Diabetic-friendly Chocolate Mint Cheesecake

Serves 12

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon butter melted
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
16 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup peppermint schnapps
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make the crust, combine the first four ingredients. Press into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for 5 minutes. Remove crust from oven and let cool.

Combine the cream cheese and sugar and beat well. Add the remaining ingredients and pour over the crust. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 40 minutes until set. Cool before serving.

This recipe yields 12 servings. Serving size: 1/12th of cake.

Exchanges Per Serving: 2 Saturated Fat, 1 1/2 Carbohydrate.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 209; Calories from Fat 107; Total Fat 12g; Saturated Fat 7g; Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 248mg; Carbohydrate 22g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Sugars 12g; Protein 6g.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 to 1.5kg chicken, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato sauce or puree
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
Grated peel of 1 orange
3 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods or 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom seeds
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups chicken broth
1 ˝ cups of long-grain rice
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds


Melt butter or margarine in a large pot. Add chicken pieces. Sauté until onion is tender.

Stir in tomato sauce or puree. Simmer over low heat 1 minute to blend flavors.

Add tomatoes, carrots, orange peel, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add broth and Return chicken pieces to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer over low heat 30 minutes.

Stir rice into liquid between pieces of chicken. Or remove chicken, stir in rice, then return chicken pieces to pot. Cover and Simmer for 30 minutes longer or until rice is tender.

Soak Raisins in worm water for 15 minutes. Garnish with lightly fried raisins and almonds.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Swedish Christmas Rice Pudding

2 qt. water
1 c. rice, uncooked
2 Tbsp. butter
5 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 whole blanched almond
cinnamon sugar

Bring water to a boil. Add rice, simmer 2 min. Drain water. Add butter, milk into a double boiler, with salt, sugar, and rice. Cover. Cook over simmering water about 2 hours, until milk is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in almond. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Eggnog

1 1/2 c. Egg Beaters (6 eggs worth)
4 c. milk
1 c. sugar
1 c. rum or brandy
ground nutmeg for garnish

Beat Egg Beaters in a large bowl; add milk. Beat in sugar. Add rum or brandy.

Garnish each cup with a grind or two of nutmeg.