My Thirty-second Latkes and beef brisket -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Thirty-second  recipe for the new cookbook - Latkes and beef Brisket

1 unit Latke (mix half potato and half veggie latke)

1/2 unit beef brisket

dash of sour cream

dash of apple sauce

HANUKKAH

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah,  I was working until 7PM; my wife was at Neiman Marcus working until 9PM; daughter was at a Relay for Life Committee meeting until 8PM; and son was at Brandeis University.  This was the first year that the whole family was not together for the first night of Hanukkah.  Thanks to modern technology,  I sent each of them a outlook invite for a conference call at 5PM.  Although my wife couldn't make the call, both of my children were able to make the call.  I brought the menorah to work and the three of us were able to sing together and start the holiday off right.

LATKES

Traditional latkes are made with root vegetables, over time, it has evolved into potatoes and onion.  I can tell you that my latkes are the worst - just not something I have perfected.  Lucky for me, I have a Whole Foods in my town.  Whole Foods now carries three different varieties of latkes - white potato, sweet potato, and root vegetable with zucchini.  This allows me to vary my latke meal over the next 8 nights.  If you don't feel you are getting enough vegetables, definitely go with the veggie latkes.

LATKE AND BEEF BRISKET

You don't need a lot of beef.  This meal is more about apple sauce and sour cream - the beef is just for protein.  To warm the meal up, I heat up a tea kettle and use the piping hot water in the blender.  I have discovered that I have been making my meals a little thicker than usual, because the thicker food is easier to swallow.  Thin meals have a habit of straying up my nose.  Latkes are better in the nose than tomato sauce.

If the meal is too thick, instead of re-blending the meal, I just add extra hot water to the bowl, and stir.

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My Thirty-first - KFC -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Thirty-first  recipe for the new cookbook - KFC

1 unit 2-piece KFC extra crispy thigh meat with biscuit, mash potato w/ gravy, and corn


DECEMBER IMPROMPTU GATHERINGS
December is a popular time to throw impromptu gathering among family and friends.  Although, we have visited Chinese food, and Panera Bread dishes.  I thought I would visit an American favorite of KFC (formally known as Kentucky Fried Chicken).  Many of the side-dish choices at KFC are very puree friendly.  So if you are bringing enough for a large gathering - you are pretty safe to bring something the cancer survivor will enjoy.

NOT IN MY HOUSE
Between the pescetarian and the vegetarian in my house, it was up to me to order a meal for one person.  Originally, I thought of getting the "original recipe", but the thought of trying "crispy" was just too enticing.

Be careful when you peel the meat from the bone.  The chicken is so tender that there is a good chance that the bone will be stuck to the batter.  Double check.  That is particularly true for the small bones on breast meat.

MAKES ABOUT SIXCUPS
If you add the whole meal to the blender, one 2-piece chicken makes about 6 cups of meals (depending on how much water you need to had).  For many of my readers, this might be a couple of days of food. Meal includes chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and one biscuit.

 I'm wondering what a Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen version would be like.

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My Thirtieth - Matzoh Ball Soup -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Thirtieth  recipe for the new cookbook - Matzoh Ball Soup

1 Unit soup

2 units Matzoh balls

1 unit Matzoh Ball diced (not pureed) for lip-sippers

add enough broth that the matzoh balls float in the blender before pureeing.

OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS HEINOUS

I've been eating so many cream based meals in the past couple of weeks, I needed a huge change of pace.  Having lost 85 pounds between the two bouts with cancer,  I have no insulation against the cold weather outside.  Between these two problems, I asked my wife in the morning if she could make me her world-awesome Matzoh Ball Soup for me for dinner that night.  Just what I needed when I trudged in the house that night.

HANDING DOWN TRADITIONS

(Update 28 Dec. 2016) - While I was down in Atlanta for Christmas, and my wife was working late on the third night of Hanukkah, we asked my children to make the vegetarian Matzoh ball soup on their own.  At 21 and 16, they are both accomplished at cutting and cooking.  However no one has ever dared to make Matzoh ball soup, because my wife makes the best . . . We were now treading into the land of heresy . . .

