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. 

Tomato Salsa

Right now my hubby's tomato plants are producing like gang busters and I have been reaping the rewards.  He has been making salsa and I love it.  I have noticed something interesting, my fasting blood sugar is perfect and it all started when I started eating the salsa.  His recipe uses lime juice as the liquid.  He makes it with cherry tomatoes since we have loads of them, garlic, red onion, jalapeno peppers, seeded and de-veined, salt, and dried red pepper, I think he has been using guajillos and cilantro. 

I love this stuff and I could drink it.  I have been chowing down with my Way Better Tortilla chips, they have lower carbs than the other tortilla chips out there, you know you have the right bag, if it has a sunflower on the front.  My grocery store carries them. 

Even being bad last night with 4 sugar free Oreos and a huge glass of milk, my blood sugar was normal this morning.

We canned 6 pints of salsa yesterday.  If you want the recipe we used for canning, the Ball Big Blue Book of Canning has the recipe.  It is the Spicy Salsa.  It is fantastic.  The heat is mild for me.  It might not be for others, I just know I love it hot. 

Cooking with Coconut Milk and Peanut Butter

The other day I had pork tenderloin chops sitting in my fridge and not know what to do with them, I decided to try something out with my wok.  I grabbed a can of coconut milk, the chunky peanut butter, and my spices.  I used coconut oil as my base, since it is better than other oils on the market.  I have a big old jar of it.  It is my go to oil for stir fry. 

Here are the list of ingredients I used:

Bangkok Blend seasoning from Penzey's Spices
Chili Garlic Sauce by Huy Fong Foods, Inc.
Pork Tenderloin chops
Wok
Coconut Milk
Coconut Oil
Szechuan Pepper Salt Roasted by Penzey's Spices
Bag of frozen veggies, your choice
Bulgur or quinoa instead of rice.
Prep meat: 

Season your meat with the Bagkok Blend and the Szechuan Pepper Salt, both sides.  Slice meat into strips or cubes, your choice.

Get your wok ready, I use medium high heat, add your tablespoon of coconut oil and wait for it to get hot.  Add meat, and cook until done.  Now, take the bag of frozen veggies and cook in the microwave until done.  Now, add those same veggies into the wok.  Add a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter, or if you have smooth, you can use it as well.  Add your can of coconut milk and mix.  Let it cook for about 5 minutes to get all the flavors to blend. 

Serve over bulgur or quinoa for a lower carb experience. 

I generally use my rice cooker to make my bulgur or quinoa, it is simple, no fuss.  No guessing how to cook it.  Always use double the amount of liquid to amount of dry ingredients.  It is like cooking rice. 

A Better Taco Salad

This is a better for you version of the classic taco salad.  I know most people think of this dish as something to avoid.  Well, it can be made better for you. 

What you will need for this dish:

ground sirloin
Pace Picante Salsa, green lid, which is mild, if you can't handle the heat, get the blue lid. 
taco seasoning
skillet
bag of salad, I used the Italian blend
bag of tortilla chips, I used a lower carb and better for you, chip.
sour cream, 16 ounce tub
shredded Mexican cheese or Colby cheese

Season your ground sirloin, place in skillet, turn on the heat, brown the meat.  Drain any fat, pour in your picante sauce and lower heat, cook for about 10 minutes. 

Open bag of salad, place in bowls, open bag of chips, and add 5 chips to each bowl.  Place shredded cheese on top of chips, open sour cream, and mix.  I used 2 tablespoons of sour cream on my bowls. 

Turn heat off of meat mixture, I used a soup ladle to spoon my meat mixture over the sour cream. 

Enjoy! 

Hubby's reaction...he loved it!  He did say that he would have loved a bigger bowl of it.