Sunday Dinner Revisited

Remember Sunday dinner at Grandma’s house? At my Grandma’s it almost always included fried chicken and biscuits. Alas, now that we are on a low-fat diet, the days of frying are over. The recipes below are for a Grandma-style Sunday dinner adapted to our new lifestyle. My theory is to enjoy the foods we can eat. The most important ingredient is a dash of creativity.
I do not really count calories; I just avoid empty calories such as fat and simple carbohydrates like sugar. I do control salt and add a lot of fiber. We eat filling meals and rarely feel hungry yet we are both losing weight slowly and steadily. (Hunger pangs are the undoing of many diets.) My husband’s blood sugar is staying in the normal range on this regime.

The American Diabetes Association recommendation for planning a plate is a good common sense guide. Divide the plate in half. Divide one half in half again. Fill one quarter with your meat or other protein food. The other quarter will be filled with your carb. Round out the meal by filling the remaining half a plate with low carb vegetables and serve a fruit dessert.
To the following meal, I add steamed green vegetables or a salad. (Hint: Some frozen vegetables contain too much sodium. After standing in the store reading frozen vegetable packages, I discovered that BirdsEye® unseasoned steamers contain–guess what?–vegetables and nothing else.)

Oven-fried Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup low sodium, wholewheat bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (approximately) mayonnaise
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken breasts to flatten and tenderize. Mix the breadcrumbs, herbs and Parmesan. Cut each chicken breast in half and brush them with the mayonnaise. Roll them in the bread crumbs. Spray a baking sheet or dish with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts in one layer, slightly separated.

Bake about 30 minutes or until browned and the chicken is done through. (The juices will run clear when pierced.)

(Note: I make wholewheat bread crumbs by throwing homemade, wholewheat bread into the food processor a bit at a time.)

Cauliflower with Sour Cream Sauce

1 small head of cauliflower
1 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Dash of cayenne pepper
Grind of black pepper
1/2 cup minced or grated onion
1 cup fat-free sour cream

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Steam over gently boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until just done.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Warm the milk in a saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in a bit of water and stir into the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion and sour cream. Heat gently.
Pour the sauce over the cauliflower. Serve hot.

Drop Biscuits

I had not made biscuits in a while because most recipes call for solid fats, i.e. shortening or butter. My husband’s dietitian told me to use only soft margarine or oil; therefore, I tried making drop biscuits using oil. In my first attempt, I used half wholewheat flour. They were OK, but did not taste much like biscuits so I use all-purpose flour in these. I consider it a carb splurge whenever I use white flour. If you are a diabetic, it would be best not to serve these with another heavy starch; therefore, this menu calls for low carb vegetables and a fruit crisp for dessert.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
(or 2 tablespoons sodium-free baking powder)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
(or 1 teaspoon sodium-free baking soda)
pinch of salt (optional)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Measure the buttermilk and oil in another container, then pour the mixture onto the dry ingredients. Stir just until blended. Drop large scoops of dough with a soup spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until browned on top.

Cherry Crisp

2 14-ounce cans unsweetened tart cherries
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup (measures-like-sugar) sugar substitute
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons (measures-like-sugar) sugar substitute
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds
cooking spray

Drain the cherries and reserve the juice. (You should have one cup of juice.) Add the juice to a sauce pan along with the almond extract and sugar substitute. Mix the cornstarch with a bit of water and whisk it into the juice mixture. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it is clear and thickened. Add the cherries. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the 3 tablespoons of sugar substitute, the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and oatmeal in a large bowl. Toss with the vegetable oil and stir in the almonds. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Add the cherries and top with the oatmeal mixture.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is crispy.

Planning: Since I use my oven more than my frying pan these days, I often have to juggle things in the oven. The cherry crisp can be made ahead and served at room temperature or warmed a bit. On the other hand, you can bake it side by side with the chicken. They are both baked at 375 degrees. Start the crisp about 10 minutes ahead of the chicken. Prepare the vegetables while they are cooking. When the chicken and crisp come out, turn the oven to 425 degrees and have the biscuits ready to go in.