Diabetic meals and desserts (choice, hell, pray, Roman)

[mrscardero]

For those who feel the need to cut down on the sweets but still feel like you are eating sweets or different types of meal, check the following out. If you have any recipes you would like to share, please share as I am also looking for some ideas.

[mrscardero]

Ingredients

• 1 (5.25 ounce) package sugar-free chocolate graham crackers, crushed
• 1/3 cup reduced-calorie margarine, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray
• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 2 1/2 (8 ounce) packages 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 14 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute with aspartame (such as Equal Spoonful)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 5 (0.6 ounce) sugar-free chocolate wafer bars, coarsely chopped (such as Sweet 'N Low)
• Directions:

1. Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool on a wire rack.

2. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Cook over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.


3. Beat cream cheese at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy. Add vanilla, beating well. Add gelatin mixture, beating until smooth. Add sugar substitute and cocoa; beat just until blended. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or until set. Before serving, top with chopped wafers.

[mrscardero]

Pumpkin Pie recipe:

1 1/3 c flour 2 egg whites
1/3 c sugar 1 c evaporated skimmed
3/4 tsp salt milk
2 tbsp shortening 1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp margarine 1/2 tsp ginger
4-5 tbsp ice water
15 oz pumpkin (in can)

This recipe makes about 10 servings and can easily be eaten by diabetics due to its low sugar content.

1. Mix flour, 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp of sugar in a medium bow. Cut in shortening and margarine until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Mix in ice water until mixture comes together and forms a soft dough. Wrap in plastic and refridgerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out pastry on floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into a 12 inch circle. Place in 9 inch plate and press edge.

3. Mix pumpkin, remaining sugar, egg whites, milk, cinnamon, ginger and remaining salt. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is set.

5. Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving.

[mrscardero]

Cheese and Rice Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
4 medium green bell peppers
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300-degrees.

Slice off the tops of the peppers. Wash the peppers and remove the cores and seeds. Stand the pepper cups upright in a saucepan containing 1/2-cup boiling water. Cover tightly and allow steam five minutes. Remove and drain.

In a large bowl, mix together the rice, cheese parsley, salt, and ground pepper. Divide the mixture and stuff each pepper.

Stand the peppers in a loaf pan or cupcake tins. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese melts.

Recipe makes four peppers (four servings).

[mrscardero]

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
18 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Soak chicken in buttermilk for 4 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Discard buttermilk.

Combine cornflakes, flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Dredge chicken in the mixture until completely coated.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.

Fry the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.

Drain on paper towels before serving.

[mrscardero]

Take two sugarfree cookies of your choice
scoop of your favorite sugar free ice-cream and Walla!

This works well in the house I work at because they have icecream ones a week and to cut down on the sugar we give them, we make them ice-cream sandwiches.
It's even better if you prepare it a head of time and stick it in the freezer. What I do is lightly soak it in milk (fat free or skim), a scoop of icecream and place in the freezer until ready to serve. Makes the cookies softer. Make sure you use wax paper or else it will stick to the plastic wrap.

[mrscardero]

Lasagna is a nice Italian dish that will more than fill most pasta cravings. Hearty and good comfort food, lasagna is one pasta dish that will warm your heart. In order to make this pasta recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:


1 c. chopped onions
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. diced green peppers
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. each basil, oregano, chili
powder
5 oz. Mozzarella cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. chopped carrots
3 c. tomatoes
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
3 oz. grated Romano cheese
1 1/3 c. cottage cheese

Saute onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, and peppers until soft. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, chili powder, rosemary, and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Mix together the 3 cheeses. Starting with sauce, layer with 8 cooked lasagna noodles and cheese in an 8 x 12 inch casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4.