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Cooking for a family can be time-consuming enough, but when someone is on a restricted diet and you add the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the upcoming holidays, the whole process becomes even more daunting. This is where Robyn Webb, a nutritionist and director of the popular A Pinch of Thyme Cooking School in Alexandria, VA, comes to the rescue with her new diabetic cookbook, Express Lane Diabetic Cooking (American Diabetes Association), a copy of which we have been asked to review. First Robyn directs you to your supermarket for express lane shopping to pick up a few items, adds these to ingredients from your pantry, and comes up with dishes that can be on the table from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.
The recipes are cleverly arranged into chapters based on the section of the store from which the majority of the ingredients come. For example, The 15-Minute Chili requires only a visit to the meat department; the Curried Shrimp and Butternut Squash Soup, a quick dash to the frozen food section; a Creamy Parmesan Basil, Ham, and Penne pasta dish requires two items from the Deli; and Spanish Vegetable Paella, a trip to the produce section. All of the recipes carry nutritional analysis, but you're on your own to figure out the diabetic exchanges. If you're only counting carbs, you've got it easy as you know every 15 grams of carbohydrates equals 1 carb.
The recipes that we tried were all low in fat and tasty. We also liked that Robyn spells out exactly what you need from the store and what you need to have on hand or also buy. Since we keep a steady supply of staples in our pantry and our refrigerator, for these recipes we only had to spend a few minutes at the store, mostly waiting in the express line to check out. We have edited the recipes in several places (see the bold-face type) to give our suggestions for lower-sodium and lower-fat substitutes, as well as to clarify size and type of ingredient. We have also added metric measurements to conform to our style, and reanalyzed the recipes so that the nutritional value conforms to our changes and added diabetic exchanges.
If you like the recipes and want to order the book, it's now in our bookstore. Ordering is easy; click here.
15-Minute Chili
(makes 4 servings - 1 cup)
(Adapted from Express Lane Diabetic Cooking by Robyn Webb, MS)
Shelf-Stable Foods: canned beans, broth, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, spices
Also Visit: meat department for turkey
| 1 | pound (480 g) ground turkey breast |
| 1 | 15-ounce (450 g) can kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed |
| 1 | 14 1/2-ounce (408 g) can low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth |
| 1 | 14 1/2-ounce (408 g) can diced low-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained (flavored with chiles if you can find it) |
| 1 | 6-ounce (180 g) can low-sodium tomato paste |
| 1 | tablespoon (15 ml) chili powder |
| 1/8 | teaspoon (0.6 ml) ground cinnamon |
| 1/4 | teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground cumin |
| 1/2 | teaspoon (2.5 ml) fresh ground pepper |
- In a large nonstick saucepan, brown the ground turkey until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
| Per serving: | 290 calories (5% calories from fat), 38 g protein, 2 g total fat (0 .5 g saturated fat), 31 g carbohydrates, 9 g dietary fiber,77 mg cholesterol, 462 mg sodium |
| Diabetic exchanges: | 4 very lean protein, 2 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch), 3 vegetable) |
Curried Shrimp and Butternut Squash Soup
(makes 4 servings - 1 cup)
(Adapted from Express Lane Diabetic Cooking by Robyn Webb, MS)
Frozen Foods: squash, shrimp
Also visit: shelves for evaporated fat-free milk, spices, coconut
| 2 | 8-ounce (240 g) packages frozen pureed butternut squash (called "cooked squash" or "cooked winter squash") |
| 1 | 12-ounce (360 ml) can evaporated fat-free milk |
| 2 | teaspoons (8 g) sugar |
| 1/2 | teaspoon (2.5 ml) pumpkin pie spice |
| 8 | ounces (240 g) frozen peeled medium shrimp (cooked or uncooked), rinsed under cold water for 2 to 3 minutes |
| 1 | tablespoon (15 ml) curry powder |
| salt (optional) and fresh ground pepper to taste |
| 2 | teaspoons (10 ml) flaked unsweetened coconut |
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the squash and milk to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar and pumpkin pie spice and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more.
- Add the shrimp, curry powder, salt (if using), and pepper, and cook 1 more minute. Add the coconut and serve.
- Ladle the butternut squash soup into individual bowls with equal portions of the shrimp spooned on top.
| Per serving: | 206 calories (7% calories from fat), 21 g protein, 2 g total fat (0 .8 g saturated fat), 29 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 114 mg cholesterol, 228 mg sodium |
| Diabetic exchanges: | 2 very lean protein, 2 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch, 1 skim milk) |
Creamy Parmesan-Basil Ham and Penne
(makes 4 servings - about 1 1/4 cups)
(Adapted from Express Lane Diabetic Cooking by Robyn Webb, MS)
Deli: low-salt, low-fat ham, Parmesan cheese
Also visit: shelves for pasta, flour, spices, frozen foods for peas, dairy case for sour cream
| 8 | ounces (240 g) penne pasta |
| 1/2 | cup (80 g) frozen peas |
| 2 | teaspoons (10 ml) olive oil |
| 2 | cloves garlic, minced |
| 1/4 | pounds (120 g) low-salt, low-fat ham sliced, cut into bite-sized strips |
| 1 | 8-ounce (240 g) container light sour cream |
| 1/2 | cup (40 g) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese |
| 3/4 | cup (120 ml) fat-free milk |
| 1 | tablespoon (9 g) unbleached all-purpose flour |
| 1 | tablespoon (4 g) chopped fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon 3.75 ml) dry |
- Prepare pasta according to package directions, adding peas during last 2 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil and garlic over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is light golden brown. Add ham, cook and stir for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, blend sour cream, Parmesan cheese, milk, and flour. Stir in ham mixture. Cook and stir until bubbly and slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low.
- Add pasta and basil; toss to coat. Cook until thoroughly heated.
| Per serving: | 421 calories (25% calories from fat), 22 g protein, 12 g total fat (6.0 g saturated fat), 58 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 41 mg cholesterol, 571 mg sodium |
| Diabetic exchanges: | 2 lean protein, 4 carbohydrate (bread/starch), 1 fat |
Spanish Vegetable Paella
(makes 6 servings - 1 cup rice + 1/2 cup vegetables)
(Adapted from Express Lane Diabetic Cooking by Robyn Webb, MS)
Salad bar: peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes
Also visit: shelves for rice, broth, spices
| 2 | teaspoons (10 ml) olive oil |
| 1 | cup (160 g) diced onion |
| 2 | cups ( g) diced green or red bell peppers-have to find the gram weight @? |
| 1 | cup (130 g) sliced zucchini |
| 1/2 | cup (65 g) sliced yellow squash |
| 2 | cups (442 g) diced tomatoes |
| 2 | cups (360 g) long-grain rice |
| 3 1/2 | cups (840 ml) low-fat, low-sodium canned chicken or vegetable broth |
| pinch saffron threads |
| fresh ground pepper and salt (optional) to taste |
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes more.
- Add the rice and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the broth and saffron and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is tender and has absorbed the broth. Add pepper and salt (if using).
| Per serving: | 294 calories (7% calories from fat), 8 g protein, 2 g total fat (0 .4 g saturated fat), 59 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 93 mg sodium |
| Diabetic exchanges: | 4 carbohydrate (3 1/2 bread/starch, 2 vegetable) |
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