Cream of Hot Pepper Soup

I'm on a low sodium, low phosphorus (which means no milk or nuts), and low protein diet. Here's a recipe that fits into that well and also gives me something to do with the abundance of peppers from the garden I have this time of year.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

about 10 peppers, jalapeno's, Serrano, hot bananas, maybe even throw in a habanero

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

4 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup chicken stock (I make my own without salt and keep it in the refrigerator)

1 cup soy-milk

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.

1/2 cup dried macaroni (I like the low carb Dreamfields Elbows
)


Saute the onion in the oil.
Put peppers and soy-milk in a blender and liquefy
When onion is translucent add garlic, turmeric, vinegar, and chicken stock. Stir and simmer.
Add remaining ingredients with 2-3 cups of water.
Simmer for about another 20 minutes.

Potato Soup

Here's a potatoes soup I made that turned out pretty good.

2 red potatoes, cupped.
1/2 turnip, diced
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 jalapeno, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 can cream of potato soup
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar

Cook potatoes and turnips in the oil. Don't brown, add a little water after they're coated with the oil.

When potatoes are soft add jalapeno, pepper, onion powder, rosemary, cilantro.

Add a little water, stir well, simmer for a couple of minutes.

Add can of soup with a couple of cans of water. Add cabbage and cheddar. Stir well. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Balance is better than low carb

The online magazine, Diabetic Living, has an article on 1-carb recipes. Most of the recipes are heavy on the pork or beef. That's not always a good thing.

You caloric intake needs to strike a balance between calories from carbs, proteins, and fats. Too much protein can damage your kidneys, too much fat makes you fat and hurts your blood flow. You need to keep the fats down, be careful not to load up on protein, and keep the carbs at a steady level. It's a constant balancing act, requiring much more than just low-carb foods.

So be careful with those high-protein, high-fat menu items that are loaded with beef and/or pork. Low carb isn't always good for you.

But one of the recipes in that article looks like it has a lot of potential.

1 cup chopped carrots
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
Assorted dippers (such as toasted whole wheat pita bread triangles, vegetable sticks, and/or whole-grain crackers)

1. In a covered small saucepan cook carrots in a small amount of boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until tender; drain. In a food processor combine cooked carrots, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt. Cover and process until mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Stir in parsley.

2. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or for up to 3 days. If too thick, stir in enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dipping consistency. Serve with assorted dippers. Makes 2 cups, 16 (2-tablespoon) servings.

A lot of potential here, not just for hummus but for a soup also.

Pan fried banana

I'm beginning to change my mind about bananas. I used to think diabetics should avoid them (I don't take insulin). But I'm coming around to a different opinion about them more recently.

Here's a quick hot banana dish that has some ingredients in addition to the banana that can be very helpful.

Slice a banana longways in 3 parts. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil. Bring to a high heat and lay the bananas in the oil. Sprinkle the up side liberally with powdered cinnamon. When slightly browned turn over, sprinkle the other side with cinnamon. When browned remove bananas to a plate and squeeze the juice of a lime over them. Serve hot.

The cinnamon helps in insulin production (and helps cholesterol also). The lime juice acts as both a diuretic which can help control hypertension and to restore depleted potassium. Of course we all know how useful olive oil is.

290 calories, 125 from fat
4mg sodium
2 g. protein
47 g carbs
29 g complex carbs

Cold Pea Soup

Ingredients
Can of peas
2 jalapenos
juice of 1 key lime
``1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine all in a blender and blend.

Calories 390
Calories from fat 133
Sodium 1206
Carbohydrates 51
Complex Carbohydrates 34
Protein 16

Tomato Drink


Lettuce, green leaf, raw 0.5 cup
Lime, raw, 1
Pepper, jalapeno, 0.5 pepper
Tomato juice, canned, 1 cup

Preparation

Chop the raw ingredients and put into a blender with the tomato juice.


