Towards the end of the summer, fresh peaches are at their peak.  I am lucky enough to live in the southeast, where some of the finest peaches in the US are grown.  Peaches came to America about the time of the American Revolution.  They are native of China where many both cultivated and wild varieties are grown. 

Peaches have to be picked ripe, because they don’t sweeten up after they are picked; they only get softer.  They are best eaten within a few days of purchase at your local farmer’s market and are tastiest at room temperature, but can keep up to a week in the fruit compartment of your fridge.  The perfect peach should:

• Have a little ‘give’ to it when you press the flesh, but should not be ‘mushy’
• Should be a deep reddish peach color for the most flavor; white flesh varieties will be a little lighter in color on the outside
• They should have a wonderful ‘peach’ smell to them
• ‘Cling’ peaches mean that you have to cut them away from their seed, or stone, while free-stone are peaches that easily pull away from their stone.

How do peaches work in to diabetes meal planning?  The average large peach contains:

If you use the exchange lists, that is one fruit serving.  They are fat free and their rich peach color means they are full of antioxidants.   Peaches and other fruits should be worked in to your meal plan; caution when eating extra fruit between meals, because you may get an unexpected spike in your glucose levels.    Before exercise, however, a peach can make a great snack to prevent a low glucose level, or to give you an energy boost if you exercise before breakfast.

I eat my weight in peaches when they are here, it seems, and I am always trying them in new recipes.  I came up with this recipe when I was digging around for some leftovers in the fridge and smelled my ripe peaches on the kitchen counter.  If you are not a curry fan, try it anyway; it really makes the dish.  This recipe is perfect for a light lunch and you can round it out easily with some fresh salad greens and whole grain roll.  It makes 2 servings, but if you can’t resist and have to eat it all, just double the nutrition analysis that follows.  Most of all ENJOY!!

Peachy Good Chicken Salad (makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

Dressing:

Toss the peaches, chicken, celery and almonds together.

Whisk the dressing up and pour over the chicken mixture.  Toss gently to coat.  Serve right away, or put the fridge up to 30 minutes before serving. 

Counts as 1 carb choice, 2 lean meat choices (ounces) and 1 fat choice on the ADA diabetic exchange list.

Bookmark:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed