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Photo:Ali Redmond
Ali Redmond
Active Time:45 minsTotal Time:45 minsServings:4
Active Time:45 mins
Active Time:
45 mins
Total Time:45 mins
Total Time:
Servings:4
Servings:
4
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When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a decade ago, it devastated me. As a passionate cook and eater, someone who was connected to food both personally and professionally, it sounded like an end to pleasure was being leveled at me, and a life of sad denial of my favorite foods.
Many people I know feel this way at first, in part because often discussions of eating and diet for T2D folks are all about what you cannot or should not have, “bad” foods and “good” foods, or “red” foods and “green” foods, and not nearly as much about how to effectively create a relationship with food that uses smart moderation to help you stay healthfully and joyfully in your new lane. If nothing else, know that there is not a single food on the planet you cannot eat in moderation as a person with type 2 diabetes. Not one. You just have to find out what sort of moderation your body needs.
While everyone needs to listen to their medical team, and watch their numbers and make adjustments to their diet accordingly, I found that I was able to make some changes that have allowed me to effectively and successfully manage my diabetes without living a life bereft of wonderful foods. My husband, too, was diagnosed a couple of years after I was, and so our life together is aligned in staying healthy.
Perhaps the single smartest thing I did for me, and then for us, was to focus on balance, not just within meals, but within dishes. I am not the type of eater to get the same deep pleasure from a cauliflower pizza crust as I am from one made of actual bread dough. I also could not imagine a life without pizza. My solution? I learned to make pizza dough at home using my sourdough starter, and I let the dough slowly ferment in my fridge for at least five days before making pizza, so that the wild yeasts can eat all the readily available sugars and convert the dough to a lower-glycemic version. Yay, science! I also learned to stretch that dough much thinner and, most importantly, to eat less of the end results. Turns out, a couple of slices of a super-thin-crust homemade pizza with a salad is very satisfying to me, much more so than twice as much of a purchased low-carb pizza-like product.
The first trick I share with anyone who is newly diagnosed is my carb reduction method. Take a high-carb dish you love and think about smart ways to reduce the carb load. I always begin with swapping out half and then adjusting up or down to tweak the flavor and satisfaction, and then adjust my portion sizes accordingly. Are you a lasagna fiend? Sub out half of the noodles with layers of thinly sliced eggplant and you have halved the carb intake on an identical portion size—and I promise you won’t miss it. Love fried rice? Swap out half of the rice for riced cauliflower for the volume you want without it being as carb-laden.
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)Ingredients1poundspiralizedzucchini noodles(about5cups)6ounceswhole-wheatlinguine, spaghetti or other long strandpasta1/4cupgolden raisins, coarsely chopped1tablespooncider vinegar1tablespoonunsalted chicken brothplus1/2cup, divided1/4cuptoastedpine nuts2tablespoonscoarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley1tablespoonchopped freshchives1tablespoonextra-virgin olive oil1smallshallot, minced, or1/4cupminced red onion12ouncesshredded skinlessrotisserie chickenPinchofcrushed red pepper1/4cupdry white wineordry vermouth1tablespoongratedlemon zest1/4cuplemon juice1tablespoonunsalted butter1/4teaspoonsaltGround pepperto taste1/4cupgrated Parmesan cheese
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
1poundspiralizedzucchini noodles(about5cups)
6ounceswhole-wheatlinguine, spaghetti or other long strandpasta
1/4cupgolden raisins, coarsely chopped
1tablespooncider vinegar
1tablespoonunsalted chicken brothplus1/2cup, divided
1/4cuptoastedpine nuts
2tablespoonscoarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1tablespoonchopped freshchives
1tablespoonextra-virgin olive oil
1smallshallot, minced, or1/4cupminced red onion
12ouncesshredded skinlessrotisserie chicken
Pinchofcrushed red pepper
1/4cupdry white wineordry vermouth
1tablespoongratedlemon zest
1/4cuplemon juice
1tablespoonunsalted butter
1/4teaspoonsalt
Ground pepperto taste
1/4cupgrated Parmesan cheese
DirectionsBring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Place zucchini in a large colander in the sink. Add pasta to the boiling water; cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta over the zucchini. Gently toss to combine and let stand until the zucchini softens, about 2 minutes.Meanwhile, combine raisins, vinegar and 1 tablespoon broth in a small bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir in pine nuts, parsley and chives.Ali RedmondHeat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallot (or onion); cook, stirring, until translucent, about 1 minute. Add chicken and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned with some crisping on the edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine (or vermouth); cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 cup broth; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, add butter and stir gently until it melts. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.Ali RedmondTransfer the pasta and zucchini to the pot with the sauce and toss gently to combine. If the pasta mixture seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Season with more pepper, if desired. Serve topped with the raisin mixture and Parmesan.Ali RedmondNutrition InformationServing Size: 1 3/4 cupsCalories 470, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 85mg, Carbohydrates 47g, Total sugars 10g, Added sugars 0g, Protein 34g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 523mg, Potassium 943mgEatingWell.com, March 2024
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Place zucchini in a large colander in the sink. Add pasta to the boiling water; cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta over the zucchini. Gently toss to combine and let stand until the zucchini softens, about 2 minutes.Meanwhile, combine raisins, vinegar and 1 tablespoon broth in a small bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir in pine nuts, parsley and chives.Ali RedmondHeat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallot (or onion); cook, stirring, until translucent, about 1 minute. Add chicken and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned with some crisping on the edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine (or vermouth); cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 cup broth; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, add butter and stir gently until it melts. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.Ali RedmondTransfer the pasta and zucchini to the pot with the sauce and toss gently to combine. If the pasta mixture seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Season with more pepper, if desired. Serve topped with the raisin mixture and Parmesan.Ali RedmondNutrition InformationServing Size: 1 3/4 cupsCalories 470, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 85mg, Carbohydrates 47g, Total sugars 10g, Added sugars 0g, Protein 34g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 523mg, Potassium 943mg
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Place zucchini in a large colander in the sink. Add pasta to the boiling water; cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta over the zucchini. Gently toss to combine and let stand until the zucchini softens, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine raisins, vinegar and 1 tablespoon broth in a small bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir in pine nuts, parsley and chives.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallot (or onion); cook, stirring, until translucent, about 1 minute. Add chicken and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned with some crisping on the edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine (or vermouth); cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 cup broth; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, add butter and stir gently until it melts. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the pasta and zucchini to the pot with the sauce and toss gently to combine. If the pasta mixture seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Season with more pepper, if desired. Serve topped with the raisin mixture and Parmesan.
Nutrition InformationServing Size: 1 3/4 cupsCalories 470, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 85mg, Carbohydrates 47g, Total sugars 10g, Added sugars 0g, Protein 34g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 523mg, Potassium 943mg
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 3/4 cupsCalories 470, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 85mg, Carbohydrates 47g, Total sugars 10g, Added sugars 0g, Protein 34g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 523mg, Potassium 943mg
Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
Calories 470, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 85mg, Carbohydrates 47g, Total sugars 10g, Added sugars 0g, Protein 34g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 523mg, Potassium 943mg
EatingWell.com, March 2024
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