Low GI Recipes of the Month

Mushroom and asparagus noodle soup with sprouts and chilli
With mushrooms the flavour of the month, we asked Veronica Cuskelly to share one of her recipes from her new book (with Nicole Senior), Heart Food. Veronica says: ‘Don’t be dismayed by the length of the ingredient list. The flavours combine to create a truly mouth-watering soup! Why not make double quantity and freeze half in suitable portions for those days when there’s no time to cook.’
Makes 4 serves ● Each serving contains 3 serves of vegetables

1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
4 cm/1½ inch piece ginger, chopped
½ cup (30 g) sliced green onions (shallots)
1 cup (125 g) thinly sliced carrot
1¼ cups (180 g) thinly sliced red capsicum
1½ cups (100 g) sliced flat mushrooms
1½ cups (100 g) sliced shitake mushrooms
4 cups (1 litre) water
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced
100 g/3½ oz rice vermicelli noodles
3 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 cup tightly packed mint leaves
100 g/3½ oz snow pea sprouts
2 small red chillies, sliced

• Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes. Add the carrot, capsicum and mushrooms and stir for 2–3 minutes. Add the water, cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the asparagus and continue cooking for a further 1–2 minutes or until the asparagus is cooked. Stir the oyster sauce, sugar, lime juice and mint leaves into the soup.
• Meanwhile, place the vermicelli in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 2–3 minutes. Stir to separate the noodles. Drain.
• Ladle noodles and soup into bowls and top with sprouts and chilli.

Per serve
Energy 933 kJ/223 cals; Protein 9 g; Fat 5 g (includes 1 g saturated fat); Carbohydrate 34 g ( 2 exchanges) ; Fibre 7 g ; Sodium 195 mg

This month from Johanna’s kitchen: Vinaigrette asparagus with eggs
American dietitian, Johanna Burani, has a home in Friuli, in north-eastern Italy, which she visits frequently – always in pursuit of new recipes. In GI News she shares her totally simple and simply delicious low GI Italian fare.

Johanna Burani

Vinaigrette asparagus with eggs is a simple, inexpensive, wholesome dish is a definite crowd pleaser, and a typical part of an evening meal in several Mediterranean countries. Ready to eat in a flash, it is the perfect antidote to drive-through or take-out meal temptations. (Adapted with permission from Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Da Capo Lifelong Books, New York). Food photography Sergio Burani.

Makes 3 serves

350 g/12 oz fresh thin asparagus (about 15 spears per person)
3 hard boiled eggs, shelled and quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese

Vinaigrette dressing
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (not balsamic)
Salt and pepper to taste

• Cut or break off 5 cm/2 inches from the bottom of the asparagus spears. Wash and place them in a steam basket and then in a saucepan with 2.5 cm/1 inch of water. Cover and steam on low heat until tender, approximately 3 minutes. (If using thicker asparagus, allow 10 minutes.)
• In the meantime, in a small bowl, mash the eggs with the back of a fork until crumbled; add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Place cooked asparagus in a deep, oblong serving dish. Whish together the dressing ingredients and toss with the asparagus and grated cheese.
• Arrange the crumbled eggs over the asparagus and serve warm.

Per serve
Energy 693 kJ/165 cals; Protein 5 g; Fat 11 g (includes 5 g saturated fat and 11 milligrams cholesterol); Carbs 5 g; Fibre 2 g

Visit Johanna’s website for more recipes: www.eatgoodcarbs.com.