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.

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.

Keech Egg Nog

Sorry People...No Rum in this one.

Also, this is NOT a thick beverage. It ends up more like a thinner, foamy, creamy milkshake. It is as close as I've actually come to a REAL recipe for my MIL's Egg Nog, so I'm writing it down. This way, I can re-create it again, along with anyone else who loves this style of Egg Nog.

8 eggs, separated
2/3 C sugar
4 C milk (whole or 2%)
2 C half & half
1-1/2 Tbs vanilla
2 C heavy whipping cream
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg to taste
dash of salt

Beat egg yolks until thick & lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar. Stir in milk, half & half, and vanilla.

Whip cream until light & fluffy. Whisk into egg yolk mixture.

Add a dash of salt to egg whites & beat until they stand in peaks. Fold into egg mixture.

Add cinnamon & nutmeg to taste. Add more sugar to taste. Enjoy!

Any of the dairy measuremnts can be adjusted, but the total should be about 8 cups - i.e. 6 cups of milk & 2 of cream if you omit the half & half.

Microwave Caramels

I'll admit that I found a recipe online & tweaked it. Well, let's say I had to "fix it". My first attempt @ Microwave Caramels was a bit of a disaster. I mean, they tasted good, but ended up more like a Sugar Daddy. Definitely yummy, but way too hard to chew. I looked at some other recipes online to find out a better idea of how long they should take to cook. Well, I decided to give it another go, but cut WAY back on the cook time. They turned out FANTASTIC! I was thrilled. They came out delicious, soft & chewy. Mmmm...this recipe is definitely a KEEPER!
1 C. Butter (2 sticks)
2-1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Line a 12 X 7 X 2 inch pan with buttered aluminum foil. Set aside.

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter until melted.

Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk & salt. Cover with plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave for 6 minutes. Mixture should be bubbly. Stir, recover & cook 3 more minutes.

Uncover, stir well. Cook 3 more minutes. Stir again & cook 3 more minutes. Basically, the caramels have now cooked for a total of 15 minutes. If you want to check the consistency, drop a little into a bowl of ice water. If done, it should hold together when cooled, but still be chewy. If the mixture doesn't hold together, is too soft, or dissolves immediately...cook longer. I would probably only do 1-2 minutes at a time.

When caramel mixture is cooked, stir in the nuts, and pour into the prepared pan. Allow the caramels to cool. Then cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.

Veggie Cakes

Recipe from: http://dietbites.com

Begin by grating up an assortment of your favorite vegetables. Examples include: carrots, mushrooms, squash, bell pepper, onion, corn, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, pinched spinach, cooked drained beans, potatoes. Be sure to use clean vegetables, and to drain your vegetables. Water tends to create splattering in the pan while cooking.

3 cups of grated vegetables
2 egg whites
salt & pepper to personal taste
dash or two of your favorite seasoning - totally optional
2 Tablespoons of white OR wheat flour
non stick cooking spray

Spray a skillet with the cooking spray and while it heats, mix the vegetable cakes in a bowl.

Form flat little patties and carefully place into the pan.

Cook until golden on one side before flipping, then turn and cook on the other side until golden brown. Be careful not to disturb your patties as they cook because they are very fragile.

Serve with low-fat dip or dressing for dipping.

Calorie Count: Without the dressing, using these veggies - mushrooms, squash, bell pepper, onion, carrots, cabbage & asparagus, the recipe contains 125 calories. Yes, that's for the ENTIRE recipe which makes a very nice size plate of vegetable treats.

Adding potatoes and corn will up your calorie count.

Whole Wheat Crepes

1 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 large egg
1 additional egg white
1 Tbs sugar (optional)

In a blender or food processor, process the milk and egg until will mixed, but stopping short of creating foam. Add flour, sugar (if desired) and any spices you want to try and pulse until just mixed. The batter should be quite thin. Add more milk as neccessary. (I think I tripled the batch and did have to thin it a little)

Heat a lightly-greased medium skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. The pan is ready when a drop of water dropped in the pan dances on the surface.

For each crepe, use 3 Tablespoons of batter. Immediately swirl the pan gently to distribute the batter in a very thin layer. Cook the crepe until the surface appears dry -- about 1 minute. Stack completed crepes on a plate with wax paper between each crepe to prevent sticking.

