The One-Pot Diabetes Cookbook: Effortless Meals for Your Dutch Oven, Pressure Cooker, Sheet Pan, Skillet, and More

It seems like more and more people are being diagnosed with diabetes, especially type-2. Of my friends and neighbors who are facing this difficult diagnosis it is encouraging that they’re finding that this disability can be, at least in part, controlled with diet. This book One-Pot Diabetes Cookbook has a unique format that sets it apart from other of its kind. It has good content and healthy recipes but it spotlights the various cooking methodologies to prepare these dishes. We all have new and efficient cooking appliances and equipment that our grandma didn’t have but often recipe books take the same approach as most did in the 1950’s. This book has recipes geared to include many of the newer appliances as well as the conventional. All of the offerings can be prepared with one piece of equipment so you’re not filling your kitchen with pots, pans, bowls and excess utensils that, at some point, will all need washing.

The book has a short introduction and overview of diabetes and offers a dietary approach to its control. It then goes right into the recipes. The utensils/appliances used here in the one pot method are: salad bowl, stock pot, Dutch oven, casserole dish, skillet, slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, and a sheet pan.

I went through each section and prepared a few dishes and plan to try some others that interest me. Here are my personal highlights both pro and con:
Salads: Ricotta with Oranges. Only 3 ingredients
Stockpot: Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup.
Dutch oven: Corned Beef, Carrots and Cabbage. I’m always ready for this.
Casserole Dish: Lemon Chicken with Broccolini & Red Onion. I think I’ll make this with regular Broccoli florets as I often find the broccolini bitter.
Skillet: Dilly Salmon with Acorn Squash. This one needs some work as I found the salmon was way overcooked by the time the squash was done. Good taste though.
Pressure Cooker: Pumpkin Pie Cake. So good. I’m making this again. And often.

Each recipe has prep time, cook time and nutrition data. There’s also some hints on substitutions and shortcuts. Overall, this is a useful book if you are facing diabetes or even pre-diabetes. It’s also a good cookbook if you’re just looking for a tasty family recipe to make in a particular piece of cooking equipment.

“Everything a person with diabetes eats affects their blood glucose,

so knowing what to eat is the first step. But preparing that food requires a

strategy. One-pot meals you can make quickly using a few ingredients and

tools you already have in your kitchen is a great strategy for diabetes.”

-Kathy Birkett, Introduction, page x

One-Pot Diabetes Cookbook is filled with nine chapters beginning with the first two chapters dedicated to Living with Diabetes and Your Diabetic One-Pot Kitchen. Some of the information is simple swaps to avoid carbs and sugars, and a pantry makeover.

Those lacking vitamins A through E will find corresponding information of fruits and vegetables sources.

Diabetics usually have other factors involved with this diagnosis, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease naming a few. There are numerous beef and pork recipes including cheese and shrimp dishes normally avoided for diabetics or very limited in nature. Concluding this cookbook is a list of resources of organizations for healthy eating and diabetes management.

Three recipes I will test, as I already prepare certain recipes with chicken or use ground turkey as substitutes (I keep the use of ground beef and pork to a minimum in my meals). The three are Balsamic Chicken with Leeks and Carrots (Skillet), Oven-Fried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage Wedges (Sheet Pan), and Fish Packets (Sheet Pan).

The Fish Packets were delicious with the vegetables on top. I prepared this dish three times in one week! First two dishes I used Tilapia Fillets and the third time I used Flounder Fillet. This is a must try recipe.

I recommend this cookbook for diabetics seeking new recipes and others who wish to cook on a healthier level.

I received this cookbook from Callisto Publishers in exchange for an honest review in accordance with Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

In addition to the basic information about diabetes and how to eat if you have diabetes, at the beginning of the book, this book has some very good points. I like that each recipe has a little grid on the right side of the page letting the reader know whether the recipe is vegetarian, diary-free, vegan, nut-free, etc. without having to peruse all the ingredients. I also like that there is nutritional information about each dish, something I wish every cookbook contained.

I also like that the sections are divided into cooking methods, so that you can find recipe for a sheet pan dinner, a slow cooker dinner, in a casserole, skillet, etc. But you can also use the index if you are looking for recipes for beans or chicken or whatever main ingredient you want to incorporate into your dinner.

And there are some very nice recipes. What I like less is that a lot of recipes call for pre-made ingredients, especially in the salad bowl section, where lots of recipes call for commercial salad dressing. And I'm not fond of some of the recipes for someone serious about keeping their diabetes in check or lowering their prediabetes diagnosis. For instance, the fruit compote recipe has a whopping 50 grams of sugar per serving, and that seems like an awfully lot for a diabetic. It is good about going light on carbs, especially refined ones.

Most dishes do not have a photograph, but there is a photo at the beginning of each section.

I just don't see myself using this often, but instead going to a favorite healthy-cooking cookbook and choosing the healthier, lower sodium options. But if you are new to this way of healthy cooking, this book can give you a leg up on getting started. And the upside of that is that non-diabetic family and guests won't guess that they are eating "diabetic food" unless you tell them.

This is an excellent book. I loved all the different ways and Methods of fix a diabetic recipes. My husband me trying to couple we really enjoyed them thank you it's really good book and it makes I haven't diabetes more enjoyable and the food was delicious we're waiting to try some more thank you

I like that the ingredients in "The One-Pot Diabetic Cookbook: Effortless Meals for Your Dutch Oven, Pressure Cooker, Sheet Pan, Skillet, and More" by Kathy Bennett RDN, LD are fairly easy to find. That's a big help. The recipes too are simple and workable. The instructions are straightforward. The opening informational sections are to the point and doesn't go overlong. Most diabetics have read a lot of the information in that section so the streamlined info is a good refresher. Overall, I like the format and accessibility of the recipes and I like the concept to focus on the one-pot because it reduces clean up time. Very nicely done.

I love so many things about this cookbook!

1. It has some basic info at the beginning about diabetes and how to stock a pantry for eating healthy. It contains some suggestions for putting together a meal plan too.
2. The recipes are simple and organized well into categories. The ingredients are on the left in a simple list and instructions to the right.
3. Each recipe has an easy reference for allergy info, including dairy, nuts, gluten, vegan, plus fiber content.
4. There are ingredient tips on the recipes and also some shortcuts that will save time. For example, purchasing some ingredients already cut.
5. These are normal foods and not some crazy gourmet stuff that everyday people wouldn't eat.

This book would be perfect for someone who is newly diagnosed with diabetes and didn't know where to begin. With the introduction material combined with simple recipes that fit into busy lifestyles, it's the perfect essential resource to simplify the learning process.