Friday Recipes

Finally, Friday! Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend. Enjoy!

KATHARINE HEPBURN'S BROWNIES

This came in a recent New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “Much like its author, this recipe is a no-fuss classic. It calls for just 1/4 cup of flour, which yields an incredibly rich and gooey brownie, and it's super easy to make. So easy, in fact, that baking a batch of these might just become part of your weekend routine.” Time: about 45 minutes; makes 12 brownies

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 cup chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

Preparation

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.

Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool, then cut into bars.

BURRATA WITH ROMANO BEANS AND ROASTED EGGPLANT

One of my favorite cooking emails is The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. There are so many great recipes here! If you haven’t signed up already, you really should.

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Although burrata is inarguably the star of this stunning summery salad, roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes and Romano beans add a brilliant mix of colors, textures and flavors to the creamy mozzarella. The eggplant is soft and rich; the tomatoes, juicy and sweet; and the Romano beans, which look like flat, broad green beans, add a nice crunch. Then, to season it all, the vegetables are tossed with a piquant mix of garlic oil, capers, olives and fresh herbs. Serve this as a light meal or a first course, with grilled or toasted country bread, perhaps smeared with a little of the garlic confit left over from making the garlic oil.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 1 hour.

I had never heard of burrata before (I can almost hear a few gasps of disbelief), but for others who might not have heard of it, either, I checked online and discovered that it is a “fresh Italian cheese made mozzarella and cream.” (from Wikipedia)

This was featured in “Consider This Permission to Eat Burrata for Dinner”, and can be found online here.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds eggplant, diced in 1-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed for cooking beans

8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed

6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 pound Romano beans, trimmed

1/4 cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 cup torn fresh mint

1/4 cup torn fresh basil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, more as needed

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, as needed

Black pepper, as needed

12 ounces burrata

Crusty bread, toasted or grilled, for serving

Preparation

Put eggplant in a colander. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and let stand in the sink to drain for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, make garlic oil: Place garlic cloves in a small pot and cover with 1/3 cup olive oil. Place over very low heat and cook gently until soft and pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Mash garlic with a fork, then strain the oil into a jar or little bowl, pressing hard on the solids. (Use the solids, which is garlic confit, as a spread for bread or keep to mix into vinaigrettes or marinades. It will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Squeeze out as much excess liquid from eggplant as possible (or pat very dry). Toss eggplant with 1/3 cup olive oil and spread out on one or two rimmed baking sheets so the pieces aren’t touching. (This makes for the best browning.) Roast, tossing once or twice, until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer eggplant to a bowl and toss with tomatoes and 3 tablespoons garlic oil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in Romano beans and cook until just tender, 3 to 6 minutes depending on their size and thickness. Drain well under cold running water. Cut into 1-inch pieces; add to bowl of eggplant.

Toss olives, capers, mint, basil, vinegar and a little more garlic oil into salad. Season with flaky salt and pepper.

Place cheese in the center of a serving platter and surround with salad. Drizzle with more garlic oil if you like, and sprinkle with more flaky sea salt. Serve with crusty bread.

BROCCOLI FRITTATA

Yield: 4 Servings

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/692.shtml

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese

1/2 tsp dried dill

2 cup fat-free egg substitute

2 cups frozen chopped broccoli

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp margarine

1 large onion, diced

Directions

Mix cottage cheese and egg substitute together; set aside.

In large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, saute onions in oil for 5 minutes, or until soft.

Add broccoli and dill; saute for 5 minutes, or until broccoli mixture softens. Set vegetable aside.

Wipe out frying pan. Add 1 tsp. margarine and swirl the pan to distribute it. Add half of the vegetable mixture, and then add half of the egg mixture; lift and rotate pan so that eggs are evenly distributed.

As eggs set around the edges, lift them to allow uncooked portions to flow underneath. Turn heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until top is set.

Invert onto a serving plate and cut into wedges.

Repeat with remaining 1 tsp. margarine, vegetable mixture, and egg mixture.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 150; Calories from Fat: 30; Protein: 19 g; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 390 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 2 Meat; 1 Fat

SPICY GINGERBREAD CAKE

This dairy-free vegan recipe is from One Green Planet. Serves 12.

This can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 oz fresh ginger, finely grated

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

3/4 cup sugar in the raw

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 cup peanut oil

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup water

2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp egg-replacement (such as, ener-g egg)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Peel and chop the fresh ginger very fine with a sharp knife

In a medium sized bowl, mix molasses, corn syrup, sugar-in-the-raw and peanut oil

In a separate bowl, using a whisk comebine flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt and black pepper

Bring water to a boil and stir in baking soda. Add the hot water to the molasses mixture and mix. Then stir in the freshly grated ginger.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture.

Mix the egg replacer with 3 tbsp of water and add to the batter, mixing until everything is combined.

Pour batter into desired cake pans or muffin cups and bake for about twenty minutes, or until the cake springs back to a gentle touch.

CINNAMON-APPLE FRENCH TOAST

This vegan recipe, from page 38 of the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, starts off, “Tart apples like Pippin, Empire, Winesap and Granny Smith retain their shapes when cooked, so choose them for this recipe.” Serves 6 in 30 minutes or less.

Apple Topping

4 large tart, firm apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

French Toast

2 cups plain or vanilla soymilk

1/2 cup apple butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

12 slices soft-crust French bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick

To make Topping: Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Saute apples 5 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar and cinnamon, and cook 5 to 10 minutes more, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice, and remove from heat.

To make French Toast: Blend soymilk, apple butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in blender until smooth. Pour into shallow bowl.

Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Dip bread slices into batter, coating evenly. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place 2 slices bread on each plate, and divide topping among servings.

Per serving: 273 cal; 6 g protein; 1.5 g total fat (0.5 g sat. fat); 55 g carb; 0 mg chol; 345 mg sodium; 3 g fiber; 25 g sugars

ULTIMATE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

This is from page 53 of the November 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts out, “The Native American “three sisters”—corn, beans, and squash—come together in these individual holiday entrées stuffed with corn pudding and black beans.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

3 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.), divided

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded

1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder, plus more for sprinkling squash

1/2 tsp. ground coriander, plus more for sprinkling squash

3 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels, divided

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

4 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil

3 oz. soft goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (1/3 cup)

3 oz. grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3/4 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops, optional

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large poblano chile or 1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

8 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oil and 2 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl. Brush squash halves with garlic oil, and sprinkle lightly with ancho chile powder and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and place on large baking sheet.

Pulse 2 cups corn kernels in food processor until finely chopped and milky. Set aside.

Whisk 1/2 tsp. each coriander and ancho chile powder into cornmeal, along with sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne (if using) in medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in separate bowl. Whisk in butter, then puréed corn, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, goat cheese, Cheddar, and remaining 2 tsp. garlic. Fold in cornmeal mixture with spatula, then fold in black beans, poblano chile, and green onions.

Divide filling among squash halves. Sprinkle each squash with extra Cheddar (if using).

Bake squash halves 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash are tender and filling is set. Sprinkle with green onions. Squash can be prepared 24 hours ahead, then reheated 20 minutes at 325°F.

nutritional information Per Stuffed squash half: Calories: 425; Protein: 15 g; Total Fat: 20 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Carbohydrates: 53 g; Cholesterol: 80 mg; Sodium: 533 mg; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 6 g; Gluten-Free