Veg and Feta Rice Tart - Diabetic foods

Last pregnany, I got told I had Gestational Diabetes. I was pretty sceptical as I was 2 months into strict bed rest when they did the test. BUT it was a pretty good reason to what my carb and fat, therefore energy intake. A good thing for anyone really. Substitute the white rice with any alternative grain - diversify the diet!

1/2 cup cooked long grain rice (or millet, brown rice, pearl barley)

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

75g button mushrooms, sliced

50g baby spinach leaves, shredded

100g reduced-fat feta, crumbled

250g pumpkin, cut into 2 cm cubes and steamed

4 eggs, extra, lightly beaten

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and lightly grease a 23cm pie dish.

Combine rice and egg and using the back of a spoon, smooth into the pie dish.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and cook the onion for 3 min, add mushrooms and cook for 3 min until soft.

Add spinach and stir through until wilted slightly.

Arrange half the feta into pie shell, and top with the pumpkin.

Spread the onion mixture over the top, then the remaining feta.

Pour eggs over, and nestle the tomatoes, cut side up, into the filling.

Bake for 45 minutes, until set and golden.

Wheat Alternatives - Theres HEAPS out there!

When it came to feeding my baby her first foods, I really had a look at what I ate.... and found I didn't like it! This may sounds COMPLETELY unjustified, but I do think that many common allergies are a result of over exposure. Wheat for example - we have toast ot cereal for breakfast, sandwhich for lunch, crackers or museli bar for a snack, pasta/bread for dinner. All wheat...


So I try to diverisfy our diets more, give the body a bit more variety in life. But being a chef, I loath bland boring food. So it has to be yummy, nutritionous and varied.... Heres a start in finding the right grains....


Use these flours instead of white flour when making a white sauce, binding ingredients or mix half / half when baking! 

List of wheat flour substitutes/alternative grains

• Barley, oats, rye. Although these grains can be used in place of wheat, they all contain GLUTEN.  Remember that "wheat-free" doesn't always mean "gluten-free".

Oats are a very good source of silica, which is important for supporting the body's connective tissues. Rye flakes can be used to make a nourishing, warm, cooked cereal.

• Millet. This is the most easily digested grain available - and is also the least allergenic. It is a good source of silica and protein. Millet flour can be used for baking and the grains can be used to make porridge, or can be cooked and served like rice.
• Rice and wild rice. Rice flours are often used as wheat flour substitutes. Creamed rice can be given to baby as a cereal and, for older babies, cooked rice can be used in place of breadcrumbs to make stuffing.
• Sorghum is a cereal grain, similar to millet, which is ground to produce sorghum flour.
• Buckwheat (despite its name) is not a type of wheat and is not even a cereal grain! It is gluten free and therefore safe for a gluten intolerant baby. It is very rare for anyone to develop any type of sensitivity to buckwheat.

Buckwheat flour is also known as beechwheat, kasha or saracen corn. Buckwheat groats can be used to make a hot breakfast for baby, or simply served as part of a main meal!

• Amaranth is another non-cereal, gluten-free grain which is ground for baking. It is a very rich source of calcium and is also high in magnesium and silica. Amaranth has been widely used in Mexico to prevent malnutrition. It can be prepared and served like rice.
• Quinoa is related to the amaranth grain - like amaranth, it is a particularly rich source of calcium. It has the highest protein content of all grains and also provides baby with phosphorus (important for a healthy heart, kidneys and brain), iron and vitamins B and E. Quinoa, too, can be cooked and served like rice, although many people prefer to serve it with other grains.
• Chick pea flours can also be used as wheat flour substitutes and are also known as gram or garbanzo flours.
• Ground flaxseeds. These are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, fibre and manganese. Flaxseeds are digested more easily when ground.
• Potato starch, arrowroot powder, tapioca and cornstarch are good wheat flour substitutes to use for thickening gravys or sauces for baby, or for binding ingredients in baking.

 Apple and sultana baby oatmeal (6 months+)

1/2 cup cooked millet
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple juice
1 apple peeled, cored and diced
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp sultanas 

Pour the water and juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the diced apple and sultanas, then sprinkle in the cooked millet, stirring well.
Return the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Add the nutmeg and cook until thick and broken down (10-15 mins).

If this recipe is too lumpy for your baby, you can puree it directly in the pot using a hand blender.

Another alternative is to soak the sultanas to soften them, then puree them before adding them to the dish.

Quinoa - The Mother Grain

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient grain from South America. The Incas in the Andes originally cultivated quinoa and referred to it as the "mother grain" since it is an annual plant that bears seeds indefinitely. It is not a true cereal grain but is technically a member of a family of herbs. The entire plant, including the leaves, stem, stalk, and seeds is edible. and grows from three to six feet high. Its seeds, which look like a cross between millet and sesame seed, are in large clusters at the end of the stalk.

Quinoa is considered a "super grain" because of its nutritional benefits. One cup of quinoa has more calcium than a quart of milk and has twice the protein of barley or rice. It is a good complement to legumes that are often low in the amino acid, methionine and is higher in oil than other grains. Quinoa is available as a whole grain that cooks in about 15 minutes and can be substituted for almost any grain in most recipes. It can be used in soups, salads, entrees and even desserts. It is gluten free, is a complete protein and


It comes in a variety of colours - plain, red, black which is great for colourful and nutrirional variety to dishes. To cook, generally rinse to remove last traces to saponin (it's own natural pesticide), bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until they turn transculcent with a white edge.

I always have quinoa cooked and frozen in case of emergencies.

Quick Ideas

Quinoa, fish (almost any kind), plain yoghurt, cumin.

Quinoa, stewed or fresh fruit, cinamon.

Quinoa, berries, nuts (walnut, hazelnut, almond), agave nectar.

As a substitute for rice.

 Lemongrass Quinoa

2 cups quinoa
4 ¾ cups water
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 lemongrass stalk

2 Tablespoons canola or corn oil
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

(or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 pinch ground cloves, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper)
350  firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ bunch broccoli, cut into small florets and thin-sliced stems (6 cups)
½ capsicum, seeded and minced.

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve under cold running water for 1 minute to extract the bitter saponins.

Let it drain for 2 minutes.

Bring 4 ½ cups water to a boil in a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon salt and the quinoa.

Cover the pan, and turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the lemongrass: Cut off the bulbous bottom third of the stalk. Remove the tough outer leaves and, cut this piece into thin slices, then mince it. (Save the rest of the stalk for stocks, soups, stews, or even tea.)
Heat the oil with the ginger and garlic over medium heat, stirring constantly.

After a minute or two, add the minced lemongrass. Sichuan pepper, and tofu. Add salt to taste.

Stir-fry the mixture over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the broccoli and the remaining ¼ cup water.

Cover the skillet and let the mixture steam over low heat for 5 minutes.
Uncover the skillet and add the quinoa, red pepper, and salt to taste.

Stir gently until all the contents are hot, then serve.

Serves 8 Nutrients per serving:
Calories 242 Cholesterol 0 mg
Protein 11 gm Carbohydrates 34 gm
Fat 8 gm Sodium 322 mg