My Nineteenth recipe - Meat Pie - -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Nineteenth recipe - Meat Pie -  -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

1 Unit Pie
Thin with broth or milk

or

This recipe is dedicated to the Willow Pond Kitchen, which was one of the best roadside diners ever.  It was forced to close when the Federal Park Service took over the stretch of Route 2A in Concord.

It has been my pleasure to test all the different meat pie variations.  I was thinking about giving each one their own recipe.  But since they are have the same premise, and everyone has their own version of a comfort food, I decided I would just give them a group page.

I think meat pies like Chicken Pie Pie are making a come back, as I see super-markets carrying both family-sized and individual sizes.  Chip-In Farm, my local farm-stand, carries both with and without vegetables.  Besides nutritional reasons, I recommend Chicken Pot Pies with vegetables like peas and carrots.

At my work, there is a flock of turkeys that have started to become aggressive.  Some of my co-workers were having a conversation about how they had to run from them.  Meanwhile, I'm sitting there thinking I hope the turkeys attack me because there will be turkey pot pie for dinner tonight

Tonight, I was in the kitchen helping my wife wash and slice vegetables for oven-roasted vegetables.  I think food prep is that best time of the day.  We both spent time sharing our day and the conversation light and fun.  Remember to keep the conversation light and fun when both people have sharp knives in their hand.

CHICKEN POT PIE; SCOTTISH MINCE PIE; EASTER MEAT PIE; STEAK AND IRISH STOUT
One of the nice things about meat pies is that there are tons of variations.  All meats are represented.  Special occasions are included.  Never overly spicy . . . OK there is there is a Moussaka Cottage Pie, but on the spicy scale that one is pretty mild.  Caregivers, these are a great "Go-To" when you are at your wits-end

NO-CRUST PIE - SHEPARD'S PIE
If pie crust is an issue, make it in the style of a Shepard's Pie, by using mashed potatoes.  Just remember that potatoes suck up a lot of liquid in the blender.  Both of my blenders have a top that you can out the center, so pouring extra broth while it is working is possible.

Chip-In Farm Specials

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Pie ala Mode - -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

Just for fun - Pie ala Mode -  -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

This recipe is dedicated those people who make all the wonderful desserts for the Holidays.

OK, so it's not a meal.  OK, so it is not really that healthy.  OK, so there is a lot of sugar.  OK,  so it may not be served hot . . .

HOWEVER, it is just so darn good.  My daughter and I are going out to pick our Halloween Pumpkin tomorrow, and she asked if we could pick up a pumpkin pie to eat.  I thought how am I going to eat a pumpkin pie?  ALA MODE!  Wow that was easy.

I had set desserts aside as an option for puree because of the disaster I had this summer trying to make chocolate chip cookies puree, and brownies puree.  Basically, I was trying to reinvent the wheel, there are enough dessert smoothie options out there.

Turns out that the single crust pies like pumpkin, custard, key lime, or even lemon meringue  puree really easily.  I'm not daring enough to try pecan pie yet, but I know once I get together with my family for the holidays there will be a pie puree party going on.

RECIPE
1 unit pie
1 unit ice cream

thin with rice milk and cow milk

APPLE PIE
It's apple picking season in New England, and I have won a pie making competition before, but I though my pie making days were over.  Nice that I can pull out the old pie tin and serve up some more delicious pies.

PECAN PIE
Turns out that pureed pecan pie taste like caramel nut rolls like the ones I grew up eating.  The nearest thing nowadays are the Pecan rolls at Panera Bread

BLUEBERRY, PEACH OR CHERRY PIE
Double crust pies, like blueberry, cherry, or peach need a little more ice cream and rice milk to help thin it out.

Nothing like local made Pies

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My Eighteenth recipe - Chicken Curry - -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Eighteenth recipe for the new cookbook - Chicken Curry

RECIPE:
1 large Spanish onion
1 large rib of celery
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 apples
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 of a pineapple
1/4 cup curry powder
1 or 2 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for vegetarians)
1 cup of sweet white wine (Riesling)
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs

Cut all of the fruits and veggies into 1/4 inch cubes (not the raisins)
Saute the onions carrot and celery till the start to brown.
add the wine and then the fruits, reduce a bit then add the sugar and curry powder.
after 10 minutes on low heat taste and season with salt or more curry or sugar.

