Recipes

This month Monitor staff looked back in the archives for a selection of light, easy, delicious dishes that would be perfect for any dinner you might have.

Basic Chinese Dish
by Mrs. Florence Grannis

This recipe first appeared in May 1975 as Recipe of the Month. We at the Monitor thought it deserved a second run for the versatility of ingredients that could be used in it.

Ingredients:
1 to 2 cups cut meat (any kind) cooked or raw in quarter-inch cubes and marinate as long as you have time for in the following mixture:
2 or 3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 or 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
2 to 3 cups cut vegetables (any kind except tomatoes, potatoes, or sweet potatoes) cooked or raw, very small.
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken-flavored broth
4 tablespoons oil (butter-flavored Wesson oil, if possible.)

Method: After the above is prepared, put in wok over highest heat. Add two tablespoons oil and the meat mixture, cook five minutes, stirring constantly (can cook less if meat is already cooked.) Remove, and add two tablespoons more oil. Add vegetables and cook no more than two minutes, stirring constantly. Add meat mixture to vegetable mixture in wok along with 1/2 cup chicken-flavored broth and cornstarch; let heat very briefly until amalgamated, stirring constantly.

Cheese Soufflé
by Arlene Gashel

This recipe was originally the Recipe of the Month in April 1978. At the time, it was introduced with this note: Arlene Gashel is secretary of the NFB of DC and the wife of Jim Gashel, chief of the NFB's Washington Office.

Ingredients:
6 ounces natural cheddar cheese (not processed cheese)
6 tablespoons flour
4 eggs, separated
3/4 stick butter or margarine 
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
Pinch of red cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Method: Butter a two-quart casserole. Separate the eggs. In the top of a double boiler over boiling water, melt the butter; blend in the flour, grated cheese, and seasonings. Add the milk and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from the boiling water and let stand. Beat the egg yolks until thick. Stir the yolks into the other mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Put them in the buttered casserole and gradually pour in the cheese mixture, folding very carefully until well blended. Bake for forty-five minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Serve at once. Note: This recipe may be prepared and refrigerated for up to ten hours before baking. If you do this, place the refrigerated soufflé in a cold oven and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheesy Spinach Pie
by Eileen Rivera

This recipe originally appeared in the April-May 1989 Braille Monitor. It was introduced like this: Eileen Rivera is a former NFB scholarship winner and is now a resident of Maryland, where she actively participates in Federation work and holds (see elsewhere in this issue) a responsible position with the Wilmer Eye Clinic at Johns Hopkins.

Ingredients:
1 single pie shell
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar and/or swiss cheese
1 chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 packages frozen spinach
2 tablespoons crushed oregano
1 teaspoon each: pepper, sweet basil, salt
3 beaten eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup cottage cheese

Method: Prepare pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for twelve minutes. Remove shell from oven and spread grated cheese in the hot shell. In a large sauce pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Next, add the defrosted spinach and spices. Stir the mixture over medium heat for about five minutes. Then combine the eggs, milk, and parmesan and cottage cheeses in the pot. Stir until mixture thickens. Pour filling into the pie shell and bake for thirty to forty minutes. Great with a crisp garden salad and warm rolls.

Baked Pineapple
by Mary Ellen Jernigan

This recipe is a favorite of many longtime Federationists and Monitor readers, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
crushed Ritz Crackers

Method: Mix all ingredients together except crackers. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty to thirty-five minutes.

Old-Fashioned Ice Box Pie
by Theodora Turner

This recipe was first published in April 1992 as part of a group of recipes submitted by the National Federation of the Blind of Arkansas. At the time, Theodora Turner was a member of the Little Rock Chapter, and her husband was the president of the chapter. The associate editor then was Barbara Pierce.

Ingredients:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
juice of 2 lemons
2 eggs, separated
graham cracker crust

Method: Prepare a graham cracker crumb crust by combining and pressing against the bottom and sides of a pie plate one packet of graham crackers, crushed, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine. Bake this until golden brown (ten minutes or so at 375 degrees), or chill crust thoroughly. Combine lemon juice with beaten egg yolks, add condensed milk, and beat mixture until it thickens. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and top with meringue, made by beating two egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in three tablespoons of sugar until it is dissolved. Cover pie with plastic wrap and freeze until set.

Associate Editor's Note: I make this pie with a slight variation. Instead of preparing a sweetened meringue for the top, I fold the unsweetened stiffly beaten egg whites into the lemon mixture before spreading it into the pie crust for freezing. It is delicious.