Toasted Apple-Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

On October 17th, one of the local hospitals sponsored a "diabetes taste-in". It was a free event (always appreciated!), with diabetes-related vendors displayed their wares and offered literature and some samples. Of course, as a taste-in, the main purpose is to taste a variety of foods and woo boy, were there some great ones to taste! The focus was on fall flavors, which meant apple, turkey, cranberry, and (of course!) pumpkin were on display. The head chef of the hospital demonstrated how to cook one of the recipes and I decided to try it as well. It's a toasted apple-cheese breakfast sandwich and it's very tasty.

The recipe makes four servings and calls for:

1 lb apples, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
2 Tbs water
1/4 Tsp ground allspice
1/3 C light cream cheese, softened
1/2 C white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 oval multi-grain wraps
1/4 C chopped walnuts or slivered almonds
Nonstick spray

Now, since I knew I would make this just for myself, I looked for a small wrap, one with relatively few carbohydrates. I also decided to try a plain flour wrap, just in case I found this wasn't quite as good as it was at the taste-in.

This decision did have some consequences, which will become apparent later on. 

For my single serving, I used 1/4 lb of apple -- essentially, one small Macintosh apple. I weigh the apple before I core it and use that as the amount of apple (or other fruit) I'm going to use. In a pot or skillet, combine apple slices, water (I used 1/2 Tbs water) and allspice. Feel free to substitute other spices if you like. I used cinnamon and nutmeg instead of allspice. 

Cover and cook over medium heat about 6 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for about 1 minute more or until liquid is evaporated. 

Spread the cream cheese on the wraps. I used about 1 1/2 Tbs of cream cheese for the wrap, though technically, 1/4 of 1/3 cup is about 1 1/3 Tbs (aka, 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon). When spreading the cheese, leave approximately 1/2 inch border or the cheese will run! Top with the apple mix and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and walnuts (or almonds). For a single serving, I used 2 Tbs of cheese and 1 Tbs of chopped walnuts. Fold the wrap and lightly spray the top with a nonstick spray.

Heat your nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat and add the wrap with the coated side down. Coat the top of the wrap with the spray and cook for about 6 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn once during cooking to brown both sides evenly. 

If you're using large wraps, cut them into wedges to serve. The recipe as given makes 4 (1/2 of wrap) servings. 

In this last photo, you can see the problem I had with using the small wraps: I had spillage. Folding the wrap was difficult and I had to stick the stuffing back into the wrap. I also found that using the small wrap meant that leaving a half-inch border with no cream cheese meant that the cream cheese was quite thick in the center. One saving grace was the choice of the plain flour wrap. Using that instead of the multi-grain wrap meant the flavors of the cheese and apple came through while the wrap was relegated to the background. This recipe can be made vegan by using the vegan versions of the cheeses (vegan cheddar and cream cheese), which is also helpful for anyone who is lactose intolerant. 

I do recommend this recipe, though if you're going to make it, I would recommend using the larger wraps and cutting it in half. Don't be afraid to experiment with spices, different types of apples, wraps, and cheeses. There are numerous possibilities! 

According to the recipe book, each serving has approximately 249 calories, 14 grams total fat, 26 grams total carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, and 11 grams protein. This will vary depending on your choices of (primarily) wraps and cheeses, so don't forget to make your own carbohydrate calculations before you inject insulin. Otherwise, enjoy!

Apple Spice Wheat and Flax Muffins

Good Morning! Summer is winding down for us in the US. As fall starts to roll in, that means apple season is starting! Fresh apples are such a delicious treat and while the majority of the apples are not ready quite yet for picking and eating, our local supermarket had a great deal on some apples that I just couldn't resist. I also had made a promise to my aunt that I would try my hand at a recipe she had found for whole wheat and flax seed apple muffins. I finally got up the courage to try making these muffins, making only a couple of changes from the original recipe. I also used calorieking.com to calculate the calories, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in this recipe, since the box didn't have that information available. Too bad, since the recipe is actually quite reasonable in terms of calories, fat, and carbs! The basic recipe can be seen here, if you look at the back of the box. You need:

1/4 cup Milled Flax Seed
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Graham Flour
3/4 cup White Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Ground Clove
1 Egg, beaten
3 Tbsp Canola Oil
1/2 cup Skim Milk
1-1/2 cup Finely Chopped Apples
1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (optional; I did not use)

Heat oven to 400F (204C). Blend flax seed, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove in medium bowl. In large bowl, combine egg, oil, and milk. Carefully blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring until the ingredients are just wet. DO NOT OVER STIR. That is the key to tender, yummy muffins. If you keep stirring after the dry ingredients are moist, the muffins will be tough. I find using a wooden spoon seems to work best to stir muffin batter without over stirring it. Finally, fold in the apples and nuts (if you're using nuts). Batter is very thick! Line your muffin tin or spray the tin with non-stick spray, fill 2/3 of the way up with the batter, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top springs back when touched. Makes 12 muffins.

