Cajun Potatoes

These are a great side dish to anything really... well, except for pasta.


Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds medium red potatoes
1/4 C olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t salt
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T minced fresh parsley


1. Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges. In a large bowl, combine the oil, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic salt, and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat. Place in greased roasting pan.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Tyler gave this 4 stars. It may be a little spicy so adjust the spices at your leisure. Also, allrecipes.com has the original version of this. I just took out the shallots and added the garlic salt.

Chicken-Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy

This is the last recipe from "Real Food for People with Diabetes" by Doris Cross with Alice Williams, well the last one for now.

Hubby really liked this one, it was his favorite with five out of five stars. I didn't like it so much and would probably give it three out of five stars.

Chicken-Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy


Chicken
Nonfat nonstick cooking spray
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 ounces each)
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
2 cups crushed cornflakes
Salt and black pepper, optional

Gravy
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons dry butter flavor sprinkles
Salt and black pepper, optional

Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Lightly pound each chicken breast until thin and tenderized, then dip in egg whites and roll in cornflakes. Place chicken in skillet and brown slowly, turning only once, over low heat because they burn easily over higher heat. Remove from skillet when thoroughly cooked and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Add flour to skillet and brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally. This also burns easily, so be vigilant. When flour is browned, remove from heat.

In medium bowl, combine chicken broth, evaporated skim milk and regular skim milk, and butter flavor sprinkles. Using a whisk, add to flour in skillet while still removed from heat. Return skillet to medium heat and continue to stir until gravy thickens. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve hot gravy over chicken breasts.

Makes 4 servings.


Each serving has:

435 calories
38.4 g protein
61.9g carbohydrate
3.3g fat
.99 g saturated fat
75 mg cholesterol

diabetic exchanges: Lean protein, 4; starch, 2; skim milk, 1/2

I served this with corn, milk, and rolls for a total of about 600 calories.

Ultra Lowfat Lasagna

This recipe was delicious! Hubby gave it 4 out of 5 stars but I would give it 5 myself!

Ultra Lowfat Lasagna*

Ingredients:
Nonfat nonstick cooking spray
1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 jar (26 ounces) lowfat pasta sauce (2 grams of fat or less per 1/2 cup serving)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoons dry onion flakes
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 of fell pepper, chopped fine
1 carton (16 ounces) 1-percent cottage cheese (I couldn't find 1% so I used skim)
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg product
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup fat-free Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Brown ground turkey breast, then add pasta sauce, mushrooms, onion flakes, garlic, parsley, oregano, and bell pepper. Simmer and stir occasionally over low heat for about 10 minutes.

In medium bowl, combine cottage cheese and egg product, and stir.

Spray 11x7 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place on layer of oven-ready noodles on the bottom. Add half of meat mixture, then add another layer of noodles. Pour cottage cheese mixture in next. Add a layer of grated fat-free mozzarella cheese and then sour cream. Add another layer of noodles and top with the remaining meat mixture. Top entire casserole with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

Makes 8 servings (My serving didn't scoop up nicely, my Dad did it and has no feeling in his hand, but each serving is PLENTY of food!)

Nutritional information per serving
266 Calories
26.4 g Protein
32.3 g Carbohydrate
3.1 g Fat
1.12 g Saturated fat
24 mg Cholesterol


Diabetic exchanges: Starch, 1.5; lean protein, 2; vegetable, 2

I served this with salad, french bread, and a glass of skim milk. This brought the whole meal's calories to just about 600!



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

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I found a promising website for vinaigrette recipes:
http://www.vinaigretterecipe.com/recipes/recipes.htm

We tried the Honey Mustard one this week. It is as follows:

2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced (or less than 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup vegetable oil (we used olive oil)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tbs. honey

Whisk together the mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Gradually whisk in the rest until it is thick and smooth.
NOTE: This makes TONS of salad dressing. I'd caution you to HALF this recipe upon first trial, unless you're eager to use an entire cup of oil. Yum-o.

Mr. Picky #1 LOVED this. He said it was even better the 2nd day after it'd had time to marinade itself in the fridge. We poured some of it over fried vegetables the next night, which was quite awesome as well. Highly recommended.

p.s. I stole this picture from online. It doesn't really look like this. I just like representational images. :)

Hubby Score: ***** (wow!! Five stars!!)

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

Chicken Enchiladas

I FINALLY GOT 5 STARS! I made this up on the spot, since our groceries were low and I had a few random things lying around and it turned out to be great.

Ingredients
3-5 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken or cream of celery would probably work too)
1 1/2 C sour cream
1/2 t Chili powder
1 T butter
1 small onion
1 4oz. can small, chopped green chilies, drained
1 pkg. mild taco seasoning
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 C water
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 t onion powder
1 1/2 t garlic powder
5 (12" round) flour tortillas
3 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10oz) enchilada sauce


1. Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink. 10 minutes if thawed, 20 if still frozen. Shred the chicken.
2. Combine the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stir occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Then stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat an oven to 350. Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
5. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions. Bake for 25 minutes.

Tyler gave these a grand total of ****and* stars.

Teriyaki and Pineapple Chicken

- allrecipes.com

Fantastic teriyaki dish. Could be done without chicken as well.

- 2 tbs. cooking oil
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into cubes (2 breasts should be plenty)
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin (didn't have any- still good)
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 1/4 cups sliced mushrooms (didn't use these- still good)
- 1 onion, chopped (used a red onion, for aesthetic purposes)
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 (8 oz) can pineapple chunks, undrained
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper (didn't have any- still good)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup flour (I substituted cornstarch instead)

Cook chicken chunks in oil in a wok (or large pot- whatever you use to make stir fry) until chicken is cooked through.
Add to wok all other ingredients (EXCEPT for flour) at medium heat. When it starts to simmer, add flour (or cornstarch) and continue to stir and simmer until it thickens up to your desired consistency.
Serve over rice. Eat it all up and wish you had made more. It's so dang good.

I actually halfed this recipe, and it still fed us four portions... next time I'll make more. :)

(Too busy eating this to take a photo of my own creation- this one is from the recipe I pulled at allrecipes.com. It looks better in real life... man, it's good.)

HUBBY SCORE: * * * * 1/2
(wow. Only pie gets a full 5 stars around here... I gave it 5 stars myself...)