My son thought if he were going in this direction, so should consult an ancient tome - Grandma's 1952 edition of THE AMERICAN-JEWISH COOKBOOK.

I really wished I was there is witness this historic occasion.  Food came out great.  PS if you ever find a 1950's version of a cookbook, you should read it.  It is a fascinating view into history.

MATZOH BALL

I don't know how my wife does it but they are always nice a fluffy all the way through.   So when I can finally chew again, they will be the perfect dish to practice chewing again.  For now, they puree wonderfully in the blender.  The biggest issue is that it is traditional to bite the Matzoh Ball.  Pureeing the Matzoh Ball takes all the fun out of the soup.  For lip-sippers, the answer is to take a Matzoh Ball and dice it and add it to the bowl, and pour the pureed soup over top.

I only have 1 cm clearance between my top and bottom teeth,  I cannot even get a spoon in my mouth, so I drink all my meals.  The diced Matzoh Balls are soft enough that they can squish between the teeth.  Comfort - pure comfort.

CHICKEN?

To chicken, or not to chicken - that is the question.  Far be it for me to tell the experts of the world how it make Matzoh Ball Soup.  I'll just say that at my house- chicken is optional.

Make sure that you add equal parts chicken and vegetables.

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My Twenty-ninth - Biscuits and gravy -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-ninth  recipe for the new cookbook - Biscuits and Gravy

The nice thing about this recipe ifs that there is plenty of fat and grease.  If you need to add on a lot of weight, or you are loosing weight rapidly this is a great put-the-meat-back-on-the-bone  recipe.

1 Unit biscuit and gravy
extra gravy

or

1 chicken thigh
1 Southern Biscuit
Gravy

optional
roasted cauliflower

NOT EVERYTHING IS SAUSAGE
Oh sure, traditionally you use sausage,  but since you are pureeing,  I will use  chicken thigh, with sausage spices.  The problem with creating all these recipes is that I eat such a small amount, that it is hard to have all the ingredients in the house.  Chicken thighs have become one of my mainstays, because I can buy them one at a time at my local Whole Foods market.  The are just the right size of any of my typical meals.

Usually I cook them plain, and then add spices to the blender.

CAULIFLOWER
I was craving Biscuits and gravy in the worse way.  But that little voice in my head said "YOU NEED VEGGIES".  What veggies would go with BnG without ruining the whole thing.  Most green veggies were thrown right out - except peas.  For some reason peas seemed OK.  I was over at the prepared food case looking for inspiration, when suddenly, I saw "roasted cauliflower and capers". BINGO!  Just the right color, the right roasted flavor.  They worked perfectly.


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My Twenty-eighth - Baked Ham and Sweet Potatoes -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-eighth  recipe for the new cookbook - Baked Ham and Sweet Potatoes

1 Unit Baked spiral ham
1-2 units baked sweet potato with/without marshmallow


US Thanksgiving Dinner
Although my siblings gathers in Atlanta to share Thanksgiving Dinner, my family shares Thanksgiving Dinner with our neighbors.  Which is fabulous because many ethnicities are represented.  America the melting pot.  It was a great chance to bring the blender and try different combinations.   Most of the combinations I've tried before, so I was very comfortable with the options - turkey, stuffing, rice, shrimp, pulled pork, pumpkin pie . . .

Friday, is traditionally a night to share Friendsgiving.  This is a gathering at a friends' house to share leftovers.  This is where I discovered the spiral baked ham.

HAM AND SWEET POTATO
Truly a traditional combination.  The saltiness of the ham, blends with the sweetness of the potato casserole. The big question is "How pureed should the meal be?"  The potatoes mash pretty quickly, and it doesn't take long for them to purify.   The ham, however, takes quite a bit more time.

I recommend putting the ham in first and pureeing it with water. to get it down to a texture that is is acceptable.  Then add the sweet potato.


