Cooking with Health Concerns

Have you though of take out?

It's impossible to get take out that meets the health food requirements, and it's also expensive. I need to find a way to be self sufficient in that department.

How about one of those rotisseries?

Well, that doesn't really fix the overall preparation problem. I'd still have to fix everything but the meat.

Sounds complicated.

I would try posting these messages on boards with more information on how to cope with your problems, rather than a wine topic based site. We are more likely to give you a recipe for what matches with what wine than what you can make without standing for 10 minutes. Good luck with your diet. I hope taking this to a medical website rather than a wine website provides you more help.

Not that this is a big help...but elderly people who have the same problem try prepping sitting down on a stool or maybe bring it to the living room (hence you are not prepping anything that could be dangerous if splattered-ex:raw meat)

I would stay with simple recipes.

Either way, I would kindly suggest that you work with an occupational therapist if you haven't already. This is their specialty.

When I think of some recipes for you, I will post them. Meanwhile, good luck.

quote:

I would stay with simple recipes.

I'm speechless.

CV, you know what ingedients you can have and which you can't. Try adapting recipes from cook books or food magazines to fit your diet. Make the necessary changes and write the changes you've made in the book or magazine, then correct these changes each time you remake the dish. You need to develop a sense of how each compnent affects the finished product. After a while, you'll be cooking good meals without needing a recipe. Good luck.

I apologize if I have posted inappropriately to this forum. After searching for cooking message boards, I found only three that appeared to be active, this being one of them, so I posted to all three. This forum appeared to be more than just about wine so it did not seem out of place, but if it is, I understand.

I thank those of you who have posted actual tips. I feel that some have entered glib responses without reading the actual content of my initial entry, so I would ask those to save their posts for other threads, as this issue is of the utmost importance to living my life.

I am actually in the process of trying to find an occupational therapist. I've emailed the State organization but gotten no reply. I am hoping a doc can get me more information to move that process along.

Again, thanks for the help, and if you have recipes I'd love to see 'em.

listen ClassicVoice don't sweat the fools...if i was in your position i would be posting on any and all websites i could find to get information

please continue to come here and see if you get some good answers

i think the only issue might be that on a forum almost exclusively made up of drinkers you will not find many that are having or have had health problems that required a restricted diet...wine would probably be the FIRST restriction...so while many might want to offer advice they are probably hesitant having never actually been in the position to cook with the restrictions you have

there are MANY people who cook very often on this forum...possibly some will come along that have had to cook for a friend or loved one on a similar diet

the only advice i can offer (being that i am on probably the least restrictive diet in the world) is if you have a local college or university with a food science or restaurant management or a nutrition program to contact them and see if someone in one of those departments can offer you recipies or a referal so someone else...maybe even a small class project to come up with some TASTY meals with restrictions...as i believe the demand for this will be rising in the future

please continue to seek advice here and good luck i wish you many enjoyable meals in the future

You might also try roguefood.com.

Now that is a capital idea. I can contact my community college at least. I know they have a chef training program and maybe that's an inroad I can pursue.

Your points about the likelihood of posters with similar dietary experiences are well taken. I think lots of folks don't worry about restrictions, but at the same time, you never know when someone might, in a moment of clarity, realize that X tool could really work for handling certain tasks better while seated, or something like that. Actually, your contact advice fits that category nicely, come to think of it.

Thanks,

Andy

OK. I don't know if this is any help at all. I just know that these are fast recipes. I'll give you 3 out of the gate. If you like any of these, let me know, I'll keep them coming if you like.

Orange-Glazed Chicken Wings

ingredients
1 cup fresh orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
2 tablespoons grated orange zest (from about 3 oranges)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
4 pounds chicken wings

directions
Heat the oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine the orange juice with the orange zest, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat.
On two large baking sheets, arrange the wings in a single layer. Reserve 1/4 cup of the orange mixture and spoon the rest of the mixture over the wings. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and baste them with the reserved orange mixture. Cook until just done, about 10 minutes longer.

Serve this finger food with a vegetable that you can also eat with your hands, such as strips of raw fennel or jicama.

