No, I do not believe that I am unstable or that I will try to jump from a tall building but the title refers to the condition of “Pre-Diabetic” where folks are not quite at the fully diabetic stage but are on that threshold.  People very close to me have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic.  My knowing this prompted me to embark on a project to adjust my recipes to fit this particular type of diet. I noticed that there are no “pre-diabetic” cookbooks thus leaving these folks to modify the full diabetic recipes to suit their needs (sometimes good, sometimes not so good) so these are not the same as the diabetic recipes but employ some of the same principals. There is the liberal use of cinnamon (this is just like a shot of insulin and helps a great deal in controlling blood sugar) and of as many herbs in as many combinations as can be imagined so that you can avoid reaching for that bottle of sauce with the “umteen” grams of sugar in it. As promised (maybe a bit later than I expected however) here is the first installment of “On the Edge” recipes for those with pre-diabetes. All you other folks don’t worry as I will continue to do my other kind of recipes with simple ingredients executed well but this is to help those who may have this condition.

Viejapthainese Meatballs (This recipe has a lot of different influences)
Asian inspired Turkey meatballs with sesame-lime gravy
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

The Meatballs:
2 lbs – Ground turkey breast
2 tbsp – Dried basil
1 tbsp – Cinnamon (ground)
2 tbsp – Red and Black pepper (I used “Hotshot” by McCormick) Note: if you are really adventurous you can substitute 3, finely diced jalapeno peppers or 4 Thai chili peppers here.
½ tbsp – Ginger (ground) Note: The original idea was to use fresh ginger finely chopped but I have not figure out the equivalent yet.
1 tbsp – Lite soy sauce
1 tsp – Toasted sesame oil
½ cup – Whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
1 – Egg
½ – Sweet onion (diced very fine)
7 – Garlic cloves (run through a garlic press)
¼ cup – water (added in slowly to change the consistency of the meat ball mixture. You may not use all of it)

The Sauce:
5 – Limes (the juice of)
2 tbsp – Toasted sesame oil (depending on the size of your limes you could go a bit more here)
1 ½ tbsp – Honey
2 tbsp – Dried basil
¼ cup – Scallions chopped (the green part)
Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

Construction Instruction:

In a large bowl, combine turkey with the remainder of the meatball ingredients except for the water. Mix thoroughly so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed. (Note: I used a potato masher to make this as fine a mixture as possible.) Add water slowly to the mixture, using your hands, until the consistency is almost sticky. Make small (about tablespoon size) meatballs and place them on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam or some other non-caloric cooking spray. This should yield about 30 meatballs. Bake these in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. At about 15 minutes turn the meatballs so that they cook evenly. Note: I started checking the meatballs at about the 30 minute mark to make sure that they had not gotten too dry. When done the meatballs should spring back lightly when pushed down on by a fork.

The Sauce Construction Instruction:

In a bowl combine the lime juice and the remainder of the ingredients Whisk together until the honey has had a chance to dissolve. Put the mixture in a small sauce pan and over low heat reduce by about 1/4th. This should take about the same time as it takes the meatballs to cook.

To serve, take 4 to 5 meatballs and put over Japanese buckwheat noodles or brown rice (I have had them both ways) and spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoon’s worth of the gravy over top. I served this with a cabbage, zucchini, squash and onion salad finished with rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds and green beans semi-dry pan roasted with crushed red pepper flakes.

This was a huge hit with the family. I hope that it turns out for everyone who wants to try it.

Enjoy!