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My Twenty-seventh - Chili Soft Taco (Nachos) -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-seventh  recipe for the new cookbook - Chili Soft Taco (Nachos)

1 Unit chili soft taco with cheese

or

1 chili (w/meat) and bean
1 unit shredded cheese
1/2 unit corn bread
1/2 unit blue corn chips

options

Sour Cream
Guacamole
mild salsa
mango salsa
green onions

thin with water or non-alcoholic sex in a canoe (Google it)


CHEESE NACHOS VS. CHILI SOFT TACO
Eureka!  Corn chips, cheese and salsa never seemed to work right.  OK, so I was never going to be able to get the crunch of a good nacho, but then I hit on the idea of a soft taco, and everything started to come together.  With a soft tortilla, I got the flavor combination and the thickness needed to keep the meat from sinking to the bottom.  I thought that enough corn chips would be able to compensate, but the chips always overwhelmed everything else. The chili soft taco was my first success, and I shared the meal with a good Friend, Bill Kenerson, while he enjoyed a traditional soft taco chili carne.

CHILI
How to fix the chili?  What I needed was one set of beans in the chili to help add thickener.  Doesn't matter whether it it black beans, kidney beans, white beans, etc. just a little bit of bean with the soft tortilla does the trick. I also add a lot of cumin to my chili recipe, and then cut way back on the chili powder and chipotle.  I serve them on the side for my "chewer" guests.

NACHOS
Overwhelming corn chip taste.  No one like nachos where it is all corn chip and no cheese.  At any nacho-serving restaurant, there is always to battle of who gets the nachos with the good stuff and who gets left with the plain chips.  So by swapping out a little bit of blue corn chip and add 50% corn bread.  The corn flavor does not overwhelm the dish.   You just need the taste of corn chips, and blue corn chips give you the most flavor for the least amount of chip  In my typical 3 cup version, I'm only adding about 6 chips.

The Second issue was that the corn chips were always to grainy, and made the dish a textural nightmare.  After eating so many softly pureed foods, the chucks of corn chip are very jarring to the mouth; and the little bits get stuck behind teeth and gums, making for a rather unpleasant experience.

The real question you need to ask - Which is the most important flavor - chips, chili, or cheese?  Cheat and add a little more of your favorite

6 December 2016 Update - I have discovered that you can buy "sandwich sliced" cheddar cheese, and I typically take one slice of cheese per 2 cups of water.

FISH
2 March 2017 Update - I have discovered that fish tacos pureed are awesome.  I first started with salmon, because I typically cook an entire side of salmon my wife loves it that much.  So there is almost always salmon in the refrigerator.  I then tested cod, then sole, then tilapia.  However, then best option is fish stick tacos when the kids are eating fish sticks for dinner.

OPTIONS
Certainly all the traditional extra topping are available - sour cream, green onions, guacamole, mild salsa, mango, etc.  Just remember that you are adding just a little bit for flavor.  Think about how little is added compared to the typical large platter of nachos supreme and any restaurant.

Glad I created this in time for tonight's New England Patriots Game.


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My Twenty-sixth - Toasted Ravioli and Meatballs -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-sixth  recipe for the new cookbook - Toasted Ravioli and Meatballs

Just before Halloween my boss came up to me and asked what she should order so I could be part of a team lunch on Halloween.  I told her about my success with Panera Bread.  She ordered sandwiches and cookies for everyone, and a container of cheddar broccoli soup for me.  ALL GOOD!  I started lunch early and ended late, and really felt part of the meal.

Yesterday, my company had it's annual charity auction over lunch time.  I always drop some change, because one of the recipients is THE CAM NEELY FOUNDATION.  For Lunch, there were meatballs, toasted ravioli, garlic bread, fresh veggies and salad.  I looked over the assortment, and thought "Well, maybe I'll wait until after lunch to puree up some food.  This is a standard issue with people who have to puree their food.  Here I am a champion of pureed food, and still to shy to puree up a meal and eat with the crowd.

