Mr. Potato Head Must Die!

Potatoes are a staple for me. Every meal I was eating included potatoes. Baked potatoes, boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, country style home potatoes, mashed potatoes, I don’t care. I’ve forgiven the French for being… well, excessively French, just because their name comes before the word 'fries'. Idaho is my favorite state, despite not being shaped like a potato and I refused to vote for the first President Bush because his Vice-President added an e.

I love potatoes.

So obviously I had to take a peek at where my favorite side dish fell on the Glycemic Index (GI) that being the diet I’m counting on to control my BG spikes. Turns out it fell somewhere between ‘are you crazy’ and ‘here’s my gun, just end it now and try not to make too big a mess.’

Sigh.

So last night I started looking for a replacement for my beloved potatoes. Obviously I’m not looking at the side in isolation. So here is my whole menu from last night:

Starter; Progresso chicken barley soup
Main; Turkey Cheeseburger
Sides; Garlic bell pepper oats and a half slice of sourdough bread
Dessert; Chiquita grape and apple bites

What I would have eaten, last month, was a cup of chicken noodle soup as a starter, cheeseburger, mashed potatoes, and a biscuit for the main, and cake for dessert. It really was easy, except for the potatoes, to do the GI substitution, and I didn't lose out on taste.

Behold:

Whole Meal Substitutions
Turkey for ground beef
Whole wheat bun for white bun
Light mild cheddar for regular cheddar
Barley for noodles
Sourdough for biscuit
Apple and grape bites for cake
And finally, Oats for potatoes

Yes oats. Oats look ok on the index and I can mix in some veggies, which frankly I have a hard time dealing with on their own preferring them in soups or as add-ons. So I went ahead and tried replacing mashed potatoes with a bell pepper garlic oats combo as follows:

Ingredients
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
½ cup chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tblspoon olive oil
1 ¾ cups of uncooked oats
1/3 cup egg whites
¾ cup chicken broth
Dried basil and black pepper to suit

How
In a non-stick skillet, on medium heat, drop in peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and onions and fry for two or three minutes in olive oil.

In a large bowl mix oats and egg whites until oats are covered evenly.

Add oats to skillet and keep cooking on medium for five or six minutes, stirring now and then. Add broth, then basil and pepper to suit. Keep cooking for two or three more minutes, stirring, and make sure broth is absorbed.

It should make six sides, with 130 calories, Calories from fat: 37. Total Fat: 4g. Saturated Fat: .5 g. 0 cholesterol, 19 grams of carbs and 6 grams of protein.

Result:
Compared to potatoes it’s a bit like kissing your sister, with the exception that people won’t think less of you if you enjoy it. Its texture is actually better than mashed potatoes but it was lacking flavor despite the garlic. What it needs is gravy, even mashed potatoes don’t work without gravy.

Effect on BG Level:
Before dinner my reading was 88. After finishing dinner the result was an ok, but not outstanding 179. My current goal is to limit a spike to 180 or less, so this combo can work as a staple for me, barely. Obviously if you are on another side of the Carbohydrate Wars, say the low-carb side, such a small side taking up a third of your carbs for the day would be much less attractive.