AUSTIN, Texas — These recipes by Tom Valenti and Andrew Friedman from "You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook" (Workman Publishing, $19.95) are followed by nutrition information, including carbohydrate choices and exchanges, two tools used by people with diabetes to calculate the impact of foods on their blood-sugar levels.
Strawberry Cobbler
This is a quintessential summer dessert that takes fresh, seasonal fruit and does something simple and delicious with it. You can adapt this recipe to use other fruits such as peaches. Bear in mind that sweetness varies from batch to batch of strawberries, so you might be able to use less sugar if the ones you have are particularly sweet. By the same token, if the fruit is especially juicy, you might need to use a bit more cornstarch to bind the filling. This recipe calls for almond flour, available at specialty food shops, which lends body and flavor to the topping.
3 cups strawberries, hulled, larger berries cut in half
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. almond flour
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Nonstick cooking spray
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put the strawberries, 1/3 cup of the sugar, orange zest and cornstarch in a bowl and toss to combine. Let the berries stand while you make the crumble topping.
Put the butter, almond flour, all-purpose flour and remaining 2 Tbsp. of sugar in a bowl, toss them together and work the mixture with your fingers until it comes together in a loose dough.
Spray a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Put the strawberries in the dish, using a rubber spatula to gently pat them down into an even layer. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the strawberries.
Bake the cobbler until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Serves 10.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 97. Fat: 3 grams. Saturated fat: 2 grams. Trans fat: 0 grams. Total carbohydrates: 17 grams. Dietary fiber: 1 gram. Total sugars: 14 grams. Protein: 1 gram. Cholesterol: 6 milligrams. Sodium: 1 milligram. Exchanges: Fat 0.5, other carbohydrates 0.5. Carbohydrate choice: 1.
Chicken Chaat
The Indian dish chicken chaat features the combination of heat and acidity that I love. It's spicy and fragrant, but — because the chicken is steamed — also very clean and fresh. Picking the chicken up with lettuce leaves makes it a fun social centerpiece to a meal for family or friends, keeping things casual.
3/4 cups coarsely chopped Spanish onion (from 1 medium-size onion)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 medium-size clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, plus 4 lime halves for garnish
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. garam masala, available at specialty food stores and Indian markets
1 tsp. chopped hot green pepper, such as serrano
1 tsp. red chile powder
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, steamed, sliced lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
8 iceberg lettuce leaves
Put the onion, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice, garam masala, green pepper, chile powder and salt in a large bowl and mix to create a sauce. Add the chicken and toss well. Divide the chicken among 4 small plates and serve with iceberg lettuce leaves and lime halves. Use the lettuce to scoop up bites of the salad. Serves 4.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 174. Fat: 5 grams. Saturated fat: 1 grams. Trans fat: 0 grams. Total carbohydrates: 4 grams. Dietary fiber: 1 gram. Total sugars: 2 grams. Protein: 27 grams. Cholesterol: 66 milligrams. Sodium: 204 milligrams. Exchanges: Fat 0.5, lean meat 3, vegetables 0.5. Carbohydrate choice: 0.
Eggs in Hell
In his first cookbook, the great California chef Jeremiah Tower featured a dish called Eggs in Hell, Spanish-Style. I've long since forgotten exactly what it contained, or how it was made, but the name has stayed with me for years, an amusing moniker for a breakfast that sounds more like a Quentin Tarantino movie than something to eat. Eventually, I couldn't resist any longer: I devised my own interpretation of Eggs in Hell. It's devilishly red and appropriately spicy, with runny yolks that make it sinfully (get it?) fun to eat. Note that you will need four attractive small baking dishes or ramekins in which to cook and serve this.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 small Spanish onion, finely diced
3 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
1 small plum tomato, cut into small dice with its seeds
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
2 1/2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp. reduced-sugar tomato ketchup
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
1 oz. crumbled goat cheese, Jack or queso blanco (about 1/4 cup crumbled)
Preheat the oven to 350?F.
Heat the olive oil in a small, heavy-bottomed, nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato and salt and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, ketchup, black pepper, cilantro and water and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
Divide the mixture among 4 small baking dishes or ramekins and crack an egg over each serving. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use tongs or oven mitts to carefully transfer 1 ramekin to each of 4 plates. Scatter some chives and cheese over each dish and serve hot.
Serves 4.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 151. Fat: 11 grams. Saturated fat: 4 grams. Trans fat: 0 grams. Total carbohydrates: 4 grams. Dietary fiber: 1 gram. Total sugars: 1 gram. Protein: 9 grams. Cholesterol: 222 milligrams. Sodium: 236 milligrams. Exchanges: Fat 1, medium fat meat 1, high fat meat 0.5, vegetables 0.5. Carbohydrate choice: 0.
— All recipes from "You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook" by Tom Valenti and Andrew Friedman.
Mike Sutter writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: msutter(at)statesman.com.