Friday Food

Finally - Friday! And with it, hopefully cooler weather, as well as good weekend food. Enjoy!

LEMON SOUR CREAM MUFFINS

From one of the many emailing lists that I subscribed to years ago. Not sure which list, or who shared this with the list. But it is yummy.

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup margarine

1 egg

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix flour, soda and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center of mixture. Beat egg in small bowl, add sour cream, milk, lemon juice, sugar and lemon peel. Add to flour mixture, mixing just until moistened. Spoon into muffin pan 2/3 full. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

My dad used to make French Onion Soup after church on Sundays, so I associate this with the weekend. This version of the recipe comes from About.com's American Food email. It starts off, “French onion soup is one of America's most popular 'restaurant soups,' but with this easy recipe you can make it at home anytime you want. This French onion soup recipe is topped with the traditional Gruyere cheese, but any melting cheese will work.” It makes 8 portions.

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 large yellow onions, cut in large dice

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

1/4 cup dry sherry wine

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

3 cups high-quality beef broth

3 cups high-quality chicken broth

1 cup water

For the topping:

toasted French bread

8 oz shredded Gruyere cheese, or other Swiss cheese

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over med-low heat. Add the onions and salt; slowly cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden-brown - about 30 minutes.

Add the vinegar and sherry; cook for 5 minutes, and then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for one hour. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into heatproof bowls, or crocks, and top with a piece of toasted bread (cut to fit top of bowl).

Cover with the cheese, and place under a preheated broiler until the cheese melts and begins to brown. Serve hot.

VEGETARIAN 'BEEF' AND GUINNESS STEW

Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian food guide, writes, “Beef and Guinness stew, an Irish pub favorite, gets a vegetarian makeover in this recipe, using seitan instead of beef to absorb all that rich stout flavor. Yum! The flavor of the beer is very strong in this recipe, so I've suggest using half the amount of Guinness and adding an equal amount of vegetable broth if you aren't a Guinness fan.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

Approx 14 oz seitan, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp steak sauce

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1 onion, diced

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 medium potatoes chopped into 1 inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 12 oz bottles Guinness Stout OR 1 bottle plus 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Saute seitan in olive oil and soy sauce until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add steak sauce and stir until seitan is lightly coated. Remove from heat and aside. In a large pot, sautee onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic in butter or margarine for 3-5 minutes, or until onions are slightly soft. Reduce heat and slowly add Guinness, gently stirring to combine. Add flour, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Add seitan and allow stew to simmer until Guinness reduces and stew thickens, about 40-50 minutes.

Add more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!

SWEET POTATOES WITH SAGE AND CRANBERRIES

This comes from Publix Supermarket's Entertaining magazine (possibly the winter 2005 issue).

2 1/2 - 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into eighths

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1/4 C butter

1 Tbs snipped fresh sage or 1 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 C dried cranberries

1/4 C half-and-half or light cream

In Dutch oven place potatoes & enough salted water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion in hot butter over medium heat until tender. Add sage, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in cranberries. Remove from heat.

Drain potatoes. Return to Dutch oven. Add half-and-half; mash with potato masher or beat with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Stir in onion-sage mixture. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition facts per serving: 225 cal, 9 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 25 mg chol., 274 mg sodium, 34 g carbo., 5 g fiber, 3 g protein.

BROCCOLI FRITTATA

Yield: 4 Servings; Online Recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/692.shtml

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese

1/2 tsp dried dill

2 cup fat-free egg substitute

2 cups frozen chopped broccoli

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp margarine

1 large onion, diced

Directions

Mix cottage cheese and egg substitute together; set aside.

In large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, saute onions in oil for 5 minutes, or until soft.

Add broccoli and dill; saute for 5 minutes, or until broccoli mixture softens. Set vegetable aside.

Wipe out frying pan. Add 1 tsp. margarine and swirl the pan to distribute it. Add half of the vegetable mixture, and then add half of the egg mixture; lift and rotate pan so that eggs are evenly distributed.

As eggs set around the edges, lift them to allow uncooked portions to flow underneath. Turn heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until top is set.

