Mexican Quinoa Salad

Recipe adapted from:

dearcrissy.com

Ingredients:

2 cups grilled chicken breast
3 cups cooked quinoa (3/4 cup uncooked)
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (one 16 oz. can) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups (one 15 oz. can) corn, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium fresh tomato, diced, or 10-15 cherry tomatoes quartered

Preparation:

Mix grilled chicken, cooked and cooled quinoa, diced onion, garlic, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Chop cilantro, then stir into quinoa along with seasonings, black beans, and corn. Stir in oil, tomato, and pepper, immediately before serving.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes & Tips:

Mat and I have recently embarked on a clean eating lifestyle. This is going to become my staple recipe for quick lunches or dinners on busy nights. The quinoa can be cooked days in advance and so can the grilled chicken. I keep 5 or 6 grilled chicken breasts in the freezer for quick defrosting and adding into recipes. It would also taste great with avocado, black olives and jalapenos too! But it's absolutely delish the way it is!

Super Easy Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

• Pizza crust (I used store brand personal size pizzas)
• this could be anything from pita bread, naan, homemade crust, store bought
• Cream Cheese
• Eggs
• Bacon
• Shredded cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Put slices of bacon on a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake bacon for 18 minutes or until crispy.
4. Take bacon out and drain on paper towels.
5. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees.
6. While bacon is cooking, scramble the eggs (I used 8 eggs for 3 individual size pizzas)
7. Spread the pizza crust with cream cheese
8. Put the eggs on the cream cheese, followed by the meat (bacon, ham, ground beef, sausage)
9. Sprinkle on the cheese
10. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is tan and cheese is melted 

Notes & Tips:

Nothing fancy to this, but man it was good. Mat and I topped ours with hot sauce, because really what are eggs without hot sauce?  Totally customizable. Use anything you'd like. You can even whip up some sausage gravy and spread it on the crust before you put the eggs on. YUM!

Soy Maple Salmon with Cauliflower

Recipe adapted from:

Erica McMannes 

Ingredients: 

• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup 
• 1 Tablespoon orange juice (fresh squeezed if you'd like)
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 4 5-ounce salmon fillets, (preferably wild salmon)
• 4 cups cauliflower florets (1 head chopped)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, or water
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoon dried cranberries
• 2 Tablespoons chopped almonds or pistachios (I used pecans)
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 Tablespoon parsley (I used basil)

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Mix soy sauce, maple syrup, orange juice, 2 of the garlic cloves and 2 Tablespoons of water in large bowl. Add salmon, turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
3. While that is marinating, put the cauliflower in microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap (or Tupperware's stack cooker. Microwave until tender, about 6 minutes.
4. Coat rimmed cookie sheet with canola oil. Drain salmon, season with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until salmon flakes when you put a fork in it. 
5. Heat olive oil in large skillet, heat oil and remaining garlic until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and broth, cranberries, nuts, orange zest parsley, salt and pepper stir to heat through. Serve cauliflower with fish. 

Notes & Tips:

I thought this was a great recipe, healthy and very easy. The wild caught salmon really has a much better flavor than anything farm raised or flash frozen. Obviously, I didn't go catch the salmon myself. I was glad this recipe had a built in side dish. I served it with Parmesan couscous. Without the couscous this is gluten free. 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Recipe adapted from: 

Heatovento350.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
   
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 bag frozen mixed veggies (I used Kroger brand)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
   
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Cook chicken however you like. I steamed mine in my steamer from totally frozen with steak seasoning sprinkled on it for 30 mins.
2. Shred chicken. (I used my Kitchenaid mixer to shred mine, just make sure you put a towel over the mixer so you don't have flying chicken).
3. Add butter to a large pot, add celery, onion and carrots along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add flour and spices. Cook and stir one minute.
4. Stir in broth and milks, cover the pot, and bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.
5. Stir in chicken and let simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
6. Divide soup among serving bowls.

