The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook by Jackie Newgent, RD – Learn to use natural products like honey, whole grains and olive oil so that your diet is rich in nutrients and flavor. The recipes here are easy to prepare while meeting all your diabetes health needs. Newgent has also included helpful information on topics like organic versus natural foods, tips for getting the most flavors from foods, cooking and baking, diabetic substitutes and seasonal menus to make diabetic meal planning a breeze.

Charting a Course to Wellness by Treena and Graham Kerr – This book belongs on every cook’s bookshelf! It has recipes for any time of the day, special occasions, and international cooking that can be cooked by anyone. There are pages of charts that help you determine what foods/eating preferences you may wish to try, and tips for making the best health-conscious choices. The book also includes the story of the Kerrs (you may remember the Galloping Gourmet TV series some years ago) and how they came to creating a cookbook that celebrates living with heart disease and diabetes rather than looking at the negatives.

Cooking with the Diabetic Chef by Chris Smith – As a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and a diabetic, Smith explains how to enjoy food and how to cook diabetes-friendly foods. He includes information on how to read/understand food labels, use herbs and spices and maintain the proper levels. The book is divided into spring, summer, fall and wintertime recipes, and includes full color photos of the recipes, dietary exchanges and flavor ideas to enhance the dishes.

The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle Cookbook by Bonnie House, Diana Fleming, Ph.D., LDN, Linda Brinegar, Linda Kennedy and Ian Blake Newman – For a vegan approach to diabetes management, this book is great. You will find countless recipes for meat-free meals that make it easy to plan an entire month’s worth of healthy eating. There are easy-to-follow instructions, carb-counting information, dietary exchanges and photos to make cooking with diabetes simple.

How Sweet it is…Without the Sugar by Jean C. Wade – From cakes and cookies to pastries, puddings and desserts of every kind, Wade has put together a cookbook designed with the diabetic in mind. You will find helpful information on flavorings, measurements, cooking basics and even decorating tips, as well as nutrition and dietary exchanges. So whether you are craving a slice of carrot cake,  a piece of strawberry pie or you simply want to wow your friends at your next gathering, you can’t go wrong with the recipes included here.

Diabetes cookbooks are vast and varied. You can find gourmet-style recipes to simple everyday fare. But whatever you cook, just be sure to enjoy yourself. Diabetes and eating doesn’t have to be boring. Get a few cookbooks and have fun experimenting—maybe you will become a diabetes cookbook author, too!

• Egg pasta dough
• 2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Works very nicely with whole wheat flour. This pancake recipe is so good, you won’t miss the sugar, and your family will be glad that you didn’t use a commercial mix!

• 2 cups buttermilk powder
• 8 cups flour (hard white wheat flour is best! Look for Prairie Gold.)
• 8 tsp baking powder
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• Combine all ingredients, blend well. Store in airtight container. Use within 6 months.

Buttermilk Waffles

• 1 cup buttermilk waffle mix
• 3/4 cups water
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup or more water
• 3/4 cups buttermilk pancake mix

Beat egg whites till stiff. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients and stir till blended. Fold in egg whites. Bake according to waffle maker instructions. Makes 2 large waffles. 1 carb exchange each.

Stir all ingredients together, thin with more water if needed. Cook on griddle. Makes about 3 pancakes, 1 carb exchange each. Serve with butter and sugarfree jam.

• 2 TBSP margarine
• 3 cups milk
• 3 TBSP whole wheat flour
• Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
• 1 lb California Style frozen vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots)
• Cooked, diced chicken (use pre-cooked, or canned), about 1 cup

Heat vegetables just to a boil, then remove from heat and drain. In a separate pot (while veggies are heating), start sauce. Melt margarine in pot on stove, then remove from heat. Add flour, stir till blended. Gradually add milk, blending well. Return to heat, and stir constantly until sauce is thickened and bubbly – it will not be extremely thick. Add pepper and parmesan cheese. Stir till blended. Add veggies and chicken. Serve over hot whole wheat noodles. Makes enough sauce for about 1/2 lb (dry weight) noodles.

To further reduce fat, you may use Molly McButter instead of margarine, but you will need to blend flour with a small amount of cold milk, then gradually add more milk to keep from lumping. Add Molly with the pepper.

This sauce does have some carbohydrate due to the milk and flour, but it is about 1/2 exchange per 1 cup of sauce with veggies and meat in it.

Serve over whole wheat fettucini or spaghetti noodles.

Fruit and Oatmeal Bars

Crumb Mixture:

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats1/2 cup applesauce
• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup Splenda
• 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Filling:
1/2 jar Smuckers Sugarfree Jam (Blackberry, Raspberry, Apricot, or Strawberry) – about 3/4 cup jam

Heat oven to 350 F.

For crumb mixture, in large mixer bowl combine all crumb mixture ingredients. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is crumbly, 1 to 2 minutes (may be more like stiff dough instead). Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture (you may need to add 1/2 cup flour to this to get it crumblier for topping). Press remaining crumb mixture into greased 13×9-inch baking pan.

For filling, spread jam to edge of crumb mixture – it will be fairly thin. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and coconut. Bake for 22 to 27 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Makes 12

Variation: Add 1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries, or chopped dried mixed berries, dried apples, or other dried fruit to the crust mixture. Use only 6 TBSP grape or blackberry jelly in the filling.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Peanuts optional

1 cup margarine
2-8 oz pkg cream cheese (do NOT use low fat it will taste nasty!)

Stir in:

1 cup cocoa
3 cups Splenda

Transfer to mixing bowl, add:

1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla
4 eggs

Stir then add:

2 1/2 cups flour (high altitude add 2 tbsp flour)
2 tsp baking powder

Stir till smooth, pour into greased 9×13 cake pan, bake 30-40 minutes, at 350°.

Optional: 1 cup nuts may be added.

Frosting
1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 cups Splenda
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Filling:
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese (low fat will NOT work!)
2/3 cup Splenda
2 TBSP flour
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup milk

Topping:
1 can sugarfree cherry pie filling

Crust – 400° oven for 7 min.
Cake – 300° oven for 55 min.

• 8 oz Neufchatel cheese
• 3 TBSP milk
• 1/3 cup Splenda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Flavoring of your choice

Blend ingredients together (cream cheese is best softened ahead of time). Add unsweetened cocoa to taste for chocolate, a tablespoon of lemon juice for lemon, or a teaspoon extra of vanilla. This results in a frosting that is cream cheese flavored, but which requires no sugar at all, and spreads easily on desserts. It does not taste extremely sweet like ordinary frosting though – you can add a bit more Splenda if you like, but too much will result in a chemically sweetened taste.