Turkey Tetrazini

I know it has been some time since I have posted.  I had seal a mealed some turkey breast from Thanksgiving and as I was looking in my freezer, I pulled it out.  I decided that we needed a change.
Here is my version of this classic dish. 

1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
frozen spinach, well drained
4 ounce jar of pimentos, drained
1 can of mushrooms, the small can, drained
1 container of French's French fried onions
1 can of water
2 zucchinis, cut into noodles
2 cups cooked turkey breast, cut into cubes
1 bag of shredded whole milk mozzarella
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Spanish paprika

1 casserole dish big enough to hold it all. 

Oven temp:  350 degrees F. 

Take your casserole dish and add all of the ingredients except the cheese, leave that for the end.  Mix all of your ingredients together and then cover it all with the cheese.  Bake in the 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  If you would like to add more veggies, then by all means go ahead and add them.  Hubby even asked for more veggies next time.  If you want to increase the zucchini, then go ahead and shred more.  Since there is only 2 of us in this household I decided to just try out my recipe as is.  I know that next time, I can add more veggies since it will give it more fiber. 

I didn't cover my casserole with foil, I let it brown up my cheese, which I think is great.

Serve warm, enjoy.  This should serve 4 comfortably. 

The Lasagna Recipe...Revisited

I wanted to make lasagna for the weekend and so, I was perusing my options, I am sick of zucchini.  There, I said it.  If you are like me, you are completely bored with the stuff and want something else.

  I was in my grocery store produce department searching for something else and since I wasn't able to find eggplant, I decided to try yellow crook neck squash.  I chose the small to medium size range because the bigger they are the more harsh the seeds are.  Not tasty at all. 

  I made the lasagna like I did with the zucchini but, I used the yellow squash and to my amazement, I found myself really enjoying it.  Even the hubby enjoyed it.  The yellow squash tastes neutral enough that it was like having noodles without all the issues. 

  I even shared the recipe after many requests with family members who are going low carb.  They were planning on making it, soon. 

I finished my three loaf pans of the recipe and managed to have one of them for leftovers for the next day.  I finished off that loaf pan last night, I had some and my doggies had the rest, I didn't want to have to reheat it for a third time.  No thanks. 

The best part...no carbs and completely gluten free for those of you who can't have gluten. 
 

Been a While

I know it has been a while since I have posted about recipes on here.  It has been hell month for November.  I don't want to have to repeat that month ever again, if I can help it.  One of my family members was diagnosed with an aggressive new form of cancer that can't be treated and in 6 weeks time, it did him in.  I was sitting vigil at the hospice for several weeks with family members.  I even baked some dressing cupcakes since they were asked for by my family member as a last meal kind of thing.  We were trying to make him things that he kept asking for.  He really wanted turkey and dressing.  So, one day I came home and made a batch of dressing cupcakes for him.  I used my Dad's recipe for the dressing and it was a big hit.  My sister did tell me later on that he ate every single one of those cupcakes.  I am glad that something was able to make him happy in those last moments of his life. 

I haven't been in the mood to bake at all.  Then it happened last night, I was going through my Aunt's recipe box.  I inherited it, I don't even know how I managed to get it. I did though and it has some of her best recipes with the exception of her coconut meringue pie.  Oh my word, that pie is so damn good, it can make a grown person cry.  I would love to have that recipe, I am going to have to find out who has it.  Anyway, I was going through her recipe box since someone wanted the gum drop cookie recipe.  So, I knew that if I looked in her box, it would be in there.  Sure enough, it is in there and I shared the recipe with my niece.  I actually put it up on the family message board.  I put several others on there as well and then someone asked that question about that coconut roll.  We have been trying to find this recipe for years.  I just know what I was told by my Aunt.  Coconut, sugar and heavy cream.  That is all that she ever told me about it.  I knew that it wasn't made with kolache dough.  No way, it would never turn out. It is made with strudel dough.  Yep.  Now to find the time to make one. 

The recipe I have pretty much says that the strudel dough will make 4 strudels.  Okay.  I guess I am going to be rolling dough if I decide to make this thing.  The fun part is finding the time.  I am cleaning my house since I have the family Christmas here this year.  I admit, scrapbooking has taken over my dining room table.  Yarn is all over the living room.  I am going to try and corral my hobbies.  Then I have fabric sitting in a box, it needs to go upstairs to my office.  My sewing machine needs to make it's way up there as well.  See, fun time ahead for me. 

Hubby did make a pizza crust with cauliflower.  It was surprisingly good.  I was shocked.  His faux potatoes weren't good at all.  I am sorry, I have to have mashed potatoes, cauliflower just doesn't do it for me. 

I did make mashed sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and it was so simple.  I used brown sugar and butter in the water when I boiled them.  I had peeled them and chopped them up and threw them into a pot and boiled them until they were soft.  I drained the water, added more butter, and then added two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.  I mixed them up and they were tasty. 

I also made a pumpkin pie that was sugar free and it was tasty!  I subbed in my Xyla and used a whole can of evaporated milk.  Hubby couldn't even tell that it was sugar free.  :)  Sadly, the crust was carby.  I figured that since it was Thanksgiving and I wanted pie, I would have to live with the crust. 

Hopefully, I can share some recipes soon. I plan on making cookies that are better for me this year.  I will be using my spelt flour instead of the all purpose stuff.  The spelt flour gives my baked goods a very nutty flavor.  Sometimes that is nice. 

