Puree Recipies 8-24-06

This post is a follow-up to a chat on puree recipies. I am 13 days post op (LAP RNY)and on puree for 12 days so far. I eat 2 oz (by volume, not weight) as the portion size. Have had no problems tolerating any of the below. Unless specified, all of the ingredients are the low fat, sugar free, low sodium etc. versions. I also puree in a Magic Bullet blender. Please modify/change to meet your doctor's diet specifications and your body's needs. Have fun and enjoy! Chinese Broccoli and Tofu 1. Pre-boiled about 5 broccoli florrets in chicken stock to soften up 2. Minced a small amount of garlic - about 1/2 medium clove 3. In a non-stick pan, put a couple of small drops of sesame oil and sauted the garlic - the kitchen was already starting to smell like Chinatown! 4. I added in the broccoli to the garlic 5 .Then added some low sodium soy 6 .Next some pieces of silken tofu 7. Sprinkeled with onion powder and powdered ginger 8. Let every thing cook a bit topped with about 2 more drops of the sesame oil for taste then transfered mixture to blender to pruee. Noodle-less Baked Ziti 2 Tablespoons Ricotta Cheese 2 Tablespoons Ragu Quick Pizza Sauce 1 Tablespoon grated regular Parmaganio Regiano Melt in microwave and stir Chicken Parmasan 2 Tablespoons dark meat from roasted chicken pureed with chicken broth 2 Tablespoons Ragu Quick Pizza Sauce 1 Tablespoon grated regular Parmaganio Regiano Melt in microwave and stir Huevos Rancheros Blend: 7 minute boiled egg 1 Tablespoon grated hard cheese (I vary this) 1-2 Tablespoons Salsa I hope you enjoy this soup. I developed this recipe for the holidays to feed about 24 people - so you can make the full recipe and freeze for future use or just divide and scale back on the ingredients. If you do scale back, just keep the ratio of salt to water 1/2 TBSP salt for each quart of water and err on the side of more chicken. Here it goes: 6 Q****er 4 Chickens (I like to by pre-quatered ones, but often use the cheaper packages of all drum sticks or thighs with the same result if there aren't enough cut up chickens in the store at a decent price. The parts make it easier to fit everything into the pot.) 4 medium to large onions peeled. Put cold water, chicken and onions in a big soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil then simmer for at least an hour. Then to make sure all of the other stuff fits in, I take the chicken & onions out of the pot and put in: A bag of baby carrots (we serve them with the soup so I find these easy - no pealing etc. You can use the cooked ones for a puree or carrot soup later.) 3-4 celery stalks 1 celery root. (These need to be peeled with a knife to get the dirt out of the cracks and crevices.) 3 parsnips with greens 3 leeks - cut up and washed very well. (I soak in cold water while the chicken & onions are simmering and check each leaf.) 4 trunips - peeled. 2 bunch dill ****ep the bunches tied up so they are easy to remove later.) 2 bunch parsley****ep the bunches tied up so they are easy to remove later.) 3 Tablespoon salt Fresh pepper to taste. Once all of this is in the pot, I add the chicken and onions back in to weigh it all back down under the water. I bring it back to a boil covered then reduce heat to simmer for another hour or so. There is no magic on the time, but give it at least an hour. Remove chicken and veggies and let broth cool. Strain to make it truely a clear liquid. (I don't usually do this, but for our purposes I did.) It is easier to skim the fat off after the soup is chilled in the fridge or freezer. For post-op, I measured out 6 oz portions into freezer bags. You can also use an ice cube tray to make small portion sizes to use for cooking or adding moisture to protiens later on. I also found two other broth recipes that I haven't tied yet so I can't vouch for the taste, but will make them soon. One is Calcium-Rich Broth and the other is Iron-Rich Broth. Seeing that we need all of the extra nutrients we can get, they caught my eye. This is from a cookbook I have called "Mommy Made (and Daddy too!) Home Cooking for a Healthy Baby and Toddler" by Martha and David Kimmel: For each you start with cold water, bring to a boil, simmer for an hour covered, remove veggies and strain. They make 3 cups each: Calcim Rich Broth: 1 qt cold water 2 broccoli brances wased and cut into 1/4 inch rounds 1/2 cup collard or dendellion greens, rinsed well and roughly chopped 1/2 cup well-rinsed, roughly chopped kale 3 carrots,scrubbed, trimmed and cut into 1/4 in rounds Iron-Rich Broth: 1 qt cold water 1/2 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas 1/2 cup well-rinsed roughly chopped beet greens 1/2 cup endive or escarole, rinsed well and roughly chopped 1 large sweet potato, peeled and quartered

I'm pre-op and trying to get my kitchen set up for my post off lifestyle. These recipes will be a great help. Thanks so much for sharing. Shirley