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.

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

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.