Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's offerings include Vegan Chinese Kung Pao Tofu and Chocolate Snacking Cake with Tangerine Glaze. Enjoy!

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

This came from a Weight Watchers email list maybe a decade or more ago. The points value is from then.

Serves: 8; 5 points

Ingredients

12 oz uncooked macaroni, elbow-type

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

12 oz fat-free evaporated milk

8 oz low-fat cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain & transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.

Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges. Reduce heat to low, add cheese & simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat & stir in mustard, salt, pepper & nutmeg.

Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish. Combine bread crumbs & Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

This is from OnTrackDiabetes, a site with some good information for diabetics and their families.

You can view this at https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/recipes/salads/winter-fruit-salad.

Ingredients

8 red apples, such as Jonathan or Gala, cored and diced

8 green Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and diced

4 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed, sliced

2 cups fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (optional)

sugar substitute, to taste (optional)

4 bananas, sliced

Directions

Place all of the fruit (except bananas), juices and liqueur (if using) in a large attractive bowl. Add sugar substitute, if using. Gently mix.

Cover bowl and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, but no longer.

Just before serving, stir in banana slices.

Nutritional Information Per serving: 131 calories (5% calories from fat), 1 g protein, 1 g total fat (0.1 g saturated fat), 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 1 mg sodium

Diabetic exchanges: 2 carbohydrate (fruit)

CHOCOLATE SNACKING CAKE WITH TANGERINE GLAZE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This moist, darkly bittersweet snacking cake is easily mixed with a whisk. Using a neutral oil rather than butter allows the chocolate flavor to shine, and gives the crumb an especially velvety texture under a sweet-tart glaze. You can use any kind of orange for the topping. Tangerines and mandarins (including clementines) are bright and spicy, but regular navel or juice oranges work just as well. Or if you can find blood oranges, the glaze will take on a pinkish hue and a sweeter, richer flavor.”

Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling.

This was featured in “Three Snacking Cakes to Change Your Afternoons”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/3 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, plus more for pan

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 ounces chopped dark chocolate (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup hot coffee

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

1/2 tablespoon finely grated tangerine zest

1 tablespoon tangerine juice

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup/115 grams confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch pan and line with parchment paper, letting the two long edges hang over the sides by at least 2 inches.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a heatproof bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Or you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water on the stove, stirring well. Whisk in hot coffee.

Whisk together flour mixture, coffee-chocolate mixture, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla. Scrape into baking pan and smooth the top. Bake until the top is springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely before glazing.

When cake is cool, make the glaze: Whisk together tangerine zest, tangerine juice and lemon juice, then whisk in confectioners’ sugar. Taste, and if it’s too sweet, add another drop or two of lemon juice. Pour glaze onto cooled cake, and spread to the edges. Let glaze set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

HEALTHIFIED BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP

This yummy recipe is from the Food Network. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

This can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 medium red-skinned potato, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

One 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Note: The recipe originally called for either chicken or vegetable broth. For obvious reasons, I've left this as just the veggie broth.

Directions

Separate the stems and the florets from the broccoli. Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough outer layers. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside separately.

Mist a large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved florets and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the entire contents of the pot with the florets to the soup along with the nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Stir in the Cheddar, Worcestershire and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the scallions.

Cook’s Note

Leftover soup should be reheated in the microwave rather than the stovetop, where the cheese will "break" or separate from the broth.

VEGAN CHINESE KUNG PAO TOFU

This is from Jolinda Hackett, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. Jolinda wrote, “Never had kung pao tofu before? Looking for something new to try for a vegetarian dinner tonight? Try this vegetarian Chinese dish!

“Although this traditional Chinese food dish is usually made with chicken, you can use tofu to create a very similar vegetarian and vegan version of traditional kung pao chicken using all the same Chinese ingredients and seasonings, including sesame oil, red pepper flakes, onion, lime and hot sauce. This vegetarian kung pao tofu recipe also calls for lots of healthy Chinese veggies including snow peas, bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms.

“Serve this Szechuan-style Chinese kung pao tofu recipe over rice.

“Need this recipe to be gluten-free as well as vegan? Double-check that your is gluten-free, and use tamari in place of the soy sauce.”

Prep Time: 45 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Yield: about 3 servings.

View this online here.

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable broth

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari to keep it gluten-free)

1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 tbsp sesame oil + 2 tbsp

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 small bok choy, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup snow peas

1/2 small purple cabbage, sliced thin

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp hot sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare your tofu. Like most vegetarian tofu recipes, this tofu recipe will taste best if you press the tofu first. This allows the tofu to absorb more of the flavorings and seasonings which you add to it.

Once your tofu is ready, combine the 3 tbsp vegetable broth, lime juice, soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil and the tofu in a small bowl. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, mixing occasionally to coat the tofu well.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Grease a baking sheet or cover with foil and bake tofu for 15 minutes, turning once.

In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, saute the onion, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, mushrooms and ginger in 2 tbsp sesame oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bok choy and vegetable broth and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes. Add cabbage and snow peas.

Reduce heat to low and add tofu and remaining ingredients, cooking just until combined and heated through. Serve over rice.

FRESH STRAWBERRY PIE

This is from Samantha Seneviratne in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Samantha wrote, “This pie is a celebration of perfectly ripe, summertime strawberries. Only two cups of the berries are cooked down into a quick jam, which holds the rest of the fruit together for a delightfully fresh pie. With a crunchy shortbread crust and a cloud of freshly whipped cream, it’s reminiscent of strawberry shortcake — but maybe even better.”

Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 45 minutes, plus chilling

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019379-fresh-strawberry-pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

10 2/3 ounces shortbread cookies (2 5.3-ounce packages)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling

2 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 8 to 10 cups), hulled

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons strawberry preserves

1/4 cup cornstarch

Pinch of kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Topping

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

Preparation

Prepare crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine shortbread cookies, sugar, flour and salt and blend until you have fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Add butter and mix with a fork until crumbs are evenly moistened. Tip crumbs into a standard 9-inch pie plate and press them in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Bake until golden brown and set, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Prepare filling: Cut each of the strawberries in quarters or eighths, if they are large. Transfer 2 cups berries to a small saucepan and crush completely with a potato masher. Set aside the remaining berries in a large bowl. Add the sugar, preserves, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water and salt to the saucepan.

Bring strawberry mixture to a boil over medium heat and then cook it an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add strawberry mixture and lemon juice to the strawberries in the bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared crust and gently tap it down into an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

Just before serving, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, if using, to soft peaks. Top pie with whipped cream.