CABBAGE CASSEROLE LASAGNA-STYLE

1 lb ground beef
1 lb keilbasa, sliced into thin 1/4-inch rounds
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15-oz each) tomato sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp caraway seed
1/4 tsp each of salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
2 cups cooked brown rice
4-5 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
2 lbs (approximately) shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic in a large nonstick skillet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray until the beef is no longer pink; drain well and return to skillet.  Add the keilbasa and stir in half the tomato sauce slong with the thyme, caraway seed, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in rice and bacon; heat through.  Remove skillet from the heat.

In a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or pan, layer lasagne-style 1/3 of the cabbage; top with half the meat mixture.  Repeat with another layer of cabbage, remaining meat mixture and top with the last third of the cabbage.  Pour the last half of the tomato sauce over all.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole.  Return to oven and cook for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Let casserole stand for 5 minutes or so before attempting to serve.

Yield: 12 servings

CHERRY ANGEL DESSERT

Last night my grandson and I put a few things together to make a tasty and easy diabetic dessert.  I will share with you just what we did.

I took this picture of the ingredients then later decided to add chopped almonds for a total of 4 ingredients.

1 purchased sugar-free angel food cake (we used the whole cake minus 1 piece my grandson ate!)
1 can no-sugar-added (Splenda sweetened) Cherry Pie Filling
1 carton sugar-free whipped topping (we didn't quite use the whole carton)
1/3 cup chopped almonds, divided

Break the cake up into bite-size pieces in a large mixing bowl.  Add the pie filling and 2 tablespoons of the almonds; using a spatula, mix together well.  Place mixture in a container with a lid.  Spread the whipped topping over the cherry mixture and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

 
Note: This is also good with Blueberry Pie Filling when you can find it with no-sugar-added!

PANKO OVEN FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS

4 (about 2 lb total) bone-in chicken breasts, skinned
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup flour (1/4 cup whole-wheat finished out to 1/3 cup with all-purpose)
1 tsp poultry seasoning
3/4 tsp freshly freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
nonstick cooking spray

Place the chicken breasts in a gallon-size ziptop plastic bag; add the buttermilk.  Seal bag and rotate to coat chicken.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours but up to 12 hours.  Turn several times during this time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet that has sides with foil, very lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Remove the chicken pieces from the plastic bag, drain and discard buttermilk. 

Place the flour, poultry seasoning, pepper, salt, and paprika in another large plastic ziptop bag.

Place the eggs in a pie plate or shallow bowl.

Combine the bread crumbs with the cornmeal in anothe pie plate or shallow bowl.

Place chicken, 2 breasts at a time, into the bag of the flour mixture and shake to coat chicken.  Remove from bag and coat with the egg.  Roll chicken in the crumb/cornmeal mixture until coated.  Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet and give a very light spray with the cooking spray.

Bake chicken at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to 170 degrees or the juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings
Per serving: 340 cal, 5 g (2 sat) fat, 34 g protein, 26 g carbs