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...

Sesame Pork Appetizers

from Smithfield Lean Generation Pork of Smithfield, VA

FROM THE EDITOR: Smithfield Foods Company, supplier of high-quality meats, now offers Lean Generation Pork, a new variety they claim is up to 61 percent lower in fat than traditional pork. Lean Generation Pork has received the American Heart Association's "Heart Check" certification. I tried it, and found it extremely good and very tasty! For a free collection of Smithfield Lean Generation recipes, menu suggestions, and a listing of the stores that carry it, telephone: 1-800-799-5326.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. Smithfield Lean Generation Pork tenderloin
� cup dry sherry
1/3 cup soy sauce
� cup honey
� cup sesame seeds
Spinach leaves

Dipping Sauce:

1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. dry sherry
1 clove garlic, crushed
� tsp. grated ginger
1 green onion, finely chopped

Instructions:

In a dish large enough to hold the tenderloin, combine the sherry and soy sauce. Add the pork. Let is marinate, 1-2 hours, turning several times. Remove the tenderloin. Spread honey on a plate. Roll the pork in honey, then in sesame seeds. Place the tenderloin in a roast pan, roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until meat thermometer registers 155 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes, then slice thinly on the diagonal into 12 slices. Combine all remaining ingredients for dipping sauce. Place in a bowl in the center of a serving platter. Surround the bowl with the spinach leaves. Arrange pork slices on top.

Yield: 6 servings (2 slices = 1 serving). Per serving: 286.76 calories; 30.73gm carbohydrate; 4.46gm fat; Diabetic Exchanges: 3 Lean Meat, 1 Carbohydrate, 1 Fat.

Crockpot Potato Soup

from Gail Bryant of Columbia, MO

Ingredients:

7 peeled and cubed large potatoes (7 cups)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp lowfat margarine
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tbsp dry parsley
6 cups water
2 cups skim milk
� cup flour (mixed with skim milk)

Instructions:

Place ingredients 1 thru 6 in crockpot, and cook all day on low to medium. One half to one hour before serving, add milk and flour mixture.

Serving size: 10 servings, about 1-1/2 cup each. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 carbohydrate. Per Serving: 175 calories, 30gm carbohydrate, 4gm protein, < 1gm fat.

NOTE: The next two recipes are courtesy of Boone Hospital Center, in Columbia, Missouri.

Orange Basil Carrots

Ingredients:

3 cups sliced carrots
� cup water
2 tsp. butter flavored granules
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. honey
� tsp. dried basil leaves

Instructions:

Cook carrots in saucepan with water. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer 8 - 12 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain; stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated.

Microwave instructions:

Omit water. Combine all ingredients in microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover; cook on high for 6 - 8 minutes until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring once, halfway through cooking.

Yield: 6 servings (1 serving = � cup). Per serving: 40 calories, 9g carbohydrates, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 1g protein, 65mg sodium. Diabetic Exchanges: � starch.

Oven French Fries

Ingredients:

vegetable shortening spray (like PAM)
3 Large baking potatoes, cut into � inch strips
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. seasoned salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable spray. Shake oil with potatoes in plastic bag until potatoes are coated. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes and carefully turn. Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt. Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes or until tender. May broil for 1 to 2 minutes for additional browning.

Yield: 6 servings. Per serving: 140 calories, 2g protein, 3g fat, 0g saturated fat, 26g carbohydrates, 75mg sodium. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 � starch, � fat.