Wednesday Recipes

We're well into our first week of the New Year. Have you made any New Year's resolutions? If you're like me - heck, if you're like many - the list includes exercise of some sort, eating right (which means healthy, but also yummy - who wants boring?!?! Not us!), and getting as healthy as possible.

The only thing I can help you with is the food aspect of it. That said, here are six recipes to get you started. Enjoy!

CREAMY PINEAPPLE ORANGE REFRESHER PUNCH

This came from a long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.

1 - 46 oz. can of pineapple juice

1 1/2 pints vanilla ice cream

1 quart orange sherbet

2 liters ginger ale

In a punch bowl, place the vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet. Slowly add & stir in pineapple juice & then ginger ale.

MEATLESS-BALL SUBS

1 package Meatless Balls (see note)

1 26 oz. Jar spaghetti sauce

4 hoagie rolls

cheese slices

Place spaghetti sauce and meatless balls into a good-sized saucepan. Stir, and cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring occasionally.





Open hoagie rolls, add cheese, cover with meatless balls and sauce.



Makes 4 meatless ball subs.

Note: I use Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs, though really, you can use any brand you like. I had used another brand for a number of years, but unfortunately, I can no longer find that particular brand anywhere now. Whatever brand you buy is fine, as well as the jarred spaghetti sauce.

BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS

This came from a long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup shortening

6 small apples

For syrup, mix 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1 3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter.

For pastry, mix flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening until coarse crumbs form. Add 6 to 8 tablespoons water, a little at a time, mixing until moistened. Form into a ball. Roll into an 18x12 inch rectangle; cut into six 6-inch squares.

Peel and core apples. place one fruit on each pastry square. Combine remaining sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle over fruit. Moisten edges of pastry; fold corners to center atop fruit. Pinch to seal. Place in an 11x7x1 1/2 inch baking pan. Pour syrup over. Bake in a 375 degree oven about 45 minutes or till fruit is tender and pastry is brown. Serve with ice cream if desired. Serves six.

QUICK & EASY APPLE CRISP

This was posted by Deb’s Recipes on Food.com. Deb wrote, “A traditional autumn dessert that's delicious served with vanilla ice cream. I've often made this recipe ‘diabetic-friendly’ without sacrificing taste or quality by using Splenda No-Calorie Sweetener. Directions are included.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

6 - 8 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (such as Granny Smith)

2 - 3 teaspoons lemon juice

1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 cup butter

vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream

Directions

Toss apples with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon; turn into an 8x8" baking pan that has been lightly coated with no-stick cooking spray; dot with butter.

Cut together flour, brown sugar, and butter until crumbly; sprinkle evenly over apples.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until apples are tender; serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

VARIATION: This recipe can be made diabetic-friendly by substituting Splenda for the granulated sugar and substituting 1/2 cup Splenda for 1/2 cup of the brown sugar - the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar is still used.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

This comes from Florence Fabricant in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Florence wrote, “This simple, creamy (but not cream-laden) butternut squash soup gets greater depth of flavor from sherry that is stirred in with the stock. If you’d rather not use sherry or don’t have it on hand, omit it and use an additional 1/2 cup of stock; your soup will be less complex, but it will still have that rich, sweet squash flavor.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

This was featured in “Adding to the Holiday Menu Without Risks” and can be viewed online here.

Note: The recipe originally called for “1 cup well-flavored chicken or vegetable stock”. I've omitted the chicken stock and left it at vegetable stock.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 1/2 cups peeled butternut squash in 2-inch cubes (about 2 squashes)

4 1/2 cups water

1 cup well-flavored vegetable stock

1/2 cup medium-dry sherry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Heat the oil in a heavy four-quart saucepan. Add the onions, reduce heat to low, and saute slowly until they are tender but not brown. Stir in the garlic.

Add the squash and water, cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 40 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes, then puree in two batches in a food processor. Up to this point the soup can be prepared in advance, even refrigerated or frozen.

Return the puree to the saucepan and add the stock and the sherry. Reheat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on each portion.

STIR-FRIED TOFU AND PEPPERS

This is from Martha Rose Shulman, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “This attractive stir-fry is inspired by a traditional Chinese dish called rainbow beef. The vegetarian version works well, and it’s also easier to make. If you prefer a very firm tofu, take the extra time to weight it as directed in step 1. I am happy to skip this step and use firm tofu that hasn’t been weighted.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “Late Summer Stir-Fries”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1/2 pound firm tofu

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable, peanut or canola oil

2 teaspoons hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut in 1-inch squares

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1-inch squares

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (to taste)

2 scallions, white and green parts, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths

Cooked rice or noodles for serving

Preparation

Optional step for firmer tofu: Blot the tofu dry, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and place a cutting board on top. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Whether weighted or not, slice the tofu about 1/2 inch thick into 1- x 2-inch dominoes.

Mix together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium bowl. Toss with the tofu, and stir to make sure all of the pieces are coated. Let sit for five to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining soy sauce and sugar, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high and add the peppers. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the peppers begin to soften, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, until the garlic and ginger begin to smell fragrant, and add the tofu, dried red pepper flakes and green onions. Stir-fry two minutes, give the sauce a stir and add to the pan. Cover and cook for three minutes. Remove the lid, stir the ingredients in the pan, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with rice or noodles.

Tip

Advance preparation: Everything can be prepped hours ahead. The cooking is last-minute. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.