Pasta Salad with Shrimp

Shrimply irresistible. Enjoy this delicious shrimp and pasta salad that's chock full of great flavors. The best part is that it's low in fat and calories so you won't put a dent in your diet. 

12       ounces  whole-wheat rotini or rotelle pasta or fusilli

1        pound  peeled deveined shrimp, tails removed (30 to 35)

1/4    cup olive oil

1       medium red onion, chopped

3      large garlic cloves, minced

3/4   teaspoon salt (taste and season slowly)

1/2   teaspoon  red chili pepper flakes

1/4   teaspoon ground cumin

2      cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

1     (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (garbanzos)

1-1/4    cups strained low-fat Greek yogurt (or whole-milk plain yogurt)

1/3    cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2-1/2   tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2       teaspoons  finely grated lemon zest

1 .  Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender to the bite, 9 to 12 minutes or according to package instructions.

2 .   Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with 2 tbsp. olive oil, onion, garlic, 3/4 tsp. salt, chili flakes, and cumin; marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes. 

3 .  Preheat a medium frying pan over medium heat, and then add shrimp and marinade. Cook, stirring often, until shrimp are pink and firm, 3 to 4 minutes. 

4 .  In a large bowl, toss together pasta, shrimp mixture, spinach, chickpeas, yogurt, mint, lemon juice, remaining oil, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt. 

5 .  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Heart healthy

Beef and Cabbage --- slow cooker

For those nights when you don't feel like cooking but you do feel like eating a home-cooked meal, prepare dinner in the morning. Leave this scrumptious cabbage and beef dish cooking all day long.
2        pound  ground beef (80% lean)
3/4    cup cooked rice
1        egg
1       onion, finely chopped
1/2   teaspoon salt & pepper
1      large head of cabbage
1       can condensed tomato soup
1      can (14.5 ounce) tomatoes
1/2   teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

1 .  Remove leaves from head of cabbage without breaking. Add to boiling salt water until leaves wilt. Drain and set on paper towels to cool. 
2 .  Combine meat, rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper; mix well. 
3 .  Place 1/4 cup meat mixture in center of each leaf. Fold in sides and roll ends over meat. Secure with wooden toothpicks. 
4 .  Place rolls in crockpot. Combine tomato soup, tomatoes, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour mixture over cabbage rolls. 
5 .  Cover and cook on low for  6 hours.
Heart healthy

Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

This party-ready chicken wing  dish  will not disappoint, especially if you make and serve the blue cheese dip on the side. It's a winner   at my man's poker night .  Enjoy 
 Serves 10
DIP:
4         ounces crumbled blue cheese
3/4     cup mayonnaise
1/4     cup sour cream
1         tablespoon red wine vinegar
1         tablespoon lemon juice
1/4     teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
WINGS:
1/4      cup ketchup
1/4     cup hot sauce (such as Frank's RedHot)
1/3     cup red wine vinegar
1         tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1         tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1         teaspoon onion powder
1         teaspoon garlic powder
1         tablespoon sugar
4         tablespoons unsalted butter
3         pounds chicken wings, tips removed, wings separated at joints

1.   Make dip: In a bowl, combine blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice and garlic powder, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

2.   Make wings: Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a large cooling rack on top of sheet and mist with cooking spray.

3.   In a small pan, combine ketchup, hot sauce, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring, until well combined and smooth. Pour into a bowl and let cool.

4.   Pour 1/4 cup of sauce into a small bowl; cover and set aside. In a large bowl, toss wings with 1/2 cup sauce until coated. Place wings on rack. Roast for 10 minutes, then brush with more sauce. Roast 10 minutes longer; brush with more sauce. Turn wings over, brush with sauce and roast 10 minutes. Brush with more sauce and roast for a final 10 minutes.


5.   Remove wings to a large bowl and toss with reserved sauce. Serve with blue cheese dip on the side.
Heart healthy

Chicken Enchilada Pie ---Mexican style

Prep :25 minutes         Total :1 hour  10 minutes           Servings  6
This main-dish chicken enchilada pie certainly stacks up—and it's ready in a flash, especially if you assemble it with make-Ahead shredded chicken breast.

1        package (11 oumce) Old El Paso flour tortillas for burritos (8 tortillas; 8 inch) 
2        cups cubed cooked chicken 
1/2     cup uncooked instant rice
2        cups shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)
1        can (15 ounce) Progresso™ black beans, drained, rinsed
1        can (19 ounce) Old El Paso™ hot enchilada sauce 
1        cup frozen white shoepeg corn (from 9-ounce box), thawed, drained
1        cup Old El Paso  Thick 'n Chunky salsa 
2        tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
Reduced-fat sour cream, if desired
Chopped green onions, if desired

1.   Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch round (2-quart) glass baking dish or casserole with cooking spray. Cut 5 of the tortillas in half. Cut remaining tortillas into 2 1/2-inch­wide strips.
2.   In large bowl, mix chicken, rice, 1 cup of the cheese, the beans and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce.
3.   Layer 4 tortilla halves in bottom of baking dish. Top with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and half of the chicken mixture. Top with 2 tortilla halves; fill in empty spaces with 3 tortilla strips. Spoon corn over tortillas. Spread salsa over corn. Layer with 2 tortilla halves and 3 strips. Top with remaining half of chicken mixture. Continue layering with remaining 2 tortilla halves and strips, enchilada sauce, cheese and 2 tablespoons green onions.
4.    Bake uncovered 35 to 45 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes. Top with sour cream and chopped green onions.
 Tip:
Use two 10-oz cans of mild enchilada sauce instead of the 19-ounce can of hot enchilada sauce for less flavor kick. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Heart healthy

