IN THE GI NEWS KITCHEN

THE GOOD CARBS COOKBOOK  The Good Carbs Cookbook (by Alan Barclay, Kate McGhie and Philippa Sandall) published by Murdoch Books helps you choose the best fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, seeds, nuts and grains and explains how to use them in 100 refreshingly nourishing recipes to enjoy every day, for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert. The recipes are easy to prepare, (mostly) quick to cook, long in flavour and full of sustaining goodness, so you feel fuller for longer. There is a nutritional analysis for each recipe and tips and helpful hints for the novice, nervous, curious or time-starved cook.

BANANA AND PEANUT ICE CREAM 
Blitzed frozen bananas make this one of the easiest and amazing ice-cream recipes ever. Good Carbs Cookbook author, Kate McGhie, says a powerful blender will do the job better than a food processor. They go from crumbly and gooey to looking a bit like oatmeal and finally achieve the consistency of a soft serve ice-cream. If you like, replace the chopped roasted peanuts with ½ cup blueberries. Preparation time: 15 minutes + freezing • Serves: 6

4 large ripe bananas, peeled cut into chunks and frozen
¼ cup crunchy peanut butter
¼ cup runny honey
⅔ cup natural yoghurt
⅓ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Put the frozen banana into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. (Because the bananas are frozen solid this is a noisy process.) When the mixture is smooth add the peanut butter, honey, yoghurt and peanuts then pulse-blend. Pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container with a lid and freeze.

Per serving
Energy: 1125kJ/270cals; Protein 8g; Fat 11g (includes 2g saturated fat; saturated : unsaturated fat ratio 0. 22); Available carbohydrate 34g (includes 30g sugars, 2g starches); Fibre 3.5g; Sodium 50mg; Potassium 470mg; sodium to potassium ratio 0.11

LOW GI LIVING 
The Glycemic Index Foundation, a not-for- profit health promotion charity, have recently launched a new electronic newsletter to share their low GI recipes along with the latest news about GI and better carbs. It’s aimed at the general community as well as those living with diabetes. Click the link to sign up to receive Low GI Living in your mailbox.   

MOROCCAN STYLE CHICKEN WITH PEARL COUSCOUS
Ready in just 40 minutes, this fibre and protein rich recipe from Gabriel Gaté is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It’s quite a large meal and we feel it could easily stretch to more than the four serves they suggest. • Serves: 4.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp mustard seeds tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp chilli paste
¼ tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 skinless chicken drumsticks
½ brown onion, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup shelled peas
250g (9oz) pearl couscous
2 cups low/reduced-salt but strong chicken stock
a handful of coriander leaves

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). In a bowl mix 2 teaspoons of olive oil with the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, chilli paste, the tomato paste and a little salt and pepper. • Place the chicken drumsticks in a bowl and season with the spicy oil mix. Place the chicken on an oven rack and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, turning the drumsticks from time to time. • Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion and ground cumin and stir for 1 minute. Add the diced capsicum and stir on medium heat for 3 minutes. • Add the peas and pearl couscous and stir well for 30 seconds, before adding the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on very low heat. • Serve the chicken drumsticks on a bed of pearl couscous garnished with coriander leaves and a large, crispy garden salad on the side.

Per serve 
3070 kJ/ 730 calories; 68g protein; 25g fat (includes 6g saturated fat; saturated : unsaturated fat ratio 0.32); 56g available carbs (includes 5g sugars and 51g starch); 4g fibre; 960mg sodium; 1330mg potassium