RECIPE CORNER

Send your great food ideas to the editor. Your recipes will be evaluated by dietitians, and if necessary, adjusted to make them more diabetically appropriate. Then he gets to taste them...

This issue, all of our recipes were provided by Marilyn Helton, editor of "Cinnamon Hearts," an upbeat magazine dedicated, among other things, to bringing joy to the diabetic diet. Contact: "Cinnamon Hearts DLE," PO Box 578340, Modesto, CA 95357-8340.

Parmesan Triangles

Try these crispy Parmesan snacks the next time your friends drop in.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. water

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

25 wonton wrappers, cut in half to form triangles

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray coating. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, water, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Set the wonton wrappers on the baking sheet in a single layer. With your finger, spread the oil mixture over the wonton triangles. (If the mixture begins to separate, stir again). Sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake for 3 to 4 minutes until the triangles have crisped. Cool in pan on a wire rack, or serve warm. Triangles will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

Yield: 10 Servings, 5 pieces each. Per Serving: 61 calories; 2g total fat; 9g carbohydrates; 4mg cholesterol; 111mg sodium; 2g protein; 1g dietary fiber. Exchanges: � Starch/Bread, � Fat.

Just Peachy Oat Bran Muffins

From the "Cinnamon Hearts" kitchen. Betcha can't eat just one!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

� cup whole wheat flour

� cup oat bran

2 tsp. baking powder

� cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/2 cups dehydrated peaches, chopped & packed

1 large egg white (approx. 2 tablespoons)

1-1/4 cups lowfat (2%) milk

2 tbsp. vegetable (canola) oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable spray, or line with 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together flours, oat bran, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. Add chopped peaches and stir until evenly distributed. In a medium-sized bowl, beat egg white, milk and oil until smoothly blended. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Do not over-stir! Bake in preheated oven until muffins are well-browned, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

Yield: 12 Muffins. Per Serving (1 muffin): 176 calories; 3g fat; 4g protein; 33g carbohydrates; 1mg cholesterol; 105mg sodium. Exchanges: 1 � bread, � fruit, � fat.

Lamb & Green Bean "Stew"

This meal-in-a-dish is more the consistency of a soup rather than a stew. Delicately perfumed with cinnamon and a hint of allspice, its Mediterranean flavor has been a Helton family favorite for years. Serve over steamed rice, and complete the meal with a full-bodied bread or rolls.

Ingredients:

1 � pounds boneless lamb stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

2 medium-large onions, cut into thin wedges

1 � tsp. seasoned salt, such as Morton "Nature's Seasoning"

� to 1 tsp. cinnamon

� tsp. allspice

1 � pounds fresh whole green beans, ends snapped and broken into 1 inch pieces

2 cups water (a little more if needed)

Instructions:

String and break green beans into 1-inch pieces; wash, drain, and set aside. In a 4-quart Dutch oven or soup pot, brown cubed lamb in butter or margarine; add onion wedges and saute until yellow and soft. Add seasonings.

Combine beans with meat and onion mixture and stir well. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add water and cook over low heat approximately one hour, or until meat is tender. Turn into a large vegetable dish or casserole and serve over rice.

Yield: 6 Servings. Per Serving (without rice): 199 calories; 5g total fat; 27g carbohydrates; 12g protein; 27mg cholesterol; 426mg sodium. Exchanges: � starch/bread, 1 meat, 3 � vegetables, � fat.

Deep Dish Pizza

From "Cooking Healthy & Fast," by Rachel Rudel, RD, 1994. (Rachel Rudel is a frequent contributor to "Cinnamon Hearts.") To order her cookbook, call 800-428-8309 during business hours, Monday-Friday.

Ingredients:

1 pound loaf frozen white or wheat bread dough 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (canola or olive oil)

8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 ounces lean ground pork, browned

� cup chopped onion

� cup chopped green pepper

1 (8 ounce) can sodium-reduced tomato sauce

� tsp. garlic powder

� tsp. fennel seed

� tsp. pepper

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

� tsp. sugar

Instructions:

Thaw frozen dough the day before in the refrigerator, or oven-thaw. To oven-thaw, preheat the oven to 200F degrees. Turn oven off. Place oiled bread dough in oiled 15x8-inch or 12-inch round pan. Cover with a towel and leave for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Work thawed dough to the edges of the pan and part way up the sides. Sprinkle first with cheese, then browned pork, onions and peppers.

Combine tomato sauce with seasonings and pour over all. Bake at 450F degrees for 40 minutes, or until edges are browned and the middle has risen. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Cut and serve. Freeze or refrigerate leftovers (if there are any!)

Yield: 12 (1 slice) Servings. Per Slice: 229 calories; 10g fat; 22mg cholesterol; 293mg sodium. Dietary Exchanges: 1 � bread/starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat.

Grand Marnier Morning Pie

Another sweet success from the Cinnamon Hearts kitchen. Consider it as a side dish for your Easter brunch menu. What better way to get your protein?

Ingredients:

2 cups low fat cottage cheese

1 tbsp. orange juice

3 eggs, OR � cup liquid egg substitute

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. fresh orange peel, grated (1 tsp. dry)

1 tbsp. Grand Marnier liqueur, OR 1 tsp. Grand Marnier flavoring, OR � tsp. orange extract

� cup low fat or all-fruit orange marmalade for topping

Instructions:

In blender container, beat cottage cheese on high speed for one minute. Add eggs, sugar, flour, orange juice and Grand Marnier liqueur or flavoring. Blend well. Gently fold in the grated orange peel.

Pour mixture into a 9-inch, deep dish pie plate which has been sprayed with vegetable coating. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled the next morning. Garnish with a twist of orange peel or all fruit orange marmalade.

Yield: 8 Servings. Per Serving: 167 calories; 2g fat; 9g protein; 28g carbohydrates; 50mg cholesterol (much lower if you use egg whites); 245mg sodium. Exchanges: 1 � lean meat, 1 � starch/bread.