T h e recipes that foUow are in and of themselves wonderful ex amples of howyou can eat weU withveryUttle fast-acting car bohydrate.They are, however, not intended as the end-aU and be-aU for diabetic nutrition.
As you learned in Chapters 9-11, devel oping a meal plan is at its foundation science, but there is also art involved.
The science offers you the metaboUc and nutritional under pinnings ofwhat should andshould not be in yourmeal plan.
The art portion isthe negotiation thathas to take place between you andyour physician, and between your nutritional needs and your Ufestyle, es- peciaUy your tastes and the time you have to spend in cooking.
You can do weU with these recipes, but you can also do weU by adjusting these recipes to your own tastes.
The recipes were developed by two quite talented but different chefs.
Karen A.
Weinstock, who wrote most of the newerrecipes in this book,is herselfa type 1 diabetic.
She is also a nutritional health care provider.
For more than twentyyears, she has taught cooking to individuals, with the goal of maximizing health through diet.
When she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes many years ago, her sense of healthy eating went into a tailspin, asher own diet, like that of most Americans , even those who "know food" , included an excess of refined and fast-acting carbohydrate.
After many years of unsuccessfiiUy regulating her own blood sugar levels, she met me.
She says, "This program saved my life by providing me with the necessary guidelines and practical how-tos to live a nor mal life as a diabetic." Her goal in creating recipes for this book was to provide the dia betic communitywith deUcious gourmet meals based on our program and her own nutritional expertise.
She says, "It is my hope that you
392 Your Diabetic Cookbook
can enjoy both preparing and eating these meals whUe maintaining healthyblood sugar levels." The recipes she created are identified by the initials kw at the end. The recipesidentified by the initials ta were createdby TimothyJ. Aubert, CWC, for the firstedition of this book.
USING THE RECIPES
AU the recipes are, in one sense, a guide to how you can incorporate into your diet foods you maynot have considered eating, and howyou can use low-carbohydrate foods and protein to arrive at tasty approx imations of foods from the high-carbohydrate world.
You can use the recipes exacdy as written and trust that they wiU playa significant rolein assisting youwith blood sugarnormalization; or you can playwith them and customize them, to suit your own tastes and dietary guidelines.
It is best, however, unless you are a seasoned cookyourself, to try the recipes first astheyarewritten,and then make adjustments if they seem warranted.
Changes in herbs and spices or including sUghtiy morewhole-plant vegetables that arelisted in the"So What's Left to Eat?"section in Chapter 10 are not likelyto alter blood sugars significandy, but you should foUow carbohydrate and protein content guidelines and check your blood sugars to make sure.
If a recipe calls for less carbohydrate than required byyour mealplan, add some vegetables, salad, bran crackers, et cetera, to the meal to make up the difference.
Referto Chapter 10for some typical suggestions.
If you've flipped straight to these recipes without gaining a good understanding of how to foUow a meal plan, stop and at least read Chapters 9-11.
Look especiaUy at the boxentided"No-No's in a Nut- shett," on pages 152-153.
Then look at the list of vegetables on page 151;it's likelythat any vegetable not Usted in that section is not suit ably low in fast-acting carbohydrate.
Remember that Vi cup of diced or sUced cookedlow-carbohydrate vegetable (or V4 cup mashed) is ap proximately equivalent to 6 grams carbohydrate, as is 1 cup of mixed salad.
Assume that % cup of whole cooked vegetables is also equiva lent to about 6 grams of carbohydrate.
Throughout these recipes the abbreviation cho is used for carbo hydrate (cho stands for carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, the elements that make up carbohydrates) and pro for protein.
Each recipe shows the number of servings provided and the approximate grams of car bohydratesand ouncesof protein in eachserving. (If you are adapting
Recipes for Low-Carbohydrate Meals 393
these recipes or creating your ownand consulting food value books, remember our rule of thumb, that to convert grams of protein to ounces of a raw protein food, you divide by6.Divide by9 for cooked protein foods.)
PREPARING POWDERED ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
As you know, thepaper packets containing granulated, so-caUed sugar- free sweeteners usuaUy contain about 96 percent glucose, maltodex- trin, or other sugar, making them inappropriate for diabetics.
You can prepare your own granulated sweetener for use in some of the foUow ing recipes by crushing or grinding aspartame or saccharin tablets (not packets) in one of the foUowing ways: • in a mortar and pesde • betweentwo spoons • in a pepper miU • in a smaU electric coffee grinder You can also dissolve the crushed tablets in a smaU amount of hot water (unless the recipe caUs for powdered sweetener).
Aspartame (but not saccharin) wiU lose its taste if added to food be fore cooking, soit must beused only after cooking.
You may prefer to use stevia, since it is sold as powder or liquid and is not degraded by heat.
Make surethat youonlypurchase powdered stevia that does not contain maltodextrin.
SUBSTITUTIONS
A number of these recipes include bran crackers.
