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Braised Chicken with Butternut Squash, Walnuts and Sage

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
one 3-1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces (2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice (about 2 pounds squash)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium, store-bought chicken broth, simmering in a pot
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chopped sage, plus more for serving

Method

1. Heat the oil and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Season the chicken parts generously with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, skin side down, without crowding and cook slowly until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
2. Turn the pieces over and brown the other side, about 8 more minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Set aside.
4. Add the onion, carrot, and squash to the pan and saute until softened but still holding their shape, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Pour in the hot stock, return the chicken to the pan, raise the heat to high, and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer until the chicken shows no pink when pierced at the joint, about 20 minutes.
6. Taste the sauce and season it with salt and pepper.
7. Remove the chicken from the pan and arrange the pieces on a serving platter.
8. Add the walnuts and sage leaves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring it in to give the sauce a smooth finish.
10. Spoon the vegetables around the chicken and pour any extra sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle more sage and walnuts over the dish and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Nightly Specials

In Pictures: Hokkaido Popular Ramen Salad

Ramen Salad (ラーメンサラダ) = Ramen (ラーメン) + Salad (サラダ)

Chart of the Day: Ranking of the Dirtiness of Objects in the Kitchen

Enlarge image . . . . .

Source: Business Insider

Is Coconut Palm Sugar a Better Sweetener for People with Diabetes?

Lana Barhum wrote . . . . . .

What is coconut palm sugar?

Coconut palm sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm. The sugar is extracted from the palm by heating it until the moisture evaporates. After processing, the sugar has a caramel color and tastes like brown sugar, making it an easy substitution in any recipe.

Coconut palm sugar is considered a healthier option for people with diabetes because it contains less pure fructose than other sweeteners.

The digestive tract does not absorb fructose as it does other sugars, which means that the excess fructose finds its way to the liver. Too much fructose in the liver can lead to a host of metabolic problems, including type 2 diabetes.

Can people with diabetes eat coconut palm sugar?

While the American Diabetes Association (ADA) do find coconut palm sugar to be an acceptable sugar substitute, they do not appear to endorse its use.

Coconut palm sugar and glycemic index

Some people believe coconut palm sugar is more healthful because it is lower on the glycemic index (GI).

People with diabetes are encouraged to consume foods with a low GI because they will not raise blood sugar levels as much as foods with a high GI level. Any GI value of 55 or less is considered low, and anything above 70 is high on the GI.

Both honey and cane sugar have GIs of around 50, while the GI of coconut palm sugar, as reported by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Philippines, is 35.

However, the University of Sydney have measured the GI of coconut palm sugar at 54. Based on its chemical makeup, this is thought to be the most likely value. Despite the difference in opinion, coconut palm sugar is still considered to be a low GI food.

Issues with looking at GI

There are several factors that contribute to blood sugar levels after eating, including how the food is prepared.

In the United States, there is no official GI rating system. The ADA note, however, that GI numbers for specific foods differ based on their source, and this would likely apply to coconut palm sugar.

According to the Joslin Diabetes Center, the GI is not the best guideline for what happens to blood sugar levels after eating.

There are many factors that influence the process, including:

• the individual
• the content of the food
• how food is prepared
• what other foods are consumed
• the rate of digestion

Therefore, the ADA advise people to treat coconut palm sugar as they would any other sweetener, including pure cane sugar. It is also important to include the number of calories and carbohydrates it contains when planning meals.

People should always check the nutritional labels on coconut palm sugar. This is because coconut palm sugar may contain other ingredients, including cane sugar, which means its GI will be much higher than noted in a rating system.

Coconut palm sugar contains inulin

Inulin is a fermentable prebiotic fiber, beneficial to gut bacteria that may help with controlling sugar levels in type 2 diabetics.

At least one research study finds coconut palm sugar contains significant amounts of inulin.

A study from 2016 found that fermentable carbohydrates might help to improve insulin sensitivity. They may also have unique metabolic effects for those who are at high risk for diabetes.

Benefits for women with type 2 diabetes

Another study finds that inulin provides some benefits for women with type 2 diabetes, including blood glycemic control and antioxidant status. Antioxidants protect the body from disease and damage.

More research is needed to further identify and understand these findings to extend to other populations with type 2 diabetes.

Nutritional value of coconut palm sugar

Coconut palm sugar contains the same number of calories and carbohydrates as regular cane sugar.

In addition, coconut palm sugar and cane sugar both contain:

• fructose, which is a monosaccharide, or single sugar
• glucose, which is a monosaccharide
• sucrose, which is a disaccharide that is made up of two sugars: half fructose, half glucose

However, the proportion of these sugars is different in cane sugar and palm sugar.

Other nutrients found in coconut palm sugar

Coconut palm sugar may be considered a better option, as it has more nutritional value than some other sugars.

Unlike cane sugar, it contains:

• iron
• calcium
• magnesium
• potassium
• other important minerals

However, people should bear in mind that cane sugar contains tiny amounts of these nutrients. Most people only consume a few teaspoons of coconut palm sugar at a time, which actually contains less than 2 percent of all nutrients.

Healthful whole foods will provide dramatically more of these same nutrients for fewer calories.

Conclusion

There is not enough sufficient research to back up claims coconut palm sugar is more healthful, better, or different than any other sugar for blood sugar.

While coconut sugar contains inulin, it may not contain enough to significantly affect blood sugar levels. In addition, coconut palm sugar is also just as high in calories as regular cane sugar.

Coconut palm sugar seems to be slightly more beneficial than regular sugar but is still best consumed in moderation. Therefore, individuals with type 2 diabetes should treat it the same as other sugars and use it sparingly, as it still might raise blood glucose levels, despite its possibly lower GI.

Source: Medical News Today

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