Grilled Vegetable Burritos

I got this from diabeticlivingonline.com.  It is a bit time consuming, but oh so good. Probably less time consuming if you don't have to also make the tortillas...

1 red sweet pepper, quartered and seeded

1/2 of a small eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 portobello mushroom, stem removed (about 5 ounces)

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 7 - 8 - inch whole grain tortillas

1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped fresh tomato (optional)

1/4 cup Cilantro Pesto (recipe follows)

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons light dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly coat sweet pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and mushroom with cooking spray. For a charcoal grill, place vegetables on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium-hot coals. Grill for 3 minutes; turn vegetables. Grill 3 to 5 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp- tender. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place vegetables on grill rack over heat; cover and grill as above.) Remove vegetables from grill; cool slightly.

2. Coarsely chop vegetables. In a medium bowl toss together chopped vegetables, garlic, and pepper. Divide vegetables among tortillas, placing vegetables just below center and to within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle vegetables with cheese. Fold bottom edge of each tortilla up and over filling. Fold opposite sides in over filling. Roll up from the bottom.

3. Return filled tortillas to grill rack. Grill for 1 minute; turn and grill 1 to 2 minutes more or until tortillas are lightly browned. Serve with tomato (if using), Cilantro Pesto and if desired, avocado and sour cream.

Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1 clove minced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine firmly packed cilantro leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, and minced garlic. Cover and blend or process with several on-off turns until a paste forms, stopping the machine several times and scraping down the sides. With the machine running, gradually add olive oil and water; blend or process until smooth. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Servings Per Recipe: 4

PER SERVING: 293 cal., 14 g total fat (5 g sat. fat),  25 g carb. (14 g fiber, 5 g sugars), 18 g pro.

Vegetable Lasanga

I got this recipe from  diabeticlivingonline.com

6 dried whole wheat lasagna noodles (these are impossible to find here so I just use regular no boil                                         kind)

2 1/2 cups zucchini and/or yellow summer squash halved lengthwise and sliced (2 medium)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup light ricotta cheese

1/4 cup snipped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley

3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups purchased pasta sauce

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 medium)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. (I have the no boil kind and have not cooked them and it has worked just fine.)

2. Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet cook and stir squash, mushrooms*, and onion in hot oil over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until tender; remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. *TIP: Baby portabella mushrooms taste great in this recipe.

3. To assemble, place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish, trimming to fit as necessary. Spoon half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with half of the vegetable mixture, half of the sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, vegetable mixture, and sauce.

4. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with tomato and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Servings Per Recipe: 6

PER SERVING: 256 cal., 8 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 30 g carb. (6 g fiber, 5 g sugars), 16 g pro.

Ratatouille

Since being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I've been looking for good, meatless meals that we can eat.  I've found a few that I thought you'd also enjoy.  There's a lot of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms used.  Steve and I ate this and had some cashews on the side for added protein.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

salt to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 zucchini, sliced

1 large onion, sliced into rings

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, sliced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

 Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Cook and stir until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

21 g carbs per serving, 15 g protein