SPICY BLACK-EYED PEAS AND RICE

This recipe is from Diabetic Cooking too. The dietary exchanges are listed as: 2.5 starch and 1/2 fat.

1 T. canola oil
1/2 cup minced onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups frozen black-eyed peas(no salt added)
1/4 cup diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos,drained
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt,optional
1 1/3 cups cooked brown rice

1.Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat; add onionsand cook 4 minutes or until beginning to turn light golden color, stirring often. Add garlic, cook 15 seconds.
2Add water, black-eyed peas,tomatoes and pepper to onion mixture: stir and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer: cover and cook18 to 20 minutes or until tender.
3 Use slotted spoon to remove black-eyed peas. Reduce liquid by cooking on high 2-3 minutes. Add reduced liquid to black-eyed peas and stir. Serve peas over brown rice.

Makes 6 servings.
(1/3 cup rice and 1/3 cup bean mixture per serving)

Calories: 220
Total fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: <1 g
Protein: 9 g
Carbohydrate: 37 g
Cholesteral: 0 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Sodium: 40 mg

LOW-FAT SLOPPY JOE SLIDERS

This recipe is from Diabetic Cooking. It lists Dietary Exchanges as: 1 Vegetable,3 starch,3 meat. and1/2 fat.

12 oz. super lean(96/4%) ground beef
1 can(14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes with Mexican seasonings
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables,thawed
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 T. ketchup
1 t. ground cumin
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. cider vinegar
24 mini whole wheat rolls or 1 oz. rolls, split and warmed

1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat untill hot. Coat skillet with cooking spray, add ground beef and cook until browned, stirring frequently.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except rolls. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer 15 minutes or until peppers are tender and mixture has thickened. Break up any large pieces of tomato. To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons into each bun.
Makes 8 servings.
(3 sliders/serving.)
Calories:324
Total fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Protein: 17 g
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Cholesterol: 23 mg
Dietary Fiber:8 g

LOW-FAT APPLE COFFEE CAKE

Serves: 20

Apples and raisins provide sweet moistness, which means less oil in this coffee cake that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

INGREDIENTS:
5 cups tart apples, cored, peeled, chopped
1 cup sugar OR Splenda
1 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg, beaten
2-1/2 cup sifted whole grain flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Lightly oil a 13x9x2-inch pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples with sugar, raisins, and pecans; mix well. Let stand 30 minutes.
4. Stir in oil, vanilla, and egg. Sift together flour, soda, and cinnamon; stir into apple mixture about 1/3 at a time, just enough to moisten dry ingredients.
5. Turn batter into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake slightly before serving.

NUTRITION INFO (per 3.5" x 2.5" serving):
Calories: 180.7
Fat: 4.6 g
Carbohydrates: 33.6g
Protein: 2.8g

LOW-FAT CHICKEN TEX-MEX CASSEROLE

Substitute lean steak (like sirloin) for chicken for a whole new recipe.

Ingredients:

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 Jalepeno pepper (seeded and diced)
1 Medium white onion (chopped)
1 Red pepper (seeded and diced)
2 T Chili Powder
1 T Cumin
3 T Cilantro (chopped)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
12 Oz Chicken Breast (pre cooked and diced)
4 Oz Tostito's Light Tortilla Chips (crushed into big pieces)
1 Medium Tomato (diced)
4 Oz Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese Blend

Directions:

Pre cook chicken and dice into bite sized pieces. Set aside.Preheat oven at 375 degrees.In large saute pan: Add olive oil, diced jalepeno, diced onion & diced pepper and cook for about 5 minutes until slightly soft. Add Chili powder, cumin, cilantro and Salt & Pepper and stir in completely.In 13x9 baking dish (sprayed with Pam): Add all ingredients above (including diced chicken) and crushed tortilla chips and fold until everything is incorporated. Top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.*optional*Top with reduced fat sour cream and salsa (not included in NI).

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 303.1
Total Fat: 8.6 g
Cholesterol: 55.3 mg
Sodium: 377.1 mg
Total Carbs: 28.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.9 g
Protein: 30.0 g

LOW-FAT CHICKEN SPANISH RICE CASSEROLE

1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Saute until onion is transparent.

Then add the following:
1 28 oz. can tomatoes
1 c. uncooked brown rice
1/2 red yellow pepper, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
pinch of thyme

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. When rice is done, add 10 oz can of V8 juice and 2 cs. cooked chicken. Mix well.Put in a casserole dish with lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Calories.....124.....Fat....1.8 g.....Fiber.....10 g.

LOW-FAT SALISBURY STEAK

Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces uncooked ground turkey (90% lean) or extra-lean ground beef
14 low-sodium saltine crackers, crushed (1/2 cup
)1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon minced dried onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 12-ounce jar fat-free beef gravy
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium, fat-free catsup or regular catsup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Hot cooked noodles (optional)

Coat an 8x8x2-inch (2-quart square) baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.In a large bowl, combine meat, cracker crumbs, milk, onion and parsley flakes. Mix well with your hands. Shape meat into 4 patties. Place patties in prepared dish.In a small bowl, combine gravy, catsup, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Spoon the gravy mixture evenly over meat patties.Cover and bake in a 350 degree F. oven about 1 hour or until done. Serve patties topped with gravy. Serve with noodles, if you like.

Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition facts per serving:
130 calories,
3 g total fat,
25 mg cholesterol.

FAT-FREE PICKLED BEETS

1 can beets
Juice from can of beets + enough water to make 1 cup
1/3 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup vinegar (I prefer apple cider vinegar)
Bring water,sugar and vinegar to a boil. Pour over beets. Let stand a few hours to absorb liquid flavor.Keeps well in refrigerator for several weeks.