Recipe: Lemon Risotto With Brussels Sprouts (Vegetarian, Dairy) January 22, 2010

Lemon Risotto With Brussels Sprouts

1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed
Salt to taste
2 quarts well seasoned vegetable stock, as needed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), green shoots removed, minced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to the boil, salt generously and add the Brussels sprouts. Boil two minutes, then transfer to the ice water. Drain, dry on paper towels and cut in quarters.

2. Put your stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet. Sear the Brussels sprouts just until beginning to brown, about three minutes, stirring and shaking the pan. Remove from the heat, and transfer to a plate or bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in the same skillet, or in a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown. Add the rice and the garlic, and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion, stirring in more stock when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. After 10 minutes, stir in the Brussels sprouts. Continue adding stock and stirring. When the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, in about 25 minutes, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

Yield: Serves four to six.

Advance preparation: You can begin up to several hours before serving. Proceed with the recipe and cook halfway through step 4 — that is, for about 15 minutes. The rice should still be hard when you remove it from the heat, and there should not be any liquid in the pan. Spread it in an even layer in the pan, and keep it away from the heat until you resume cooking. If the pan is not wide enough for you to spread the rice in a thin layer, transfer it to a sheet pan. Fifteen minutes before serving, bring the remaining stock back to a simmer, and reheat the rice. Resume cooking as instructed. Recipe by Martha Rose Shulman

Recipe: Pasta With Carrots, Risotto-Style (K-Dairy) January 18, 2010

Pasta with Carrots, Risotto-Style

8 cups Vegetable Stock
5 tbsp. butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 lb. gemelli (uncooked)
8 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and diced
1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Leaves from 4 sprigs parsley, chopped

1. Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low to keep stock hot.

2. Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and carrots and cook, stirring often, until pasta is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

3. Add 1 cup of the hot stock at a time to the pasta, stirring constantly; wait until almost all the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Continue cooking and adding stock (you may have some stock left over) until pasta is tender but firm to the bite, 10–15 minutes.

4. Remove pot from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp. butter and the parmigiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with parsley. Serve with more freshly grated parmigiano, if you like.

SERVES 4 – 8
Recipe adapted from Saveur Magazine, which in turn adapted it from The Minimalist Cooks Dinner by Mark Bittman (Broadway Books, 2001). If you can’t find the short, twisted “twin” pasta called gemelli, use penne instead.

Orange-Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (K-Dairy) January 17, 2010

Orange-Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes: 18 cupcakes / Preparation time: 40 minutes Total time: 1 1/2 hours

CUPCAKES

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar (or sucanat)
1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FROSTING

8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

To make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, orange juice concentrate, oil, eggs and vanilla. Fold into the flour mixture just until blended. Divide the batter among the 18 cups (each cupcake should be about half full).

Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool the pan on a rack. Remove the cupcakes from pan and cool completely before frosting, about 40 minutes.

To make the frosting: In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and orange juice concentrate until smooth.

Nutritional Information:
175 calories (36% from fat), 7 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat), 26 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 179 mg sodium, 26 mg cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.

Adapted from a recipe by the Associated Press.

Recipe: Rigatoni with Tomato and White Wine Sauce & Parmigiano Reggiano (Dairy) January 17, 2010

Ingredients

* one medium onion, finely chopped
* 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 2 cups White Wine
* 1 can of crushed tomatoes
* 1 box of rigatoni
* salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil
* Parmigiano regiano cheese

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water 8-10 minutes. In a large skillet, place extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 4-6 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add the wine. Simmer gently and cook down. Add canned tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Toss in the pasta, top with some shaved or grated Parmigiano Regiano. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe: Key Lime Cheesecake (Dairy) January 17, 2010

Delicious. Can be stored in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before serving.

Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 8 hr 25 min
Makes: 10 servings

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers or coconut bar cookies
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. lime zest
1/3 cup lime juice

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix crumbs, butter and sugar; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 min.; cool.
Beat cream cheese and milk with mixer until blended. Add zest and juice; mix well. Pour into crust.
Refrigerate 8 hours.

Recipe: Mario Batali’s Whole Grain Rigatoni with Tuscan-Style Cauliflower and Pecorino (Vegetarian/Dairy) January 15, 2010

Mario Batali’s Whole Grain Rigatoni with Tuscan-Style Cauliflower and Pecorino

4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
6 mint leaves
½ tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 5-in. head of cauliflower, about 1 to 1¼ lbs.
1-lb. rigatoni pasta
½ cup grated pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield ¼ cup

Serves: 4

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in a large spaghetti pot and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 14- to 18-in. sauté pan, heat oil until just smoking and add onion, mint and red pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove leaves and base core from cauliflower and chop into ¼-in. pieces. Break the florets away from the central core and size them similarly. Cut the core into ¼-in. coins and throw all the pieces into the sauté pan with the onions. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring regularly for about 12 to 15 minutes, until cauliflower is softened and light brown but not mushy.

Cook the rigatoni according to package instructions until “al dente,” about 8 to 12 minutes, and drain in colander. Toss hot pasta into pan with cauliflower and add grated cheese, black pepper and parsley. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

Recipe: Cream of Tomato (Vegan/Parve) January 12, 2010

Cream of Tomato Soup
Makes: 1 pot
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
5 – 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
10 cups original flavored rice or soy milk
1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
Cream from one 13 ounce can coconut milk (see below)
Onion powder, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Saute the onion in the soy sauce until it’s soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through. The coconut cream will melt as the soup heats up.

The recipe calls for the cream of one can of coconut milk. The cream is the shortening-like fat that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk. Avoid buying the cheaper brands of coconut milk because the cream is for some reason mixed in with the milk.

Source of recipe: Modified from recipe at http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/soups/cream-tomato-soup
Via OneJaguar at www.vegweb.com