Pepperoni Pasta Salad

There are a million ways to make pasta salad. I've kinda taken what I like and created my own, and my family LOVES this combination. It doesn't last for long at my house when I make it. I don't ever measure, I just add whatever looks like a good amount.

Here are my ingredients:

• Rotelle (spiral) pasta (I usually use 1 bag/box for our family)


• Pepperoni, cut into fourths


• Mozarella cheese, cut into 1" cubes


• Black olives, sliced


• Tomatoes, cut into small wedges (or you could use sun dried tomatoes)


• Newman's Own brand salad dressing-Family Recipe

Cook pasta according to package directions. Prepare the other ingredients while the noodles are boiling. Strain the noodles and rinse them with cold water. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the rest of the ingredients, including the dressing. Just put what you think looks/tastes good (I don't like mine dry, so I use most or all of the bottle of dressing). Chill in the refigerator for a couple hours before serving.

Lemon-Basil Chicken Pasta Salad

I tried this new recipe tonight, and apparently my step-daughter was raving about it her mom, so I was asked to post it for her ;) It came from Betty Crocker, but I made a few changes to it.

What You Need:

• 2 cups uncooked rotini or rotelle (spiral) pasta


• 10 asparagus stalks (about 8 oz)


• 1 clove garlic (I use the fresh minced garlic in the jar)


• 5 oz. chicken or turkey


• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves


• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese


• 1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil


• 1 TB grated lemon peel

Boil your pasta. While your noodles are boiling, prepare your asparagus by breaking off the tough ends, then wash. Cut asparagus into 1" pieces to measure 2 cups. Add asparagus to the pasta during the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking.

Peel and finely chop the garlic (if you're using fresh garlic). Cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes to measure about 2 cups. Tear basil leaves lengthwise into narrow strips.

Place strainer in the sink. Pour pasta and asparagus in the strainer to drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.

In a large bowl, toss pasta, asparagus and chicken. Stir in garlic, basil, cheese, oil and lemon peel. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hour or until chilled.

Now...confession...I really don't measure anything. I kind of estimate and it turns out just fine. Also, I thought it was a little bland with just olive oil. So I added a little of my favorite dressing, which happened to be "Newman's Own-Family Recipe".

Thai Beef Salad

Another recipe from a diabetic cookbook. Although it's just because it's low carb, not that it's specifically "diabetic". It was pretty tasty!

• 1/2 beef flank steak (about 8 oz)


• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce


• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (I de-seed mine to make it less spicey)


• 2 TB packed brown sugar


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1/2 cup lime juice


• 6 green onions, thinly sliced


• 4 carrots, diagonally cut into thin slices


• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro


• 4 romaine lettuce leaves

Place flank steak in a ziploc bag. Combine soy sauce, jalapenos, brown sugar and garlic in small bowl; mix well. Pour mixture over flank steak.

Close bag securely; turn to coat steak. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours.

Preheat broiler. Drain steak; discard marinade. Place steak on rack of broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from heat 13-18 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Keep an eye on it-mine cooked a little faster and was slightly on the dry side the first time I tried this. Turn it once throughout the cooking. Remove from heat, let stand 15 minutes.

Thinly slice steak across grain. Toss with lime juice, green onions, carrots and cilantro in large bowl. Serve salad immediately on lettuce leaves.

It says it makes 4 servings. Again, these are small servings. So if you have a big appetite you might want to consider this enough for 2 or 3 instead of 4.

Sesame Chicken Salad Wonton Cups

These make a great appetizer! And they're low carb with only 12 grams per 2 filled wonton cups. You will need:

• 20 (3 inch) wonton wrappers


• nonstick cooking spray


• 1 TB sesame seeds


• 2 cups water


• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz)


• 1 cup fresh green beans, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces


• 1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise


• 1 TB chopped fresh cilantro (optional, but it makes it good!)


• 2 tsp honey


• 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce


• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Press 1 wonton wrapper into each muffin cup; spray with cooking spray. Bake 8-10 mins or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack before filling.

Place sesame seeds in shallow baking pan. Bake 5 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occassionally. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add chicken. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, adding green beans after 7 mins. Drain.

Finely chop chicken. Place in medium bowl. Add green beans and remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Spoon lightly rounded tablespoonfuls of chicken mixture into each wonton cup.

Shrimp and Garlic-Parmesan Grits

I got this from a diabetic cookbook. I've never had grits before, so I was a little uneasy about trying them. But it was a really good recipe that even my picky eaters liked (well...all but Aubrey. She gags on shrimp, lol).

