GROUND BEEF AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 tbsp chopped green chiles
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5-oz) chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 red potatoes, diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/4 cups thin sliced carrots
1 cup thin sliced celery
1 can low sodium tomato soup
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 sheet refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the beef, chiles, and onion in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink and is crumbly.  This will take about 10 minutes.  Drain well in a colander.

Wipe any fat from skillet with paper towels; return drained beef mixture to the skillet.  Add the undrained tomatoes, corn, garbanzo beans, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and celery.  Stir in the soup, water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Add lid to skillet and cook mixture, stirring occasionally until tender, about 20 minutes.

Spoon skillet mixture into a large oblong baking dish or pan.

Roll pie crust sheet into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into 1-inch wide strips.  Arrange strips in a lattice pattern over the casserole.  Bake at 375 until the filling is bubbly and the pastry is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

You can lower the carbs by eliminating the corn, if necessary.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

file photo

CHICKEN LETTUCE ROLL-UPS

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small cubes
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
12 Bibb lettuce leaves

In a large bowl combine the hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, and the sesame oil; stir in the chicken.
Toss to coat chicken well.  Set aside and let marinade for 10 minutes.

Spray a 10 or 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the chicken, saving the marinade.  Cook chicken for 5 minutes, stirring until browned.  Add the scallions, carrots, garlic, and ginger; cook 3 minutes or until veggies are tender.  Stir in the reserved marinade and the water; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.  Stir in the walnuts and water chestnuts.

Divide the lettuce leaves putting 3 leaves on each of 4 serving plates.  Fill each leaf with 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture.  Roll mixture in lettuce to eat.

Yield: 4 servings of 3 roll-ups.
Per serving: Approximately 293 cal, 13 g carbs, 16 g pro, 13 g fat (2 g sat fat), 3 g fiber

FRENCH ONION SOUP

2 tbsp canola oil
1 1/4 lbs (5 cups) sliced onions
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/8 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted & cut in half diagonally
4 tsp ground flaxseed
6 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese, halved

Preheat broiler.

Heat the canola oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat for about a minute.  Add the sliced onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt; stir to combine.  Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for around 15 minutes until the onions are evenly browned and softened.  Reduce the heat to keep onions from browning too fast.

Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth to the onions and turn heat to high.  Cook briskly simmering about 3 minutes.  Add the remaining broth and the water.  Bring to an almost boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove and discard bay leaves.

Place a half slice of toast in the bottom of four shallow heatproof bowls and sprinkle each with a teaspoon of the flaxseed.  Divide the soup evenly between the four bowls.  Top each bowl of soup with 3 of the cheese half slices.

Broil 6-inches from the heat for 1 minute or until the cheese is bubbly and light golden brown being careful not to let the cheese burn.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings
Per serving: 315 calories, 28 g carb, 13 g protein, 15 g (5 g sat) fat, 20 mg chol, 350 mg sodium (without adding salt to the bowl), 5 g fiber, 330 mg calc, 650 mg omega-3s.

CHERRY LIMEADE CAKE

The other night I had a sweet tooth I couldn't seem to satisfy.  I went to the pantry and found a few ingredients and made a very simple cake.  It was quite good and my grandson, who is not diabetic, ate over half of it.  So I can safely say, it is tasty for the nondiabetics in your family or group, too.

These are the three ingredients I took from the pantry.
1 box sugar-free yellow cake mix
1 can Splenda-sweetened fruit cocktail, do not drain
1 3/4 cup sugar-free cherry limeade

In a medium mixing bowl combine all three ingredients and mix just until well blended.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  This cake will not have a typical cake texture and is not thick like a regular cake.

The cake is good as is or with sugar-free whipped topping.  I even cut a piece for my husband and topped it with some cream cheese frosting. (The first picture below is with whipped topping.  The second is with cream cheese frosting.

MANGO-COCONUT COFFEE CAKE

1 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp white whole-wheat flour, divided
1/2 cup Splenda Baking Blend (Use Splenda Granulated if your sugar is hard to control!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 medium mango, peeled, seeded, finely chopped (should be around 1 cup)
2 tbsp unsweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside.

Stir the 1 cup of flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center of the mixture and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, stir the egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla together until blended.  Add the egg mixture to the well in the flour mixture.  Stir together just until moistened - the batter will be lumpy.  Toss the mango with the remaining tablespoon of the white whole-wheat flour and stir into the batter.  Spread cake batter into the prepared cake pan.  Sprinkle the coconut over the top of the batter.

Bake cake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cake is best served slightly warm.

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

TUSCAN TURKEY AND WHITE BEAN SKILLET

1 tsp dried rosemary, divided
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 lb turkey breast cutlets
2 tsp canola oil, divided
1 can (14 1/2-oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16-oz) navy beans, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pound the turkey cutlets to 1/4-inch thickness.

Combine half the rosemary, garlic salt, and half the pepper in a small bowl mixing well.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cutlets.

Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add half the cutlets and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the center.  Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil and keep warm.  Repeat with remaining oil and cutlets.

To the same skillet, add the tomatoes with juice, beans, and the other halves of the rosemary and pepper; bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Spoon tomato mixture over and around the turkey cutlets on the serving platter.  Sprinkle the cheese over all.
Garish with a sprig of fresh rosemary, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Note: Recipe from an old Diabetic Cooking Magazine

LINDA'S SPLENDA BANANA NUT BREAD

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup Splenda or Stevia Granulated
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp (do not skimp) baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup tap water
3/4 tsp salt (1/2 will work)
1 very full cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the butter, applesauce, Splenda, and eggs; blend until creamy.

In a small mixing bowl combine the two flours with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In another bowl mix the bananas, water, vanilla, and nuts together.  Alternate beating the flour mixture and the banana mixture into the creamed mixture until well combined.

Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 375 for around 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 2 or 3 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

This is a picture of the loaf I made last week.