Herb Vinaigrette (1g carb per serving!)

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (or your favorite vinegar)

·         1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

·         1 clove garlic, peeled

·         2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (like basil, cilantro, tarragon)

·         1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or grapeseed oil or canola oil)

·         1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or plain low-fat yogurt

·         2 teaspoons SPLENDA® Granulated (or other sweetener) to taste

·         1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

·         Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste

·         1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

Preparation:

1)      Pulse the first four ingredients in a food processor until relatively smooth. 

2)      Add oil and mustard (or yogurt) to mixture and pulse a few times to blend.

3)      Add pepper, Splenda and salt, if using.  Pulse a bit more to blend. 

4)      Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  Stir or shake well before each use.  Great on salads or on your choice of protein for a healthy meal. 

Yields 1 cup (16 tablespoons/servings).  Each tablespoon has, as follows: 

·         Herb Dijon Vinaigrette:  34 calories; 3g fat; trace protein; 1g carb; trace dietary fiber; 0mg cholesterol; 42mg sodium (32mg, if salt is omitted).

·         Herb Yogurt Vinaigrette: 33 calories; 3g fat; trace protein;1g carbohydrate;trace dietary fiber; trace cholesterol; 31mg sodium (2mg, if salt it omitted).

·         Nita’s Notes: 

1.       Yummy-to-the-tummy salad dressing or marinade for fish, poultry, meat, tofu.  Use whatever favorite fresh herbs are in season.  (Let me just say, pairing fresh cilantro and lime juice is spectacular on fish or chicken!)

2.       This is a quick and easy vinaigrette with much room for your own personal touches.  Don’t be afraid to use different kinds of vinegars.  Most of them have around 16g carbs PER CUP!!  That’s low carb when you’re stretching it over a whole salad dressing/marinade recipe.

3.       Need to nibble?  We ALL have those times when we eat out of boredom.  Keep fresh in-season, non-starchy veggies in your fridge.  Don’t go for something bad.  Top a cup or two of raw veggies with Vinaigrette and have a healthy, low-carb, low-calorie, fiber-ful snack!  I grew up on a farm and there’s just nothing better than the taste of fresh veggies to me!   I love to snack on fresh veggies with this in the evening—especially now in the heat of summer in South Georgia.  So cool to the tongue.  Aaaahhh! 

From my home to yours—Nita

Make healthier choices for a happier life!

Anita Peacock

Lifelong Type 1 Diabetic

eCommerce site:  MyDiabeticBag.com  (Check out my bags!)

eMail:  peacockproducts@bellsouth.net



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

Just Peachy-Tarragon Chicken Salad

*Numbers you need to know:  Yields 4 cups.  Info per each 1 cup serving:  197 calories; 10g fat; 22g protein; 7g carbohydrate (6g if fruit is omitted); 1g dietary fiber; 49mg cholesterol; 200mg sodium (83mg if salt is omitted).

Prep Time:  10-15 minutes, not including chicken preparation*

Start to Finish:  2 hours, 15 minutes or overnight 

Nita’s Notes:  This is a wonderful salad any time of year; but, especially in the spring and summer when fresh herbs, fruits and veggies abound.  You can use apricots instead of peaches for the same nutrition breakdown.  I’m just from Georgia and it would be sacrilege if I didn’t use peaches!  You can also omit the fruit altogether and save a whole gram of carb per serving; but, the subtle sweetness adds much depth to the rich tarragon flavor.   

Ingredients

·        1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

·        1 cup finely chopped celery

·        1/2 cup finely chopped onion

·        1/4 cup finely chopped fresh peaches or apricots, peeled and seeded (approximately one of either)

·        1/4 cup finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried leaves)

·        1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, coarsely chopped (preferably prepared without added fat, calories or sodium)

·        2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

·        1/2 cup plain Greek low-fat yogurt (can sub vegan yogurt; but, usually much higher carbs)

·        1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

·        1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

·        1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash® Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend

·        freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1)       Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.  Remove skillet from burner as soon as the walnut oils become fragrant.  Set aside to cool.

2)       Chop celery, onions, peach (or apricot), tarragon, garlic and chicken.  (*Please, note:  This recipe assumes chicken cooked without oil, added seasonings or poaching liquid other than water.  If you are using leftover chicken, this nutrition breakdown will not be complete.  You’ll need to account for any added carbs, calories, fats that are in whatever chicken you are using.)

3)       Combine all chopped ingredients (including walnuts) in a medium-large mixing bowl.  Add oil, yogurt, lemon juice, sea salt (if using), lemon-pepper blend and ground black pepper.  Stir gently. 

4)       Store in airtight covered container in refrigerator at least 2 hours (or overnight) before serving; so flavors develop and meld. 

5)       Serve on a bed of mixed greens or is equally great as a sandwich stuffer.

From my home to yours--Nita

Make healthier choices for a happier life!

Anita Peacock

Lifelong Type 1 Diabetic

eCommerce site:  MyDiabeticBag.com  (Check out my bags!)

eMail:  peacockproducts@bellsouth.net



MyDiabeticBag.com



Visit (and please “Like”) our Facebook business page and subscribe to our blog:  http://www.facebook.com/peacockproducts.mydiabeticbag

Join the MyDiabeticLife group on Facebook:

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Mrs. Dash® is a registered trademark of Alberto-Culver USA, Inc.  These blends have all natural ingredients, no msg, no sodium.  Click here for Lemon-Pepper Blend ingredient list.

