Can't-Believe-It's-Vegan Chili

This dish is sure to make it into your regular rotation: completely satisfying chili that cooks in a fraction of the time it takes to make traditional meat chili. This recipe makes plenty; freeze leftovers for up to three months. Vegan sausage varies widely in taste and texture; we liked the meatiness and mild heat of the Field Roast brand, Mexican Chipotle flavor.
Serves 10 (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)        Total time: 35 Minutes

2         tablespoons olive oil
1        cup chopped onion
1        cup chopped red bell pepper
1        tablespoon chopped garlic
1       (12.95-ounce) package vegan sausage, chopped (such as Field Roast Mexican Chipotle)
2        cups chopped tomato
1/2    cup white wine
2       teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1       teaspoon salt
1       teaspoon dried ground sage
1       teaspoon crushed red pepper
6       cups Vedge-Style Vegetable Stock or unsalted vegetable stock
3       (15-ounce) cans unsalted  cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
2       (15-ounce) cans unsalted kidney beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
2      cups chopped kale
2      tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through sausage); sauté 4 minutes. Add tomato and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper). Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half (about 1 minute). Stir in stock. Combine 2 cans cannellini beans and 1 can kidney beans in a medium bowl; mash with a potato masher. Add bean mixture and remaining beans to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 minutes. Add kale; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano.
Heart healthy

'The othe white meat; Pork Medallions with Roasted Nectarines

Lean pork tenderloin cooks quickly when sliced across the grain into neat rounds. Match the inherent sweetness of the meat with juicy late-summer nectarines, which caramelize in the heat of the pan. This dish would also be delicious with peaches ,apples or pears.
Serves  4

1        pork tenderloin, (about 1-1/2  pounds), cut crosswise into 4 to 6 medallions
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1       tablespoon olive oil
1       cup (8  ounces) hard apple cider
1      fresh sprig rosemary
2      teaspoons  whole-grain mustard
2      nectarines or peaches, halved, pitted and cut into wedges,  halved lengthwise
1     tablespoon  unsalted butter

Preheat an oven to 400°F 

1 .   Season the pork with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork medallions and cook, turning once, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

2 .  Add the cider, rosemary and mustard to the pan, bring to a boil and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the pan bottom. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the pork to the pan, place in the oven and cook for about  8 minutes   . 
3 .  Remove from the oven, turn the pork and add the sliced nectarines. Return to the oven and cook until the pork is tender and registers 145°F  about 10 minutes.


4 .  Transfer the pork and nectarines to a platter. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk in the butter to make a sauce. Spoon the sauce over the pork and nectarines and serve immediately. 
Heart hearthy

Chicken Salad

 Prep : 30 minutes      Total time : 30 minutes      Serves :  4

4        cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (from 2-lb chicken)
2        cups small fresh broccoli florets 
1        red bell pepper, chopped 
2        tablespoons grated onion 
1        clove garlic, finely chopped
3/4     cup mayonnaise
1        tablespoon honey
1        tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4    cup coarsely chopped fresh dill weed
1/2    teaspoon salt
1/2    teaspoon pepper
4        large radicchio leaves

1 .  In large bowl, mix chicken, broccoli, bell pepper, onion and garlic.
2 .   In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, honey and mustard. Add dressing to chicken mixture; mix well. Sprinkle with dill, salt and pepper; stir until incorporated.
3 .   To serve, spoon salad onto radicchio leaves.
Heart healthy

Copycat Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

  Make  12 doughnuts    prep : 12 hours     cook time: 5 minutes     total time: 13 hours
These doughnuts are light, airy and covered in a barely-there glaze, reminiscent of the famous Krispy Kreme doughnuts! 

Doughnuts:
2¼       teaspoons instant yeast
¾        cup warm water
⅓        cup  granulated sugar
½        teaspoon salt
¼        cup  unsalted butter, at room temperature
1         egg
1         egg yolk
1         teaspoon vanilla extract
3         cups  all-purpose flour
3         cups  vegetable shortening, for frying

Glaze:
2        cups  powdered sugar
¼       cup  water
1½     teaspoons vanilla extract

Doughnuts: 
1 . Combine the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Add the sugar, salt, butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and 2½ cups of the flour. Knead on low speed until a dough begins to form. If the dough is quite sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until a soft, tacky dough forms. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl, but not the bottom.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot for 2 hours.

4. Gently press to deflate the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

5. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out to a ½-inch thickness. Using a doughnut cutter (if you don't have one, use one larger and one smaller round cutters) dipped in flour, cut out the doughnuts and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (You can roll any leftover dough scraps into balls for more doughnut holes.) Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rest for 1 hour.

6. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top.

7. When ready to fry, heat the vegetable shortening in a large cast iron skillet (or other wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or pot) to a maintained temperature of 360 to 370 degrees. Gently lower the doughnuts into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan (I cooked in three batches). Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Carefully remove the doughnuts from the oil and place on the cooling rack. Repeat until all of the doughnuts have been fried.

8. Make the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract until smooth. Working one at a time, dip each doughnut into the glaze, flip to coat the other side, and return to the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set for about 15 minutes, then serve.
TIP : I make 4 batches  at a time ... 48 doughnuts ... 48 holes  large fanily .

