Meatless Monday

It's the first Meatless Monday of the New Year. Hope your weekend was a good one (and safe).

Today's post deals with food that is both diabetic friendly and vegetarian, and includes Cheese and Rice Stuffed Peppers and Toasty Oatmeal Vegetable Soup. Sound intriguing? Enjoy!

MUSHROOM, GREEN PEPPER AND ONION OMELET

Recipe Yield: Makes two servings.

Source: AICR

Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/mushroom-green-pepper-and-onion-omelet.

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.

Notes:

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

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 158; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 545 mg; Protein: 12 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 3 Vegetable, 1-1/2 Low-Fat Meat

CHEESE AND RICE STUFFED PEPPERS

Recipe Yield: Yield: 4 servings

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Book Title: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/cheese-and-rice-stuffed-peppers.

Ingredients

4 medium green bell peppers

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Slice off the tops of the peppers. Wash the peppers and remove the cores and seeds. Stand the pepper cups upright in a saucepan containing 1/2 cup boiling water. Cover tightly and allow steam 5 minutes. Remove and drain.

In a large bowl, mix together the rice, cheese parsley, salt, and ground pepper. Divide the mixture and stuff each pepper.

Stand the peppers in a loaf pan or cupcake tins. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese melts.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 222; Fat: 4 g; Sodium: 455 mg; Cholesterol: 15 mg; Protein: 12 g; Carbohydrates: 31 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch, 2 Vegetable, 1 Lean Meat

SPINACH SAUTE WITH MUSHROOMS

Recipe Yield: Yield: 4 servings (1/2 cup)

Source: The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible

Book Title: The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/spinach-saute-with-mushrooms.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

3 bunches spinach (about 2 pounds), stemmed and washed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.

Add the spinach, cover, and steam for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 99; Fat: 7 g; Sodium: 132 mg; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 1-1/2 Fat

CRUMB TOPPED CHERRY PIE DESSERT

Recipe Yield: Servings: 12

Source: Sweet Inspirations

Book Title: Sweet Inspirations

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/crumb-topped-cherry-pie-dessert.

Ingredients

Pastry for a one-crust pie

2 (1lb) cans red tart cherries (packed in water)

1/2 cup fruit sweetener** (1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate plus 1/4 cup granulated fructose)

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

2 tbsp lemon juice

A few drops of red food coloring (optional)

2 tbsp almond flavoring

Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup instant mashed potato or buds

1/4 cup fruit sweetener** (1/8 cup frozen apple juice concentrate plus 1/8 cup granulated fructose)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup margarine

**You can find commercial fruit sweeteners, ordinarily a combination of concentrated peach & pear juices and unsweetened pineapple syrup, in health food stores, gourmet food stores and large grocery outlets. It tastes 1-1/2 to 2 times sweeter than refined sugar. You can also make your own fruit sweetener. For example, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup fruit sweetener, you can substitute 1/4 cup concentrated apple juice + 1/4 cup granulated fructose.

Directions

Line 9-inch pie pan with prepared pastry. Set aside.

Drain cherries, reserving one cup of the liquid. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, stirring until smooth. Add cherry liquid, fruit sweetener and salt. Simmer mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and add cherries, peel, lemon juice, food coloring and almond flavoring. Pour into prepared pie shell.

Combine last six ingredients and blend to crumbly consistency. Sprinkle over pie filling. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into 12 pieces.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 178; Fat: 8 g; Sodium: 128 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 2/3 Fruit, 1-1/2 Fat

TOASTY OATMEAL VEGETABLE SOUP

Recipe Yield: Makes 6 servings

Source: AICR

Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.

You can view this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/toasty-oatmeal-vegetable-soup.

Note: This recipe originally called for chicken or veggie broth. Since I'm posting it on Meatless Monday, I've left it at only veggie broth.

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

1-3 cloves of garlic (to taste),finely minced

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1 carrot, diagonally cut into 1/4-inch slices

6 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, toast raw oatmeal, stirring constantly, until oatmeal is lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Oatmeal burns easily, so watch carefully.) Immediately transfer oatmeal to a small bowl and set aside.

In large pot, heat oil until hot. Add onion, reduce heat to medium and, stirring frequently, saute onion until soft and pale gold. Add garlic and continue sauteing a few minutes more. Do not allow onion or garlic to burn. Add vegetables and broth. Bring soup to a boil. reduce heat to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Add oatmeal. Simmer 2 minutes more, or until oatmeal is tender. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 100; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 589 mg; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 1 Lean-Meat

CORN BREAD

I found this buried in a group of recipes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. While it looks like it's from Diabetic Gourmet, I couldn't locate a link for it on the site.

Yield: 12 servings

Source: "The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/26.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup fat-free milk

2 large eggs, slightly beaten, or 1/2 cup egg substitute

3 tablespoons canola or corn oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square pan with nonstick pan spray.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the milk, eggs, and oil in a small bowl, add to the dry ingredients, and blend well.

Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out of the pan onto a rack. Cool slightly before cutting. Cut into 12 equal portions. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (2-1/4 inch square): Calories: 130, Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 36 mg, Sodium: 207 mg, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 4 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Fat