About a year ago today, Dan was first diagnosed with diabetes. That dismal week aside (raise your hand if you enjoy spending spring break hanging out in intensive care!), we’ve both been fairly cheerful when it comes to navigating this new world of diabetic cooking and eating. Of course, let’s be fair here. For me, it means reading more recipes, thinking more carefully about what I buy at the grocery store, and making an effort to try to have dinner made by about the same time every night. I enjoy doing the first two of those things immensely, often to the neglect of other more pressing matters (I’m looking at you, Serious Eats and Saveur, you time-snatchers!). And the third? Well let’s just say there’s room for improvement.

So for me, this process of learning how to cook for someone with diabetes has been, okay, not fun, but fine. Informative. Interesting. Invaluable (okay, that last might be stretching it a bit). But whatever else it’s been, it’s also been voluntary. Dan and I don’t eat dinner together every night, and on the nights that he’s in class or out of town, I’m free to cook as lazily and unhealthily as I like. Usually, this means Pasta Puttanesca. When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll make a salad. Usually not. These evenings are a break from the everydayness of diabetes, a respite from considering carbs and servings of vegetables. Of course, these are things that it’s always important to think about. But some nights, it’s pleasant to be able to make a ten-minute pot of pasta, pair it with a stiff drink and call it a night.

Dan, on the other hand, has to live with this disease every day. There are no vacations from diabetes for him. It’s not impossible—most days it isn’t even very difficult. But for a guy with an undeniable sweet tooth, who fell for me in large part because I used to work at New York’s number one dessert café, it is a challenge.

Here are a few tips we’ve sussed out over the course of this longa$$ (I take my punctuation from Ke$ha) year:

1) Invest in Popcorn—No, seriously. The wonders of popcorn. Low carb, low calorie popcorn is a fantastic snack. Oh, the toppings that can top popcorn! Barbecue! Kettle corn! Parmesan! The possibilities are endless. For Dan’s upcoming birthday (spoiler alert), he’ll be receiving a three-month popcorn of the month club membership.

2) Try Vegetarian—Lapsed Episcopalian though I may be, I decided to give up eating meat for Lent this year. This is a decision with oh-so-many caveats. I’m still eating meat when I go out to other people’s houses, or if the restaurant I’m at doesn’t have vegetarian options. I’m also still eating fish, because (as Kurt Cobain would say), they don’t have any feelings. Vegetarian cooking allows you so much more room to play with different textures and flavor profiles. It all but ensures that at least half of every plate is made up of vegetables. I’ve also found that it eliminates the desire for carbs in every meal. When you serve a whole hunk o’ meat, you tend to feel the need to “round out the meal” with potatoes or pasta. Not so with vegetarian cuisine.

3) Order the Cheese Plate—Let’s be serious. This is more wishful thinking than reality. Dan and I almost always split dessert when we go out to eat, and while my taste runs to crepe dusted with powdered sugar, he tends to be a fan of the ones that include “caramelized mango slices” topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and berry melba sauce. My ideal dessert is a cheese plate and a glass of good whiskey, both of which are very low carb.

In honor of this one-year anniversary, I’m posting two recipes adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s fantastic cookbook Plenty. Whether you identify as vegetarian or not, do yourself a favor and buy this book. It’s one of the most beautiful and useful cookbooks I’ve seen in a long while. A word to the wise, however: these recipes are not un-fussy. There’s a lot of prep going on, and they take a while to complete. I made these on a Monday night, and let me tell you, this is not a Monday night dinner. More of a Sunday-night supper. But very enjoyable. The leftover bulgur is delicious microwaved in the morning with a  poached egg on top.

 

Leek Fritters with Bulgur Pilaf

Bulgur (Serves 8) or Eight)

A little over 1/3 cu olive oil

4 small onions, thinly sliced

3 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

2.5 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp pink peppercorns (whole)

1 tsp ground coriander

2/3 cu currants

1.5 cu bulgur wheat

2.6 cu water

salt and pepper

Fritter Green Sauce

1/2 cu Greek yogurt

3/4 cu sour cream

3 crushed garlic cloves

2 tbs lemon juice

3 tbs olive oil

1/2 cu chopped parsley leaves

2 cu chopped cilantro

Salt, to taste

Leek Fritters (Serves 4)

3 medium leeks, cleaned and chopped into 1 inch slices

5 shallots, finely chopped

2/3 cu olive oil

1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cu parsley, chopped

3/4 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cu flour

2 tsp baking powder

2/3 cu mlik

4.5 tbs butter, melted

Salt

1. Make the green sauce for the fritters. Combine all ingredients in a Cuisinart and blend until they form a smooth green sauce. Scoop into a pretty bowl and refrigerate.

2. Begin the bulgur dish: Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions and peppers over medium heat until completely tender, 15-20 minutes.

3. When tender, scoop the onion/pepper mixture into a Very Large Pot. Add the tomato paste, sugar, spices, and currents. Stir to combine, then cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the bulgur, water and some salt and pepper. Mix, then bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, cover, remove from the heat and set aside for AT LEAST 20 minutes. Letting it sit a little longer won’t hurt anyone.

5. In the meantime, begin your fritters. Saute the leeks and shallots over medium heat until soft, about fifteen minutes.

6. When soft, transfer the leek/shallot mixture to a large stainless steel bowl. Add in the chiles, parsley, spices, sugar and salt. Stir to combine and allow to come to room temperature.

7. Combine the flour, baking powder, one of the eggs, milk and melted butter in a bowl. Stir so that it forms a batter.

8. Separate one of the two eggs, discarding the yolk. Whisk  the white until soft peaks begin to form. Fold the egg white into the cooled leek mixture, then gently mix the leeks into the batter.

9. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. When oil is hot, use a ladle to scoop four fritters into the frying pan. This should take up about half the batter. Let fry for about four minutes per side, then remove to a warm plate and fry the remaining fritters.

10. Check your bulgur for seasoning. It will almost certainly need salt. Stir and taste again. More salt? Thought so.

11. Serve the fritters immediately with the bulgur and sauce. You should have at least a cup left over of the bulgur.

Carbs in Bulgur: 300

Carbs per serving in Bulgur: 37.5

Carbs in Fritters: 78

Carbs per serving (2 fritters) 20

Total carbs: 378

Total carbs per serving: 57.5