Thursday Recipes

Here are today's six recipes. Enjoy!

7-LAYER MEATLESS TORTILLA PIE

Tortillas without meat? Yes, most assuredly! This yummy recipe is from FamilyTime.com, and begins, “Black beans and pinto beans are flavored with Pace® Picante Sauce and seasonings to make separate and delicious bean mixtures, which are then layered with flour tortillas and Cheddar cheese, and baked until hot, but into wedges and served.” Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 40 minutes; Serves: 6 servings (1 wedge each)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 cans (about 15 ounces each), pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons choped fresh cilantro leaves

1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

7 flour tortillas (8-inch)

8 ounces Shredded Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)

Directions

Mash the pinto beans in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in 3/4 cup picante sauce and the garlic powder.

Stir the remaining picante sauce, cilantro, black beans and tomato in a medium bowl.

Place 1 tortilla onto a baking sheet. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over the tortilla to with 1/2-inch of the edge. Top with 1/4 cheese. Top with 1 tortilla and 2/3 cup black bean mixture. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat the layers twice more. Top with the remaining tortilla and spread with the remainning pinto bean mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the filling is hot. Uncover the pie. Top with the remaining cheese. Cut the pie into 6 wedges. Serve with additional picante sauce and spring with additional cilantro, if desired.

BOSTON BAKED BEANS

Yield: 16 servings

Source: "Forbidden Foods Diabetic Cooking" by Maggie Powers

Book info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/12.shtml

Ingredients

1 pound dried navy beans

1 large onion, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 tomato, chopped

1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions

Place the beans in a strainer and sort through the beans to remove stones, discolored beans, or any other objects. Rinse with cold water until beans are clean, about 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, onion, salt, and enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Let stand 8 hours or overnight at room temperature; do not refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a strainer, drain and rinse the beans and onion. Place in a 4-quart saucepan and add the tomato, sugar, molasses, vinegar, ketchup, ginger, mustard, and pepper; stir until blended. Add enough water to cover the beans, about 2 cups. Cover and bake until bubbly and the beans are soft, 5 hours.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/2 cup): Calories: 110, Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 50 mg, Carbohydrate: 21 g, Dietary Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 6 g, Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch

VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE [SLOW COOKER]

This also comes from the Diabetic Connect e-newsletter. It begins, “With a few simple steps and time in the crock pot, you'll have this delicious and nutritious minestrone soup ready to serve.” Makes 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable broth

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 cup green beans

1 small zucchini

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup elbow macaroni

4 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

Directions

Combine vegetable broth, tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, celery, carrots, green beans, zucchini, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, thyme, and black pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes; drain.

Stir spinach and macaroni into minestrone; cook another 15 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese.

ROASTED BEETS

This comes from Kimberley Eggleston, About.com's Low Calorie Cooking expert. Kimberley writes, “When we had an abundance of beets at our house, I decided we better try some roasted beets. Several members of my family really like beets, and usually we just boil them. But like many other vegetables, roasting the beets brings out that extra sweet flavor, and roasted beets has quickly become a well loved dish.

”If you have not tried beets before, or think that you do not like them, try them again! Beets certainly have a flavor all their own, somewhat sweet and mildly earthy and absolutely delicious. When roasted, they are extra sweet and they pair great with roasted pork or chicken. When cooled they are fantastic in fresh green salads.

”There are two options for removing the skins of the beets, which you do not want to eat. You can peel them with a peeler before roasting them, or you can do what is called for in this recipe and wrap them in foil while cooking and remove the skins after they are cooled a bit. Just be sure to remove them somehow as they do not have a pleasant flavor.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh beets

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation

First, use a sharp knife to cut off the leaves and stem of the beets to 1/2 inch. Scrub the beets to remove any remaining dirt.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap the cleaned beets in aluminum foil tightly, and place the beets on a large cookie sheet.

Once the oven is preheated, place the wrapped beats on the cookie sheet into the oven. Bake the beets for 45 minutes, or until the beets become tender.

You can carefully unwrap one of the beets enough to insert a knife to check for doneness.

Once the beets are cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cook until they are cook enough to handle. Then unwrap the beets, and slice them into wedges. An medium sized beet can be sliced into six wedges. Slice smaller beets in half or into four wedges.

Put the beet wedges in a large bowl, and toss them with the olive oil, salt, and the ground black pepper. If you wish, the beets could them be drizzled with a bit of vinegar for a more pickled flavor.

VEGAN PUMPKIN RISOTTO

I think this came from About.com, but I'm not completely sure, since it's been kicking around my email account for more than five years with not note. The person who sent this wrote, “A vegetarian and vegan twist on classic Italian risotto - pumpkin! Why not? Pumpkin adds a sweet and unique flavor perfect for fall, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving entree, or anytime. This Italian risotto recipe is both vegetarian and vegan.”

Ingredients:

1 onion. diced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups arborio (risotto) rice

1 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tbsp margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for three to five minutes, or until soft. Add the rice. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly add the wine. Start to add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently. Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.

CREAMY SLOW COOKER PUMPKIN SOUP

This comes from Linda Larsen, About.com's Busy Cooks expert. She writes, “I love this wonderful Creamy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup for its bright colors and intense flavors. Be sure that you mix the vegetable broth and pumpkin very well in the first step so the vegetable blends with the rest of the ingredients.” She originally gives you a choice of vegetable or chicken broth, but as a vegetarian, the vegetable broth is the logical choice. Also, you can use a soy- or other-based cream in place of the dairy heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 360 minutes (6 hours); Total Time: 375 minutes; Yield: 6-8 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 (16-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin OR 1 (16-ounce) package frozen squash, drained and pureed

2 (16-ounce) boxes ready to serve vegetable broth

2 cups frozen corn

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups fresh cilantro

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup heavy cream

Preparation

In 3 quart crockpot, combine onion, pumpkin, and 2 cups of chicken broth; mix until blended. Add remaining chicken broth, drained corn, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper and blend well. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours until hot and flavors are blended. If you have a new, hotter-cooking crockpot, check the soup after 5 hours and stir after 3 hours.

To make pesto, in food processor, combine cilantro, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and lemon juice.

Blend until chopped. Add olive oil and process until blended. Set pesto aside.

Add cream to soup, turn crockpot to HIGH, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve soup topped with the cilantro pesto.