Written by: Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal

On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, we present a special article by the wonderful Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal. Rushina is a blogger, gastronomy columnist, writer, consultant and author. Passionate about food, she is committed to inspiring people in the kitchen through her varied food endeavors and adventures.

Being diagnosed with diabetes is a wake-up call to make some lifestyle changes; losing weight, ensuring regular exercise and planning a nutritious, well-balanced diet.

But to many of the millions of diabetics in this country, the mere thought of a diabetic diet connotes endless meals of flavorless, bland and boring foods. Not true. Diabetics can eat healthfully and deliciously. I am an example of this. It wasn't always easy living with diabetes, especially with the many eating restrictions that it brought but instead of letting this overtake my life I made it a journey of discovery, and created some great recipes that are diabetic friendly. I ensure I eat fresh, seasonal ingredients and create healthy, interesting meals full of flavor for myself and everyone else at my table, while reducing the salt, sugar and fat that we have come to rely on to add taste.

Experiment with different cooking techniques to bring out the inherent essence of the foods you eat. It gives you a sense of variety and connects you with what you are eating. Learn to love vegetables and use them to add color to your meals. Instead of a plate full of brown items such as chicken and rice, liven up your plate with deeply colored fruit and vegetables that add variety and important phytonutrients. And try grilling, broiling, roasting, sautéing or steaming food.
Slow-roast vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil in a 400 degree oven to bring out their true flavors. You will find a lot of your vegetables will develop a natural sweetness when roasted. Season with a little sea salt garlic or add herbs to play with flavors. Play with marinating foods in new ingredients such as herbs, spices, seasonings to create vibrant flavor. Very extra virgin olive oil with flavored oils and sear meat (brown on both sides in a pan for a few minutes before placing in the oven) to enhance flavor without adding extra fat or salt.


Here are some interesting recipes for diabetics:

Spinach and sesame stir-fry

Spinach and sesame are rich in iron and protein so adding a serving of this combination to your meals is a good idea. Stir-frying is a quick method of cooking that retains much of the vitamins and nutrients that are lost in other cooking methods.

Cooking Time: 5 minutes Serves: 2

450g spinach
1 tbsp oil
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp Toasted Sesame oil

Tear or chop Spinach into large pieces. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy based pan. Add garlic and sauté until it begins to turn light brown at the edges. Add the Spinach, pushing down and spreading out with a spatula to ensure maximum contact with the pan. Allow to cook untouched until the Spinach has wilted and turned dark green. Now stir-fry for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve with steamed rice and a clear chicken soup.

Savoury Oat porridge

Serves 4 Time 20 mins.

This Porridge is a spin off from Chinese Conjee an addictive dish of rice simmered slowly in stock until it becomes a porridge that I discovered on a trip to Singapore. I usually have this as a light brunch or quick filler when we have to go out and I know dinner will be late.

1 c Quick cooking Oats (or 1 cup Quinoa, or any millet or 1.5 c brown rice Poha)
9 c stock
225 g finely diced chicken meat or finely diced vegetables like celery, carrot, beans and mushrooms.
1 Tbsp oil
Salt to taste
A few generous twists of pepper

In a large pot heat the oil and lightly sauté the chicken or vegetables until well coated in oil and almost cooked. Add stock, with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Boil oats and allow to cook until the porridge has achieved the thickness desired. Serve with Chili Oil, Thai fish oil, finely chopped chilies, spring onion leaves and finely shredded Thai Basil leaves. Allow each diner to tweak to taste.

Variations: add a beaten egg white to each bowl prior to serving - the boiling broth will cook it through. I also like to add a little milk to the Oat version; I think it rounds off the flavors.

Coriander and Prune dip

I invented this recipe one afternoon when I was looking for a fresh dressing for lettuce without added sugar. The California prunes, add a luscious decadence to the relish plus their being naturally sweet and a great replacement for sugar in any recipe makes them even more appealing! It turned out to be a hit with everyone in the family however and the fact that it lasts for upto a week in the fridge makes it great to have in the fridge. Serve as a relish over good grainy bread or with toasted pita, or as a dip for cucumber sticks. It also works beautifully as a dressing tossed with lettuce greens & ruccola or spinach.

Ingredients :

½ cup california prunes, 1 cup fresh Coriander chopped, 2 tbsp Olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2-3 green chillies, salt to taste

Method : Chop three to four prunes and set aside. Place the rest of the prunes, coriander, olive oil, lemon juice, chillies and salt in a blender and process to a coarse paste. Stir in the remaining raisins and chill until ready to use.

Cinnamon Toast

A twist on a classic that offers healthy fiber, crunch and protein!

Yield: Serves 1 (1 piece of bread per serving)

1 slice high fiber multigrain bread
1 tsp. Dakini Tahina/Tahini
Ground cinnamon to taste

Instructions

Combine Tahina and cinnamon. Toast the bread. Spread the Tahina Cinnamon mixture over it while still warm.

Notes: The Tahina lends a natural sweetness but if you would like it sweeter, feel free to add in a little of you preferred sweetener to taste to the Tahina, cinnamon mixture.

For more of Rushina's views, articles and recipes, do visit her blog http://rushina-mushaw-ghildiyal.blogspot.com