When I put the ingredients into calorieking.com, I found the entire batch as I made it (no nuts) has 1,755 calories, 57.4 grams fat, 212.5 grams carbohydrates, and 38.4 grams protein. Now, I know I wouldn't eat all 12 muffins at once, but would eat one. Dividing the batter by twelve, each muffin has approximately 146 calories, 4.78 grams fat, 17.70 grams carbohydrates, and 3.2 grams protein. Not bad, all things considered! In addition to the muffin, I had some turkey bacon, a 3-3/8 ounce apple, and a 6 ounce container of Yoplait light yogurt. Together, that's approximately 48g carbohydrates, for which I take 2.5 units Humalog.

If you decide to add in walnuts (for example), each muffin will have approximately 178 calories, 7.95 grams fat, 18.38 grams carbohydrates, and 3.94 grams protein. Adding nuts does increase the fat content, but for people who are not quite used to restricting their fat to around 5 grams per serving, the nuts will make the muffins seem more moist and more like what they are expecting their muffin to taste like. Be aware, though, that the more fat you consume, the longer the carbohydrates will stick around in your system, which will keep your blood sugars higher for a longer period of time, so keep that in mind.

Enjoy!!

A Favorite Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

After a diabetes diagnosis, breakfast can become a frustrating affair. Following the Atkins plan? Plan on giving up your cereal, toast, muffins, most fruits, and even your coffee. Following a low-fat plan? Well, again, plan on giving up most breakfast fare. After my diagnosis, I insisted on a very low-fat meal plan, one which had 20% calories or less per day from fat. So breakfast was often dry toast or bland cereal. BORING. How many times can you eat the same puffed rice cereal before you want to scream?

So, one February, I forget when, I got a copy of Diabetes Forecast in the mail with a recipe in it for silver dollar pancakes with apples and raisins on top. Chocolate Chip pancakes.  I decided to make them and was completely enchanted. The taste was wonderful and the smell couldn't be beat! It's become one of my favorites and as I made it today, I decided I had to share. It's not fair to keep this wonderful breakfast alternative to myself!

Pancake Ingredients:

1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar (no artificial sweeteners)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg white
1 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Sift the white flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in mixing bowl. Add oil, egg white, and milk and whisk until blended. Carefully fold in the mini chocolate chips, stirring until mixed thoroughly.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Drop pancakes on skillet, 1 tablespoon full for each pancake. Pancakes are ready for flipping when they look like this:

Cook on each side.

For the apples, simply cut up the apples -- for a single serving, use a 3 1/2 oz - 4 oz apple, like you would normally eat. Place apples in small pot, add a small amount of water -- just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. If you want, add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, or any of your favorite spices. I also add a drop or two of vanilla, which I find enhances the flavor of the apples. Cook on medium high heat, allowing the water to boil, though taking care to not allow all the water to completely boil off and the apples to burn.

Slide pancakes onto plate, pour apples over top, serve with your favorite breakfast meat!

I love good coffees to go with this breakfast -- ones that are aromatic and flavorful. It's a colorful and low-fat breakfast that is easy and fast to make, healthier than the boxed pancake mixes, and of course, it's chocolate chip pancakes! It's a great change of pace and especially good on a weekend.

Till next time!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I will be going to visit family for Thanksgiving, starting tomorrow, so I have been busy baking pies for the big day. That way, I will have the desserts made and on Thursday, I'll be able to focus solely on the dinner. Naturally, I made my classic low calorie pumpkin pie, this time with Stevia sweetener instead of Splenda. I've never baked with Stevia, so Thursday will be a bit of a new experience for me, too! Here's a shot of my pumpkin pie:

It's a little darker than in the past, but I used brown sugar for this pie instead of regular sugar, which does add a little more color. The recipe is here.

The other "pie" I made was a cranberry-apple crumble. I like fresh fruit desserts and this is one that is loaded with flavor, though far less calories than a traditional crumble.  I used about 2 lbs of peeled, chopped apples and 1 1/2 cups of cranberries for the fruit, tossing them with 1/2 cup sugar, 8 packets Stevia, 2 Tbs lemon juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp clove, and 1/2 tsp ginger. Pour the entire mix into a pie tin sprayed with nonstick spray, cover with foil and bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes. To make the crumble, combine 1/4c flour, 1/2c brown sugar, 2 Tbs light stick margarine, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Blend margarine into the mix until crumbly and then add 1/4c quick cook oats. When the first 45 minutes is up, uncover the fruit and sprinkle the crumble on top. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown. It looks like this:

I got the basic recipe from the ADA's book Diabetes Meals On $7 a Day -- Or Less! I recommend this book, as it has a number of very basic and easy recipes that can be modified without much work.

With my modifications, 1/9 of this recipe has 167 calories and approximately 32g of carbohydrates per serving -- only 4g carbohydrates more than the original! Personally, I would have half of the recommended serving or even less, so I could have a taste of that and a taste of the pie without blowing my blood sugars through the roof.

With that, let me say happy Thanksgiving to all my friends! Eat well and remember that even with diabetes, you can still eat deliciously!