cooking tips

april 2003

We often get e-mails requesting a list of food to keep on hand for cooking for someone just diagnosed with diabetes. Cooking for someone with diabetes, whether yourself or someone else, is really just a commitment to cooking healthy on a day-to-day basis. When your pantry is properly stocked, quick meals are a snap as you only have to shop the perimeter of your store for the fresh ingredients - meat , poultry, fish or seafood; fresh fruits and vegetables; and dairy products.

Here's a no-stress shopping list for your staples. Canned goods (reduced-sodium, low-fat) Beans: black, cannellini, garbanzo (chick peas), kidney, navy, pinto, and white Beef broth Chicken broth Vegetable broth Evaporated skim milk Tomato sauce Tomato paste Tomatoes: crushed, diced, and whole Tuna and salmon, packed in water Beans, Legumes, Grains, Pasta, and Rice Dried beans: black, cannellini, chick peas, navy, pinto and white, black-eyed Legumes: black-eyes peas, split peas, brown and red lentils Couscous Instant polenta or stone-ground cornmeal Pasta: angel hair, farfalle (bow-tie), fettuccine, lasagna, linguine, penne, Oriental rice sticks, rotelle, spaghetti, and ziti Rice: Arborio, basmati, brown, long-grain, quick-cooking, and wild Oils/Fats Cooking sprays: olive, refrigerated butter-flavored, and canola Oils: canola, olive, and dark sesame Condiments & Miscellaneous Artificial sweeteners Asian chile sauce Baking powder and baking soda Capers Cocoa powder Cornstarch Cream of tartar Dried chiles Dried mushrooms Dry bread crumbs (unseasoned) Extracts: almond, lemon, pure vanilla Flours: all-purpose and whole-wheat Hoisin sauce Honey Ketchup (low-sodium) Light maple syrup Molasses Mustard: Dijon and yellow mustard Natural peanut butter Fat-free and reduced-fat salad dressings Rolled oats Salsa Sugar and brown sugar Sugar-free and unflavored gelatin Sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed) Low-sodium soy sauce Spreadable fruit preserves Vinegar: balsamic, red wine, and white wine Worcestershire sauce (low-sodium) Seasonings Cajun blend Chili powder Chili seasoning mix Cinnamon Cloves Crushed red pepper flakes Ground Cumin Curry powder Ginger Dried herbs: basil, bay leaves, dill weed, oregano, rosemary, sage, saffron, tarragon, and thyme Garlic powder and garlic salt Italian seasoning mix Mexican seasoning mix Paprika Poppy seeds Pepper Salt and kosher salt Taco seasoning mix (low-sodium) For the freezer Boneless, skinless chicken breasts Egg substitute Frozen corn kernels Frozen unsweetened fruits and berries Fruit juice concentrate Frozen filo dough Frozen puff pastry sheets Unsalted butter In the next coming months as we're working on a new cookbook, we'll be doing a lot of quick and easy recipes for this site. So get stocked up and you'll find you're spending very little time at the supermarket. FTG