Diabetic Mediterranean Diet

These recipes are from Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes.

Day 2

Breakfast:  Mexican Eggs and Avocado

3 large eggs (50 g each)

1 tbsp (14 g or 15 ml) butter

½ cup (120 ml) Pico de Gallo a la Rosa (see below)

1 California avocado (135 g), peeled, seeded, and sliced

salt and pepper

Sauté eggs in butter. Top with ½ cup Pico de Gallo a la Rosa (see Special Recipes). May substitute for Pico de Gallo: any serving of commercial picante sauce with no more than 3 g of digestible carb (digestible carb grams = total carb grams in serving minus fiber grams in serving). Salt and pepper to taste. Digestible carb grams: 7.

PICO DE GALLO A LA ROSA

This is a great garnish for several other foods, such as steak and hamburger.

6 oz (170 g) tomatoes

2 oz (56 g) onion

1 jalapeno pepper (14 g)

3–4 tbsp (2 g) cilantro

salt

Chop all vegetables very finely. Use the entire jalapeno, including seeds, but not the stem. If you prefer less spicy heat, use less jalapeno and discard the seeds. Combine all ingredients after chopping. Salt to taste. Eat at room temperature, chilled, or heated at medium heat in a saucepan (about 5 minutes, until jalapenos lose their intense green color). Makes 1.25 cups.

Nutrient Analysis:

Recipe makes about three servings of ½ cup (120 ml) each. One serving has 80 calories, 4 g carb, 1 g fiber, 3 g digestible carb, 1 g protein, minimal fat. 83% of calories are from carbohydrate, 10% from protein, 7% from fat.

Lunch:  Tuna Salad Over Lettuce, with Walnuts

1 large egg (50 g)

3 oz (85 g) romaine lettuce

5-oz can of white albacore tuna packed in water (drain and discard the fluid)

½ oz (14 g) onion, diced (about 2 tbsp)

8-inch stalk (40 g or 20-cm stalk) of celery, diced

2 tbsp (30 ml) Miracle Whip Dressing or regular mayonnaise

salt and pepper

dash of lemon (optional)

1 oz (28 g) walnuts

Hard-boil a large egg, then peel and dice. Drain liquid off a 5-ounce can of white albacore tuna (net 3.5 oz or 100 g of fish); empty tuna into bowl. To bowl, add diced egg, diced onion, diced celery, and Miracle Whip Dressing or regular mayonnaise. Mix all together, with salt and pepper and/or a dash of lemon to taste. Place on bed of romaine lettuce. Enjoy walnuts around mealtime. Digestible carb grams: 9.

Dinner:  Baked Trout with Snow Peas (sugar snap peas)

7 tbsp (100 g) extra virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves (15 g), diced

1.5 tbsp (6 g) raw parsley, chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) salt

1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper

¾ fl oz (22 g or ml) lemon juice

4 leaves (1.5 g) fresh basil, chopped

16 oz (450 g) fresh trout

6 oz (170 g) snow peas (sugar snap peas)

5 oz (150 ml) white wine

This recipe provides two large servings of fish and two servings of snow peas.

In a glass or plastic bowl, mix 5 tbsp (70 g) of the extra virgin olive oil, 3 of the diced garlic cloves (9 g), the chopped raw parsley, salt, black pepper, the lemon juice, and the chopped basil. This is your marinade.

Place fresh trout filets in a medium sized (8–9″ or 20–23 cm diameter) glass baking dish, then cover with marinade. Let sit in refrigerator for 1–2 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Pull fish dish out of refrigerator once you start the preheat process. Cover glass dish with aluminum foil, then bake in oven for 20–40 minutes. Cooking time depends on your oven and the thickness of the fish. Thin filets about 1/2″ (1.25 cm) thick may be done in 20–25 minutes. Thicker fish (1″ or 2.5 cm)) may take 30–45 minutes. This is a judgment call. When done, it should flake apart readily with a fork. This works well for trout, salmon, cod, tilapia, and perhaps others. Consider squeezing fresh lemon juice on cooked fish for extra zing.

Now the snow peas. Snap off and discard both tips of the snow pea pods. Sauté 2 diced garlic cloves (6 g) in olive oil over medium heat until soft, perhaps a couple minutes. To the pan add the snow peas. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir snow peas often, if not continuously, while cooking over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Enjoy 5 oz (150 ml) white wine with your meal. Digestible carb grams in wine and half the fish, half the snow peas: 11.