My love of the culinary arts dates back as far as I can remember – and that is quite some time ago. This section highlights delish dishes made with my culinary partners in crime and recipes from others who share my passion for cooking.
When I received my invitation to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, it included a primer on life in Ukraine, with general information on history, geography, transportation, culture and a small section on food. It should come as no surprise to other PWD, but I have a sometimes wonderful and sometimes dangerous relationship with food. The information shared they’re heavy on meat and vegetables, with seasonal access to produce, and the majority of grocery shopping is done in open air bazaars and small shops. This was helpful, but didn’t minimize my anxiety when it came to carbohydrate counting or questions about glucose tab availability. (more…)
The DDG culinary partners in crime came together, but this time, we didn’t have a recipe or theme for that matter. The only plan of action – clean out the fridge. We’re rule breakers or makers so there’s no right or wrong way to whip things together to create a KILLER brunch. Below is a recap of how we made it happen.
Step 1: Clean out your fridge – that means EVERYTHING. We gathered fruit, various cheeses, carrots, onions, garlic (lots of it), tomatillos, tomatoes, shallots, squash and shrooms. (more…)
After a few months of friendly stalking, we scored the opportunity to chat with hip hop legend and diabetes advocate, Rev Run and his wife Justine Simmons. With 1 in 3 adult Americans being at risk of Type 2 diabetes, they’re spreading the word about T2D prevention with the help of Ask.Screen.Know™. In this episode, we’re swapping recipes, avoiding the food police (while simultaneously encouraging them) and sharing how to lead by example in hopes of changing their family’s history. The message is clear – Do it for the ones you love. (more…)
One of the biggest challenges I face as a T1D is tackling foreign foods. Don’t get me wrong, I rarely shy away from an unfamiliar dish, but guessitmating the carbs can be difficult. One dish in particular I’m drawn to is curry so what better way to update my carb calculating skills than by preparing this heavenly dish myself. I rallied my culinary partners in crime and whipped up a recipe with a few diabetes friendlier options.
This recipe might seem intimidating, but don’t let the number of ingredients freak you out. I’m breaking it down into three easy steps. (more…)
Spring has sprung and my mother’s little batch of asparagus is producing a few stalks a day. With the abundance of asparagus, I got creative and found a new recipe to keep life exciting. I hope you enjoy this recipe I stumbled across in the Travel Issue of Food & Wine magazine,
Actual image of my mom’s asparagus. FYI – it took 20+ minutes to instruct her on how to take and send me this photo. : ) (more…)
Cooking adventures with friends fuel my fire to pursue healthier options when meal planning for the week. While discussing our next culinary adventure, my friend mentioned Shakshuka. I know what you’re thinking – I can’t even pronounce this so how in the hell am I going to prepare it? Shakshuka is an Israeli dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions, spiced with cumin. – are you salivating yet? After binge reading recipes, we gathered with tons of ingredients and the desire to create our own spin on this traditional dish. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.
I love to get creative in the kitchen so when I heard a fellow T1D complain about the carbs in pizza – I had to take action. I make it a point to insist on a thin crust with healthy toppings, but felt confident there had to be a healthier option. A recipe rumor had been circulating about this mystery, low carb pizza crust made from cauliflower. I was skeptical, but my previous culinary creations with cauliflower were pleasantly surprising – so what the hell, let’s do this. (more…)
I love to cook and was over the moon my nephew (Greg/GP Henry) was in town to help. Everyone loves lasagna, but this dish is stacked with calories and carbs. After quite a bit of research, I found a recipe worth tweaking a bit which substituted eggplant for pasta. Let’s do this!
Confession – I like homemade chili more than most people in the winter months. If you come to my home in December or January, you could put money on me having a pot of healthy chili in the fridge. Don’t get crazy, I’m not willing to fix you a bowl – BUT I will gladly share the recipe.
Soups and stews are a year-round favorite of mine, and not surprisingly, they become my staple during the cooler months. My current MO is to daydream a healthy concoction (a lot of garlic was on the list to boost the immune system and protect against colds, which tend to show up this time of year), and then do a little research to see if anyone else has done something similar. Pureed cauliflower (especially low carb, given that soups can be high carb) seemed like a mellow but healthy and hearty backdrop for the garlic. So with those criteria in mind… (more…)