Notes & Tips:

The original recipe called for parsnips, which sounds good to me, but as I didn't have any I added the frozen veggies to bulk it up. You can also lower the fat in this by subbing the cream for whole milk and the whole milk for skim. I wouldn't use all skim milk though, I feel it would make the soup kinda watery. I served this with biscuits. The original recipe called for puff pastry adornments, but honestly if I was going to go that far, I'd just make chicken pot pie.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Recipe adapted from: Six Sisters Blog

Ingredients:
1 (6 oz) pkg. chicken flavored low sodium stuffing mix
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon prepared, Dijon mustard
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (I steamed mine)
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups cooked, chopped ham
6 slices of extra thin Swiss cheese

Preparation: Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Prepare stuffing as directed on package.  Mix soup and mustard in medium bowl; stir in chicken, broccoli and ham. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with cheese slices and stuffing.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

Notes & Tips:
The original recipe said to boil the chicken but I seasoned mine with garlic salt and pepper and steamed it. You could certainly use leftover chicken if you have it. Really any way you cook the chicken would be just fine. Also, I did not cover it while cooking so that the stuffing could get crispy. I served this with a chopped salad.
 

Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw

Recipe adapted from: E-meals 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 tablespoon Creole seasoning 
• 1/2 tablespoon Cilantro Mojo Seasoning (Tupperware)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 10 oz bag rainbow slaw mix
• ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro 
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1 teaspoon honey 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 10-count package taco size flour tortillas 
• Pico de gallo
• Sour Cream

Preparation

Sprinkle chicken with Creole & Cilantro Mojo seasonings. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook, stirring frequently, for 6 minutes, or until cooked through. Combine coleslaw mix, cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, honey, and salt in a bowl. Serve chicken, pico, sour cream and slaw on tortillas.

Notes:

The original recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of Creole seasoning, but I just love the Mojo seasoning so much I had to use it. I was also surprised how much I liked the slaw. I didn't think it was going to have enough liquid but it really was very good and was not too spicy. I made the slaw in advance to let the ingredients marry before serving. I served this with Spanish rice.

Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta

Recipe adapted from: Taste of Home August/September 2013

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 water
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; cook and stir until tender. Add tomatoes, wine, oregano, salt, pepper flakes and paprika; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp and cheese; cook 5-6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Serve with rice. Serves 4
  

  Notes:

  YUM YUM YUM! How delish. I served this over hot rice. Daven even loved it, after I chopped up the shrimp. He ate two servings. I did use an Italian Seasoning blend that had red pepper flakes in it, so I omitted the red pepper flakes. 

  Nutrition:

  1 cup (calculated without rice) equals 261 calories, 11 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 191 mg cholesterol, 502 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 28 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

   

   

Squash, Potatoes & Onions

Recipe Adapted From:

food.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup margarine (or a little bacon grease)
3 medium size yellow squash (cut in slices)
2 medium potatoes (cut in slices)
1 small onion (halved and sliced)

Preparation:

1 Wash and Cut up squash, potatoes and onions.
2 Melt butter in lg. fry pan.
3 Add squash.
4 Add potatoes on top of squash.
5 Add onions on top of potatoes.
6 Cover and simmer till potatoes are done stirring occasionally (about 1/2 hour).
7 Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add small amount of water if it starts sticking (usually not necessary due to water content in vegetables).

Notes & Tips:
I used butter in my dish instead of the bacon grease to cut down on the fat a bit. I also only used about 1/8 of a cup butter mixed with a little olive oil. Mat told me he didn't like squash, so I made it a mission to change his mind. And by golly I think I did it!

Nutrition Facts: 

Servings Per Recipe: 4 Calories 164.7 Total Fat 6.2 g Total Carbohydrate 24.8 g Protein 4.1 g

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

Recipe Adapted From:
How Sweet It Is: Pinterest

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces of beer
32 ounces of barbecue sauce

Preparation:

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce. Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

Notes & Tips:
A great recipe for the crockpot. Very yummy and easy. I used Killian's Irish Red for the beer. I also didn't have enough BBQ sauce in the fridge so I had to make 2 cups of my own blend to add to the dredges of random BBQ sauce that I had (Famous Dave's Devils Spit & Kraft Think/Tangy). I made my own blend with ketchup and lots of random spices/vinegar. The original recipe says that using a thinner sauce is easier, but I disagree. I would use a thicker one and let the beer do the thinning.

Stuffed Cabbage

Recipe Adapted From:
Pennies On A Platter - Pinterest

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 medium head (about 2 pounds) green cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
1/4 cup raisins (I use golden)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (16 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon paprika
sour cream, for serving (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13- by 9-inch pan with cooking spray or oil.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Using a small, sharp knife, cut in a circle all around the stem of the cabbage and remove the core. Place the cabbage in the boiling water. After about 2 minutes an outside leaf will come loose--pull it off and out of the water using tongs. After another minute the next leaf will come loose. Remove and repeat until you have 8 to 10 leaves. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Cut out the thick part of the rib from the bottom of each leaf, but don't cut more than a third of the way into the leaf.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, cooled onion, rice, raisins, and salt. With the stem side of the cabbage leaf facing you, place a scant 1/3 cup of the beef mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the mixture and then fold the sides over and roll into a tidy packet. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, broth, and paprika. Pour evenly over the cabbage rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Optional: Serve the cabbage rolls with a big dollop of sour cream.

