This quick and easy dish from Designed for One, by Nancy S. Hughes, is the perfect lunch or quick weeknight meal for 1 or 2.
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Tag: main dish
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Just Right! Recipes for 1 or 2 People
Whether you’re cooking for yourself or looking to whip up a quick dish for yourself and someone else, check out these recipes for one or two people. These quick and easy recipes are perfect for a healthy, diabetes-friendly meal.
Herbs de Provence Roasted Chicken
This recipe only takes five minutes of prep time and has only four ingredients! Herbs de Provence is a blend of herbs popular in Southern France. It typically includes thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon, marjoram, and sometimes lavender. If you don’t have a store-bought blend on hand, you could make your own or use dried rosemary instead. A simple vegetable side dish like Easy Middle Eastern Green Beans goes well with this recipe.
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Chicken & Roasted Pepper Lettuce Cups
Make this recipe if you’re trying to use up your leftover roasted chicken breast or a chicken cutlet. These tasty little chicken and roasted pepper lettuce cups are a balanced meal for one or double the recipe to enjoy with someone else.
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Meatball minestrone is a hearty soup filled with meatballs, onions, beans, and much more. You can make this meal for one by halving the recipe. If you have time, you can make extra and save it for another quick meal!
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A frittata—a thick omelet—makes a quick supper. It is perfect for a busy weekday meal. All you need are a few vegetables, some sausage or leftover cooked meat, and eggs and you can have your meal ready in 15 to 20 minutes.
We hope you enjoy these and more easy to make, single-serve recipes. But any recipe can be made for one by adjusting the amount of ingredients to make a single serving. For example, if the serving size is three, only use one-third of each ingredient. Or, to extend the life of a recipe, cook one that serves four people and eat the other servings throughout the week!
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DIY Spice Blends
Looking to cut back on sodium? Make your own spice blends to add more flavor to your dishes, cut back on salt, and give your heart-healthy, diabetes-friendly recipes a personal touch.
Why Make Your Own Spice Blend?
Looking to cut back on sodium? Make your own spice blends to add more flavor to your dishes, cut back on salt, and give your heart-healthy, diabetes-friendly recipes a personal touch.
When following a heart-healthy meal plan often one of the hardest things to tackle is lowering the amount of sodium in your diet—eating less salt. This is a challenge since salt can add a lot of flavor to your dishes, but there are many other ways to create flavorful dishes with little or no salt. One way to do this is to create your very own spice blends.
To start, look in your pantry or spice cabinet and see what you have. Some chefs recommend keeping the following spices as staples in your kitchen:
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Basil
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Dill weed
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Allspice
- Thyme
- Chili powder
- Curry
- Cumin
- Crushed red pepper
- Cinnamon
Many of these spices can be used on their own to add flavor, but when used in combination, you create whole new flavors.
Make Your Own Spice Blend Combinations
The amount of spice used in each blend varies, but the advantage of making your own blend is that you can make it just how you like it. Play around with the amounts, you can even add, remove, or substitute the spices. Once you have found a good blend that works for you and your taste, you can make a larger amount to store in an airtight container and use it for other recipes later.
Italian Blend
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Rosemary
Dry Rub*
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Chili powder
*For more of a kick add in some cayenne
Jamaican Jerk
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Ginger
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Chili powder
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Thyme
- Parsley
Moroccan
- Ginger
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Coriander
- Cayenne
- Allspice
Tex-Mex
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Black pepper
- Crushed red pepper to taste
Curry Blend
- Turmeric
- Cardamom
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Cayenne or chili powder
- Dry mustard
- Ginger
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How to Make Avocado Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles
In this live cooking class, Chef Jenny guided participants through the process of creating a nutritious Parmesan-Crusted Chicken and Avocado Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles. These meals were designed to be low in carbs and high in flavor.Avocado Alfredo Cooking Class Recap
Chef Jenny provided helpful tips for maintaining freshness of ingredients, properly handling food items, and safely cooking meals. She highlighted the importance of not overcooking zucchini noodles to avoid a mushy texture. “These noodles are zoodles…they’re going to cook really fast and overcooked zucchini gets very soggy,” Chef Jenny cautioned.
As the chicken cooked, Chef Jenny demonstrated how to make avocado alfredo using fresh avocados. She explained how avocados can be used as a substitute for dairy in recipes due to their natural buttery flavor and creamy texture. “Avocados are such a good substitute…it kind of has a natural buttery flavor to it,” she stated.
