Recipes: Chicken in a Pot, Flat Omelet With Rutabaga, Penne With Ricotta and Peas, Pepper-Fried Rice

Chicken in a Pot

Serves 6.

• 1 large chicken, about 5 lb., cleaned and trimmed

• 4 c. stock or water

• 1 large onion, whole and unpeeled

• ¹/₂c. dried porcini mushrooms, optional

• ¹/₂c. uncooked pearl barley

• ¹/₂lb. frozen corn

• ¹/₂lb. frozen diced carrots

• 4 tbsp. butter, more or less

• Salt and pepper

• Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

After about 30 minutes add barley and continue to cook. The chicken will be done about 30 minutes later. (Cut into it to make sure; the juices will run clear, and there will be only a trace of pink at leg joint.) Remove it to a platter and keep warm. Remove onion, and discard, retaining liquid.

Add green beans, corn and carrots to pot, with butter and some salt and pepper, and raise heat to high. Cook until mixture is thick and most of the visible liquid gone. (If this happens before vegetables are tender, add some water or stock and continue.) Carve chicken, and serve with vegetable mixture. Garnish with parsley.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories580 Fat 30 gSodium222 mg

Carbohydrates28 g Including sat. fat 10 g Calcium83 mg

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/starch exch.and 6 medium-fat meat exch.

Flat Omelet With Rutabaga

Serves 4.

• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1¹/₂c. frozen diced rutabaga

• 4 or 5 eggs

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in an 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet, and turn heat to high. Add rutabaga and about ¹/₃cup water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until rutabaga separate and are soft looking and the water has evaporated. Continue to cook, sprinkling with salt and pepper, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes more. Turn heat to low.

Beat eggs with some salt. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan and pour eggs over rutabaga, using a wooden spoon to distribute the vegetable evenly if necessary. Cook, undisturbed, until the eggs are barely set, 5 to 10 minutes. Grate Parmesan over the top and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition information per serving:

Carbohydrates5 g Including sat. fat 4 g Calcium132 mg

Protein9 gCholesterol217 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable exch., 1 medium-fat meat exch. and 2½ fat exch.

Penne With Ricotta and Peas

Serves 4.

• 1 c. frozen peas

• 1 lb. penne, ziti or other cut pasta

• About 1 c. ricotta, preferably fresh

• 1 tbsp. softened butter

• 1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Cook pasta. While it is cooking, mix ricotta, butter and ¹/₂cup Parmesan cheese in the bottom of a warm bowl. When pasta is almost done, remove about a cup of its cooking water, and use as much as you need to smooth ricotta mixture into sauce.

Toss pasta with ricotta mixture and peas. Sprinkle with black pepper, add more pasta cooking water if necessary, and serve, passing remaining Parmesan at the table.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories685 Fat 17 gSodium1,014 mg

Carbohydrates97 g Including sat. fat 9 g Calcium532 mg

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable exch., 6 bread/starch exch., 2 medium-fat meat exch. and 1½ fat exch.

Pepper-Fried Rice

Serves 4.

• ¹/₄c. peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn

• 1 lb. frozen bell pepper strips, preferably a mixture of red and yellow

• 4 c. cooked rice, preferably long grain

• 2 tbsp. good soy sauce, or to taste

• 1 tbsp. dark sesame oil

Put peanut oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, and turn heat to medium high. A minute later, add peppers and raise heat to high. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add rice, separating it with your hands as you do so. Cook, stirring and breaking up the rice lumps, until it is hot and begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

Calories390 Fat 18 gSodium870 mg

Carbohydrates52 g Including sat. fat 3 g Calcium30 mg

Protein6 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber2 g