Jul 16 2008
Tomorrow’s Lunch: Fish Stew
The only thing worse than dieting is feeling like your dieting. I know that the minute I was told that I’d have to change what I ate, I began to think of all the foods I enjoyed and putting big red X’s across them. Panic began to set in as I wondered if I’d spend the rest of my days sustained on nothing but broccoli and chasing it with water.
Fortunately, one of the benefits of the modern era is that we have access to a huge number of options when it comes to food. Living in America, we have access to ingredients from all over the world and the combined recipes of nearly every culture in existence. There are an abundance of options to help re-train your taste buds to crave new flavors and foods that fit within the strictures of a low or no sugar diet.
I talked about cinnamon yesterday. Most of us probably don’t think of it as a seasoning for main dishes, relegating it to the desert cart. The following is a recipe may change your mind.
I became fond of it before I was diagnosed but it works well on my new menu:
Caribbean Fish Stew
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
6 cups water
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed
3 ounces dry pasta
salt to taste
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Your going to want a pretty sizable pot for this and the pot should be the only cooking vessel you need. Crank your stove to medium heat and sauté the garlic and onions in the olive oil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Toss in the water, tomatoes (with the liquid) parsley and cilantro and bring it up to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, bring it back down to low and let it sit uncovered for 15 minutes.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, paprika and fish. Up the heat back to minimum and let it go for 10 minutes or so. Lastly, add the pasta, salt and pepper and give it another 8 minutes or until the pasta is to your liking. The above portions should serve about 6.
Now you may be asking why I’m putting up a recipe that involves pasta as pasta is carbs and carbs is sugar and sugar is what diabetics are trying to avoid. Well, as it so happens they do make low carb pasta. The brand I use does some wonderful kitchen magic where in the 3 ounces need for this will only give up 7-8 grams of carbs.
Still, if you would prefer, you can dump this ingredient in favor of something else. Also, read the label on your Worcestershire sauce to make sure it’s okay with your dietary restrictions. Also, if cod is not making your heart go pitter pat, discuss options with your local fishmonger and they should be able to suggest a good substitute.
Don’t just diet… experiment.
Where I got this recipe
My brand of Lo Carb Pasta
Oh, that sounds yummy. I may try it and I’m not even diabetic. I forwared it to my Bear, too