During the class, American Diabetes Association® (ADA) nutrition experts explained the health benefits of avocados. “Avocados have fat, but they are a good type of fat called monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are beneficial fat. We consider them to be heart-healthy fats because they help to lower our LDL cholesterol,” they said.
Chef Jenny also explained how to ripen avocados and store them to maintain their freshness, suggesting that ripe avocados can be put in the freezer for preservation. “If you feel your avocado getting really ripe and you’re not ready to use it, pop it in the freezer. You can pop them whole and then you just take them out and set them on the counter before you’re ready to use them,” she advised.
Throughout the cooking demonstration, Chef Jenny encouraged participants to experiment with various flavors and cooking techniques to create healthier meals. She suggested adding fresh herbs, spices, or lemon zest for extra flavor without adding extra fats or calories.
Cooking Tips Learned from the Class
- Lean proteins like chicken breast and white fish are low in fat and have fewer calories, making them a healthy choice.
- Whole wheat panko breadcrumbs are preferred for their crispiness and lower oil absorption.
- Avocados are a good source of monounsaturated fats, which are beneficial for heart health and makes them a good dairy substitute.
- Zucchini noodles (zoodles) are a great low-carb substitute for regular pasta.
- The use of fresh herbs can enhance the flavor of dishes without adding extra calories or fats.
- Garlic and Parmesan cheese add a punchy flavor to the avocado alfredo sauce.
Try the Recipes
Parmesan-Crusted Chicken
A flavorful and versatile chicken recipe, serve this as a main entrée with vegetables or over a salad. It’s also kid-friendly!Avocado Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles
Traditional alfredo sauce is a decadent dish made with lots of cream and butter. This lighter version gets its creaminess from avocado, which is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (instead of saturated fat found in cream and butter).Don’t Miss Upcoming Cooking Livestreams
Learning how to cook can be daunting, especially if you are a person with diabetes wanting to make better food choices. Whether you are new to the kitchen or a seasoned chef, you may not even know where to begin. That’s why every month, the ADA offers free live virtual cooking classes powered by Homemade with ADA nutrition experts in attendance to answer all your questions. View our next cooking class or sign up for the Diabetes Food Hub e-newsletter to be notified of the next class.
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5 Diabetes-Friendly Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
You’ll want to put on a green apron to make these fun, diabetes-friendly recipes for St. Patrick’s Day! Whether you are Irish, or simply Irish at heart, these dishes are lower in calories, fat, and carbs than the traditional recipes. (They’re just as tasty, though!)Image
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Calories: 70 | Carbs: 15
Irish soda bread comes together quickly and this whole wheat version makes it healthier and heartier. It goes great with your favorite sugar-free jam for breakfast or as a side with your St. Patrick’s Day dinner!
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Bangers and Mash
Calories: 280 | Carbs: 25
Bangers and mash is a traditional Irish pub food that is usually very high in fat and carbs. This healthier version uses homemade turkey sausage and mashed sweet potatoes to make it more diabetes-friendly and heart healthy.
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Roasted Cabbage Steaks
Calories: 90 | Carbs: 9
Cabbage is a popular vegetable to use for St. Patrick’s Day. In this recipe, a whole head of cabbage is sliced into thick “steaks” and roasted. Serve them as a vegetarian entrée or as a filling, veggie-filled side.
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Classic Beef Stew
Calories: 250 | Carbs: 24
There are so many new renditions of beef stew, but if you can make this classic version really well, that’s all you’ll need. Plus, this traditional beef stew goes great with a slice of whole wheat Irish soda bread.
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Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Calories: 285 | Carbs: 45
Shepherd’s pie can be found on most St. Patrick’s Day menus. In this vegetarian-friendly version, lentils and lots of veggies make it a hearty and filling meal that still has lots of protein to help keep you full and satisfied!
Green beer is also a popular St. Patrick’s Day item, but is it OK for people with diabetes to have a pint? Moderate alcohol consumption is safe for most people with diabetes. Opt for a light beer as they are lower in calories, carbs, and alcohol.From the American Diabetes Association®, we wish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day! Be sure to sign up for the Diabetes Food Hub e-newsletter for healthy recipes delivered to your inbox every month.
