Four new recipes for the week. My friend Tess inadvertently guilted me into doing more than oatmeal or eggy sandwiches for breakfast on Christmas morning. She had this Holiday menu that was darn impressive. I had, well, nothing. So I tried the Monkey Bread:
Monkey Bread (Ckng Lght, Oct 2011)
This is a "make-over" recipe, moving away from refrigerated biscuits and a stick butter (ahh...guilty as charged). However, the three hour prep is a bit of a turn-off. I decided to employ some of my bread making knowledge and I did step one the night before, allowing the dough to rise overnight in the fridge and proceeding with step two in the morning.
It worked...okay. The second rise took longer because the dough was chilly which ultimately didn't save me any time. In hindsight, I should have done through step THREE the night before and allowed the cinnamon covered rolls to rise overnight, then baked in the morning. I skipped the glaze - it's plenty sweet already. I would definitely do this recipe again, as far as bread making goes, it's pretty easy, and I liked the lightened version.
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| Photo from Cookinglight.com |
- 13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
- 4.75 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package quick-rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 cup very warm fat-free milk (120° to 130°) NOTE: I warmed the milk, oj, honey and butter in one pan
- 1/4 cup very warm orange juice (120° to 130°)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-
4 1/2 tablespoons fat-free milk, divided 2 tablespoons butter, melted-
1/2 cup powdered sugar -
1 tablespoon 1/3-less-fat cream cheese 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
- Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached; mix until combined. With mixer on, slowly add 1 cup milk, juice, honey, and 2 tablespoons butter; mix dough at medium speed 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
- Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Combine 3 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.
- Punch dough down; divide into 8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll into an 8-inch rope. Cut each dough rope into 8 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a 1-inch ball. Dip each ball in milk mixture, turning to coat, and roll in sugar mixture. Layer balls in a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 dough ropes. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool 5 minutes on a
wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of bread; invert onto plate.
Combine powdered sugar, remaining milk, and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until warm. Drizzle over bread.
Sidney Fry, MS, RD, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011
Vegetable and Squash Curry with Rice (Vegetarian Slowcooker by Judith Finlayson)
A delightful mix of carrots, celery, red pepper and squash with flavors reminiscent of the far East. Don't be put off by the "curry" - nothing spicy in this one except the chili pepper, which you can omit. I pulled this one together in an evening, cooking on high for about 3 1/2 hours rather than overnight. This made a lot. It almost didn't fit into my slowcooker!
This one is GF and vegan.
I used my favorite method of baking basmati rice to serve along side; brown rice would be just as tasty. This method by Cooks Illustrated is, seriously, fool-proof.
4 cups diced squash
2 cups diced carrots
2 onions, chopped (I used only 1)
2 stalks celery, chopped,
1 red pepper, chopped
1 sm chili pepper, diced
4 gloves garlic, diced
1 tsp gingerroot, finely diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 cup coconut milk
...I'm doing this from memory and I seem to be forgetting something..?
**Author's method - she sautes everything but the squash and red bell before putting into slowcooker.
My method - combine everything but coconut milk in a slowcooker. Cook on low 8 hours, high for 3-4 hours. Add coconut milk and let cook for another 1/2 hour.
Cooks Illustrated Fool Proof Brown Rice
1 1/2 cups brown rice (or basmati)
2 1/3 cups water
dash of salt - optional (I skip)
dash of butter or oil - optional (I skip)
1) preheat oven to 375*
2) lightly oil a 9x9 glass casserole or cake pan
3) bring water to a boil
4) put rice in pan with salt and oil if using. If cooking basmati rice, rinse under cold water, then place in pan.
5) pour boiling water over rice. Cover tightly with two sheets of aluminum foil.
6) bake 1 hour. Remove. Unseal and fluff with fork. Re-cover and let stand 5-10 minutes.
**At this point I usually let the rice cool and transfer to my storage container for lunches.
Steelcut Oats with Wheat Berries and Apples (Vegetarian Slowcooker by Judith Finlayson)
This was one of the best slow-cooked oatmeal recipes I've come across. You really don't need any extra sweetener. This cooks up creamy, thick and very flavorful. If you need breakfast for a crowd - this would be it! Even if not feeding a crowd, leftovers can be easily re-heated, saving time in the morning - just add more milk. This made 4 breakfasts for us.
