Friday Recipes

It's Friday! Here's to weekends...And here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Casserole and Peach and Raspberry Crumble. Enjoy!

THE CAKE

This recipe was given to my mom by a friend, who worked as a lawyer for years. She was married to an Episcopal priest; both were involved in the civil rights movement.

This recipe can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.

1 package (18 oz.) yellow cake mix

1 egg, unbeaten

3/4 C oil

1 package (small) vanilla pudding

3/4 C sherry

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Put ingredients in bowl. Beat for 5 minutes. Pour into greased tube cake pan or mold. Bake for 45 minutes.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

This comes from Publix. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe originally called for 1 cup chicken or veggie broth. Obviously, I've deleted the chicken broth and am keeping it as only veggie broth.

12 ounces of dried linguine, ziti, or penne pasta

2 Tbl olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, sliced

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 medium red sweet pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow sweet pepper, sliced

1 small zucchini, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 C chicken or veggie broth

1 C snipped fresh basil

1/4 C finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 Tbls pine nuts, toasted

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to saucepan; cover & keep warm.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic & onions; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in carrots & sweet peppers. Cook & stir for 3 minutes. Add zucchini, salt, & pepper. Stir in chicken or veggie broth. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 minute or until vegetables are just tender.

Stir vegetable mixture & basil into pasta & toss. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with cheese & pine nuts. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: Calories: 443; fat: 20 g (9 g sat. fat); chol: 38 mg; sodium: 328 mg; carbs: 51 g; fiber: 6 g; protein: 14 g.

PEACH AND RASPBERRY CRUMBLE

This is from Diabetes Self-Management

Yield: 6 servings.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Baking time: 30-35 minutes.

Butter-flavor cooking spray

1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in juice, drained

1 package (12 oz) unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed

1 C quick-cooking oats, uncooked

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbs reduced-calorie stick margarine, melted

2 Tbs honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8”X8” baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange peach slices evenly in bottom of the pan. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over peaches. Set aside. In bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon and mix with fork, breaking up brown sugar clumps. Add margarine & honey; stir to combine. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake uncovered for 30 – 35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly. Portion into 6 equal servings. Serve alone or over low-fat, no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream.

Per serving: Calories: 185; Carbs: 33g; Fat: 4 g (sat. fat: 1 g); Sodium: 70 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat

TUSCAN-STYLE QUINOA

This is from the November 2005 issue of Runner’s World.

1 1/2 C quinoa

3 C water

2 Tbls olive oil

3 coves garlic, minced

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

6 C shredded Swiss chard

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

1/3 C Parmesan cheese

Place one tablespoon of the olive oil in saucepan, heat to medium-high, pour in quinoa to toast for four minutes. Cover with water, turn down to simmer, cook for 15 minutes until tender. Heat nonstick skillet with remaining olive oil & sauté garlic & onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add chard & sauté until wilted. Add tomato & heat through. Fold in cooked quinoa, season with salt, pepper, & chili flakes to taste, & top with Parmesan cheese. Let stand 3-5 minutes to blend flavors.

AU GRATIN POTATOES

This was in a Weight Watchers' email years ago. The recipe begins, “Our cheesy potato dish is the perfect crowd pleaser: rich enough for your spouse and kids, yet light enough to keep your waistline slim.”

The POINTS® Value at that time listed this as 3 points.

Servings: 8; Preparation Time: 20 min; Cooking Time: 90 min; Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

1 sprays cooking spray

1 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cup fat-free skim milk

2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 2-quart covered baking dish with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour; add milk slowly, stirring. Add potatoes and stir to mix. Bring to a boil. Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and level out surface. Bake for 1 hour, uncovered. Cover and bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes more.

Change oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes. Broil 6 inches from the heating element until the cheese is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

TEX-MEX RICE AND BEAN CASSEROLE

This is from Weight Watchers. Total Time: 55 minutes; Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 40 minutes; Serves: 6; Difficulty: Easy; Points: 5

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 spray cooking spray

1 cup canned yellow corn, drained, or frozen, thawed corn kernels

1 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, chopped, mild or hot

15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup long grain cooked brown rice, fresh or day old

7/8 cup Weight Watchers Reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese

3/4 cup fat free sour cream

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp table salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp uncooked scallion(s), chopped (dark green part only)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, 3/4 cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt and pepper; stir in scallions.

Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into 6 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes

Change the beans or cheese to your liking: white or black beans, reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheeses all work well.If you want to brown the cheese more, place the dish (make sure it's broiler safe) under the broiler for a minute or two.