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No More Blood Sugar Blues!
by Alice Osborne
Judy, soon to be from Arizona, recently wrote: Since we emailed last, I have become a Diabetic, and I have a hard time keeping my sugar regular. My medications have caused a weight gain and my daughter (who is a Medical Exercise Specialist/ Nutritionist) has me on a Diabetic/Low Carb/Low Glycemic diet. (Which BTW is helping.) Is there a cookbook out there that addresses both diets?
Of course Dan quickly wrote back that we certainly do have just what she needs, Cook'n for Diabetes and Cook'n Low Carb, and then suggested that we ought to address this in the Cook’n Newsletter as well.
After all, Judy isn’t alone — diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases in the country. So that said, welcome to our first of a new regular column, No More Blood Sugar Blues! In this column, we’ll do our best to bring you great recipes that will not only taste wonderful, but help all of us stay blood-sugar stable and firmly on the path to health.
These recipes are created with the glycemic index as a guide; macro-nutrients counts and diabetic exchanges are provided for those who use them. The glycemic index for any recipe will be lower than for any single ingredient. Adding fat, fiber and protein slows the absorption of carbohydrates, helping to control your insulin response. Remember, portion size really does matter. Too much food eaten at any one time will trigger unwelcome insulin surges needed to "clean up" excess glucose.
We present five terrific recipes to start you off. Let’s begin with one that uses the super hero of vegetables, broccoli:
Broccoli Frittata
 3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sour cream
2 slices whole grain bread, processed into crumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
3 (10 ounces) packages chopped broccoli
Preheat oven to 350°. Heavily oil 9”x13” casserole.
Thoroughly mix eggs, sour cream, cheese, nutmeg and bread crumbs with a fork or wire whisk. Set aside.
Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Meanwhile, microwave broccoli 2 - 3 minutes, until thawed. Add broccoli to onions; continue cooking until excess moisture is gone. Remove from heat. Pour into prepared casserole. Pour egg mixture over broccoli and onions.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until frittata is puffy and set in the center. Serves 6 - 8.
1/6 recipe:
Total Fat (g): 25; Protein (g): 14; Total Carbohydrates (g): 19; Dietary Fiber (g): 6; 349 calories
Food Exchanges : Starch/Bread: ½, Lean Meat: 1, Vegetable: 1, Fat: 4½
 Download this recipe.
Cranberry Nut Bread
 1 cup dried cranberries, with no sugar added
1 cup boiling water
1 cup all bran cereal
1½ cups plain soy milk
1 egg
1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons butter, melted
In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cranberries and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°.
In a small bowl, mix together cereal, milk, and egg. Set aside.
In a food processor, place flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Process to mix.
Completely drain cranberries; add them to processor with flour mixture. Process briefly to combine. Place mixture in a large bowl. Stir in walnuts. Add cereal mixture, stirring just to mix. Stir in melted butter. Pour into a large greased loaf pan.
Bake 1 hour at 350° or until a wooden toothpick comes out with a few crumbs when inserted in center.
Makes one 9” loaf.
½ inch slice:
Total Fat (g): 6; Protein (g): 4; Total Carbohydrates (g): 11; Dietary Fiber (g): 3; 107 calories
Food Exchanges : Starch/Bread: ½, Lean Meat: ½, Fat: 1
Download this recipe.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
 Dressing
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
Salad Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into cubes
1 (4 ounces) can sliced black olives, drained
1 (7 ounces) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1 (7½ ounces) jar marinated artichoke hearts (not drained)
1 (4 ounces) package crumbled feta cheese
In small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, oregano and salt.
In medium bowl, place all remaining ingredients. Whip dressing ingredients together with a fork; pour over chicken mixture. Gently toss and refrigerate until served.
Serves 4.
1 serving:
Total Fat (g): 42; Protein (g): 28; Total Carbohydrates (g): 11; Dietary Fiber (g): 4; 530 calories
Food Exchanges : Lean Meat: 3½, Vegetable: 1½, Fat: 7 ½
Download this recipe.
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Sweetened with low glycemic carbs and made with whole grain pastry flour, this wonderfully moist cake is a special treat for anyone.
Enjoy this light cake by itself or serve it with fresh berries and real whipped cream sweetened with agave nectar or Stevia.
 8 eggs
1 ½ cups whole grain pastry flour, lightly measured
1/2 cup agave nectar or Stevia
1 cup fructose, divided
2/3 cup cocoa, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup canola oil
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut parchment or waxed paper to the shape and size of a 10” tube pan; place in bottom of pan. Set aside.
Carefully separate eggs. Place egg whites in large metal or glass mixing bowl and set aside. Don’t refrigerate; they whip best at room temperature. Set yolks aside separately in small container.
Place flour, fructose, agave, ½ cup fructose, sifted cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine thoroughly with a whisk.
In medium bowl, combine oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla extract.
Make a well in center of the dry ingredients and pour mixture of egg yolks, oil, water and vanilla. Beat with whisk or electric mixer until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
Using completely clean and oil-free beaters, beat egg whites on high with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.. Begin adding remaining ½ cup fructose, 2 tablespoons at a time while beating, until stiff peaks form. (Pull beaters from egg whites, if peaks hold their shape and don’t relax, they are stiff).
Pour egg yolk mixture in a thin stream over the surface of egg whites. Gently fold chocolate-yolk mixture into whites, just until combined. Do not over-fold.
Bake for 1 hour or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven; invert pan. If pan does not have an extension for cooling upside-down, place the center of the pan on a jar with a narrow neck so that it can cool upside-down. Cool completely.
Remove the cake from pan when completely cool, running a knife edge around the sides if needed.
Makes a ten-inch cake (12 slices).
1 slice:
13 g. fat; 36 g. total carbs; 3 g. dietary fiber; 6 g. protein; 277 calories
Exchanges:
½ lean meat; 2 fat; 1 ½ other carbs
Download this recipe.
Peppered Swordfish
Sea Bass may be substituted
 6 swordfish steaks (about 6 ounces each)
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Blend all ingredients except fish.
Rinse fish under cool water; pat dry. Dip fish in marinade, turning once. Grill about 12 minutes per side or just until fish flakes when a fork is inserted in center.
Marinade makes about ¾ cup.
Serves 6.
1 serving:
Total Fat (g): 7; Protein (g): 34; Total Carbohydrates (g): 1; Dietary Fiber (g): trace; 227 calories
Food Exchanges: Lean Meat: 4½, Fat: 1½
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