Flexible Fare
MODIFY RECIPES TO MEET YOUR NEEDS
by Sandra Rudloff
Carrot
Raisin Spice Bread
This makes a great breakfast bread or lunch box treat. Adding carrots and raisins makes this bread a healthy indulgence. Makes 1 loaf.
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable
shortening
2 eggs
3/4 cup shredded
zucchini
3/4 cup shredded
carrots
1/3 cup apple
juice
1 tsp. vanilla
extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground
cloves
1/2 tsp. ground
allspice
1 2/3 cups
all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking
powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup raisins
Preheat oven to
350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch loaf pan by greasing and flouring bottom and
sides.
In a large bowl,
mix sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well.
Add zucchini,
carrots, apple juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Stir until
ingredients are well mixed.
In a small bowl,
combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir to mix and add to
carrot mixture. Stir to mix and add raisins, mixing to incorporate only.
Pour batter into
prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center
comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and transfer bread to a cooling rack;
cool completely. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
Variations:
Zucchini Raisin
Spice Bread
Omit carrots.
Increase amount of shredded zucchini to 1 1/2 cups in step 2.
Carrot Nut Spice
Bread
Omit raisins from
step 3 and use 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
Cashew
Chicken Salad
All
the ingredients you love in a Chinese-style cashew chicken entree are disguised
as a light salad. It’s great served over shredded lettuce. Servings: 4-6.
4 boneless,
skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup cashew
pieces
1/2 cup shredded
peeled carrots
1/4 cup slivered
green onions
1/2 cup coarsely
chopped water chestnuts
Dressing:
1/2 cup rice
vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable
oil
1/2 tsp. sesame
oil
1/2 tsp. ground
ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
In a large bowl,
combine chicken, cashews, carrots, green onions and water chestnuts. Stir to
mix; set aside.
In a small bowl,
combine all dressing ingredients; stir well to mix.
Pour dressing over
chicken mixture and stir well to mix. Serve over shredded lettuce.
Variations:
Almond Chicken
Salad
Omit cashews and
use 1/2 cup slivered almonds in step 1.
Cashew Turkey
Salad
Omit chicken and
use 1 large cooked turkey breast in step 1. Remove skin from cooked breast hand
chop.
Creamy Cashew
Chicken Salad
Omit vinegar and
oil from dressing and use 1 cup mayonnaise in step 2. Increase ginger to 3/4
tsp. in step 2.
Honey-Mustard
Pork Tenderloin
You
can also prepare this dish by grilling the pork and then basting with the honey
mustard sauce in the final minutes of grilling. The smoky flavor of grilling
accents the sweetness of the honey. When basting any meat with a sweet sauce,
make sure to keep the meat very low or indirect heat to prevent burning.
Servings: 4.
1 pork tenderloin,
about 2 lb.
1/2 cup apple
juice
1/2 cup grainy
mustard
1/2 cup honey
Preheat oven to
325 degrees. Spray a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut pork
tenderloin into 8 thick slices and place in a shallow dish with 1/3 cup of the
apple juice. Let mixture stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once.
In a small bowl,
combine mustard, honey and remaining apple juice. Remove pork from apple juice
and pat dry. Rub mustard mixture over pork slices and place in prepared baking
dish. Cover dish tightly with foil.
Bake pork for 30
minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately.
Variations:
Maple-Mustard Pork
Tenderloin
Substitute 1/2 cup
maple syrup for honey in step 2.
Orange-Mustard
Pork Tenderloin
Substitute freshly squeezed orange juice for apple juice in steps 1 and 2.
From Flexible Fare, by Sandra Rudloff. Copyright © 1999 by Bristol Publishing Enterprises. Excerpted by arrangement with by Bristol Publishing Enterprises. $12.95. Available in local bookstores or call 800-346-4889 or click here.
