Shrimp & Noodle Casserole

Yes.... Shrimp and NOODLES! Before anyone freaks out, please remember that this dish features a mere 8 ounces of noodles in a recipe with six servings. Also, pasta is in the low glycemic range at 50-54. Be sure to serve with a complimenting green vegetable like asparagus and your pasta load will be minimal.

With that out of the way, make this dish... Seriously, it is absolutely packed with comfort food flavor. Carb counters... take a small serving and have more vegetables. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp - tail off
• 8 oz medium or large no-yolk egg noodles
• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz) unsalted condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped orange pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 medium sized tomato – sliced
•  flat leaf parsley sprigs/leaves for garnish

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the shrimp into boiling salt water and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cook noodles al dente and drain well.

Combine noodles with soup, sour cream, scallions, orange pepper, dried dill weed, pepper and salt. Cut 25% of the shrimp into thirds and fold cut shrimp and cheese into noodle mixture.

Spoon into shallow baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and arrange remaining shrimp and tomato slices on top of casserole.

Return to oven uncovered for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with parsley sprigs/leaves and serve.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Linguine & Easiest Red Clam Sauce Ever

Some may call this cheating because it's all canned goods… I do not, simply because it is THE best clam sauce ever. Try it and be amazed. I make this every Christmas Eve as the first course of The Seven Fishes for my very Sicilian & Calabrese relatives, and they absolutely love it. This will serve four normal adults as a standalone meal, especially if you add a tossed salad. If you have more than four, just double or triple…. Believe me, there usually are no leftovers, but if there are……. Breakfast is mere hours away….. 

Diabetic friends... yes, you can have regular pasta with its glycemic index barely in the low range at 50-52, but please watch your portion control. Have maybe a cup of this pasta and a lot of the tossed salad with a healthy dressing that should accompany every meal, or swap out the semolina with Banza brand chickpea pasta. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian Linguine
• 1 can Tuttorosso whole plum tomatoes 
• 1 15 oz can Progresso white clam sauce
• 2 cans chopped clams (drained)
• 1 can tomato paste

Preparation:

Cook the linguine according to package directions in salted water. Salted water, in my Italian trained circle anyway, is taking the salt container and pouring 3-4 moderately quick circles over the pot of boiling water.

Put the can of tomatoes through the blender and put in sauce pan. Add clam sauce, extra clams and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer with an occasional stir. Done.

Sorry, but yes, it is THAT easy. J

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Lemon Shrimp & Spinach Pasta - Signature Collection

Shrimp and spinach are an amazing combination I have used in quite a few different recipes. This one features a very light white wine cream sauce with hints of lemon. There is also some pasta, but before anyone shouts OMGs please remember that pasta actually has a low glycemic index. It's usually the portion control where most people fall short of optimal, causing the glycemic load to go high. This recipe mitigates the pasta carbohydrates both in quantity (~2 oz per serving) as well as the pairings of protein and vegetables in the dish. 

My original version of this dish, Creamy Shrimp & Spinach with Pasta, turned out to be more of an Alfredo sauce and quite heavy. Really good, mind you, but my goal was something lighter. This revised version turned out exactly as envisioned and now holds a place in my Signature Collection. ENJOY!

This dish is designed to serve FOUR, NOT TWO! :-) Exercise portion control!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb medium or large shrimp raw - peeled and deveined - tail off
• 16oz fresh baby spinach (a little olive oil & salt for prep)
• 1-2 medium leeks sliced cross ways finely sliced - stem & leaves
• 8 oz spaghetti
• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic crushed - leave out 15 min after mince for best flavor
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup good Pinot Grigio
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt to taste

Preparation:

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the linguine until al dente by tasting. Drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with a bit of oil to prevent sticking, and set aside. 

Using same pot with fresh water cook down the spinach with an inch of water. Drain and blend in a little olive oil and salt to taste. Set aside.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Give a good stir for about 30 seconds and add the leeks. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for ~5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to medium high, add the shrimp to the skillet with the leeks and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes until the shrimp are cooked and turn a pink white color. Do not overcook!

Add the cooked spaghetti and the spinach to the skillet and toss well to combine. Reduce heat to medium and add butter to melt.

Pour in the cream, vegetable broth & wine. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring/tossing gently to heat everything through. 

Finally add parmesan cheese and fresh parsley and stir until well blended. Serve immediately in your favorite pasta bowl.

