As the title indicates, this book is about quick cooking. Happily, quick does not mean relying on manufactured products, but on using fresh foods that can be prepared quickly and be diabetic acceptable at the same time. Author Nancy Hughes states, "The secret to healthier eating is having nutritious ingredients on hand for super-fast meals without a lot of effort or expense, while getting rid of the junk food lurking behind those kitchen doors." In addition to having suspect ingredients, much of the junk food is responsible for weight gain, a factor which affects the diabetic. Coincidentally, it is far cheaper to cook a simple but delicious meal at home than to order take-out or pick up bottles, cans, and boxes of junk foods. Hughes wants to put the home cook on the right path while saving time, and she offers over 200 recipes to make following the path easy.
Hughes believes in starting the day with a good breakfast, not a rushed piece of toast on the way out the door. In fifteen minutes, you can make such nutritious breakfasts as Garden-Fresh Spinach Omelet, Skillet Swiss Corn Scramble, Grilled Cheese Breakfast Panini, or Energy On-The-Go Smoothies. Thus fortified, you will not be craving junk food mid-morning, but will wait until lunch when you can fix such simple, healthy meals as Stuffed Greek Pitas with Feta, Chicken and Peanut Lettuce Wraps, Black Bean, Mozzarella and Rice Salad, Grab and Go Taco Chili, possibly a BLT with Rosemary Aïoli.
Hughes divides the heartier entrees for main courses into four chapters: Meatless Entrees, Beef Entrees, Seafood Entrees, and Pork Entrees. You will find recipes such as Black Bean and Green Chili Skillet Casserole or Speed-Baked Stuffed Potatoes (meatless); Hometown Cheeseburgers or Sirloin Steaks Au Jus (beef); Delicate Crab Frittata or Fish Fillets with Tomato-Caper Salsa (seafood); Artichoke and Roasted Pepper Chicken or Creamy Chicken with Rosemary (poultry); Sweet Spiced Orange Pork or Jerked Pork with Nectarine-Dried Cherry Salsa (pork). She also gives recipes for Appetizers and Snacks as well as for Side Salads.
Dessert is so often problematic for diabetics, but Hughes gives tasty recipes to satisfy the sweet tooth. Among them are Angel Cake with Raspberry Cream and Nectarines, Rustic Apple Crisp, Honey-Glazed Almond Pears, Sweet and Tart Cherry Pies, or Icy Cold Peach Cream.
Each recipe is accompanied by Exchanges and Choices, as well as by the measure of calories, fat (both saturated and trans), cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars and protein. This is a careful book, one that pays attention to the pitfalls of diabetes without sacrificing the taste buds.
You don't have to be diabetic to enjoy the quick, easy, tasty recipes, but if you are the imprint of the American Diabetes Association guarantees healthy eating.
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