TIP :  By reheating leftover doughnuts for 8 seconds in the microwave is perfect
Heart healthy
Thanx Michelle 

Lemon Surprise

Lemon self-saucing pudding, also known as lemon surprise pudding, is easy to whip up and can be ready in an hour. Make one
simple mixture and as it cooks it separates into a light sponge on top .  My girls  love making this , soooooo  easy .
PREP 15 Minutes      COOK 35 Minutes 

BATTER BASE :
1         cup self raising flour
salt     (a pinch)
1⁄2      cup caster sugar (or regular  sugar)
1         teaspoon lemon rind (grated)
2         tablespoons butter (melted and mix in milk and vanilla)
1⁄2      teaspoon vanilla extract (or essence)
1⁄2      cup milk (I used  2%)

SAUCE :
1⁄3       cup sugar (could possibly cut this by half)
1         teaspoon lemon rind (grated)
1         cup water (boiling)
1⁄2      cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Preheat oven to 180°C.
1 .  Grease a 4 to 6 cup casserole dish (deep sides).
Batter Base - sift flour and a pinch of salt together and then add sugar and grated lemon rind, mixing well together.
2 .  Stir in melted butter , vanilla and milk mix and stir until all flour mix is incorporated.
3 .  Pour into prepared casserole dish.
Sauce :
4 .  Sprinkle the mixture with the sugar and lemon rind.
Combine the boiling water and lemon juice and carefully spoon some of over the batter and sugar topping, until fully covered and then pour the rest of the mix over the back of the spoon.
5 .  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving (very important to allow the sauce to thicken or otherwise will have runny liquid).
Serve with cream and or icecream.

Heart healthy

Maxy sez :How to Handle High Blood Sugar

By Joy Pape, FNP-C, CDEQ: I test my blood sugar regularly, but my result is often higher than my target range.  What should I do when my test result is too high?

A: When your blood sugar is too high, before making a decision on what to do, it’s important to first understand why it may be high. There are many reasons your blood sugar may be higher than your target range. In my experience, a lot of people think it’s related to what they ate. This may be true — but it’s usually not all about food. Managing diabetes is really a balancing act. A balance of what you eat, how active you are, the medications you take, what time of day it is, and, most important, how your body responds. After all, everyone is different. And the American Diabetes Association recommends treatment should be individualized, which means your diabetes care plan should be tailored to you.

Back to the question, “What should I do?”

Take some time to think and answer the following questions.

What did I eat last?

When did I eat last?

Have I been active?

What medicine am I taking?

Did I take my medicine?

What time of the day is it?

What did I eat last?

Certain types of foods raise your blood sugar more than others. For example, foods high in carbohydrates raise your blood sugar more than protein-rich or higher fat foods. What did you last eat before you tested your blood sugar? If the food was high in carbohydrates, lowering your carbohydrate intake could be helpful.

When did I eat last?

If you check your blood sugar one to two hours after you eat, you might find it’s higher than if you check your blood sugar four hours after you eat. You should have different goals for your blood sugar before and after you eat.

If it’s early in the morning, and you haven’t eaten since the night before, don’t be surprised if your blood sugar is higher than it was when you went to bed. Hormones are at work at night and in the early morning that can raise your blood sugar. If this is the case for you, it may mean you need to talk with your diabetes care team about treatment options, such as a change in your eating, medicine, and/or activity plan.

Have I been active?

Being active can lower your blood sugar. If you haven’t been very active, your blood sugar can be higher. Get active. Find something you like to do and will do to be more active. You may very well see your number go down. If you’re taking medicine that can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) talk with your diabetes care team about how to best prevent low blood sugars during or after activity.

What medicine am I taking?

Not all people who have diabetes take medication to help lower blood sugar. If you aren’t taking medicine, you may need to. If you are, it may be that you need more, either a higher dose of the medicine you take or perhaps another type of medicine. Do not make changes in medicine without first discussing with your diabetes care team.

Did I take my medicine?

If you have been prescribed medicine and your blood sugar is high, you may not have taken your medicine. This can happen for many reasons. Do you forget to take your medicine? If this happens often, perhaps you need to change the time you take your medicine to a time you can and do remember to take them. If you have a smartphone, you can set the alarm to remind yourself. Is it difficult to afford your medicine? If so, you may need a different kind of medicine you can afford or learn more about a program that may be available to help you pay for your medicine. Discuss these issues with your diabetes care team before making changes.

What is the time of day?

It may be that your blood sugar is high all the time or perhaps just at a certain time of the day. If it’s high all of the time, you most likely need an overall tune up — changes in your food, activity, and medicine plan. If just at a certain time of the day, you may just need to work on making adjustments for that time of day, such as your early morning blood sugars, which may include making changes to your medicine. If it’s after a certain meal of the day, perhaps just decreasing the amount of food you eat at that meal can help.

If you’ve been experiencing high blood sugar, your homework should include taking notes, either handwritten or electronically, on your blood sugar levels and how your food, exercise, and medicine may have affected your results. With your information in hand, have the conversation with your diabetes care team so that together you can come up with a blood sugar management plan just for YOU.

Chili-Corn Chip Pie

This  dish is a healthy version of  Fritos Chili Pie. Often served  at  picnics ,family gathering   or  sports events , great made with left over chili the next day .It's a crowd  pleaser .
 Serves 4              Total time: 40 Minutes

Cooking spray
1     pound ground sirloin
1-1/4     cups chopped onion
6     garlic cloves, minced
1/2     teaspoon ground cumin
1/2     teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8     teaspoon kosher salt
1     tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
1     cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1/3     cup water
1     (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
4     ounces lightly salted corn chips (such as Fritos)
1/3     cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4     cup fat-free sour cream
1/2     cup diagonally sliced green onion tops

1.   Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Remove beef; drain. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beef, cumin, pepper, and salt.

2.   Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add broth, 1/3 cup water, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

3.   Place 1 ounce chips in each of 4 bowls, and top each serving with about 2/3 cup beef mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons green onions.
Heart healthy