Pepper Steak

This is an Asian flavored dish that the Hubster rated this 3.5 stars out of 5. I gave it a solid 4.

Pepper Steak*

1 lb sirloin or round steak
Nonfat nonstick cooking spray
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup cooking wine (any kind)**
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) beef broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Slice steak into thin strips, across grain. Spray large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Saute green and red pepper and onion slices, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside. Quickly brown steak strips in hot skillet, stirring and turning as they cook. Lower heat and add soy sauce, cooking wine, and garlic to skillet. Simmer 10 minutes, then add beef broth and return vegetables to skillet. Simmer 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water together, then add to skillet, stirring to thicken. Serve over rice.

Recipe makes 6 servings

168 Calories
19.6 g Protein
9.3 g Carbohydrate
3.2 g Fat
1.12 g Saturated fat
44 mg Cholesterol

Diabetic exchanges: Lean protein, 2; vegetable, 2

I served this with steamed carrots, and since I'm not sure if the rice is included in the calories so I'll say the entire dinner was about 300 calories.

*Recipe from Real Food for people with Diabetes by Doris Cross with Alice Williams

**This can be bought at the local liquor store. The unused portion does need to be refrigerated as it will turn to vinegar and go moldy within a few days.

Spinach Fettuccine in Cheese Sauce

I made this dish about a week ago and Mr. Picky II and I both only rate it 2 out of 5 stars. It wasn't terrible, but not something I'm going to add to the normal rotation. I'll probably pull it out again when we are dying for something different to eat.

Spinach Fettuccine in Cheese Sauce

1 1/4 c part-skim ricotta cheese
1 c fat-free milk
1 1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated nonfat Parmesan cheese
2 T margarine
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Two 10-ounce boxes frozen chipped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups hot cooked spinach fettuccine

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the ricotta, milk, mozzarella and Parmesan; puree.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over low heat, melt the margarine. Saute the garlic until deep brown, 4-5 minutes; keep the heat low so it doesn't burn.

3. Add the cheese mixture and spinach to the garlic; cook stirring, until heated through. Ad the fettuccine; toss gently to coat.

Per serving: 335 Calories, 13 g Total fat, 6 g Saturated Fat, 57 mg Cholesterol, 462 mg Sodium, 30 g Total Carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 26 g Protein, 627 mg Calcium.

Recipe from the Weight Watchers Cookbook and worth 7 points per serving.

I served this with salad, french bread, and milk bringing the calorie total right around 600.

Paprika Chicken

I tried this recipe on Sunday and it was a pretty big hit.

Paprika Chicken*

1/3 C flour
1 T paprika
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
Nonfat nonstick cooking spray
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 oz each)
1 large onion, chopped
2 1/2 C fat-free chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 T flour

Mix 1/3 cup flour, paprika, salt, and pepper. Spray large skillet well with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Coat chicken breasts in flour mixture and brown on both sides in heated skillet. Cover chicken breasts with chopped onion. Pour 1 cup chicken broth and the bouillon over chicken and onions. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Simmer until chicken is done, 20 to 30 minutes.

Place cooked chicken on hot platter. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and sour cream to drippings in skillet. Stir well over medium heat. Use a whisk or fork to stir in 2 tablespoons flour. Continue stirring until thickened. Pour over chicken. Serve over rice.

I also served rolls and peas with the meal and it rounded it out quite nicely. I didn't check to see exactly how many calories the entire meal had, but it was around 500.

Here is the nutrition information for the chicken alone.

272 Calories
7.2 g Fat
31.4 g Protein
3.19 g Saturated fat
19.1 g Carbohydrate
85 mg Cholesterol

Diabetic exchanges: Lean meat, 4; starch, 3/4

Hubby score: ****




*Recipe from "Real Food for People with Diabetes" by Doris Cross with Alice Williams

Bran Muffins

- From my Mom

These may be an acquired taste for some, but when served warm and slathered in butter and honey, they're awesome. I could probably eat 6 of these in one sitting.
These are quite healthy too- a molasses sweetener instead of sugar- rock on. The worst part for me is shredding the carrots- I need to get a food processor someday.

1 egg
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour 1 cup bran (crunched Bran Flakes work well)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup tomato juice (or one small can)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Combine ingredients and pour into muffin tin. Bake for 18 minutes at 400 F.
Yields 12 muffins.

At home I used to dump the ingredients in willy nilly, but I recently experimented with mixing the dries separately and adding to the rest of the ingredients already combined. The batter turned out more even- I think I'll proceed that way again in the future.


HUBBY SCORE: * * * 1/2

Tamale Pie

-From my Mom (out of a Healthy Heart Cookbook)

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 can beef broth (chicken broth okay too)

Combine cornmeal and 1/2 cup broth in large saucepan. Boil remaining broth and stir into cormeal mixture. Stir over medium heat until thickened. Press into a greased baking dish (line the sides and the bottom). Set aside.

Spaghetti sauce (up to a whole jar)
1/2 lb hamburger meat
1/4 cup onion
2 cups corn (or 1 frozen bag)
black olives (up to a whole can)
1 tbsp. chili power
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (one can)
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 red bell pepper (optional)
grated cheese (cheddar works well)

Combine listed ingredients except for cheese and simmer 5 minutes stirring gently. Spoon mixture into lined baking dish, top with cheese.

Bake 30 min. at 350F. Serves 8.

Oddly enough, no tamales are in this recipe at all. Still quite good, though.

HUBBY SCORE: * * * *