RECIPE CORNER

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Cucumber Soup
from Rosemarie Ventura of Buffalo, NY

1 large cucumber, peeled and shredded
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
diced tomato (optional)spinach (optional)
3 oz chicken or beef strips (optional)

Throw cucumber, yogurt, onion, garlic in a blender or food processor and blend it for a while to combine throughly. Put in lemon juice to taste. I start with 1 tablespoon. Give it a little blend to mix and taste. When you balance out the lemon, salt and pepper to your liking, you're done. Don't blend the tomatoes (if you use them), they need to stay solid.

If you want to add spinach or meat, steam the spinach lightly first to keep the leaves a little crisp but not raw. Broil the meat, then quickly sear it on both sides in a hot frying pan to give it the right finished flavor. Dice the meat and toss it in the soup.

The soup can be served hot or cold, with a pita bread for dunking on the side. (Remember to count the pita bread if you use it.) Makes 2 Servings. "Optionals" not counted in servings.

Per serving: 100 calories; 16 grams carbohydrate; 8 grams protein; < 1 grams fat; 1 exchange.

Beef and Bean Stew
from Dave Griffith of London, Ontario, Canada

2 tsp canola oil
1 lb lean ground beef (or TVP, for the non-carnivores in our group)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced turnip (or potatoes, if you are not a turnip person)
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can crushed tomatoes3 cups cooked kindey beans

Heat oil at medim heat and cook ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Remove any excess fat. Add carrots, turnip, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 283 calories, 10 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 31 mg cholesterol, 20 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrate, 275mg sodium, 892mg potassium. Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meats.

Sandy's Strudel-Style Apple Pie
from "Straight Talk about Diabetes" by P.J. Nebergall, in preparation

(9-inch pie)

Filling:

1-1/2 lbs Golden Delicious Apples (about 4 medium apples)
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 oz water

Stew vigorously for 10 minutes until moisture reduces to one half. While it's going, prepare the pastry:

8 oz flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 oz low-fat, no-salt margarine

Cut in margarine with a pastry blender until dough forms; roll out pastry, thinly.Line 9-inch piepan, place stewed apple and juice onto pastry. Sprinkle one rounded tbsp seedless raisins, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon onto apple. Top with pastry lid. Brush top with milk, and bake at 375 for about 35 minutes until lightly browned.

Yes, apple pie without sugar! I use lemon juice to keep fruits from discolouring, and to prepare apples for recipes. After I had stewed the apples with water and lemon juice, I tasted this, and it was most certainly not sour. Some of the starches contained in the apples had been converted whilst cooking with the acid lemon juice. So I thought by adding the raisins this would increase the sweetness level somewhat. This is exactly what it did. Cinnamon was added just to complete the taste. If you like your food not saturated with sweetness, you will enjoy this (Sandra Nebergall). Makes 6 Servings.

Per serving: 215 calories; 34 grams carbohydrate; 2.5 grams protein; 8 grams fat; exchanges: 2 carbohydrates, 1 fat.

Mock Fruit Butter
from Ms. Belver Ladson of New York, NY

Ingredients:

10 dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
2 medium apples (peeled and sliced)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place the apples in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. You should see some liquid. Add the raisins and apricots. Blend until the mixture is thick and smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

One serving: (one tablespoon): 20 calories; 5 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams protein; 0 grams fat. Exchanges: 1/3 fruit.

(Recipe courtesy of Diabetic Friends Action Network. For more information, send e-mail to: belve@aol.com)