Best Diabetic Recipes

Woody Short

8 years ago

Need easy recipes for dinner? Here are 3 of our best diabetic recipes.

If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you may be wondering what foods should stay in your diet and which ones need to go. The good news is, you can still enjoy so many foods and there are literally thousands of easy diabetic recipes at your fingertips between this website, cookbooks, bloggers and more. From diabetic friendly dinner recipes to easy breakfast options and amazing side dishes, you will quickly learn which foods won’t negatively affect your glucose levels as you learn the best diabetic recipes.

Two tips to help you get started with it comes to choosing the best diabetic recipes to add to your meal planning rolodex is learning more about carbohydrates, and digging in deep when it comes to certain food groups. For instance, you will want to educate yourself on the different types of carbohydrates and which foods they can be found in. Plus, learning about how certain carbohydrates can affect how much insulin is in your body will open to your eyes to the best diabetic food options. Next, discover different food groups and make a handy list about the best and worst foods for diabetes in that food group. Over time, you will know that list like the back of your hand, and you will be making healthier food options every day.

Now that you learned a few tips on determining which foods may and may not work for you, let’s dig into three easy diabetic recipes you might want to add to your culinary repertoire:

Steak, Shiitake, and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Bring a taste of the Orient to your lunch or dinner table with this delicious Steak, Shiitake and Bok Choy Stir-Fry recipe. Mushrooms are always an ideal addition to any diabetic recipe, as they contain little to no sugar. Plus, fresh ginger and garlic contained in this recipe can offer a variety of additional health benefits.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced

Cooking spray

2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)

1 cup thinly vertically sliced onion

1 cup red bell pepper strips

4 cups sliced bok choy (about 1 medium head)

1 cup less-sodium beef broth

Directions

Mix ginger, garlic, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, oil, and crushed red pepper in a large zip-lock bag; add steak. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray, and add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; transfer to a large bowl. Add bok choy to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until slightly wilted; add to bowl; keep warm.

Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add half of steak mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a large bowl; keep warm. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add remaining steak mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add to bowl; keep warm.

Mix broth and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return steak and vegetables to pan; toss gently to coat.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories 270

Calories from fat 30 %

Fat 9 g

Satfat 3.1 g

Monofat 3.2 g

Polyfat 1 g

Protein 28.6 g

Carbohydrate 16.9 g

Fiber 3.4 g

Cholesterol 45 mg

Iron 4.5 mg

Sodium 706 mg

Calcium 244 mg

Broiled Red Snapper with Sicilian Tomato Pesto

Another terrific diabetic friendly dinner recipe is this Red Snapper with Tomato Pesto combination. Be sure to stick with plum tomatoes or you take the chance of runny pesto from juicer tomato options.

Ingredients for 6 Servings

PESTO:

2 cups basil leaves

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3 medium)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

FISH:

6 (6-ounce) red snapper or other firm whitefish fillets

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

REMAINING INGREDIENT:

3 cups hot cooked orzo

Directions

To make pesto, combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until texture is smooth. Add cheese and red pepper; process until blended. Transfer mixture into a bowl. Add tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, stirring lightly to combine.

Preheat your broiler.

Srinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and broil 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Place 1/2 cup orzo on each of 6 plates, and top each serving with 1 fillet and 1/4 cup pesto.

Nutritional Info

Calories 437

Caloriesfromfat 22 %

Fat 10.8 g

Satfat 2.4 g

Monofat 4.8 g

Polyfat 2 g

Protein 44.9 g

Carbohydrate 38.9 g

Fiber 3.1 g

Cholesterol 67 mg

Iron 2.9 mg

Sodium 497 mg

Calcium 156 mg

Herb and Goat Cheese Omelet

Breakfast foods aren’t just for morning anymore, and if you love a good omelet any time of the day, you will go wild for this easy diabetic recipe made with herbs and goat cheese.

Ingredients

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini

1/2 cup (3 x 1/4–inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

Directions

Mix eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, combine parsley, tarragon, and goat cheese.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, zucchini, bell pepper, and dash of salt to pan; cook for 4 minutes or until tender. Remove zucchini mixture from pan; cover and keep warm.

Place 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet. Pour half of the egg mixture into pan, and let egg mixture set slightly (do not stir). Carefully loosen set edges of omelet with a spatula, tipping the pan to pour uncooked egg to the sides. Continue this procedure for about 5 seconds or until almost no runny egg remains. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture evenly over omelet; cook omelet 1 minute or until set. Slide omelet onto plate, folding into thirds. Repeat procedure with remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil, egg mixture, and goat cheese mixture. Sprinkle chives over omelets. Serve with zucchini mixture.

Nutrition Information

Calories 233

Fat 17.6 g

Satfat 5.8 g

Monofat 7.8 g

Polyfat 2 g

Protein 16 g

Carbohydrate 3.6 g

Fiber 1 g

Cholesterol 430 mg

Iron 2.5 mg

Sodium 416 mg