Coconut-Carrot Bundt Cake

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 hours 15 min
Makes: 16 servings

1 cup flaked coconut
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® carrot cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from 1-lb container)

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour. In ungreased shallow pan, spread coconut. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Reserve 2 tablespoons coconut for garnish.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in remaining coconut. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 38 to 43 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 8 to 12 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over top of cake. Sprinkle with reserved coconut. Cut cake with serrated knife. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Sunny Broccoli Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 25 min
Makes: 8 servings (1 cup each)

1 box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® ranch & bacon pasta salad mix
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 cups small fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower nuts

1. Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.
3. In large bowl, stir together seasoning mix, mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Stir in pasta, broccoli, onion, raisins and sunflower nuts. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

*I made this for my family reunion this past weekend and it was a big hit.

I used ff mayo & a little ff ranch dressing.

Easy Mexican Chicken and Beans

Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook shares a recipe! You can feel extra good about serving this easy dish for dinner tonight. It has a whopping 9 grams of fiber per serving!

Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 4 servings

1 lb uncooked chicken breast strips for stir-fry
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1/4 cup water
Flour tortillas, if desired

1. Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken to skillet; cook over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.
2. Stir in seasoning mix, beans, corn and water. Cook over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve with tortillas.

Health Twist:
Boost your fiber with beans. Filled with many other important nutrients, beans are an excellent source of fiber that's so important for good blood glucose management and to keep your digestive tract moving.

Substitution:
Stir-fry chicken strips not available? Buy the same weight of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, and cut up the meat yourself.

Substitution:
If you'd prefer, pinto beans can be substituted for the black beans.

*I used Pinto Beans, and served over Brown Rice with Salsa & FF Sour Cream.

Grilled Picnic Taco Nachos

Keep the heat outside with munchy nachos. A foil pan takes them from grill to picnic table in just minutes.

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 15 min
Makes: 4 servings

5 cups tortilla chips
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, drained
2 teaspoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)
2 cups finely shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Spray 12x18-inch foil pan with cooking spray. Spread tortilla chips in pan.
2. In medium bowl, mix beans, chiles and taco seasoning mix; spoon evenly over tortilla chips. Top with tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover pan with foil.
3. Place foil pan on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Carefully remove foil.

*I added ground turkey and replaced the black beans with refried beans. I also used baked chips and reduced fat cheese. We also top it with sour cream & salsa. This was a great hit with the family.

I got this recipe from Betty Crocker.

Watermelon Cake

Savor the sweetest slice of watermelon you'll ever eat! The chocolate seeds are a melt-in-your-mouth prize.

Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hour 45 min
Makes: 16 servings

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1 package (0.13 oz) cherry-flavored or other red-colored unsweetened soft drink mix
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
Green and red food colors
2/3 cup green jelly beans

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottoms only of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, egg whites and drink mix with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. (Batter will be lumpy.) Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Pour into pans.

2. Bake as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch round pans. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

3. In small bowl, stir 1 cup of the frosting with 10 to 12 drops green food color. Stir 10 to 12 drops red food color into remaining frosting. Frost sides of cakes with green frosting; press green jelly beans into frosting. Frost tops of cakes with red frosting; press remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips into frosting for seeds. If desired, cut cakes crosswise in half and arrange "slices" randomly on tray. To serve, cut into wedges. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

*HINT: I USED A BUNDT CAKE PAN INSTEAD OF ROUND PANS. I DIDN'T USE JELLY BEANS, WOULDN'T STICK GOOD TO THE CAKE. I ALSO USED STRAWBERRY CAKE MIX.

Garden Ranch Pasta Salad

1 box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® ranch & bacon pasta salad mix
1/2 cup Hidden Valley® Fat Free Ranch® dressing
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1/2 cup cucumber slices, halved
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1. Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

3. In medium bowl, mix seasoning mix, dressing and dill weed. Stir in pasta and remaining ingredients. Store any remaining salad covered in refrigerator.

Slow Cookers Italian Herb Chicken

Serve this zesty slow cooker chicken flavored with tomatoes and just the right amount of herbs over spaghetti to enjoy all the flavorful sauce.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds chicken Breast Tender, skin removed

1 package (8 ounces) mushrooms, halved or sliced

1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

Directions:

1. Place chicken and mushrooms in slow cooker.
2. Mix Seasoning, tomatoes and tomato paste until blended. Pour over chicken and mushrooms. Cover.
3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving. Serve over hot cooked pasta or rice, if desired.

Nutrition Information:

per 1 serving
Calories: 271
Sodium: 648 mg
Fat: 11 g
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Cholesterol: 77 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 27 g