Double-Post Monday

It's Double-Post Monday. Here are six recipes to help you through the day, including Red Velvet Cake and Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Minestrone. Enjoy!

BLACK-EYED PEA CHILI

This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Like any good chili, this black-eyed pea version is even tastier the second day.” Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. dried black-eyed peas (1 1/4 cups)

2 Tbs. coconut oil

1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

1 small green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 15-oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes

2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

4 green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)

Instructions:

Place black-eyed peas in large bowl, add 2 qt. water, and soak 8 hours, or overnight at room temperature. Drain, and rinse well.

Set rice cooker setting to “sauté” (or similar), and preheat 2 to 3 minutes. Add coconut oil, and heat 1 minute more. Add onion, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes; then add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes more, or until bell pepper and onion have softened. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and chili powder, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.

Adjust rice cooker setting to “slow cook” (or similar). Pour in black-eyed peas and broth. Cover, and cook 5 to 6 hours, or until beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve topped with green onions.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 308;Protein: 15 g; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 47 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 335 mg; Fiber: 14 g; Sugar: 13 g

BLACK BEAN & RED BEAN CHILI

This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “This thick, rich and satisfying chili gets an extra flavor twist from the corn and hominy. Make it with hot or mild chili powder, depending on your taste buds. If you can find canned posole—a processed corn similar to hominy— substitute it for the hominy.” Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped

1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup hot or mild chili powder, or to taste

1 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 15.5-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbs. honey or maple syrup

2 5.5-oz. cans diced green chiles

1 1/2 cups water

1 14.5-oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup cooked corn kernels (fresh or frozen), as garnish, optional

Instructions:

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrots and garlic. Cover and cook to soften the vegetables, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, beans, honey, chiles and water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cook until vegetables are tender and chili is thick, about 45 minutes. Stir in hominy, and cook to warm through.

To serve, ladle into bowls, and garnish with corn kernels, if desired.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 380; Protein: 18 g; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: g; Carbohydrates: 71 g; Cholesterol: mg; Sodium: 1 mg; Fiber: 24 g; Sugar: 7 g

ROSEMARY, OLIVE OIL AND ORANGE CAKE

This comes from Yotam Ottolenghi in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Yotam wrote, “This is a very light cake, similar to a lemon drizzle but with a ton more flavor. The rosemary and orange add delicious floral notes. A fluted Bundt pan looks especially nice. Prepare the crystallized rosemary sprigs at least 6 to 8 hours (or the day before) before serving the cake, which will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days.”

Yield: 10 servings.

This was featured in “The Bright Magic of Citrus in the Baking Pan” and can be viewed online at here.

Ingredients

For the Crystallized Rosemary:

10 small rosemary sprigs, no more than 1 inch each in size (see note)

1 egg white, lightly whisked

2 teaspoons granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar)

For the Cake:

About 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour), more to flour the pan

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon superfine sugar (caster sugar)

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from about 1 1/2 oranges)

1 1/2 tablespoons packed finely chopped rosemary leaves

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Orange Icing:

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 3/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, or 1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar

Preparation

At least 6 hours before you plan to ice the cake, prepare the crystallized rosemary: Brush rosemary on all sides with a little of the egg white and then dip it in the sugar, so the needles are lightly coated on all sides. Set aside on a wire rack to dry. Repeat with remaining rosemary.

Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a 9-inch/23-centimeter Bundt pan with half the butter and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Butter again, generously, and then flour it, tapping away the excess.

Put olive oil, superfine sugar, orange zest and chopped rosemary leaves in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until combined, then add eggs, one at a time. Whisk for another minute, until thick, then add sour cream and mix until combined on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the olive oil mixture and mix until combined. Increase speed to high and whisk for 1 minute.

Scrape batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top with a small spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. (You may want to trim the cake at this stage, if it rises unevenly, to allow it to sit flat on the plate.)

Prepare the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. When the cake has cooled, drizzle icing on top, allowing it to drip down the sides of the cake, then top with the crystallized rosemary and serve.

SLOW-COOKER VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

This recipe begins, “With a few simple steps and time in the slow cooker, you'll have this delicious and nutritious minestrone soup ready to serve.”

This is from Diabetic Connect

To view this online, go to http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/6654-vegetarian-minestrone-slow-cooker

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.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 8; Calories: 138; Carbohydrates: 25.2 g; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Protein: 6.9 g; Sodium: 941 mg; Dietary Fiber: 6.5 g

GLAZED PINEAPPLE COOKIES

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.

Cookies:

1 can 8 3/4 ozs. crushed pineapple

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsps. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

3 to 4 tbsps. liquid from pineapple

Drain pineapple, reserving liquid.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly grease cookie sheets and set aside. Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, with wooden spoon, or portable electric mixer at medium speed, cream shortening with sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add drained pineapple; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until well combined.

