Food & Fitness
Recipes
Roasted Pepper and Cherry Tomato Salsa
NO sodium, great taste salsa. Serve with baked pita wedges and marinated chicken enchilladas with black beans.
This recipe was originally published in Diabetes Forecast Magazine.
Serves 28; Serving size: 2 Tbsp.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes (includes the cooling time for the peppers)
Ingredients
2 medium red peppers
1 medium yellow pepper
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 red onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar or fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Place the whole red and yellow peppers directly on an open stove flame. With long-handled tongs, keep turning the peppers until most of the skin has blackened. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool.
- Alternative method 1: Cut the peppers in half, and remove the seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers, skin side up, under an oven broiler, about 4 to 5 inches from the heat source. Broil the peppers until they are blackened. Place the peppers in a bowl, and cool as above.
- Alternative method 2: Cook the whole peppers on an outdoor charcoal or gas grill. Place the peppers directly on a grill rack that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Set the heat to medium high. Cover the grill. Using long-handled tongs, keep checking the peppers by turning them to make sure all sides have blackened. Cool as above.
- Once the peppers have cooled enough that they can be handled, remove them from the bowl. Peel off the charred skin with your fingers, using a paper towel for assistance. Don’t worry about removing every bit of skin.
- Discard the seeds and chop the peppers into a medium dice. Add them to a medium bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and let sit for about 1 hour.
Nutrition Information
Exchanges/Choices:
Free food
Calories 10
Calories From Fat 0
Total Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 0 mg (without added salt)
Total Carbohydrate 2 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 0 g
Not all recipes presented here are necessarily appropriate for all people with diabetes, nor will all recipes fit into every meal plan. No two meal plans are alike. Work with your health care provider, diabetes educator or dietitian to design a meal plan that's right for you, and includes the foods you love. A key message for people with diabetes is "Carbs Count." Foods high in carbs (carbohydrates) -- bread, tortillas, rice, crackers, cereal, fruit, juice, milk, yogurt, potatoes, corn, peas, sweets -- raise your blood glucose levels the most.
For many people, having 3 or 4 servings of a carb choice at each meal and 1 or 2 servings at snacks is about right. Keep an eye on your total number of servings. For example, if you choose to have dessert, cut back on potatoes.
Round out your meals with a serving of:
- Meat (such as fish or chicken) or meat substitute (such as beans, eggs, cheese, and tofu) about the size of a deck of cards and
- Non-starchy vegetables (such as broccoli or lettuce). If you have three (3) or more servings of non-starchy vegetables, count them as a carbohydrate choice. Three (3) servings is equal to 1 1/2 cups of cooked vegetables, or three (3) cups of raw vegetables.
Check your blood glucose to see how your food choices or these recipes affect your blood glucose. If your meal plan isn't working for you, talk to your dietitian about making a new one.
Along with exercise and medications (insulin or oral diabetes pills), nutrition is important for good diabetes management. By eating well-balanced meals in the correct amounts, you can keep your blood glucose level as close to normal (non-diabetes level) as possible.
The recipes on this page are only a part of what is offered in recipe books from the American Diabetes Association. Many also include information on meal planning, portion control, food buying and seasoning, as well as general cooking hints and tips for people with diabetes.