Crescent-Topped Cheeseburger Casserole

20 minutes     prep time    50 minutes total time     6   servings

1          pound  lean (at least 80%) ground beef 
1/4      cup chopped onion 
1/4      cup chopped dill pickles
1/2      cup water
1/2      cup ketchup 
1         tablespoon yellow mustard
1/8      teaspoon pepper
1-1/2   cups shredded American cheese (6 oz)
1        can (8 ounce) Pillsbury  refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet 
1        egg, beaten 
1        tablespoon sesame seed

1 .  Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pickles, water, ketchup, mustard and pepper.
2 .  Spoon beef mixture into 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
3 .  Unroll dough; press into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares; place on top of cheese. Brush with egg; sprinkle with sesame seed.
4 .  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown
Heart healthy

Maxy sez : Beat Your Sugar Addiction to Manage Diabetes

By Wyatt Myers | Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH
Are unbearable starch and sugar cravings hampering your efforts at type 2 diabetes management? Try these strategies to beat your sweet tooth.

When you have diabetes, you know that one of the most important components of a type 2 diabetes management plan is eating a healthy diet. Granted, this is important for everyone, but with diabetes you have more on the line, day in and day out.

For many people with and without diabetes, sugar cravings stand in the way of health goals. Beating a sugar addiction may be the first step you need to take to achieve success.

“Studies have shown that people who eat a lot of sugar tend to crave more of it — it actually changes the brain chemistry to make us desire more,” says Amber Taylor, MD, director of the Diabetes Center at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. “Most people who change their diets to avoid starch and sugar have a hard time for the first few weeks.”

Easier said than done, though, right? To beat sugar addiction and overcome sugar cravings, there are a number of strategies that can help you make healthier food choices and steer your glucose levels and overall health in the right direction. Here’s how.

Breaking Off Your Love Affair With Sugar
The first good decision you can make, says Ann Fittante, RD, a certified diabetes educator with the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, is to eat smaller meals and snacks at regular intervals throughout the day. “Spacing out meals and snacks throughout the day can satisfy physiological hunger, which can decrease cravings and bingeing on unhealthy foods,” she says.

What you choose to eat during those meals and snacks also makes a big difference in fighting off those sugar cravings. Fittante recommends consuming healthy fats, proteins, whole grains, beans, and other high-fiber carbohydrates, including fruits and vegetables and avoiding unhealthy refined carbohydrates. “Adding a good source of protein or a healthy fat with carbohydrates can decrease hunger and increase satiety — fruit and nuts or cheese and crackers,” she suggests.

In essence, these food choices leave you more satisfied for longer and better able to win the tug of war between diabetes and sugar. “Healthier, whole-food choices, over time, will help quench sugar and starch cravings as your blood sugar and insulin levels stabilize,” says Samantha Heller, RD, the clinical nutrition coordinator at the Cancer Care Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn. “Healthy carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes help keep blood sugars from jumping on the roller coaster of highs and lows that refined carbs do. White flour, sodas, sweets, junk, and fast foods wreak havoc with blood sugar, insulin, weight, and energy levels.”

Sweat Out Your Sugar Addiction
Another way to make type 2 diabetes management easier and fight off sugar cravings is to focus on exercise. And it doesn’t have to be full-on, hard-core workouts, either. A recent study published in the journal Appetite found that, among regular chocolate eaters, those who went on a brisk, 15-minute walk before they were offered chocolate ate about half as much as those who simply rested for 15 minutes before indulging.

“Exercise is one of the key elements to staying healthy with diabetes, no matter what type you have,” says Sarah Yandall, RD, CDE, a dietitian and diabetes educator with the Detroit Medical Center's Children's Hospital of Michigan. “It helps your body to use insulin more efficiently, helps lower blood glucose levels, and helps to keep your heart healthy. Exercise also helps you to maintain a healthy weight, which helps with insulin resistance.”


Eating right and getting regular exercise — a winning combination for diabetes and overall good health.

Ginger-Peach Shortbread Cobbler

Makes 6 to 8 servings          Total time: 1 Hour, 10 Minutes

1                cup butter, softened
1/2             cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1/8             teaspoon kosher salt
2-1/4         cups plus 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1               (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
3/4            cup turbinado sugar, divided
7 to 9        medium-size peaches (such as 'Elberta'), halved
2               tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1               large egg white, lightly beaten
2               teaspoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Beat first 3 ingredients and 2 1/4 cups flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer just until combined. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut about 14 rounds with a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter. Place rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet; cover and chill until ready to use.

2. Pulse ginger and 1/4 cup turbinado sugar in a food processor 5 to 6 times or until well combined. Stir together ginger mixture and remaining 1/2 cup turbinado sugar in a large bowl. Add lemon juice, peaches, and remaining 3 Tbsp. flour; toss to coat. Place peach halves, slightly overlapping, in a greased (with butter) 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and pour any remaining juice over peaches.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and nestle shortbread dough rounds among peaches. Brush rounds with egg white, and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Heart healthy