Saturday, September 13, 2008

3 recipes

Yea for Millie for starting this new blog! Because my real blog is private, I thought I'd post a few recipes here that I have posted previously that are meat-free.
The first one is funky; 'funky' here means you might not want to tell people what it really is.

Linguine with Basil-Pea Cream
This comes from Cooking Light with a few modifications, not the least of which is the fact that I leave the word Pea out of the title when talking to certain family members.
3 TBS butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped leek
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided (or vegetable broth, of course)
20 oz frozen green peas
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 TBS extravirgin olive oil
2 (8oz) packages slices mushrooms
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
6 cups hot cooked linguine, about 12 oz uncooked pasta
Melt 1 TBS butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 3/4 cup broth and peas; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, add basil leaves, and simmer 5 minutes. Place pea mixture and remaining broth
and oil in a blender. Process until very very smooth (you don't want anyone to notice the peas, remember?).
Melt 2 TBS butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Stir in pea mixture and salt and pepper. Serve over cooked linguine. Garnish with additional fresh basil, if you desire. I think this recipe is better substituting about a half-cup of half and half for some of the broth.

The next recipe is also from Cooking Light. It's cooked in a crockpot. What's a Mo cooking site without a crockpot recipe? Am I right, or am I right?

Enchilada casserole:
  • 3 tablespoons diced green chiles, divided
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I also add a can of pinto beans)
  • 1 (11-ounce) can corn with red and green peppers, drained
  • 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • 1 (8 1/2 ounce) package corn muffin mix
  • 2 tablespoons chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
  • 6 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh cilantro

1. Place 2 tablespoons green chiles and next 6 ingredients (through enchilada sauce) in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 4 hours.

2. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon green chiles, egg substitute, muffin mix, and roasted bell peppers in a bowl. Spoon batter evenly over bean mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook 1 hour or until corn bread is done.

3. Sprinkle cheese over corn bread. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Top each serving with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

Finally, because we're moving into Fall, here is one of my favorite cool weather soups:
Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup

2 (16 oz) cans fat-free low salt chicken stock/good quality vegetable stock
2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin
1 (12oz) mango nectar
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 TBS rice vinegar
1 1/2 TBS minced green onion
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 small garlic clove, crushed
cilantro for garnish
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large Dutch over, bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
Combine 1 cup of the soup with the peanut butter in a blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to pan. Stir in vinegar and next 5 ingredients and cook three minutes until thoroughly heated. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with cilantro.
This is a low fat recipe if you use low fat peanut butter. If you can tolerate a little more fat in your diet, substitute 1 cup of broth for 1 cup of light coconut milk. You'll feel even more Thai if you do it this way.

5 comments:

Lisa said...

What is mango nectar and does it really come in a can?

Elizabeth-W said...

Look in the juices section of your store. What is the brand? Hansen's, I think...It comes in a soda pop can. Another fantastic use of mango nectar is in smoothies!

Millie said...

Teach us, sensei Elizabeth!

nikko said...

Our mango nectar is usually with all the Latino foods. Jumex is the brand name.

These look so yummy!

Elizabeth-W said...

Nikko's right. That's another good place to look. I was at Walmart today and didn't see it where the juices are. But I don't go to walmart that often so I don't know where to find it there.