Cous Cous Salad and Chicken Paprikash

Originally Posted August 28, 2010. After that serious business, here's some tasty food!

Cooz Cooz Salad

(Source: Based on a recipe from Paula Deen. Probably the healthiest recipe I've ever seen her make. My mother has trouble pronouncing cous so this recipe is referred to as Cooz Cooz Salad.)

Salad: 

2 c. prepared plain cous cous  Check the package for directions. This was 1 c. dry cous cous + 1 1/2 c. water, so it was more like 2.5 cups prepared. Doesn't matter. I made mine without salt or oil or anything, but you can use broth, too.

1 can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 c. crumbled feta  This provides the majority of the salt in the recipe, so adjust quantity accordingly.

1/4 c. chopped flatleaf parsley

A few sprigs of chopped mint. Optional, but a nice touch.

One each, chopped: red bell pepper, English cucumber, tomato. Adjust quantity to taste, and based on size of said items. Sometimes half a cucumber or pepper is plenty if they're big.

1/2 white onion, chopped

Dressing:

juice of 3 limes, seems like a lot, but it's worth it.

1/4 c. olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

pepper to taste (one "shakey shakey")

In a LARGE bowl, mix salad together, toss with dressing. Serve immediately, or store in fridge for up to a few days. Great make-ahead dish. I think it gets better as it sits. This recipe makes enough for many meals. 

I think it's really delicious, but Sexy Lawyer Man took one look and said "hell no." More for me. You have to REALLY like onions. And lime. And feta. And pretty much everything else in here, as they all make a good showing. 

And now for something completely different:

Chicken Paprikash

(Source: American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 3rd Edition. Again, I suggest that everyone ever should own this cookbook.)

2 1/2 c. dried "No-yolk" egg noodles

1 1/2 lbs chicken (we used thinly sliced chicken breast, and not that much chicken, either)

olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp paprika (they prefer sweet hungarian paprika, but I couldn't find it and regular's fine)

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 c. chicken broth (low sodium prepared or homemade)

2 tbsp flour

1/2 c fat free plain yogurt

2 tbsp fat free sour cream

Cook the noodles. Drain and set aside. Don't use salt. Or do. But I didn't. 

Cut chicken into small pieces.(I didn't do this, because the chicken was thin sliced, but I think it should be done.)

Cook chicken in olive oil until done. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Put onion and paprika in skillet and cook until soft. (You may have to add a little water to keep all the paprika wet.) Stir in tomato and broth, cook until hot (2-3 min).

Return chicken to skillet and heat, covered until tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and veggies to a plate. Set aside. 

Sprinkle flour over broth mixture. Cook 2 to 3 min until the sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and sour cream. Whisk into sauce. Stir veggies and chicken back in. Serve over noodles. 

Nutrition, FYI: calories 335, fat 2g, cholesterol 67mg, sodium 120mg, carbs 42g, protein 34g, calcium 81mg, potassium 583mg. 

This is a Hungarian dish that has a really bright orange color. Again, if you don't like onions, this may not be a good one. But we really liked it. 

Kidney Adventure 2010, Round II

Originally posted August 21, 2010

So, people have asked and I figured I should put some actual facts up here instead of a series of vague, whiney status updates. (Or, in addition to whiney status updates... can't promise to quit those. )

When last we left off, around May-ish, all was well as far as I could tell. Blood pressure stable, kidney function 50% (not great, but holding.) I was staying to a low sodium/ low cholesterol diet and things were beginning to look pretty normal. 

August: Last week I was not feelin' so good, so I decided to go to my Dr just to make sure everything was cool. Lab tests were NOT COOL.  So more lab tests. And more lab tests. A week later I feel a bit like a pincushion, and it appears that my kidney function somehow slipped from 50% to 16 %. 16% is not good. We are not sure if this was slowly creeping down all summer or if it suddenly went down in response to this latest flare-up (although it's probably the latter.) 

So, options:

1) This dip in kidney function is in response to an acute attack of Kidney Gremlins and function will return to normal (50%) in a few weeks. This is the happiest option, so I vote for this one. (Like I have a say?)

2) Kidney function stays here and I use immunosuppressant drugs to keep this from happening again. (And maybe increase function?) These drugs have crappy side effects, which is why we didn't try them before now. 

3) Kidney function continues on downward turn and reaches 10%, at which point I will be declared to have End Stage Renal Disease (which really sounds like a scarier condition than it is) and I go on dialysis and start looking for someone's kidney to steal. Good news here is that I'll qualify for Medicare and Uncle Sam will start paying my medical bills. 