1 Unit* toasted ravioli
1 Unit Meatball
2 units extra sauce

optional "inside" of Garlic Bread

thin with water


25 MEALS OF EXPERIENCE
So I have 25 meals under belt.  I can now look at a luncheon assortment and realize what is going to work.  I had chewed all this food back when I could eat, so I knew the consistency of each dish.  A couple of toasted raviolis (which require extra liquid because they are drier than you think); a couple of meatballs; extra meat sauce; and finally I scooped out the inside of a little garlic bread.  The ravioli would provide all the starch I needed, so I didn't need the bread - just the garlic and butter.

I added hot water from the water cooler to heat up the meal, and make blending easier.

Now the blender I keep at work, is a highly inferior model, when compared with a Vitamix.  I was given it as an emergency blender, and it travels with me.  You just need to remember that you need to blend it longer.  Vitamix usually takes 4 minutes or more.  Other blenders may take up to 10 minutes.  By the time I was done blending, there were still small chucks, but nothing that wasn't manageable.

TASTY
Besides my son, I never asked a "chewer" to try my meals.  Today was going to be different. My co-worker, Patrick, and I started about the same time.  OK, so he has a couple of months on me and won't let me forget it.  He is also about half my age.  We have a great working relationship, because he is at the beginning of his career, and I am at the end.   He has been keeping tabs on my progress, so if I can trust someone with my first sample - it would be him.

"Patrick, would you like a taste?"  Pause.  "Yea, I think I would"  He grabbed a small paper cup and poured himself a little bit.  " You know this is kind of like soup.  It has all the flavors that should be there."  SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEEEEEEE.  I think that is the best response I could get.

After that I asked one more person, and again a positive response.  OK Jeff, you are on a roll,  how about attacking that pureed Nachos again . . .

My current favorite ravioli available at Costco

* A unit is whatever size you want.  Whatever you choose, use the same measurement for all ingredients.

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My Twenty-fifth - Philly cheesesteak -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-fifth  recipe for the new cookbook - Philly Cheesesteak

1 Unit Philly cheesesteak (sub)

or

1 unit shaved raw steak

1 unit slice white onion

1 unit slice green pepper

1 unit sliced mushrooms

1 unit hoagie roll

1 unit provolone cheese

butter

Worcestershire

secret sauce

Option: dash of pickle brine

This recipe is dedicated to Philadelphia NFL Quarterback, Mark Sanchez.  This past week I passed two kidney stones (kidney stones don't care about whether you are a cancer survivor*), and have been a failure at pureed nachos.  I needed some up lifting news.  When Mark said that he would have his first Philly Cheesesteak when he won a Monday night game, I had my inspiration for my 25th meal

OK so I didn't grow up in Philly,  but you have to appreciate greatness, and Philly Cheesesteak is one of the top sandwiches of all-time.  Yes, even I am stunned that you can puree a Philly Cheesesteak.  And I know there are people out there who have been on a pureed diet who are truly crving one right now.

THE REAL THING

You buy the real thing.  OK you live too far for Philadelphia,  I'll give you a poor-man's second

RECIPE

Heat up a pan with oil, and add beef.  I prefer the raw shabu-shabu style beef from H-Mart-always high quality and plenty of fabulous fat marbled in.  Cook meat through and though - remove to blender.  Add provolone to blender.

Take apart onion slice and cook onions until rings fold in half (key technique).  While onion are cooking dice up the green peppers and add to onions.

Normally the peppers are in strips, but since you are going to puree them, the only thing that matters is that the peppers are as thoroughly cooked as the onions.

Add canned mushrooms.  Most places sell small cans of spliced mushrooms, so they are a staple in my pantry.  Just before cooking is done - add a little butter.  Remove the onions, peppers, and mushrooms, but leave all the liquid in the pan.

Place the hoagie roll into the pan and grill.  GOT TO DO THIS!  To me it is just not a Philly cheesesteak without a grilled roll.

Make sure that when you puree the meal, that you do not thin the mixture to much.  Found out the hard way, that a thin mixture suck all the life out of it.   Should have a consistency of pea soup.  Do not watch the Bruins get trounced 6-1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs while you enjoy it.  Watch Down-east dickering instead or even NBC boxing.

