sloppy but skinny joes

I cook for a friend in my church who is on a low glycemic index diet, which requires of me to chase down recipes that fit her needs and still taste good. Here's a variation on the comfort food of my youth that is worth passing along.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup Diet Coke
2/3 cup reduced sugar ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup pureed jalapenos (optional)
salt and pepper

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet, drain and return to the skillet. Add the other ingredients and bring to a simmer; let it cook down until the mixture is thick and without too much liquid.

That’s pretty much it. The jalapenos give the dish a bit more kick.

Peace,
Milton

roasted potatoes

I know this isn't rocket science, but I tried something this week that made the potatoes turn out wonderfully and thought I would pass it along.

2 pounds small red bliss potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
salt
pepper
smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 375. Quarter the potates: cut them in half, and then half them again. Toss potatoes with salt, pepper, and paprika. If you can't get smoked paprika, regular will do fine. The smoked just has better flavor. Get an oven-proof skillet hot and add oil and butter. When butter is melted, add potatoes and cook over medium high to high heat for eight to ten minutes, unitl potatoes begin to brown. Stir frequently. Put the skillet in the oven for another ten to twelve minutes, until potatoes are tender.

We had no leftovers.

Peace,
Milton

orange chicken

Ginger is a big fan of orange chicken, when it comes to Chinese food. After finding this recipe, I made my own adaptations, it turned out pretty well.

Whisk together

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 11 oz can mandarin oranges (juice reserved)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 low sodium soy sauce **note**
2 tablespoon fresh ginger-minced
4 clove garlic-minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

Set that aside.

2 pounds chicken, cut in bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons of oil (more, if necessary)

Put cornstarch in a large Zip-lock bag and add chicken; toss to coat. (I guess you could do this in a bowl as well.) Pour oil into a hot skillet and then add chicken; cook over medium high heat until chicken begins to brown a bit -- four or five minutes. Add sauce mixture to the skillet; bring to a slight boil and then lower heat to simmer until chicken is done -- another four or five minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and increase heat to let sauce reduce a bit. You can then pour it back over the chicken, or serve it on the side for people to add as they wish.

We had friends over for dinner the other night and I served this. One of them was a vegetarian, so I sauteed a portobello cap that had marinated in the sauce and she loved it.

Peace,
Milton