Food / 25 January, 2023 / My Baba

Delicious Low Carb Recipes Perfect For Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes/ low-carb food blogger Emma Porter is a passionate cook and food writer. In this feature, Emma shares three low carb recipes from her new book, The Low-Carb Diabetes Cookbook, written with renowned diabetes expert Dr David Cavan. These recipes are perfect for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, to show you how you can eat with easy, quick recipes that are healthy for all the family.

Sweet potato and kale rosti with baked eggs

I created this a few years ago and it has since become one of the most popular recipes on my blog; it’s also one of my favourites to make on a Saturday morning for guests. It’s bright, vibrant and packed with flavour and texture, as well as protein and all the vital vitamins and nutrients. Quick, simple and only one pan needed – perfect for slicing and sharing.

• serves 4
• preparation 10 minutes
• cooking time 12-15 minutes

Nutritional information (per serving)

• Calories 181
• Total fat 7g
• Carbs 23g
• Protein 9g

Ingredients

• 230g sweet potato, peeled 1 tsp coconut oil or butter
• 240g red onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 2 large handfuls of kale, chopped
• 4 large eggs juice of ½ lime
• cracked black pepper
• a small handful of coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish
• dried chilli flakes, to taste (optional)

Method

1. Using a food processor fitted with the ‘grating’ attachment, coarsely grate the sweet potato – you can use a box grater instead, but you will need plenty of elbow grease!
2. Melt the coconut oil or butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high Add the grated sweet potato and fry for 2–3 minutes until it softens. Add the red onion and garlic and fry for a further 3–4 minutes until the onion softens and is translucent
3. Add the salt and place the kale on top of the vegetables, letting the leaves steam a little before mixing them You will be amazed at how much the volume of kale reduces and how quickly!
4. Firmly press the mix down and reduce the heat to medium, to avoid the bottom
5. Crack the eggs on top and leave to cook through for 6–7
6. You can finish the dish off under the grill if you like a crisp top – I don’t usually do this, however, as I prefer my yolks
7. Once everything is cooked through, drizzle the lime juice over the dish, scatter over the chopped coriander to garnish and add some cracked black pepper and dried chilli to taste, if you like
8. Serve immediately or allow to cool, then slice up and enjoy when ready

Pesto and Param ham pizza

This is a one-pan recipe that is ever so simple to make and one of the lowest-carb pizza recipes you are ever likely to find! It is one recipe that will certainly get your taste buds talking, a pesto-flavoured pizza base with delicious gooey cheese on top. It tastes so naughty, but when you look at the ingredients you realise it’s only full of natural goodness. And at the end of the day, anything this green has to be good, right?! I usually slice it up for eating on the go – it’s packed with far more flavour than your usual cheese sandwich.

• serves 4
• preparation time 15 minutes
• cooking time 15 minutes

Nutritional information (per serving)

• calories 312
• total fat 23g
• carbs 9g
• protein 19g

For the pesto:

• 50g spinach leaves
• 30g basil leaves, plus extra to serve
• 50g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the pizza:

• 2 tbsp water
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 15g coconut flour
• 100g grated mozzarella
• 4 Parma ham slices
• 6 baby tomatoes,
• halved cracked black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the grill, or if you have an ovenproof frying pan, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark
2. First, make the pesto. Place the spinach, basil, pistachios, garlic and salt into a food processor and pulse Add the olive oil a little at a time and blitz until the mixture is thick and creamy. If it is too thick for your liking, do add a little more oil. You will probably have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides.
3. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and add the water and eggs and beat together until fully. Now add the coconut flour a little at a time (you don’t want any lumps!) and mix in until everything is blended together.
4. Over a medium heat, pour the mixture into a non- stick frying pan until it evenly covers the bottom of the pan (grease the pan it if it’s not non-stick). Cook for 6 minutes, until you can see the edges lifting a little. You should be able to lift the pizza a little with a spatula to see if the bottom’s cooking.
5. Transfer the pan to the grill or the oven and cook for 5 minutes then carefully remove the pan and scatter the mozzarella, Parma ham, tomato halves and some cracked black pepper over the pizza base. Place back under the grill or into the oven for about 3 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and golden on top and the tomatoes are softening.
6. Garnish with some basil leaves, slice up and enjoy! Alternatively, allow to cool before transferring to a plate, covering and keeping in the fridge until required.

Light chocolate orange pots

This is an incredibly indulgent, creamy chocolate mousse. It is perfect for rounding off a feast with family or friends. It takes just minutes to make but needs a little forward-planning as the coconut milk needs to sit in the fridge overnight and the mousse requires at least five hours to set. You only need small portions as it has an intense flavour. If you think it will taste too ‘coconutty’, think again – this recipe has been tested on many people and no one has ever identified coconut as an ingredient. Try to use coconut milk that only contains the milk itself and water, avoiding those with additives. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and chopped, toasted hazelnuts.

• serves 4
• preparation 15 minutes
• fridge overnight for coconut milk plus at least 5 hours to set

Nutritional information (per pot)

• Calories 204
• Total fat 18g
• Carbs 9g
• Protein 3g

Method

1. Pop the tin of coconut milk in the fridge
2. Remove the tin from the fridge and do not shake. Open the tin and scoop out the coconut cream which will have separated from the liquid and settled at the top of the tin. Pop it into a bowl. You need 150g of coconut cream, so if you have less add some of the water from the tin. Whisk together well. Discard the remaining coconut liquid.
3. Fill a small pan with 5cm depth of water and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, then carefully place a heatproof bowl over the pan and add the chocolate pieces and melt for a minute or two, stirring regularly. Once melted, remove the bowl from the pan.
4. Add the coconut cream, whisking regularly until fully combined. You will notice that the mixture will turn from a light brown colour to a deeper brown and thicken as you whisk.
5. Stir in the orange zest and thoroughly
6. Place equal-sized servings of the chocolate mixture into 4 small ramekins or small pots and pop into the fridge to set for at least 5 hours.