See you on the healthy side
November is Diabetes Action Month, and this year is all about raising awareness about the impact of diabetes on your eye health. Following are some healthy recipes supplied by Diabetes NZ.
YOGHURT BERRY BARK
Recipe developed by Diabetes NZ
Ingredients
2 cups Natural Isey Skyr 1 tsp vanilla-flavoured essence
1/4 tsp sugar substitute 35g raspberries
35g blueberries
1 Tbsp walnut pieces (approx. 7g)
Method
In a bowl, mix together Isey Skyr, vanilla-flavoured essence and sweetener (such as Equal) to taste and stir until blended. Pour the mixture out onto a flat tray lined with grease-proof paper and smooth out until you have an even surface. Sprinkle berries and nuts over the top so they are evenly spaced. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours. Cut into shards.
Hint: These treats will start to thaw as soon as they are taken out so leave them in the freezer until they are required. Get creative with seasonal fruit for a variety of toppings. Some other favourites are sliced strawberries with a sprinkling of chia seeds, mandarin segments or slices of apple or stone fruit.
Tip: If you want to reduce your calories but not at the expense of flavour, Equal is a great alternative to sugar. It measures spoon-forspoon like sugar with 90 per cent fewer calories.
Serves 4; Prep time: 5 mins, freezing time 2 hours minimum
SPINACH PANEER CURRY
Recipe developed by Diabetes NZ
Ingredients
9 cups spinach leaves, about 7 fresh bunches 5 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp fresh red or green chilli (or chilli flakes) 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion
160ml lite coconut milk 200g chickpeas
90g paneer
1-2 tsp salt to taste 1/2 cup Natural Isey Skyr
Method
Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil and thoroughly wash spinach leaves. Add spinach leaves to the pot of boiling water and blanch. Once blanch remove from heat immediately and place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the spinach using a colander.
Combine the blanched spinach, 3 cloves of garlic and chilli in a blender and blend to a smooth puree without using any water. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a deep nonstick pan. Chop up the remaining 2 garlic cloves and saute´ on a medium heat for approximately 1 minute. Add the onion and saute´ until clear. Add the spinach puree and coconut milk to the pan. Stir and leave to simmer.
Roughly chop the chickpeas in the blender and add to the spinach puree mixture.
Add the paneer cubes, mix gently and cook on medium heat until cooked through. Season with salt, to taste. Finally, stir the Natural Isey Skyr through before serving.
Serve hot with a dollop of Natural Isey Skyr on the side and hummus wraps to mop it up (hummus wraps make a healthy substitute for parathas or naan).
Serves 3; Prep time approx. 7 minutes, cooking time approx. 25 mins
ENDAMAME and CHICKPEA SALAD
Recipe developed by Claire Turnbull
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup edamame beans, defrosted
1 small red onion, very finely sliced Handful of parsley, very finely chopped
1-2 fresh chillies chopped, to taste
Dressing: Juice of 1 lemon, 1-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, Black pepper to taste
Method
Make the dressing by whisking the lemon juice and oil, season with pepper to taste. Mix all the other ingredients together, then pour the dressing over the salad.
Adapt:If you don’t like chilli, you can add capsicum instead. You can also serve on a handful of salad greens or baby spinach for an extra veg serve.
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side dish; Prep time 5 mins