Condiment ingredients; Cucumbers (with yoghurt), cashews, tomatoes and onions, bananas (also with yoghurt) and avocado
The final Chicken Curry
This is a variation of an an authentic Indian recipe taught to me years ago by a lovely Indian woman when I lived in Toronto.
This version adds veggies including carrots, mushrooms and spinach. The condiments are as I learned, with the optional addition of avocado.
I recently cooked it for friends in FL, and it was a big hit! Yes, we also had Basmati rice–again, Rick was limited to 1/2 cup.
The prep is somewhat time consuming, including the condiments, but they are essential to the experience– don’t skip them!
Chicken Curry with Vegetables and Condiments
INGREDIENTS (this is for 2-4; 2 with leftovers–increase if you’re feeding a larger group)
TO DO: note: have 3 (4 if serving avocado) medium bowls and 1 small one for serving condiments
Curry:
1. Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in large saucepan or electric skillet.
2. Add the curry powder and brown for 5 minutes, sprinkling with water if it seems to be burning (this is important as it brings out the flavor). Add the chicken pieces and brown 5 minutes per side, mixing them in the curry powder. Put aside.
3. Heat 1-2 Tbs oil, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes; add carrots and mushrooms, and saute for another 5-6 minutes.
4. Add the spinach and cook 2-3 minutes; add the chicken back in the pan, and add the coconut cream or yoghurt, and water, and Tabasco. Stir all gently together.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste- add more curry powder and Tabasco/red pepper to taste.
6. Squeeze lime in and mix.
Serve with condiments, and whole wheat Nan bread, papadums and rice as you like; other grains, or not, per your dietary restrictions.
Condiments (serve each in a separate bowl):
1. Mix chopped cucumber and yoghurt to cover, sprinkle with paprika or red pepper for color.
2. Mix chopped bananas and yoghurt to cover, sprinkle with nutmeg.
3. Mix chopped tomatoes with about 1/3 cup chopped onion and red wine vinegar.
4. Squeeze lime on sliced avocado; (these are not a traditional condiment).
5. Raw or roasted cashews (serve in small bowl; I like glass for these)
I also like lemon/mango pickle (found in Asian markets)–they are very pungent, but I like the taste with the curry.
*Coconut cream can be found in Asian markets, and is low in carbs.
Enjoy!
Such pretty rainbow colors!
The chard stems are cooked first
The final cooked chard
Chard (Swiss Chard) was a new vegetable to me. Rick had made it previously, so I wanted to try it. This is really his recipe.
We buy rainbow chard at the farmer’s market– so pretty, so easy and so delicious! I love the colors! If available, choose the rainbow variety, though the plain Jane is just as tasty. Also, of course, both are low carb, and full of good greens; see the link below for nutritional info. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
Rainbow Chard
INGREDIENTS
TO DO:
1. Wash the chard (I use a large colander and wash each large leaf )
2. Strip the leaves from the stems and cut off ends and discard any large, tough stems
3. Chop stems into 1/2 or 1″ pieces, then chop leaves into I” pieces; separate stems from leaves
4. Preheat a large sauté pan, add oil. Add vinegar
5. Saute stems for approx. 10 min., then add leaves, and saute approx another 10 min. until vinegar is reduced
6. Add spices and seasonings to taste. Enjoy! www.type2delicious.com
Growing up I took this kind of delicious food for granted. Not anymore! Now meatloaf is so popular- “comfort food” that it is.
This recipe is tried and true; and I have to say, I’ve rarely had a more tasty one.
I’ve added a few changes, but basically this is the recipe I had as a kid. It does have some carbs, but I use whole grain bread in it, and a few more veggies, but here it is.
My favorite thing is the next-day meatloaf sandwich, with lots of ketchup on it-so delicious!
Thanks, Grandma!
Grandma’s Meatloaf
INGREDIENTS
TO DO:
1. In a large bowl mix ground meat, carrot, spinach and beaten egg.
2. In a separate bowl, break up bread and mix in tomato sauce; mash with a fork until thoroughly mixed.
3. Add bread mix to meat mix; add chopped onion and mix all together thoroughly. ( I recommend using your hands for this- nothing else seems to work as well- it’s actually quite satisfying!) Mix in Worchester sauce and spices.
4. Put meatloaf into a ceramic, glass or your other favorite casserole dish. (I use a spatula); Spead tomato paste or ketchup on top.
5. Cover and bake at 375 F for 40 minutes, remove cover and bake 15 minutes more, until top is brown and meatloaf is bubbly.
6. Serve with your favorite vegetables, brown rice and yes, green salad with a tangy dressing, like my “mustard/garlic vinaigrette.”
Enjoy!
Fresh, dried and canned ingredients
Fresh, canned, (we were lucky to be given home-canned tomatoes), and dried ingredients
So good in the pot (added bay leaf)
Goodness is in the bowl!
A hearty and delicious cool weather meal is this lentil soup, with added veggies, wine and lots of flavour.
Lentils do have higher carbs but they are also are high in protein and fiber. Of course, you can moderate your amounts, depending on your own health situation. For more lentil nutrition info, go to the link marked * at the end of this post.
Some lentil soups are too watery, and some are too thick. This one has the right balance of broth and substance. You can also add other vegetables, and even bacon, but this is how I make it.