Invert onto a serving plate and cut into wedges.

Repeat with remaining 1 tsp. margarine, vegetable mixture, and egg mixture.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 150; Calories from Fat: 30; Protein: 19 g; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 390 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 2 Meat; 1 Fat

CALZONES

Years ago, when we first got cable, I was channel-surfing and stumbled across a cooking show, called Breaking Bread with Father Dominic on (if I remember correctly) the Food Network. Unfortunately, the show has since left the air, at least where I live, although the episodes can still be found here. Check out his website, The Bread Monk, at http://www.breadmonk.com/. This recipe yields 3 calzones.

Dough:

1 cup warm water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 package FLEISCHMANN'S Active Dry Yeast

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour blended with 1 1/2 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

no-stick cooking spray

Filling:

12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 ounces sliced prosciutto, cut into strips

3 tablespoon chopped chives

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese pizza sauce, optional

Combine warm water & sugar with yeast in medium-sized mixing bowl. Allow yeast to soften for 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and knead until smooth. Add oil & salt and gradually blend in remaining flour to make firm dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board & knead until smooth & satiny.

Spray large bowl with no-stick cooking spray. Put dough in bowl, turning to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap, then a damp towel. Allow to rise in warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour, until dough is almost doubled.

Spray large baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray.

Knead down dough & divide into 3 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 9-inch circle. Place 1/3 mozzarella cheese, 1/3 Parmesan cheese, & 1/3 prosciutto on each circle of dough. Top with chives & garlic. Moisten edges & fold over to enclose filling, pressing edges firmly together.

Place on baking sheet, cover lightly with plastic wrap, & allow to rise in warm, draft-free place until dough feels light, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375-degree oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until calzone is browned. Remove from oven and brush with oil. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm with pizza sauce, if desired.

Friday Foods

I don’t know about you, but I look forward to Friday, with the impending weekend. Of course, if you work different hours, your weekend may come, say, in the middle of the week. But no matter when, here’s to a couple of days off, with good food to go along with the break. Enjoy!

PAM ANDERSON’S MULTIGRAIN MEDALLIONS

The October 2012 issue of Runner’s World had their Ultimate Guide to Pancakes, titled “Stacked” (pages 70 – 76). This recipe comes with “10 Super Spins” to Pam’s pancakes.

1 cup white flour

1/3 cup each: cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, and old-fashioned rolled oats

4 teaspoons sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup low-fat milk (or water)

2 large eggs

2 Tbls vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing the griddle

1 tsp vanilla

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over low heat. Mix flour, whole grains, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in bowl. Microwave buttermilk and milk for 30 seconds in a 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk in eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry; whisk until just mixed. Return batter to measuring cup. Increase heat to medium and brush skillet with oil. When oil starts to spider, pour batter 1/4 cup at a time. When pancake bottoms are golden brown and tops start to bubble, after about 2 to 3 minutes, flip pancakes; cook until golden brown on other side. Repeat, brushing skillet with oil.

Calories per serving (two pancakes): 296; carbs: 26 g; fiber: 2 g; protein: 8 g; fat: 6 g

SUPER SPINS on MULTIGRAIN MEDALLIONS

These are the extra spins on the previous recipe:

Bake in dates, raisins, and cinnamon

Mix fresh apricot and fresh ginger into batter; top pancakes with honey

Mix ground oats and white flour (1:1 ratio); add oatmeal, dried cranberries and orange zet to better; top pancakes with cooked cranberries and cinnamon

Substitute espresso for half the milk; mix cocoa powder and hazelnuts into batter; top with raspberries

Use only whole-wheat and white flour (1:2 ratio), mix bananas into batter; top pancakes with peanut butter and apple slices

Mix quinoa and white flour (1:1 ratio); add lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and blueberries to batter; dust with powdered sugar

Mix chopped baby spinach leaves into batter; top with strawberry puree and a sprinkle of powdered sugar

Mix corn kernels into batter; top pancakes with homemade guacamole

Mix Ancho chili pepper, unsweetened cocoa powder, and chopped dark chocolate (70% cacao) into batter

Mix figs, pears, and walnuts into batter; top with vanilla Greek yogurt.