On a prepared cookie sheet drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove to wire rack; cool partially.

Meanwhile, make Glaze:

In a medium bowl, combine sugar with pineapple liquid; stir until smooth. Spread tops of cookies with glaze while they are still slightly warm.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

RED VELVET CAKE

We lived in Connecticut for several years while I was growing up. During this time, a lady called the local radio station and said she’d recently returned from a trip. During a stay in a fancy hotel with her husband, she had this cake in their restaurant. Returning home, she wrote to the hotel and requested a copy of the recipe, saying she’d pay for it. She received a copy of the recipe, along with a bill for $300. (This was during the mid-1960s.) Furious over the bill, she proceeded to read the recipe over the air.

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

1/2 C butter (see note)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C buttermilk

2 eggs, well beaten

1 T vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

2 T cocoa

2 1/4 C flour (sifted)

2 oz. red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour two 8” round pans.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs.

Make paste of food coloring and cocoa. Add to first mix.

Add salt and buttermilk alternately with flour. Add vanilla.

Dissolve soda in vinegar and add this last. Blend all ingredients, as little as possible. Pour into pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. When cool, split each layer horizontally.

Frosting For Red Velvet Cake

1 C butter (see note)

1 C milk

1 C sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

5 T unbleached flour

Cream butter with sugar. Cook flour and milk in saucepan until very thick, stirring the whole time. Cool. Combine 2 mixes and add vanilla, using electric mixer. Spread on cake.

NOTE: Butter must be used in the frosting, otherwise the frosting will liquefy and refuse to harden. In the cake itself, though, margarine may be used. Also, if two 9” round pans are used, layers don’t need to be cut in half.

Passover Recipes

Passover begins at sundown this evening, hence six diabetic Passover recipes, including Honey Cupcakes and Hazelnut Citrus Torte. And to all my friends who are Jewish, here's to a happy Passover. Enjoy!

MATZO TOFFEE WITH CANDIED GINGER

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Traditional matzo toffee — a Passover-friendly spin on saltine toffee — is an addictive three-layer confection of crackers, brown sugar toffee and melted chocolate. In this version, the chocolate gets a spicy boost from the addition of both fresh ginger juice and chewy candied ginger. Or substitute a topping of cacao nibs, sea salt and/or toasted, chopped nuts. Matzo toffee will keep for at least eight days, stored airtight at room temperature, which will take you through the holidays in the sweetest way possible.”

Yield: About 2 dozen pieces.

This was featured in “Closing the Seder with Something New” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 to 6 sheets matzo, preferably salted

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ginger juice, optional (see note)

Large pinch fine sea salt

6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (1 cup)

3 ounces chopped candied ginger (3/4 cup)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, allowing it to go over the edges of the pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment. Arrange matzo over parchment in one layer, breaking pieces to fit as necessary.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring butter and sugar to a boil for 3 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Stir in ginger juice and salt. Quickly pour mixture over matzos. Transfer pan to oven and bake 15 minutes until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle chocolate evenly over caramel. Let stand 5 minutes until chocolate is softened. Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate smoothly over surface of toffee. Immediately sprinkle with candied ginger. Place pan in refrigerator and chill toffee for 1 hour. Break into large pieces.

Tip

To make ginger juice, grate a 3-inch piece of peeled ginger into a fine-mesh strainer and press out the juice.

HAZELNUT CITRUS TORTE

This also comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “A touch of quinoa flour gives this hazelnut torte an underlying smokiness that makes it more complex than most. It also makes it both gluten-free and kosher for Passover. But if you can’t find quinoa flour, millet flour will work well, too, as would wheat flour (though of course it would no longer be gluten-free). With a supple, moist crumb, this torte will keep for several days, well-wrapped at room temperature, so feel free to make it ahead. Then serve it with a citrus sorbet or sweet citrus salad and a mound of whipped crème fraîche or mascarpone.”

Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour

This was also featured in “Closing the Seder with Something New” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for oiling pan

200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)

95 grams hazelnut or almond flour (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)

30 grams quinoa flour (1/3 cup)

4 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

2 grams salt (1/4 teaspoon)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with parchment and brush pan with olive oil.

Combine a third of the sugar (about 1/3 cup), the hazelnut flour and the quinoa flour in a bowl.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer to whip another third of the sugar with the egg yolks on medium speed until thick and pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon zest and the citrus juices. Fold in the dry ingredients.

In a clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg whites and salt until frothy. Beat in remaining sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 5 minutes. Fold a third of the egg-white mixture into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture in 2 batches. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Remove pan sides. Invert pan, remove parchment and turn cake right side up onto a plate.

Tip

Measurements for dry ingredients are given by weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.

