Thursday Recipes

It's common to have a million-and-one questions after receiving a diagnosis such as diabetes. The latest e-newsletter from Diabetic Gourmet Magazine has a helpful article titled “5 Things You Should Ask Your Pharmacist.” It goes hand-in-hand with their article (posted in yesterday's blog) titled “How to Talk to Your Doctor About Diabetes.” Both are helpful in getting great information on managing diabetes. (Some of the tips in both articles can also be used when managing other life-altering diagnoses.)

And now for today's six recipes. Enjoy!

CHICKEN TENDERS WITH SPICY BLACK BEANS

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Secrets of Good-Carb Low-Carb Living

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/738.shtml

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast tenders

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup canned black beans, undrained

1/2 cup chunky-style salsa

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack or Mexican-blend cheese (optional)

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro or thinly sliced scallions

Directions

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the cumin, garlic powder, pepper, and salt, and rub some of the mixture over both sides of the chicken tenders.

Place the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken tenders and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, or until nicely browned.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 3 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside to keep warm.

Add the black beans and salsa to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for a minute or two to heat through. To serve, place a quarter of the chicken tenders on each of 4 serving plates and top with a quarter of the black-bean mixture.

If desired, top each serving with some of the cheese and sprinkle with some of the cilantro or scallions. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 201; Protein: 29 g; Fat: 4.9 g; Sodium: 629 mg; Cholesterol: 66 mg; Saturated Fat: 0.8 g; Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g; Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 4 Low-Fat Meat

TURKEY MACARONI CHILI

Yield: 8 Servings

Source: The Best Diabetes Cookbook

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/373.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onions

8 oz. ground turkey

1 can (19 oz.) tomatoes, crushed

2 cups chicken stock

1-1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoes

3/4 cup canned red kidney beans, drained

3/4 cup corn kernels

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup elbow macaroni

Directions

In a large non-stick saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add garlic, carrots and onions and cook for 8 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.

Add turkey and cook, stirring to break it up, for 2 minutes or until no longer pink. Add tomatoes, stock, potatoes, beans, corn, tomato paste, chili, oregano and basil; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Bring to a boil and add macaroni; cook for 12 minutes or until pasta is tender but firm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 240; Protein: 13 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 552 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 2 Vegetables, 1/2 Lean Meat, 1 Fat

BEET BORSCHT

Yield: 8 servings (about 1-1/4 cups each)

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/22.shtml

View Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/781.shtml

Ingredients

4 medium beets, peeled, cut into julienne strips

8 ounces low-fat smoked Polish sausage, sliced

1/2-1 tablespoon margarine

6 cups reduced-sodium fat-free beef broth

1 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded

2 carrots, cut into julienne strips

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2-3 teaspoons sugar or Splenda

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Finely chopped dill weed or parsley, as garnish

Directions

Saute beets and sausage in margarine in Dutch oven 3 to 4 minutes.

Add broth, cabbage, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, and vinegar; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Discard bay leaf; season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour soup into bowls; sprinkle with dill weed.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 120; Protein: 10.9 g; Sodium: 437 mg; Cholesterol: 17.2 mg; Fat: 3.7 g; Saturated Fat: 0.4 g; Carbohydrates: 13.1 g;Exchanges: 3 Vegetable, 1 Meat

CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD

The recipe begins, “Purple black beans, golden sweet corn and diced red and green bell pepper make a colorful medley in this easy salad. Make it ahead and refrigerate; it keeps up to 5 days.”

Makes 4 cups.

Serving size about 1/2 cup.

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/334.shtml

Ingredients

1 (15-oz.) can cooked black beans, drained

1 (10-oz.) can corn kernels, drained

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In large bowl, toss together ingredients, except pepper. Generously sprinkle salad with pepper. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 120; Protein: 6 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 60 mg; Cholesterol: 66 mg; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1 Fat

MUSHROOM, GREEN PEPPER AND ONION OMELET

Additional info: 1 g. saturated fat, 3 g. dietary fiber

Makes two servings.

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/370.shtml

Ingredients

3/4 cup good quality marinara sauce

1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Canola cooking oil spray

1 small onion, cut in crescents

6 medium white mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded, cut in thin strips

Salt, as desired

3 large egg whites

1 large egg

1 tsp. grated Parmeggiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat marinara sauce, vinegar and soy sauce, just until hot. Season with pepper to taste and set aside.

Coat medium non-stick pan liberally with cooking oil spray. Set pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion until lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.

Whisk egg whites and egg with cheese, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Coat pan with oil spray and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add egg mixture, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until eggs are well-set, about 4 minutes. Slip spatula gently around edges, then underneath to loosen omelet. Slide it onto a serving plate.

Spoon filling to cover half of omelet and fold omelet, covering filling. With a spoon, drizzle sauce in a ribbon effect across omelet. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 158; Protein: 12 g; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 545 mg; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Exchanges: 3 Vegetable, 1-1/2 Low-Fat Meat

PEACH & RASPBERRY CRUMBLE

This comes from Diabetes Self-Management. I'm not really sure when, exactly, since I've had it kicking around for years. But it is definitely yummy. Prep time: 15 minutes. Baking time: 30-35 minutes. Yields 6 servings

Butter-flavor cooking spray

1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in juice, drained

1 package (12 oz) unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed

1 C quick-cooking oats, uncooked

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbs reduced-calorie stick margarine, melted

2 Tbs honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8”X8” baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange peach slices evenly in bottom of the pan. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over peaches. Set aside. In bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, & cinnamon & mix with fork, breaking up brown sugar clumps. Add margarine & honey; stir to combine. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly. Portion into 6 equal servings. Serve alone or over low-fat, no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream.

Per serving: Calories: 185; Carbs: 33g; Fat: 4 g (sat. fat: 1 g); Sodium: 70 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat