Wednesday Recipes

It's already half-way through the week...where does the time go? Here are six recipes to help you through the day (and the rest of the week), including Scotto Cheese Lasagna and Easy Raspberry Brownies. Enjoy!

CHUNKY PIZZA SOUP

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

Ingredients

1 tb Oil, vegetable

1 Onion, chopped small

1/2 c Mushrooms, sliced

1/4 c Green peppers, slivered

1 c Tomatoes, undrained

1 c vegetable broth

1 c vegetarian Pepperoni, thin sliced

1/2 ts Basil, dried

1 c Cheese, mozzarella shredded

Directions

Preheat oven broiler. Heat oil over medium heat, stirfry onion, mushroom and green pepper till soft, not browned. Add tomatoes, broth, vegetarian pepperoni and basil, cook till heated through. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Broil till cheese melts and is bubbly.

EASY RASPBERRY BROWNIES

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, and begins, “Based on a fudgy brownie mix, these quick-to-fix brownies combine the best of sweet flavors and chewy textures. Mmm!”

Ingredients

1 package (1 pound 3.8 ounces) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Directions

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom only of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Stir brownie mix, water, oil and eggs in medium bowl until well blended. Spread in pan.

Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 1 hour.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and preserves in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over brownies. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Place chocolate and butter in small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) about 1 minute or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over brownies. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. For 18 brownies, cut 6 rows by 3 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

WHOLE WHEAT PENNE PASTA WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES

This is from Diabetes Self-Management, and can be viewed online here.

Yield: 4 servings. Serving size: 1 3/4 cups.

Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked whole wheat penne pasta (about 2 cups)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli

1 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3 ounces (about 1 cup) mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting any salt or fat. Drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, broccoli, zucchini and bell pepper. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until vegetables just begin to soften.

Add tomatoes, mushrooms, and oregano; mix well. Reduce heat to medium and cook and stir about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender and tomatoes release their juices.

Mix vegetables with pasta. Toss in feta cheese.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 264 calories, Carbohydrates: 41 g, Protein: 15 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 8 mg, Sodium: 374 mg, Fiber: 7 g

Exchanges per serving: 2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat, 2 Vegetable, 1 Meat.

SCOTTO CHEESE LASAGNA

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “This delectable lasagna makes great use of convenience products so that you've can put the dish together in just 15 minutes! While it bakes you can throw together a salad, and you've got a fabulous dinner for very little work.”

Serves: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each); Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 70 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 container (32 ounces) ricotta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

Prego® Tomato Basil & Garlic Italian Sauce or 5 cups Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce

12 lasagna noodle, cooked and drained

1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1 package (10 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Mozzarella and Garlic Loaf

Directions

Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the ricotta and the eggs in a medium bowl.

Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 1/3 cups ricotta mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat to make 2 more layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover the baking dish.

Bake at 350°F. for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Remove the lasagna from the oven. Let the lasagna stand for 1 hour.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. for the bread. Bake the bread according to the package directions.

Cut the bread into 2-inch diagonal slices. Serve the bread with the lasagna.

QUESADILLAS

Recipe Yield: Yield: 8 servings (2 wedges)

Source: Forbidden Foods Diabetic Cooking

Book Title: Forbidden Foods Diabetic Cooking

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipe/quesadillas

Ingredients

1 cup shredded Mexican Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or brick cheese

1 green onion, minced

1-3 tablespoons canned chopped green chilies (to taste)

4 8-inch flour tortillas

Chunky salsa, for topping or dip

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss together the cheese, green onion, and chilies; set aside.

Spray a medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat.

When hot, add 1 tortilla and sprinkle it with one-fourth of the cheese mixture.

When the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute, fold the tortilla in half.

Continue cooking until lightly browned and crisp on both sides, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a cutting board.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

Cut into 4 wedges with a knife or pizza cutter and serve immediately with the salsa.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 134; Fat: 6 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sodium: 211 mg; Cholesterol: 12 mg; Protein: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g; Sugars: 1 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Fat

BLUEBERRY SQUARES

This came from an old Weight Watchers' emailing list. It began, “These tasty two-ingredient squares whip up in minutes. They make a fabulous last-minute Valentine's Day treat.”

POINTS® Value: 2; Servings: 24; Preparation Time: 5 min; Cooking Time: 30 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 package angel food cake mix, about 14 1/2 oz

22 oz light fruit pie filling, blueberry

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine cake mix with blueberry filling (do not add any other ingredients). Pour batter into an ungreased 9- X 13-inch baking dish; bake for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into 24 pieces.