With diverse ingredients, spices, and equipment to play with, cooking is one of my creative outlets. How do others around the world answer the question, What’s for supper? I’m not shy about appropriating the ingredient list, substituting almost everything, changing the prep, and calling it my own.

That said, I rarely start with a recipe. I’m more likely to ask, what’s in my fridge. A lot of what’s in my fridge is what was fresh and reasonable at Young Brothers on Broadway, my local green grocer in Vancouver. Next, I might consider food restrictions that family and guests bring to the table. My daughter didn’t eat much meat, so I developed a vegetarian repertoire. That background in bean salads and tofu came in handy when my blood sugar began misbehaving, and my cholesterol levels needed attention.

I am a diabetic

Saying someone is “a diabetic” is as rude as saying someone is “a cripple”. The polite expression is “a person with diabetes”. But just as stating the facts can be a victory - as in, “I am an alcoholic”, the AA introductory formula - I would like to reclaim “diabetic”, the noun. It doesn’t define me, but is a filter through which my eating and drinking experience will be optimized. Or not. My blood sugar hovers around the diabetic entry level, influenced by diet, exercise, and good luck.

I am a “recovering” lawyer (also known as the Disclaimer)

I have no formal credentials behind my cooking ideas or health approaches. They didn’t teach that stuff in law school. While I will try to check news stories and other reports that I cite on this website by referring to the primary source, I cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies on this site. As a convenience to readers, I might link to other sites, but am not responsible for content on those sites. Furthermore, my linking to another site does not mean that I agree with everything or anything on that site. My experience as a diabetic will not necessarily be yours, even if you do what I do, eat what I eat. However, I do hope that your pleasure in visiting my website equals mine in creating it.

• cassandra