Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad (Sugar-Free)
2 large cucumbers
2 cups grape tomatoes (1 pint)
1/2 med red onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
4 packets Splenda
Peel and halve or quarter cucumbers lengthwise and remove seeds. Slice into 1/4″ slices. Slice tomatoes in thirds. Coarsely chop onion. Place all in shallow non-reactive bowl. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion. Mix thoroughly
and refrigerate for a day, stirring occasionally.
Sugar Free Sweet Creamy Coleslaw
I love good barbecue, and with good barbecue you need coleslaw– sweet, creamy coleslaw. Having eaten low sugar for years, I thought I would have to live without it, but a recipe I found recently gave me new hope:
1 16oz. package shredded cabbage or slaw mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt (may sub. celery salt)
4 to 6 packets Splenda sweetener
1 tsp. Tabasco or Tabasco Chipotle (optional)
Place cabbage in bowl. Mix all other ingredients thoroughly in a
2-cup measuring cup, pour over cabbage, and mix thoroughly. Let sit in
covered bowl in refrigerator for best flavor/texture.
(Thanks to Keri C of Tulsa, OK for this one.)
Doug’s Hummus (Mideastern or Mediterranean Chick Pea Dip)
Just about every country in the Middle East, and well as the Mediterranean, has a recipe for
hummus, served as a snack or side dish. Made of ground chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), garlic, lemon juice and tahini– which is a ground sesame seed butter– it’s also naturally SB friendly. Serves 4-8.
1 15 oz. can garbanzos (chick peas)
juice and zest of one medium lemon
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
3 T. tahini (aka tahina, tehina)(sesame paste)
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. fresh or dried parsley
1 t. Kosher salt or 1/2 t. table salt
pinch black pepper
4-6 whole wheat pita breads
You can do this in a food processor, but it comes out best using a high-speed stick-type hand blender such as a Braun. Use a regular-type blender only as a last resort. My description will assume a stick blender.
Drain garbanzos, reserving half the liquid. Place garbanzos and reserved liquid in mixing jar that came with stick blender. Add garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, parsley, and tahini. Blend until pureed. Add olive oil and continue to blend until well incorporated. Warm pita breads in microwave for 30 seconds, and slice each into 6 wedge shaped pieces. Can be served immediately, but also can be refrigerated and served chilled. Traditionally served at room
temperature on a plate in a broad, shallow mound with the center hollowed out, some more extra virgin olive oil drizzled into the hollow (think hummus moon crater), and a pinch of the middle-eastern spice zatar lightly sprinkled over all.
If you don’t want to spend $2.99 on a jar of tahini (spelling varies), substitute no-sugar-added peanut butter – not quite the same, but still pretty good. If you do decide to get it, make sure the ingredients state “100% ground sesame seeds”. There are products on the market with similar sounding names that are essentially a canned version of the dip.
Doug’s German Sweet Potato Salad
Since you can’t eat potatoes on SB, I tend to experiment with sweet potatoes as a substitute. This German-style potato salad recipe, made with sweet potatoes is served warm, and is actually pretty tasty. Serves 4-8.
4 medium sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked crispy, crumbled
1/3 cup canola or light olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 t. black pepper
Saute onion in oil until translucent. Boil sweet potato slices in lightly salted water until cooked just soft enough to divide a slice against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Drain well in
a collander and transfer to a large bowl. Add bacon, onion and oil to cooked sweet potatoes and toss to mix. Splash in cider vinegar while continuing to toss. Add black pepper to taste. Serve while still warm.
Alternately, for more flavor, saute the onion in the bacon drippings, then use the drippings in place of part of the oil.
Doug’s Real Whole Wheat Bread
Most store-bought whole-wheat breads are half whole-wheat flour and half regular processed flour, not good for Sugar Busters dieters. This recipe uses only whole-wheat flour.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and knead the dough on a flour dusted board.
4 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/3 cup luke-warm water
1-1/2 Tbsp. extra-light olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 Tbsp. non-fat dry milk
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
4 Tbsp. wheat gluten
The last ingredient is very important, as it is what gives the dough elasticity. It is also known as “vital wheat gluten” or “wheat gluten flour”. You may have to check a few different
groceries or a health food store to find it. The bread won’t rise without it.
The dough should form into a smooth ball. Not too sticky or a couple more tablespoons of flour may be necessary; not too dry (it won’t make a smooth ball) or a couple more tablespoons of water may be added.
Place dough in an oiled bowl and put it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 45 minutes, or until it has doubled its volume. In the oven with the light on is a perfect spot. Don’t turn on the oven yet, though.
Next, lightly grease a 9″ loaf pan and turn the dough into it. Form the dough so that it is evenly distributed in the pan. Doing this will “punch down” the dough. Return the dough in the loaf pan to the oven for a second rise.
When the dough has risen again, pre-heat the (empty) oven to 350°. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan and place on wire rack to cool.
This recipe also works in a bread machine although the ingredients must be reduced as follows:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup luke-warm water
1 Tbsp. extra-light olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. non-fat dry milk
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
3 Tbsp. wheat gluten
Use the machine’s regular bread cycle. Makes a standard 1-1/2 lb. bread machine loaf.