OPTION

A proper Philly cheeseseak always has a cold pickle on the side,  add just the smallest dash of pickle juice for a pop of authentic flavor.

*  My cancer scans showed that the stones were there, and I usually pass a stone every six years, so it was about time.

UPDATE

26 July 2016

Just saw a video for a FRENCH DIP that can be pureed

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Cup Size Matters -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

HOW BIG IS YOUR SERVING CUP?
How big is a serving?  The biggest issue with radiation and chemo treatment is HOW MUCH FOOD IS GETTING TO THE STOMACH?  I've seen more than one caregiver cry because they don't feel the survivor is getting enough food.   The number one question whenever I go to Dana Faber is HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH?  So I thought I 'd take a little time to talk about serving sizes.

WHICH SIZE CUP SHOULD YOU USE
Now that I am done with treatment and have been given a NED (no evidence of disease) proclamation.  My typical serving cup size is a chowder bowl.  A Chowder bowl looks like a round tea cup on steroids.  It hold about three cups (750 ml) of liquid.  Most of the batches I make are around this size.  So if you were wondering how much I normally make - there you go.

However, when I was in the middle of treatment a chowder cup would have been futile.  At most meals, I would barely be able to eat one tea cup (250 ml).  I was still able to make my meals, I just wouldn't eat them.  I'd sit down in my big chair in front of the TV and slowly sip my soup.  After about an hour, my wife or son would take the cup away, and refill it with a new batch of warm soup.

STOP TALKING ABOUT EATING
When I had my stomach peg, the worst thing a caregiver could do was talk about food.  I didn't want to hear it because it was always bad news about how I was not eating enough.  I was fully aware I was not eating enough, and I certainly didn't want to hear it from someone I loved about how I was a failure.   After a while, my wife and son were smart enough to just walk over, to wherever I was, and silently scoop up my cup, dump it out and replace it with a fresh batch of soup.  The goal was to make sure that I always had something fresh and warm to sip on.  On a good day, I might eat a whole cup of soup- certainly not enough to sustain proper weight, but because I had a stomach peg, I could fill up that way.

SECOND CANCER - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MEAL TIME
I opted to not have a stomach peg the second time.  But I had learned a lot from going through cancer the first time.  First of all, there is no such thing as meal time.  There is no way you are going to consume enough at three meals a day.  You need to think more like a hobbit:

• 7:00am – Breakfast
• 9:00am – Second Breakfast
• 11:00am – Elevenses
• 1:00pm – Luncheon
• 4:00pm – Afternoon Tea
• 6:00pm – Dinner
• 8:00pm – Supper 

You need to eat about every two hours. At least one cup of soup.  The cup size should be a little more than what the person can eat.  At my house, cup range from 1 cup, 1 1/2 cups, pint sized, and chowder cup sized.  Survivors would rarely go back for seconds.  So when they finish off a serving - they are done, and you missed an opportunity to eat just a little more.  Survivors get use to leaving a little bit at the bottom, so increase the cup size to make sure we can leave a little at the bottom.

Not every meal is the same, nor will they be the same day to day.  It is a crapshoot.  Meals will fluctuate randomly and for no apparent reason - maybe it is the smell; maybe  it's the temperature; maybe it's the medicine; and maybe it's because we haven't gone poop.  Just know that it is going to change - and you are not a failure for it.

This past summer, I was losing weight  a lot quicker that I expected.  I realized that I had to move from a meal every two hours to a meal every hour.  Now some of my meals were a container of Orgain High Protein  Shakes, but every hour I "downed" something.  This included getting up in the middle of the night to take my pain killers,  I'd have a "Cup of something".  This entire book is predicated on a CUP OF SOMETHING.  Maybe even a cup and a half of something.  And maybe we can even sneak in some nutrition into the something.


