Main Dishes

Spicy Chicken

1 whole fryer chicken, approximately 4 lbs.
3 egg whites
1 0.4-ounce packet ranch-style salad dressing mix
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
Cooking spray
1 Tbsp. corn oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the chicken into 10 pieces, as equal as you can make them. Remove the skin and fat. Rinse the skinned chicken pieces under water and lay on paper towels to drain. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and mix well with a wire whisk. In a large zip-top plastic bag, combine the salad dressing mix, pepper and bread crumbs. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg whites to coat it. Then place several pieces of chicken at a time into the bag of seasonings and shake until they are coated. Coat a baking sheet with the cooking spray. Set the seasoning-coated chicken on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining seasoned crumbs. Spray the chicken with the cooking spray to give it a crunchy texture when baked. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Then brush the chicken pieces with the tablespoon of corn oil. Continue baking the chicken 10 minutes longer or until it is not pink. Serve 1 piece of chicken as a portion.

1 serving = 1/2 starch + 3 meat exchanges or 7 grams of carbohydrate

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Cooking spray
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked & cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 cup Red Hot sauce
3 Tbsp. melted, reduced-calorie margarine
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Celery sticks
Reduced-fat salad dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray and place chicken bites in the dish. In a bowl, combine Red Hot sauce, margarine, parsley and garlic powder. Pour evenly over chicken. Bake for 20 minutes. Put a toothpick in each piece of chicken and place on serving tray. Serve with celery sticks and salad dressing. Serving size would be 7 pieces of chicken.

1 serving = 3 meat exchanges or 1 gram of carbohydrate

Sausage Cheese Balls

2 pounds sausage, uncooked
1-1/2 cups all-purpose baking/biscuit mix
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients and form into 1-inch balls. Bake 15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet until golden brown. Makes 6 dozen.

1 serving = 2 balls = 1 meat + 1 fat exchange or 4 grams of carbohydrate

Steak Fajitas

3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1-3/4 pounds steak
2 large red onions, sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 12-inch low-fat tortillas

In a cup, mix chili powder, cumin, salt and ground pepper. Rub steak with 2 Tbsp. chili-powder mixture. Place steak on a plate; set aside. In large bowl, toss onion slices with oil and remaining chili-powder mixture. Layer two 24 x 18-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil to make a double thickness. Place onion mixture on center of foil. Bring short ends of foil up and over onions and fold several times to seal well. Fold remaining sides of foil several times to seal in juices. Place foil packed on grill over medium heat. Cook onions 20 minutes of until tender, turning packet over once during cooking. Place steak on grill with onions; cook steak 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of steak for medium doneness, turning steak over once. Transfer steak to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes to allow juices to set for easier slicing. Transfer onions to a bowl to keep warm. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; heat near edge of grill over low heat until warm. To serve, thinly slice steak. Place sliced steak and onions on warm tortillas and roll up to eat. Garnish as desired. Makes 8 servings.

1 serving = 1 starch + 2 vegetables + 3 meat exchanges or 24 grams of carbohydrate

Cheesesteak Sandwiches

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
3 medium red or green peppers, cleaned & cut lengthwise into quarters
2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2? thick slices
12 ounce beef top round steak, 1? thick
4 ounces provolone cheese, shredded
4 hero rolls, split horizontally

In a small bowl mix vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Place peppers and onions in large self-sealing plastic bag and the steak in another. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar mixture to bag with the vegetables and 1/4 cup mixture to bag with the steak. Save remaining mixture. Seal bags, pressing out excess air. Marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature. Then remove steak and vegetables from bags and place on grill over medium heat for 15–20 minutes or until desired doneness. Cook vegetables on grill with steak until browned or just tender. Let steak stand for 10 minutes for easier slicing. Transfer steak and vegetables to cutting board. Meanwhile, sprinkle cheese over cut rolls. Place rolls on grill, cheese side up, and cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Transfer to platter. To serve, thinly slice steak, cut peppers into strips and separate onion slices into rings. Pile steak, peppers and onions over melted cheese on bottom halves of rolls. Drizzle with reserved vinegar mixture and replace top halves of rolls, cheese side down. Makes 4 sandwiches.

