Sugarfree Apple Crisp

Prepare crisp topping:

2/3 -  3/4 C packed brown sugar (for low/no sugar, use brown sugar substitute)

1/2 C flour
1/2 - 1 C oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 C butter

Apple filling:

4 C sliced, peeled apples
1/2 C frozen apple juice concentrate, undiluted (try raspberry or other versions for a delicious variety)
1/2 to 1 Tbsp cornstarch, flour, or ground tapioca
1 T cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Mix apple juice concentrate, thickener, and spices and stir. Add lemon juice if desired to keep the apples lighter-colored. Gently fold in the apples and stir until coated. (Taste an apple to check the spice combination.) Pour into pie pan and top with crisp topping.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 8x8x2-inch square pan, or pie pan arrange apple slices.  Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over apples.  Bake until topping is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 30 minutes. 

(Microwave for about 12 minutes, or until apples are tender.)

For variety, use other fruits, apricots, peaches, pinneaple...

 Serve warm or cold. Serves 6-8.

Note: Apples have some natural pectin, but a small amount of thickener seems necessary to "hold" the sweet concentration of the apples for an even flavor.

Sugarfree Apple Pie

Pastry crust for a two-crust 8-inch pie*

4 C sliced, peeled apples
1/2 C frozen apple juice concentrate, undiluted (try raspberry or other versions for a delicious variety)
1/2 to 1 Tbsp cornstarch, flour, or ground tapioca
1 T cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Divide the pastry* into two parts and roll thin to fit an 8-9 inch pie pan. Set aside. 

Mix apple juice concentrate, thickener, and spices and stir. Add lemon juice if desired to keep the apples lighter-colored. Gently fold in the apples and stir until coated. (Taste an apple to check the spice combination.) Pour into pastry-lined pie pan and top with the second crust or pastry strips. Seal the edges and cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Note: Apples have some natural pectin, but a small amount of thickener seems necessary to "hold" the sweet concentration of the apples for an even flavor. Serves 8.

*Or use my husband's VERY favorite method of apple crisp, also on this blog!

Banana Goop

My sister and her family lived with us for a time, and this was one of their kids' very favorites!

Frozen bananas*
Vanilla
Milk**
Optional - cocoa**

Blend together to the consistency of Wendy's Frosties and serve - LOVE IT!!

*When bananas start turning brown, just peel and throw in a zipper bag and freeze
**Or use chocolate milk, even left overs of the hot cocoa recipe, mmm! Delish!

Quick Orange Chicken (Lower Sugar!)

Got this recipe from Best Recipes Diabetic Cooking magazine, the May/June 2004 issue.

2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tbsp no sugar-added orange marmalade
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (abt 1 lb)
1/2 C fresh orange sections
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Microwave Directions

1. For sauce, combine juice concentrate, marmalade, mustard and salt in 8-inch shallow round microwavable dish until juice concentrate is thawed.

2. Add chicken, coating both sides with sauce. Arrange chicken around edge of dish without overlapping. Cover with vented plastic wrap.  Microwave at HIGH (100%) 3 minutes; turn chicken over. Microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

3. Remove chicken to serving plate. Microwave remaining sauce at HIGH (100%) 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

4. To serve, spoon sauce over chicken; top with orange sections and parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Dietary exchanges:
3 lean meat, 1/2 fruit

Nutrients per serving:
Cal - 157
Total Fat - 2 g
Carb - 8 g
Chol - 65 mg
Fiber - <1 g
Cal from fat - 16%
Sat fat <1 g
Protein - 26 g
Sodium - 234 mg

Sugar-Free Apple Pie

Pastry Crust for 8" 2 crust pie

4 C sliced, peeled apples
½ C frozen apple juice concentrated, undiluted, (try raspberry versions for delicious variety)
½ - 1 T. Tapioca, cornstarch or flour
½ to 1 t cinnamon, nutmeg or apple pie spice
½ t Lemon juice (opt)

Divide pastry in 2 parts and roll thin to fit an 8-9 inch pie plate.  Set aside.  Mix apples, apple juice concentrate, thickener and spice and stir until apples are well-coated.  Add lemon juice, if desired, to keep apples lighter-colored.  Taste one piece of apple to check the spice.  Pour into pastry lined pie pan and top with the second crust or pastry strips.  Seal the edges and cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.  Bake at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm or cold.

