Diabetic Living Summer 2019

Cucumber & Peach Salad

with Pepita Pesto

ACTIVE: 20 min. TOTAL: 20 min.

13g CARB

Cilantro and pumpkin seeds stand in

for traditional pesto ingredients in this

summery dish. Look for peaches in July

and August, when they are at their peak.

(Photo: p. 79.)

⅓    cup    unsalted    pepitas (see Tip)

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and

tender stems

½ cup fresh parsley leaves

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped

seeded jalapeño pepper

(½ small pepper)

1 medium clove garlic, quartered

½ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1½ English cucumbers, thinly sliced

(about 4½ cups)

3 peaches, quartered and sliced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. white-wine vinegar

1. Place pepitas in a food processor:
   pulse until coarsely chopped, about 10
   pulses. Add cilantro, parsley, lime juice,
   jalapeño, garlic, and salt; pulse until
   minced, about 20 pulses. With the pro-
   cessor running, stream in oil until just
   combined but still chunky.


2. Gently toss cucumbers, peaches, and
   scallions in a large bowl with the pesto
   mixture and vinegar until combined.

SERVES 6: 1½ cups each

CAL 128, CARB 13g (2g fiber, 8g sugars), FAT 8g (1g

sat. fat), PROTEIN 4g, CHOL 0mg, SODIUM 201mg,

POTASSIUM 388mg.

TIP: Pepitas are pumpkin seeds, but they

differ from the seeds you scrape out

of your Halloween pumpkin: they come

from certain varieties of pumpkins that

produce seeds without a tough outer

hull. You can find pepitas in bulk bins

in natural-foods stores and large su-

permarkets, and online at nuts.com and

elsewhere.

Greek Chicken & Cucumber
Pita Sandwiches

ACTIVE: 45 min. TOTAL: 13 hrs. (includes
1 hour marinating time)
TO MAKE AHEAD: Refrigerate yogurt sauce
(Step 2) for up to 2 days.
33g CARB

Cucumbers do double duty in this recipe,
grated to lend a refreshing flavor to the
quick cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced
to provide cool crunch tucked into the pita.

1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or
1 tsp. dried
2¾ tsp. minced garlic, divided
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 lb. chicken tenders
1 English cucumber, halved,
seeded and grated, plus
½ English cucumber, halved
and sliced
½ tsp. salt, divided
¾ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp. chopped fresh mint
2 tsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. ground pepper
2 6½-inch whole-wheat pita
breads, halved
4 lettuce leaves
½ cup sliced red onion
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes

1. Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, 3 tsp.
   oil, oregano, 2 tsp. garlic, and crushed red
   pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and
   toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator
   for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.


2. Meanwhile, toss grated cucumber
   with ¼ tsp. salt in a fine-mesh sieve.
   Let drain for 15 minutes, then squeeze
   to release more liquid. Transfer to a
   medium bowl. Stir in yogurt, mint, dill,
   ground pepper, and the remaining 2 tsp.
   oil, ¾ tsp. garlic, and ¼ tsp. salt. Refrig-
   erate until ready to serve.


3. Preheat grill to medium-high.


4. Oil the grill rack (see Tip, p. 69). Grill the
   chicken until an instant-read thermome-
   ter inserted in the center registers 165°F,
   3 to 4 minutes per side.


5. To serve, spread some of the sauce
   inside each pita half. Tuck in the chicken,
   lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, and sliced
   cucumber.

SERVES 4: 1 stuffed pita half each
CAL 353, CARB 33g (6g fiber, 6g sugars), FAT 9g
(1g sat. fat), PROTEIN 37g, CHOL 58mg, SODIUM
559mg, POTASSIUM 459mg.

Thai-Inspired Pork & Rice

Noodles with Cucumbers

ACTIVE: 40 min. TOTAL: 40 min.

38g CARB

This sauce is made of just 3 ingredients:

honey, fish sauce, and store-bought chili-

garlic sauce, which you can find in the Asian

aisle of many grocery stores. (Photo: p. 81.)

4 tsp. honey

1    Tbsp.  fish    sauce

1 Tbsp. chili-garlic sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. thin boneless pork chops,

trimmed and cut into ¼-inch

strips

6 scallions, sliced, white and

green parts separated

1½ Tbsp. minced fresh garlic

1½ Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

¼ tsp. ground pepper

½ 8-oz. package vermicelli

rice noodles

1 small English cucumber, thinly

sliced (about 2 cups)

1½ cups fresh bean sprouts

1 cup julienned or shredded

carrot

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus

more for garnish

2 Tbsp. lime juice, plus wedges

for serving

1. Combine honey, fish sauce, and chili-
   garlic sauce in a small bowl.


2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or
   wok over medium heat. Add pork, scallion
   whites, garlic, ginger, and pepper; cook, stir-
   ring occasionally, until the pork is no longer
   pink, about 3 minutes.


3. Add the honey mixture, stirring and
   scraping up any browned bits from the
   bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medi-
   um-low; continue cooking until the pork is
   just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
   Remove from heat.


4. Cook rice noodles according to package
   directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking wa-
   ter, then drain the noodles.


5. Add the noodles to the pork. Add cucum-
   ber, bean sprouts, carrots, mint, cilantro,
   lime juice, and scallion greens; toss to coat.
   Stir in the reserved cooking water, ¼ cup at
   a time, until the mixture is saucy and loose.


6. Divide the pork and noodle mixture
   among 4 bowls and garnish with cilantro, if
   desired. Serve with lime wedges.

SERVES 4: 2 cups each

CAL 375, CARB 38g (4g fiber, 12g sugars), FAT 13g

(3g sat. fat), PROTEIN 25g, CHOL 57mg, SODIUM

495mg, POTASSIUM 646mg.

SUMMER 2019 / DI ABETIC LI VING 85

Nourish: IN SEASON CUCUMBERS