Kosher Diabetic Food's....of love

I wanted to share an email I received from a new friend Shlomo Juster. I did cause me to give his question some kitchen time.

Dear DC,

I am a diabetic of long standing and live in Israel. I use insulin twice a day. I am 78 years old (not bad). However, I feel it is never too late (unless you're dead, of course) to try improving your situation.

My problem is that we keep kosher. This is no problem if we aren't eating meat. Do you have any recipes that would be appropriate for a kosher table? Assuming (a dangerous exercise) that you are not experienced with this situation - it would simply mean that the meat would have to be kosher (no pig meat) and could not be mixed with dairy (coq au vin, for example). I apologize if I am being too simplistic.

Thank you for any and all suggestions.

Shlomo Juster

For those not up to speed on just what does Kosher mean...heres a little info.

Kosher food is food that meets Jewish dietary laws, or kashrut, which comes from the Hebrew word for "fit" or"proper." Any food can be called kosher food if it adheres to Jewish law, or halacha. Conversely, foods typically labeled as "Jewish" aren't necessarily kosher.

According to the Torah (also known as the five books of Moses, the Old Testament, or the Pentateuch) cloven hoofed, cud-chewing mammals are kosher. Deer, sheep and goats, for example are all kosher, while pig and rabbit, for example, are not.

Only certain birds are considered kosher in the United States. This includes chicken, duck, goose, and turkey.

Lobster lovers might be dismayed to find that for seafood or fish to be kosher, it must have fins and easily removable scales. Shellfish generally, and lobsters, shrimp, and clams, specifically are not kosher.

Fish, on the other hand, such as Tuna and herring, are kosher, but only if they are prepared by a kosher fish monger with kosher cutting implements and machines. There's more. In most cases, scales must be present on the fish in order to be purchased by the consumer.
Fish and meat cannot be served together.

There are many other rules to be followed for anything to be considered kosher food. To make identification easier on the consumer, kosher food is often identified as such by its kashrut certification on the food's package. Kashrut certification is generally indicated by an identifiable symbol that includes the letter K, or by the wordpareve, which means the food is neither dairy nor meat, but rather neutral.

SOME RECIPES OF LOVE

Chef Robert's Salmon Skewers of Love

Salmon is truly a fish for all seasons. It can be prepared in so many tasty ways, and this is one of my favorites. Baked or grilled, the light marinade makes this dish unforgettable. It's easy and quick to prepare, but your friends will think you cooked all day.

Ingredients

2 medium-size fresh salmon filets
2 Tbsp fresh garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh basil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 red pepper
2 green peppers
1 red onion
1 large Portobello mushroom
4 bamboo skewers

Directions

Skin salmon and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Mix garlic, oil, basil and lemon juice in a bowl. Combine with salmon and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place skewers in cold water for 10 minutes before building the skewers. (This will keep them from burning.)

Alternate peppers, onions, mushrooms, and salmon on skewers.

Place on a hot grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning often, or place on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Nutrition at a Glance (per serving)

Calories 226
Total fat 26.5g
Carbohydrate 9.31g
Protein 40

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Chef Robert's Mediterranean Chicken of Love

If you've ever traveled to Greece, you know all about the healthy eating habits of the locals. This dish is a rich and full-flavored sample of their cuisine, heavy with aromas from the Mediterranean.

The tender chicken, garlic, and tomatoes create a delicious combination that your friends and family will not soon forget, and it's just as good if you substitute shrimp for the chicken. This recipe is easy to prepare… and remember, it was made with love!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
3 roma tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon oregano
10 pitted kalamata or black pitted olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced chicken and sautè about 4 to 6 minutes, until golden. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Sautè garlic in pan drippings for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and sautè for 3 minutes. Lower heat, add white wine, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add oregano, rosemary, and basil, and simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Return chicken to skillet and cover. Cook over low heat until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add olives and parsley to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Servings: 4

Nutrition at a Glance (per serving)

Calories 336
Total fat 17.75g
Carbohydrate 4.92g
Protein 34.58g

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Teriyaki Salmon with Scallion

Ingredients

4 6-ounce center-cut salmon filets, skin on
1 cup teriyaki sauce
3 bunches scallions

Directions

Remove any bones from the salmon and discard. Place salmon in a bowl or shallow casserole. Cover with the teriyaki sauce. Marinate for 20 min.

Meanwhile, trim roots from the scallions. Trim 2 bunches of scallions so that each scallion has only 1 inch of green. Place the trimmed scallions in a non-stick skillet with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook until scallions are soft (about 5 minutes). Keep warm.

Remove the salmon from the marinade. Reserve marinade. Season each salmon filet with fresh cracked pepper. Heat 1 large non-stick skillet until very hot. Put the salmon skin-side up in the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. Turn over and cook for 3-6 minutes.

The salmon will start to flake when done.

Finely dice remaining scallions so you have 1/2 cup. Add to the reserved marinade. Add marinade and 1/4 cup water to the salmon. Heat for 1-2 minutes, until well coated. Serve with the boiled scallions.

Servings: 4

Nutrition at a Glance (per serving)

Calories 370
Total fat 17.7g
Carbohydrate 8.9g
Sugar 8.4g
Protein 38.4g

Taste for Life:

Recipes for eating and living better from “The Happy Diabetic”

We’re changing the way you eat one recipe at a time.

About Winelibrary TV my favorite BLOG on the planet!

Hello everyone and welcome to Happy Diabetic TV, I'm your host Chef Robert Lewis The Happy Diabetic and this is the internets most delicious cooking show.

If you don't know or have not heard about Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY NER CHUK), the star of Wine Library TV...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?? If you love wine, want to learn about wine, as gary say's this is the internets most passionate wine program!

What motivates this revolution, you ask? Our movement seeks to break down the barriers, stereotypes, and misperceptions that otherwise prevent people from exploring and enjoying the exciting and rewarding world of wine. Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY NER CHUK), the star of Wine Library TV, is Director of Operations at Wine Library in Springfield, NJ. With his unconventional, often irreverent commentary on wine, Gary has attracted a cult-like following of more than 80,000 viewers a day. In the name of “expanding one’s palate”, Gary convinced Conan O’Brien to lick salted rocks and shared samples of dirt and grass with Ellen Degeneres.

He routinely pans popular wines (even ones sold by Wine Library). He interrupts his webcasts with rants about his beloved New York Jets. This is not your typical wine expert.

Taste for Life:

Recipes for eating and living better from “The Happy Diabetic”

We’re changing the way you eat one recipe at a time.

Check it out.... Late Night with Conan

OR....

What Wine Pairs With Cereal? – Episode #734

Abbott summer e-Mag- Hot off the press sort of....

I just wanted to let you know that the Abbott summer e-Mag will be live today! You can view the Happy Diabetic at:
www.MyFreeStyle.com/emag
Thanks for your support!

Chef Robert

Diabetic tv 10

Kabobs of Love!

Kabobs...Kabab no matter how you spell it, it spells Awesome food of LOVE!

Their is no better way to grill and keep portion control "in control".
Typically, a kabob is made by skewering pieces of meat and or vegetables and then pan frying or grilling them. Kabobs are awesome and very flexible. Kabobs are also sometimes called brochettes, in a reference to the French word for “skewer.” Brochettes are often offered as appetizers, and they may be served hot or cold.

In the Middle East, it is important to distinguish between kabob or kebab and shish kebab. In Turkish, kebab merely means “roasted meat,” and there are a number of variations of roasted meat served in Turkish society, including Döner kebab. When meat is roasted on a skewer or shish, it is known as shish kebab. In the West, the “shish” is usually dropped, although some people may refer to making shish kebabs.

