These Diabetes-Friendly Recipes From WW Will Appeal To Anyone

We’ve taken a shine to WW, the company formerly known as Weight Watchers, recently. When we asked one writer to review the WW app, he ended up losing 10kg in four months.

We like it even more now we’ve heard about WW’s features for people affected by diabetes – that’s about 20% of people in the UK, if you include those with prediabetes. If someone with Type 2 diabetes joins WW, their PersonalPoints will be set up to encourage them to eat foods that will have less of an impact on their blood sugar, such as lean protein, legumes and healthy fats.

There are also plenty of diabetes-friendly healthy recipes to try, like these two from the Everyday Cookbook by WW, shared exclusively with Coach. The first, tzatziki turkey burgers with courgette fries, swaps a bread bun for lettuce, and the combination of herbs, tangy pickled onion and tzatziki makes sure it’s still packed full of flavour.

Fair warning: the second recipe requires an air fryer. If you don’t own one already, you may well be persuaded to buy one once you feast your eyes on the spiced corn ribs.

Tzatziki Turkey Burgers With Courgette Fries

429 calories per portion

Ingredients (Serves Four)

• 45g wholemeal bread
• 500g turkey breast mince
• 150g light feta, crumbled
• ½tbsp dried mint
• ½tbsp dried oregano
• ½tbsp cumin seeds
• 40g pitted black olives, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1tbsp agave syrup
• 3tbsp plain flour
• 750g courgettes, cut into batons
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 4-8 large lettuce leaves

For the tzatziki

• 200g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
• 150g cucumber, deseeded and grated
• ½tbsp dried mint

Method

1. Blitz the bread into crumbs in a food processor, then put in a mixing bowl with the turkey, mint, oregano, cumin seeds, olives and half the feta. Season and mix everything together well, then shape into four patties.
2. Mix the red onion, vinegar and agave syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, mix the tzatziki ingredients and season to taste.
3. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7 and line a large baking tray with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour with 3tbsp of cold water to make a smooth batter, then season well. Add the courgettes and toss to coat, then spread them out on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook for two to three minutes each side until golden. Turn the courgette fries over and put the patties on another baking tray. Bake the courgettes and patties for 10-15 minutes until the patties are cooked and the courgette fries are crisp. Season the fries to taste.
5. Drain the onions and add some of the pickling liquid to the tzatziki to taste. Wrap the patties in lettuce leaves and serve topped with the tzatziki, the remaining crumbled feta and the red onion, with the courgette fries on the side.

Spiced Corn Ribs

239 calories per portion

Ingredients (Serves Two)

• 2 corn on the cobs (about 130g each)
• 1tbsp sunflower oil
• 1½tsp smoked paprika
• 50g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
• ½ lime, zested and juiced

Method

1. Carefully slice the bottom off each corn cob so it stands flat. Stand one cob up on its cut end, insert a very sharp knife into the centre of the top of the cob and carefully slice the cob in half lengthwise, using a see-saw motion. Repeat with the other cob.
2. Put each cob half on a cutting board, cut-side up. Cut through the core lengthways, so you slice each half into two or three “ribs”. Each rib should be roughly three to four corn kernels wide.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oil and paprika, then season well. Add the ribs and use your hands to toss them in the oil mixture until evenly coated.
4. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Arrange the corn ribs in the basket, in a single layer if possible. Air-fry for 8-10 minutes until the ribs curl and the kernels are golden – if you want them crisp, cook them for the full 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Serve the corn ribs drizzled with the yogurt dressing.