Some have been written for Wasa Fiber Rye crackers (5 grams carbohydrate each), some for Bran-a-Crisp crackers (4 grams carbohydrate each), and others for G/G Scandinavian Bran Crispbread (3 grams carbohydrate each).
Although these crackers are simUar in texture, they vary in car bohydrate value.
Make theproper food count adjustment ifyou should swap Wasa, say,for G/G.
Just because you're diabetic doesn't mean you can'teatweU.
In fact, you are likely to eatbetter than theaverage person who husties a bagel
394 Your Diabetic Cookbook
or donut for breakfast, scrounges fast food for lunch, then does what ever for dinner. So bon app&it, salut, and enjoy.
MORE RECIPES My book The Diabetes Diet, also pubUshed by Littie, Brown, has a hundred new low-carbohydrate recipes for breakfast, lunch, and din ner designed specificaUy for blood sugarnormalization.
SAUCES
ITALIAN-STYLE RED SAUCE 6 servings, about Vi cup each Perserving: 5.6 gm cho, <0.5 0Z PRO CHO(gm) PRO (gm) 3 cups diced red beU peppers 27.6 3.6 1 Tbsp oliveoU ,
Va cup chopped fresh basU 0.4 0.2 2 cloves garlic, minced 2.0 0.4 1 cup CoUege Inn chicken broth , 1.0 Vi cup heavycream 2.2 1.6 Vi tsp salt ,
Vs tsp black pepper ,
l/i tsp dried oregano 1.0 0.2 l/i tsp steviapowder (1 packet) ,
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 0.4 4.2
In asaucepan, bring aquart ofwater to aboU.
Add diced peppers, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain Uquid from peppers by pouring through acolander.
Add peppers to food processor workbowl andpuree for 2-3 minutes.
The finished texture of the puree wiU contain some pulp.
Heat oUve oU in a saucepan over a low flame.
Add basU and garUc.
Saute" on a low flame until the aroma is released, 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the pepper puree, chicken broth, and heavy cream.
WhUe stirring, add re maining seasonings except forgrated cheese.
Simmer the sauce uncov ered for 40 minutes.
Addgratedcheese to sauce just beforeserving.
This recipe yields about 3 cupsof sauce.
Thissauce canbe used in manyrecipes that caU for a red sauce, such as meatioaf or stuffedcabbage.
It wiU keep in the refrigeratorfor 4-5 days.
It may be stored in thefreezer for 2-3 months, kw
Recipesfor Low-Carbohydrate Meals 395
RED PEPPER COCKTAIL SAUCE 16servings, about 1 Tbsp each Perserving: 1.2 gm cho, <0.1 OZPRO CHOfem) PRO(gm) 2 cups diced red beU pepper 18.4 2.4 lA tsp salt ,
Vi tsp steviapowder (1 packet) ,
2 tsp white horseradish ,
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1.0 ,
1 Tbsp cider vinegar ,
Hot sauce to taste ,
In a saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boU.
Add diced red pepper and cover the pot.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Drain water from peppers and put them into a blender.Blend peppers to a pureed consistency.
Pour puree into a glass bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove the chiUed pepper puree from the refrigerator.
Add the salt and stevia to the puree and combine.
A whisk is helpful here.
Add horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and hot sauce.
Serve this sauce with chiUed shrimp or other seafood.
This recipe yields 1 cup of cocktaU sauce.
The saucewiU keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a glass jar.
It may be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months, kw
RUSSIAN DRESSING 24 servings, 1 Tbsp each Per serving: <1 gm cho, <0.1 oz pro CHO (gm) PRO (gm) 1Vi cups diced red beU pepper 13.8 1.8 % cup mayonnaise , 1 Tbsp canola oU , 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 0.3 , Vi tsp stevia powder (1 packet) , Va tsp black pepper , 2 Tbsp diced sour diU pickle 0.5 ,
In a saucepan, bring 1 quart ofwater to a boU.
Add peppers and cover.
Reduce heat to simmerfor 10minutes.
Drain peppers in a colanderand discard cookingUquid.
Add peppers to the workbowl of a food proces sor.Chop for 2-3 minutes.The consistency should be smooth, but some of the fiber wiU remain.
Add the mayonnaise, oU, and Worcestershire sauce.
Blend together for a moment.
Add the stevia and black pepper and blend again.
Scrape mixture from the workbowl into a glassbowl.
Fold in diced pickle.
This dressing wiU keep in the refrigerator for 10-14 days. (Don't try to freeze.) Store in an airtight container, kw
396 Your Diabetic Cookbook
DIJON MUSTARD BUTTER 12servings, 2 Tbsp each Per serving: (17gm cho, <0.1 OZPRO CHO(gm) PRO(gm) 2 Tbsp minced shaUots 3.4 0.6 \lA cups {2l/isticks) butter, softened , 2.5 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard 3.0 ,
1 tsp lemon juice 0.43 0.03 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1.0 ,