Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

Veggie pinwheels

Prep time: 20 minutes

Chilling time: 2 hours Serves 1

Recipe from “The Healthy Lunchbox” by Marie McClendon and Cristy Shauck (Small Steps Press, $12.95, 148 pages).

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese

1½ teaspoons fat-free ranch dressing

1 10-inch wheat tortilla

2 tablespoons broccoli, cooked or raw, finely chopped

2 tablespoons carrots, finely shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir ranch dressing into cream cheese. Spread mixture within ¼ inch of entire edge of tortilla.

In a bowl, mix broccoli, carrots and optional ingredients such as 1½ teaspoons sunflower seeds; 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, patted dry and finely chopped; 1½ teaspoons golden raisins; 1 tablespoon water chestnuts, chopped; or 1 tablespoon mango chutney. Sprinkle a thin layer of mixture on tortilla within ¼ inch of edge. Roll up; pin with toothpicks. Chill at least 2 hours. Slice into pinwheels 1 inch thick.

Per serving: 274 cal.; 8 g pro.; 49 g carb.; 5 g fat (1 sat., 3 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 1 mg chol.; 521 mg sod.; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 16 percent calories from fat.

Asian pasta salad

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves 6

Recipe from “The Laptop Lunch” by Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring (Morning Run Press, $8.99, 96 pages).

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces pasta

1 cup broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces

1½ cups green beans, sugar snap peas, cabbage or zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces

3/4 cup carrots, cut into thin 1-inch strips

1 clove minced garlic (optional)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup bean sprouts

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil pasta in large pot of boiling water until it is half cooked. Add all vegetables, except bean sprouts, and boil until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender.

Drain and place in large bowl.

Mix together garlic (if using), sesame oil and soy sauce for dressing.

Add the sesame seeds, cilantro, bean sprouts and dressing to the pasta. Toss well.

Per serving using cabbage: 215 cal.; 10 g pro.; 32 g carb.; 5 g fat (1 sat., 2 monounsat., 2 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 457 mg sod.; 4 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 23 percent calories from fat.

Veggie tortilla bites

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 1

Recipe adapted from “The Lunchbox Book: Nutritional and Creative Ideas To Liven Up Your Packed Lunch” (New Holland Publishers, $12.95, 72 pages).

INGREDIENTS

1 medium potato, cut into small chunks

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup frozen green peas

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil potato chunks until tender, drain. Fry in olive oil in a nonstick frying pan until lightly browned. Add red bell pepper and cook until softened. Stir in frozen peas, then pour in eggs. Season and cook until eggs are set on bottom. Slide pan under a hot grill or broiler and cook until the top is set.

Cool and cut into wedges.

Per serving: 438 cal.; 24 g pro.; 31 g carb.; 24 g fat (6 sat., 13 monounsat., 3 polyunsat., 2 other); 637 mg chol.; 819 mg sod.; 4 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 50 percent calories from fat.

Rice triangles

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 4 (12 triangles total)

Recipe from “The Laptop Lunch” by Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring (Morning Run Press, $8.99, 96 pages).

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole-grain sushi rice, dry

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoon sweet sake or mirin

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

6 sheets nori seaweed

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash rice, drain and cook as directed. While rice is cooking, prepare vinegar sauce by mixing together vinegar, salt, sugar and sake or mirin. Toss with cooked rice. Add sesame seeds and toss again. Allow rice to cool.

Wet hands and mold rice mixture into 1-inch-thick triangles with 2½-inch sides.

Cut nori sheets in half and wrap each rice triangle in one half sheet.

For variety, shape rice into logs, spheres, cubes and pyramids.

Per triangle: 157 cal.; 3 g pro.; 33 g carb.; trace fat; 0 mg chol.; 209 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 4 percent calories from fat.

Chicken salad

Prep time: 25 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe by Food Network Kitchens. Note: Prep time does not include the time to make the poached chicken.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups diced poached chicken, (recipe below)

1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, or 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise

2 teaspoons strained, freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

In a mixing bowl, toss together chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined.

Serve on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes in half an avocado, or in a chicken club sandwich made with bread, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce.

