You Don't Have To Be Diabetic To Love This Cookbook...A Review

250 Amazing Dishes for People With Diabetes and Their Families and Friends

There was a time when the enjoyment of food accompanied by a diagnosis of diabetes meant a future of the bland and the tasteless. That is what Tom Valenti thought as well upon his diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. Like with most of us Tom's best memories of childhood, family and friendships have always been centrally rooted around the pleasure of great food. Food has always been such an important aspect of Tom's life that it carried over into his professional life as well, Tom is a chef.
This cookbook reminds me of the old saying; "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade". Well when life handed Tom a diagnosis of diabetes he made a feast, a feast for all of us to partake in. The title of this book could not be more perfect; "You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook"! This cookbook covers everything from breakfasts, snacks, soups, pasta (yes, I said pasta) and how about some nice creamy risotto. It seems like these days whether you are diabetic or not "Carbs" become the enemy. This cookbook will rekindle your friendship with "Carbs" in the most healthy and satisfying way. You'll be able to look desserts straight in the eye again with no pang of guilt whatsoever. How about "Mocha Pots de crème" with shaved bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream and strong brewed coffee, sounds heavenly.
The focus in this book is not on what you can't have but rather on all that you can have in the healthiest most pleasurable way possible for you and your body. Each recipe is broken down nutritionally per serving by calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, cholesterol, sugars and sodium.
The most important thing to all people when it comes to eating is flavor and I truly believe that with this cook book Tom has truly saved the best for last. Many of us don't realize while trying to add much needed flavor to our foods through the use of condiments; dressings, sauces, relishes and such the staggering amount of sugar, fat and sodium that is hidden in every little tablespoon that we use. In the last section of this book titled Condiments and Basics Tom covers a wide array of flavoring mediums that are not only concentrated with flavor but also low in fat, sugar and sodium. You will find everything from pesto's to salad dressings, herb purees, broths, relishes and some amazing salsa recipes. More than ever cooking to meet the dietary needs of our family and friends is essential. There was a time when you had to prepare different foods for different people all sitting around the same table a very frustrating and time consuming task. With this cookbook everyone with or without diabetes can partake in the same delicious foods with delight and the comfort of knowing that they have eaten good food that was good for them.
To all my readers out there who love great recipes this book is a must add to your every day use cookbook collection.

Here is just a taste of what you could be serving for dinner tonight:

Angel Hair Pasta
with shrimp scampi sauce

8 ounces of dried angel hair pasta
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil
8 large cloves of garlic very thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of dry white wine
1 pound large shrimp (about a dozen) peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta and let boil until al dente, about 5 minutes.

While the angel hair is cooking, heat the olive oil in a wide deep heavy bottomed pan over medium low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook to gently infuse the olive oil with flavor but not brown the garlic, about 4 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook, stirring, until firm and pink, about 3 minutes. Swirl in the butter to thicken and enrich the sauce.

Set aside a few tablespoons of the angel hair cooking water then drain the angel hair. Stir the angel hair cooking water into the pan with the shrimp to bind the sauce, then add the angel hair and toss to coat. Divide the angel hair among 6 bowls or plates. Scatter some parsley over each portion and serve.

This recipe serves 6

Calories per serving 389
Fat 19g
Saturated fat 5g
Trans Fat 0g
Total Carbohydrates 30g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 20g
Cholesterol 130mg
Sodium 115mg