In the GI News Kitchen

Meal planning made easy with Taste Planner.
Taste Planner provides personalised meal plans with nutritional information and a shopping list that you can access on your mobile (cell), laptop, desktop or tablet. To date, Diabetes Australia has partnered with tasteplanner.com.au to give users access to over 550 diabetes-friendly recipes. Subscribers also get access to 25 other dietary and allergy filters including gluten-free and heart-healthy that can be used to build a meal plan from the 27,000 recipes available to ensure that dinner time need never be boring – even if your family has specific dietary needs. Enjoy!

Family Baking, Anneka Manning, author of Bake Eat Love. Learn to Bake in 3 Simple Steps and founder of Sydney’s BakeClub, shares her delicious ‘better-for-you’ recipes for snacks, desserts and treats the whole family will love. Through both her writing and cooking school, Anneka teaches home cooks to bake in practical and approachable yet inspiring ways that assure success in the kitchen.

 
 
Spiced Baked Pumpkin.
Jap or kent pumpkin (winter squash) is a popular variety with ribbed green skin covered with yellow flecks and sweetish orange flesh that is good roasted, boiled, steamed or stir fried. But, do not limit yourself to pumpkin, any leftover roasted vegetables and chickpeas will make a delicious salad with rocket or baby spinach leaves, then sprinkled with the dukkah and drizzled with the yoghurt sauce. Serves 6–8.

650g jap or kent pumpkin, deseeded and cut into 2cm (¾in) thick wedges
2 tbsp (40ml) extra virgin olive oil
½ head cauliflower, cut into 3cm florets (about 280g/9oz)
400g/14oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dukkah
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp salt (optional)

Tahini yoghurt sauce
¼ cup Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp tahini
1 tbsp (20ml) lemon juice
½ clove garlic, crushed or finely grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a large oven tray with non-stick baking paper.
Spread the pumpkin on the lined tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place cauliflower and chickpeas in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Spread evenly on the oven tray, filling the gaps between pumpkin and bake for 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and golden.
To make the dukkah, place the cumin and coriander in a small frying pan and toast over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, or until aromatic. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or small food processor and grind until finely ground. Add the pine nuts to the pan and toast in the same way as the spices until golden. Add to the toasted spices and pound or pulse until roughly chopped (do not over-process or it will form a paste). Transfer to a small bowl, add the sesame seeds and salt, if using, and stir to combine.
To make the yoghurt sauce, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir through 1 tablespoon water to thin to drizzling consistency, if desired.
Sprinkle roasted vegetables with the dukkah and serve with the sauce.

Per serve
780 kJ/ 186 calories; 8 g protein; 10 g fat (includes 1.3 g saturated fat; saturated:unsaturated fat ratio 0.15); 15 g available carbs; 5 g fibre

Baker’s tips
The dukkah will keep in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. 
The yoghurt sauce can be made up to 3 days head of serving. Keep covered in the fridge.

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna’s website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.

Little Cabbage ‘Suitcases’ (Valigini).
‘Valigini’ means ‘little suitcases’ in Italian. That’s what my mother-in-law called this recipe because of the way the cabbage leaves enclose the meat filling. You may be surprised to find ground nutmeg mixed in with chopped meat but wait until you taste this combination – you’ll love it! In northern Italy, nutmeg partners well with a variety of ingredients. Instead of steamed cabbage leaves, try putting this mixture into the cavity of steamed zucchini, sliced lengthwise with pulp removed. Makes 12, serves 6 (2 valigini per person).

12 savoy cabbage leaves (carefully removed from base of cabbage)
1lb (450g) 90% lean chopped meat
7 large sprigs parsley, leaves only
1 large celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
½ cup plain bread crumbs
½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Wash and steam the cabbage leaves for 2–3 minutes or until they appear wilted. Set aside.
Place the chopped meat in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 15 seconds (25 pulses). Add the parsley and celery and process for another 15 seconds.
In a large, heavy skillet heat the oil and garlic, add the meat mixture (press with fork to break up mixture into very small crumbled pieces) and sauté for 5 minutes on medium-high heat taking care it doesn’t burn. Add in the spices and mix well. Return the meat mixture to a clean food processor bowl. Whiz for 1 minute adding the breadcrumbs and grated cheese through the food tube as it is processing.
Line up the cooked cabbage leaves on the counter, place a rounded tablespoon of the meat mixture (about 1¼ oz/35 g) on the lower half of each leaf and gently roll up, taking care to close in sides as you roll. Secure with a toothpick.
Add ½–1 cup homemade tomato sauce to a large Dutch oven or sturdy casserole and heat gently. Arrange the pieces to cover the bottom. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, turning each piece over after 7–8 minutes. Serve hot.

Per serve (2 pieces) 
Energy: 1268kJ/ 302 cals; Protein 25g; Fat 17g (includes 6g saturated fat; saturated:unsaturated fat ratio 0.55); Available carbohydrate 9g; Fibre 3g