Per serving based on 6 servings: 427 cal.; 29 g pro.; 1 g carb.; 32 g fat (6 sat., 1 monounsat., 1 polyunsat., 24 other); 106 mg chol.; 927 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 71 percent calories from fat.

Poached chicken

Prep time: 50 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 cups

Note: Prep time includes the 30-minute standing time for the chicken in the broth.

INGREDIENTS

10 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 small onion, halved

1 small carrot, halved

1 stalk celery, halved

3 pounds chicken breast halves, on the bone and fat trimmed

5 to 6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned

INSTRUCTIONS

Put parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth and bring just to a boil. Lower heat to very low and cover. Poach chicken for 20 minutes or until firm to touch. Remove pan from heat, uncover, and cool chicken in the liquid for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and reserve liquid. Bone and skin the chicken and cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Discard the bones and skin.

Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for later use. Remove any fat from the surface of the broth before using.

Per 1/2 cup: 115 cal.; 22 g pro.; 0 g carb.; 3 g fat (1 sat., 1 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 60 mg chol.; 52 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 21 percent calories from fat.

Hof Brau’s salad

I have been eating the carrot and raisin salad served at Plaza Hof Brau for years. It used to be Sam’s Hof Brau, located at Watt and El Camino avenues.

Does anyone have this recipe or one similar?

– Mary E. Godfrey, Sacramento

Rescue two recipes

Years ago, The Bee had a couple of recipes that I saved but were stolen in a burglary. One was for wilted celery soup and the other was for mustard potatoes made with mustard seeds and curry powder.

I would appreciate very much if anyone had these recipes and would share them. Thank you so much.

– Lynn Paulson, Modesto

Frank Fat’s banana cream

Some years ago, The Bee printed Frank Fat’s banana cream pie recipe. I can’t find my copy.

Does anyone have this recipe?

– Tracy A. DeVore, Sacramento

Fabulous fried onion rings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: About 5 minutes per batch

Serves 6

Virginia Forsyth of Sacramento was looking for a good recipe for fried onion rings.

Gayle McKenzie of Folsom shares this recipe, which she found in a 1976 issue of Family Circle magazine. She has used it for years and says it has never let her down and is absolutely the best. She can confirm that these onion rings hold very well in a warm oven for several hours, just like the recipes says.

Note: The prep time does not include the minimum 3-hour standing time for the beer batter before it is used.

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups beer, active or flat, cold or at room temperature

3 very large yellow onions (use Bermudas, if you wish)

3 to 4 cups shortening

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine flour and beer in a large bowl and blend thoroughly using a whisk. Cover the bowl and allow the batter to sit at room temperature for no less that 3 hours.

Twenty minutes before the batter is ready, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place brown paper (from supermarket bags) or layers of paper towels on a jellyroll pan. Carefully peel the papery skins from the onions so that you do not cut into the outside onion layer. Cut onions into 1/4-inch thick slices. Separate the slices into rings and set aside.

On top of the stove, melt enough shortening in a 10-inch skillet to come 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Heat the shortening to 375 degrees (use a deep-frying thermometer).

With metal tongs, dip a few onion rings into the batter. Then carefully place them in the hot fat. Fry rings, turning them once or twice until they’re an even, delicate golden color. Now transfer to the paper-lined jellyroll pan. To keep warm, place them on the middle shelf of the preheated oven until all the onion rings have been fried. They can be held in the warm oven for several hours and still retain their crispiness and crunchiness.

To freeze: Fry rings and drain on brown paper at room temperature. Arrange on jellyroll pan and freeze. When frozen, pack in plastic bags and return to freezer.

To reheat: Arrange frozen rings on jellyroll pan and place in a preheated 400-degree oven for 4 to 6 minutes.

Per serving using all batter: 480 cal.; 5 g pro.; 35 g carb.; 34 g fat (10 sat., 11 monounsat., 13 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 7 mg sod.; 3 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 64 percent calories from fat.

HOW TO CONTACT THE MAILBOX

If you have recipes in reply to Mailbox reader requests, or questions or comments, write to: Mailbox, c/o Taste, The Sacramento Bee, P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852. You also can e-mail twatson@sacbee.com or fax (916-556-5625). Please include your full name, your city and phone number.