Jump to: Butter chicken | Chilli con Carne | Cobb salad | Moussaka | Weekend scrambled eggs
Type 2 diabetes is a complicated condition where the body cannot effectively regulate the energy we get from food. This leads to your blood sugar levels rising, and complications from this can significantly impact your quality of life.
Fortunately, we now know that type 2 diabetes can be reversed, put into remission, or, at worst, well managed through diet and lifestyle to reduce the reliance on medication.
Strong evidence suggests a diet lower in carbohydrates and rich in protein, fat, and fibre can positively impact your blood sugar levels, help you lose weight, and improve type 2 diabetes symptoms such as lethargy.
All of our recipes are rich in protein, fat, fibre, and some include servings of complex carbohydrates when you’d like to consume them. We believe this is the best approach to supporting weight loss and managing blood sugar levels.
Click here for a free low-carb meal plan developed by our dietitians.
People like Lorraine have regained control of their blood sugar levels and lowered their medications after joining Second Nature. If you’d like to give us a go and get 1-2-1 support from a registered dietitian, click here to take our health quiz.
Now, to the good stuff.
5 recipes for type 2 diabetes: developed by dietitians
1) Butter chicken
Prep and cooking time: 40mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown onion, diced
1 small garlic clove, finely diced or minced
350g chicken breast or thigh, diced
2 tbsp tandoori paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
200ml chicken stock
100ml double cream
1 small cauliflower head, cut into florets
2 tbsp plain natural or Greek yoghurt
50g flaked almonds (optional)
1 large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
200g spring greens
Method
Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan or saucepan, over medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic, until soft.
Add the chicken and fry until browned.
Stir in the tandoori and tomato puree.
Pour in the stock and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Stir for 1-2mins.
Add the cauliflower florets and reduce the heat to simmer, covered with a lid, for 10mins. Take the lid off and increase the heat for another 10mins, until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced. For a thicker sauce, double the cream to 200ml or use 100ml creme fraîche instead of cream.
Serve with yoghurt, flaked almonds (if using), coriander, and steamed spring greens.
2) Chilli con Carne
Prep and cooking time: 45mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced or minced
500g beef mince
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp ground hot smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp dried oregano
3 medium carrots
2 large red peppers
1 x 400g tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
150ml beef stock
100ml red wine
1 lime, ½ juiced, ½ sliced
4 tbsp sour cream (optional)
1 avocado, diced
1 head romaine lettuce, finely sliced
80g uncooked brown rice (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, over medium heat.
Fry the onion and garlic, until softened.
Add the mince and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned all over.
Mix in all the spices and stir for 1-2mins.
Add the carrots, pepper, beans, and tomato puree, and stir for 2-3mins, or until slightly softened and covered in the spices.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, wine, and lime juice. Cover with a lid, leaving a small gap so the liquid can evaporate slightly. Cook for 20mins, until the liquid has reduced and sauce is thick.
Serve with chopped avocado, romaine lettuce, and sour cream (if using). If you want the meat to last longer, serve with 1 portion of brown rice (20g uncooked per person) or without brown rice.
3 – Cobb salad
Prep and cooking time: 20mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 chicken breasts
2 eggs, boiled and halved
1 corn cob, de kernelled
3 slices bacon, roughly chopped
1 sweet gem lettuce head, roughly chopped
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cucumber, diced
½ avocado, diced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
60g blue cheese, crumbled
1 small handful fresh chives, finely chopped
Method
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, over medium heat.
Fry the chicken breasts until golden brown, roughly 10-12mins depending on the size and thickness. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Boil the eggs for 6mins, set aside to cool before cutting in half.
Once the chicken is cooked, using the same pan, add the bacon pieces and corn kernels and fry until golden. Set the chicken aside and slice into thin slices.
Prepare the salad by tossing together the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and avocado.
Prepare the dressing by mixing the red wine vinegar, the other tbsp of oil, and dijon mustard. Mix the dressing into the salad.
Place the chicken, boiled eggs, corn, bacon, crumbled blue cheese and chives on top of the salad and enjoy!
4) Moussaka
Prep and cooking time: 1hr
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely diced or minced
1 red pepper, diced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
500g lamb mince
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 large aubergines, thinly sliced
2 courgettes, thinly sliced
200g plain natural or Greek yoghurt
1 egg
½ tsp ground nutmeg or fresh nutmeg, grated
40g parmesan cheese, grated
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, over medium heat.
Fry the onion, garlic, red pepper, and spices, until softened.
Add the lamb, salt, and pepper, and fry until browned. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree.
Place the thinly sliced aubergine and courgette onto a non-stick baking tray and drizzle with the other tbsp of oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in the oven for 10-15mins, or until softened and lightly browned.
Lightly butter or oil an ovenproof baking dish and layer the aubergine slices, meat, courgette, aubergine (if any left), and then meat as the final layer.
Mix the yoghurt, egg, nutmeg, and salt and pepper, and cover the top meat layer with the mixture.
Finally, scatter parmesan over top and place in the oven for 35-45mins, or until golden.
5) Weekend scrambled eggs
Prep and cooking time: 10mins-20mins
Serves: 1
Ingredients
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
100g baby button mushrooms
100g cherry tomatoes
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp butter
3 medium or large eggs
1 tsp fresh chives or basil, finely sliced (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a small frying pan, over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and stir to cover in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Move the mushrooms and tomatoes to the side, and add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Continue to cook until the tomatoes are lightly browned. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm while you make the scrambled eggs.
Crack the eggs directly into a cold saucepan with 1 tbsp of butter. Turn on the heat and begin stirring the eggs with a spatula.
As the eggs start to cook (it sticks to the bottom of the saucepan), take the pan off the heat for 10-15secs and keep stirring. Once the eggs have cooled a little, return the pan to the heat. The key to this recipe is to keep stirring at all points.
Keep repeating step 2 until the eggs are cooked to your desired consistency (slightly runny vs. more firm).
Add a pinch of salt and pepper and give the mixture a final stir before serving. Sprinkle any herbs (if using) over the top.
Second Nature special tip:
Serve with fried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, avocado, and fresh herbs for a hearty breakfast.