Fill crepes with you favorite filling. Roll and enjoy! I love them with a little Nutella & strawberries or bananas.

(from http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1156)

Salsa Chicken Quesadillas / Tacos

8 oz. Cooked chicken
1/4 - 1/2 c. salsa
2 oz. shredded cheese
2 whole wheat flour tortillas (8" or 10")

Preheat broiler.

Shred chicken into pieces and put into a microwave-safe bowl. Pour salsa over chicken, cover & microwave until hot. Stir to coat chicken, adding more salsa if needed.

Spray tortillas with non-stick spray. Put spray-side down on cookie sheet & spread 1oz of cheese on each. Put under broiler to melt cheese. Spread half of salsa chicken mixture on each tortilla & fold over. Put back under broiler to crisp tortilla. (ONLY 1-2 minutes - Watch carefully, it goes quick.) Flip over & crisp other side. Let cool for a minute then cut into 2-3 wedges. Serve with a salad.

2 Servings

Mexican Chicken Soup

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
5 c. fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 c. bottled thick & chunky salsa
1 (9oz) pkg frozen, diced cooked chicken breast, thawed
1 c. rinsed, drained no-salt added canned black beans
1 c. uncooked instant rice
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
3/4 c. coarsely crushed low-fat baked tortilla chips

Bring broth & salsa to boil over high heat. Add chicken, beans & rice; cover, reduce heat to low & cook 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat & stir in cilantro & lime juice.

Spoon soup evenly into bowls. Sprinkle each with 2 Tbs chips.

Servings: 6
Serving size: 2 c.
Calories (g) - 245
Fat (g) - 3.6
Carbohydrates (g) - 26.5
Fiber (g) - 2.5
Protein (g) - 25.6
Sodium (mg) - 816
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starch / 3 very lean meat

Cherry Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1/4 c. plain fat-free yogurt
2 Tbs crumbled feta cheese
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1-1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucmber, quartered lengthwise & sliced crosswise (about 1-1/2 c.)

Combine first 5 ingredients. Add tomato & cucumber; toss gently. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 3/4 c.
Calories (g) - 44
Fat (g) - 1.4
Carbohydrates (g) - 6.1
Fiber (g) - 1.4
Protein (g) - 2.5
Sodium (mg) - 222
Exchanges - 1 vegetable

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

Turkey Quesadillas

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1/2 tsp oil
3/4 c. chopped bell pepper (about 1 small)
1/2 c. red onion (about 1 small)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c. chopped cooked turkey breast
3/4 c. drained no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 (8-in) fat-free flour tortillas
1/3 c. (1.5oz) shredded reduced fat monterey jack cheese

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion & pepper 3 minutes. Add cumin & saute 1 minute. Add turkey & tomato; saute 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro, salt & pepper.

Place about 1/2 c. turkey mixture on half of each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese evenly over turkey; fold in half. Cook 30 seconds on each side or until lightly browned. Cut each folded tortilla into 3 wedges.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 3 wedges (1 tortilla, filled)
Calories (g) - 205
Fat (g) - 3.5
Carbohydrates (g) - 29.8
Fiber (g) - 2.3
Protein (g) - 12.5
Sodium (mg) - 648
Exchanges - 2 starch / 1 lean meat

South of the Border Pizzas

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
3 (10") flour tortillas
1/2 lb ground round
1 (15oz) can no-salt added black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (1.25oz) pkg 40% less sodium taco seasoning
1/4 c. water
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 c. sliced green onions
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs minced jalepeno pepper
1 c. preshredded reduced fat cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets, and bake @ 450 for 2 minutes or until slightly crisp.

Cook beef until browned, drain & return to pan. Add beans, taco seasoning & water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer 3 minutes stirring often.

Spread beef mixture over tortillas. Combine tomatoes & next 3 ingredients, sprinkle over beef mixture. Top with cheese.

Bake @ 450 for 4 minutes or until tortillas are lightly browned. Remove to cutting board; let stand 5 minutes.

