Trim & Terrific – Divabetic

09/12/2023

Berry Parfait Recipe by Cookbook Author Holly Clegg

Over the past 20 years of Divabetic outreach, I have had the good fortune to meet so many sensational women. One of my favorite collaborators was Cookbook Author Holly Clegg. Holly was a guest on several Divabetic podcasts and regularly contributed recipes to our Divabetic Holiday Entertaining guides. She was kind, gracious, and enthusiastic about our Divabetic outreach programming.

Sadly, Holly passed away from a long battle with cancer in 2019. She had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2018. She was 64.

The best-selling cookbook author entered hospice care in June after her team of doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston advised against continued treatment.

Beloved Advocate food columnist Holly Clegg to transition to hospice care amid cancer battle

During her cancer fight, Holly used her high profile to educate others on gastric cancers and, with her family, created the Holly Clegg Gastric Cancer Research Fund at MD Anderson to raise awareness of gastric cancers.

Her highly successful “trim & TERRIFIC” and “Eating Well” cookbook series have sold over 1.5 million copies.

She worked with experts at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association, writing as part of the series books on “Diabetic Cooking” and “Eating Well to Fight Arthritis.”

Approaching menopause, Holly enlisted friends to help test facial products made with everyday food. The winners are included in her “trim & TERRIFIC: Too Hot in the Kitchen” cookbook. It also had some “spicy advice” showcasing Holly’s infectious humor.

I smiled when I came across one of Holly’s recipes the other day. Below is one of Holly’s popular recipes she shared with us over the years.

Berry Parfait Recipe by Cookbook Author Holly Clegg

Light and delightful, strawberries or your favorite berries layered with a luscious cream cheese layer and ladyfingers.

Ingredients

2/3 cup seedless sugar-free raspberry preserves

1/4 cup orange juice

6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (8-ounce) container of fat-free whipped topping, thawed, divided

2 (3-ounce) packages of ladyfingers, split in half (24)

1 1/2 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix preserves and orange juice.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until light. Mix in whipped topping, reserving 1/2 cup for topping.

3. Line the bottom of an oblong small dish with split ladyfingers. Layer with preserves mixture, cream cheese layer, and top with strawberries. Repeat layers with remaining ladyfingers, preserves, and cream cheese layer.

4. Carefully top with a thin layer of remaining whipped topping. Top with remaining strawberries. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Makes 16 (1/2-cup) servings

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 128, Calories from fat (%) 24, Fat (g) 3, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 9, Sodium (mg) 79, Carbohydrate (g) 23, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Sugars (g) 11, Protein (g) 2, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 carbohydrate, 1/2 fat

Holly’s Tip: Use raspberries so you don’t have to cut the strawberries. This recipe works well in individual servings. Holly used to cut this parfait into fourths, so you have extra the next day and make four.

Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Divabetic’s podcast. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age. In addition to this women’s lifestyle cookbook, Holly has authored many others, including Holly Clegg’s Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking. With nearly 1 million books sold, Holly reigns supreme when it comes to helping today’s busy person cook fast meals and fit into an overall healthy lifestyle. Known as the “Queen of Quick,” Holly’s recipes are time, user and pantry-friendly. As a mother, wife, and published cookbook author, Holly appreciates the ability to create a tasty dish that is both convenient and healthy.

Cookbook Author Holly Clegg shares ways to ‘SPICE UP’ your meal plan with musical inspiration from the “Queen of Salsa,” Celia Cruz.

Celia Cruz was one of the most accomplished singers of the 20th century. She was known for her powerful voice and her rhythm-centric musical style. Hailing from humble beginnings in the poor neighborhood of Santos Suarez in Havana, Cuba, her mother knew immediately that she was destined to be a singer.

Celia Cruz’s husband was a former lead trumpet player for Cuba’s legendary band La Sonora Matancera. He suffered from complications of type 2 diabetes and had a series of strokes before his death.

Podcast guests include Best-Selling Cookbook Author Holly Clegg, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDCES CDN, and Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.

