Mr. Divabetic stops by the 10th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party at Madison Square Park in New York City to find out how people stay on track with their Summertime health goals.
At the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, pitmasters from New York City, Alabama, and Texas come together to celebrate American barbeque.
According to the Webstaurant Store blog, the main styles of American BBQ are Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina, and Texas.
Kansas pitmasters brush wet ribs with sauce before, during, and after smoking them for a wet sauce. Memphis-style “dry” ribs are coated in a dry rub before they’re smoked and served without sauce, allowing their authentic flavor to shine.
Alabama white sauce is mayonnaise-based and punctuated with apple cider vinegar, brown mustard, and horseradish. It is usually served on chicken.
St. Louis is famous for its spare ribs, and most people refer to this meat cut when they mention St. Louis-style barbecue. In St. Louis, they prefer grilling their ribs rather than slow-smoking them over indirect heat.
California-style BBQ centers on wood-fired tri-tip steaks rubbed in salt, pepper, and garlic powder seasoning.
Everyone loves grilling food because the high heat and direct contact with your grill can make foods crispy on the outside while keeping them moist inside.
Kentucky is famous for perfecting slow-smoking mutton and developed a Worcestershire-based sauce to complement its rich, gamey flavor.
In recent years, contradictory reports have cited the benefits and dangers of grilling.
According to New York Health, research has found that grilling may reduce your risk for many chronic diseases, including heart disease, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. This is because grilling food makes it easier for us to eat fewer calories and fat.
According to Columbia Doctors, cooking over high heat, especially an open flame, exposes you to two main carcinogens: heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies show HCAs and PAHs cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer.
Staying healthy isn’t just about watching what you eat; it’s also important to be aware of the excessive calories and added sugar in your drinks. Many summer drinks, including soda, sports and energy drinks, lemonade, fruit juices, and sweetened waters, contain added sugar.
For example, a 16-fluid-ounce soda can contain over 12 teaspoons of added sugar, while a 16-fluid-ounce sports drink can contain 7 teaspoons. Added sugar can provide empty calories that can contribute to weight gain, obesity, heart disease, and tooth decay.
Walk into any Memorial Day cookout, and you’re likely to find burgers on the grill—few foods are as synonymous with grilling in the US.
From Italian-spiced Bruschetta toppings to South of the Border Salsa fixings, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’shares his favorite burger topping recipes for every taste this Memorial Day
“Ground
chuck is my go-to. And it best has some fat!” says Dr. Chef Robert Lewis. “Ground
chuck without fat means dry burgers. Let’s not go there. I tend to buy 80/20
ground chuck. 80% lean meant. 20% fat. Next, let’s add some flavor. Keep it
simple, remember it’s all about turning ordinary ingredients into something
extraordinary”
Chef Robert’s The Burger of
LOVE Recipe
Ingredients (2 pounds of ground chuck):
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 TBS onion powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
1 Tablespoon of French style mustard
1 raw egg to bind.
Directions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. DO NOT OVER MIX all the ingredient. Divide the mixture into 8 balls. Then flatten it into a patty by compressing it with your hands. Make sure the patties are even this will help the meat to cook evenly cook evenly.
SERVING SIZE: This recipe creates about 8 patties. If you need less adjust recipe as
needed!
The Happy Diabetic’s Temperature Guide: It’s easy to overcook burgers. I like to pull the burgers off the grill at around 155°F the carryover cooking will them past the 160°F we are aiming for. To take the guesswork out of cooking, I use a Thermometer ($10 .00)
California Dreaming Burger Toppings Recipe
2 thin slices
avocado
2 T Fruit salsa
2 T shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Fruit salsa Ingredients:
1
Cup Tomato (small diced)
¼
Cup Cilantro (chopped)
1
Cup red Onion (small diced)
2
Teaspoons Lime Juice
1
cup diced kiwi, pineapple, strawberries mango
Caprese of LOVE Burger Toppings Recipe
1
ounce fresh buffalo mozzarella
1
t drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
2
slices of Roma tomato
2
basil leaf
Bottom of Form
Top of Form
Southern Hospitably Burger Toppings Recipe
1 large cooked over easy egg
1 T fresh salsa
1/4 cup green leaf lettuce
1 T queso fresco
Fresh Salsa Burger Toppings Recipe
1
cup fresh tomatoes, diced
½
cup corn kernels, fresh (or frozen)
½
cup onion, diced
2
cloves garlic, minced
2
T fresh squeezed lime juice
2
T fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Salt
(to taste)
Not Too Much Sun Burger Toppings Recipe
2 T chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh spinach
1 ounce goat cheese
Tomato Pesto Lovers Burger Toppings Recipe
1 t of pesto
2 Roma tomato slices
1 T crumbled feta
5-6 leafs of fresh spinach
Bruschetta Burger Toppings Recipe
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half or 1 medium
tomato, diced
1/4 cup onion diced
6-8 large basil leaves chopped
1T Balsamic Vinegar
salt (to taste)
Directions
Stir together olive oil, chopped garlic, tomatoes, onion, and basil leaves. Add salt and top the burger.
Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’
Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ has made it his mission to not only to be an ambassador of positivity for himself and his family (which includes 3 children and 6 grandchildren) but to also create amazing things in the kitchen for people of all walks of life to enjoy.
In a recent profile on the Everyday Diabetes website, Chef Robert Lewis admitted that he wasn’t going to let his diagnosis with Type 2 Diabetes get him down.
“When I started this personal journey as a type 2 in 1998, I determined right then and there that diabetes was not going to change my positive outlook on life! I have always looked for ways to bring joy to others,” says Chef Robert Lewis. “ As The Happy Diabetic, I work to bring hope as well as happy, healthy lifestyle strategies to people living with diabetes! Putting a positive spin on things will always help us get through the tough times together!”
Now The Happy Diabetic’s a man on a mission! When he’s not working as a director of training for 60 restaurants in the Midwest, he’s traveling around the country as a keynote speaker for Taking Control of Your Diabetes and/or hosting his own podcast, ‘The Happy Diabetic Kitchen Podcast’!
Mr. Divabetic hosts the new hilarious culinary podcast,Serve, Taste or Trash! Game. A delicious combination of crazy food challenges and fresh perspectives on the latest food trends.
Mr. Divabetic discusses easy ways to go from ‘Farm To Fabulous’ with co-founders, Debra Moser and Mitchell Berliner of Central Farm Markets and one of the market’s featured vendors.
Our Serve, Taste or Trash! Gamechallenge features jerusalem artichokes, kale and oranges. One lucky contestant must decide which choice they’d serve, which choice they’d taste and which one they’d trash. But will they regret their decision after hearing our guest culinary wizard’s mouthwatering recipes for each choice? Can low-sodium foods rate high in taste? Stay tuned.
Special guests include Wellness and Diabetes Coach, Ginger Vieira, the author of “Your Diabetes Science Experiment” and “Emotional Eating with Diabetes,” Co-founders of Central Farm Markets, Debra Moser and MeatCrafters owner, Mitchell Berliner, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, the ‘Queen of the Green’ Miss Aida Romaine and Laura from Chattanooga, TN who is living with diabetes.
This program aims to encourage kids of all ages to become more open-minded eaters.
