Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the weekend, including Teriyaki Tofu Kabobs and Black Bean Breakfast Burrito with Plantains and Mango Salsa. Enjoy!

BAKED BANANA SPLITS

This was in an old Weight Watchers email (we're talking more than 10 years ago). The plan has changed several times since then.

This recipe begins, “Try substituting any flavored extract you like in the sauce for this creative take on banana splits. Almond, maple, rum, orange -- let your imagination run wild. They're perfect for Mother's Day!”

POINTS® Value: 4 (value from when this recipe was emailed); Servings: 4; Preparation Time: 15 min; Cooking Time: 30 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 sprays cooking spray

4 large banana(s), ripe, peeled

8 oz canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained

2 Tbsp McNeil Nutritionals SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener, divided

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cups raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place bananas in pan.

Combine pineapple, 1 tablespoon of Splenda and cinnamon in a small bowl; pour over bananas. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. (Note: The canned pineapple is already sweet so omit the Splenda if you prefer.)

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, remaining tablespoon of Splenda and vanilla in another small bowl; set aside.

Place one baked banana in each of four individual serving bowls and top each with about 2 tablespoons of pineapple sauce and 1/4 cup of ricotta mixture. Top each with 1/4 cup of raspberries. Serve immediately.

Note: Okay, this is me talking. I personally would refrain from the Splenda, simply because I'm not a big fan of non-sugar/honey/maple syrup (read not-quite-sure-it's-not-synthetic) sweeteners. But that's my preference. I would use sugar or no sweetener at all. It's your call here.

WATERMELON SORBET

This came from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 8 servings.

The recipe began, “This fresh sorbet is the perfect dessert for a tropical meal.”

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 4 cups seeded and pureed watermelon

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup watermelon puree and sugar to simmer and remove it from heat. Add lime juice and zest and allow mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Add the 4 cups fresh watermelon puree to melon-lime mixture, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

TERIYAKI TOFU KABOBS

Recipe Yield: Yield 4 servingsServing Size: 2 skewers

Source: The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible

Book Title: The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/teriyaki-tofu-kabobs.

Ingredients

8 bamboo skewers

3/4 pound extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 32 cubes

1 red pepper, cut into 16 squares

1 cup canned pineapple chunks, reserve 1/2 cup juice

1 tablespoon lite soy sauce

1 clove garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

Directions

Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes to keep them from burning as you cook the skewers.

Meanwhile, put the tofu, red pepper, and pineapple chunks in a plastic bag or container with a lid. Add reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Drain, reserving marinade to baste. Thread the tofu, red pepper, and pineapple on the skewers.

Prepare an outdoor grill or oven broiler with the rack set 6 inches from the heat source. Grill or broil the kabobs about 5 minutes per side, basting with the marinade. Serve with brown rice.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 107; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 147 mg; Protein: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Carbohydrate, 1 Very Lean Meat

RED LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This is a lentil soup that defies expectations of what lentil soup can be. It is light, spicy and a bold red color (no murky brown here): a revelatory dish that takes less than an hour to make. The cooking is painless. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils (which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Purée half the mixture and return it to the pot for a soup that strikes the balance between chunky and pleasingly smooth. A hit of lemon juice adds an up note that offsets the deep cumin and chile flavors.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 45 minutes.

This was featured in “A Lentil Soup to Make You Stop, Taste and Savor and can be viewed online here.

Want to know more about making soup? Check out Samin Nosrat’s guide “How to Make Soup”.

Also, check out Melissa Clark’s guide, “Hot to Cook Beans.”

Note: The recipe originally called for either chicken or veggie broth. I've left it at simply veggie broth (for obvious reasons)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch of ground chile powder or cayenne, more to taste

1 quart vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup red lentils

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

BLACK BEAN BREAKFAST BURRITO WITH PLANTAINS AND MANGO SALSA

This comes from the March 2015 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 36. It begins, “Ripe plantains have a starchy consistency like potatoes, but with more fiber.” Serves 4 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

2 cups sliced ripe plantains (2 medium)

1 lime, juiced and zest grated (2 Tbs. juice and 1 tsp. zest)

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup prepared mango salsa, plus more for serving, optional

4 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed

Combine plantains, lime juice, and 1/2 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover pan, and simmer 20 minutes, or until plantains are very soft. Mash with fork or potato masher, and stir in lime zest. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Combine beans and salsa in small saucepan; warm over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Spread heaping 1/4 cup plantains on bottom half of each tortilla, leaving 2-inch border. Top with 1/2 cup bean mixture. Fold sides of tortilla over filling, then roll from bottom up. Serve with additional salsa, if using.

nutritional information Per Burrito: Calories: 349; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 72 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 779 mg; Fiber: 9 g; Sugar: 18 g; Vegan

EXTRA-EASY SPINACH LASAGNA

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “No need to cook the lasagna noodles...just layer them right in the pan with the cheeses, spinach and tomato-mushroom sauce.”

Serves: 8 servings (1 cup each); Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 50 minutes

View this online here.

Ingredients

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)

1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce

6 uncooked lasagna noodle

1/4 cup water

Directions

Stir the ricotta cheese, spinach and 1 cup mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl.

Spread 1 cup sauce in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles and half the spinach mixture. Repeat the layers. Top with the remaining sauce. Slowly pour water around the inside edges of the baking dish. Cover.

Bake at 400°F. for 40 minutes. Uncover the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until it's hot and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Tip: To thaw the spinach, microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, breaking apart with a fork halfway through heating.