Nothing says "Happy 4th of July" like Asparagus!?

Well, maybe not.  But, I'm all for blending in a lot of green with all that red, white and blue!

Numbers you need to know:

Recipe yields 5 ½-6  cups = 8 servings, 4-5 spears per serving.  Per serving info:  55 calories; 3g fat; trace saturated fat; 3g protein; 6g carbohydrate; 3g dietary fiber;  0mg cholesterol; 61mg sodium (3mg sodium, if sea salt is omitted). 

Delicious fresh off the grill or chilled and eaten cold with a Hollondaise-y sauce or my Sorta Tzatziki Sauce  (see previous blog post).  This simple, yet elegant, dish is great for any holiday; but, especially, the summer blockbusters!

Prep Time:  5-10 minutes

Start to Finish:  10-20 minutes

This is a simply delicious side dish—high marks on both SIMPLY and DELICIOUS!  You can add more seasonings if you like; but, don’t get too carried away.  The grilled (or roasted) asparagus should carry the flavor, not the seasonings.  With this recipe, believe me, less is so very much more.

Ingredients:

·        2 pounds fresh asparagus (32-40 spears—cleaned, woody ends snapped off)

·        1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·        1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

·        ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste

·        1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

·        2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

·        ¼ teaspoon sea salt, optional (only add AFTER you’ve tasted the grilled asparagus without salt!  and, don't use more than 1/4 teaspoon!)

Preparation:

1.     Preheat countertop grill to medium-high heat.  (Alternatively, to roast asparagus or “grill” in the oven, preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.) 

2.     Clean asparagus under cold running water.  Snap and discard woody ends.  Dab cleaned and trimmed spears with paper towel and set aside.  (Special note:  when shopping for fresh asparagus, look for slender green spears with tight tips.  Avoid any whose woody ends appear white and dried out.)

3.     Combine olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and garlic in a large, shallow dish.  Add the asparagus to the shallow dish and toss to coat well.

4.     Lay asparagus in a single layer on preheated grill (or on a cookie sheet with sides if doing in the oven).  Grill (or roast) 2-3 minutes on each side.  If you are using a countertop grill with top- and bottom-side grids, you will grill a total of 2-3 minutes with the lid closed.  If you are roasting in the oven, stir the asparagus after the first 2-3 minutes and roast 2-3 minutes more for a total of 4-6 minutes roasting time.  You want the asparagus to still have a slight crunch to it, whichever method you use.  

5.     Toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat for two to three minutes until the seeds become fragrant.  Remove to small bowl to cool.

6.     When asparagus reaches desired doneness, remove from grill.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.    

7.     Serve as a barbecue side dish or as a chilled appetizer or snack!

Helpful Hints for Happy and Healthy Holidays:

If you’re planning to host (or just planning to attend) a shindig, don’t for one minute think that you can’t eat anything, that you’ll just have to go off in a corner all by yourself and bear your Scarlet D (iabetes) stoically.  That’s what I do.  (And, if you believe that….)  Be prepared—I take delicious, safe-for-me food to EVERY gathering, unless I’ve “grilled” the host/ess to make sure there’s more than one something there that’s fit for me to eat.  (And, I’m not counting diet colas.)  No holiday should be off limits to people with diabetes.  But, we do have to take special precautions to make sure the holiday fare fits within our carb-cal limits. 

Keep everything simple to avoid carb overload.  Lay off the bottle completely!  In this day and age (yes, I’m preaching good nutrition here), bought sauces almost always equal high carb, high sodium, high calorie.  You don’t need that or really even want that.  It’s just EASY; but, it sure ain’t GOOD.  Here’s my corporate food philosophy (and please weigh in--but only if you agree with me 100%...): if a company pours sugar and/or salt on an old shoe, shrink-wraps it and sells it as a cheap and “fast” food product, people will buy it and eat it.  Easy.  NOT GOOD.

But, making good food choices doesn’t have to equal difficult or time-consuming.  Simple choices make a big difference.  Mix up a little garlic-herb pre-grill rub of your own and let the flavor of “your choice of protein here” shine through.  A couple tablespoons fresh-ground black pepper, garlic powder to taste, a LITTLE salt (if absolutely necessary) and a tablespoon (chopped fresh) or a teaspoon (dried leaves) of your favorite herb (like basil, tarragon or oregano).  Mix it together and rub-a-dub-dub!  Takes five minutes and tastes SO good. 

Still feel the need for something saucy?  Mix up a simple vinaigrette with three parts vegetable oil to one part vinegar and add a touch of Splenda or Equal, if you feel sweet-deprived .  (For example:  3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil mixed well with 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar.  Artificially sweeten to taste.)  Use this tangy, low-carb sauce like you would barbecue sauce—served at the table!

Make healthier choices for a happier life!  Have a glorious Fourth of July!

Anita Peacock

Lifelong Type 1 Diabetic

Owner/Manager/Designer

MyDiabeticBag.com

peacockproducts@bellsouth.net

Visit (and please “Like”) our Facebook business page and subscribe to our blog:

http://www.facebook.com/peacockproducts.mydiabeticbag

Join the MyDiabeticLife group on Facebook:

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