Notes & Tips:
So I was a little intimidated to make these since they look kind of difficult, but seriously they were so easy to make and really really good. I used crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce so there was some texture to the sauce. Mat told me this one was a keeper!

Sweet & Sour Shrimp Stir-Fry

Recipe Adapted From:
Pampered Chef Casual Cooking Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/3 cup ketchup
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
4 tsp cornstarch
1 20oz can pineapple chunks in juice, un-drained
8oz fresh snow pea pods, trimmed, cut diagonally in half (2 cups)
3 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 lb frozen, cooked medium shrimp, thawed, rinsed and tails removed
4 cups cooked rice

Preparation:

Combine ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and cornstarch; whisk until blended.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Measure ½ cup reserved pineapple juice; add to ketchup mixture and set aside. (Discard any remaining juice.)

Trim pea pods and cut diagonally in half. Cut tomatoes into wedges.

Heat oil in a stir-fry skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add pea pods and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, stir ketchup mixture and add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 1 minute until thickened. Add pineapple and shrimp, toss to heat thoroughly. Removed from heat; gently stir in tomatoes.

Serve over rice.

Notes & Tips:
I substituted rice vinegar for the white vinegar and sesame oil for the vegetable oil. If you really enjoy Asian food, you really should get the rice vinegar and sesame oil, it makes it tastes so much more "authentic".

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
Calories 520, Fat 5g, Carbs 87g, Protein 30g, Fiber 4g

Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce

Recipe Adapted From:
Healthy Cooking, Aug-Sept. 2011

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, halved
1/3 cup ruby port wine
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt

PORK CHOPS:
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 bone-in pork loin chops (7 ounces each)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, saute shallot in oil until tender. Stir in the cherries, wine, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the coriander, mustard, salt and pepper; rub over chops. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Serve with sauce. Yield: 2 servings.

Notes & Tips:
This was really good. It tastes like a special occasion recipe, but it was really easy. My chops took a little longer to cook, but I bought really thick cuts. Also, I did not have any port wine, so I just used cooking sherry. This was the perfect recipe to use some of the bing cherries I froze earlier this summer.

Nutrition Facts:
1 pork chop with 1/3 cup sauce equals 356 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 86 mg cholesterol, 509 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 32 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1-1/2 fat, 1 fruit.

Butterscotch Chocolate Cake

Recipe Adapted From:
Taste of Home Cookbook 2010

Ingredients:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix
1 jar (17 ounces) butterscotch ice cream topping
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), coarsely crushed

Preparation:
Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, poke 12 holes in warm cake. Pour butterscotch topping over cake; cool completely.
Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with candy. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Notes & Tips:
I didn't have a box of chocolate cake mix, so I made my own. I used a yellow cake mix plus 1/4 cup cocoa powder. This cake was a huge hit!

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

Recipe Adapted From:
Healthy Cooking Magazine:
August-September 2011

Ingredients:

6 tilapia fillets (6oz. each)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as, Old Bay)

Preparation:

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, and salt. Mix well.
Broil 3-4 from the heat for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Notes & Tips:
I thought this tasted great! I served this with a salad. I will say I think it could use a little more seasoning.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 6
Calories: 225 | Total Fat: 12.8g | Cholesterol: 63mg

Corn and Bean Fritters with Tomatoes

Recipe Adapted From:
Better Homes & Gardens, August 2011

Ingredients:

4 ears fresh sweet corn or 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 lb. grape or cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 15.5-oz. can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 6-oz. pkg. Southern-style corn bread mix
1 egg
1 tsp. ground ancho chili or chili powder
Olive oil
Fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley or cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation:

1. If using fresh corn, cut kernels from cobs; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, coarsely chop, halve, and/or slice tomatoes. In small saucepan combine tomatoes, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. For fritter batter, in large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add corn, corn bread mix, egg, ground chili, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water; stir to combine.

3. Heat a large griddle or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Drop four 1/2-cup scoops of batter on griddle at a time. Cook 4 minutes per side. Serve fritters with warm tomatoes and parsley and/or cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Notes & Tips:
These were really good! They would make an excellent side dish or you could eat them as a meatless dinner (which is what we did). The tomato reduction was the best part, I wish I had doubled or tripled this part of the recipe. I served this with the leftover pineapple coleslaw from the other night.