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My Twenty-fourth - Turkey and Stuffing -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-fourth  recipe for the new cookbook - Turkey and Stuffing

1 unit dark meat turkey.  Darth Vader says join the darkside 
1 unit stuffing
1/2 unit cranberry sauce

or

1/4 Turkey thigh - because most people don't eat turkey thighs but me
1 cup stuffing
1 scoop cranberry sauce
enough broth to make liquid

OPTIONS
Gravy
Roasted Chestnuts
Cooked Mushrooms
Pea Powder
Apple Cider
Clementine


AFTER HALLOWEEN
I'm a big fan of taking each Holiday in order, so I couldn't work on a Traditional Thanksgiving meal until after Halloween.  In December, we celebrate Hanukkah, Yule and Christmas - Usually in that order.  But I remember the year that Thanksgiving and Hanukkah were at the same time so it can be quite festive at our house.  Just to be honest, not everyone in out house celebrate Festivus, so I left it off the list.

STUFFING
Ok, lets just get this off my chest, white meat turkey is really bland - like pancakes.  It is really designed to hold gravy- which is why I recommend dark meat for the puree meal.    Most important, the stuffing is going to overwhelm the rest of the favors in the meal.  A good stuffing should have a lot of veggies in it.  If it doesn't - ADD THEM.  Carrots, celery, onions, are my trio.

When you add the liquid, be prepared to add more.  Bread stuffing is semi-dry to start with, and I found myself making my first batch with the consultancy of thick pea soup.

CRANBERRY SAUCE
The meal is a little too earthy if you don't add a "pop" of something zesty.  Cranberry sauce adds that nice pop to the puree, plus it is good for the Southeastern Massachusetts economy.  This meal is a lot about aftertaste.  It's hard to find a bread stuffing that has a lousy aftertaste.  I find cranberry sauce a great aftertaste.  Remember this might be the only thing you eat until you puree Pumpkin or apple pie.

OPTIONS:

GRAVY
Gravy is great to add, especially if you are in the middle of treatment and need to add weight.  Don't let my wife know but drinking gravy from a coffee cup is not that bad.  No need to judge me,  I know you just thought it was a good idea.

ROASTED CHESTNUTS Roasted Chestnuts add fat and protein.  Many markets now stock roasted chestnuts this time of year. You can purchase precooked one too, that you can add to your own puree.

MUSHROOMS Cooked Mushrooms are great cancer fighters,  give a new mushroom a try.

Although you have turkey protein, if you are going through treatment, you can never have enough protein.  It was always the first question from my nutritionist.

CIDER I like a little apple cider in my New England style stuffing, You can also have hot mulled cider on the side.

CITRUS Clementine?  Actually a clementine works well with stuffing.  I've even add a little citrus zest.

UPDATE:
It's been a year since I posted this and stuffing is just great all the time.  There is such a wonderful mix of flavors in stuffing, and the smell is always heavenly.  I find myself adding stuffing to my pureed soups.  Naughty Jeff! THERE YOU GO JUDGE ME AGAIN.  JOIN STUFFING ON THE DARKSIDE.


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My Twenty-third - Mac and Cheese -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-third  recipe for the new cookbook - Mac and Cheese

1 unit Mac and Cheese
1 unit cream or milk or rice milk

Options;
bacon
broccoli
tomato
bread crumbs

or

If you don't know how to make mac and cheese ask a 5 year old


ORANGE FOOD
It's Halloween, I needed an orange food that was as fun as Samhain - so not butternut squash or pumpkin (although pumpkin pie purees really well).  I was also going to figure out how to puree Butterfingers(tm) Candy bars - but it's not really a meal.

ALL-AMERICAN COMFORT FOOD
Yesterday, my company had a pot-luck Luncheon.  Of course I brought in my blender.  To my surprise they had pulled pork.  How I have had more pulled pork in the last first months than I've had in years.  Right next to it was Mac and Cheese.  YUM Mac and Cheese.  I figured if there is any left at the end of the meal, I'd take some home.  And there was.

Well only half of it made it's way home as my daughter munched on it for an after ballet snack.   Talk about comfort food!  I knew broccoli and cheese soup would work so finding the right mix of extra milk should be easy, and it was.

The crust on the baked Mac and Cheese purred a lot smoother then I thought it would.

