PORK PICCATA

1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin

3 tbsp white whole-wheat or almond flour
2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup white cooking wine*
1/4 cup lemon juice
very thin lemon slices for garnish, optional
4 tbsp drained capers for garnish, optional

Slice the tenderloin into 8 equal pieces and place pieces between sheets of plastic wrap.  Pound each piece until only 1/8-inch thick.  Dust lightly with the flour and sprinkle with the lemon pepper.

Pour the olive oil into a skillet over medium-high heat.  Quickly sauté meat, about 4 minutes per side until golden brown.

Add the wine and lemon juice to the skillet; shake skillet gently and cook 2 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Garnish with the lemon slices and capers to serve.

*Chicken broth may be substituted

file photo for reference

HOMEMADE CELERY SEED DRESSING

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
1/2 tsp celery seed
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Splenda Granulated
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 small jar with a lid.  A jelly jar works well.
In a jar mash the garlic clove with the salt.  Add the lemon juice, oil, celery seed, mustard, paprika, Splenda, and black pepper.  Place lid on jar and shake well to blend.
Refrigerate.
Shake well before using on your favorite salad.
Yield: 1/2 cup

file photo.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH HERBS

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried parsley flakes, crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme crushed

1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp dried sage, crushed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 (4 - 6-oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, spices. Place chicken in a large resealable bag and pour vinegar mixture over the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat all. place bag on a shallow dish and place in refrigerator. allow to marinate in the refrigerator 2 to 8 hours.

Drain chicken and discard the marinade. 

Grill chicken on the rack of a covered grill, over medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through.

Yield: 6 servings Per serving: 167 calores,6 g fat (1 sat), 182 mg sodium, 2 g carbs, 24 g protein

Diabetic exchanges: 3.5 lean meat, .5 fat

This is a file photo used for reference only.

GARLICKY SPINACH SALAD

1 lb fresh spinach

2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 cucumber, sliced
5 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Fresh ground black pepper

Wash spinach, remove stems and dry. Tear into pieces and place in salad bowl. Add tomatoes and scallions and use hands to combine with spinach. In a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, oil, garlic, thyme and pepper. Add dressing mixture to the spinach mixture and mix well.

file photo

CHICKEN 'N' BROCCOLI BRAID

2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed

1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp dill
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tubes refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbsp slivered plain almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, cheese, red pepper, dill, garlic and salt. Stir in mayonnaise and yogurt. Unroll both tubes of crescent roll dough onto an ungreased baking sheet and press together forming a rectangle. Seal seams and perforations. Place chicken mixture down the center third of the dough. On each long side, cut dough 3-inches toward the center and about 1 1/2-inch intervals, forming strips. Bring one strip from each side of filling and pinch ends together to seal. Repeat the process until reaching the end. Pinch ends of loaf on both ends to seal in the mixture. Brush top with egg white and sprinkle almonds over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is heated through.

Yield: 8 servings

Note: This is a file photo

This recipe contains a lot of bread so only one small serving per day is recommended for diabetics. The chicken, egg white and almonds make a reasonable serving okay for most diabetics.

PORK ROAST WITH ONIONS AND POTATOES

This recipe requires a 4-quart slow cooker for best results.

Approximately 3 lb boneless pork loin roast, trim off fat

1 large garlic clove, sliced
5 medium potatoes, washed, cubed, unpeeled
1 large onion, sliced
3/4 cup water (or tomato juice, if desired)
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water

Make slits in roast in insert slices of garlic. Place roast under broiler to brown. Put potatoes in slow cooker. Add 1/2 the onion slices. Place roast atop vegetables and cover with remaining onions. Combine water or juice with soy sauce and pour over roast. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low about 8 hours. When ready to serve, remove roast and vegetables from cooker. Combine cornstarch and cold water. Add to the liquid in the slow cooker. Turn cooker to high until liquid is thickened. Slice meat and serve thickened liquid over the meat and vegetables.

This recipe has a few more protein grams than carbs so it is a good one for diabetics who want to enjoy some good old "meat and potatoes". Obviously, you can omit the potatoes if you are one who only counts carbs.

file photo

HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER

9 cups apples, peeled and cored

1 cup cider vinegar
6 cup Splenda or Stevia Granular
cinnamon to taste

Cook apples until tender; run through a blender or food processor. In a saucepan, mix apple pulp with the vinegar, Splenda, and cinnamon. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 18 minutes. Pour mixture into hot sterilized jars and seal.

File Photo

CHUNKY BLACK BEAN-SWEET POTATO CHILI

 2 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 can (14-oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 tbsp minced chipotle chilies
1 small (approx. 8 oz) sweet potato, peeled and chunked
1 can (15-oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, optional

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minute. Add bell peppers, garlic, and chili powder; cook while stirring for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with juice, chipotle chilies and the sweet potato; bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the black beans; cover and simmer another 8 to 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. (Mixture will be thick. If you want, you can gradually stir in water to thin to your preferred consistency.)

To serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

NOTE: By scrubbing the sweet potato well instead of peeling, you will retain more nutrients.

file photo

Note: File Photo

PORK CHOPS WITH APRICOT GLAZE

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 1/4 lbs)

1/2 tsp salt, optional

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp apricot nectar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup sugar-free apricot preserves
2 cups hot cooked brown rice*, optional

Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the pork chops.  Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, turning once.  This should take about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the apricot nectar, water, soy sauce, garlic, and preserves; mix together well.

Pour the apricot mixture over the pork in the skillet and reduce the heat to low.  Cover skillet and simmer until the pork is cooked through, about 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops.

*Cauliflower rice may be substituted but no white rice!

Serve over the hot brown rice, if desired.  Add some steamed broccoli and you have a tasty, healthy meal.

file photo

CHERRY BERRY PIE

Sugar-free pastry for a 2-crust pie

1 can (14.5-oz) pitted red tart cherries, undrained

1 pkg (12-oz) frozen raspberries, thawed

1 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen blueberries, thawed

1 cup Splenda OR Stevia Granulated

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with pastry; set aside.

Drain the cherries, raspberries, and blueberries (if frozen); reserve 1 cup of the juices. Set the berries and the juices aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the Splenda and the cornstarch; gradually stir in the cup of juices. Cook mixture over medium heat while stirring constantly. When mixture begins to boil, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the butter, cherries, and berries. Allow to cool slightly and pour into the pie shell.

Top filling with the second pastry and place over the filling. Trim the crusts to even out if necessary. Fold the pastry under and crimp edges to seal. Cut some slits in the crust for steam to escape.

Bake pie 40 to 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. To prevent the edge from excess browning, cover with foil strips or a pie crust shield.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 8 wedges for serving.

Top with whipped cream or sugar-free vanilla ice cream, if desired.

NOTE: Desserts are for special occasions and should not be a regular part of most diabetic's diet. This pie recipe is okay for most diabetics from time to time.

(BTW Splenda is a low-FODMAP sweetener. If you aren't familiar with FODMAPs, check out my Grandma's Kitchen Medicine Cabinet blog - link shown on the right side of this page.)

file photo for reference only