Eat to beat diabetes and coronavirus with these nine healthy but simple recipes
COOKERY writer and actor Robin Ellis is proof that having type 2 diabetes is no barrier to living well.
Robin, Ross Poldark in the BBC’s original 1975 series, was diagnosed with the condition 20 years ago.
But by cutting down on carbs, cooking delicious fresh food and taking regular exercise he is able to enjoy a good quality of life.
Robin, 78, says: “The key is to eat simple foods and not to be too ambitious in your cooking if you’re a novice. A recipe with a huge ingredient list can be off-putting. But good food doesn’t need to be complicated.”
Today Robin shares some of his delicious recipes that can aid diabetics in controlling their conditions and help prevent others from developing the disease.
It comes as new research from NHS England shows that people with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to die from coronavirus as those without it.
The actor, who also played Reverend Halse in the latest version of Poldark, lives in France with his wife Meredith.
He has been classed as vulnerable because of his condition and has not been able to shop at the local markets.
Robin says: “I’ve really missed it. Now my wife goes, comes home with the ingredients and I prepare our meals. It’s like an episode of Ready Steady Cook!”
Here, Robin shows you how to make some great healthy meals.
Breakfast mix
Serves 1
YOU NEED:
- Large organic oat flakes
- Freshly cracked walnuts – watch out for rogue pieces of shell that can crack your teeth
- 1 dried apricot, chopped
- 1 cooked prune
- 1⁄2 x 125g/4oz pot of organic yogurt
- oat/almond milk, unsweetened, enough to moisten
- Ground cinnamon, to sprinkle
- 2 slices of 100 per cent rye bread, toasted with a little butter and pear and apple fruit spread (no added sugar)
METHOD: Assemble in the order above in your favourite breakfast bowl, ending with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Follow with the rye toast.
Spinach and onion frittata
Serves 4 as lunch, 6 as a starter
YOU NEED:
- 300g/10oz spinach, washed and shaken free of water
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
- 6 eggs
- 50g/2oz Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- Green salad, to serve
METHOD: Put the spinach in a large saucepan over a low heat. There will be enough water clinging to the leaves to cook it down.
Salt lightly as you put it in the pan. Let it reduce.
Transfer to a colander to drain and cool.
In a small frying pan, heat a tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the onion gently until it starts to caramelise.
Squeeze the spinach free of water, without squeezing the life out of it!
Loosen it up, separating it a little, then turn it over in the pan with the onion and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk them. Fold in the spinach and onion mix and turn it all together thoroughly.
Mix in the cheese and nutmeg. Season again lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining oil in a 25cm/10in pan. When it’s hot, add the egg mixture, spreading it evenly over the base.
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let it cook for about 20 minutes on very low heat. Use a heat diffuser if you think it’s not low enough.
After 15 minutes into the cooking, turn on the grill. Test the top of the frittata.
When there’s only a small pool of the mix left on top, it is ready to go under the grill – briefly – to finish.
It shouldn’t take much more than a minute under the grill to come out a little browned on top.
Serve with a green salad.
Red peppers stuffed with tomato and chèvre
Serves 4
YOU NEED:
- 4 red peppers – choose ones that will balance well when halved
- 8 medium-ripe fresh tomatoes or tinned ones, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 round fresh chèvres (goats’ cheese), as fresh as you can find, cut in half
- 8 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- Salt and pepper
- 8 basil leaves (optional but nice)
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Cut the peppers in half lengthways through the stem, cut out the white stem base and remove the seeds.
Put a quartered tomato and some sliced garlic in each half pepper.
Tuck half a chèvre in each.
Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over each half and season with salt and pepper.
Cover a shallow oven pan with foil and brush it with oil.
Place the pepper halves carefully in the pan, cook them in the upper part of the oven for about 40 minutes to 1 hour – the time depends on the size and thickness of the peppers, but they should be very tender and oozing with the sweet juices of the tomatoes and peppers when you check for doneness after about 30 minutes.
Put a basil leaf on each. They are best served warm, not too hot. Follow with the rye toast.
