Menu and recipe questions

[email hidden] (Kevin & Amanda) deliciously posted in news:1672-406621F7-
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Hello Everyone: All of you have some great recipes and
cooking suggestions. I want to ask those of you who cook
the meals for more than one person how you handle the meal
making and recipes when at least one of the people eating
is on a special diet ( low salt or low fat or diabetic ETC
)? Do any of you have any recipes for diabetics that
people who are not diabetic will also eat? I have some
internet friends who are diabetic and I also have an
internet friend who is a gourmet cook. The gourmet cook
told me that he would try to come up with some recipes but
so far he only has one dessert recipe. He said that it is
hard to come up with recipes that diabetics not only can
have but will want to have because they taste good. Thank
you. Have a nice night. Amanda

I'm not familiar with cooking for the diabetic. I'm more of
a heart healthy cook myself. I found this site which might
help diabetic-recipes.comdiabetic-recipes.comOpen ↗

Michael

--
Deathbed statement...

"Codeine . . . bourbon." ~~Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d.
December 12, 1968

Saying that you need recipes for a diabetic doesn't give
us much useful information. There's enormous variation in
what's appropriate from one diabetic to the next. Many
(not all) diabetics can eat any food as long as they get
the right variety and measured amounts. So you could make
a wildly sugary rich dessert and serve whole bowls full
to the rest of the family while giving only a spoonful to
the diabetic.

Next you have to supply information on what the folks who
aren't on the special diet like to eat. I wouldn't say that
special food for diabetics is all that unpalateable. A
broiled steak, steamed broccoli, brown rice and some perfect
strawberries makes a perfectly good meal that almost anyone
on all sorts of diets can eat. I suppose there's someone who
would hate it, but in general, you prepare it without salt
and have salt shakers on the table for those who like it.
Someone watching their fat intake has only a small portion
of the steak. The strawberries might have to much sugar so
those watching sugar intake measure that.

I'm in the habit of cooking for special diets any time I
have guests just as a matter of convenience and even if no
one is on a special diet. Get in the habit of serving
sauces and dressings on the side. That includes the whipped
cream or sabayon sauce for the fresh fruit for dessert.
Never use salt in the kitchen but have it available on the
table. For salads, serve lettuce in one bowl and all the
extras like avocado, grated carrots and cabbage and sliced
tomatoes on a platter on the side. I try to avoid having
only one item on the table at a time. For example, I serve
salad together with soup. That way, if someone wants both,
they can have both. If someone can have only one and not
the other, they're not stuck looking at an empty plate
while others are eating.

--Lia

Kevin & Amanda said:

Hello Everyone: All of you have some great recipes and
cooking suggestions. I want to ask those of you who cook
the meals for more than one person how you handle the meal
making and recipes when at least one of the people eating
is on a special diet ( low salt or low fat or diabetic ETC
)? Do any of you have any recipes for diabetics that
people who are not diabetic will also eat? I have some
internet friends who are diabetic and I also have an
internet friend who is a gourmet cook. The gourmet cook
told me that he would try to come up with some recipes but
so far he only has one dessert recipe. He said that it is
hard to come up with recipes that diabetics not only can
have but will want to have because they taste good. Thank
you. Have a nice night. Amanda

Julia Altshuler <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<m2r9c.20355$w54.144969@attbi_s01>...

Quoted message said:

Saying that you need recipes for a diabetic doesn't give
us much useful information. There's enormous variation in
what's appropriate from one diabetic to the next. Many
(not all) diabetics can eat any food as long as they get
the right variety and measured amounts. So you could make
a wildly sugary rich dessert and serve whole bowls full to
the rest of the family while giving only a spoonful to the
diabetic.

Next you have to supply information on what the folks who
aren't on the special diet like to eat. I wouldn't say
that special food for diabetics is all that unpalateable.
A broiled steak, steamed broccoli, brown rice and some
perfect strawberries makes a perfectly good meal that
almost anyone on all sorts of diets can eat. I suppose
there's someone who would hate it, but in general, you
prepare it without salt and have salt shakers on the table
for those who like it. Someone watching their fat intake
has only a small portion of the steak. The strawberries
might have to much sugar so those watching sugar intake
measure that.

