Dimitri wrote:
>
> "Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> <snip>
>
>>> After considerable thought and impeccable honesty my real strength in
>>> the kitchen is making a MESS!
>>>
>>> A GREAT BIG MESS,
>>>
>>> But the food is usually pretty good.
>>>
>>>
>> ...you are also good at making baked beens. I used a modified version
>> of the recipe you posted and they were fabulous.
>>
>> I guess my strength is making interesting and tasty meals that fit
>> with DH's dietary needs as well as my own mastication difficulties. (
>> Wow! That sounded pompous)
>>
>> --
>> Janet Wilder
>
> Thanks - what modifications? Do you mind?
>
> Regards
>
> Dimitri

DH has to limit his carbohydrates because of diabetes, his saturated fat
intake because of heart problems, salt because of congestive heart
failure and excessive green stuff because he is on blood thinners and
the green stuff counteracts the drugs. I have the USDA food list
downloaded on my computer so I can check carbs, calories, fats and
vitamin K. <g>

We don't do rice. It spikes his blood glucose and I wind up with pieces
of it in uncomfortable places in my mouth because I only have the right
half of my tongue and a whole tongue is essential for proper
mastication. I have to cut my food into little pieces to eat, but that's
not a cooking modification.

Neither of us are fans of "artificial" food like the low-carbers use as
a substitute. Here are some modifications:

When I make a stir fry, I usually make a side dish of some stir fried
finely shredded cabbage to put the main dish over instead of rice. The
cabbage grabs the sauce and no one misses the rice.

I make a lo mein with an ounce of dry pasta and fill the rest of it up
with julienned veggies, mushrooms, cabbage and beef, pork, chicken or
shrimp. We each get a half-ounce of pasta that way and it's within his
carbohydrate allowance as well as filling the plate.

Instead of a veggie and a starch with protein, I'll serve two veggies.
Like some grilled chicken breasts with sauteed mushrooms and cauliflower.

We have found a commercial bread that is only 14 net grams of carbs for
2 slices and it tastes okay, so he will make a sandwich for lunch. I buy
an eye round at Sam's, cut it in half and roast a half at a time when
needed and he uses this for sandwiches. Much less salt and chemicals
than store-bought cold cuts.

I buy lower sodium bacon and cook it in the microwave to get out most of
the fat.

We do eat a lot of salad and his blood thinner dosage has been adjusted
for that, but I have to limit how many times a week I'll make broccoli
and other green stuff. I just try to keep the amount of vitamin K he's
taking in consistent.

I don't do spicy. It hurts. I use a lot of herbs and garlic and a little
ginger (which doesn't seem to bother me as much as anything from the
capsicum family) to zing things up. Dijon mustard is okay, too.

We use Splenda for a sweetener in salad dressings. We rarely do
desserts, but once in a while I'll make a granita and I'll use Splenda
for that. DH loves lemon-lime granita. I've made it from watermellon and
cantaloupe, too.

Our meals are varied and, if I may say so myself, pretty tasty.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life