picante sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
Helper: For 1 1/2 cups chopped chicken, in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, in 4 cups boiling water, cook 3/4 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed, for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Drain and chop the chicken.
Tip: Substitute 2 cans (4.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained, for the cooked chicken.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
This is from Kraft, and begins, “Follow this Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe — you won't be disappointed! This velvety soup with chopped broccoli and creamy cheeses is a real crowd favorite!”
Prep Time: 30min.; Total Time: 30min.; Servings: 5 servings, about 1 cup each.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook and stir onions in butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Whisk in flour until blended.
Stir in milk; cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI
This is from Ashley Fehr, “a high school teacher turned food blogger” in Canada. Her food blog, The Recipe Rebel is really nice. Check it out!
This recipe begins, “This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is actually made completely in the crockpot -- even the pasta! It is so much easier than the traditional version but packs all of the same flavor!”
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes.
To view this online (and to read Ashley’s notes on the recipe), click here.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef, turkey or Italian sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 650ml (around 22 ounces) jar pasta sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 375g (about 13-14 ounces) box Penne or Ziti (or other short) pasta (about 4 cups)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Stir in garlic and salt and cook 1 minute.
Add beef mixture, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and water to a 4qt (or larger) slow cooker. Stir.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Add pasta and stir until combined. Cover and continue cooking for 20-45 minutes (depending on how hot your slow cooker is) -- check and stir at the 20 minute mark.
Sprinkle with cheese and cover for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
SLOW COOKER BEEF AND VEGETABLE TZIMMES
This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The recipe begins, “Honey-sweetened tzimmes is a classic dish for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Toss all the ingredients into a slow cooker in the morning before heading out to temple and you'll return home to a fabulous, no-fuss holiday meal.”
POINTS® Value: 8; Servings: 8; Preparation Time: 24 min; Cooking Time: 480 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
7 oz frozen chopped onions, about 2 cups
3 pound raw lean beef brisket, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (boneless)
2 large garlic clove(s), minced
2 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 pound baby carrots, cut in half if large
8 small uncooked new potatoes, cut in half (unpeeled)
1 cup Dole Pitted Prunes, or other brand
4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons)
5 tsp honey, divided
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup canned beef broth
Directions
Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth; stir well.
Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons of honey; cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of solids and gravy per serving.
Notes: You can substitute dried apricots for the prunes if you prefer.
For a thicker gravy, spoon 1 tablespoon of flour into a cup and stir in 1/4 cup of the tzimmes liquid until the mixture is lump-free. Add the flour mixture to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. (Adding the flour does not affect the recipe’s POINTS value.)
MEZZI RIGATONI WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SPICY SAUSAGE
This wonderful recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis, star of The Food Network's Giada At Home, and posted on The Today Show's cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Need to put dinner on the table but the fridge and pantry are looking scarce? You're in luck because Giada De Laurentiis has two delicious meals that only use five simple ingredients. Here, the celebrity chef is sharing two great five-ingredient recipes: mezzi rigatoni with butternut squash and spicy sausage, plus flat iron steak with piquillo pepper pesto.”
To view this online, go to http://www.today.com/recipes/mezzi-rigatoni-butternut-squash-spicy-sausage-t64641
Ingredients
1 pound mezzi rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons for finishing
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups roughly chopped baby arugula
Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until just al dente. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into bite sized pieces, until the sausage is cooked though. Add the diced squash to the pan and stir to combine. Add the water and season with the salt. Using the wooden spoon, make sure all of the squash is submerged. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender and the liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and 3/4 cup parmesan. Stir vigorously to combine, breaking up the squash slightly as you go and thinning with pasta water as needed until the pasta is coated in a light and creamy sauce. Stir in the arugula and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook just until the arugula is wilted. Serve topped with the remaining Parmesan.
QUICK PASTA PESTO
This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The recipe begins, “Pasta with cheese and cream sauces can rack up a lot of empty calories, but make simple substitutions, like swapping cream for evaporated skim milk, and you can enjoy your favorite pasta dishes anytime.”
POINTS® Value: 8; Servings: 4; Preparation Time | 5 min; Cooking Time: 10 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
3 Tbsp pesto sauce, sun-dried tomato variety preferred
3 cup mixed vegetables, chopped, fresh or frozen
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
4 cup cooked pasta
1 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
Heat a large nonstick pan coated with cooking spray. Add pesto sauce and vegetables; cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in pasta and cheese; cook until heated through. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
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