Nutrition facts:

Calories 384
Total Fat (g)11
Saturated Fat (g)2,
Sodium (mg)1574,
Carbohydrate (g)65,
Total Sugar (g)11,
Fiber (g)10,
Protein (g)14,

Pineapple Coleslaw

Recipe Adapted From:
www.food.com

Ingredients:
5 cups cabbage, shredded
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple, drained and cut into small pieces (drain all juice from pineapple. DO NOT used crushed.)
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Mix cabbage and pineapple.
2. Mix cream, mayo, sugar, spices and vinegar.
3. Add cream dressing to cabbage and pineapple.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Store covered in refrigerator 1-2 hours before serving.

Notes & Tips:

I think this tasted great! I used it on top of my pork burgers (see recipe below). I did add celery seed, maybe about a teaspoon, and instead of regular black pepper, I used white pepper, which I think has a slightly tangier taste to it.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 205.7
Total Fat 11.6 g
Saturated Fat 2.5 g
Cholesterol 13.2 mg
Sodium 223.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 25.7 g
Dietary Fiber 2.0 g
Sugars 16.5 g
Protein 1.6 g

Firecracker Grilled Salmon

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine
February/March 2011

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine the first ten ingredients. Pour 1/4 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the salmon; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. Drain and discard marinade.
Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Place salmon skin side down on grill rack. Grill, covered, over high heat or broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, basting occasionally with remaining marinade. Yield: 4 servings.

Notes & Tips:

I served this with a salad and Naan Bread (which is my favorite). The marinade definitely has some kick to it, if you wanted to limit that spice you can cut back on the red pepper flakes.

Nutrition Facts:

1 fillet equals 306 calories, 18 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 85 mg cholesterol, 367 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 29 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 1 fat.

Black Bean Taco Pizza

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Cookbook 2010

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 package (6-1/2 ounces) pizza crust mix
1 bottle (8 ounces) taco sauce
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup canned black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 green onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
Reduced-fat sour cream, optional

Preparation:

Coat a 12-in. pizza pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Prepare pizza dough according to package directions. With floured hands, press dough onto prepared pan. Bake at 450° for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Spread taco sauce over crust to within 1 in. of edges. Top with tomatoes, beans, corn, chilies, onions and cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Serve with sour cream if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Notes & Tips:
Instead of making a pizza crust I just used a pre-made one. It really sped up the time. One recommendation I might suggest would be to use the food processor to blend up the beans. This was a very messy pizza. All of the toppings slid right off the pizza.

Nutrition Facts:
1 slice (calculated without sour cream) equals 264 calories, 6 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 783 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 14 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 medium-fat meat.

Sesame Chicken Salad

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Cookbook 2010

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped fresh snow peas
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
4 lettuce leaves
1 tablespoon chopped cashews

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, soy sauce and ginger. Stir in the chicken, peas, pepper and sesame seeds. Serve over lettuce leaves; sprinkle with cashews. Yield: 2 servings.

Notes & Tips:

Oh man the "dressing" for this salad was amazing! I don't know what else I'd like to put it on, other than everything. Super easy recipe, very fresh and light. I served this lettuce wrap style instead of salad style. This recipe serves 2 so you can always double for more.

Nutrition Facts:

1 cup salad with 1-1/2 teaspoons cashews equals 254 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 76 mg cholesterol, 736 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 31 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 very lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 starch.

Easy Chicken and Veggies

Recipe taken from:
Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Cookbook 2010

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3 teaspoons Crisco® Olive Oil, divided
3 cups fresh baby spinach
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation:
Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese and Italian seasoning. Coat chicken in bread crumb mixture.
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
Saute spinach in remaining oil just until wilted. Stir in tomatoes and garlic; cook 3 minutes longer. Serve with chicken. Yield: 2 servings.

Notes & Tips:
I liked that this recipe was for 2, a nice change from the usual larger meals. I thought the spinach mixture was really bland. I would make sure to put some seasoning in with them next time, the little bit of garlic was not enough, it needs seasoning. Overall a good meal. Super quick, since you pound the chicken flat it cooks in less than 15 mins. I served this with a baked potato.

Nutrition Facts:
1 chicken breast half with 1 cup vegetables equals 302 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 95 mg cholesterol, 484 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 38 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 2 fat, 1 vegetable.