These Noodles Are As Clean As They Come

  

It's true, so much of our food is over-processed, but over the years we've seen a big movement toward "clean" simple ingredients that mean a healthier diet and delicious meals to boot. Jackie Newgent, who wrote The Clean and Simple Diabetes Cookbook stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about a delicious and easy to make Soba Noodle dish. Jackie told Tonia she starts with a buckwheat soba noodle, which is a healthier, better quality noodle to begin with, and adds natural sweeteners along with fresh cole slaw mix. It's full of fiber and other nutrients...and it tastes good too!

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons creamy no-added-sugar organic dark roasted peanut butter
3/4 cup unsweetened freshly-brewed green tea or low-sodium vegetable broth, chilled
3 tablespoons naturally-brewed soy sauce
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes or sriracha hot chili sauce to taste
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
2 teaspoons unrefined sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated gingerroot
12 ounces dry buckwheat soba noodles (or try spelt or kamut soba noodles)
2 large red bell peppers, very thinly sliced into long strips*
1 Kirby cucumber, thinly sliced into coins, or 1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
2 scallions, green and white parts, very thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 teaspoons roasted or pan-toasted black or white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1. Add all of the peanut butter, tea, soy sauce, vinegar, hot pepper flakes, agave nectar, sesame oil, and ginger to a small saucepan; stir to combine. Cook while whisking over medium heat until the sauce is smooth, slightly thickened, and begins bubbling, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl and set aside. (Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.**)
2. Add the soba noodles and bell peppers to a pot of boiling water. Cook until the noodles are cooked through (al dente), about 4 minutes, or according to the noodle package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water until cool; drain well. Add the noodles and bell peppers to the sauce in the large bowl along with the cucumber and scallions; toss to combine.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl, if desired. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and cilantro and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Per serving (if serves 4): 570 calories, 20g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 700mg sodium, 83g total carbohydrate, 9g dietary fiber, 14g sugars, 19g protein

Stopping Diabetes with the Power of Raw Foods

  

He says they work. Robby Barbero, who wrote the book Mastering Diabetes, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen with a delicious, healthy recipe for Autumn Apple Salad. He says even though the main component here is a fall treat, the salad works anytime of year with it's fresh arugula and cabbage. Perhaps most importantly, Robby told Tonia the salad is a part of his plan to reverse insulin resistance, which then in turn can reverse diabetes. He says following the blueprint laid out in the book leads to a healthier lifestyle, and the salad is a delicious part of doing that.

Autumn Apple Salad

1 apple, sliced

 3 strawberries, halved

 1 orange, sliced

 ½ pomegranate

 1 red bell pepper, sliced

 ¼ cup purple cabbage, chopped

 5 oz arugula

Slice the apple, orange, bell pepper, purple cabbage, and strawberries. Slice the pomegranate in half and remove the arils.

2

Place the arugula in a large bowl.

3

Top the arugula with the apple, orange, bell pepper, pomegranate arils, strawberries, and cabbage.

Stopping Diabetes with a Salad

  

It's a disease that affects millions of people worldwide: diabetes. No matter the type, it's an illness that can put severe restraints on the way you live your life, if you're afflicted by it. Robby Barbero, who co-wrote the book, Mastering Diabetes stopped by Tonia's Kitchen with a plan to reverse insulin resistance, and in turn possibly reverse diabetes. Barbero bases a lot of his findings on a simple premise, the more fruit you eat, the better you feel. Since fruit, for the most part is a dense food, you can eat a lot of it because of it's low caloric value, and in turn still lose weight. Robby told Tonia he lays out a plan to follow in his book with some delicious recipes. Among them, something he calls Robby's Antioxidant Delight, which as the name suggests, as a fruit-rich creation high in antioxidants and taste. It includes spinach, strawberries, blueberries, apples and oranges. Raw foods that are essential for healthy outcomes.