The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook: 150 Healthy, Delicious Recipes for Diabetics and Those Who Dine with Them by Angela Shelf Medearis (Andrews McMeel, $24.99)
This is a cookbook that features dishes that everyone can enjoy even if you aren’t diabetic. Angela Shelf Medearis, an Austin-based force of nature, has written six previous cookbooks, is a recognized culinary historian, and president of Diva Productions, a company that produces her cooking show, “The Kitchen Diva” for PBSHulu.com. Did I mention that she has also written more than 90 books for children?
Her latest project is a cookbook that is geared to help cooks of all skill levels create fun, easy, budget-friendly meals that are diabetic friendly. Medearis has build a national reputation for her cooking, a style that blends traditional comfort foods and ethnic dishes but with a healthy twist. Since 20 million Americans are diabetic, this cookbook is certain have wide appeal. The recipes are accessible and, like the diva herself, sassy.
This collection is divided into seven main chapters: Flavor Infusions – Dips, Dressings, Sauces, and Spice Mixes; Jump Start Your Day – Breakfast; Midmorning Snacks and Afternoon Energizers; Let’s Do Lunch; Delectable Dinners; Sensational Side Dishes; and Sweet Finishes and Nighttime Nibbles. Each time I encounter a diabetic cookbook, the proof in the pudding is, of course, the desserts. What a pleasant, tasty surprise to find recipes for a mouthwatering Cinnamon-Pecan Cake, a decadent Fudge Pudding Cake, and even a Pecan-Praline Sweet Potato Pie in this collection. How can a Pecan-Praline Sweet Potato pie be diabetic friendly, you ask? Skim milk and the magic of Splenda.
I spent a week testing this cookbook and eventually prepared six recipes. Since I am type 2, I had a special interest in this collection. I am pleased to report that every recipe I made was a success and, perhaps most important of all, delicious.
Micro-Wave Meat-Stuffed Peppers and Sweet and Sour Watermelon and Cucumber Salad were a snap to prepare. Fast Turkey Patties with Maple-Rosemary Sauce with Black-Eyed Peas Cakes were a perfect combination for a summer supper. My last two recipes were desserts. I chose a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, a personal favorite, and Fudge Pudding Cake which is as delicious as the name sounds.
This is a cookbook that is highly recommended. Get a copy and let the fun meals begin!

FUDGE PUDDING CAKE
Makes 12 servings
¾ c pecan halves
1 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c Splenda no-calorie sweetener, granulated
¼ c plus 3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
½ c nonfat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ c firmly packed Splenda brown sugar blend
1 ½ c, hot strong coffee (I used French Market Cajun coffee)
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Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly coat an 8-inch sq baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray.
Place the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until fragrant, about six minutes. Pour into a bowl to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, Spenda, the ¼ c of cocoa, the baking powder, and salt and stir with a whisk to blend. In a glass measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, canola oil, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the milk mixture until combined. Stir in the pecans. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Dissolve the brown sugar blend in the coffee and spoon over the batter.
Bake until the cake is almost set, 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Dust with the remaining 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Serve hot or warm.

This is Memorial Day weekend. I grew up in the South where the holiday was called Decoration Day. It was time when I would accompany my grandmother to three different cemeteries in northwest Arkansas to put flowers on family graves. At some of the rural cemeteries, picnic lunches were brought and it was a time of reconnecting with old friends, maintaining family plots, and, of course, remembering those who had died.
As we celebrate this holiday, millions of us will fire up our grills. The meat of choice will more than likely be beef. To cook a perfect hamburger takes more than slapping some beef on a cooker.
According to Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese, authors of “Stuff Every American Should Know,” the perfect hamburger begins with choosing the proper meat. Get ground chuck instead of ground beef since chuck comes from a single part of the animal, not a hodgepodge of scraps and unspecified bits. (Think pink slime) Choose meat that is 70-80% fat since the flavor comes from fat and makes the final product juicy. My pick is twice-ground chuck.
To build a better patty, aim for a six-ounce burger. Handle the meat as little as possible, use only the amount to form a patty and use a kitchen scale to gauge the proper weight. Roll the meat into a ball between your palms and then flatten it. Shoot for ½ inch to ¾ inch thick. Gently dent the top with your thumb to keep it from puffing up like a balloon when cooked.
Fire up the grill but don’t begin cooking until you are certain it is so hot you can’t hover your hand over it. Brush the grill lightly with olive or vegetable oil. Sprinkle the patty with salt and pepper, grill for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for about the same time. This is important: Don’t press the patty with a spatula, otherwise you lose the juices. Cook each patty until the ground beef reaches about 165F.
All of the ingredients should match the meat. If you are choosing cheese, for example, pick one that is thin and sturdy enough to melt on the burger. Bacon should be prepared ahead of time and served grease-free at room temperature. Condiments and fresh vegetables should be good quality.
Assemble burgers as soon as they come off the grill and enjoy.
From “Stuff Every American Should Know” by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese (Quirk, $9.95)

Gourmet Weekday: All-Time Favorite Recipes Inspired by Gourmet Magazine (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $20)
Sara Moulton, a former Gourmet magazine executive chef and the current food editor of Good Morning America, serves up 100 of the editors’ favorite recipes. The dishes were chosen from the hundreds created and published by the magazine.
The featured recipes are simple dishes, especially created for family dinners and easy entertaining. Even though there are some that have an international flair, most require ingredients easily found in the neighborhood supermarket.
The recipes are showcased in ten basic chapters: Snacks & Starters; Soups & Stews; Sandwiches & Burgers; Pasta, Pizza & Rice; Vegetarian Mains; Seafood; Chicken; Beef, Pork & Lamb; Side Dishes; and Desserts. There are also sample menus and an introduction by Sara Moulton.
Tested, retested, and then tested again by Gourmet’s chefs is the name of the game. Some of the exceptional recipes include Rigatoni with Marinara Sauce and Ricotta, a rather simple Bacon-and-Egg Rice, Mexican-inspired Chicken Tostadas, and two luscious desserts, Blackberry Peach Cobbler and a decadent Chocolate Souffle Cake.
I tested three recipes from this collection. The Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho was a perfect choice during our recent hot days. The Herb-Roasted Pork Loin was a little involved and took an hour and a half, from start to table, but was worth the extra time and effort. The rosemary, thyme, sage and savory made this dish sing. I spotted fresh peaches while shopping this past week and thought it might be fun to make Peaches Under Meringue. They took ten minutes to prepare and I used my neighbors as guinea pigs. They squealed with delight.
PEACHES UNDER MERINGUE
2 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
5 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg white
Salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped sesame candy or crushed amaretti (I chose amaretti)
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Preheat boiler.
Put peaches, cut side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Broil 4 to 5 minutes from heat until tops begin to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove sheet from broiler.
Beat egg white with a pinch of salt in a small deep bowl using an electric mixer at medium high speed until frothy. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, beating until white holds stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in the candy or amaretti.
Place a dollop of meringue on each peach half and broil for 30 seconds. Turn off broiler and leave peaches in oven just until tips of meringue are browned, 30 seconds to one minute. This period is critical so watch carefully.
What could be simpler?