Shrimp Marinated in Lemon and Olive Oil

ingredients
1 pound large shrimp, in their shells
3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp, cover, and bring back to a boil. Continue boiling, partially covered, until the shrimp are just done, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain. Let the shrimp cool and then peel them.
In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the lemon juice with the olive oil, tomato, salt, pepper, and parsley. Add the shrimp and toss.
Variations
• Substitute a pound of sea scallops for the shrimp. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over moderately high heat until very hot. Season the scallops with one-eighth teaspoon salt. Put the scallops in the pan and sear until brown on the bottom, one to two minutes. Turn and brown on the other side until just done, one to two minutes longer. Remove the scallops and cut them into quarters. Toss with the marinade.
• Spice up the dish by adding one-quarter teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes to the marinade.
• Use chopped fresh basil instead of the parsley.
• For an extra flavor dimension, add a clove of minced garlic to the marinade.

Roasted Peppers with Caper Dressing

ingredients
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 1/2 teaspoons wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons drained capers

directions
Roast the peppers over a gas flame or grill or broil them, turning with tongs, until charred all over, about 10 minutes. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, pull off the skin. Remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Cut the peppers lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips.
In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, using a fork, stir together the lemon juice, anchovy paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the oil. Add the peppers and capers and toss.
Variations
• Use halved and pitted olives in addition to or instead of the capers.
• Add a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil.
• Toss in a chopped tomato.
• Use three chopped anchovy fillets instead of the paste.
• Add a small can of drained tuna.
Shortcut
To roast the peppers quickly and with little mess, stand them upright and cut the flesh from each of the four sides, leaving the stem, seeds, and core behind. Put the peppers on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet, cut-side down, and broil until charred. Peel off the blackened skin.

I really like that shrimp recipe in particular. I might substitute pre-shelled shrimp to remove a step even those might not be quite as good.

This is sorta random, but do you guys have a trick for peeling roasted peppers? I did this with a friend, tried using a paper bag, and it took us forever. Something had to have been missing. I'd like to be able to use them with my restrictions, but I'd have to be confident in a peeling method first.

quote:

Originally posted by ClassicalVoice:
This is sorta random, but do you guys have a trick for peeling roasted peppers?

No big trick. Burn them up on the stovetop. Immediately throw them into a ziplock bag and let them rest and sweat until they are cool. You should be able to wash off the skins in seconds under cool running water.

Ah, see, we didn't let them cool. I can't do the actual burn trick on the stove since I have an electric, but I would imagine the cooling is the key element here, correct?

The sweating moreso than the cooling. It's just a little easier on the fingers w/ cool peppers.

ClassicalVoice,
I'm not sure what your dietary needs are, but you might try checking out the last couple of cookbooks by Graham Kerr. He used to be known as the "Galloping Gourmet", but after his wife suffered heart problems, he put all his energies into coming up with healthy meals that actually taste good. I believe he even breaks down the dishes by content, i.e. calories, fats, sodium, etc. I've tried a few of his dishes, they're really quite good.

I'm taking a look at his site now. It looks like he has a book on chronic illness published, though it might not be a cookbook. It's still a good sign.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
You might also try roguefood.com.

Thanks for the plug, Board-o!

Yes, please feel free to check out Roguefood.com. But please email me prior as registrations to the site require approval by the moderator (my wife or sometimes me). Just email me at my first initial, last name (no spaces in between) at yahoo dot com and I'll forward your request on to her for approval.

You can read all you want at the site without registering, it should be noted.

There are quite a few foodies over there and some professional and amateur chefs that would love to help you out.

Thanks guys. I actually signed up a good while ago and posted the same topic. I can't recall the answers I received, as I had to shelf my attempted cooking for a while on account of a fight with cancer, which I won. Hopefully I'll get back into it soon.

I agree 100% with bella. simple is easy, fast, and will likely be the most healthy.

quote:

# I can't stand up for more than about 10 minutes at a stretch without big problems. This is just huge for cooking, but maybe there are ways around it.

Get a stool, preferably one with wheels.

Your dietary restrictions actually are things I normally can't cook with. My wife and I have been doing Weight Wathchers for the past year and a half (I don't go to the meetings, I just leach off her program) and I've lost 50 lbs and kept it off. Most dairy, sugar, and heavy starches are right out. Use a lot more sweet potatoes and eggplant and such instead. Try browsing through some of the WW branded cookbooks available.

For instance, one thing we use now rather than pasta in many cases is spagetti squash.\

Make sure you drink your one glass of red wine a day

The stool idea has been suggested a lot. I currently have a chair that does not have wheels. It's not easy to chop from said chair, but it's nice for peeling or waiting for the stove.

I never would have considered Weight Watchers recipes. I'll give it a shot.