Chicken Pot Pie

Here is another diabetes recipe I found. I've never made Chicken Pot Pie before and we all liked this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced peeled sweet potatoes (yams)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth (I just used regular chicken broth)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Dough of 5 flaky refrigerator biscuits (I used mom's homemade biscuit recipe instead)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the chicken breasts over medium heat 7-10 minutes or until done. Season with salt and pepper (if using) and cut into pieces.
3. Recoat the skillet wiht nonstick cooking spray and saute the carrots, mushrooms, onion, and potatoes for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the thyme and flour, stirring for 30 seconds. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring and cooking over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the chicken and peas and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray nad fill with the chicken mixture. Split the biscuits in half and lay them on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes or unti the pastry is golden brown.

Black Bean Salad

This is another diabetes recipe I found just doing a search. I wish I had written down where I got if from though.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked black beans
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 red peppers, finely chopped
1 cup yellow corn
3 garlic cloves, minced (I don't think I used three)
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (I didn't put this in because of the boys but would if it were jut Mike and I eating it)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation:
I lost the rest of the recipe so this is from my memory now. Drain the beans and chop up the tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro. Mix everything together. I served this with chicken but you could use it with a salad as well.

Vanilla-chocolate Parfette

We tried this last week and it was good--not my all time favorite but not bad. Of course, it would have been better if it wasn't sugar-free.



Vanilla-Chocolate Parfette
Cooking with the Diabetic Chef by Chris Smith


1 pkg. sugar-free vanilla pudding mix

1 pkg. sugar-free chocolate pudding mix

16 individual graham squares (or 1/2 cup crumbs)

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, grated

1/2 cup fat-free whipped topping (we just used normal whipped topping)



1. In separate bowls, prepare the vanilla and chocolate pudding mixes according to package directions. Cover and refrigerate both puddings.

2. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Layer the parfette into 4 small custard cups, parfait glasses, or wine glasses. Spread 1 Tbsp chocolate pudding per serving. Top with 1 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs. Top with 1 Tbsp vanilla pudding. Top with 1 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs. Repeat for a second layer.

3. Garnish with the grated chocolate. Add a dollop of whipped topping if you wish. Serve.

Banana and Vanilla Pancakes

We tried these pancakes and they were great. It was just a nice change from the normal pancakes.

Banana and Vanilla Pancakes
This recipe came from Cooking with the Diabetic Chef by Chris Smith

2 cups all-purpose flour (I did half white, half wheat and threw in some flax seed)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 pint reduced-fat (2%) milk
2 large eggs, beaten
2 oz butter, melted
1 fresh vanilla bean
1 banana, sliced
nonstick cooking spray

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until they form a batter. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the pulp from the center of the bean. Mix the vanilla pulp into the pancakes batter. Gently mix the sliced bananas into the batter.
2. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat the pan over medium heat. Use about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake.

**I couldn't find a vanilla bean at the store but I also just went to WalMart. I just used liquid vanilla. I'm sure it would have been even better with the real thing. Also, I sliced the banana like the recipe called for but I think it would be better if the banana was mashed.

Beef and Black Bean Wraps

I found the Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Living Cookbook at the library and we have been trying some of the recipes. We've only tried two of them so far but we have really enjoyed both of the recipes. I'm sure if you didn't like the black beans you could put another kind of bean in there or if you are like us and don't have wheat tortillas on hand you can try the carb smart kind. Even the little boys liked this recipe!

Beef and Black Bean Wraps

8 ounces lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (2 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander (we didn't have this ingredient and it still tasted fantastic)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4-6 ounces)
Salsa

1. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion, and garlic about 5 minutes or until meat is brown. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in cumin, chili powder, and coriander into meat mixture in skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in black beans, tomato, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
3. To serve, divide beef mixture among tortillas, spooning it down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Roll up. If desired, serve with salsa. Makes 6 servings.