Italian-Style Salad

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1 (10oz) bag Italian salad greens (about 6 cups)
1/2 c. roasted red pepper in water, drained & chopped
2 Tbs grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/3 c. fat-free Italian dressing

Combine ingredients & drizzle with dressing. Toss to coat well.

Servings: 6
Serving size: 1 c.
Calories (g) - 25
Fat (g) - 0.6
Carbohydrates (g) - 3.7
Fiber (g) - 1.0
Protein (g) - 1.6
Sodium (mg) - 279
Exchanges - 1 vegetable

Tomato-Parmesan Flatbread

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
2 Tbs - dried tomato bits (packed without oil)
1-1/2 Tbs - fat-free Caesar Italian Dressing
1 (11.3 oz) can - refrigerated dinner rolls
2 Tbs - grated garlic-herb parmesan cheese blend
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine tomato bits & dressing in a small bowl; let mixture stand 5 minutes.

Separate dough into rolls. Roll each into a 4" round. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush rounds evenly with tomato mixture, and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes until golden.

Servings: 8
Serving size: 1 flatbread
Calories (g) - 129
Fat (g) - 2.1
Carbohydrates (g) - 20.8
Fiber (g) - 0.3
Protein (g) - 4.3
Sodium (mg) - 393
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starches / 1/2 fat

Red Pepper Pesto Crostini

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1 (7oz.) jar - roasted red pepper, drained & coarsely chopped
3 Tbs - freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbs - sliced almonds, toasted
2 tsp - no-salt added tomato paste
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 oz - fat-free cream cheese
16 (1/2" thick) slices French bread baguette, toasted

Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Cover & chill (at least) 1 hour.

Spread cream cheese evenly on toast slices; top each with 1 Tbs pepper mixture.

Yield: 16 appetizers
Serving size: 1 appetizer
Calories - 86
Fat (g) - 1.2
Carbohydrates (g) - 14.7
Fiber (g) - 0.6
Protein (g) - 3.4
Sodium (mg) - 207
Exchanges - 1 starch

Balsamic Vinagrette

For a little while, I was toying with the idea of taking Ali to help me with my weight-loss. Well, I haven't tried it, but I did find a book @ the dollar store with a bunch of recipes put out by the "Ali people". There are lots of yummy things I want to try. Anyway, that is where I got this recipe. This dressing is super-easy. It's REALLY strong on the vinegar side of flavor, but it makes a very good addition to some things. If you like it, YOU might also have it on salad, but it's just too strong for me & my lettuce & tomato salad. I did LOVE the flavor it gave to my Grilled Portabello Mushroom Sandwiches & my Bread salad.

2/3 C. Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Mix/whisk all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings, if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

Bread Salad

I really miss going to Wildflower Bakery in AZ. It's kind of like Panera, but different. Almost everything you order comes with a bread salad. It sounds weird, but it is SO yummy. Well, I made my own that I thought would go well with my Grilled Portabello Mushroom Sandwiches that I made tonight. So, here is my version of Bread salad too.

3 Roma Tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
1/3 English cucumber, diced
green onion
Sourdough bread, cut/torn into pieces
2-4 Tbs Balsamic vinegrette
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
garlic powder (because I forgot the REAL garlic)
salt/pepper to taste

Put all ingredients, except bread, into a large bowl & tos to mix. Add bread & toss to coat. Refrigerate or serve right away.

I'm looking forward to having a little more tomorrow too. The flavors will have had time to blend more. Yummy!

Grilled Portabello Mushroom Sandwiches

I made the yummiest sandwiches for dinner tonight.

Portabello Mushrooms
Balsamic Vinagrette
Fresh Basil
Provolone cheese (or mozarella)
Sourdough or another hearty bread (enough slices for sandwhiches)
olive oil
spinach

Brush the mushroom caps with the balsamic vinagrette. Grill on medium heat until tender. Brush with more vinagrette. Brush one side of bread with a little olive oil & grill on low-medium. Place cheese on bread, so it melts. When cheese is warm, top with grilled mushroom a little spinach and the other slice of bread.