Servings: 6
Serving size: 1/2 tortilla w/ toppings
Calories (g) - 300
Fat (g) - 7.6
Carbohydrates (g) - 40.4
Fiber (g) - 6.2
Protein (g) - 21.6
Sodium (mg) - 641
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starch / 1 vegetable / 3 lean meat

Seasoned Cannellini Beans

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1 tsp - olive oil
2 tsp - bottled minced garlic
1 C - finely chopped celery
1 C - vegetable broth
2 (15.5 oz) cans - cannellini beans or other white beans, drained & rinsed
1 Tbs - finely chopped sage or 1 tsp - ground sage
1/4 tsp - salt
1/4 tsp - pepper
1/4 C - coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 C (1 oz) - grated fresh parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic & celery; saute' 3 minutes until tender. Add broth & next 4 ingredients; bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered 10 minutes.

Spoon beans into individual soup bowls, and sprinkle with parsley & cheese.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories (g) - 176
Fat (g) - 4.2
Carbohydrates (g) - 22.6
Fiber (g) - 4
Protein (g) - 10.8
Sodium (mg) - 821
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starch / 1 lean meat

Mediterranean Pita Rounds

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
2 (15 oz) cans - no-salt added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/4 C - fat-free milk
1/4 C - fresh lemon juice
5 garlic cloves
8 (8") pitas
1 tsp - olive oil
1 (10 oz) pkg - frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained & squeezed dry
2 C - chopped tomato
1 C - diced green bell pepper
1 C - diced red bell pepper
1/2 C (2 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 C - sliced ripe olives

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine first 4 ingredients in food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides occasionally.

Arrange pitas on baking sheets; brush with olive oil. Bake at 450 for 6 minutes. Spread bean mixture evenly over pitas, leaving 1/2" border. Arrange remaining ingredients evenly over pitas. Bake at 450 5 minutes ir until heated through & crust is crisp.

**Substitute prepared Hummus for bean mixture.

Servings: 8
Serving size: 1 pita
Calories (g) - 397
Fat (g) - 6.6
Carbohydrates (g) - 64.8
Fiber (g) - 11.9
Protein (g) - 13.5
Sodium (mg) - 602
Exchanges - 3 starch / 3 vegetable / 1 fat

PB & J Muffins

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1-1/2 C - all purpose flour
2 tsp - baking powder
1/2 tsp - salt
1/4 C - light brown sugar
2/3 C - fat-free milk
1/2 C - chunky reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 C - egg substitute
cooking spray
1/4 C + 2 Tbs - fruit spread

Preheat oven to 375. Combine dry ingredients. Combine milk, peanut butter & egg substitute in a blender; process until blended. Add to dry ingredients & stir until moist. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cuos coated with cooking spray, filling 1/2 full. Place 1-1/2 tsp fruit spread in center of batter & cover with enough batter to fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan immediately & serve warm.

Servings: 12 muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin
Calories (g) - 161
Fat (g) - 4.2
Carbohydrates (g) - 25.8
Fiber (g) - 0.4
Protein (g) - 5.6
Sodium (mg) - 195
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starches / 1 fat

Coconut Muffins

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
2 C - all purpose flour
1/3 C - sugar
2 tsp - baking powder
1/4 tsp - salt
1/4 C - flaked sweetened coconut
1 (8oz) carton - vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/4 C - vegetable oil
1/4 tsp - coconut extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg-white, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in center. Combine yogurt with next 4 ingredients; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moist. Spoon into muffin cups coated with cooking spray, filling 3/4 full.

Bake at 400 for 19-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove muffins from pan immediately.

Servings: 12 muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin
Calories (g) - 169
Fat (g) - 5.9
Carbohydrates (g) - 25.1
Fiber (g) - 0.6
Protein (g) - 4
Sodium (mg) - 157
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starches / 1 fat

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

Garlic-Herb Cheese Spread

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1-1/2 C - fat-free sour cream
1/2 C - light cream cheese
1 Tbs - minced fresh chives
2 tsp - minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp - salt
1/2 tsp - pepper
1/2 tsp - minced bottled garlic

Combine sour cream & cream cheese in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients; cover & chill at least 1 hour. Serve on bagel chips or toasted French bread. Makes about 2 cups.

Serving size: 1 Tbs spread
Calories (g) - 16
Fat (g) - 0.6
Carbohydrates (g) - 1.1
Fiber (g) - 0
Protein (g) - 1.2
Sodium (mg) - 65
Exchanges - FREE (up to 1/4 C)

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