Please remember the dish has FOUR servings. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Shrimp & Zucchini Pasta

 

Right off the bat I bet my fellow diabetics are frowning at the dish's inclusion of pasta. The key here, friends, is moderation. Pasta in and of itself has a glycemic index of 45 - 55, depending what research you follow, placing it at the high end of the low glycemic index range. The key here is to watch your glycemic load when filling your pasta bowl. We all love pasta, so it's real easy to overload your bowl and send your numbers soaring. Diabetics may want to opt for one of the many chick pea pastas by Banza for a much lower GI. There's a good balance in this dish even with the pasta, so moderation is not as hard as one might think. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb pasta of your choice
• 4 medium zucchini cut into bite size wedges
• 1 lb medium or large shrimp
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ~1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes (This amount gives just a hint of heat)

Preparation:

Put on the water for pasta… with salt, of course. Your pasta should be timed to be done when the rest of the cooking is completed for the best textures and flavors.

I like to prepare this in a large Dutch oven because the pasta can be added here for serving. Warm the olive oil and then add garlic, zucchini, salt, oregano and red pepper flakes. Stir gently over medium heat until zucchini are almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until almost done, maybe another 5 minutes. Raise heat and add wine, lemon juice and parsley. Once bubbling, lower heat and simmer for another 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Add drained pasta, toss gently and serve. A light, grated parmesan adds a wonderful touch to the finished dish, which should be done in each individual’s bowl.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chickpea Pasta & Chicken Meatballs... YES!

Two things I have always missed most as a Type 2 Diabetic are potatoes and pasta. Potatoes are quite possibly the worst for a diabetic with a GI of 95 baked and 82 boiled, so they're just gone except on Thanksgiving. Pasta is in the moderately low GI range at 52-54, so it's somewhat okay, but the issue with regular pasta is the glycemic load. Let's be honest... Who can really limit themselves to a sensible portion of our beloved macaroni? ;-) 

Recently chick pea and lentil pastas have been entering the culinary world. They are high in fiber and protein and much lower in carbohydrates than regular pasta and feature GIs in the low range as well. The problem we found with most brands of the legume based pastas is that well... they just don't cook right and and unless you're drowning them in a savory sauce, they are more akin to cardboard than macaroni.

Recently we came across a brand that actually works... Banza. They have a nice assortment and it cooks and tastes about as close as you can get to regular pasta. Even the mouth-feel is right. One really good thing to remember about chickpea pasta is not just the lower glycemic index, but also the good glycemic load you'll experience since their protein packed serving size of 3-4 oz will definitely satisfy, especially when paired with a couple of near fat free meatballs.

In addition to finally finding the pasta, my very Italian wife Carolyn and I have figured out a recipe for some really good chicken meatballs since we've pretty much eliminated red meat from our diet. All in all, we have created a meal healthy enough to allow us to have a traditional Sunday dinner again. Enjoy!

The Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 28 oz cans peeled plum tomatoes
• 2 tsp kosher salt (1.25 regular)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp fresh, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil or 1 tbsp fresh, minced
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• avocado oil and chicken bits from the fry pan when meatballs are done

Preparation:

Run the two cans of tomatoes through the blender and get them going over medium heat in a sauce pan big enough to later add ten meatballs. Add all dry ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

The Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground chicken breast
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2-3/4 cup flavored bread crumbs
• 4-5 tbsp avocado oil

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl beat the two eggs and mix in parsley, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Finally, add 1/2 cup bread crumbs and blend. Gauge the mixture for balling and add more breadcrumbs if needed. Shape the mix into ten meatballs.

Heat avocado oil on medium high in large fryer and add meatballs.

Brown meatballs on all sides, which may require some skillful balancing, nearly cooking them fully. 

Once meatballs are a nice golden brown, add them to the simmering sauce.

Scrape any chicken bits in fryer and add them, along with the oil, to the sauce.

Stir oil into sauce and simmer for 20-30 min, making sure meatballs are cooked through.

Boil the Banza pasta according to their directions and serve. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chicken Bolognese

This tomato sauce is very easy to make. I feature white meat chicken here because that's my go-to meat these days, but the sauce will work equally well with beef or venison. It can even be used without any meat at all. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ~1 lb ground white meat chicken
• 1 28 oz can plum shaped tomatoes in puree
• olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, cut up
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (I like about 6 twists on the grinder)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil or a few fresh leaves if you have them
• dash of oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley or some fresh chopped if you have it

Preparation:

Start by frying up the chop meat in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil until fully cooked and a nice shade of brown. Set aside. 

Add a bit of olive oil to your sauce pot and sautee the chopped garlic. As the garlic JUST gets brown add in the cut up onion and sautee til slightly translucent and shiny.

Place canned tomatoes in a bowl, cut in half and have fun with a potato masher. :-) Add tomatoes and puree to sauce pot and stir. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano and dried parsley. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally stir in the fried chop meat, simmer for a bit and pair with your favorite pasta or vegetable. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!