JustJill Loc: Iowa

Great series of photos! I always like the way you plate your final meal!

Quixdraw Loc: x

Many thanks!

Quixdraw Loc: x

On the way!

Quixdraw Loc: x

Thanks very much!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

It's really hard to be a diabetic and look at your masterful photographs of mouthwatering food! Kudos! Have both paprikas on the pantry shelf, along with smoked, and smoked and hot . . . I just eat the stew, my wife eats the stew and the noodles.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Thank you very much, I always appreciate your comments. My collection of spices is almost as undisciplined as my Loose leaf cookbook. A non system, but rummaging will produce most ingredients necessary. Paprikas high on my list of essentials. At one point, I was diagnosed as type 2 (turned out to be a bad diagnosis) and did a lot of research as well as insane exercise. I wonder how whole wheat pasta would work with the dish, it was supposed to be on the "good" list.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I was diagnosed in 2001. At that time I was a very active 50 year old, and rode a bicycle 100 mi a week, was always out hiking and backpacking and skied 50-60 days a season - I was an instructor, so my "days" were often energetic, especially with the more advanced/adventurous students. But learned early on that diet and exercise and meds were my friends, so losing weight, cutting back on starches and sugars, grains, cererals, etc were key to my survival. 20 years later I no longer ski, but when the weather permits I am on that bike. Unfortunately challenging hiking venues are non-existent in coastal Delaware/Maryland/Virginia, and the "good stuff" is at least a 3-4 hour drive (Shenandoah Park - Poconos, etc. so I don't get to visit them much. The weight I lost is still off, which has kept me rather healthy and robust for an old guy.

Shirataki - a noodle or rice like product that has zero calories and double the fiber of whole wheat has gotten my attention. But it does swell in the gut, making one feel very full, so it should be eaten in smaller quantities. I do a lot with cauliflower - either sliced thick and roasted/grilled, or riced, or pureed with butter and sour cream, like mashed potatoes. I've made mashed cauliflower, blended with either rutabaga, celery root or Kohlrabi, butter, garlic and sour or fresh cream - for guests who actually believed they were eating mashed potatoes. It goes well with goulash, paprikash, klöpse, and other hearty German/Austrian/Hungarian dishes.

The only benefit of whole wheat over white flour is the lower glycemic load and a little extra fiber - the carb count is still high like regular flour. The slight advantage is that body absorbs the carbs slower, and the impact on blood sugar is less. It is similar to basmati rice, which I can consume small amounts of, compared to a starchy, sticky rice like what is used in sushi - which makes my glucose shoot up like a rocket. What works for me is to keep the daily intake of net carbs to around 60 or less.

I installed a wire shelf system on the back of my pantry door just to store my most used spices and herbs. Eight shelves are still not enough :)

Quixdraw Loc: x