Recipes for Diabetics

If you have diabetes, you may think that keeping your blood sugar in check means eliminating carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes and pasta, from your diet.
If you have diabetes, you may think that keeping your blood sugar in check means eliminating carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes and pasta, from your diet. Not so, says dietitian Amy McArthur of Madison, Miss. (pop. 14,692).

“It’s important for diabetics to eat foods from all of the food groups,” McArthur says. “Totally eliminating carbs can lead to the opposite problem—hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.”

McArthur recommends eating the complex carbohydrates available in vegetables and dried beans, and low-fat proteins such as chicken, fish, and lean cuts of beef or pork. Unlike the simple carbohydrates in cakes or candies, which give your blood sugar a quick spike, complex carbohydrates break down more slowly and provide your body with a steady stream of energy.

This week, we feature two delicious recipes that fit into a well-balanced diet, whether you’re diabetic or not. The recipe for Winter-Busting White Chili from Mike and Melinda Rhodes, of Capron, Ill., is loaded with beans, onions, celery and green chilies. And Chicken Vegetable Soup from food writer Margo Rudman Gold provides a healthy dose of lean protein as well as vegetables, including carrots and parsnips.

As always, American Profile looks forward to receiving your recipes and sharing them with our readers. To submit a recipe of your own, send it, along with the story behind it and a color photograph of yourself, to: Hometown Recipes, American Profile, 341 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067. Please note that recipes and photos will not be returned.


Chicken Vegetable Soup

Canned chicken broth is enhanced with garlic, onions, ginger and parsnips for a quick flavorful soup. Add rotisserie chicken, and dinner is done.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, peeled
and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
9 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked egg noodles
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over low heat. Add garlic, onions and ginger; sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add carrots and parsnips; cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Add shredded chicken and noodles; simmer until thoroughly heated. Serves 10.

Recipe by Margo Rudman Gold, "Soup and the City," Relish Classic Dishes, Feb. 2008.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 160 calories, 3.5g fat, 16g prot., 45g carbs., 3g fiber, 690mg sodium.

Winter-Busting White Chili

submitted by reader Mike and Melinda Rhodes of Capron, IL

Ingredients
1 pound dried navy or Great Northern beans, rinsed
3/4 pound mild lean Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons low-sodium chicken bouillon granules
3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken or turkey
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add beans and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 1 hour. Drain.
2. Return Dutch oven to medium heat; add sausage and cook until browned, breaking up large pieces while cooking. Transfer sausage to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
3. Add 4 cups water to Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Add beans, onions, celery, bouillon, garlic, cumin, oregano and hot pepper sauce. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 1½ to 2 hours.
4. Add sausage, chicken and green chilies to pan. Cook 3 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top of each serving. Serves 8.

Tips from the Test Kitchen
Tip From Our Test Kitchen: Flavors improve if the chili is refrigerated overnight.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional facts per serving: 380 calories, 13g fat, 29g protein, 35g carbohydrates, 11g fiber, 720mg sodium.

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