Sorta-Tzatziki Sauce

(Not truly tzatziki; but, an easy low-cal dilly-icious topper for grilled or roasted meat, chicken, fish or veggies!)

Numbers you need to know:

Recipe yields approximately 2 cups = 16 servings, 2 tablespoons per serving.  Per serving info:  18 calories; 1g fat; trace saturated fat; 2g protein; 1g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber;  4mg cholesterol; 93mg sodium (34mg sodium, if sea salt is omitted).  MUCH HEALTHIER than mayo and a nice change from mustard!

Prep Time:  10-15 minutes

Chill Time:  At least 2 hours (overnight is best) 

I mixed this up yesterday to go with some PEPPERY roast pork tenderloin.  I’d gone a tad overboard with my herb rub and needed something cool and creamy to counteract the heat.  This was perfect!  I’d wanted to attempt a me-version of Greek-style yogurt sauce (tzatziki) for a while.  So, I scouted about online and combined a few recipes, throwing in low-fat, low-carb substitutions to come up with this chilly-dilly sauce. 

It’s definitely not tzatziki—I didn’t strain the yogurt, which I think is imperative with traditional tzatziki—but, I like to think it’s tzatziki-esque.  It turned out quite lovely and would go fabulously with any highly-seasoned grilled or roasted meat, chicken, fish or veggies.  And, if you can handle the carbs, it would be super as a spread on gyros!

Ingredients:

·        3/4 cup chopped and drained cucumber (approximately 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and pulp removed)

·        2 tablespoons chopped green onion (approximately 1 green onion, white and green parts)

·        2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed)

·        2 teaspoons finely-chopped fresh garlic (1-2 cloves)

·        1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 room temperature lemon)

·        1 cup Greek Style Low-Fat Plain Yogurt (2% Milk) or Plain Low-Fat or Non-Fat Yogurt

·        1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

·        1/8 teaspoon white pepper

·        1 teaspoon SPLENDA® Granulated No-Calorie Sweetener

·        1/4  cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

1)      Chop the peeled and seeded cucumber by pulsing several times in a small food processor.  Pour chopped cucumber onto several sheets of paper towel and spread out to allow excess moisture to drain.  Allow the cucumber to drain for several minutes.  While the cucumbers are draining, chop the onions, dill and garlic and juice the lemon.

2)      Stir together all ingredients and refrigerate in a covered container at least two hours (but best chilled overnight so the flavors develop nicely) before serving.

3)      Great as a sauce, spread or a dip!  Always stir well before using.

Make healthier choices for a happier life!

Anita Peacock

Lifelong Type 1 Diabetic

Owner/Manager/Designer

MyDiabeticBag.com



MyDiabeticBag.com



 

Recipe sources:

http://recipehut.homestead.com/CucumberSauce.html 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Greek-Yogurt-Cucumber-Sauce/Detail.aspx

Other credits:

SPLENDA® is a registered trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC.

http://www.splenda.com/

Diabetic Chicken Stir Fry

Found this online and can't wait to try it out!  I already had chicken breasts defrosting in the fridge and had planned a chicken-mushroom sauté; but, this slightly different blending of flavors really tempted my taste buds. 

I will substitute rice wine vinegar sweetened to taste with Splenda for the sherry.  Shrimp would also be a lovely alternative to chicken.  And, please, do play around with the veggies—recipes are meant to be revamped.  And, you know, stir fry is great on its own—you don’t need rice!

Mmmm!  Smell that seared chicken (or shrimp) and veggies—delectable scents of ginger, garlic and onion wafting through your house.  Dang, I'm hungry! 

 

Ingredients:

 

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup cauliflower florets

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoon dry sherry

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation:

1.    Trim any fat from chicken and thinly slice diagonally into 1-inch strips.

2.    In a large non-stick skillet or wok, heat oil and stir-fry chicken 3 or 4 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove; set aside and keep warm.

3.    Add garlic and stir-fry for 15 seconds; add broccoli and cauliflower, stir-fry 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, green onions, soy sauce, sherry and ginger; stir-fry 2 minutes.

4.    Add dissolved arrowroot, sesame oil, peanuts and the chicken. Cook until heated through and sauce has thickened.

Numbers you need to know:

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 256, fat 10 g, cholesterol 72 mg, protein 30 g, carbohydrate 9 g, sodium 30 mg  (Please, note:  I’m a bit skeptical about the sodium amount listed here.  I’d like to know what brand of soy sauce the recipe creator used.  I can’t find ANY that would yield this low a sodium load per serving.  So DO BEWARE!)

Food Exchanges: 3 1/2 Low-Fat Meat, 2 Vegetables.

Recipe Source:  http://www.cooksrecipes.com/diabetic/chicken-stir-fry-diabetic-recipe.html

Make healthy choices for a happier life!

Anita Peacock

Lifelong Type 1 Diabetic

Owner/Manager/Designer

MyDiabeticBag.com

MyDiabeticBag.com