LO-CAL MOLASSES COOKIES
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground clovesIn a mixing bowl, beat oil, molasses, 1/4 cup sugar and egg. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves; add to molasses mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in remaining sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and surface cracks. Yield: 5 dozen. Nutritional Analysis: One cookie equals 41 calories, 44 mg sodium, 4 mg cholesterol, 5 gm carbohydrate, 1 gm protein, 2 gm fat. Diabetic Exchange: 1/2 starch.

 
ROSY CITRUS DRINK

2 cups cranberry juice
1 cup unsweetened grapefruit juice
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
apple slices and cinnamon sticks, optionalIn a saucepan, combine juices, sugar and allspice; bring to a boil. Serve in mugs. Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

8 slices French bread (1-1/2 inches thick)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 package (8 ounces) brown-and-serve sausage patties, cooked
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maple syrup, optionalCut a pocket in the crust of each slice of bread. Butter the inside of pocket. Cut sausage into bite-size pieces; toss with cheese Stuff into pockets. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon; dip both sides of bread. Cook on a greased hot griddle until golden brown on both sides. Serve with syrup if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

SPICED HOT FRUIT

2 cans (one 20 ounces, one 8 ounces) pineapple chunks
2 cans (15-1/4 ounces each) apricots, drained and quartered
1 can (29 ounces) sliced peaches, drained
1 can (29 ounces) pear halves, drained and quartered
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
1/2 teaspoon ground gingerDrain pineapple, reserving juice. In an ungreased shallow 3-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine the pineapple, apricots, peaches and pears; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour over fruit. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 10 cups. Nutritional Analysis: One 1/2-cup serving (prepared with margarine) equals 131 calories, 38 mg sodium, 0 cholesterol, 29 gm carbohydrate, 1 gm protein, 2 gm fat. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 fruit, 1/2 fat.

SWEET POTATOES AU GRATIN

2 large uncooked sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 egg
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch pepper
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheesePlace potatoes in a greased 8-in. square baking dish. In a bowl, beat egg. Add cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper; mix well. Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.



SWEET POTATO SLAW


1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups shredded peeled uncooked sweet potatoes
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 cup chopped pecansIn a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; blend until smooth. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, apple, pineapple and pecans Add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Yield: 6-8 servings.



SWEET POTATO TURNOVERS


FILLING:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (without added milk and butter)
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, allspice and cinnamon

PASTRY:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water
Milk and additional sugarIn a large saucepan, combine filling ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat for 12 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool. For pastry, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide into 12 portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 6-in. circle. Spoon 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling on half of each circle. Moisten edges with water; fold dough over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. Place on greased baking sheets. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cut slits in top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.

Baby Porcupines

1 pound ground round steak
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
4 tablespoons chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped green peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup raw rice
1 cup tomato soup or tomato puree
2 cups water

Mix all but last 3 ingredients. Shape into small balls and roll in the uncooked rice, Heat tomato soup and water in heavy pan with a tight fitting cover {Dutch oven is the best} for this. Place balls in the tomato mixture cover and cook slowly 45 minutes or until meat is tender and the rice is done.




Death By Chocolate Almond Joy Cake

This is soooo delicious, but also VERY rich! It tastes just like the
candy bars, which happens to be my favorite. Be sure to have 2 gallons
of milk to go along with it, you'll need it! LOL

Ingredients

1 18.5 pkg devils food cake mix
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups sugar
25 Large marshmallows
14 oz flaked coconut
1/2 cup butter
2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips
3 oz  almonds (no salt)

1.     Mix & bake cake according to package directions in a 13 x 9 or
next size bigger.

2.     In sauce pan combine ½ can of milk and 1½ cups of sugar bring mix
to rapid boil quickly remove from heat and add marshmallows.  Stir until
melted.  Stir in coconut. Pour over top of cake.

