I do watch my carbs, I admit, but not to an obsessional level. I have tried brown rice, and so long as I have a small amount, I seem to be all right with that too. I imagine everyone is different though.
I just could not live without having tasty food, as I can't drink due to medications I'm on, and I don't smoke, so food is my pleasure or I thought it was......Only now, although I'm a bit more careful about how much and what I eat, I still want something that tastes good.
I eat loads of salad too, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like a stir fry or a good curry.
Even so, I've still managed to lose weight, and all my tests have come in much lower, so I guess I'm doing something right.Where I have cut down is in eating less bread, no biscuits, and sweet things are only a rare treat. I can give up those IF I have a decent meal.
As I understand it, so long as your post prandial levels are below 8.5, although of course lower ones are probably better, you are eating OK, and your glucose levels aren't too bad. Mine are normally in the 6ish range after 2 hours so I'm happy with those.
As for curries etc. I use a mixture of chicken thighs stripped from bone (for flavour) and turkey or chicken breast, but I make it with pork and beef too. I use masses of vegetables....Cauliflower, red and white onion, red and green peppers, courgettes, carrots, one small apple, peeled cored and chopped, any green veg I have handy, plus chopped garlic, and a tin of tomatoes. The more veg you add the further it goes too, if you are cooking for a family, and they honestly can't tell the difference when it's all been cooked down.
I brown everything, with a teensy little bit of olive oil, add curry powder to taste and a few spoonfuls of any good curry paste, ( your choice) and half a teaspoonful of easy chilli, although this depends on your taste buds. Then I chuck it all into the slow cooker with stock made from a stock cube or one of those new stock pot ones.
I'm sorry I don't do measuring when I cook, it's all down to how it looks and feels while stirring the concoction! I'm desperately thinking of anything else I add, but nothing comes to mind right now....
I have found that if I am careful with the amount of liquid, I really don't have to thicken it with anything, though you could dust the chicken/turkey in cornflour before you saute it, if you are OK with flour. I cook this for hours and hours in the slow cooker.
If you are cooking this for other non-diabetics, you can stir in some mango chutney before you serve it, as it lends a nice sweetness to the curry, obviously not so good for us though! :wink:
Sorry I can't be more specific than that. I used to make a mean chicken and cranberry curry, but that is a definite no-no now with the high sugar content.
Bolognaise sauce I make with lean minced beef, onions, mushrooms, grated carrots ( it gives sweetness) red and green peppers, garlic, smoked bacon pieces, which is OK, even if you are watching your weight if you only use a small amount, but it does gives a lovely smoked flavour, courgettes, and again I now throw in more veg than I did when I cooked this recipe before. (I used to dislike courgettes but I find I can't really taste them in this dish and they melt into a lovely sauce.)
Saute all the veg and chopped garlic in a little olive oil, remove from the pan, add the bacon and mince and brown. Add some good stock,mixed herbs, a tin of chopped tomatoes, and all the vegetables. I like to cook this slowly for quite some time, to get the full flavour, and the vegetables well cooked.
I do have a little brown rice, and occasionally a small amount of pasta with the bolognaise, but to be honest, I would prefer a larger plateful of the curry myself and have a slice of my Burgen bread with it instead.
I have absolutely no idea how many carbs are in the dishes,
but apart from carrots which are slightly higher, and the apple, I'm sure it's a pretty healthy meal even for diabetics, especially if you can leave out the thickening agents.
PS Good strong stock and a long cooking time really is the key to a rounded flavour. :thumbup:
