Cookbook Review: Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking

Whether you have diabetes or not, you will love the healthy, easy-to-prepare recipes in Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking. I don't have diabetes, but it runs in my family and I have several friends with the disease. I learned long ago that a diabetic diet is a very healthful way of eating, and in fact one of the best ways to prevent ever developing diabetes is to follow the principles that apply to a diabetic diet on a regular basis.

One of the biggest difficulties for an individual with diabetes or any other condition that requires a special diet relates to having to give up sharing meals with their families and friends. The tasty recipes in Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking are so good that it will be easy to prepare foods that everyone in the household will eat, and everyone will probably be better off for it. There are so many simple and delicious recipes in this book that you could easily prepare all of the meals for your family for a month without using any other resource.

As an added advantage, the recipes in Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking are designed with the needs of busy families in mind. The dishes use ingredients that you probably already have on your pantry shelves, or can easily find on your next trip to the supermarket. To me, the greatest benefit is that each of the 250 recipes in the book can be prepared in thirty minutes or less. I love to cook, but am still always looking for ways to save time in the kitchen!

What is Unique to Diabetic Recipes?

The diabetic recipes in Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking simply follow the principles of good, healthy eating. Diabetics benefit eating a low fat, fiber-rich diet that is low in refined sugar and heavily processed foods, and so do the rest of us!

Diabetic Recipes Feature

• Beans
• Fresh fruits
• Fresh veggies
• Low-fat dairy
• Lean protein sources (meat, poultry, and fish)
• Whole grains

My Favorite Recipes from Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking

There are so many great recipes in this book that it can be difficult to pinpoint just a few favorites. Out of the ones I have tried so far, here are two that are destined to become go-to items in my household:

Mediterranean Layered Spread

If you love Greek food, you will fall in love with this super dip that doesn't require cooking. It's a delicious concoction made from hummus, fresh baby spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, reduced-fat feta cheese, and black olives. This recipe alone is worth the price of the book! When you make it, try it with pita chips.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

It's no surprise that Baton Rouge, LA resident Clegg includes several Cajun style recipes in Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking. Since my husband is from New Orleans and loves all things spicy (especially gumbo), this is one of the first things I tried. This lighter take on traditional gumbo is delicious. The recipe taught me a special trick for reducing fat in this dish by replacing the traditional roux gumbo base with browned flower. I had to add extra cayenne pepper to make my husband happy, but for anyone else the recipe is likely to be perfect exactly the way it is written.

Try for Yourself

Visit Holly's website for a free preview of some of the great recipes you'll find in this book.

Trim & Terrific Series

Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cooking is one of several books in Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Series.

Other titles include:

• Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Home Entertaining the Easy Way
• The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook
• Trim & Terrific Freezer Friendly Meals
• Eating Well Through Cancer (with Dr. Gerald Miletello, a noted oncologist)