I recently made this Soup with red lentils from a brand called “Pereg”— and was disappointed that these lentils never got totally tender, even after a lot of cooking- first one hour, then two subsequent cookings, (I made a large batch so we had leftovers), for 1/2 hr. To 45 minutes each time. Also I added cumin and all spice, so the flavor was interesting. All in all, still good, but next time I’ll stick with green or brown lentils. Have any of you, dear readers, had the same experience?
Veggie Lentil Soup
INGREDIENTS
TO DO:
1. Preheat large saute pan.
2. Add olive oil, chopped onion, celery and carrots. Brown and sauté on medium high heat approx. 10 minutes, until somewhat tender. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes, making sure garlic doesn’t burn.
3. Add veggies to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add lentils, and rest of ingredients, except for lemon zest.
4. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down heat to a slow simmer.
5. Simmer on low for approx. 30-40 minutes
6. Test for tenderness (carrots and lentils especially)
7. Add lemon zest and adjust spices and seasonings to taste.
8. You can also use a hand blender if you like a smoother texture (or remove some of the soup to a blender and add back into the pot)
9. Serve with the always delish green salad, https://type2delicious.com/2014/11/18/salad-with-goat-cheese-pears-and-mustardgarlic-vinaigrette/
And whole grain toast if you like. I also like a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to top off my bowl!
*http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/CarbsInGrains/a/Carbs-In-lentils.htm
Enjoy!
The delicious green bean combination.
I confess–I use frozen french green beans from Trader Joe’s for this dish. I’ve tried it with fresh Blue Lake green beans as well as other kinds of fresh and frozen green beans and have not found anything better than these. They are tender, tasty and easy to cook. Try them yourself and see what you think.
The ingredients are pretty basic, but as always, using really good olive oil, (such as the oil from the New Ben Lomond Olive Oil Company–cool bottle too), fresh garlic (not garlic powder or salt), and toasting the sliced almonds make the difference. My son-in-law Mike swears they’re the best green beans he’s ever had and requests them whenever we’re together for a home-cooked dinner.
These beans are a great complement to my grandmother’s meatloaf–coming soon!
Green Beans with Garlic and Sliced Almonds
INGREDIENTS
TO DO:
1. Preheat large saute pan.
2. Add frozen green beans and water; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until tender; approx. 8 minutes (eat a bean to test for doneness)
4. Remove beans from pan to a bowl. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil; add garlic and saute just until brown (don’t overcook or burn). Remove from pan and add to beans.
5. Heat remaining olive oil; add almonds and toast until light brown.
6. Add beans and garlic back into pan; toss and heat Toss in bacon if you like.
(Of course, bacon is delicious, but makes this more a bacon-flavored dish. I prefer it without.)
7. Add spices and seasonings to taste.
8. Enjoy!
Frozen french green beans from TJ’s
The good ingredients–olive oil, fresh garlic, sliced almonds
Chopping garlic–not my best skill. I hope to improve.
delicious green beans!
Testing for tenderness.
Yes! They are delicious!
Baked Halibut
This recipe goes great with our sauteed spicy pumpkin and kale with bacon.
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!
Baked Halibut
INGREDIENTS
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, and, as we usually have, a crisp green salad with a tart, lemony vinaigrette.
All together great meal!
Enjoy!
This is a great way to combine a bounty of fresh in-season veggies, tofu for protein and lots of flavor. My version includes Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce which we love; (we visited Vietnam a few years ago and it remains a special place in my heart and mind).
Yes, there’s quite a bit of prep, but as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it’s worth it. This stir fry is very tasty, healthy and filled with lots of interesting flavors and colors. And with most everything cooked in the wok–at least doing the dishes isn’t too bad! (Ok, there’s one more pan for browning the tofu – I use a non-stick AllClad so it’s easy to clean), and another pot if you cook brown rice as we do to serve with this–again, Rick limits his serving to approx. 1/2 cup.
Tasty Vietnamese-Style Stir Fry
INGREDIENTS
TO DO: (note: one secret to successful stir frying is to have all pieces approx. the same size–so they cook evenly.)
1. Mix and reserve sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Cut the tofu cube into three or four sections–I cut them crosswise–so that each piece is square. Marinate the tofu sections in approx. 1/2 of the sauce mixture for 10 minutes.
3. Add 1 Tbsp. of oil to a frying pan; on medium high heat, brown the tofu sections for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; chop into 1″ pieces and reserve.
4. Heat the wok on high. When a drop of water sizzles, add remaining oil.
5. Add carrots, broccoli and peppers to the wok–stir fry (I use cooking chopsticks or a flat wooden spatula–sometimes both.) When somewhat tender–about 5-6 minutes–remove from the wok into a bowl.
6. Add onions, mushrooms, zucchinis to wok. Stir fry these veggies for approx. 4 minutes.
7. Add tofu and garlic to mushrooms and zucchinis, (and cooked chicken if using). Stir fry, making sure not to burn the garlic (adjust the heat as needed).
8. Add back the carrots, peppers and broccoli; add sauce remaining in bowl as well as any used to marinate and saute the tofu. Stir fry 2-3 minutes on high ’til everything is well mixed and hot!
9. Serve with brown or wild mix rice; (we love Lundberg’s wild rice mixes*–there are several.)
*www.lundberg.com
Enjoy!
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
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.
Raw ingredients – lots of good stuff!
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
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!
Type2 Delicious 