Thursday Recipes

Years back, when my better half was diagnosed with diabetes, we both thought we'd have to give up all of our favorite foods. True, he was the one with diabetes, but I really didn't think it was quite fair to eat a bowl of ice cream or a piece of pie in front of him while he sat there with a nice, safe, boring diabetic snack.

If only we'd seen this answer from Diabetes Self-Management. The short answer is, "One quick trick for eating more healthfully while still enjoying favorite foods is to simply decrease your portion size when eating high-fat, high-sugar, or high-sodium foods." There is also a link to several articles on nutrition and diabetes. There's lots of good info there!

And now, here are today's six yummy diabetic recipes to help you through the day, including Chicken with Peppers and Italian Meatball Soup. Enjoy!

NEW POTATOES WITH OLIVE OIL AND GARLIC

Recipe Yield: Serves: 4 (1 Serving = About 3 potatoes)

https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/new-potatoes-with-olive-oil-and-garlic

Source: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes

Book Title: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes

Ingredients

12 small new potatoes (1 pound total)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Directions

Peel off a 1/2-inch strip of skin around the center of each potato.

Place the potatoes in a steamer set over simmering water. Cover and steam until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and reserve.

Heat the oil and garlic in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the potatoes in one layer. Cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and roll them in the oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 123; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 153 mg; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Fat

CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS

Servings: 4

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/309.shtml

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups frozen stir-fry pepper blend

1 can (15 ounces) chunky Italian-seasoned tomato sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Saute chicken and garlic in oil in large skillet until lightly browned. Push chicken to side of pan; add stir-fry pepper blend and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 215; Protein: 28.5 g; Fat: 7 g; Sodium: 674 mg; Cholesterol: 71 mg; Carbohydrates: 9.7 g; Exchanges: 2 Vegetable, 3 Meat

ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP

Recipe Yield: Yield: 8 servings (about 2 cups each)

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Book Title: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/italian-meatball-soup

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 egg whites

1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

4 cloves garlic, minced, divided

3 tablespoons Italian seasoning, divided

Olive oil cooking spray

4 cans (15 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

2 cups green beans, diagonally cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

8 ounces thin spaghetti, uncooked, broken into 2-to 3-inch pieces

2 medium plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix ground turkey, egg whites, bread crumbs, 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning until well blended; shape mixture into 32 meatballs. Spray large saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Cook meatballs until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water, green beans, carrots, onions, remaining 2 cloves garlic, and remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning to saucepan; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until vegetables are almost tender, about 8 minutes.

Heat soup to boiling; add pasta and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 270; Fat: 8.7 g; Sodium: 174 mg; Cholesterol: 31.7 mg; Protein: 19 g; Carbohydrates: 30.2 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Bread, 2 Meat, 1/2 Fat

SPICY CHICKEN THIGHS

Recipe Yield: 4 chicken thighs (4 servings)

https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/spicy-chicken-thighs

Source: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes

Book Title: The New Family Cookbook For People with Diabetes

Ingredients

4 medium to large skinless chicken thighs (1-1/2 pounds)

One 8-ounce container plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup hot salsa or picante sauce

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Place the chicken in a glass dish. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, salsa, curry powder, and cumin. Pour over the chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer the chicken and sauce to an oven proof dish prepared with nonstick pan spray. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Notes:

Contains 4 g sugars.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 186, Fat: 8 g; Sodium: 139 mg; Cholesterol: 73 mg; Protein: 22 g; Carbohydrates: 5 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 3 Lean Meat

BEAN AND VEGETABLE STEW

Recipe Yield: 6 Servings (about 1-1/3 cups each)

Source: 1,001 Delicious Recipes For People With Diabetes

View online: https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/bean-and-vegetable-stew

Print version: https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/bean-and-vegetable-stew/print/

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion

1 medium Idaho potato, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed, drained

1 can (16 ounces) tomato wedges, undrained

3/4 teaspoon dried sage leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Saute onion, potato, sweet potato, bell pepper, and garlic in oil in large saucepan 5 minutes; stir in flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Add remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper, to saucepan; heat to boiling.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 209; Fat: 5.5 g; Sodium: 493 mg; Protein: 7.7 g; Carbohydrates: 39 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 2 Bread/Starch, 1 Fat

EGGPLANT AND FETA STUFFED PITAS

This is from Diabetes Self-Management.

View online here.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

Nonstick cooking spray

2 1/2 cups diced (unpeeled) eggplant (1/2-inch dice)

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 whole what pitas, warmed and halved

1/4 cup reduced-fat balsamic vinaigrette

3 ounces crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Directions

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, coat onions with cooking spray, and cook 2 minutes. Add eggplant, coat eggplant with cooking spray, and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes or until tomatoes are just tender.

Remove from heat; add basil. Cover and let stand 3 minutes to absorb flavors. To serve, spoon equal amounts (about 1/3 cup) in each pita half and drizzle equal amounts (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) balsamic vinaigrette on top. Sprinkle with feta (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each).

Yield: 6 servings. Serving size: 1 pita half.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 162, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 4 mg, Sodium: 526 mg, Fiber: 5 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat, 1 Vegetable, 1 Meat.