Monday Recipes

Less than two weeks until Christmas. Here are six recipes to help get in the mood. Enjoy!

SPICE TEA

This comes from my e-cookbook, titled Off the Wall Cooking, found on Amazon.com. I used to make this every year for Christmas presents. Nice-tasting, easy to make, and everyone seems to enjoy getting this, all good reasons to make this.

8 oz loose tea

1 1/2 – 2 sticks cinnamon

3 orange peels

2 T chopped cloves

Cut orange peels into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring occaionally. Let cool, add to loose tea, along with broken cinnamon sticks & cloves. Store in tight containers.

VEGETABLES WELLINGTON

This comes from the December 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 34, and begins, "Adorn your table with this wow-worthy dish baked in a loaf pan for a spectacular presentation." Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into thin strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 5-oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves

1 4-oz. jar prepared pesto sauce

1 large egg

1 17.3-oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 10-oz. log fresh goat cheese, softened

1 16-oz. jar prepared tomato sauce, warmed

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, bell peppers, and onion, and sauté 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add spinach, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until spinach wilts. Stir in pesto. Cool.

Whisk egg in bowl, and set aside. Cut 15- x 10-inch piece of parchment paper, and set on work surface. Place 1 sheet puff pastry on parchment paper. Lift parchment with puff pastry, and place parchment-side-down in 9-inch loaf pan. Press pastry into pan, being careful not to let folds get caught in parchment and allowing excess parchment and pastry to hang over sides. Cut squares from second puff pastry sheet, and press onto short sides of parchment-covered pan to make dough shell. Prick bottom of puff pastry all over with fork.

Spread goat cheese over bottom of puff pastry. Top with asparagus mixture. Fold excess puff pastry over vegetables, and brush edges with egg.

Cut 91/2- x 51/2-inch piece of puff pastry from remaining sheet. Set on top of asparagus mixture, pressing to seal edges. Refrigerate 30 minutes, along with unused pastry scraps and egg.

Preheat oven to 425°F, and place oven rack on second-lowest level. Brush top of Wellington with egg, and poke 2 or 3 holes in top. Cut decorative leaves and stems from remaining pastry, press onto top of Wellington, and brush with egg. Use tip of small knife to score leaves and top with decorative touches.

Bake Wellington 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350°F, and bake 45 minutes more. Cool 15 minutes.

Use parchment to lift Wellington from loaf pan. Remove parchment, and transfer Wellington to flat serving plate. Slice, and serve with tomato sauce.

nutritional information Per Serving (1 slice wellington and 1/4 cup sauce): Calories: 405; Protein: 15 g; Total Fat: 29 g; Saturated Fat: 11 g; Carbohydrates: 25 g; Cholesterol: 48 mg; Sodium: 657 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 6 g

BEAUTIFUL BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Brussels sprouts seem to be one of those foods that people either love or hate. I absolutely love them, so I'm glad to find this recipe from Ree Drummond of The Food Network's The Pioneer Woman. Total Time: 50 min; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 30 min; Yield: 16 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/beautiful-brussels-sprouts.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash

2 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

4 red onions, cut into chunks

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon chili powder

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses

1 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Use a knife to lop off the top and bottom of the squash. Slice the skin off the sides, then cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into large pieces, cut the pieces into slices, cut the slices into matchsticks and then cut the matchsticks into dice. Divide the squash between 2 baking sheets.

Trim the Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half if desired (or you can leave them whole). Arrange them on the baking sheets with the squash and add the red onions. Drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil, sprinkle with the chili powder, salt and pepper and toss. Roast until browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Tip the vegetables into a serving dish, drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and sprinkle on the pomegranate seeds. Toss and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE MAPLE SNAPS

This comes from the March 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 71. It begins, “These snaps are great on their own, or as wafers for sandwich cookies. Maple syrup lends flavor and moisture, which lets you cut down on oil in the dough.” Makes 40 cookies in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbs. water

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. grated orange zest

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat three baking sheets with cooking spray.

Whisk together maple syrup, oil, cornstarch mixture, vanilla, and orange zest in large bowl.

Sift together flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients until smooth.

Measure out cookie dough in 1-tsp. scoops, and arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are firm on top and edges have darkened.

nutritional information Per Cookie: Calories: 42; Protein: less than 1 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 30 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: 4 g; Vegan

CRANBERRY-CHERRY LATTICE PIE

This comes from the November/December 2007issue of Vegetarian Times, page 67. It begins, "Because cranberries are naturally high in pectin, the fruit fiber that sets jams and jellies, there's no need to add a thickener to this filling. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, use refrigerated sugar cookie dough to craft the crust and lattice top." Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

3 cups fresh cranberries, divided

1 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for sprinkling, divided

1 medium orange, for zest and juice (1 tsp. grated zest; 1/3 cup juice)

1 cup dried sweet cherries

Refrigerated pastry for 2-crust pie (plain or whole wheat), or double recipe Perfect Every Time Piecrust (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil, and coat 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.

Place 1 1/2 cups cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar, orange zest, and cherries in food processor, and pulse until berries are coarsely chopped. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups cranberries, remaining 1 cup sugar, and orange juice.

Roll 1 piecrust into 10-inch disc. Press into prepared pan. Spoon in cranberry mixture, and brush edges with water.

Roll second piecrust into 10-inch disc. Cut dough into 1-inch-wide strips using knife or fluted pastry wheel. Lay strips in lattice pattern over top of pie, pressing edges to seal. Trim off any excess from strips. Sprinkle lattice with sugar, and bake on prepared baking sheet 55 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. Cool on wire rack.

nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 356; Protein: 7 g; Total Fat: 1.5 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 79 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 155 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 53 g

PERFECT EVERY TIME PIECRUST

From the November 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times. Recipe begins, "For a vegan variation on this crust, omit egg and use 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. water" Serves 8 (makes 1 9-inch crust)

To view this online, click here.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, or nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces

1 egg yolk, optional

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor several times to combine. Add butter, and pulse 5 times, or until mixture resembles coarse sand.

Beat egg yolk and 1/4 cup ice water in bowl with fork. Add liquid to flour mixture in food processor. Pulse until dough just comes together. Transfer to large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper and press into flat disk. Wrap tightly, and chill 1 hour, or overnight. Roll out to desired size on well-floured work surface and bake according to recipe directions.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 382; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 31 g; Saturated Fat: 19.5 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Cholesterol: 114 mg; Sodium: 199 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 3 g