VEGGIES
Yes, it is easy enough to add vegetables to Mac and Cheese.  I warn care-givers to mke sure that you have permission to add vegetables first.  There is nothing more depressing than expecting wonderfully warm Mac and cheese and someone has ruined it will adding "things that are good for them".




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My Twenty-second recipe - Strawberry Waffles -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-second  recipe for the new cookbook - Strawberry Waffles

This is still one of my favorites in the summer time while strawberries are fresh and plentiful.

1 unit strawberry waffle

1 unit cream or milk

dash Vermont/Massachusetts Maple Syrup

or

1 Waffle

6 organic fresh strawberries

A pat of butter . . . or more

2 scoops vanilla whey powder

2 cups rice milk/cow milk/ cream (with extra water to help thin it

OPTION:
1/4 cup of tree nuts

GROWING UP U.S. COAST GUARD

When I was young and my Father flew helicopters for the United States Coast Guard, we moved every two years.  It was always an adventure.  I always thought that I was so lucky living in so many different places.  It was traditional to wake up well before dawn, and pile the entire family (our family ranged from 6-10 people depending on the year) into a station-wagon and drive down the road for several hours before the children woke up.  It was also traditional to stop at an International House of Pancakes, whenever possible.  Most of the younger kids, like myself, always ordered waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.  I think my parents approved because that extra boost of sugar made us sleepy again.

SUNDAY MORNING

While we were living in Hollywood, Fl, during strawberry season, we would stop by a local farm-stand after attending Mass, and bring fresh strawberries home to make waffles and strawberries. Out of season, and for a treat, we would have Sunday breakfast at an IHOP.   I always remember having a wait a long time in the lobby while they found a table that could seat 10 people.

Today, my children also devour waffles and strawberries but only with organic strawberries, Vermont/Massachusetts maple syrup and fresh whipped cream.  Nowadays the organic strawberry season is a lot longer than when I was a child.

One of the nice reasons to eat pureed strawberry waffles, is that the thickness helps to push medicine pills down the throat.

WAFFLE AND SUNDAY BUFFET

Surprisingly, waffles puree really well.  If you you don't have a waffle-maker frozen waffles are a good substitute.

Many family gathering, like weddings, include a Sunday Buffet.  Some restaurant/hotels that have a buffet are willing to puree the waffle for you - just ask.  You would be surprised at how many restaurant employees love to help when you have this kind of request.

TOO MUCH SYRUP

I have to to this in, because you can add too much syrup.  My issue is that the syrup makes me cough as it sticks to my throat, and might drink into the bronchial pathways.

HOT OR COLD

I traditionally drink this meal lukewarm.  It's not quite a smoothie, and it is too hot as a hot meal.

TREE NUTS
I like to add either pecans, walnuts or almonds for a little extra protein.

COMMENTS

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FACEBOOK

I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.  Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.

My Twenty-first - Eggs Benedict w/ spinach -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twenty-first  recipe for the new cookbook - Eggs Benedict w/ spinach

1 unit Egg Benedict
1/2 unit spinach

or

3 egg yolks
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/4 stick butter
Worcestershire/Tabasco  sauce optionl
2 pieces of Canadian Bacon
1 whole toasted English Muffin
3 egg whites
1 egg (whole)
1 egg-sized unit of frozen spinach

WARNING THIS RECIPE CONTAINS RAW EGG

RAW EGG VS PASTEURIZED WHOLE EGGS
Many cancer survivors have compromised immune systems so I do not recommend raw eggs for anyone that even has a question in your mind whether it is a good idea. I go cook a number of my meals with pasteurized egg-whites and pasteurized whole egg.  Both taste great and work well in a blender, so don't let that be an issue for you.  I do wish that they sold the pasteurized eggs in a larger container, because I go through a lot of them in a week.

WARNING THIS RECIPE CONTAINS RAW EGG
It is worth saying a second time, in case you missed the first notice.

IT'S SUNDAY MORNING
Nothing says Sunday morning like Eggs Benedict.  In true, I would eat Hollandaise on toast is my wife let me.  Come on you would too . . .

