Tasty Recipes to Kick Off Diabetes Awareness Month

We love the nutritious punch of this soup. It has loads of plant vitamin A (beta-carotene) which is what gives it the rich orange colour. It also has lots of fibre, potassium, calcium and magnesium. These nutrients are great for supporting immune health, heart health and like all vegetables and fruits, helps keep your body healthy generally.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil (olive/canola/sunflower) or any on hand
• I onion finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic – minced
• 2-3  stalks celery – optional
• 1 medium-sized butternut squash
• 3 cups water OR 3 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• Herbs and spices (1-2 tsp dried herbs such as thyme/sage/oregano) or 1-3 teaspoons cumin/garam masala/curry powder
•  A little  table salt and pepper to taste
• (1/2-1 can coconut milk – optional)

Directions

1. Peel and core the butternut squash. Nobody’s favourite job, so good to get done at the beginning. Remove the top and tail of the squash. Peel the squash with a peeler, cut it down the centre and remove the seeds. Cut and chop it into cubes. If you don’t have a peeler, top and tail the butternut squash, slice it into 3 rings and with the cut side on the cutting board, slice off the skin with a vegetable knife. Set aside
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add onion, celery if using and your herbs and/or spices. After a couple of minutes add the garlic. Stir until the onion is translucent. About 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the chopped butternut squash, 3 cups of water or broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down the heat and let it gently simmer until the squash is tender – about 25 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat. Blend the soup using a hand blender or with a potato masher.
5. Freeze any leftovers for another cold day.

This meal is packed full of fibre rich foods. Fibre is great at balancing blood sugar, keeps your gut in tip-top shape and supports a healthy heart.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion  – chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic  – finely chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery
• 1 bell pepper – any colour
• 2 cans beans (chickpeas/black beans/kidney beans) – well rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes (28oz, 796ml)
• 2 cups water (or more if needed)
• 2-3 teaspoons herbs oregano/basil/thyme/sage
• A little table salt and ground pepper to taste
• You can spice this up with a little chilli, paprika, curry powder, cumin, turmeric (with black pepper). Make it your own.

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add onion, celery if using and your herbs and/or spices. After a couple of minutes add the garlic. Stir until the onion is translucent. About 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down the heat and let it gently simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and enjoy it.
4. Freeze any leftovers for another day.

To make this into a meal – add 1 cup barley, quinoa or brown rice. Cook for a little longer, say 30 minutes,  and add one and a half cups of water extra.

This soup comes courtesy of the Dietitians of Canada. Check out their website with some great diabetes-friendly recipes. This bowl of hearty goodness could be lunch or dinner. It freezes well for future meals on cold winter days.

Ingredients:

• 1lb of lean ground beef
•  1 onion – chopped
• 2 stalks celery – chopped
• 1 green pepper
• 28oz canned tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 1 can kidney beans – rinsed
• 1 can black beans – rinsed
• 2 cups corn kernels (frozen or canned)
• 2 tsps chilli powder
• 1 tsp each of cumin, oregano, paprika and garlic powder (or add what you have in your cupboard)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Brown the minced beef at low-medium heat. Drain off any fat.
2. Add the onions, celery and green pepper. Cook until soft
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add extra water if the soup seems too thick.
4. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add extra water as needed.