Month / January 2015

by susanb181

Sunday Breakfast Sweet Potato Frittata

breakfast-frittata_web

 

The point of this blog is not to give medical information — but to share some of the foods and recipes we’re creating as well as modifications we’ve made to recipes from other sources; I intend to give credit where credit is due.

I also welcome you to share your own recipes and meal suggestions for diabetes as well as high blood pressures; (mainly with limited salt– of course, it can be added at table which is what I do if I have the need).

Now to get into the heart and sole; yes, fish is a staple.

I’m going to start with a breakfast recipe; will get to salads, lunch or snacks and main dishes. Please share your breakfast favorites!

SUNDAY BREAKFAST FRITTATA with sweet potatoes

INGREDIENTS

  • Serves 3-4 (all ingredients can be doubled for additional servings and/or leftovers)
  • 6- 8 eggs beaten, (fresh as possible- we’re lucky as we buy from a friend who has chickens so the yolks are golden orange)
  • 1–2 sweet potatoes or yams, washed and chopped in 1/4 ” cubes with skins – your choice (I’m a fan of the Japanese sweet potatoes, my partner loves the redder flesh jewel yams– you might know that sweet potatoes or yams are counterintuitive as they are way lower in glycemic index than other types of potatoes; white, yellow, red, ok, purple–sweets are a better choice).
  • 2-3 zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms sliced (you can use button but cremini are more flavorful)
  • 1 small red or yellow pepper chopped
  • 1/2 large or 1 med yellow onion chopped
  • Salt-free Seasoning such as Mrs. Dash’s or Spike
  • 1 tablespoon Thyme (fresh) or 1 tsp. dried
  • 2-3Tbs. Olive oil
  • 1-2 small pats butter
  • Cheese for grating
  • Optional: pre-cooked chicken sausage, chopped or sliced

TO DO:

1. Heat butter and olive oil on med heat in large pan, add chopped sweet potatoes, cook -stirring and flipping with spatula til all sides are crisp and insides are tender -about 15 min. (You can cover for the first 5 minutes or so on lower heat, being careful not to burn.) Then uncover and finish on med heat.

2. In a separate pan or skillet, add about a Tbsp. of the oil and cook the onion til transparent.

3. Add the pepper and mushrooms to the onions. Sauté til tender, then add the zucchini and sauté another 5-7 minutes (adding more oil if necessary).

3. If adding sausage, heat in oven or separate pan–(I like to be somewhat efficient about clean up -so would heat in the oven on foil or foil-lined baking sheet.)

4. Cover the potato base with the vegetables (and sausage).

5. Season with thyme and salt free seasoning (and/or salt and pepper if no blood pressure issues).

6. Beat the eggs (add a tsp. of cream or milk – I think it makes them beat smoother). Cover the vegetable/( sausage)/potatoes with the eggs.

7. Let set a few minutes, then turn down to low heat. Use a spatula to go around the edges, and also make holes in the mixture- until it is cooked but not hard–to a custardy consistency.

Grate cheese of your choice on top; (we love Midnight Moon-great for grating (<*).
It’s a semi-hard goat cheese made in Holland, from Cypress Grove Creamery, http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com.

Remove from heat and let set for 5-6 minutes. Serve in wedges.

www.type2delicious.com

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by susanb181

Roasted Winter Vegetables

 

raw-ingredients-roasted-winter-vegetables

Raw ingredients – lots of good stuff!

diabetes-friendly-roasted-winter-vegetables

Ready to enjoy!

 

So good, pretty and easy! Take a mix of colored raw winter vegetables; your choice; (I’m sharing our latest mix- but almost any root veggies that you like will be fine for this).

I like to include vegetables that aren’t so common such as white turnips, parsnips and kohlrabi, as well as the old standards like carrots, onions and beets. Sometimes I also add fennel and delicata squash.

I made a large mix of these for our Christmas Eve family dinner – it was the highlight of the meal; (even though we had also had roast turkey, leg of lamb, sweet potatoes, green beans and salad)!

A non-holiday suggestion is serve with roast chicken and the always good green salad– so delicious and healthy!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 bunch each of red and yellow beets (save the greens for a future dish- recipe to come)
  • 3-5 white turnips
  • 1 bunch Kohlrabi
  • 4-5 carrots
  • 1 large red onion
  • 3-4 parsnips
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt-free seasoning and pepper to taste

TO DO:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Scrub all vegetable; cutting off ends and any bad spots. Only peel Kohlrabi; other veggies are cooked unpeeled.

3. Cut beets, kohlrabi, turnips and onions in 1/2. Cut carrots and parsnips in 1/2 lengthwise. Mix in a bowl with olive oil and seasonings.

4. Lay all cut veggies on one layer (each piece touching the pan) face down on oiled baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until tender.

5. You can then turn off the oven and let vegetables roast on their own for at least another 1/2 hour — they become carmelized and sweet- melt in the mouth!

7. Add more seasonings and salt if you like.

8. Serve with gusto!

www.type2delicious.com

by susanb181

Sautéed Spicy Pumpkin

sauteed-sugar-pie-pumpkin

baked-halibut-kale-pumpkin-low-carb

All together great meal!

Here is the second vegetable side dish that rounds out the halibut and kale dinner.

As I mentioned previously, the kale is tangy and savory and the spicy, richness of the pumpkin complements both fish and kale. The pumpkin requires a bit more preparation, as it is baked first, but it’s worth it for the beta-carotene and flavor; (* see more about pumpkin benefits).

My mom was a pediatrician; she told her patients’ parents that as long as their darlings ate one green and one orange/yellow vegetable, not to worry. This certainly fits the bill!

What’s not to like? Low cal, low carbs, high deliciousness!

Sautéed Spicy Pumpkin

INGREDIENTS

  • 2-3 small eating pumpkins (we use sugar pie pumpkins)
  • After baking–
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • lemon zest to taste
  • 1/2-1 tsp. cayenne (to taste)
  • Salt free seasoning/pepper to taste

TO DO:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Wash pumpkins and cut off stems; then cut in half and scoop out pulp and seeds; ( keep and roast seeds if you like- there are many recipes online for this).

Don’t peel at this point.

3. Put olive oil on cut insides; lay face down on parchment paper on baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until tender (fork can easily pierce skin). Try not to overcook–so that the flesh is still somewhat firm.

4. Let cool; scoop out cooked flesh and chop into 1″ pieces; (it may be too mushy, in which case just scoop out).

5. In a large saucepan, heat butter and 1-2 Tbsp. Olive oil.

6. Add pumpkin flesh and sauté on med heat.

7. Add spices and seasonings to taste.

8. Serve with gusto!

* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/pumpkin-health-benefits_n_1936919.html

www.type2delicious.com

by susanb181

Kale Sautéed with Bacon and Onion

healthy-kale-with-bacon-recipe

kale sauteed with bacon

baked-halibut-kale-pumpkin-low-carb

All together great meal!

 

Here goes; as promised, the first of the delish vegetable dishes that accompany the baked halibut. The pumpkin recipe will follow.

Of course, you can enjoy the halibut with lots of other dishes, but these seem to go so well. The kale is tangy and savory and the spicy, richness of the  pumpkin complements both fish and kale. Plus I like the mix of colors — after all, we eat with our eyes as well as mouth and nose. And as always, low carbs rule!

Kale with Bacon

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 bunches Kale (your choice of type-we now get a home delivered organic veggie/fruit box so we get whatever kale is in it)
  • 2 slices bacon, chopped before frying
  • 1 large onion chopped; (you can also add 1-2 shallots)
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt free seasoning/pepper to taste

TO DO:

1. Wash and then strip kale leaves from stems.

2. Discard tough ends and woody stems and chop more tender ones into 1/2 -1″ pieces.

3. Chop leaves into 1″ pieces.

4. In large saucepan (we use a large aluminum All Clad) fry bacon til almost crisp; add olive oil and onion and cook til transparent.

5. Reduce heat to low. Add stems and sautée about 7-8 minutes.

6. Add leaves and sautée about 10-15 minutes more (cover for 10 minutes, but check to make sure not burned); turning mixture occasionally.

7. Taste for tenderness, and serve.

Be sure to follow my blog for the spicy pumpkin recipe!

Enjoy!

www.type2delicious.com

by susanb181

Baked Halibut, Kale with Bacon and Sautéed Sugar Pie Pumpkin

Baked Halibut, Sugar Pie Pumpkin and Kale

Baked Halibut

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Kale with bacon

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Sautéed sugar pie pumpkin

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All together great meal!

Baked Halibut (to come; sautéed kale and pumpkin)

After our holidays with a surfeit of rich, heavy food; (ok–delicious, and still basically low carb), including a traditional roast turkey, leg of lamb, and of course lots of vegetable sides, plus oysters Rockefeller, as well as raw, we’re ready for some lighter fare, especially fish.

Fish is great for lots of reasons and halibut is one of my favorites; though not the fattiest of fish it’s still highly recommended for Omega-3 advantages, low calories/low cholesterol and overall deliciousness. (Wild, line caught halibut is recommended due to lower Mercury content.*)

Baked Halibut in a lemon/mustard/caper sauce combined with kale sautéed with bacon and onion and sautéed pre-baked sugar pie pumpkin makes a scrumptious low carb meal.

In this post I’ll give you the halibut recipe.

In subsequent posts I’ll share the other recipes we enjoyed for this dinner.

Please follow my blog to make sure you get them too!

INGREDIENTS

  • 3/4 lb. halibut, preferably wild, line caught *http://seafood.edf.org/halibut#bmb=1
  • 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white wine (something dry like Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Dijon-type mustard
  • Capers to taste (I love them so I use about 1/3-1/2 C)
  • Salt-free seasoning, pepper; or use salt if you can
  • 1-2 tsp. lemon juice plus grated rind (yellow only as the white is bitter)
  • Paprika to dust on top before serving

TO DO:

1. preheat oven to 400.

2. In a Pyrex glass or Corningware pan (I used Pyrex 9×13 size) lay halibut fillets or steaks on a single layer on a thin layer of olive oil ( approx. 1Tbsp.).

3. Mix/wisk together remaining olive oil, mustard, white wine, lemon/rind and seasonings.

4. Spread sauce over fish.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 of the capers on top.

6. Bake 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of fish;(we like our fish moist and just a tad underdone- cook yours how you like it).

7. Sprinkle remaing capers and dust with paprika.

Serve with sautéed kale, pumpkin, (recipes to come), and, as we usually have, a crisp green salad with a tart, lemony vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

www.type2delicious.com