Cranberry Salsa

1- 12oz. bag cranberries

¼ to ½ C sugar

Juice from ½ lime

1 jalapeno (for mild salsa, remove seeds/ribs)

3-5 green onions (or ¼ small onion chopped finely)

½ bunch cilantro

Dash of salt & black pepper

Optional: garlic powder / onion powder to taste

Chop cranberries finely in food processor.

Mix in sugar and lime juice.

Finely chop jalapeno, onion and cilantro and add to cranberry mixture.

Adjust to taste by adding more onions, sugar, salt, lime, cilantro, etc.

Store refrigerated in an airtight container and use within about a week.

Salsa is good when fresh, but better if it has a few hours to blend the flavors and for the sugar /lime to break down the berries a bit.

Blackberry Swirl Pie - From Sharon

1 rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crust
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 cups fresh blackberries or 1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen blackberries (I used frozen loganberries)

Preheat oven to 450. 

Let frozen berries stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare pastry and line 9-inch pie plate. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 minutes more or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. 

Reduce oven to 350.


In a bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, flour, and salt. Add berries and gently stir to combine. Spoon into pre-baked crust. To prevent over-browning, cover edge of pie with foil. 

Bake 25 minutes (50 minutes for frozen berries). 

Remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more or until filling is bubbly and appears set (some berries will "pop" up to surface). 

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve or cover and refrigerate.

Banana Nut Bread

My favorite Banana Bread recipe!

1/2 C oil
1 C sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C chopped nuts

Beat oil & sugar together. Add eggs & banana pulp and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients, milk & vanilla. Mix well & stir in nuts. Pour into greased & floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. Cool. Makes 1 loaf.

Apple Brownies...Or Rather Apple Blondies

2/3 c. butter, softened (10-2/3 Tbsp)
1-3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. chopped nuts
1 c. apples, peeled & chopped
1/3 c. raisins (optional - or use extra apple or nuts)

Cream butter & brown sugar. Add eggs & vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients & beat until mixture is smooth. Add apples, nuts & raisins and stir gently. Spread batter into greased 9"X13" pan and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Apple Bundt Cake

Cake Batter

3 c. flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. orange juice (I used apple cider)
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Filling
2 c. apples (about 2 med.), peeled & diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bundt pan & set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside. Beat sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla & juice at high speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in nuts. Prepare filling by combining apples, cinnamon & sugar in a bowl or plastic baggie.

Place 1/3 of batter into prepared pan & top with 1/2 the apple filling. Continue layers ending with batter.

Bake 50-60 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with icing after cooling slightly.

Pineapple-Mango Salad

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1 c. fresh pineapple chunks
3/4 c. cubed, peeled, rip mango (about 1)
3/4 c. choped red bell pepper (about 1)
1 orange
2 Tbs finely chopped, seeded jalepeno pepper (about 1)
1-1/2 Tbs sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl & set aside.

Grate 1 tsp orange rind, peel orange & cut out secitons over a small bowl. Squeeze membranes to extract juice; reserve 2 Tbs juice. Discard remaining membrane & juice. Add reserved orange rind & sections to mango mixture. Add jalepeno, reserved orange juice & sugar. Toss gently & let stand 10 minutes.

Servings: 5
Serving size: 1/2 c.
Calories (g) - 77
Fat (g) - 0.2
Carbohydrates (g) - 19.2
Fiber (g) - 2.0
Protein (g) - 0.6
Sodium (mg) - 2
Exchanges - 1-1/2 fruit

Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1/2 C - green pepper, finely chopped
1/4 C - red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs - fresh lime juice
1 (20 oz) can - pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded & minced
cooking spray
4 (4 oz) salmon fillets (about 1/2" thick)
1 Tbs - reduced-sodium soy sauce

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl (salsa); cover & chill.

Preheat broiler. Arrange fish on greased pan; brush fillets with soy sauce. Broil 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Transfer fish to a serving platter & top evenly with salsa.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 1 fillet
Calories (g) - 255
Fat (g) - 10
Carbohydrates (g) - 15.2
Fiber (g) - 0.5
Protein (g) - 24.7
Sodium (mg) - 181
Exchanges - 1 fruit / 3 lean meat

Raspberry Smoothies

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1-1/2 C - fresh or frozen raspberries
1-1/2 C - frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
1 (8oz) carton - low fat lemon yogurt

Combine all ingredients in blender. Add ice cubes to reach 4-cup level. Process until smooth & serve immediately.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories (g) - 144
Fat (g) - 0.7
Carbohydrates (g) - 30.8
Fiber (g) - 3.1
Protein (g) - 2.5
Sodium (mg) - 52
Exchanges - 1 starch / 1 fruit

Easy Orange Chicken

Chicken Tenders or Chicken pieces cut into wide strips
4-8 Tbs. Sugar-Free Orange Marmalade
Garlic powder
Onion Powder
Salt
Hot Water

Preheat grill. Season the orange marmalade with garlic & onion powders and salt to taste. Mix with enough hot water to thin & create a sauce. Season chicken with a little salt & place on hot grill. After turning chicken, brush/baste with the orange sauce. Continue cooking. Turn once more & brush other side. Grill until done.

This is yummy on an Asian Salad or with some rice & stir fried veggies.

EASY APPLE SKILLET

4 - 6 servings
4 med. potatoes (peel if desired), cut in 1/4" strips
2 med. apples, cored and chopped
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. sliced celery
1 C. (4 oz) low-fat cheese shredded

Treat non-stick skillet with a few drops of oil or a non-stick spray. Sprinkle potatoes with salt (if desired) and pepper. Put in skillet with apples, onions and celery. Stir lightly. Cover and simmer on low until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Sprinkle cheese over top. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple-Cherry Stuffing

From Betty Crocker

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:8 hr 15 min
Makes:6 servings

1 package (6 ounces) herb stuffing mix
2 medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium tart cooking apple, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)
6 pork boneless loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick

1. Spray inside of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients except pork. Place half of the stuffing mixture in slow cooker; top with pork. Spoon remaining stuffing mixture over pork.

3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender. Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.

Strawberry Applesauce

About 20 good sized Macintosh Apples
1 1/2 C. Apple Cider or Juice
16 oz. Strawberries
3/4 C. Sugar

I used a peeler/corer/slicer tool, then cut each apple in half. Put them in the pot with the cider/juice & cook until tender. When the apples were halfway tender, I added the strawberries & cooked until everything was soft. I did sweeten this batch. I think I added 3/4 C. of sugar.

Depending on how chunky/smooth you like applesauce, use a potato masher, immersion blender, food processor or food mill to process.

This made about 16 C. of applesauce. I put 3 C. each in freezer bags to store. Chill in refrigerator before freezing.

Unsweetened Applesauce

About 10 good sized Macintosh Apples
1 C. Apple Cider or Juice

I used a peeler/corer/slicer tool, then cut each apple in half. Put them in the pot with the cider/juice & cook until tender. Then, depending on how chunky/smooth you like applesauce, use a potato masher, immersion blender, food processor or food mill to process.

I got about 6 C. of applesauce from 10 large apples. I put 3 C. each in freezer bags to store. Chill in refrigerator before freezing.

Cheesy Apple-Bacon Brunch

1 lb sliced bacon1 medium apple (such as Braeburn, Gala or Honeycrisp), peeled, chopped (1 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside.
2. In small bowl, mix apple and sugar; spread in baking dish. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and eggs until blended; pour over apple. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon.
3. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.