Throughout the podcast, we will play music from Celia Cruz’s The Absolute Collection courtesy of SONY Music.

Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.”

02/28/201803/13/2018

Healthy Cuban Pork and Black Beans Recipe by Holly Clegg

‘La Reina de la Salsa’ is our musical inspiration for the upcoming Diabetes Late Nite podcast on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 6 PM, EST.

March’s musical inspiration, Celia Cruz did not have diabetes but people of Hispanic and Latino origin are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes as well as experiencing diabetes health-related complications such as amputation.

However, there’s recently been a breakthrough in preventing amputation in Cuba thanks to a unique Cuban product Heberprot-P, a drug that has sparked acclaim for its effectiveness in controlling and healing diabetic foot ulcers.

This drug registered in 2006 was created by Cuban scientist Jorge Berlanga and a team from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of the island.

It contains epithermal growth factor (EGF) as an active pharmaceutical ingredient, while being applied by direct infiltration or injections in the wound site closing the ulcers in a period of 45 to 90 days.

“With the application of this medication, we were able to reduce amputation rates in the country from 70 percent to 5 percent today,”said Dr. Jose Fernandez Montequin.

Currently, Heberprot-P is registered in 23 countries and is effectively applied in 10 countries that have already authorized its use and marketing.

Best-Selling Cookbook author Holly Clegg, who will be joining us on March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, shares her wonderful Cuban recipe to help you add some flavor to your menu without compromising your health.

“This fabulously flavored diabetic-friendly pork tenderloin recipe is ideal for a slow cooker,” says Holly Clegg.” I like to serve with yellow rice.”

Cuban Pork and Black Beans Recipe from KITCHEN 101 Cookbook (Crockpot Convenience Chapter)

Ingredients

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins

Garlic powder

2 onions, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can black bean soup

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies

1 tablespoon chopped jalapenos

2 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

1. Season pork tenderloins heavily with garlic powder. In 3 ½-6-quart slow cooker, insert plastic liner if desired. In slow cooker, combine all ingredients.

2. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours or until pork tenderloin is tender.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional information per Serving: Calories 245 Calories from Fat 23% Fat 6g Saturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 76mg Sodium 527mg Carbohydrates 17g Dietary Fiber 5g Total Sugars 5g Protein 29g Dietary Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat

Terrific Tip: Add dried herbs to the slow cooker in beginning of cooking, and fresh herbs just before serving.

Nutritional Nugget: A nutritional gem, beans provide an excellent source of fiber and folate, helping with digestive health and weight maintenance.

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® and Eating Well cookbook series, including Eating Well Through Cancer, (English, Spanish and Chinese editions), Eating Well to Fight Arthritis and Diabetic Cooking with the American Diabetes Association.

This newly revised and expanded 15-year anniversary edition of Holly’s Eating Well Through Cancer includes chapters on nourishing foods that are best tolerated to ease common side effects such as nausea, sore mouth and throat, taste changes, neutropenia and weight loss. With easy everyday recipes using familar ingredients, you’ll find this book an invaluable recipe resource for cancer prevention

Holly Clegg attended the Cordon Bleu Cooking School, London. For more information, visit About Holly or The Healthy Cooking Blog for more recipes and tips.

LISTEN NOW: Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef, Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Diva Talk Radio. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, ‘Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age’

TUNE IN: March’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast inspired by Celia Cruz on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. Guests include Cookbook Author Holly Clegg, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach and Mama Rose Marie.

08/23/201708/23/2017

Best Nachos Recipe – Ever Tried Holly Clegg’s Incredible Crab Appetizer Nachos?

Who doesn’t love nachos? Especially seafood nachos that are easy to make?

Since great food makes for a great party I asked several of my friends to share their favorite recipes on this blog. It’s all part of the preparations for our biggest podcast event of the year, Mister Divabetic Mystery podcast: ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, 6 PM, EST. Since this year’s zany adventure takes place in New York City’s historic seashore, Coney Island we’re spotlighting seafood dishes.

