Helping Diabetics Enjoy Food
Millions of people living with diabetes think that they can never eat "normal" again.
The Joslin Diabetes Center wants to provide otherwise. Their latest cookbook, "The Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs Cook Healthy Cookbook," provides healthy, easy, delicious recipes so diabetics can again share meals with their family.
Co-Author Bonnie Polin visits The Early Show on Friday to share tips diabetics need to consider, as well as explain a few dishes from the book.
The following are some recipes from "The Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs Cook Healthy Cookbook":
Rhode Island Clear Clam Chowder
Jasper White, Summer Shack
Cambridge, Massachusetts
On every visit to the Boston area, we always dine at one of Jasper White's restaurants. His newest venture is, for us, the best. We love seafood and Jasper excels at preparing all kinds. Recognized by the James Beard Foundation as one of the best new restaurants in the country, Summer Shack (open year round, despite the name) is designed to look like a clam shack and serves some of the best clams, oysters, and lobster in New England.
Like some of our chefs, Chef White's first recipe submission included raw seafood (or fish), something that we as people with diabetes are urged to avoid. He graciously suggested we adapt this recipe that first appeared in his "50 Chowders," by Jasper White. We've had the chowder and it's marvelous.
Scrub the clams and rinse clean. Steam them open. Discard any that don't open. Strain the broth and remove the clams from their shells; you should have 4 cups of broth and 1 pound of clams. Cover the clams with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Reserve the clam broth. After the clams have cooled a bit, dice them into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Cover again and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Place a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the bacon. Once it has rendered a bit of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is a crisp golden brown. Pour off all the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
Add the olive oil, onions, celery, thyme, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes (if using), and sauté over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the onions are softened but not browned.
Add the potatoes, the reserved clam broth, and the Fish Stock. Continue to cook over medium heat until the chowder begins to simmer. If it begins to boil, turn down the heat slightly so that it maintains a steady simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes longer, until the potatoes are very tender.
Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the diced clams, and season to taste with black pepper and the lemon juice. (It is unlikely that you will need to add any salt; the clams usually provide enough.) Discard the bay leaves.
If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely.
When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; do not let it boil. Stir in the parsley, chives, and chervil. At the same time, heat the milk over low heat; do not let it boil.
Ladle the chowder into cups or bowls, making sure that the clams, potatoes, onions, and bacon are evenly divided; do not fill the cups or bowls more than three-quarters full. As is customary in Rhode Island, serve the hot milk in a small pitcher so each person can add some to their chowder.
Makes 12 servings.
Joslin Choices: 2 very-low-fat protein, 11 to 2 carbohydrate (bread/starch)
Per Serving: 176 calories (16 percent calories from fat), 3 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 16 g protein, 21 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 33 mg cholesterol, 235 mg sodium, 875 mg potassium
Thai Beef Salad with Noodles, Scallions, and Red Curry Vinaigrette
Michael Herschman, Mojo Café
Cleveland, Ohio
This is one of the most popular dishes at Mojo Café. Sambal Oelek is almost a staple with our chefs, and is likely to become one in your own kitchen. The recipe also calls for Vietnamese or Thai potato noodles. You will find both at Asian markets. The Red Curry Vinaigrette makes a lot (about 3 cups), so you will have plenty left over for another use. We spooned some over grilled shrimp and served them with steamed rice. Delicious!
Light a grill or preheat a broiler. Season both sides of the steak with salt (if using) and pepper. Grill for about 3 minutes per side, turning once, just until the meat is richly browned on both sides. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain, then julienne. Set aside.
Reconstitute the potato noodles by briefly boiling in lightly salted water, then shock in ice water to cool and stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside. Cut the scallions lengthwise into thin julienne strips. Set aside.
To prepare the Red Curry Vinaigrette: In a blender, combine the roasted shallots, red curry paste, brown sugar, Sambal Oelek, red wine vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend until smooth. With the blender still running, drizzle in the sesame oil and blended oil to form the vinaigrette. Transfer to a container and chill. Makes about 3 cups. (Any unused vinaigrette can be covered and refrigerated for use within 3 days.)
In a large stainless-steel mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the vinaigrette, the strips of grilled beef, the potato noodles, and the scallions. Mix well. Divide among 8 bowls and sprinkle each serving with some of the toasted sesame seeds. Serve at once.
Joslin Choices: 2 medium-fat protein, 2 carbohydrate (bread/starch), 1 fat
Per Serving: 352 calories (46 percent calories from fat), 18 g total fat (4 g saturated fat), 18 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 50 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 257 mg potassium
Joslin Choices (Red Curry Vinaigrette per 1-tablespoon serving): 1 fat
Per Serving: 63 calories (82 percent calories from fat), 6 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 0 dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 126 mg sodium, 10 mg potassium
Roasted Peaches and Blueberries with Vanilla Cake
Waldy Malouf, Beacon
New York City and Stamford, Connecticut
This is a beautiful cake, worthy of your finest cake pedestal for very special occasions. We thank this talented chef for recognizing that people with special dietary needs love desserts -- and what a scrumptious dessert this is!
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the peaches, blueberries, 1 to 2 cup of the sugar, and the lemon juice in a large bowl; toss to coat well. Reserve 2 cups of the fruit; pour the remainder into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Cover the reserved fruit and refrigerate.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and reserve. Bury the empty pod in the fruit in the baking dish and arrange 2 tablespoons of the butter pieces on top. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after about 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack; discard the vanilla pod.
Lower the oven temperature to 350 degree F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining 1 to 2 cup sugar and 4 tablespoons butter until very smooth.
Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and reserved vanilla seeds. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter in three stages, alternating with the milk. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool, then remove the cake from the pan.
With a long serrated knife, carefully slice the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Line a clean 8-inch cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of wrap overhanging.
Place the bottom layer of the cake in the pan, cut side up. Using a slotted spoon, layer half the cooled fruit over the cake. Top with the middle layer of cake, and spoon on the remaining fruit; reserve the fruit juices.
Cover with the top cake layer, cut side down. Press down gently on the cake and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap. Chill the cake for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to serve, turn the cake out onto a cutting board and discard the plastic wrap. Slice into 16 wedges and set each wedge on a dessert plate. Garnish each slice with a generous drizzle of the reserved fruit juices and some of the reserved raw fruit, and top with the mint sprigs.
Makes 16 servings
Joslin Choices: 2 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch, 1 fruit), 1 fat
Per Serving: 191 calories (25% calories from fat), 5 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 3 g protein,
34 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 39 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium, 201 mg potassium
Recipes from "The Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs Cook Healthy Cookbook," by Frances Towner Giedt and Bonnie Sanders Polin, Ph.D. with the Nutrition Services Staff of Joslin Diabetes Center. Copyright © 2002 by Frances Towner Giedt and Bonnie Sanders Polin, Ph.D., and Joslin Diabetes Center. Published in October 2003 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.