Now, in order to figure out which option this is, and HOPEFULLY get a real diagnosis (surprisingly, Kidney Gremlins is not a medical term), I will probably need to get another biopsy while things are (apparently) active. I do not look forward to this, since the last one hurt like a bitch. However, the complication I had then is not a common one, and they don't seem to think I'll spring a leak this time, so we're not looking at a two week recovery again. (Although that was a great excuse to sit in bed for two weeks and watch the Olympics on TV...) I really don't want to tell my new boss at my new job that I'm taking a week off...

In conclusion, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and concern. Your support has really been awesome. Also, I want to point out that this is going to be damned inconvenient but not life threatening. If Osama Bin Laden could be that busy while on dialysis, so can I. Maybe that's a bad example. My point is, I will figure a way to keep on keeping on, so don't worry. I've got a great support system here and I've got Jesus and I'll be fine. 

I leave you with the chorus from my new favorite song:

Ain't no rhyme or reason, 

no complicated meaning

Ain't no need to over think it...

Let go laughing! 

Life don't go quite like you planned it,

we try so hard to understand it.

 Irrefutable, indisputable

The fact is it happens. 

(Sugarland, "It Happens")

Cookout Fixin's

Originally posted April 10, 2010

Today was awesome! Pretty much an ideal day for me. Got the house clean (and got to sing and dance to Broadway showtunes while doing it), got to cook some tasty meals. Had company over for burgers and Rock Band! I even earned good karma (if you call it that) by saving a car in the grocery store parking lot from almost certain destruction by runaway shopping cart, which (I'd like to think) led to me finding UNSALTED tortilla chips at HEB for the first time, as well as the stocker guy letting me get the brand new fresh green beans out of his crate before he stocked them. Like I said, good day. Throw in some hiking and romance, and it would be perfect.

Now, Recipes:

***NOM NOM NOM Hamburger Buns***

Make dough in bread maker with this:

1/2 c milk

1/2 c water

1 egg

1/4 c unsalted butter

3 c bread flour

2 T sugar

2 t yeast

Divide dough into 12 balls. Cover and rest 30 min. Brush with 1 Egg White and top with Sesame Seeds. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and slice in half to serve.

Soo yummy! FIlls your house with a delicious bakery smell even before you put them in the oven.

***Homemade Salsa***

1 green bell pepper

3 roma tomatoes

1 small white onion

1 t fresh cilantro (out of my garden, SCORE!)

juice of 1 lime

Chop everything really small. Put in a deep bowl and use an immersion blender to blend JUST PART OF IT. You could probably do this with a regular blender, too. Problem is, if you blend it more than a little, you get this pink foam and a weird taste. If you don't blend it at all, you don't have enough liquid parts to bind it as a cohesive dish. Trust me, I've made both of these mistakes.

I served this with my brand new Lightly Salted tortilla chips (50 mg per 15 chips, not bad). It is also good with unsalted chips, but I keep those all for me. Salsa keeps well for a few days.

Bread baking Fun!

Continued from March 28, 2010 post.
These are my first experiments with Mom's old bread machine. I've had it since Christmas, but I have been afraid to use it because I lost the directions. Turns out it's slightly defective (worked fine when I was 10, I don't know what happened!) but makes great bread anyway. 

Hawaiian Bread

(based on that super awesome King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread)

4 T. unsalted butter

1/3 c. sugar

3 c. bread flour

1/2 c. instant potato flakes (the pure potato kind, not the "butter included" kind)

1/4 t. ground ginger

3/4 c. pineapple juice (one 6 oz can)

1 egg

1/4 c. skim milk

1 t. coconut extract

1 1/2 t. yeast

Place ingredients in order above (or order specified by manufacturer) in bread machine. Process on white bread setting. Keep an eye out for the cooking time... mine was ready about 40 minutes before the timer was going to go off. I think it was the rapid rise yeast, or the defective bread maker. Once you can really smell it, it's probably done.

Portion: 1/12 of loaf

Calories: 207, Fat: 5g, Chol: 31 mg, Sodium: 14, Carbs: 35 g, Protein: 5g. 

****This is made in the bread maker, but I'm sure you could make the dough the old fashioned way (I just don't know what that is... I'm very new to yeast breads.) From the "500 Low Sodium Recipes" cookbook by Dick Logue.***

Pita Bread

1 T. olive oil

3 c. bread flour

1 t. sugar

1 c. water

1 t. yeast

Put the ingredients into the bread maker (in that order, or the order specified by the manufacturer) and process on the dough cycle. When finished, remove to a lightly floured surface and punch down gently. Split dough into 8 equal portions and roll into balls. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let sit 10 min. Preheat oven AND 2 large baking sheets to 450. Then roll each ball flat to 1/4 inch, sprinkle with flour, and let sit 10 minutes, covered. Transfer to hot baking sheets and bake for about 6 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned.

