Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

July 17, 2004 - Issue 117

Low Carb Summer Ideas

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 1 cup zucchini, small diced
  
• 1 cup yellow squash, small diced
  
• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, small diced
  
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, small diced
  
• 1/4 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
• 1 cup cantaloupe, small diced
  

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add all ingredients, except cantaloupe, and cook for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat, drain, and spread out on a plate. Refrigerate quickly without a cover to stop the cooking. When cooled, mix in cantaloupe, and cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve as an accompaniment to spicy dishes, chicken, fish, and more.

Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Skewers

• 30 (8-inch) bamboo skewers
• Marinade:
  
• 15 ounces teriyaki sauce (no more than
• 2 grams sugar per serving)
  
• 6 tablespoons sesame oil
  
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• 1 lemon, juiced
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
  
• 1 cantaloupe half filled with melon balls, optional
  

Directions:

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to keep from burning later.

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a non-reactive container large enough to hold all of the chicken. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch strips and submerge them in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thread 1 chicken strip on each skewer towards end of the stick, and line up on a sheet pan. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Serve by sticking skewers straight out of the side of a cantaloupe half filled with melon balls, if desired.

Low Carb Gratin of Fresh Berries

• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
  
• 1/2 pint fresh blackberries
  
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, cut into quarters
  
• 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
  
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
  
• 1 cup sour cream
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute (recommended: Sugar Twin)
  
• Fresh mint, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat broiler to high and position rack to highest level.

Wash, pat dry, and place all berries in a saute pan that fits them tightly in 1 layer and can also be used for serving. Sprinkle berries with 1 tablespoon sugar substitute, and then cover them with a thick, even layer of sour cream, letting the berries peek out around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar substitute evenly over the top, and then sprinkle the brown sugar substitute over top.

Place the pan as close under the broiler as you can while keeping the oven door open and the handle of the pan sticking out. The berries only need to be warmed and the sugar substitute glazed. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just caramelized, watching carefully the whole time. Serve warm as you would a cobbler, and garnish with fresh mint.