National Diabetes Awareness Month: Healthy Holiday Recipes

Are you ready to create holiday meals that are both incredibly flavorful and mindful of your health? 

We believe that food can be both nourishing and delicious, especially during festive seasons. This National Diabetes Awareness Month, we're thrilled to share culinary wisdom from Registered Dietitian, Beth Saltz, of Dignity Health Medical Group – Northridge. 

She's generously opening up her recipe book to share her most beloved, diabetes-friendly dishes, perfectly timed to inspire your festive feast preparations!

Lemon Garlic Green Beans

“This is my short-cut version of Ina Garten’s amazing Green Bean Gremolata, with some time-saving changes. You can prep everything ahead and warm the beans just before serving.”

Ingredients

• 1 pound French green beans, with ends trimmed off (these are the long skinny beans, not the larger variety)
• 2 squares frozen garlic or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
• Zest from 2 lemons
• 3 tbsp. minced flat leaf Italian parsley (not the curly variety)
• 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts 
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 
• Salt and pepper 

Directions

To cook the beans, you can either buy the kind you can steam in the bag, or blanch them in salted boiling water very briefly (2 minutes) until tender but still crisp. If you’re prepping ahead of time, after they’re cooked, put them in a bowl of ice water so they stop cooking and keep a bright green color. 

For the topping, toss the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan and pine nuts in a small bowl and set them aside.

When ready to serve, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the beans to the pan and cook for 1-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until coated with oil and heated through.  

Turn off the heat. Add topping and gently toss. Add ½ tsp salt and ¼ ground black pepper. Gently toss again.

Roasted Tomato & White Bean Stew

“This is a healthy and filling dish, perfect to keep for leftovers. It’s slightly adjusted from the New York Times recipe by Colu Henry.”

Ingredients 

• ¼ cup roughly chopped Italian parsley (not curly parsley)
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 containers cherry tomatoes, washed 
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper 
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced or chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2, 15-ounce cans white beans (such as cannelini), rinsed and drained
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

In small bowl, mix the parsley and lemon zest together; set aside

Toss the tomatoes with ¼ oil and the fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and roast until the tomatoes are tender and begin to turn golden around the edges, about 20-25 minutes.

When tomatoes are almost done, heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and cook until the onion is soft and fragrant, about 4-5 mins. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often so garlic does not burn, about 1-2 mins. until garlic is fragrant.  

Stir in the rinsed beans to the broth and simmer. With the back of a spoon or using a potato masher, gently smash about half of the beans, which will thicken the broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

“Brussel sprouts can be delicious! Roast these until nice and golden and crispy, then add syrupy balsamic glaze to punch up the flavor.” 

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs Brussel sprouts 
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper 
• Balsamic glaze (this is a thick version of balsamic vinegar that is syrupy and sweet)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the end off of each sprout, then cut in half. Keep all the leaves that fall off as you will roast them all together. Put sprouts into a large bowl and add 3 tbsp. olive oil, ½ tbsp. kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. ground pepper. Gently mix. Add to a sheet pan. Make sure the sprouts are not crowded — you want them to roast, not steam. They will not get crispy if they are too crowded. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. Stir. Keep cooking for about another 15-30 mins. depending on your oven. You want them to be golden and crispy.   Remove from the oven and add 1-2 tbsp. balsamic glaze. Gently stir together.