SPINACH
OK, so spinach is non-traditional, but I hear my nutritionist in my head saying you need to add more vegetables to your meals.  Spinach is a great complement to Eggs Benedict.

EGGS BENEDICT
I make what most people would consider a double batch, because making a single serving is hardly enough in one blender.  I do recommend using a Vitamix for this recipe, because the English muffin needs the extra power to blend it up.  Also it is great to make the Hollandaise sauce right in the Vitamix before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Yes I was surprised I could not find a Vitamix recipe on-line except a reference on FaceBook by Lynne Forbes-Zeller.  Thanks Lynne!

Add a 1/4 stick of butter to the Vitamix.  I don't bother to melt the butter, because the Vitamix can melt the butter pretty quickly - plus since we are adding the other ingredients right into the mixer immediately, I am not worried about the Hollandaise sauce separating.  Add egg yolks, lemon and optional Worcestershire and Tabasco. Add extra hot water to make sure the ingredients don't blender to dry as they splash on the sides of the blender.  Blend on the "SOUP" Setting until mixture starts to warm up the outside of the blender.

In an omelette pan add 1/2" of water bring to a boil. Add Canadian bacon and cook until bacon starts to puff up/shrivel.  Add frozen spinach and bring back to boil.  Add the egg whites that you separated from the yolks, and one extra egg. Cook on low.

While the eggs are cooking, toast English muffin a little extra brown, but not burned.    Because you are not browning the Canadian bacon the extra browning on the English muffin adds a nice "roundness" to the meal.

Add muffin and omelette pan ingredients to the Vitamix.  Most of the water should have boiled off cooking the eggs, so you will need to add extra water to thin the meal.

This makes about a pint of eggs benedict.



COMMENTS
Please add your comments and suggestions to my blog.  Nice to see people from around the globe reading my blog.  Please follow you want the latest recipes.

FACEBOOK

I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.  Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.

My Twentieth recipe - Beef Wellington -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Twentieth  recipe for the new cookbook - Beef Wellington

1 1/2' slice of beef wellington

add beef broth to help thin it out

potatoes and root vegetables are an option

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uXIPhxL5XA

Another Option:  https://www.facebook.com/tiphero/videos/10154533206568761/

or 

Poor Chef's version

1 piece pot roast

1 small can of mushrooms

1 Crescent Roll

Dash of Red wine

thin with beef broth

BEEF WELLINGTON

OK so it is a little early in the year to think of Beef Wellington, but the stores already have the Christmas decoration on the floor, and I needed a really big surprise for 100 things I never thought I would eat pureed.  Yes, Beef Wellington is possible.

At first when I created the Steak and Potatoes, I thought I was at the top of my game.  Now, all the experimenting with Meat Pies, got me to realize that puff pastry is very suited to pureeing.  The issue that I have is that Beef Wellington is more of a dish that it is a meal.  I recommend Beef Wellington with heavily oil roasted potatoes like Classic Lyonnaise Potatoes; although, I don't recommend blending them together.  Turns out that Christmas dinner requires three of four different mugs at the table.

Sure, I wanted to have one spectacular dish in a mug.  But it is Christmas after all.

DUXELLE VS PATE

I'm definitely on the duxelle side of the house vs pate.  I love a good country course pate, but for my Beef Wellington (beef en croute),  I like a milder duxelle.

GORDON RAMSEY

In doing my research, I came across this wonderful way to make Beef Wellington.  I usually don't watch recipe videos all the way to the end, but this is a wonderful how to.  I told my sisters I want to make Beef Wellington for Christmas this year.  Ok, so I will cook the Beef Wellington a little longer, as I am not a fan of the beef being that rare.

VEGETABLES

Because of the earth tunes of Beef Wellington, I recommend roasted root vegetables (if you insist on doing is all in one mug).  Remember that root vegetable take extra beef broth to thin the dish out

COMMENTS

Please add your comments and suggestions to my blog.  Nice to see people from around the globe reading my blog.  Please follow you want the latest recipes.

FACEBOOK

I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.  Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.