OVEN-ROASTED SPICED CARROTS

2 lbs medium carrots, cut into 2-in pieces

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1.8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

dash of ground cloves

dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. 

In a large bowl, toss carrots with the oil. Mix the seasoning; sprinkle over carrots and toss to coat.

Arrange carrots in a single layer in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Roast 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp tender, stirring occasionally.

Yield: 8 servings Per serving: 93 cal, 5g fat (1g sat), 200mg sodium, 11g cafrbs,3g fiber, 1g protein Diabetic Exchanges: 1 veg, 1 fat

I recommend eating these carrots with a lean protein item.

TOH 2015

SCALLOPED PORTOBELLO & CAULIFLOWER

1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets (around 7 cups)

1 lb sliced baby portobello mushrooms

3/4 cup water

6 tbsp butter, divided

4 shallots, finely chopped

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp paprika

1 1/4 cups half-and-half cream

3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place 1-inch of water and cauliflower florets in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.

In a large saucepan, combine mushrooms and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Drain. reserving 1/3 cup of the liquid.

In the same saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until hot. Add the shallots and the drained mushrooms. Cook mixture, while stirring, until shallots are tender and lightly browned. Stir in the flour, salt and paprika until blended then gradually stir in the cream and the reserved mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened.

Place cauliflower in a greased 11x7-inch dish and cover with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, then breadcrumbs. Dot with the remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Yield: 8 servings Per serving: 169 cal, 8g fat (5g sat), 275 mg sodium, 17g carbs, 3g fiber, 9g protein

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MY FAVORITE STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

This is a recipe I got 45 years ago when we lived in Las Vegas, Nevada during our Air Force years.  I loved it then and I still love it.  The good thing is I still enjoy this even as a diabetic.  I did make a few changes after my diabetes diagnoses; I now use brown rice and low-sodium tomato soup.  Once I was diagnosed with diabetes and started studying nutrition, I did away with all refined grains and use only whole grains.

8 large cabbage leaves
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 lb lean ground beef*
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook cabbage leaves in a large pan of boiling, salted water for a few minutes, just until softened; drain and allow to cool enough to handle.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the soup with the beef, rice, onion, egg, salt, and pepper. Divide the mixture among the 8 cabbage leaves. Fold the sides of the cabbage leaves in over the mixture and roll up.  Secure rolls with toothpicks.

In a large skillet with a lid, place the cabbage rolls seam side down. Pour the remaining soup over the rolls.

Place lid on skillet and bring to hot over medium-low heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 40 minutes.  Stir occasionally, spooning sauce over the rolls.

*Ground chicken or turkey may be substituted, if you prefer.

APPLE CHICKEN MEATBALLS

1 lb ground skinless chicken breast

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded
1 slice whole-wheat bread, crumbled fine
1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dried thyme
dash of garlic powder

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl; mix well. Form the mixture into 36 meatballs.

Place meatballs in a 5 to 6-quart crockpot or slow cooker. Cover and cook 5 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

Yield: 12 servings of 3 meatballs
Per serving: 82 calories, 2 g (1 sat) fat,250 mg sodium, 4 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 11 g protein

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LEMON CHICKEN PICCATA - 2

1 lb whole grain or your favorite low carb linguine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied, or 4 chicken breast cutlets

1/4 cup flour + 1 1/2 tbsp, divided

3 tbsp lemon zest, divided

2 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy cream 

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Lemon wedges for garnish, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the linguine in salted water according to the package directions.

Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1/4 cup flour in a medium bowl and add 1 tablespoon lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter.

Cover the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. In the sauté pan, cook the chicken on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat to medium-low. In the sauté pan, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle in 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk in the chicken broth, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1/2 cup lemon juice. Continue whisking and allow the sauce to come to a simmer and thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes. Once thickened, stir in the heavy cream.

Toss the linguine in half of the sauce and save the remaining sauce. Divide the pasta onto four plates and serve the chicken on top. Ladle with the reserved sauce and garnish with the lemon zest, parsley and lemon wedges, if using.

wonderfulseedlesslemons.com

MOM'S MEAT LOAF

 Note: This is not my late mom's recipe. This is a recipe I saw in a TOH in 2015 and made it diabetic friendly.

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup lowfat milk

2/3 cup whole wheat saltines

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp rubbed sage

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 lbs 90% lean ground beef

1 cup ketchup 

1/2 cup Truvia Sweet Complete Brown Sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Add the ground beef and mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into an 8x4-inch loaf. Place on a baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring to dissolve the brown sugar. Remove 1/3 cup for sauce and spread the remaining mixture over the meatloaf.

Bake 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reads 160-degrees. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Serve with the reserved sauce.

file photo for reference

MONTEREY CHICKEN WITH ROASTED VEGGIES

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 large sweet red peppers, cut into strips

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt, divided

3/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper, divided

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

5 tbsp butter, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth

1 1/2 cups (6-oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Place asparagus and peppers in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish; toss with the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast 5 to 8 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Remove from dish.

Season chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter, brown 3 chicken breasts on both sides. Transfer to the same baking dish. Repeat with another tablespoon of butter and the 3 remaining chicken breasts. Top the chicken with the roasted veggies.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and gradually whisk in the broth, cream and wine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese until melted. Pour mixture over the chicken and veggies.

Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165-degrees. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Yield: 6 servings

file photo of this recipe

TOMATO CHUTNEY

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp grated ginger
2 cups tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1 green chili, seeded & chopped, optional
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Splenda Granulated

In a small skillet heat the oil over medium heat; add seeds, cooking a few seconds until they stop popping.  Add the onion, garlic, and ginger; cook a couple of minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the tomatoes, chili, coriander, and salt.  Cook the mixture 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.  Stir in the Splenda.

Allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into blender container and blend just until of uniform consistency but of a coarse texture.

This chutney may be served immediately or kept refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Note: The basis of this recipe is from an old Diabetic Cooking book.

SHORT RIBS IN BURGUNDY SAUCE

3 lbs bone-in beef short ribs

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of dried thyme

2 tbsp white whole wheat flour

1 cup water 1 cup dry red wine OR beef broth

1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tsp beef bouillon granules

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp browning sauce, optional

1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

Place ribs on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 30-40 minutes or until browned, turning once.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, cooking and stirring for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour until blended; gradually stir in water and wine or broth. Add bouillon and parsley, stirring to dissolve bouillon.

Transfer ribs to Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove ribs and keep warm. Skim fat from the sauce and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Yield: 6 servings Per serving: 264 calories, 17g fat (8g sat), 70mg chol, 355 mg sodium, 8g carbs, 1g fiber,19g pro.

TOH 2015

 

BROWN RICE PUDDING

Note: I recommend that diabetics always use brown rice.  Do not even keep white rice in your house.

nonstick canola cooking spray
4 cups fat-free milk
3/4 cup regular brown rice
1/4 cup Splenda granulated
dash of salt
Ground cinnamon for garnish
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In the baking dish, combine the milk, uncooked rice, sugar, and salt.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours or until the rice is very tender, stirring occasionally.  The liquid will not be totally absorbed.  Remove from the oven and let stand, covered, for half an hour; mixture will thicken during this time.
Serve warm by placing in small dessert bowls; sprinkle each serving with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and top with some almonds. Be very generous with the cinnamon as it is a blood sugar stabilizer. In fact, I add 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon to the mixture before baking. 

file photo for reference