1 1/2 cups Steel-cut oats
1/2 cups Wheat, Spelt or Kamut berries (I used wheat berries)
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I think this could be increased, but no more than 1 tsp. Apple pie spice would be good too.)
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup cranberry or apple juice
Combine in your slowcooker. Cook on low 8 hrs or overnight; cook on high 3-4 hours.
Squash with Pasta and Blue Cheese (Ckng Lght Dec 2012)
This was seriously good. Very simple to assemble, made easier with the husbands assistance of prepping the squash before I got home. While the squash bakes, everything else can be prepped and readied. It comes together darn near seamlessly. The blue cheese adds some great tang to the sweetness of the butternut squash and the toasted walnuts should not be skipped. I skipped the garlic because I was out - didn't miss it.
Vegetarian. Can be made GF if you sub rice noodles and use cornstarch or arrowroot for the 1 tbsp flour thickener.
OCTOBER 2011
Vegetable and Squash Curry with Rice (Vegetarian Slowcooker by Judith Finlayson)
A delightful mix of carrots, celery, red pepper and squash with flavors reminiscent of the far East. Don't be put off by the "curry" - nothing spicy in this one except the chili pepper, which you can omit. I pulled this one together in an evening, cooking on high for about 3 1/2 hours rather than overnight. This made a lot. It almost didn't fit into my slowcooker!
This one is GF and vegan.
I used my favorite method of baking basmati rice to serve along side; brown rice would be just as tasty. This method by Cooks Illustrated is, seriously, fool-proof.
4 cups diced squash
2 cups diced carrots
2 onions, chopped (I used only 1)
2 stalks celery, chopped,
1 red pepper, chopped
1 sm chili pepper, diced
4 gloves garlic, diced
1 tsp gingerroot, finely diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 cup coconut milk
...I'm doing this from memory and I seem to be forgetting something..?
**Author's method - she sautes everything but the squash and red bell before putting into slowcooker.
My method - combine everything but coconut milk in a slowcooker. Cook on low 8 hours, high for 3-4 hours. Add coconut milk and let cook for another 1/2 hour.
Cooks Illustrated Fool Proof Brown Rice
1 1/2 cups brown rice (or basmati)
2 1/3 cups water
dash of salt - optional (I skip)
dash of butter or oil - optional (I skip)
1) preheat oven to 375*
2) lightly oil a 9x9 glass casserole or cake pan
3) bring water to a boil
4) put rice in pan with salt and oil if using. If cooking basmati rice, rinse under cold water, then place in pan.
5) pour boiling water over rice. Cover tightly with two sheets of aluminum foil.
6) bake 1 hour. Remove. Unseal and fluff with fork. Re-cover and let stand 5-10 minutes.
**At this point I usually let the rice cool and transfer to my storage container for lunches.
Steelcut Oats with Wheat Berries and Apples (Vegetarian Slowcooker by Judith Finlayson)
This was one of the best slow-cooked oatmeal recipes I've come across. You really don't need any extra sweetener. This cooks up creamy, thick and very flavorful. If you need breakfast for a crowd - this would be it! Even if not feeding a crowd, leftovers can be easily re-heated, saving time in the morning - just add more milk. This made 4 breakfasts for us.
1 1/2 cups Steel-cut oats
1/2 cups Wheat, Spelt or Kamut berries (I used wheat berries)
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I think this could be increased, but no more than 1 tsp. Apple pie spice would be good too.)
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup cranberry or apple juice
Combine in your slowcooker. Cook on low 8 hrs or overnight; cook on high 3-4 hours.
Squash with Pasta and Blue Cheese (Ckng Lght Dec 2012)
This was seriously good. Very simple to assemble, made easier with the husbands assistance of prepping the squash before I got home. While the squash bakes, everything else can be prepped and readied. It comes together darn near seamlessly. The blue cheese adds some great tang to the sweetness of the butternut squash and the toasted walnuts should not be skipped. I skipped the garlic because I was out - didn't miss it.
Vegetarian. Can be made GF if you sub rice noodles and use cornstarch or arrowroot for the 1 tbsp flour thickener.
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| photo from Cookinglight.com |
- 4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/3 pounds)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- Cooking spray
- 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi (I used campanelle)
- 1 cup prechopped onion
-
1 tablespoon minced garlic - 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Combine squash, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 24 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta; keep warm.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in 1/2 cup milk, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk, flour, and yolks in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Slowly add egg mixture to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently with a whisk.
- Combine squash, pasta, and milk mixture in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts.
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