Double-Post Thursday

Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's Double-Post Thursday. Here are today's six recipes to help you through the day, including Cranberry Ice and Herb Chicken Tortellini Salad. Enjoy!

MOCHA SHERBET FREEZE

Here’s a recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups strongly brewed coffee or espresso

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup whole milk

Preparation

Whisk together the coffee, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Perfect Pairing: To make a Mocha Freeze, for each serving put 2 scoops of Mocha Sherbet (4 ounces, 115 g) in a blender along with 1/2 cup (125 ml) very strongly brewed coffee or espresso, 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 3 ice cubes. Blend until almost smooth. Pour into a glass and top with Whipped Cream.

CRANBERRY ICE

And another recipe from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. This one begins, “Lovely citrus lends flavor to tart cranberries in this refreshing sorbet that can be served up for dessert, as a palate cleanser between meals or to liven up turkey in place of cranberry sauce.”

Ingredients

2 (12 ounce) packages fresh cranberries

2 cups white sugar

1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice

1 cup fresh lemon juice

InstructionsIn a large pot, add cranberries and enough water to cover. Boil until cranberries begin to pop. Drain and put through a food mill placed over a large bowl.

While still warm add sugar to dissolve in the warm berries. The amount of sugar may vary depending on the tartness of the berries, so if you decide to add more sugar remember that the mixture will be tarter when it has been frozen.

After dissolving the sugar in the berries, stir in fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour in 8 or 9 inch square pan and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer 5-10 minutes before cutting.

GRILLED BARBECUE CHICKEN AND POTATO KABOBS

This is from Tablespoon (tbsp.), and begins, “You don’t need to slave over the grill for delicious barbecue flavor. These kabobs get the job done fast!”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 (10-inch) bamboo or metal skewers

Slaw

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 package (14 oz) shredded tri-color coleslaw mix

1 unpeeled apple (Fuji or Gala), cut into matchstick pieces

Kabobs

1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into 1-inch wedges (1 cup)

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch wide strips (about 6 thighs)

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

Heat gas or charcoal grill. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water 10 minutes; drain.

In large bowl, beat vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt with whisk. Beat in 1/4 cup olive oil in a thin stream. Add coleslaw mix and apple; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

In large microwavable bowl, mix quartered potatoes and water. Cover; microwave on High 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once, until just tender when pierced with a knife. Carefully uncover and drain; set aside to cool.

In large bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, the barbecue seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt. Add potatoes and onion; toss to coat. On each of 4 skewers, alternately thread potatoes and onion, leaving 1/4-inch space between each piece. In same bowl, place chicken; toss with remaining oil and seasoning in bowl. On remaining 4 skewers, thread chicken.

Place kabobs on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 5 minutes. Brush kabobs with barbecue sauce; turn, and brush other sides with sauce. Cook 3 to 6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender and browned in places. Serve with slaw.

HERB CHICKEN TORTELLINI SALAD

This is from FamilyTime, and starts off, “Fresh spinach and Herb Chicken Tortellini combine for a salad to remember. Serve with breadsticks and glasses of ice cold Nestea with a splash of lemonade.”

Serves: Varies; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: Varies

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 package BUITONI® Refrigerated Herb Chicken Tortellini

1 ready-to-use spinach

1 cup mozzarella cheese, diced

1 marinated artichoke hearts

1 cup ripe olives, sliced

1/3 cup roasted red peppers

1 cup Caesar salad dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Combine pasta, spinach, mozzarella cheese, artichokes, olives and roasted peppers in medium bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

KIWI-BLUEBERRY TART

This was found in an article on Prevention, titled “11 Recipes with Fresh Blueberries.” Click here to see the article and all twelve recipes.

SERVINGS: 4

2 store-bought pie doughs

4 mini tart pans

2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups quartered sliced kiwifruit

1/4 cup blueberries

Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll 2 store-bought pie doughs and cut into 4 circles (5 1/2" diameter).

Press into 4 mini tart pans with removable bottoms (about 4 3/4" diameter). Prick with fork and freeze until firm, 10 minutes.

Line tart shells with foil and pie weights (or dried beans) and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights and bake until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Let cool completely.

Stir together 2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream and 1 Tbsp light brown sugar. Remove shells from pans and top evenly with sour cream mixture, 1 1/4 cups quartered sliced kiwifruit, and 1/4 cup blueberries.

NUTRITION (per serving) 308.2 cal, 3.7 g pro, 36.6 g carb, 1.9 g fiber, 18 g fat, 8.5 g sat fat, 276.4 mg sodium

5-INGREDIENT LEMON-ROSEMARY GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

This is from Grace Parisi in the Today Show cooking e-newsletter. According to the newsletter, “Grace Parisi is a New York City-based food writer, cookbook author and food stylist. Her book, Get Saucy, was nominated for a James Beard award. Her latest book, Quick Pickles comes out in Fall 2016.”

For this recipe, Grace wrote, “Crispy chicken skin is so delicious, but it's not easy to find boneless breasts with skin in the supermarket. You're more likely to find boneless, skinless chicken breasts or bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Most butchers will debone a breast for you, but it's easy enough to do yourself and you get to keep the bones for making stock in the future.”

She added this Note: “If you decide to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead, using a meat pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2-inch thick all around.” Active Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2.25 hours or overnight.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves on the bone with skin, 10 to 12 ounces each, or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2-inch thick

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, plus 2 sprigs

1 lemon, zested and cut in half

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Prepare the chicken breasts:

Debone the skin-on chicken breasts: Using a sharp knife, make a small incision near the wing joint. Leaving the skin intact, slip your finger into the incision, close to the bone. Working your finger back and forth, separate the meat from the bone as best you can. Use the knife to fully separate the meat. (Reserve the bones in the freezer for stock.) Using a meat pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2-inch thick all around.

For boneless chicken breasts: Using a meat pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2-inch thick all around.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chickens, add the rosemary sprigs and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Light a grill and oil the grates. Grill the chicken, lemon halves, and rosemary sprigs over high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and firm to the touch, about 10 to 12 minutes. Squeeze the grilled lemon halves over the chicken and serve.