FOOD SUMMARY

Total calories. 67
Calories from fat 3 (less than 1 oz fat)
Sodium 214 mg
Carbohydrates 18 g
Calories from carbohydrates
Protein 3g

NUTRITIONAL TARGET MAP™ The Nutritional Target Map™ allows you to see at a glance how foods line up with your nutritional and weight-management goals. The closer a food is to the right edge of the map, the more essential nutrients per calorie it contains. For a more nutritious diet, select foods that fall on the right half of the map.

The closer a food is to the top edge of the map, the more likely it is to fill you up with fewer calories. If you want to restrict your caloric intake without feeling hungry, choose foods from the top half of the map.

Foods that are close to the bottom edge are more calorie-dense. If you want to increase your calorie intake without getting too full, choose foods from the bottom half of the map.
Read more about the Nutritional Target Map

4.5 4.6 Fullness Factor ND Rating

NutritionData's Nutrition Data's Opinion
Opinion

NUTRITION DATA'S OPINION Nutrition Data awards foods 0 to 5 stars in each of three categories, based on their nutrient density (ND Rating) and their satiating effect (Fullness Factor™). Foods that are both nutritious and filling are considered better choices for weight loss. Foods that are nutritious without being filling are considered better choices for healthy weight gain. Foods that have more essential nutrients per calorie are considered better choices for optimum health.

Nutrition Data also indicates whether a food is particularly high or low in various nutrients, according to the dietary recommendations of the FDA.
Read more about Nutrition Data's opinion
Weight loss:
Optimum health:
Weight gain:

The good: This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Potassium.

The bad: This food is high in Sodium, and a large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.
Caloric Ratio Pyramid Estimated Glycemic Load

CALORIC RATIO PYRAMID™ This graphic shows you what percentage of the calories in a food come from carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and alcohol. If you are trying to achieve a specific distribution of calories, such as the 40/30/30 distribution of the Zone™ diet, or the more traditional 60/30/10 distribution, the Caloric Ratio Pyramid™ will show you how recipes, meal plans, or individual foods line up with those goals.

Foods low in fat, for example, will cluster along the bottom edge of the pyramid, ranging from foods that are high in carbohydrates (at the left edge) to foods that are high in protein (at the right edge). Foods low in carbohydrates will cluster along the right edge of the pyramid, with foods that are high in fat at the upper edge and foods that are high in protein at the lower edge. Foods that have roughly the same number of calories from fats, calories, and protein will be found closer to the center of the pyramid.
Read more about the Caloric Ratio Pyramid

85% 5% 10%
Carbs Fats Protein

5
72
mildly anti-inflammatory
Estimated Glycemic Load


Inflammation Factor



ESTIMATED GLYCEMIC LOAD™ Glycemic load is a way of expressing a food or meal's effect on blood-sugar levels. Nutrition Data’s patent-pending Estimated Glycemic Load™ (eGL) is available for every food in the database as well as for custom foods, meals, and recipes in your Pantry.

How to interpret the values: Experts vary on their recommendations for what your total glycemic load should be each day. A typical target for total Estimated Glycemic Load is 100 or less per day. If you have diabetes or metabolic syndrome, you might want to aim a little lower. If you are not overweight and are physically active, a little higher is acceptable.
Read more about the eGL

IF (INFLAMMATION FACTOR) RATING™ The IF (Inflammation Factor) Rating™ estimates the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory potential of individual foods or combinations of foods by calculating the net effect of different nutritional factors, such as fatty acids, antioxidants, and glycemic impact.

How to interpret the values: Foods with positive IF Ratings are considered anti-inflammatory, and those with negative IF Ratings are considered inflammatory. The higher the number, the stronger the effect. The goal is to balance negative foods with positive foods so that the combined rating for all foods eaten in a single day is positive.
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Bitter Olive Salad

Bitter Melon, an Asian squash with a somewhat bitter taste, seems to have some slight medicinal properties for diabetics, stimulating the processing of sugars. So, I'm trying to come up with different ways to include some Bitter Melon in my diet on a regular basis.


2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
chop 4-5 slices bitter melon (de-seeded).
1 chopped celery stalk
2-3 onion slices, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1/3 tbsp horseradish
couple of dashes of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Marinate from 2 hours to a couple of days.

Serve as a topping for Italian sandwiches, hamburgers, etc.