Grits:

• 2 1/4 cups water


• 1/2 cup instand grits


• 2 TB milk


• 2 TB margarine or butter


• 1/4 tsp garlic powder


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Shrimp:

• 1 tsp dried oregano


• 1/2 tsp smoke paprika


• 1/2 tsp dried basil


• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (optional)


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper


• 1 TB extra-virgin olive oil


• 8 ounces peeled raw shrimp


• 3/4 cup chopped green onion


• lemon wedges (optional)

Bring water to a rolling boil in medium saucepan over high hear. Gradually stir in grits, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 9 minutes or until thickened, stirring occassionally. (this is a longer cooking time than directed on most packages, because a thicker consistency is desired at this point). Set grits aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine oregano, paprika, basil, ground red pepper, if desired, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, sprinkle with oregano mixture and cook 4 minutes or until shripm are pink and opaque, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, stir in green onions and cover to keep warm.

Whisk in milk with grits, then add margarine, garlice powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Place on serving plate, sprinkle evenly with paremesan cheese and top with shrimp mixture. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

It says that it makes 4 servings...this wasn't very much for our family of 5 (counting the 2 little kids as one person). Next time I will double it!

Low Carb Enchiladas

I've never been a huge enchilada fan. But with my diabetic diet, I get really bored of the same meals. A friend passed on this low carb recipe for enchiladas and it was really good. In fact, probably my favorite enchilada recipe that I've made! Ingredients:

• 1 can shredded/cubed chicken, or you can boil and shred your own chicken (which is what I did)


• 1 1/4 cups sour cream


• 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese


• 2 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese


• 1 large can Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce (you can use whatever brand you like)


• 10 low carb tortillas (if you're not worried about your carbs, just use regular tortillas, but they taste perfectly fine)


• 1 medium can sliced olives (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix together chicken and sour cream and set aside. In a 9 by 12 pan, add enough of the enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Warm the remaining sauce in a medium frying pan. Dip half (5) of the tortillas in the warm sauce and layer the bottom of the pan, covering the bottom. Add the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas and spread out evenly. Sprinkle half of the cheeses on the chicken mixture. Then dip the other half of the tortillas in the warmed sauce and place on top of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the tortillas. You can pour the rest of the sauce on top if you want...I found it made them a little soggy though. Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees, until the cheese bubbles.

Zucchini Tomato Medley

This also came from the "Meals in Minutes" cookbook I got from my grandma. It was easy and really good. You wouldn't think something as simple as tomatoes and zucchini would be so tasty, but it was the onion and basil I think that made it. You will need:

• 2 TB margarine or butter


• 1/3 cup chopped onion


• 3 medium zucchini, sliced


• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges


• 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves or 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh basil (I prefer fresh, gives it a good flavor!)


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/8 tsp pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add onion and zucchini; cook and stir over medium heat until crisp tender.

Add remaining ingredients; cook until tomatoes are thoroughly heated.

Note: It's another one of those recipes that you don't really need to measure. I just seasoned to tasted with the salt, pepper and basil. Surprisingly, my kids ate it!

Tortellini Caesar Salad

I found this recipe in a cookbook I inherited from my grandma; it was a 15 minute meal recipe book. It was super quick, easy, and yummy. Even the kids liked it! The recipe called for specific measurements, but I didn't follow that. All you need is:

• Tortellini (frozen, cooked according to package directions)


• Romaine Lettuce


• Croutons


• Parmesan Cheese


• Caesar Dressing

Pretty simple, all you do is layer your lettuce, tortellini, parmesan cheese, croutons and top with dressing. I think next time around I will probably add some sun dried tomatoes and maybe some spinach leaves, just to give it a little something extra. But it's a great dinner idea for a night you're in a rush!

Lemon Mini Tarts

My mom gave me a diabetic cookbook the other day. Of course these lemon mini tarts stood out to me (have I mentioned I LOVE lemon desserts??). I threw my friend a baby shower with a dessert bar and decided to throw these in for myself! But they're so good, nobody even knew they were a "diabetic" recipe. In fact, I think what makes them so appealing (for me anyway) is that they don't use artificial sweeteners, yet they're still low carb for diabetics. They tasted like little miniature lemon pies. Yum!! Anyway, here's the recipe.

• 2 egg yolks


• 3 TB butter, melted 1/2 cup powdered sugar


• 2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice


• 1 TB lemon peel


• 1 TB sugar


• 24 mini frozen phyllo shells (found in the freezer section at the grocery store)

Heat oven to 350. Whisk together egg yolks, butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel and sugar in a small bowl. Spoon 1 tsp. filling into each frozen phyllo shell. Bake about 13-15 minutes, or until center is set. If desired, garnish with 1 mint leaf and 1 raspberry (which I did, yum!) Dietary Exchange (2 tarts per serving):

• calories 162


• total fat 8 g


• carbs 20 g


• cholesterol 66 mg


• dietary fiber 0 g


• sodium 62 mg

***I checked 2 grocery stores and they didn't have the phyllo mini tart shells. SO...I used the low carb recipe that Melissa used for tarts she made at my baby shower, and it was fantastic. It might change the dietary exchange a bit...I'm not sure how much but I imagine it would be close. Here's the recipe for the crust part if you can't find the phyllo shells. Mini Tart Crust:

• 1/2 cup butter


• 1/2 cup cream cheese (I used reduced fat)


• 1 cup flour

Mix together and roll into 1" balls. Then press them into a greased mini cupcake pan, pushing the dough to the bottom and the sides of the pan (giving it a mini pie shape so you can add the filling). If you're making them for this recipe, I precooked them a little bit first, about 5 minutes (at 350) and then put in the filling and cooked another 12-14 minutes. You can also use this crust and fill with other fruits and whatnot. If that's the case, precook them at 425 for 10-12 minutes.

Easy Mexican Chicken Crockpot Chowder

I've been missing soup this cold season...most soup recipes I have too many carbs or are too hard to decipher the carb count. My friend sent me this low carb recipe, taken off of the SparkPeople website (they are a website that breaks down nutritional facts for recipes). I figured I'd give it a try and it turned out to be really good!

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can yellow corn
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 can 4 oz. fritos jalapeno & cheddar cheese dip
1 can fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup canned green chilies
1 cup light sour cream

Directions:

Comine corn, cream of chicken, chicken broth, green chiliesw/juice into crockpot on low heat.
Add chopped chicken to crockpot and cook for 3-4 hours.
After 3-4 hours, in a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of the crockpot mix with the sour cream and cheese dip and mix well.
Add the mixture to the crockpot and cook for an additional 10-15 mins.

Jeff took care of the last 2 steps for me (because I wasn't home) and he put in the entire 9 oz can of cheese dip, rather than just the 4 oz. Oops! But it was still good...just made it a little cheesier. If you're looking at the nutritional info though it will vary slightly with the whole can of cheese.

Nutritional Info:
Servings: 9
Calories: 116.8
Fat: 7.7 g.
Carbs: 10.3 g
Protein: 3.3 g

Diabetic Lemon Cheesecake

So I have been on the search for a good dessert that is in my carb allowance and sugar free. Let me tell you, it's been tough! Most recipes use splenda and I just don't like the taste of the artificial sweeteners. I came across this recipe (on a diabetic website) and right away it looked great because it doesn't use artificial sweeteners (not to mention it's a lemony dessert)! Yet it is indeed a diabetic recipe. AND it tells you how many carbs and whatnot are in it. Score! I tried it tonight and I am one happy pregnant lady right now ;)

You will need:

1 c. graham cracker crumbs (I bought reduced fat, since my "fats" are limited, and it was good)
2 TB light margarine, melted
3 (8 oz) pkgs low-fat cream cheese, softened
2 TB all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
3 TB fresh lemon juice
3/4 c. egg substitute
1 (8 oz) carton sugar free, fat free lemon yogurt
Assorted fresh berries (optional)

Combine cracker crumbs and margarine; press into an ungreased 9 inch springfoam pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, flour and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add lemon juice and egg substitutes. Beat well. Fold in yogurt. Pour into crust. Cover loosely with foil.

Bake at 350 for 60-70 mins or until center is almost set.

Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate. Garnish with berries if desired.

Yield: 16 servings
1 slice= 16 grams carbs, 10 grams fat, 7 grams protein

I didn't do berries, just a little bit of fat free cool whip, which was good enough. I fed it to my family and they didn't know the difference. They thought it was just as good as any non-diabetic recipe!

Diabetic Dishes

• Diabetic Lemon Cheesecake


• Easy Mexican Chicken Crockpot Chowder


• Lemon Mini Tarts


• Low Carb Enchiladas

Lemon Blossoms

My sister-in-law, Amber, passed on this Paula Deen recipe and it is one of my favorites. I LOVE lemon desserts!

Ingredients:
18 1/2 oz. package of yellow cake mix
3 1/2 oz. package of instand lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil

Glaze:
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested (I don't always add this part)
3 TB vegetable oil
3 TB water

Preheat your oven to 350.