Don’t let diabetes dim your DAZZLE! Get in the spirt and enjoy my good friend, Best-Selling Cookbook Author, Holly Clegg’s healthy Crab Nacho Recipe. It’s sure to win over your family and friends at your next party!

“Every time I make these baked nachos I have to sneak a few before I set them out because they will be all polished off before I know it!,” says Holly.

Crispy tortilla chips baked with a splendid southwestern-seasoned crab mixture and smothered with cheese is quick to prepare and quicker to disappear.

How can Holly’s delicious crabmeat nachos possibly be healthy?

“By using reduced-fat ingredients and baked tortilla chips, you get a wonderful crab southwestern topping for a baked nachos recipe,” says Holly. “! I have the best

Crab Nachos from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites

6 dozen baked tortilla flour chips
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound lump, white, or canned crabmeat, picked through for shells
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded, reduced-fat, sharp cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese
Paprika

1. Preheat oven to broil. Arrange tortilla chips in single layer on baking sheet.

2. In bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, green chilies, cumin. Fold in crabmeat, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Divide mixture on chips. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Bake 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 3 dozen nachos. Nutritional information per serving: Calories 57, Calories from fat (%) 29, Fat (g) 2, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 14, Sodium (mg) 143, Carbohydrate (g) 5, Dietary Fiber (g) 0, Sugars (g) 0, Protein (g) 5, Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 lean meat

Holly Clegg’s Cooking Tip: If you don’t have fresh crabmeat available, my second choice is the pasteurized crabmeat you find in a can. Of course, you can always use snow crab, king crab or imitation crabmeat for this crab nachos recipe.

Crab Nachos from Holly Clegg’s Gulf Coast Favorites cookbook is packed with Louisiana Cajun recipes. Superbowl party or just a Friday night game night with friend, set these melt in your mouth healthy crab nachos out and you will be the ‘divabetic’ hostess with the mostest!

With over 1 MILLION COOKBOOKS sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® and Eating Well cookbook series, including Eating Well Through Cancer, (English, Spanish and Chinese editions), Eating Well to Fight Arthritis and Diabetic Cooking with the ADA. Clegg attended the Cordon Bleu Cooking School, London and has appeared on Fox & Friends, NBC Weekend Today, QVC, The 700 Club, USA Today, Cooking Light Magazine, Web MD, and Huff Post. She consulted and did spokesperson work for Walmart, Teflon, DuPont, The Coca-Cola Company, and hospitals throughout the country. For more information, visit About Holly or The Healthy Cooking Blog for more recipes and tips.

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Spotlight podcast with guest Best-Selling Cookbook Author Holly Clegg

Join us for the broadcast of our newest Mister Divabetic Mister entitled “Gypsies, Tramps and Peas”.

Diabetes advocate turned reluctant amateur sleuth, Mr. Divabetic finally takes the plunge and ventures into a new career as a healthy caterer. With the help of his co-workers and nosy Italian mother, he heads for Coney Island to cater his first party aboard a yacht for his former swim coach, Ted Rockow. But his nautical soiree quickly capsizes when the guest of honor is found swimming with the fishes. What it an accident or foul play? Now Mr. Divabetic’s grilling Burlesque dancers, a lifeguard lothario and some sequined mermaids, all intent on keeping their secrets buried deep within the sand. Can Mr. Divabetic prove Coach’s death was a murder, not an accident? Or will he end up floating out to sea?

Will he sink or swim? Tune in to find out if he can solve the murder of his former swim coach with the help of his friends, some sassy mermaids and a cooky fortune teller. Along the way to revealing the identity of the murderer he uncovers expert tips for diabetes self-care during the Summer months.

USA Today Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes, Asha Brown, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, Seveda Williams, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay, Mama Rose Marie and Poet Lorraine Brooks help the fruit suit clad sleuth in this seaside adventure. Healthy delicious recipes provided by Chef Robert Lewis and Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’.