Note: Apples have some natural pectin, but a small amount of thickener seems necessary to “hold” the sweet concentrate of the apples for an even flavor.

Makes 8 servings.

Low Sugar Quick Orange Chicken

2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tbsp no-sugar-added orange marmalade
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 c fresh orange sections
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Microwave Instructions:
1. For sauce, combine juice concentrate, marmalade, mustard and salt in 8-inch shallow round microwavable dish until juice concentrate is thawed.

2. Add chicken, coating both sides with sauce.  Arrange chicken around edge of dish without overlapping.  Cover with vented plastic wrap.  Microwave at HIGH (100%) 3 minutes; turn chicken over.  Microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

3.  Remove chicken to serving plate.  Microwave remaining sauce at HIGH (100%) 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

4.  To serve, spoon sauce over chicken; top with orange sections and parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Dietary Exchangees:
3 Lean Meat, 1/2 fruit

Found in "Diabetic Cooking", May/June 2004, p. 18.

I make this when it's just Nels and me - like when we went away for a week in Park City, or the kids are away, and it's just us at home.  Love it, he does too!


Printer friendly version here.

Low Sugar Oatmeal Spice Cookies

2 egg whites

½ C granulated sugar

2 T skim milk

1 C dry rolled oats

1 C sifted cake flour

1 t cinnamon

t nutmeg

t soda

½ t baking powder

½ C margarine

½ C chopped walnuts

½ C  raisins

Beat egg whites, add sugar and milk. Mix well, then add the oats. Mix the spices, soda and baking powder with the sifted flour. Sift this dry mixture into the liquid mixture. Melt margarine and add. Add the walnuts and raisins and stir until well mixed. Drop by teaspoon on oiled baking sheet and bake in 375˚ oven 12-15 minutes.Makes 30 cookies. One cooky equals 3/4 bread unit and 1 fat unit.

(From Diabetes Control Cookery, by Dorothy Revell, 1975, Berkley Publishing Corp., p. 132.)

Banana Bread

5 large very ripe bananas
4 eggs
1 c margarine or butter, softened
1 c sugar*
4 c flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Blend bananas and eggs in blender until smooth.  Add to creamed butter and sugar.  Add mixed dry ingredients.  Fold in walnuts.  Pour in wax paper lined regular size bread pans.  Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes

*The sugar in this recipe is half of what the original recipe usually called for.  It works better for my diabetic husband, and everyone really likes it, so we go with it!

Apple Crisp 1

(My husband prefers crisps to every other kind of pie!) 

4 cups sliced apples
2/3 -  3/4 C packed brown sugar (for low/no sugar, use brown sugar substitute)
1/2 C flour
1/2 - 1 C oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 C butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a square 8x8x2 inch pan arrange apple slices.  Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over apples.  Bake until topping is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 30 minutes. 

(Microwave for about 12 minutes, or until apples are tender.)

For variety, use other fruits, apricots, peaches, pinneaple...

Serves 6.

Hot Cocoa by BHG

Got this from my old Better Homes & Garden's cookbook. Mmmm.

Single batch:
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C cocoa
Dash salt
1/2 C water
3 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
In a saucepan combine sugar, cocoa & salt.  Stir in water.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Cook stirring one minute more.  Stir in milk and heat to almost boiling, but DO NOT BOIL.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Beat with rotary beater until frothy.  Serve in mugs with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.

(Makes 5 6-oz servings)

(I have to double this every time for my large family.  It has a bit of a dark chocolate taste.)

Nels’ Favorite Granola

(My husband is diabetic, so I altered the original by Jill Abegg and came up with this low sugar version.)

Mix together well:
6 C regular oats
½ - 1 C wheat germ
1 C unsweetened shredded coconut*
1 C unsweetened ribbon coconut*
1/4 C sesame seeds
1 C chopped nuts
½ C shelled sunflower seeds
1-2 t cinnamon
¼- ½ t nutmeg

Measure together:
1 C vegetable oil
¼- ½ C honey
2 t vanilla extract

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, and stir until well mixed.  Turn onto lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake in 300° oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown, turning over occasionally.  May stir in one cup raisins and bake for an additional five minutes.

ENJOY!

*Available through health food stores or online vendors such as the San Francisco Herb Co.

Printable version here.