Spray miniature muffin tins with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil in a mixer until smooth (about 2 mins). Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin halfway. Bake for 12 minutes. Then turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil and 3 TB water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with wax paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Joe's Famous Steak Nachos

During one of my brother's visits, he made the most awesome nachos for us (if nachos is what you want to call them). Here's what you need (but of course you can add or subract any of these ingredients to your liking):

• Tortilla chips
• Black Beans
• Carne Asada (either premarinated or you can buy some and lemon pepper it), cut into bite sized pieces after it's cooked
• Cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese, and we don't melt it, we just layer it on)
• Sliced olives
• Avocado (Joe doesn't do avocados, but we love 'em)
• Homemade Salsa: we just chop onion, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno and season with garlic, salt and pepper. Very easy.
• Lime (to squeeze on top of your nachos

Just layer it all together, no need to measure. Just add whatever amounts are to your liking. And just a note about the salsa...the first few times I made this without Joe, it wasn't turning out quite right. I was separating the onion, cilantro and tomatoes. This last week I did it altogether as a salsa with the seasonings and jalapeno, like Joe does, and it was bomb! Seriously, we never get sick of this meal. And it's great when it's hot outside and you don't feel like turning on the oven.

Carmel Popcorn

Jeff's sister introduced this recipe to us. I don't know where she got the recipe, but it's so good!

WARNING: this stuff is addicting!

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. corn sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 bags light popcorn, popped

Melt butter; stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook until nice and smooth, no layer of butter sitting on top. Add vanilla, then add the baking soda, which will cause it to fluff up (so make sure your pan is high enough to hold it!) Toss the popcorn in a bowl, one bag at a time (to ensure better coating and weeding out of the kernels) and mix the carmel in little by little with each bag.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 stick of butter
1 pkg cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TB brown sugar
3/4 c. powder sugar
3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped pecans
extra chocolate chips to roll ball into
graham crackers and/or apple (or other fruit) slices

Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in sugars, chocolate chips and nuts. Chill for 2 hours. Then form a ball and roll it into the extra chocolate chips. Serve with fruits or graham crackers!

Stuffed Zucchini

I have searched high and low for a good stuffed zucchini recipe. We finally found a winner! Even my non-zucchini loving kids love this recipe, as well as my cheesy zucchini recipe (found in the veggies section).

Ingredients:

• 8 zucchini, about 6" in length (or only 2-3 if they are huge, homegrown zucchinis)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 whole onion, chopped into small pieces
• 1 TB parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 c. parmesan cheese
• 1 c. monterey jack or mozarella cheese
• 1 c. cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Brown the ground beef and the onion and drain off excess fat. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise (if they don't sit flat, slice a small amount off the bottomo to help them sit better). Scoop out centers and chop pulp finely. Add the chopped zuchini pulp, parsley, salt and pepper to the ground beef and onion and simmer until zucchini is tender. Drain off any excess liquid if needed. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. You can play around with whatever mixture of cheeses floats your boat; we liked the parmesan, cheddar and mozarella. Scoop into zucchini halves and sprinkle with a little extra cheese. Put zucchini halves on a cookie sheet covered in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Zucchini should be tender and cheese golden brown on top. In the summertime, when you don't wanna heat up your house, you could even cook these on the BBQ grill.

Tomato & Mozarella French Bread Slices

My new favorite side dish. SO good. You gotta be fast when you serve these, they disappear quickly.

You will need:

• french bread (I buy the thin bagette style loaf at Stater Bros, you can use whatever you like)
• tomatoes, sliced
• mozarella cheese, sliced
• olive oil
• fresh basil, finely chopped
• balsamic vinegar

In a small bowl, combine some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and basil. I don't measure, I eyeball it. I usually do 2 parts of olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar (I'm not huge on vinegar, so this amount gives it just enough flavor).

Slice up your french bread and lay it out on a cookie sheet. Put a slice of mozarella cheese, followed by a slice of tomato on top of each piece of bread. Then drizzle (or brush with a pastry brush) the oil mixture on top. Stick the cookie sheet in the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browning.

Lyonnaised Carrots

This one comes from my grandma. It's one of our favorites for Thanksgiving, but sometimes I make it throughout the year as well. Even if you're not big on carrots, you'd like these.

2 lbs. carrots
1 bunch of green onion
1 stick of butter
Salt and Pepper

Peel and chop the carrots; boil them until they are tender. Drain the water and mash the carrots (not as mushy as baby food...keep some texture to it). Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Saute chopped green onion. Once the green onion is sauteed, add the carrots and stir through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots

This recipe was taken from another pork chop recipe. But you can use these veggies with any dish, so I'm posting it here instead of with the pork chops. You can also use this method for other veggies: fresh broccoli, squash, etc.

6 c. cauliflower florets (fresh)
2 cups baby carrots
6 TB butter, melted
Salt & Pepper

Heat oven to 450. Place cauliflower and carrots on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 TB melted butter. Toss. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Toss again. Roast in over for 25 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Remove and drizzle with 2 more TB melted butter.