Nourish
SAMOAN twist
As summer approaches, we bring you three recipes that can be whipped up in no time. These recipes definitely aren’t traditional – instead we are giving these traditional meals a Samoan influence.
Our recipes are always checked over by our dietitian. She not only provides us with our nutrition information panel but also advises on the healthiest ingredients to use. Sometimes this will mean swapping out an ingredient or cutting down on salt, sugar, or oils. All this is in order to provide our readers with not only tasty but healthy recipes, suitable for those with diabetes.
A WORD FROM OUR DIETITIAN
‘I used these recipes to teach my new diet assistant about delicious diabetes-friendly food. Many people when they hear diabetes think it is ‘all about the sugar’. Instead, we think about the whole and aim for less saturated fat, salt, and sugar. I would like to thank the people I worked with in South Auckland and the dietitians I know for helping me modify some original recipes. This is an example of the whakataukī, “Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri” (with your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive) in action.’
COCONUT RICE WITH WATERMELON JELLY TOPPING SERVES 5
This dessert has a rice pudding base and a fruity jelly tip. Although the recipe calls for watermelon, I used frozen strawberries as, at the time of print, it wasn’t quite watermelon season yet, so I couldn’t find any in the shops. A squeeze or two of lime just before serving adds a lovely tropical zing. 1 cup of short grain white rice 2 cups of water ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp of brown sugar ½ cup light coconut milk ½ cup of trim milk
TOPPING 1 cup watermelon flesh, pulped to a juice 1½ tsp gelatine (use agar if it needs to be vegetarian) ¼ cup boiling water
Mix all ingredients together, simmer, stirring occasionally until rice is well cooked and crushes with a spoon (around 30 minutes).
While rice is cooked, dissolve the gelatine in the boiling water. Stir mixture into the pulped fruit. Spoon half-cup servings of rice into individual serving cups. Allow to cool slightly, then pour over watermelon jelly mix and allow to set for an hour in the refrigerator.
PER SERVE: ENERGY 685kJ (164kcal) | PROTEIN 4.5g | FAT 2g (SAT FAT 1.7g) | CARBS 31.2g (SUGAR 3.8g) | FIBRE 0.8g | SODIUM 247mg
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Summer 2023