Eggplant Pizza

This was a first run for this recipe.  I have never made this before.  I figured out that it will take 45 minutes end to end to make this.  Hubby loved it and I did, too. 

 

One eggplant, I used the heirloom purple, find one that is deep purple with no blemishes.  Since one eggplant will give you lots of slices, this recipe will feed many. 

We used turkey pepperoni, shredded pizza cheese, and shredded Italian blend cheese. 

I used homemade basil garlic pasta sauce.  We had a tomato explosion over the summer and canned our own sauces. 

Olive oil for brushing down the eggplant slices.

Kosher salt for salting the eggplant slices to give them a more firm texture. 

Cookie sheet. 

Oven at 350F. 

Mandoline or V-slicer. 

Seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Start out by rinsing the eggplant, then slicing off the bloom end and the stem end.  I left the skin on mine since I wanted the extra stability for each slice.  I used my v-slicer to slice the eggplant lengthwise.  We have decided that it shouldn't be too thin or too thick. 

Salt the eggplant and lay in a colander or on a cookie cooling rack with a cookie sheet below the rack to catch the water that will be released from the eggplant.  Let this rest for about 8 minutes and then rinse the eggplant.  Drain water, well.  I use a colander to shake out the excess water. 

Grab a cookie sheet and coat with baking spray.  Place each slice onto cookie sheet.  Pour olive oil into a small bowl and brush each slice with olive oil before placing into hot oven.  Pre-bake slices for 7 minutes. 

Remove from oven and brush again with olive oil.  Spoon on the pasta sauce, then add your cheeses, the pepperoni, and more cheese on top.  Place back in the oven for 15 minutes or longer, depending on how toasty you want your cheese. 

Remove from oven and serve. 

The eggplant is neutral in flavor enough to taste like pizza dough.  I love the added crunch of the seeds. 

Enjoy! 

Something New

For those of you who read my recipes on here, I know you are thinking I had dropped off the face of the earth, nope, just busy doing charity knitting and crocheting. 

I am still cooking and this recipe is going to be tried out tomorrow for lunch.  I love pizza but, I just can't get near it, it totally whacks out my blood sugar.  So, I decided that I am going to substitute an eggplant for my crust. 

I am going to salt it down and let it sit for about 10 minutes, tops.  I will then rinse it, and brush it down with olive oil. 

I will do a pre-bake of it in my convection oven or if you don't have one of these gems, crank up your oven to 350F and let them bake for about 5 to 7 minutes, pull them out and then start to make the pizza toppings.  Leave the oven on.  I plan on using homemade pasta sauce for my pizza sauce, then my cheese and pepperoni. 

Pop the "pizzas" back in the oven for 13 minutes until you have a nice melty and brown topping. 

I will tell you how well mine turn out when I have them.  Enjoy! 

An Update to the Lasagna Recipe

Hubby and I have changed the lasagna recipe.  We are now using zucchini instead of the polenta.  It works.  No longer do we have to worry about heavy loaded carbs.  Instead of using noodles, try the zucchini, you will be pleasantly surprised! 


Here is how you do it...

Slice zucchini long wise, we used our mandolin.  We used 2 medium ones.  After you slice, lay them in a colander and salt them.  Put the colander over a bowl to collect the water.  Let them sit in the salt for 30 minutes and then rinse. 

As you layer in your pan, use the zucchini as you would noodles between the layers.  Bake as usual. 

As you can see, it turned out great!  Let it sit for 20 minutes after you pull it out of the oven.  Then serve. 

Reading is Important with this Disease

I have been reading all sorts of articles about type 2 diabetes, and some of the things I read really tell me that most of the people who write articles about this disease are freaking clueless.  Yep, clueless.  I read an article about taking food on an airplane, granola, pretzels, juice, etc.  I was thinking are you an idiot?  What diabetic in their right mind can eat or drink this kind of stuff?  One destined to lose their eyesight, feet, legs, etc.  My blood sugar would be off the charts if I ate or drank any of this stuff. 

No way am I allowed near juice, granola, pretzels, or anything remotely related to sugar or carbs.  I wouldn't even begin to subject myself to this kind of torture.  It hurts me physically to have high blood sugar, I feel completely awful.  Even worse is low blood sugar, the shakes, feeling completely drained and the cold sweats.  Not a pretty sight at all, the feelings are worse. 

Face it, if you are a diabetic, you are completely complicated and you will have to learn to live with it and read as much as you can about it. 

Since I have been controlling my blood sugar with my diet, I am no longer on any meds for it.  How did I manage this?  Get rid of the carbs and it will happen.  Low carb diets do work for us.  I have been off of the metformin for 9 months and I feel great.  My doctor is very impressed with my A1c levels. 

One of my diabetic friends was telling me she ate lasagna all of the time. I was stunned.  Uh, you are taking insulin most of the time and you are wondering why?  Pasta is an evil with diabetics.  It is a big no go.  How do you get your fix for your favorite foods?  Sub in something else like polenta or as I have discovered...zucchini. My hubby made me zucchini carbonara the other night and I loved it!  I am going to sub it in for noodles the next time I make lasagna. 

Since this whole disease started with my diagnosis of it, my lifestyle has changed and my hubby is on the same diet as I am and we are both feeling better, not to mention we are both losing weight nicely. 

If you are a reader who needs to know more about the disease and your doctor hasn't really explained much, I suggest checking out LEF.org  They have very interesting articles and they do sell supplements as well.  I loved the one article about metformin.