This year’s mystery podcast features music from the original cast recording of ‘Gypsy’ courtesy of SONY Music.

Join the show! Get the full script for ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ and read along as our cast performs. Please e-mail: mrdvabetic@gmail.com

05/15/201705/16/2017

White Chocolate Cheesecake by Holly Clegg inspires New Mister Divabetic Mystery

I’m working on my newest tantalizing tale of culinary mystery and suspense, ‘Mister Divabetic Mystery – ‘One Murder Tutu Many’ which takes place in New York City’s vibrant ballet community.

When my character, Mr. Divabetic heads to the Gotham City Ballet Company’s box office to fix a mix up with his tickets he’s faced with a even bigger problem – a murder. To make matters worse, one of his cheesecakes seems to be covering the victim’s face. Even more shocking are the numerous scandals swirling around the Gotham City Ballet and it’s members that have everyone walking around on tip toes. Could our happy healthcare host’s questionable culinary skills make him an accessory to the crime or even a possible side dish? Now Mr. Divabetic with the help of his team of whip smart Diabetes Educators must whip up his own crime-solving recipe, and fast–before a hearty dose of intrigue and a deadly dash of danger ends his diabetes advocacy and healthy catering career once and for all.

Cheesecake has been touted as the #1 American dessert so with cheesecake on my mind, I reached out to my friend, Best-Selling Cookbook Author Holly Clegg for one of her recipes, White Chocolate Cheesecake.

“White chocolate and cheesecake are outrageously delicious and especially when they are combined in one dazzling dessert. You will be begging for a second piece,” Holly said. “I like to top my cheesecake with raspberries because it gives it such a decorative touch.”

White Chocolate Cheesecake from Gulf Coast Favorites Cookbook by Holly Clegg

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 (8-ounce) packages reduced fat cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 ounces white chocolate, melted
1 cup fat free sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven 325°F.
2. In bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, oatmeal, 2 tablespoons sugar, almond extract, and butter. Press onto the bottom and sides of spring-form pan.
3. In mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and 2/3 cup sugar until light. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Nex, add flour and white chocolate, mixing well. Add sour cream and vanilla: mix well.
4. Pour into prepared crust and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled and then remove from the pan.

16 servings

I asked Holly why is this cheesecake is considered to be ‘trim & terrific’?

“If you order this cheesecake out it probably has 30 g sat fat and my recipe has 6 g sat fat,” says Holly. “Not all my recipes fit into the diabetic guidelines, however, this cheesecake is so much better for you! Cheesecake is usually high calorie and high fat. What did I do?”

“I used reduced- fat cream cheese with a combination of eggs and egg whites. I also used fat free sour cream to make the recipe creamy but not add extra fat. I include white chocolate to give it the flavor but probably another recipe would have double or triple the amount of white chocolate. Also, typically a crust would have a stick of butter in it and I use only 2 tablespoons. I pride myself on finding the balance of flavor and fat. It is important that this cheesecake tastes like an indulgence but I also want it to be better for you”

“I make this easy white chocolate cheesecake recipe ahead of time. Then, I let it cool and freeze to pull out whenever I need it. When your cheesecake is frozen, it is also so much easier to remove from the spring form pan to put on your desired serving plate. I took my White Chocolate Cheesecake out the day before and I put in the refrigerator for it to defrost.”

“This is my favorite recipe,” Holly said. “It is funny as once I made it for Thanksgiving and didn’t put the raspberries on top and it wasn’t as popular. We eat with our eyes!”

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® and Eating Well cookbook series, including Eating Well Through Cancer, (English, Spanish and Chinese editions), Eating Well to Fight Arthritis and Diabetic Cooking with the American Diabetes Association. Holly Clegg attended the Cordon Bleu Cooking School, London. For more information, visit About Holly or The Healthy Cooking Blog for more recipes and tips.

LISTEN NOW: Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef, Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Diva Talk Radio. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, ‘Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age’