VEGAN OATMEAL PANCAKES

This comes from page 68 of the September 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “As the first person out of bed in her house on Saturday mornings, Mary Shore savors the time to ease into the weekend. “We try to keep cooking simple so the relaxed mood lasts through the morning,” she says. These winning pancakes came out of her desire to develop a vegan version of her favorite restaurant pancakes: 'My mom taught me to substitute a little vinegar in milk when there was no buttermilk in the house, and the cider vinegar in soymilk here has the same effect of lending a little zing.'” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

The recipe can be viewed online here.

3/4cup Silk Original Soymilk

2 tsp. Bragg Unfiltered Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbs. Now Real Food Maple Syrup, plus more for drizzling, optional

2 tsp. canola oil, plus more for oiling pan

1/2 cup Now Real Food Rolled Oats

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Combine soymilk, vinegar, maple syrup, and oil in small bowl. Add oats, and let soak 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in separate bowl. Stir soymilk mixture into flour mixture.

Preheat large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (400°F), and lightly coat with oil. Ladle 1/4 cup batter into pan for each pancake. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles form on top and sides are a little dry. Flip, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, or until browned on both sides. Drizzle with maple syrup, if using.

nutritional information Per Serving (2 pancakes): Calories: 196; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 30 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 280 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 5 g; Vegan

EASY SPOON BREAD

This comes from Elizabeth Yetter, About.com's Bread Baking guide. She writes, “If you need to serve a bread with your meals, but don't feel like taking a long time preparing a yeast bread, try out this recipe for an easy spoon bread. It rises with baking powder, not active dry yeast, so there is no waiting for rising times.

“This bread goes well with a gravy meal, such as a roast with gravy and mashed potatoes or a roasted chicken with gravy. You can also serve it topped with whipped butter.

“Leftovers can be covered and saved in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To reheat, cover with gravy and cut meat. Cover dish with plastic wrap or lid and reheat in the microwave. It is not as good as when it was fresh out of the oven, but it is still better than any prepackaged meal you might buy in the freezer department in the grocery store.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes; Yield: 8 servings

You can view this online here.

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups water1 cup yellow cornmeal

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/3 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter

1-1/4 cups milk

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp baking powder

Preparation

Grease a 2 quart pan or casserole dish. Bring water to a boil. Remove from the burner and let cool for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Pour the hot water over the cornmeal mix and mix. Add butter and mix until completely melted. Set bowl aside and let the mixture cool. Finally, add the milk, eggs, and baking powder.

Scrape the batter into the greased pan. Place the pan into a larger, shallow pan that is filled with water. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is a firm crust. Remove from the oven and serve immediately using a spoon.

Note: Elizabeth adds, “You can use any type of milk in this recipe: whole milk, skim, low fat, etc...Soy milk can be replaced with almond milk or any time of milk.”

BROCCOLI CHOWDER

From Diabetic Gourmet. Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup each

Source: "The Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook"

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (1-1/2 cups)

1 large carrot, diced (1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 large potato, peeled and diced (1-1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3-1/2 cups vegetable broth (two 14-ounce cans)

8 ounces broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (3 cups)

1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.

Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through. Season with salt.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cup each): Calories: 180, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Protein: 6 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sodium: 354 mg Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 High-Fat Meat

SWEET POTATOES WITH SAGE AND CRANBERRIES

This comes from Publix Supermarket's Entertaining magazine (possibly the winter 2005 issue).

2 1/2 - 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into eighths

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1/4 C butter

1 Tbs snipped fresh sage or 1 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 C dried cranberries

1/4 C half-and-half or light cream

In Dutch oven place potatoes & enough salted water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion in hot butter over medium heat until tender. Add sage, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in cranberries. Remove from heat.

Drain potatoes. Return to Dutch oven. Add half-and-half; mash with potato masher or beat with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Stir in onion-sage mixture. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition facts per serving: 225 cal, 9 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 25 mg chol., 274 mg sodium, 34 g carbo., 5 g fiber, 3 g protein.