1 sandwich = 4 starch + 6 meat exchanges or 61 grams of carbohydrate

Taco Bundles

8 ounces ground beef
4 ounces tomato sauce, canned
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
1 can (8) refrigerated crescent rolls
Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef until it is no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in seasoning mix and tomato sauce; set aside. Separate crescent rolls into 4 large rectangles. Pinch seams together. On lightly floured board, roll rectangles a little wider. Stir shredded cheese into ground beef mixture. Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Place on portion of meat on one side of each rectangle. Apply a little bit of water to edge of each rectangle and fold in half. Use fork to seal edges together. Place bundles on cookie sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.

1 serving = 1 bundle = 2 starch + 2 meat + 3 fat exchanges or 26 grams of carbohydrate

Chicken Chili

2 Tbsp. corn oil
1-1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1-41/2 ounce can red kidney beans, undrained
1-41/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. ground chili powder
1-1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano or cilantro leaves

Heat oil in Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion and bell pepper; saute 8–10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Makes 6 cups.

1 serving = 1 cup = 1 starch + 4 meat + 1 fat exchange or 18 grams of carbohydrate

Vegetable Soup

8 ounces ground chuck
7 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups water
14.5 ounce can cut green beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounce can peas, drained and rinsed
15.25 ounce can corn, drained and rinsed
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup dry rice
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Place ground chuck in 2-gallon stockpot and brown over medium heat. Remove meat and drain it well. Clean meat drippings from stockpot. Return meat to stockpot and add tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and a juicy broth is created. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and continue cooking an additional 60 minutes. Makes 14 8-ounce servings.

1 serving = 1 starch + 1 vegetable + 1 meat exchange or 23 grams of carbohydrate

Curried Turkey and Biscuits

5 biscuits, prepared from refrigerator dough
1 Tbsp. margarine
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms
1 10.5 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup sour cream
2-1/2 cups turkey, cubed
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Prepare biscuits according to package directions. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt margarine and saute onions and sliced mushrooms. Stir in soup, curry powder and sour cream to make a smooth sauce. Add turkey chunks and chopped parsley. Continue to simmer until completely heated. Serve over biscuits. Makes 5 servings.

1 serving = 2 starch + 4 meat + 3 fat exchanges or 28 grams of carbohydrate

Skillet Dinner

4 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4? thick & microwaved 6–10 minutes until tender
16 ounces london broil, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

While potatoes cook in microwave, toss beef with garlic pepper and heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add beef to skillet and toss 3 minutes. Remove beef and add green pepper to skill; toss 3 minutes. Add potatoes; saute 5 minutes with peppers. Add beef and toss until heated through. Makes 5 servings.

1 serving = 3 starch + 3 meat + 2 fat exchanges or 41 grams of carbohydrate

Ham & Cheese Casserole

2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets, thawed
1-1/2 cups reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped ham
1-1/2 cups rotini pasta, cooked & drained
1/2 cup light Miracle Whip dressing
1/2 green or red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except 1/2 cup of the cheese. Spoon into 1-1/2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Makes 6 servings.

1 serving = 1 starch + 2 meat + 1 fat exchange or 13 grams of carbohydrate

Pasta Skillet Dinner

1 pound Lean ground beef
3 cups mostacciolli, uncooked
1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Brown meat in large skillet and drain fat. Add 2-1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in pasta. Cover skillet and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and cover. Cook 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 6 servings.

1 serving = 3 starch + 3 meat + 3 fat exchanges or 40 grams of carbohydrate

Tex Mex Chicken Wings

2-1/2 pounds chicken wings, separated at joints and tips discarded
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken in 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan lined with foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes. Drain grease. Mix remaining three ingredients. Brush wings with barbecue sauce mixture and bake an additional 10 minutes. Makes 12 servings of about 4 wings each.

1 serving = 4 meat + 1 fruit exchange or 13 grams of carbohydrate