Healthy Recipes for a Diabetic Diet the Whole Family Will Enjoy!

{Hey Everybody! We’ve got a guest blogger here on Everyday Life at Leisure for today! Welcome Celia Harkey, our Leisure Arts Food Editor! She’s got a Whole-Wheat Pasta with Zucchini & Sage recipe to share with you from our new Deliciously Healthy Cooking for Diabetes cookbook!}



What are your family’s “go-to” recipes? They’re the recipes that you have right at your fingertips, and you almost always have the ingredients on hand. Would you say these are healthy recipes that provide a variety of essential nutrients and a healthy meal plan for your family? Deliciously Healthy Cooking for Diabetes, a new cookbook from Leisure Arts, will become your new “go-to” recipe resource for healthy recipes – not only for someone eating to control diabetes but also for his or her family members who also want to eat healthy.


With a diagnosis of diabetes, it is important to follow the diabetes meal plan you developed with your health care team. Part of this meal plan will focus on recipes made from a variety of nutrient-rich carbohydrates including whole grains and vegetables. You will find many of these combinations in the Vegetables, Rice & Pasta chapter of Deliciously Healthy Cooking for Diabetes. One of my favorite healthy recipes is Whole-Wheat Pasta with Zucchini & Sage – tasty whole-wheat spaghetti made hearty with garlic, onion, and fresh sage and tossed with sautéed zucchini slices. It is a great side dish with grilled chicken or shrimp!

Check out the recipe:


Whole-Wheat Pasta with Zucchini & Sage


INGREDIENTS:
5 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper


PREPARATION:
1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan filled with boiling water until al dente and then drain. Set aside for later use.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion and sauté for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.
3. Remove from heat, add the whole sage leaves, season with salt and pepper, and add the pasta. Return to a low heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.


* Entrée may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 2 Starch, 1/2 Fat. Carbohydrate Choice: 2-1/2


One of the other healthy recipes I find especially tasty is in the Main Courses chapter. It is Baked Mediterranean Halibut cooked with a nutrient-rich vegetable mixture and finished with green olives, parsley, cilantro, cumin, and tarragon. You get my point—these aren’t bland, ho-hum recipes!


For ease of calculating nutrients to control diabetes, Nutrition Facts Labels are included with all 100 healthy recipes. Also included is the Carbohydrate Choice value for each recipe, as well as the Exchange Lists for Diabetes. These handy tools will help you create a healthy meal plan.


You will definitely enjoy the variety of healthy recipes in Deliciously Healthy Cooking for Diabetes including: Soups; Appetizers, Dips & Baked Goods; Salads; Main Courses; Vegetables, Rice & Pasta; and Desserts. Try the tasty Whole-Wheat Pasta with Zucchini & Sage recipe (below) as part of your meal plan with fresh garden ingredients. I know you'll agree that the new Deliciously Healthy cooking series from Leisure Arts will provide you with many new “go-to” healthy recipes.