How to make perfect low carb iced tea

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South Carolinians will be cooking and planning our Easter dinner menus soon. With all the rich and decadent flavors that will be eaten, serving a nice healthy beverage is a good way to feel a little less guilty. This iced tea recipe calls for Splenda, however, you can substitute it for sugar, just reduce the amount by 1/2 cup.


Instructions

Things You'll Need:
* 10 iced tea bags, I like Red Rose but there are plenty of good ones
* 2 herbal fruity tea bags of your choice.
* Dutch Oven
* Ladle for straining
* 2 cups of Granulated Splenda sweetner
* large plastic or tempered glass pitcher. If you do not have a tempered glass pitcher, allow tea to thoroughly cool before adding.

Step 1
Take the 2 liter sized pitcher your tea is going into and fill it almost all the way up with cold water. I usually have mine filled to about 2 inches from the lid. The reason Im not giving you this measurement in cups is because I hate measuring. Once this is done, pour it into your dutch oven.

Step 2
Now take your tea bags and tie them all together and toss them into the pot. Put your stove top setting on high and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling vigorously, turn off the heat and let it steep for about 10 minutes. You basically want a good rich color.

Step 3
Remove your teabags, aren't you glad they were tied together? Add your sweetener or sugar. If using sugar, try the smallest suggested amount first, (1 1/2 cups), if it is not sweet enough you can always add more. stir until sugar/sweetener is fully dissolved.

Step 4
Take your pitcher, and add sliced oranges and lemons, yes I like both. The oranges give the tea a wonderful flavor along with the lemon and both work great. Its all about the fruity flavor of the tea that makes it have a tropical and yummy taste. Pour the tea carefully into your pitcher. If it is not quite full, add a little more water, and enjoy!

Looking for regular southern recipes? See: Recipes from a Southern Kitchen

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How to Make Healthier Spaghetti

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Healthy Spaghetti is just as delicious as the traditional version...
This spaghetti recipe has all the flavor of regular spaghetti with a lot less guilt. Using canned crushed tomatoes instead of store brand sauces, low carb pasta, and low sodium condiments make this a healthier choice.

Things You'll Need:
 
* 1-2 tbsp. Basil
* 1 tbsp. Oregano
* 1 tsp. Garlic powder
* 1 tsp. Onion powder
* 2 tbsp. Low sodium soy sauce
* 1 13.25 oz. box of Dreamfield's Spaghetti Pasta
* 3-4 lbs. of lean ground beef or ground turkey
* 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
* 2 15 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 of a large onion diced
* 1-2 cups of diced Portabella mushrooms
* 2 tsp hot sauce
* several cloves of garlic (minced)
* 1 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 tbsp. Paprika
* 1 large diced bell pepper
* ground black pepper to taste
* 2 large pots, or one large skillet and one large Dutch oven
* Low fat Parmesan cheese

1.

In either a large skillet or pot, brown your ground beef or turkey. Add all diced veggies and spices. Once your meat has been thoroughly browned, drain all fat. To remove up to an additional 30% of the fat in the meat, you can leave it in a strainer, put the strainer over a large pot and rinse thoroughly with hot water. This practice removes most left over grease from the meat. If you choose to do this, wait to add your spices until after this is done. Set meat aside, and discard grease.

2.

In a large Dutch oven fill up to two thirds of the way with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add Dreamfield's Low Carb Spaghetti to the pot and cook for 9-10 minutes. Add a little Olive oil to the water to prevent over boiling and to keep pasta from sticking. Stir frequently to keep noodles separate as well. I like to break my spaghetti noodles in half before adding to the water so that they fit into the pot better and a little less messy when eating. Dreamfields Pasta has only 5 grams of digestible carbs per serving. Compared to regular pasta.

3.

Return your meat to the skillet, and add your diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and heat through allowing to simmer while the spaghetti noodles are cooking. Cans of crushed tomatoes are far healthier than store bought sauces as they have less sugar added, less additives, and lower carbs per serving. This allows you to control the spices and flavors as well. Store brand spaghetti sauces are packed with sugar and sodium and cost far more per ounce. Do a little comparison shopping next time and see if I'm telling the truth.

4.

Strain your noodles, and if you like mix in with the meat sauce of serve separately with the meat sauce served on top. Add a little olive oil to the noodles if you are going to serve them separately and stir so they won't stick together.

For information on low carb pasta, see-         www.netrition.com