In a separate pan saute the chicken that has been cut into finger size pieces and floured.
brown  on one side flip and let cook for a minute or two and then spoon the curry sauce on top of the chicken and reduce for two minutes.

Puree with turmeric rice (which is just like saffron rice, only less expensive).
Thin with chicken broth.


This recipe is dedicated to John Saia, who always reminded me that everything is up for some comic relief.  He also pulled this recipe out of his memory as it was the number one employee meal at the Versailles Restaurant in Lexington, MA. 

I have been adding a lot of comfort foods to the list.  This is mine.  It is both sweet and savory.  The nice part is that you make the sauce separate from the chicken, so you can refrigerate the sauce and use it for a later date.

The Versailles Restaurant was a french food restaurant, so this dish always stuck out as different on the menu.  Most of the dishes were the traditional cream-based French cuisine.  The owner/chef was born in Morocco, I can see how this made it to his restaurant. The smell  is just as good as eating it. I can only wonder what the neighboring stores employees thought every time this aroma  wafted their way.


CHICKEN
So Chicken is traditional, but you are welcome to experiment with other proteins.  Soon I will be testing it with shrimp and I'll let you know how that goes. . .


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My Seventeenth recipe - Bangers and Mash -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Seventeenth  recipe for the new cookbook - Bangers and Mash

1 Unit Bangers and Mash with veggies

or

1 sausage
1 unit mustard spiced potatoes
peas and cots as a bonus
thin with watered down gravy



This recipe is dedicated to all the cancer survivors in Europe who have been reading this blog 

OK so I'll admit I didn't grow up on Bangers and Mash, but I can completely understand that this is comfort food.  Plus it is perfect for pureeing.  Now I'm not going to mess this the food your momma used to make - so go with that recipe.  Please remember that alcoholic beer is not good for cancer survivors, but what the heck.  you didn't hear it from me . . .


SAUSAGE
Turns out in the world of "BANGERS" you can use a lot of different sausages.  I'm a fan of chicken and pork, but I often see beef sausages used.  The important part is be sensitive to the spiciness of the sausage.  I have my local Whole Foods trained on what I mean by mild. In the United States, it is very popular to "spice" foods up - BEWARE!

POTATOES
I am having a new love affair with potatoes - don't tell my wife.  She thinks white rice and white potatoes are evil.  They are awesome pureed and hold the meat in suspension so well.  I personally find mustard and potatoes a great combination.  Since I can't eat pretzels,  I wish the TD Boston Garden would serve mash potatoes during Bruins game. . . a man can wish . . .

GRAVY
Yum.  ::drops the microphone::

PEA AND COTS
When I first arrived in New England, the waitress at the local restaurant said that tonight's vegetables are "peas and cots" .  . .   "They are what?" "peas and cots - you know the little green things . . . "  "What are cots?"  "Cots, cots, the orange things rabbits eat."  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.   So I'm going traditional here and recommending you add peas and cots.  Don't go crazy slicing, buy the frozen style, because they are already softer.

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My Sixteenth recipe-Veggie-burger supreme- -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Sixteenth recipe for the new cookbook - Veggie-burger Supreme

1 veggie-burger
1 cup of cooked rice
1 cup of vegetables Holy Trinity or frozen mixed vegetables
thin with rice milk
Ketchup appears to be important too


This recipe is dedicated my daughter Sienna who is educating me on veggie-burgers.

OK so veggie burgers is not something you would normally eat so you are surprised that I included it in a pureed form.  My daughter is a foodie so being a good tasting veggie burger is important.  You can actually find quite a number of different flavors in the frozen section of the supermarket.

I called it veggie Supreme because you probably wouldn't have read it if I just said veggie burgers come and get them . . .  As part of my over all recipe book, I wanted meals in a bowl, not just a side dish.  My daughter has taught me a number of ways she prepares burgers with starch and vegetable.  Actually the biggest complaint about veggie burgers is the texture, and we have solved that by pureeing it.  Oh and don't forget to add ketchup.  Most of my meals included tomato sauce, this one need Ketchup.

So on any given shopping trip you might find us standing in front of the freezer door checking to see what flavors are new to try.   If there is one thing she has taught me, is that veggie burgers are a personal taste.  So don't feel that if you tried it once and failed that you are going to skip it all together.

