Made this menu for my vegetarian ( newly dx ) diabetic BIL: I try to
make nutritious low glycemic recipes for the whole family. Hope you enjoy
these. I am sure you can change and taper things to your liking. I usually
serve family style and place all the prepared dishes on the table.


Since my BIL's are not meat or fish eaters, I usually use make a bean or
tofu entree for them. My hubby and I do eat meat and fish though since
we are not vegetarians. Normally we love anything salmon or chicken and
ethnic foods as you can see below !


Joan


General Tao's Style Tofu

1 box extra firm tofu
1 egg fork beaten or equivalent in egg replacer
cornstarch or as needed ( see recipe below )
oil as needed to fry: ( heavy duty non stick pan works well here )
Sauce
3 green onions chopped
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 Tbs minced garlic
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbs soy sauce ( use low sodium if desired )
4 Tbs sugar ( I substituted with Splenda to taste )
chili red pepper to taste
1 Tbs sherry
1 Tbs white vinegar
2 Tbs cold water
1 Tbs cornstarch
Sides: steamed broccoli


Drain tofu, pat dry and cut into one inch chunks. Dip tofu in egg and
sprinkle cornstarch ( use a sprinkle canister for best results ) evenly over
both sides of tofu to coat well but make sure no lumps. . Heat oil in pan
and stir fry tofu till golden brown on both sides and set aside.
Make sauce: In some oil, sauté onion, ginger and lastly garlic being careful
not to burn garlic. Add stock, soy sauce, red pepper to taste and vinegar.
Mix water with cornstarch to blend. Add to sauce and mix and stir till
thickened and stir well. Evenly place sauce over fried tofu to coat evenly.
Serve with steamed broccoli
Yield: 4 servings






Indian Style Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil ( I love olive oil but use any oil you prefer ) and or
more oil as needed for a very large cauliflower
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tsp garam masala seasoning or to taste




The cauliflower is truly deliciously cooked this way.

Wash cauliflower, and separate into florets, pat dry. Place florets in
baking pan, and drizzle with olive oil, coat well. Season with salt and
fresh grated black pepper. Sprinkle on the garam masala and turn florets to
coat well with seasonings. Bake in a 350F oven about 45 minutes to an hour
or cauliflower is fork tender but not overly soft.. Turn once during cooking
time ( it will turn golden brown on each side when turned ) . Yield 4 to 6
servings
Garam masala powder ( my box contains a powder mixture of : Coriander,
chili, cumin, curry leaves, stone flower, black pepper, salt,
cloves,cardamom, and fennel ) and can be bought at ethnic food stores

..

Thai Style Cucumber Mint Salad


1 large English cucumber or 4 to 5 Kirby cucumbers ( young, tender, thin
skin cucumbers if possible ) unpeeled and thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion thin sliced
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tbs peanut oil
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs sugar ( again I used Splenda to taste)
1 Tbs soy sauce ( low sodium if desired )
1 tsp Thai red chili paste ( optional ) if you like spicy, hot
1/4 cup chopped peanuts



Having all the fresh herbs in my garden, this recipe proved to be very
refreshing and tasty. Great side dish for barbecues.

Simply mix all and marinade 10 minutes before serving. There is not a lot of
dressing to this recipe, so you can double the dressing recipe if desired
.. Use fresh herbs as dried do not do justice to the recipe.
Yield: 4 servings double if needed.




Asian style Radish Salad

2 bunches of radishes, trimmed and cut into small chunks
1 cup roasted salted peanuts
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tbs oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp turmeric
pinch chili powder
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbs sugar ( here again use Spenda )
2 Tbs lemon juice
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce leaves


In bowl combine chopped radishes , nuts and chopped cilantro and set aside.
Heat oil in a small pan and add the cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric and chili
powder. Stir and cook about 3 minutes. Add ginger and sugar and cook and
stir one minute.. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let cool.
Drizzle dressing over radishes and toss well. Divide lettuce onto 4 plates
and top each with 1/4 of the radish salad.
Yield 4 servings
Best, made the served the same day.