I'm in the habit of cooking for special diets any time I
have guests just as a matter of convenience and even if no
one is on a special diet. Get in the habit of serving
sauces and dressings on the side. That includes the
whipped cream or sabayon sauce for the fresh fruit for
dessert. Never use salt in the kitchen but have it
available on the table. For salads, serve lettuce in one
bowl and all the extras like avocado, grated carrots and
cabbage and sliced tomatoes on a platter on the side. I
try to avoid having only one item on the table at a time.
For example, I serve salad together with soup. That way,
if someone wants both, they can have both. If someone can
have only one and not the other, they're not stuck looking
at an empty plate while others are eating.

--Lia

Kevin & Amanda said:

Hello Everyone: All of you have some great recipes and
cooking suggestions. I want to ask those of you who cook
the meals for more than one person how you handle the
meal making and recipes when at least one of the people
eating is on a special diet ( low salt or low fat or
diabetic ETC )? Do any of you have any recipes for
diabetics that people who are not diabetic will also
eat? I have some internet friends who are diabetic and I
also have an internet friend who is a gourmet cook. The
gourmet cook told me that he would try to come up with
some recipes but so far he only has one dessert recipe.
He said that it is hard to come up with recipes that
diabetics not only can have but will want to have
because they taste good. Thank you. Have a nice night.
Amanda

Hallo Amanda. The previous poster has some exellent
suggestions. I will make one or two more based on cooking
for my mother-in-law who was diabetic. I had to minimise use
of any vegetable with a high sugar content, like carrots and
peas. But she enjoyed stews, "pot-au-feu" here in France.
Using really lean beef, or lamb, with onion, mushrooms,
red/green peppers (capsicum,) sweet not hot, tomatoes,
celery, green beans (haricot vert), courgettes (zucchini),
and aubergines. The trick is to start with a little
sunflower or soya oil and the onion, using a heavy saucepan.
Sautee the onion till soft then add meat cut into cubes and
brown it over fast heat. When sealed reduce heat and add the
rest of the ingredients, but tomatoes first for the liquid.
Keeping the lid on and heat low. Let everything cook in its
own juices. Season with herbs, like thyme or oregano, a bay
leaf, and a cap full of Balsamic vinegar, (the screwtop cap)
and pepper. Salt can be added at table as Lia suggested. Any
of our friends love these stews, especially in the Winter.
Serve them with starch reduced rice seasoned with safron or
a herb, cooked in a chicken stock or vegetable stock. It is
easy to make your own and freeze and they are not fatty.
Another good meat meat is Rabbit, very lean meat, and can be
cooked in the same way. Stir-fry is another good way of
cooking healthy dishes; slivers of chicken breast with
julienne vegetables. Hope this is of help caroline.

"Kevin & Amanda" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello Everyone: All of you have some great recipes and
cooking suggestions. I want to ask those of you who cook
the meals for more than one person how you handle the meal
making and recipes when at least one of the people eating
is on a special diet ( low salt or low fat or diabetic ETC
)? Do any of you have any recipes for diabetics that
people who are not diabetic will also eat? I have some
internet friends who are diabetic and I also have an
internet friend who is a gourmet cook. The gourmet cook
told me that he would try to come up with some recipes but
so far he only has one dessert recipe. He said that it is
hard to come up with recipes that diabetics not only can
have but will want to have because they taste good. Thank
you. Have a nice night. Amanda

I'm not going to field desserts specifically as I don't
make/eat dessert. But: Cooking for a diabetic is not exactly
informative. Many diabetics can eat an awful lot of
(regular) foods, but in moderation. It may be helpful to
specify if there are any other health problems in addition
to the diabetes. It would also be helpful to add the type of
diabetes the person(s) has/have. Are they insulin dependent?
Because diabetes is a disease whose cause is really unknown,
there are many things that can be 'blamed' on it. For
example, a relative of mine has diabetes-mild-and he blames
it on many years of drinking hard booze-the alcohol turning
into sugar and poisoning the body(he also has a history of
it in his family). Is he correct? Who knows. This drivvel is
listed here for a reason: are your diabetic friends allowed
to consume alcohol(wine in a sauce for example)? If not, you
have to adjust any sauces accordingly. DON'T substitute non-
alcoholic wine-it is nasty. You may wish to get into the
habit of serving dressings, sauces, etc, on the side. You
may wish to give the person a list of ingredients when
serving something to them and letting them decide. I don't
cook with sugar or salt(except for fresh dressings-leaving
either out ruins it usually). Both are available on the
table however. Best advise is to get an idea as to what
restrictions the people have and adjust accordingly. There
are numerous websites that reccommend substitutes for
something that a person cannot have.