Salad Niçoise
Serves 4
YOU NEED:
- Salad leaves to cover serving bowl base
- 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled if preferred
- ½ large cucumber, peeled and quartered
- 1 large or several small spring onions
- 250g/8oz green beans, cooked to tender
- 2-3 tins tuna, drained weight 200g-300g
- handful of Niçoise or other black olives
- 8 anchovy fillets
- 4 freshly hard-boiled eggs
- salt and pepper
- 8 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
- some basil, parsley and mint leaves
METHOD: Choose a large serving dish. Make a base of the salad leaves, followed by the tomatoes, cucumber and onion.
Add eggs last, with a slice of anchovy on each half.
Whisk the olive oil and garlic together, add salt and pepper and the herbs and pour over the salad.
Turn over the salad in the dressing and serve.
Spaghetti with lemon zest and rosemary
Serves 2
YOU NEED:
- 200g/7oz wholewheat spaghettini or spaghetti
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pulped in a mortar (if you don’t have a mortar, cut the garlic into very small chunks)
- 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
- 2 tbsp Parmesan, grated
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Chopped parsley
METHOD: Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente or to your taste.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan on a low heat.
Cook the rosemary sprigs and garlic until the garlic begins to colour – about five minutes.
Add the crumbled stock cube, stir thoroughly and turn off the heat.
Drain the pasta and put it in a warm bowl.
Strain the oil through a sieve and add it to the pasta with the cheese.
Turn it over to coat the pasta with the oil and sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley on top.
You could pick the not-too-brown garlic bits out of the sieve and scatter them over the pasta too.
Chicken with a caper and lemony sauce
Serves 4
YOU NEED:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp olive oil or 50g/2oz Butter – I prefer oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice 2 tbsp capers, chopped
METHOD: Drag the chicken pieces in the well-seasoned flour, pressing them down so they get a good dusting. Shake off the excess.
Heat the olive oil or butter in a medium frying pan – large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
When hot, slip in the chicken breasts.
Turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or so, turning them once or twice, until just past the pink stage.
You can cut carefully into the thickest part of the chicken to test.
Transfer the chicken to warm plates using a slotted spoon.
Add the lemon juice, zest and capers to the pan and season.
Cook gently for a minute, stir and taste for perfection.
Spoon some sauce over each serving of chicken.
Salmon fishcakes
Serves 2
YOU NEED:
- For the yoghurt sauce:
- 2 x 125g/4oz pots of yoghurt
- 1 tsp grain mustard
- Good pinch of chopped dill (from the main bunch)
- Salt
- For the fishcakes:
- 500g/1lb salmon fillet, skinless and checked for bones
- White of 1 egg
- 1 tbsp chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour, or plain flour
- 1 tsp grain mustard
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Bunch of dill, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
METHOD: Mix together all the yoghurt sauce ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
Cut up the salmon fillets into roughly equal-sized pieces.
Put them in a food processor and pulse three or four times.
Avoid working them too much and producing a slush. You could just cut them up into small pieces if you prefer.
Put the salmon in a bowl. Turn in the egg white and the flour, then the mustard, lemon juice and dill.
Season with salt and pepper.
It’s a good idea to taste the mix for seasoning at this point – the dill and the salt should come through. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and using a dessert spoon, scoop out a dollop and make a ball. Put this in the pan and flatten it gently.
Cook on a medium-high flame for a couple of minutes each side, crisping and browning the outside while making sure the interior cooks through.
Serve with a salad and the mustardy yoghurt dipping sauce on the side.
Baked apricots
Serves 3-4
YOU NEED:
- 120ml/4 fl oz fresh orange juice;
- 1 tbsp lemon juice;
- 20 ripe apricots, halved and stones removed;
- seeds from 5 cardamom pods, crushed;
- 2–3 tbsp runny honey;
- Greek yoghurt, to serve
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Pour the orange and lemon juice into a shallow ovenproof dish.
Arrange the apricots, cut sides up, in a single layer in the dish.
Sprinkle over the cardamom seeds and drizzle over the honey.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the apricots. They need to be soft.
Remove and serve – a dollop of Greek yoghurt always goes well.
Baked apples
Serves 4
YOU NEED:
- 4 large apples
- Handful of raisins and Handful of walnut kernels
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp runny honey
- 4 cloves
- 100ml/4 fl oz water
- yoghurt, to serve
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
Core the apples. Arrange them on an oven tray.
Put raisins, lemon zest, a few walnut pieces, a tablespoon of honey and a clove in each cavity.
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Pour water into the tray.
Bake for an hour, then remove and cool. A dollop of yoghurt would meld well with the juices.
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