200 HEALTHY RECIPES IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS
by Robyn Webb
(American Diabetes Association, 2005)
This wonderful cookbook will appeal to all busy people who love to eat well
and want to spend less time in the kitchen. It is simple and good, and a must-have
for every kitchen—yet does not sacrifice healthy eating, which is so important
for a diabetic. Rcipes range from salads to grilled meats, side dishes to desserts,
and usually feature no more than seven ingredients, all likely to be found in
your cupboard. There are easy preparation steps, helpful kitchen tips and straightforward,
accurate nutritional information. The carbs, protein, fat, and cholesterol information
are featured in an easy-to-read table. Page layout is uncluttered, and the print
is of a good size and font for those losing vision. The book also provides a
list of foods with exchange information, as well as an alphabetically organized
index and table of contents to allow easy access to recipe choices.
How does this menu sound: raspberry chicken, spinach orange salad, low fat Dijon potato salad, grilled asparagus and fresh apple crisp? Delicious and mouth watering, right? There is something for everyone in this easy-to-use book. There are even recipes for a romantic dinner! This book will surely appeal to everyone’s heart, and will be on everyone’s gift list! As a Registered Dietitian, I highly endorse this marvelous cook book!
Robyn Webb is a frequent guest presenter and author on CBS News, QVC, and in Woman’s Day. She has written numerous cookbooks for the American Diabetes Association. You can buy this book at www.diabetes.org or your local bookstore for $16.95. It will make a great gift for Mother’s Day—which is right around the corner. A reviewer’s husband took one look at this cookbook and said, “I could fix that!” so maybe it would work for Father’s Day, too? At any rate, indulge in these 200 sumptuous recipes!
EATING FOR DIABETICS: A HANDBOOK AND COOKBOOK—WITH MORE THAN 125
DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS RECIPES TO KEEP YOU FEELING GREAT AND YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE
IN CHECK
by Jane Frank
(2005 Marlow/Avalon)
Do you love eating out in gourmet restaurants? Enjoy spending time in the kitchen creating unforgettable and unique meals for yourself, your family and friends? Do you rise to the challenge at the thought of shopping for what others might consider uncommon ingredients? If you’ve answered, “Yes,” to these questions, then the time is right for you to get a good, concise guide to the basics of diabetes and healthy eating. This is the book for you!
The table of contents is arranged by meals and food groups for easy planning, and the index lists the main ingredients. Each recipe has helpful and accurate per-serving nutritional information, and is ranked according to both its glycemic index and glycemic load. Most recipes contain additional information regarding why a particular food ingredient used is of special interest for diabetics, or for healthy eating in general. It includes four weeks worth of menus with three meals a day.
“Eating for Diabetics” is not your ordinary cookbook, however. Ordinary oatmeal is transformed into “Oat and Almond Muesli” or “Steel-Cut Oats with Cinnamon and Raisins.” Mundane muffins become “Whole Grain and Seed Muffins” that are sweetened with sunflower seeds (who knew?). Soups are created out of avocados or sweet potatoes, broccoli or beans. Rice is transformed into “Wild and Brown Rice with Whole Spices.” Everyday chicken becomes “Poached Chicken in Ginger Sauce” or “Juniper Chicken.”
If this is not how you normally eat, but you’d like to begin the adventure to add healthier gourmet cooking (and healthier eating) to your diet, preparing the three-meal-a-day, four-week-long menu plan the author suggests may be a bit overwhelming at first. Start instead with one breakfast that looks especially yummy. A few days later, follow it with a lunch menu that strikes your fancy. Finally, pick a dinner suggestion for an evening when you have enough leisure time to prepare it.
While one reviewer saw the anchovy recipes, (“Grilled Polenta with Rosemary and Anchovy Sauce” and “Lentils with Olives and Anchovies”), and decided those weren’t for her, you may find them delectable. However, that reviewer intends to fix the “Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry with Broccoli” as well as the “Barley and Spring Vegetable Risotto.” She says she’s going to track down the fenugreek seed so she can brew a nice cup of fenugreek tea, too. The author includes sources for some of the more unusual foods in the recipes, but you might start your search at a local specialty market.
As a Registered Dietitian, I highly endorse this cookbook for those who’d like to take a culinary adventure and get some solid diabetes and health information, too!