3.     In sauce pan mix the remaining sugar & milk bring to a rapid boil
remove from heat and stir in butter, chocolate chips until melted.  Stir
in Almonds and pour over cake chill for at least two hours or over
night.  It is recommended that to chill for two hours after every step.




BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER
WITH WALNUT CRUST
serves 4

A great way to include more walnuts in your daily diet and a way to
breed new life into the doldrums of winter vegetables.

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons (25 ml.) butter
1/2 cup (125 ml.) bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon (15) ml. fresh parsley,
chopped
1 cup (250 ml.) broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and stir for
one minute. Add the bread crumbs, minced garlic and cook for another
minute or until the bread crumbs are lightly toasted. Remove from heat
and stir in parsley. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the
broccoli and cauliflower florets for three to five minutes depending on
how firm you like your veggies. Drain well. Place the veggies in a
baking dish and sprinkle with the crumb mixture. Place under a preheated
broiler for a minute or two, just until the topping begins to brown.



Skillet Chicken Florentine

Olive oil
2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs -- I used 4)
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed (or fresh broccoli
florets)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Warm a little olive oil in a heavy skillet, and brown the chicken
over medium heat to the point where they just have a touch of gold.  (I
lightly salted and peppered the chicken while it cooked.)  Remove the
chicken from the skillet.

2. Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil, the spinach (or fresh
broccoli), and the garlic, and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the
cream and cheese, and spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the
skillet.  Place the chicken breasts on top, cover, turn the burner to
low and let simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Serve spinach or broccoli atop the chicken.

3 or 4 servings, each with 5 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber, for a
total of 2 net carbs and 33 grams of protein (this is the carb count
with the spinach)







Some nights the drive-thru seems like the only option. The kids are in the back seat screaming, you're exhausted and you've still got three errands to run before you can call it a day. There's got to be something healthy on that fast food menu. Wait, don't they have salads now? It's the perfect solution! Or is it?

What's In a Name?

Don't be fooled. Fast-food salads are often loaded with high-calorie ingredients like meat, cheese and high-fat dressing, making any good-for-you carrots or tomatoes they may contain irrelevant. In fact, McDonald's Fiesta Salad contains more fat and calories than a Quarter Pounder. (If you include salsa and sour cream, the Fiesta salad clocks in at 450 calories and 27 grams of fat, while the Quarter Pounder is no lightweight at 430 calories and 21 grams of fat)

.

Are All Salads Created Equal?

Just because a few salads don't turn out to be health bargains doesn't mean that ordering one at a fast-food or chain restaurant has to be a nutritional nightmare. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) gave several salads at Au Bon Pain, Subway and Panera Bread high ratings. And McDonald's California Cobb salad without chicken comes in at a respectable 190 calories and 12 grams of fat when eaten with the low-fat balsamic dressing. Brie Turner-McGrievy, MS, RD, clinical research coordinator for the PCRM recommends looking for salads that are heavy in veggies, high-fiber beans and even a few nuts (for protein and healthy fats). If there's nothing like that on the menu, see if you can get a salad "your way." Perhaps they can leave off the cheese, fried noodles, croutons or bacon; substitute a low-fat or nonfat dressing for regular or give you grilled, rather than crispy (read: fried), chicken.
But if that's not an option, don't despair. Turner-McGrievy points out that many fast-food restaurants do offer more health-conscious non-salad items like vegetable burgers and bean-based meals. She cites Taco Bell's bean burrito — hold the cheese — as an excellent example.

The Low Down

Still craving one of those high-fat, high-calorie salads? Go for it. Just make sure it's only an occasional treat and balanced by healthier eating the rest of the day. Our Community users have some great tips, too:

At restaurants that serve soup, see if you can get a low-calorie soup with just half a salad.

Don't forget that the nutrition information provided is usually for just the salad and NOT the dressing, too.

Ask for salsa instead of their high-fat dressings.

The dressings may be high in calories but use just half the pack — you'll find it's more than enough.

Leave off the croutons and cheese. Otherwise, you may as well have a burger and fries!

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