Friday, September 4, 2009

Labor Day Weekend Barbecue Basics

Well, the summer is drawing to a close and it's time for that traditional Labor Day celebration. There is nothing that we as diabetics have to miss out on either. I am posting a variety of recipes below to help make your barbecue a delicious success and no one will ever know the difference. Choose your favorites and don't forget to count your total carbohydrates, vegetables, proteins and fats for your meal. The first recipe is my basic barbecue sauce, which is good for meat, pork or chicken and is also great as a dipping sauce. You may want to double or even triple the recipe, depending on how many people you'll be cooking for. I hope you enjoy it.
Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbsp. sugar free apricot preserves
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. liquid Hickory Smoke
2 Tbsp. brown sugar substitute
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 cup malt vinegar
1 cup reduced sodium beef stock
black pepper to taste
olive oil spray
Saute the onion and garlic in a small sauce pan coated with olive oil spray on medium high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, blend well. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and continue to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half and has thickened.
Yields 3 - 1/2 cup servings
Variations:
Spicy Barbecue Sauce - saute jalapeno pepper or green chile peppers with the onion and garlic. Add 1/4 tsp. chili powder and cumin along with the rest of the ingredients before reducing.
Southwestern Barbecue Sauce - add rehydrated and diced ancho chile peppers to the onion and garlic saute and replace the liquid hickory smoke with an equal amount of liquid mesquite smoke.
Each serving contains 28 calories, 7.5 g carbohydrate, less than 5 g fat.
Roasted Corn and Tomato Skewers
Ingredients:
4 large ears of fresh summer corn, about 7 3/4" to 9" long
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them for about 30 minutes in water so they will not burn on the grill. While soaking them, clean the corn and cut each ear into two inch widths. Alternate a piece of corn and a cherry tomato on the skewer so that you have three pieces of corn and three tomatoes, ending with the tomato. In a small sauce pan melt the butter and add the seasonings, stirring well to combine over low heat. Cook gently for five minutes to marry the flavors. Use this mixture to baste the skewers on the grill.
Yields four servings
Each serving contains 161.8 calories, 27.9 g carbohydrate, 5.7 g fat
Grilled Asparagus
Ingredients:
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 bunch large asparagus spears, about 7 1/4" to 8 1/2" long
Clean asparagus and snap off the bottom at its natural point by bending one asparagus. It will break where the asparagus is tender. Use this as your marker and line up the other pieces and cut them at the same point. Place asparagus in a container so that they lay flat. Blend the lemon zest, juice, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl with a whisk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the asparagus and toss gently to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours. Before grilling shake off any excess marinade.
Each piece of asparagus contains about 24.5 calories, 0.9 g carbohydrate and 2.3 g fat
Grilled Lemon Potatoes
Ingredients:
12 ounces Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl blend the lemon zest, juice, garlic and olive oil with a whisk and season with salt and pepper as desired. Add the potato slices and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes prior to grilling so flavors marry well. Shake off any excess marinade before grilling.
Yields 4 - 3 ounce servings. Each serving contains 195.5 calories, 17.6 g carbohydrate and 13.6 g fat
Note - the total calories and fat reflects the total amount of olive oil used in marinade and may actually be less when cooking.
Creamy Cole Slaw
Ingredients:
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 Tbsp. malt vinegar
1 tsp. Splenda
1/2 large head cabbage, thinly shredded
3 large carrots, thinly shredded
1/2 cup purple cabbage, thinly shredded
salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl blend the mayonnaise, sour cream, malt vinegar and Splenda. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your personal taste for sweetness or tartness. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Shred the cabbages and carrots in your food processor. Add the cabbages and carrots and toss well. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight if possible or at least 4 hours before serving so the cabbage is wilted but crisp and the flavors marry.
Yields about 12 servings.
Each serving contains about 55.1 calories, 5.3 g carbohydrate and 3.6 g fat.
Note - you can use a bag of prepared cole slaw mix from the produce department of your grocery store if preferred.
Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!!!!! Don't forget our motto ~ Eat, live and enjoy life!!!

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