Twice Baked Potatoes

2 large baking potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1 tablespoon bacon bits
1 slice Sargento Reduced Sodium Colby Jack Cheese
2 tablespoons sliced green onions


Bake potatoes for 1 hour at 350 degrees or you may prepare them in a microwave oven 

Cool potatoes for 10 minutes.  Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large mixing bowl.  Add the milk, butter, pepper, bacon bits, and cheese.  Mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the potato skins.  Bake for 12 minutes or until hot.  Top with green onions.

Ravioli Lasagna Pie

1 pound 90/10 ground beef

2 cups seasoning mix – onions, celery, bell peppers, parsley, garlic  (I used Guidry’s Creole Blend)
1/3 cup of water

1 tablespoon Amore' Tomato Paste

1 jar low sodium prepared tomato sauce (I used Sal & Judy’s Heart Smart Roasted Garlic)

1 22 oz. package Louisa  Ricotta Mini Ravioli

7 slices Sargento Reduced Sodium Colby-Jack Cheese

1 tomato

Green onions

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Cayenne pepper

Parsley flakes

Prepare the ravioli according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Using a large pot, saute the seasoning mix in 1/3 cup of water until the onions are clear.  Add the ground beef, brown, then remove excess oil.  Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste, add the tomato sauce and season to your taste with the garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and parsley flakes.  Cook on low for about 10 minutes.

Cut tomato into 12 thin slices.

Spoon 1/6 of the meat sauce in a 9 inch round baking dish.  Layer 1/3 of the ravioli, then 1/6 of the meat sauce.  Top with 2 1/3 slices of cheese and 4 thin slices of tomato.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of green onions.

Much to my surprise this recipe made three 9 inch round baking dishes.  12 servings, which contain approximately 13% sodium.

Grilled Steak

This is one of my mother-in-law's favorites.  The taste that only grilling can provide makes up for the lack of salt.  The flavor of the onions, caramelized in the Garlic Butter sauce, is just fantastic.

1 Rib eye Steak
Cajun Blast Basting Sauce (Garlic Butter)
Granulated Garlic
Parsley Flakes
Cayenne Pepper
1 Small Onion

Slice the onion finely, then caramelize in a tablespoon of the Cajun Blast Basting Sauce.
Season the steak to your taste with the granulated garlic, parsley flakes and cayenne pepper.
Refrigerate the steak for at least three hours.  Allow the steak to return to room temperature
before grilling.  Sear on high, lower temperature and grill to preference (medium rare is my
favorite).

Serve the steak with the caramelized onions and a fresh tomato and cucumber salad.

July 4th Splash (previously Wedding Cake Punch)

I wanted to create a drink, something light and delicious, even a little festive.  A drink even my mother-in-law could indulge in.  As fate would have it, a recipe she gave me years ago became the inspiration for this drink.

The original recipe was called Wedding Cake Punch and was loaded with sugar.  By changing a few ingredients this drink is now practically sugar free and still delicious.

Declaring it's Independence from sugar, The July 4th Splash!

2 Individual Packets of Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange mix
32 ounces of water
1 six ounce can of pineapple juice
24 ounces of Sprite Zero
1 small jar of cherries
2 teaspoons almond extract

Using a half gallon liquid container, mix the Crystal Light packets with the water.  Add the pineapple juice, Sprite Zero and the cherries. Lightly shake.  Add the almond extract and shake again.  Serve over ice or freeze for a few hours until mixture becomes a "slush".  Garnish with fresh mint if desired.

Low Salt Spaghetti and Meatballs

My mother-in-law has been ill, suffering from diabetes, heart and kidney issues. Taking care of her is becoming a full time job for my father-in-law.

In an effort to “do my part”, I decided to spend Sunday cooking a meal they could both enjoy. I took pride in the fact that I did not like salt. I never added it to my food, not even my french fries or salads. I barely added it to the foods I prepared and what I prepared always tasted great. Cooking a low/no sodium meal that would also taste great would be easy for me.

I spent over an hour in the grocery store reading all of the labels. Even the foods that boasted “low sodium” contained more sodium than my mother-in-law was allowed to consume. No, this would not be easy. Even the raw, prepackaged vegetables contained sodium.

If you have a recipe for a low sodium and/or no sugar dish or beverage, please share it.  I will feature your recipe on this blog.  I would like to be able to post at least one new recipe per week.  I need help.  Cooking for a diabetic with heart and kidney issues is NOT easy.

After much time spent “label reading” I picked the following ingredients to prepare my low sodium spaghetti and meatballs.

2 pounds 90/10 ground beef
4 cups seasoning mix – onions, celery, bell peppers, parsley, garlic  (I used Guidry’s Creole Blend
1 can Del Monte diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 can Hunt’s tomato paste (no salt added)
1 jar low sodium prepared tomato sauce (I used Sal & Judy’s Heart Smart Roasted Garlic)
1 16 ounce package thin spaghetti (prepared according to package directions)
1 egg
1 slice of bread, toasted and made into bread crumbs
1 small can low sodium V8
Garlic powder, red pepper, dill weed, parsley flakes to taste

Finely chop the seasoning mix in a food processor.
Saute 1/2 of this mixture with the diced tomatoes.  While waiting for this to turn into a paste, mix the ground beef, the other 1/2 seasoning mixture, egg,  bread crumbs, add garlic powder, pepper, parsley flakes, dill weed.  Mix well roll into meat balls.
Once the diced tomatoes and seasoning mix turn into a paste, add the tomato paste and one can of water (tomato paste can).  Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.  Add the jar of tomato sauce and the can of V8 cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.  Drop in the meatballs and cook until the meatballs are done.