Diabetic-friendly meals pack flavor, not carbs
Collection of recipes keeps calories under 500 per plate.
According to the American Diabetes Association, 29.1 million Americans suffered from diabetes in 2012. That’s almost 1 in 10 people. Diabetes leads to many health problems, including high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, blindness and kidney disease.
If you or a family member has diabetes, is pre-diabetic, or if you simply want to eat better, it’s important to prepare meals that control carbs while including protein and nonstarchy vegetables. That doesn’t mean that meals have to be bland and boring. This recipe for jambalaya, for example, is rich in nutrients, flavorful and only 245 calories per serving.
JAZZ “N” JAMBALAYA
(Page 164, “Diabetes Meals by the Plate”)
4 servings (1 1/4 cups jambalaya with about 6 shrimp and 1/3 cup rice each)
1 pound fresh or frozen medium shrimp
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning, plus additional (optional) to top dish
2 cups chopped green sweet peppers 1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/3 cups hot cooked brown rice
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and de-vein, leaving tails intact if desired. Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. In a very large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning to coat. Cook shrimp in hot oil for 2 to 4 minutes or until shrimp are opaque, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp from skillet; keep warm.
2. If needed, heat an additional 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Cook the sweet peppers, onion, celery and garlic in the hot oil for 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, the remaining 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, the hot pepper sauce, and salt. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in shrimp and lemon juice, heat thoroughly.
3. Evenly divide rice among four shallow serving bowls. Evenly divide jambalaya among bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of the green onions. If desired, sprinkle with additional Cajun seasoning.
Meal total (per plate); 245 calories; 5 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 121 mg chol., 712 mg sodium, 32 g carb. (6 g fiber, 9 g sugars, 18 g pro.) Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat.
Our assessment: This jambalaya is delicious and easy to make. Aesthetically, I like to keep the tails on the shrimp, but if you want to avoid a messy dining experience, pop off the tails before you stir them into the vegetables.
From the book: “Diabetes Meals by the Plates” by the editors of Diabetic Living; 252 pages, $19.99. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.
What you get: This collection of 90 meals is designed to promote healthy eating. Color photographs of each meal show the portion sizes, with the dinner plate divided into ½ nonstarchy vegetables, ¼ protein and ¼ starch or grain. Each meal is 500 calories or less.