The frugal gourmet

[Ursy]

Originally Posted by Miami

Does anyone have any good Diabetic friendly recepies they can share? Specifically anything dessert like?? My sweet tooth is DYING!!! lol Thanks in advance!

This one's from my friend Kim

I hope it's low sugar enough for you - I guess you could use all Splenda if you like. As you might be able to tell from that butterscotch sauce recipe, diabetic friendly is not exactly my forte


Banana bread!
It's low sugar and also milk free.

1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup sugar (or use all sugar)
1/3 cup margarine
2 eggs
3-4 medium bananas, mashed up
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cup flour (self rising)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of a loaf pan.

Blend the sugar/Splenda and margarine till well mixed. Stir in eggs till well blended. Add mashed bananas and water. Beat about a minute. Stir in the flour and nuts and mix JUST TILL MOISTENED. Pour in a 9" loaf pan and bake about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (I test the center with a toothpick method)

8" pans take 65-75 minutes.

[Chancie]

We joined a local farm, and we did have to come up with a hunk of money initially, but we will get more vegetables than we can possibly eat for about $18 a week.

I cook a lot of vegetables, so this is frugal for us.

Pete did start some herbs for me, and we will plant more, but I can't grow vegetables this year because of school and an ouch-y back.

We will also can some of what we get at the farm though so far Pete is mostly interested in recipes like Dilly Beans and Sweet Zucchini Pickles.

[Ursy]

Cool, Chancie! I wish we had something like that local to us.
I'd like to get into canning... maybe one day I will explore it.
I hope your ouch-y back gets better xx

[Ursy]

This recipe makes the BEST hommus I've ever tasted!

It's taken from >>here<< (but I'm cutting and pasting the text below in case the web page ever moves)

Creamy Hummus
1 15 oz can of organic chickpeas (I use dried chick peas. They taste better and you can control the salt content, and I think they end up cheaper than canned. See below for prep for dried chickpeas)

1/4 cup organic tahini (I might up it to 1/3 cup next time)
Juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside. You can spend the time taking the little skins off each chickpea but it's pretty time consuming and not so much creamier that I think it's worth it. This recipe gets pretty creamy even without that step.
Combine the tahini and the lemon juice and blend until smooth and frothy. This is the key to getting it creamy, by the way. You have to combine these 2 ingredients first, essentially cream the tahini, or it just won't blend perfectly with the chickpeas.
*Note: I use a blender because I have a rockin' good oneand only a little mini prep food processor. The down side is there's always a little of the good stuff down at the bottom that's impossible to get out. You should use whichever appliance you have that you feel is best suited for this.
Add the garlic and salt and blend again.
Now add in the chickpeas about 1/3 of the can at a time and blend until smooth. Try to get as few skins as possible, this will also help with the texture. Scrap down the sides of the blender and push the chickpeas down to the bottom as needed. Once you've got all the chickpeas blended in, add the olive oil and turn on the blender and just leave it for a few minutes. I like to add in a little water too, to get the consistency just how I like it.
That's it. I'm sure that using dried chickpeas (soaked overnight then simmered until tender) would make this even better, but I am still after some level of convenience. Knowing that I can keep canned chickpeas in the cabinet means I'll usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip this up with no advance notice. That's perfect for us.
For a fancy plate you can garnish with extra chopped garlic, olive oil, cumin, even pine nuts or slivers of roasted red peppers. Or you can take a page from my book and just eat it with pita chips straight out the damn blender. We like ours with pita bread, pita chips, blue chips, wheat crackers, our fingers, or even spread on toasted whole wheat English muffins.

-------------------------

Prep for dried chick peas (I used about a cup of dried chick peas - that's before soaking)

(taken from here http://humus101.com/EN/2006/10/14/hummus-recipe/)

1. Poor the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate.
2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.
3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add 1/8th - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water.
4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.

[Bit]

Bless you Ursy, and thank you for finding Gram's noodle recipe! It would take me an hour or more to find it right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In general for diabetic cooking, bananas and dates are not allowed, nor is honey--and since fat converts to sugar in the body, too much fat isn't allowed either. But you can substitute unsweetened applesauce for butter or shortening in most quick-bread recipes, and grated zucchini for bananas.

I sometimes make home-made applesauce for dessert. It's pretty easy to make. Here's the technique for Spicy Applesauce.

Gather several kinds of apples (you can use just Red Delicious, but it's a little blander), wash them, and peel them if you like or leave the peels on. Cut them into chunks or slices--thinner slices cook faster--put the seeds and cores in your compost pile, and put the apples in a saucepan with one tablespoon of melted butter in the bottom. If you are cooking entirely fat-free, you can use water--but the butter makes a big difference, and is a small amount for that many apples.

Cook them on medium heat, stirring often, until they start to soften.

