The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook by Barbara Seeig-Brown

October is National Seafood Month, so what better time to tell you about a great cookbook featuring delicious seafood recipes. The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook: Fresh, Healthy, Low-Fat Cooking by Barbara Seelig-Brown is chock-full of recipes you’ll want to cook again and again, whether you or a loved one is diabetic or not. As a matter of fact, we’d all be a lot better off if we started eating more healthy foods such as the ones in this cookbook. Then, perhaps we’ll never have to hear a doctor tell us we’re diabetic. Words none of us ever want to hear.

From the Introduction:
We all know that we should incorporate more fish into our diet. It is low in fat, high in protein, and contains valuable vitamins and minerals, as well as omega-3 oils, which are polyunsaturated. The type of fat we consume is relevant for a heart-healthy diet, that being less than 30 percent of all calories from fat with less than 10 percent coming from saturated fats. Studies have been done showing that a healthy diet featuring a variety of foods, including fish, can actually decrease the risk for coronary disease and certain cancers, as well as increase longevity. Since people with diabetes are also at risk for heart disease, fish is an important component.

The introduction also includes a handy table which tells you which fish are high in mercury and which are low in mercury. You, of course, want to avoid fish with high mercury (thankfully my beloved sharks are high in mercury… so dont’ eat them!) Swordfish are also high in mercury.

Recipes inThe Diabetes Seafood Cookbook: Fresh, Healthy, Low-Fat Cooking include:

• Crab and Artichoke Dip (calls for yogurt as opposed to sour cream – has to be better for you)
• Garlic Shrimp on a Cucumber Flower
• Shrimp Stromboli (I have a date with this one this weekend!)
• Smoked Salmon and Hearts of Palm on Endive
• Italian Fish Soup
• Tortellini Soup with Seafood Medley (see the recipe below!)
• White Bean Soup
• Lemony Poached Salmon with a Fennel, Onion, and Olive Salad
• Salmon with Sweet Potato Crust (YUMMMM!!! The author calls this recipe one of her personal favorites.  She points out that it has “a spicy and flavorful crunch with added coolness from the sauce.”)
• Salmon with Black Bean Salsa
• Warm Shrimp and Bean Salad
• Fillet with Tomatillo Salsa
• Grilled Sea Bass with Vegetables
• Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry
• Shrimp, Baby  Spinach and Pignoli
• Cilantro and Sunflower Seed Pesto (the author recommends serving this pesto with the Shrimp Quesadilla, also in the book)
• Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake
• Pesto (one of my daughters has developed an intense allergy to tomatoes,  soI plan on trying this recipe on pasta)

That’s just the tip of the iceberg lettuce, as we say in cooking circles.  The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook: Fresh, Healthy, Low-Fat Cooking is filled with beautiful, delicious, and (most importantly) healthy recipes.

If you’re one of the clever individuals who is trying to replace red meat, pork, and chicken with as much seafood as possible – this book is a necessity.  It’s the best investment in your health you could ever make for less than $20.00.

If you are incredibly committed to eating more seafood and less meat – you’ll find many elegant recipes in this cookbook that could easily replace a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas Ham. There isn’t a holiday table in the world that woudn’t look deliciously beautiful with Grilled Tuna Over Baby Greens, Braised Baby Artichokes, or any one of the elegant Salmon recipes.

Recipe:  Tortellini Soup with Seafood Medley
1TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
32 oz. no-salt-added chicken stock
32 oz. no-salt-added vegetable stock
28 oz no-sat-added diced tomatoes
12 oz. water
1 cup fresh bail, chopped
1/2 cup fresh oregano, roughly chopped
2 cups baby spinach
10 oz cheese tortellini
10 oz sliced fresh cremini mushrooms
1 (16) oz bag frozen seafood medley

1. Heat olive oil and garlic in soup pot over medium heat until garlic is fragrant.
2. Add chicken and vegetable stock, tomatoes, and water.  Bring to a boil
3. Add basil, oregano, spinach, tortellini, and mushrooms.  Cook until tortellini is almost done, approximately 6 minutes.  Add seafood medley and cook for 3 minutes more.  More water or stock can be added to achieve desired consistency.

Author’s Notes: “Make this Tortellini Soup with Seafood Medley on a moment’s notice.   It can be on the table in 30 minutes or less.”

Cook’s Tip: Make this a pantry and freezer dish by keeping all the ingredients on hand for spur-of-the-moment cooking or unexpected company.

Exchanges/Choices: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat

Calories: 225 Calories from fat: 55

Total Fat: 6 G   Saturated Fat : 1.8 G   Trans Fat: 0 G

Cholesterol: 110 MG  Sodium: 440 MG   Total Carbohydrate: 26 G

Dietary Fiber: 3 G   Sugars: 6 G  Protein: 18 G

As the above recipe indicates, one of my favorite things about The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook: Fresh, Healthy, Low-Fat Cooking by Barbara Seelig-Brown is the fact that she’s with you on each page – giving you tips, advice, her personal experience, and healthful information you’ll very much need if you or someone you love is diabetic.

She’s looking after you!

Again, this is a fantastic cookbook whether you are diabetic or not.

Scales (sorry, I coudn’t resist) of 1 -10, I give this one a 10, easily.