The base of a traditional kabob is meat, which is marinated in salt, pepper, garlic, oil, and sometimes other spices as well. Lamb is a popular choice in the Middle East, as is beef. Pork is never used, because of dietary restrictions. Some cooks may also marinate vegetables, especially onions and peppers, along with the meat.
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Slathered with olive oil and lots of crushed garlic, this delicious, easy-to-make grilled shrimp recipe has all the authentic flavor of a dish from a Spanish tapas bar.

Grilled it up Lemon Garlic Shrimp Kabobs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. large uncooked fresh shrimps, peeled
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove garlic, finely chopped or minced

In a large bowl, combine the parsley, lemon juice, and pepper. Mix in the peeled shrimp, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Mix in the olive oil and finely chopped garlic.
Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and stir them into the garlic sauce until they are well coated.

Separate the shrimp into four even piles. Using long grilling skewers, place the shrimps onto the skewers until they are almost full.
Grill the kabobs on your hot preheated grill for 7 to 10 minutes, turning them over every 2 minutes. Approximately 5 minutes into your grilling time, brush the kabobs with the remaining garlic sauce. They will be done cooking once the shrimps turn pink. Remove them from the skewers before serving.

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Turkish Chicken Kababs
This is a great and flavorful kabab. Hope you like it.
Ingredients:

chicken breasts,1,pound,boneless,skinless
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 clove minced garlic
ground black pepper
green pepper or yellow oe red or...some of each diced or sliced
onions in 1 inch pieces
skewers,,, for grilling

Combine oil, lemon, cinnamon, garlic, salt and pepper. Remove all fat and membrane from chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes and combine with marinade.( refrigerate 2-3 hours )

Let stand at room temp 30 min before grilling. Thread skewers with chicken, onions and peppers. Grill or broil until golden, do not overcook, serve with pita.

That's it, simple and tasty!

Taste for Life:

Recipes for eating and living better from “The Happy Diabetic”

We’re changing the way you eat one recipe at a time.

The Perfect Pairings For Your Not So Typical Summer Meal

Are you a seasonal wine drinker?
I’ve recently been asked to become a part of the wine review and discussion site Cork’d.com—something I was quite honored by (again, thank you Gary for the opportunity!). It is part of the Gary Vaynerchuk Wine Liberty TV family!




With summer here, we always talk about what wines to pair with this hot season of the year. And while light, fun, crisp whites and easy-drinking fruity reds are normally the go-to during these next few months, at some point you have to sit down and switch it up a little. A long day out in the sun makes for a hungry, thirsty individual that just needs some gastronomic pleasure. Enter Italian comfort food – more specifically pasta!

Now we can go many different directions with this versatile grain. We can mix it with red sauce, meat sauce, and white sauce; with chicken, sausage, or various vegetables and oils. Pasta is filling, and when you want to lay back, relax, and replenish your system with carbs, it presents some awesome wine pairing options.
Below are some familiar Italian dishes along with the perfectly paired wine pick. Let the summer breeze blow and the good wine flow.

Scene One (not pasta but a great way to get ready for some):
The dish: An appetizer of prosciutto and melon
Ingredients: unadulterated! Cured ham and ripe summer melon
The wine: Here is a really fun and light appetizer that brings together sweet and salty, all wrapped into a delicious way to wet your palate. Like any good meal should start, some sort of bubbly will be in order. The Italian Brachetto d’acqui is one of my favorite ways to kick off a meal; awesomely delicious and a touch of sweetness. Good acidity and low alcohol here will go perfectly with the melon and most certainly will hold up to the procuitto. If you have any leftover after your first course (which is doubtful) it makes for a great after dinner drink too... [Read the rest at Cork'd]


Scene Three try this!

The dish: Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli instead try whole wheat pasta with fresh veggies and and pesto.
Ingredients: Whole wheat pasta, chicken breast, broccoli. Generally the sauce includes fresh pesto, shallot,parmesan, salt, pepper and garnishes.

The Garden Grows...

On May 16th I bloged about my herbs and tomatoes. Well... look at them now.

Tarragon,Mint


















The Basil looking good!












Oregano, Stevia, Cilantro




















Roma Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Heirloom from Italy