Baby Spinach Salad - Diabetic Recipes 123

All of the ingredients in this simple recipe are excellent choices for the diabetic. Baby spinach is loaded with flavonoids which are known to eliminate free radicals which can lead to diabetes. Apple cider vinegar is alkaline and helps you more easily digest carbs and this in turn lowers blood sugar. Of course, the salad is also very low carb so it shouldn't cause a blood sugar spike.

Baby spinach salad is quite versatile and can be easily turned into a complete low carb diabetic meal by simply adding protein (see below for suggestions). Keep in mind that baby spinach is more tender and has less of a bitter taste than larger spinach.

Ingredients For Baby Spinach Salad (basic recipe for a side salad):

2 Big Handfuls of Baby Spinach (3 if you have small hands)
3/4 - 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)

Directions:

Mix the apple cider vinegar and the olive oil well in the bottom of a BIG salad bowl. Be sure to use a big enough bowl that you can toss it well. Add a little salt at a time and taste test it until you get it just right. Add the spinach and toss it for at least 3 minutes. You want it to become partially wilted because it will taste sweeter.

I usually like to keep this salad really simple if I use it as a side and I don't add any more ingredients since they can detract from the delicious flavor of the baby spinach. However, if you're having company and want to fancy it up a bit and maybe add some color and make it more visually pleasing, here are some ideas of items that do complement it well:

Red Pepper Cut Into Strips
Black Olive Slices
Sliced Water Chestnuts
A Few Walnut Pieces
A Few Almond Slices
Chopped Red Onion (just a little as this one can be over-powering)

If you add a protein and serve it "a la Florentine" you can easily turn this simple salad into a full meal. Here are things you could add:

Scoop of Chicken Salad (my favorite)
Boiled or Grilled Shrimp (another favorite of mine)
Scoop of Tuna Salad
Scoop of Salmon Salad
Grilled Chicken
Hard Boiled Eggs
Grated Cheese & Pumpkin Seeds (nice combo)
Small Handful of Nuts (walnuts are really good in this recipe)
Canned Chicken
Canned Tuna
Canned Salmon
Left-overs (baked or broiled fish is good)

Additional Notes:

Baby spinach is in season from March through May and again in September and October. Try to get some at your local farmer's market for guaranteed freshness and to know for sure it was grown organically with no pesticides. Plus you'll have the satisfaction of supporting a local farmer. You will definitely notice a difference in taste if you are used to buying mass produced spinach in the supermarket.

More diabetic recipes.