I received this request from a reader of my articles, and I felt compelled to make my future articles include some healthy tips for diabetics and healthy cooking in general. I know there are many cookbooks available and there are over 15 million diabetics in the US, I hope that some of those readers will share some of your recipes and experiences with us.

Type 2 Diabetes and Diet

by nibbledish

Maintaining your diet when you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can be a real challenge, but it can also mean the difference between life and death. Those afflicted with type 2 diabetes either don’t produce enough insulin, or the white blood cells in the body ignore the insulin, affecting the body’s glucose levels. Stabilizing glucose is key to remaining healthy, and the more you can do this naturally through diet, the better.

 Regular monitoring of the blood glucose is required to maintain healthy insulin productions, and part of this process includes paying close attention to the food you eat, and how it affects your glucose. While this sounds like a lot of work, many of the health and diet recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes are literally no different than those advised by health professionals for a normal, healthy lifestyle. An ideal diet for most individuals, diabetic or otherwise, typically consists of fiber rich plant based foods, lean proteins, and slow-digesting carbohydrates.

—–Original Message—–

From: Suzanne

Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 8:25 PM

To: info-texasgourmet

Subject: Suggestions for texasgourmet.com

Hi, My name is Suzanne and I’m one of texasgourmet.com readers.

I’d like to thank you for the excellent information I’ve found on texasgourmet.com, it’s one of my favorite readings on the web.

I have 25 years and live in Illinois where I have the passion to share with family and friends tips to help them eat healthy to lower diabetes risk.

I figured you might be interested in including a guest article for texasgourmet.com about the most common questions related to diabetes and a sample recipe.

Article in form of a little guide to help your readers experiencing with this topic and perhaps discuss the topic at hand.

Please, take a minute to consider this; it would be a pleasure and honor to contribute!

With your help we can educate the public about the dangers of diabetes and hopefully save some life.

Either way, thanks for reading and keep posting your excellent information on texasgourmet.com.

Hope you a good week.

Warmest Regards

Yours Truly Suzanne

Hi Suzanne-

Thanks for following my articles. I truly enjoy sharing my passion with readers who want to be able to prepare some great dishes they can share with family. I am extremely excited about hearing from you with some knowledge about recipes and healthy dishes  with lower risk for diabetics. I know that there are many people with diabetes that would love to try to be able to think outside the box but still not compromise their condition. Please send me a few recipes you love, and I will include some in my articles. In fact, I am doing a cooking show in Fort Worth in July, and I am going to be sure and make at least one or more of my entrees directed towards diabetics or those people that particularly need to be observant of sugar and salt intake. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards,

Bryan Slaven

      Bryan Slaven, The Texas Gourmet 

    2907 Canal St.

      Houston, Texas 77003

          713-228-9331

        f 713-228-1458

bryan@thetexasgourmet.com

   www.texasgourmet.com

Meatloaf is a great comfort food and can be made a variety of ways. This recipe is a detachment from the one that mom made, but it’s still really tasty, just a bit spicy. You can substitute ground venison for the beef, but still use the pork shoulder for moisture. The squash casserole is easy to make and goes well with the meatloaf. I hope you enjoy it!

                               Amount Measure       Ingredient 

                               --------  ------------  --------------------------------

                               1           medium         yellow onion -- chopped

                               1           stalk              celery -- chopped

                                ½         medium        red bell pepper -- core, seed, chop

                               2                                green onions – chopped small

                            1           small can -   diced green chiles- tasty and not too hot

                               1           clove             garlic -- minced

                               ½          t                    ground cumin

                             3          T                    Texas Gourmet’s Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly

                            ½          t                    black pepper – finely ground

                            1           cup                Ketchup

                             ¼          t                     nutmeg

                               2           T                     Worcestershire sauce

                             2           T                    Texas Gourmet’s Sweet Chipotle Season All

                               2           T                     unsalted butter

                               ¼          cup               canned milk

                             1           cup                bread crumbs -- fine, dry

                               1           lb                   lean ground beef (or substitute with venison)                                                                                                

                             ½         lb                    lean ground pork shoulder

                               2                                 eggs -- slightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Mix the onion, celery, bell pepper, green chiles, garlic, cumin, black pepper, Sweet Chipotle Season All , , nutmeg, and Worcestershire sauce, in a medium sized bowl. 

 2. Melt the butter in a heavy 10 inch skillet over moderate heat. Add

  the above  vegetable/spice mixture, & cook, uncovered, for 6 minutes, stirring

 constantly, until the onions & peppers are soft. Remove from the heat &

 let cool until warm to the touch. Mix in the

 milk, ½ of the ketchup, & bread crumbs. (Use your hands to mix well)

 3. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, eggs, & the bread crumb and sautéed vegetable mixture. Pack the meatloaf mixture into a greased, 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ketchup with the Texas Gourmet’s Jalapeno Kiwi Jelly, then spread over the meatloaf. 

 ****At this point the meatloaf can be covered tightly with aluminum foil

 & stored. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

(Place the covered meatloaf in the freezer; when frozen, remove from the

 pan, wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil, label & return to freezer)

 4. Bake the meatloaf, thawed and uncovered, for 30 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered or until nicely browned and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Allow 10 minutes to rest then slice to desired thickness and serve with mashed potatoes and tomato gravy and squash casserole. 

Now that is some darn good, and truly delicious eating!!

Texas Sheet-Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese & Cinnamon Frosting

No ranch-style barbecue or wild-game cookout is complete without this addicting chocolate-, coffee- and cinnamon-flavored cake. Every good Texas cook has their own variation on this cake, but this is one of the most popular. I added cream cheese and sour cream to the frosting to cut the sweetness a bit. I hope everyone enjoys it!

For the Sheet Cake

½ cup butter

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup water

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

½ cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla extract

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t instant coffee granules

½ t salt (optional)

¾ cup pecan pieces- ( I had walnuts on hand , they were great)

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese & Cinnamon Frosting

4 cups – confectioners’ sugar

½ cup butter, melted and cooled

1 cake 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 T sour cream

1 cup   1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup milk

1 t vanilla extract

1 t instant coffee granules

1 t ground cinnamon

½ cup pecan or walnut pieces – broken up small

Preparation

Preheat an oven to 400°. Butter and flour a 9 x13 baking pan       (glass if available)

To make the cake, in a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the cocoa. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Add the cocoa mixture and, using an electric mixer or a spoon beat until well blended. Continue to beat while adding the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, instant coffee granules, and salt. When the mixture is well blended, stir in ¾ cup of the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile for the frosting, in a bowl using an electric mixer or spoon, beat together the confectioner’s sugar, butter, cream cheese, sour cream cocoa and milk until well blended. Stir in the vanilla, instant coffee granules and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.

When the cake has cooled for 20 minutes, spread the frosting over the still warm cake. Then sprinkle the chopped up nuts over the entire cake.

Cut into small squares and serve warm or at room temperature. If you like, garnish with a dip of homemade vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream dusted with cinnamon.

Serves 20 - 24

We are having some of the coldest weather I can remember this month, and I am glad to bring some great cold weather recipes for your enjoyment. I made this last night and it was a big hit. If you don’t want to use all of the vegetables it’s OK but they really go together well to make a hearty flavor, I hope you enjoy it!

Slaven’s Venison Stew

with Red Wine

This is a traditional dish that serves as a great meal all on its own. It can be baked in the oven if desired.

Yields: 8 main-dish servings

Total Time: 2 hr 30 min

Prep Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

·        2 pounds of venison backstrap, and 2 pounds of  boneless beef sirloin tip or chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 -inch chunks (2 pounds of lean eye of round or other type roast can be substituted for the venison, but you still need a total of 4 pounds of meat)

·        2 tablespoons olive oil

·        2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

·        3 large parsnips, cut into 1/4 inch slices

·        6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin-(this results in a smoother flavor)

·        1 large onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

·        10 small boiler onions peeled and left whole

·        10 small New potatoes, rinsed cleaned and quartered

·        2 tablespoons - all purpose flour

·        1- 29 0z. can diced tomatoes 

·        2- 14 oz. cans of  low sodium beef broth

·        1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

·        2 cup(s) dry red wine ( I really like the peppery taste of a Shiraz for the stew)

·        4 sprigs fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried  thyme

·        ½ teaspoon of  ground Cumin

·        1 teaspoon dried or fresh basil

·        2 pints of fresh mushrooms, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

·        1 red bell pepper, sliced into 3/4 inch pieces

·        1/2 pound of fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

·        1 bag(s) (16-ounce) frozen peas

Directions

In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high until hot.* Pat beef dry with paper towels. Add beef, in small batches, don’t crowd the meat in the pan and cook 5 to 6 minutes per batch or until well browned on all sides. With slotted spoon, transfer beef to medium bowl.

* The meat pieces must be pat dry and not touching to brown properly.

To drippings in Dutch oven, add chopped onion, and cook 10 minutes or until onion is browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, canned tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; cook 2 to3 minutes, stirring. Add wine and heat to boiling, stirring until* browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan.

* The browned bits that form on the bottom of the pan add tremendous flavor. This is known as  the fond.

Return meat and any meat juices in bowl to Dutch oven. Add thyme, basil, cumin and the rest of the vegetables, except the peas; heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork-tender, stirring a few times*. Discard thyme sprigs if using fresh thyme. Just before stew is done, stir in peas and allow them to heat through for 4 to 5 minutes.

* If baking the stew, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours , stirring once.

Enjoy with some fresh Yeast rolls. (Some like to serve the stew over egg noodles)

Bon Appetit,

Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

In my opinion there is no risk in refreezing your venison. The only health risk is if you were to allow the defrosted venison to remain above 40 degrees for any length of time or the venison had been allowed to start spoiling prior to freezing. I also recommend thawing your frozen deer prior to processing in a controlled temperature cooler, not at room tempature. If thawing venison trim to grind with other meats, I again recommend doing so in a cooler or refrigerator.

Be sure and check out our Naughty or Nice Salsa as a stocking stuffer. It’s awesome!

Went down  to Nueces Canyon Lodge in Uvalde, Tx. a couple weeks ago for some dove hunting and cooked up some mesquite grilled dove breasts, center cut pork steaks, new potatoes, and squash casserole. Good times!

Mesquite grilled dove breasts and center cut pork steaks