For every six to eight big apples, add in one teaspoon of cinnamon and one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (you can easily adjust these amounts up or down). Stir well and continue cooking. The apples will continue to soften. Add just a little more water if needed to keep them from sticking, but be VERY cautious--it won't cook out very easily if you put in too much; better to turn the heat down and just keep stirring. Mash the apples as you go (a handheld potato masher works for this); they'll get easier to mash as they cook.

When most of the apples have cooked down and been mashed, stir in two teaspoons of vanilla (optional but oh, so good!). Finish cooking and mashing. Serve warm--don't burn your tongue!<---voice of experience, lol--or cold.

Apple suggestions:
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious
Jonathan
Rome Beauty
MacIntosh
Gala
Any other sweet eating apple

Avoid Granny Smith apples for this recipe unless you like tart desserts.

Here's the recipe.

Spicy Applesauce

6-8 big apples, washed, peeled if you like, cored and sliced
1 Tbsp butter or water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan, pour in apples. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until apples start to soften. Add cinnamon and pie spice. Continue cooking, stirring and mashing often. When most of the apples are mashed, stir in the vanilla. Cook until all the apples mash down. Serve warm or cold.

[Ursy]

Thanks June! I love egg noodles, will have to give your Grandma's recipe a try. I was just saying to Cath yesterday, there's something special about Grandma recipes...

[Bit]

Originally Posted by June

My Grandma's Noodle Recipe

I may have posted it before, I have never tried milk, but this is what I do, except I use a food processor, which Grandma didn't have.

3 Eggs
Salt - about 1/2 t
About three cups of flour

How interesting, June! Do these come out tasting more like the egg noodles in the store? And does the recipe make a lot of noodles? It looks just from the flour amount like it's double my Gram's recipe, which makes enough noodles for a HUGE pot of soup that lasts two hungry people several days.

Anyhow, if it does make loads of noodles, have you tried drying them? How well does it work?
~~~~~~~~~~

Ursy, I hear you about ravioli being fiddly. Have you tried a ravioli press? I saw them when I ordered my pasta machine. There's even a ravioli rolling pin, and a ravioli stamp like a cross between a biscuit cutter and a cookie stamp! Here's a link to an amazon page. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Ravioli-Maker-and-Press/dp/B000BBGV0G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1274371466&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Norpro Ravioli Maker and Press: Home & Garden[/ame]
Someday after everything has settled down financially, I want to try one, probably one of the mold-type pans that makes a bunch at once.

edited to correct the link, again and again... oy... maybe this last one will go somewhere.... *crossin fingers*

[Ursy]

How cool is that ravioli press?! I am going to keep an eye out for one of those!
Thanks Catie! xx

[Ursy]

Oooh, ooooh, OOOOH!

I just came across this and I had to share it -
http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/03/f...g-horrors.html

[Fancy]

Originally Posted by Chancie

We joined a local farm, and we did have to come up with a hunk of money initially, but we will get more vegetables than we can possibly eat for about $18 a week.

I cook a lot of vegetables, so this is frugal for us.

Pete did start some herbs for me, and we will plant more, but I can't grow vegetables this year because of school and an ouch-y back.

We will also can some of what we get at the farm though so far Pete is mostly interested in recipes like Dilly Beans and Sweet Zucchini Pickles.

This is awesome!

I've found that going to the public market (May-Oct) has saved a lot, and yes lots more veggies and cooking from scratch. It feels better all the way around.

Also started a garden for the first time. Crossing my fingers that my thumb is more green than black.

Ursy - I'll be back in later to post a wonderful garden salsa recipe that my daughter and I started last year. Now, we crave it and can't wait for the local veggies to be ready so we can make it again.

[waxnrope]

I am enjoying this thread. Hope to see, and post, some low carb/glycemic recipes.

[Ursy]

Originally Posted by waxnrope

I am enjoying this thread. Hope to see, and post, some low carb/glycemic recipes.

I'm not sure, but I'm hoping this recipe fits the bill.

It's a new favourite of ours, really simple and really yummy. If you're on a budget, I don't think the recipe would suffer if you used less chicken, or even no chicken - provided your stock has enough flavour to start with. I also didn't have any mint (don't cook with it much), and we still loved it.

I can't link to the site because the URL doesn't work - maybe the page has moved.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup - Avgolemono

Makes about 8 cups, serving 6 to 8.
Homemade chicken stock gives this soup the best flavor and body; in a pinch, use low-sodium canned chicken broth. The longer the final soup cooks after the eggs have been added, the thicker it becomes. About 5 minutes of heating produces a soft, velvety texture; any longer and the soup begins to turn pasty. Scallions and fresh mint, individually or together, make simple and flavorful garnishes. Serve the soup immediately; it thickens to a gravylike consistency when reheated.

Ingredients
2 quarts (1.9l) chicken stock , preferably homemade (see related recipe)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 ounces total), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 bay leaf
4 green cardamom pods , crushed, or 2 whole cloves
12 lemon zest strips (about 1-inch x 4-inch pieces), from 1 1/2 medium lemons, see illustration below
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 large eggs , preferably at room temperature
2 large egg yolks , preferably at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon juice from zested lemons
1 large scallion , sliced thin, and/or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions

1. Bring chicken stock to boil in medium nonreactive saucepan over high heat. Add chicken, rice, bay leaf, cloves or cardamom, lemon zest, and salt; reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender and stock is aromatic from lemon zest, 16 to 20 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove and discard bay leaf, cloves or cardamom, and zest strips; increase heat to high and return stock to boil, then reduce heat to low.

2. Whisk eggs, yolks, and lemon juice lightly in medium nonreactive bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about 2 cups hot stock into egg mixture; whisk until combined. Pour egg-stock mixture back into saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until soup is slightly thickened and wisps of steam appear, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not simmer or boil. Divide soup among serving bowls, sprinkle with scallion and/or mint; serve immediately.

[Fancy]

We've made this a couple times for church events and parties last summer. It's been a big hit. It is a little time consuming, but it's fun when multiple people work on it together. The first time we did it, my mom, daughter and I all chipped in and we had an abundance of salsa!

1. Visit the farmer's market! Get locally grown, fresh picked, in season, organic produce... that's made the difference, and what you'll find may vary from time to time.

This made a large batch - adjust quantity as needed!
6 ears of corn
6 tomatoes (depends on size)
2 bell peppers (we picked multicolors when they're available)
2 hot peppers (we found several variations)
2 onions (vidalia, and purple are great for this)
bunch of cilantro
4 garlic cloves

2. Take the silk out of the corn, but leave the husk. Soak corn with attached husk in cold water for 10-20 min. Grill the corn. Cut corn from ear.

Chop the remaining ingredients very small.

Throw it all together and mix well.

Add 1-2 tsp of lemon juice and salt to taste.

Put it covered in the fridge overnight.

[Chancie]

I bought one of these when Pete took me to The Vermont Country Store.

I haven't used it yet, but I can't wait to try it out!

[adorable]

I am currently in lust with all versions of these bagged wonders for the microwave:

[Bit]

I have a pork roast in the fridge. It started life as a New England Boiled Dinner, and it's morphed several times. All the taters and sauerkraut are gone, and the last of the carrots got used up tonight. The broth has made spaghetti a couple times and penne rigata once. I've reboiled the roast a couple times and added significant amounts of water to the broth each time--it still gels, so I know there's still calcium coming out of the bones (yay for us!).

I topped the first two pastas with shredded cheese (4 cheese Mexican blend); tonight I topped it with homemade yogurt and discovered that yogurt is GREAT with pork! I dumped in the carrots, too, and tonight also dumped in a can of generic diced tomatoes w/jalapenos.

The flavor of the meat and broth just keeps getting better. I never knew you could cook like this!

The final destination of the broth (probably a couple batches) will be rice.

The final destination of the meat--after I use some to make burritos or enchiladas or something--will be pulled pork, with honey mesquite barbeque sauce.

I think the label on the pork said "shoulder arm picnic roast" or some variation on that, and it was a ten pounder on sale for $1.39 a pound.

I'll be doing this again!

[Bit]

Originally Posted by Chancie

We joined a local farm, and we did have to come up with a hunk of money initially, but we will get more vegetables than we can possibly eat for about $18 a week.

I cook a lot of vegetables, so this is frugal for us.

Pete did start some herbs for me, and we will plant more, but I can't grow vegetables this year because of school and an ouch-y back.

We will also can some of what we get at the farm though so far Pete is mostly interested in recipes like Dilly Beans and Sweet Zucchini Pickles.

Hey Chancie! How cool that you joined the farm!! I've often wanted to do something like that.

My sympathies on your back and the lack of gardening. I noticed for myself that just growing herbs in pots made a huge difference for me; hope that having your own fresh herbs will make things better for you, too!

[Sachita]

like many here I grow in season which can be pretty long here in southern virginia. There is no way i could afford to eat what i eat if I had to buy it fresh. But off season or if I'm busy and can't grow as much as I consume I bake a whole chicken once a week. I eat two meals from this and then prepare a noodle soup. Whatever chicken is left I can pretty much get a quart or two of soup so one batch I might make a broth and meat with coconut milk, lemon grass and curry. I'll add hopefully shitaki mushrooms I buy in a can from Ollie's for a buck a can (I buy 20 cans use them all the time) I add roasted red pepper I also buy at ollies unless its season and I'm growing them. I then add some kind of Japanese Somen, rice noodle or the like. I love this soup.

I make another batch with big egg noodles or ziti, chopped celery,basil portabella mushrooms. More of an Italian chunky soup.

Sometimes a Chicken Cacciatore. It's light on chicken but I can get at least 2 meals from a left over chicken.

So I eat the legs and thighs, my favorite, 2 meals and the rest goes towards meals I freeze. Lots of bang for your buck and everything I cook and eat is gourmet. I never skimp on ingredients.