HONEY CUPCAKES (for PASSOVER)

This comes from Nichelle Stephens, About.com's Cupcake expert, who writes, "Honey cake is a Jewish traditional dessert that is often served at high holidays like Passover and Rosh Hashanah. I am not Jewish, but I had my first Seder meal at the Catholic elementary school that I attended in Alabama. Now that I have gotten your attention with the previous sentence, it is important as a food writer to sample foods from different cultures and countries. The cool thing about cupcakes is that you can be inspired to bake cupcakes from food all over the world. Honey cupcakes are a nice treat for both kids and adult that will be welcomed at Passover Seder dinner along family and friends. A Passover seder is a festive holiday meal. In some ways, it is somewhat similar to Thanksgiving where families gather, but there are prayers and a ritual that happens throughout the meal. These honey cupcakes are adapted from a Baked-Delicious.com recipe that originally had whole wheat flavor. For Passover, it is necessary to use unleavened bread like matzo for baking." Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Yield: 18 cupcakes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

A pinch of salt

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup honey

1 lemon (only use the juice the zest)

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, sift the cake meal, flour, salt, spices and baking soda. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the honey and butter. Add in the lemon zest and juice and stir until well blended. Make a well in the center of the bowl that has the dry ingredients. Slowly add the honey mixture, stirring until it is well blended.

Beat the eggs and mil together in a measuring cup or small bowl. Then slowly beat into the batter. Use an ice cream scoop to pour the batter into baking cups. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center cupcake is well risen and springy.

Set the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Make a honey syrup with 4 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons water and the grated zest of one lemon. Drizzle or brush honey syrup on top. For garnish you can add lemon zest and chopped almonds or peanuts on top. Honey cupcakes keep well and taste even better after two or three days.

CHAROSET

This came from Judaism 101. It starts off, "This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used."

4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1/4 cup sweet wine

1/4 cup dry wine

1 Tbs. cinnamon

Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish.

NO-FRY POTATO AND SPINACH LATKAS

This begins, “Latkas are served at Chanukah to celebrate the miracle of a little bit of oil lasting for 8 days. Traditional latkas are usually fried in 1/4 cup of oil, so 1 latka contains about 3 grams of fat. I don't know anyone who can stop at just 1 latka, so these 'no-guilt' latkas are a terrific alternative. Each one contains just over a gram of fat – that's a miracle!

“Can be frozen. Serve with salsa, tzadziki, low-fat sour cream or yogurt.”

Yield: 24 medium latkas or 6 dozen miniatures. (3 minis equal 1 medium latka.)

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/211.shtml

Source: MealLeaniYUMM!

Author: Norene Gilletz

Ingredients

4 tsp. canola or vegetable oil, divided

3 medium Idaho potatoes

10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 medium onion

1 or 2 carrots

2 tbsp. minced fresh dill (or 2 tsp. dried dill)

2 eggs plus 2 egg whites (or 3 eggs)

1/4 c. flour (white or whole wheat)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

Place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions in your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick spray, then brush each pan with 1 tsp. of oil. (This provides a crispy exterior to the latka.)

Peel potatoes or scrub well if you don't want to peel them. Using the Grater of your processor, grate potatoes, using light pressure. Remove potatoes from processor. Insert Steel Knife and process spinach, onion, carrots and dill until fine. Add grated potatoes, eggs, egg whites and remaining 2 tsp. oil. Process with quick on/offs to mix. Quickly blend in remaining ingredients.

Drop mixture by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon to form latkas. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are nicely browned and crispy. Turn latkas over. Transfer pan from the upper rack to the lower rack and vice versa. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until brown. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 42; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 1.2 g; Sodium: 97 mg; Cholesterol: 18 mg; Carbohydrates: 6 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch

BAKED POTATO PANCAKES

Found online at http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/436.shtml Makes about 16 pancakes or 8 servings.

Ingredients

Canola oil cooking spray

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled

2 large carrots, scraped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely minced

1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

reduced-fat sour cream or applesauce (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray large non-stick baking sheet with oil spray. Coarsely grate potatoes and carrots. Place them in large sieve. Set sieve into a large bowl so it nestles securely. Squeeze vegetables to wring out as much liquid as possible. If vegetables still feel wet, pat dry with paper towels, then transfer them to a mixing bowl. Stir in flour, parsley, onion, eggs, oil, salt and pepper, making sure ingredients are well combined.

Spoon small mounds of the mixture on the baking sheet to form 2 1/2-inch pancakes, leaving 1 inch between each. Bake latkes until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning once with spatula. Pancakes can also be made in a pan, preferably non-stick, with a light coating of canola oil spray on the bottom. Heat pan to high, then reduce to medium or medium-high heat. Transfer cooked pancakes to warm plates or a serving platter and serve at once. If desired, serve with low-fat sour cream or applesauce.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving): Calories: 251; Protein:6 g; Sodium: 185 mg; Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 50 g; Exchanges: 3-1/2 Starch/Bread, 1 Lean Meat