A Diabetes Guide to Healthy and Delicious Eating Made Easy
By: Bobbie Kitto
Recipes Included: Quinoa, Mango, and Avocado Timbale and Pan Seared Scallops with Black Beans and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This is the fifth edition of the Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies. Each edition brought updated information for those struggling to master or at least understand the challenges their bodies have given them with the disease of Diabetes. This book communicates clearly, avoiding unnecessary jargon and simplifying the understanding of living with diabetes. It offers a direct approach to managing the condition.
The initial section of the book is titled “Thriving with Diabetes.” This chapter covers topics like effectively managing the condition, recognizing nutritious and delicious food options, and strategizing meal plans for weight control and maintenance.
Part two of the book is entitled Healthy Recipes That Taste Great. This chapter covers all the bases for whenever eating is the activity. From breakfast, lunch, and dinner it covers it all. Even snacks, small plates on the go and YES desserts. This will be your favorite chapter.
The third part is entitled Eating Healthfully Away from Home. A must read to help navigate through the minefields of eating at a restaurant, friends’ homes, or the office party.
The fourth and final chapter is called The Part of Tens. Here we get the simple steps to change our eating habits. Ways to adopt the Mediterranean diet into our lifestyle along with keys to a normal blood glucose. In this chapter we are shown that we can enjoy our mealtimes just as much as the non-diabetic person. We just have to think out of the box at times by tweaking our selections at a restaurant or shopping for foods that will help us feel better. If you are rolling your eyes at that, look at the middle of the book and see the eye popping appetizers and beautiful meals that can make one to forget they have a diet challenge and just enjoy the party foods like the rest of the guests.
Dr Poole and Amy Riolo
The authors of this book are well known for their work in their respective fields. Dr. Simon Poole is a renowned gastroenterologist and co-author of the bestselling “The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step”. Amy Riolo is a leading authority on culinary culture, nutrition, and Mediterranean cooking, with a focus on healthy and delicious recipes. She is an award-winning author and television personality who is passionate about promoting a balanced and flavorful approach to eating. They have put together a video demonstration that would be worth the time to see while using this book. Link to Presentation: https://youtu.be/8CscorFp0sI
Dr. Alan Rubin is a respected endocrinologist and author specializing in diabetes management. With decades of experience in the field, he has authored multiple books on diabetes.
I’ve been one of those who have struggled to find a diet/lifestyle that I can incorporate in my life for over 48 yrs. What I have found is that unless the diet allowed me to enjoy meals with my friends and family without making me feel like I was “different” from my fellow dinners, I wouldn’t stick with it. This book goes a long way to help me achieve my goal for a healthier lifestyle. I think it is worth reading and certainly trying the recipes below.
Quinoa, Mango, and Avocado Timbale
*Recipe from the Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies
Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 15 min Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup red quinoa, or white if preferred, rinsed.
1 mango
1 shallot, minced
1 lime. Juiced and zested, divided
¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 teaspoon Amy Riolo Selections, or other good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped almonds
2 ripe avocados
Handful of fresh arugula, spinach, baby kale, or microgreens
2 cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
1 Place quinoa in a medium saucepan with 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool and set aside.
2 Make a slit around the mango to cut it open, remove pit, and score flesh into small squares. Remove from the peel and mix with shallot and ½ lime juice and zest.
3 Season the quinoa with salt and fluff it with a fork. Mix in the olive oil, parsley, and almonds.
- Cut the avocado open, remove the pit, and slice the fruit into ½-inch squares. Drizzle with remaining lime juice, add zest, and stir to coat.
- Place a 3/4 inch cylindrical mold the center of a dinner plate. Add ¼ of the quinoa to the bottom. Press down with a spoon to make it compact. The top with ¼ of the mango mix, then ¼ of the avocado. Add ¼ of the fresh greens on top. Carefully remove mold.
- Continue 3 more times with remaining ingredients on separate plates.
- Garnish each with ½ cherry tomato and serve immediately, or refrigerate without the greens, until serving. Add the greens and cherry tomato at the last minute.
Pan Seared Scallops with Black Beans and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
*Recipe from the Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies
Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 20 min Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Red Pepper Sauce
1 recipe Roasted Red Peppers (Recipe in Chapter 6)
2 Tablespoons Amy Riolo Selections extra-virgin olive oil, or other good quality olive oil
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
For the scallops:
1 pound dry sea scallops
2 Tablespoons Amy Riolo Selections extra-virgin olive oil, or other good quality olive oil
¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons Amy Riolo Selections extra-virgin olive oil, or other good quality olive oil
1 cup cooked black beans (Recipe in Chapter 6), or no salt- added canned beans
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Directions
1 Place red peppers and olive oil in a blender and puree on high until smooth.
2 Dry the scallops with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
3 In a large skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Once it is warm, add the scallops, and cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the scallop has browned on one side.
- Turn over and cook a minute or two on the other side until both sides are golden.
- Add the black beans to the pan with the scallops and turn to coat.
- Pour the red pepper sauce onto the bottom of a platter. Top with scallops and black beans in the center. Garnish with parsley.# ##
Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies
$19.99
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Review by Bobbie Kitto
Edited by Linda Kissam
Note: Roberta (Bobbie) Kitto is a freelance writer based out of Laughlin, NV. Her interests include travel, culinary pursuits and gardening. No fee was paid for this article review. Her opinions are her own.
To make the best of each recipe, use 
for quality ingredients! Bobbie highly recommends products from Melissa’s.
