More Choice: Canadian Diabetes Microwave Cookbook

Esther Fisher is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and
a former food critic for The Globe & Mail.

This cookbook is definitely not for diabetics only; it’s for anyone
interested in tasty food prepared quickly, nutritiously, and with a
minimum of fat and sugar. The opening chapters deal with microwave
cooking (how it works, types of utensils required, placement of food,
and other basics) and diabetes (its effects on the body, and how it can
be controlled by diet). In addition, there’s a discussion of food
choice and a system of measuring food for the diabetic diet that enables
variety while controlling calories and the amounts of food containing
glucose. This is supplemented by a comprehensive chart of choice values
and substitutions.

The remaining chapters follow conventional cookbook format, starting
with “Beverages and Appetizers” and ending with “Desserts,” each
recipe containing information about yields, calories, and per-serving
breakdowns of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The book concludes with
two indexes, one standard, the other of recipes by choice group (e.g.,
protein choice, milk choice).

The recipes are printed in large type (one per page) with
easy-to-follow instructions. Main dishes include microwaved chili
prepared in 30 minutes, minestrone for 14 in 40 minutes, and microwaved
herb chicken strips (without added fat) served with a
tomato-and-green-onion sauce. The sauces and gravies offered include
mock Hollandaise made with low-fat yogurt, and fat-free, no-lump gravy.
In the baked-goods and desserts categories there are recipes for
“sweets,” often sweetened with dried fruit, or with small quantities
of honey, molasses, sugar, or artificial sweetener.

More Choice provides tried-and-true methods of cutting calories, such
as substituting yogurt or cottage-cheese-mixed-with-lemon-juice for sour
cream, and such innovative ideas as buttermilk mayonnaise made with
gelatin. All in all, it is a good choice for diabetics and anyone
interested in nutrition.