Portion: 1 pita

Calories: 204, Fat: 3g, Chol: 0 mg, Sodium: 2 mg, Carbs: 38g, Protein 6 g.

***These are really really good with hummus or dipped in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and herbs. No photo because we ate them too fast.

This is also from Dick Logue's "500 Low Sodium Recipes" book. If you don't already own this cookbook, you should. ***

Alfredo Pasta

Originally Posted March 28, 2010

I have some new recipes. This one is a healthier (ish) version of my usual Fettuccine Alfredo (although I always make it with Squiggly Pastas, not fettuccine.)  

Fettuccine Alfredo

1 lb dried fettucini (or Smart Taste rotini pasta)

1/4 c. fat free milk (I used 2% because Sexy Lawyer Man won't drink skim)

2 T. flour

1 1/4 c. fat free milk

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/8 t. white pepper (or fresh ground black pepper is fine)

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1 T. plus 1 1/2 t. grated Parmesan

1/4 t. salt

Cook pasta without oil or salt.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/4 c. milk and the flour until smooth. Heat over medium heat. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/4 c. milk. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly with a flat spatula to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom. (Seriously. Mine did stick and was a bitch to clean up.)

Stir in 1/4 c. Parmesan, lemon juice, and pepper.

To serve, transfer the warm pasta to a platter. Pour sauce over the pasta and toss. Sprinkle with the parsley, remaining Parmesan, and salt. Garnish with lemon wedges if you want.

Portion: 1 cup. Serves 8.

Calories: 249, Fat: 2g, Chol: 3 mg, Sodium: 160, Carbs: 47g, Protein:11 g.

*** From the Heart Association Low Salt Cookbook, 3rd Edition***

Blackberry and Balsamic Chicken

Originally posted March 17, 2010

This one is really really good. I made it twice this week. It also looks really fancy for when you are trying to impress people.

Cook a package of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice without seasoning packet or butter. ( I tried two brands of plain wild rice, and neither was very good. So I'm back to box rice.) (Since then I have had success with HEB Brown and Wild Rice Blend.)

Take a couple of chicken breasts and cover them with plastic wrap. Smash them to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with a salt-free all-purpose seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Table Blend.) Cook in a skillet with approximately 1 T olive oil, 5 min each side, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook in a sauce pan: 1 c. frozen blackberries, thawed, juice reserved; 1/4 c. low sodium chicken broth; 1 T brown sugar; 1 T balsamic vinegar; 1 t lemon zest. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in any juices from the chicken.

Serve the sauce over the rice and chicken.

265 calories, 116 mg sodium, 3 g fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 25 g protein

Enchiladas

Originally posted March 10, 2010

Tex Mex is the biggest thing I miss after my diet change. For a while I avoided this recipe because I thought it was too good to be true. But I tried it and it was really really good! Not just "pretty good for healthy food" good. Not exactly a VERY low fat/ low sodium meal, but certainly better than you'll get at Ninfa's. Now, I love Ninfa's, but that stuff will kill you.

Warning: prep time + cook time = >1 hour (But worth it.)

Chicken Enchiladas (From Heart Assoc. book)

Needed:

8 corn tortillas

vegetable oil spray

2 oz. chopped canned chiles (I used Hatch, Mild because I'm a spice pansy)

Sauce:

1 c. skim milk

1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I might have gone a little over 1/2 cup...)

1 t. fresh lime juice (I used more like a tablespoon)

Filling:

2 c. shredded cooked chicken (simmer chicken tenders in plain water about about 20 min.)

1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions

1 clove garlic, minced ( I used more)

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. chili powder

1/2 c. reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese

(All measurements on the filling are what the recipe says; I didn't use the recommended amounts. So just "season to taste.")

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13X9 baking dish with Pam and set aside.

In a med saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, broth, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce and simmer 5-6 min, or until mixture thickens slightly. (Whisk occasionally.) Whisk in 1/2 cheese and lime juice. Remove from heat and set aside.

Soften tortillas in a microwave tortilla warmer or wrapped in foil in the oven 5 min.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together chicken, green onions, garlic, cumin, and chili powder.

To assemble, place tortillas on a flat surface. Spread 1/4 cup chicken mixture and 1 T. Monterey Jack cheese in center of each. Roll up and place in baking dish. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with chiles.

Bake 20 min or until filling is warmed through.

Serving Size: 2 enchiladas

Cal- 304, Fat- 8.5 g, Sod- 344 mg, Prot- 35 g ( Add a few more fat/calories if you couldn't find Low Fat cheese. Stupid Waco.)

Tried with recipes for Mexican Beans and Gazpacho. Both were "meh" so I didn't include those recipes.