I've had a number of dishes that feature proteins that are not universally eaten.  My wife would like me to eat less of the heavily salted or nitrite-less meats.  Many of my friends are vegetarians and vegans,  and although cancer probability is lessened  in their case, it can still happen.

PORRIDGE
The biggest issue with veggie burgers and veggie sausage, is that it tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl.  This is one dish that needs to be thicker than the rest.  This is not something you can slug down.  If your pucker muscles are hard to function  this might not be a first choice for puree.

HOLY TRINITY
Different ethnic groups have different combinations for the Holy Trinity of vegetables - Cajun is usually onions, bell peppers, and celery; Italian is typically onions, celery, and carrots.  The goal is to add three different flavors to help round out the flavor of the burger. For those who are looking for a simple solution, use a cup of mixed veges ( my daughter would rather cook than slice vegetables, and since she is the teacher - I'd run with it).

RICE
I cook the vegetable in my rice.  Once again my chef friends are going to go nuts, but we are pureeing them together any way, no need to dirty a second pan.  We have far to many other things to worry about when we are healing from cancer treatment than cleaning dishes.

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My Fifteenth recipe - Gnocchi - -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Fifteenth recipe for the new cookbook - Gnocchi

1 Gnocchi

or

one egg, one cup of potato flour, one cup of ricotta cheese, quarter table spoon of oil, a table spoon of water, table spoon of fresh nutmeg, half a cup of parmesan cheese.  put in bread maker, or mix, and knead until smooth.  roll into long rolls and cut.  Drop in boiling water to cook.


This recipe is dedicated those people who make the feast for their family.  The people who work for two days on the meals before the Holidays.

A week ago I was at a Live-Action Role-Playing event. when I walk into the kitchen and several people are lined up at the counter with a large bowl of dough.  They are cheerfully chatting has the cut out fistful sized pieces of dough, roll them into long snakes, and then cut them into 3 cm pieces.  WHAT IS THAT?

I had never seen Gnocchi before.  I asked what it was.  Both people proceeded to tell me stories of Gnocchi being made by elder family members, and fond memories of eating it as a child.  PERFECT!  You are already in a mind-space where you are making meals that you never thought you would ever make in your life.  Here is a brand new food to me that I couldn't even pronounce, and now I'm recommending it.

Well not so perfect.  It appears that there is no way to make a small batch of Gnocchi for the cancer survivor.  However, the meal blends up so well, I had to include it.  The key is to make sure that the pot of water is a roaring boil, to make sure that they do not stick together. Secondarily, it does not stink up the house.  Although I encourage making the smell of the food, an important part of the meal,  some people have nausea so bad that any smell of food is repulsing. This might do the trick.

It is basically a potato dumpling.

PROTEIN
After some research, it appears most people either eat it with cheese or chicken.  Which means it is a wonderfully mild meal.  I puree it with milk or rice milk to maintain the mild flavor.


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My Fourteenth recipe - Sweet and Sour Chicken -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Fourteenth recipe for the new cookbook - Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 Sweet and Sour Chicken


This recipe is dedicated to the delivery man, back in the 80's, in Somerville that had two young daughters who would ride with him every once in a while.  Once someone at our house ordered Chinese food, everyone who came home after that ordered more.  We were also good tippers, so the food arrived at our house piping hot. 

One of the biggest issues with pureed food is going to a house when they are "ordering out".  Pizza so far has not been a friendly food to puree (but I'm not giving up hope).  At least if you get a chance to look at the menu, you can find something that might puree.    The Chinese menu is very puree-friendly.

I am always concerned when I am invited over to a friends house that there will not be anything for me to eat.  Yes, I often eat before I leave my house.  Most people are sensitive to your needs, they just don't know what to do.  You will need to tell them exactly what you need.  It doesn't have to be embarrassing, they want to help - they just don't know how; and they will be appreciative that you helped educate them.

Chinese food has been on my list to check out, and three days of rain lent itself to the perfect opportunity to order out from Bamboo Restaurant.  The keys for ordering out: protein, and equal amount of starch, and hopefully some vegetables.  Item to look out for is spicy peppers.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
I knew that the batter on the chicken was going to help out on this recipe.  Bamboo always puts the sauce on the side, which allowed me to make several batches and test how much sauce I needed to add - turns out not that much.  It does take quite a bit more water/green tea than I expected.  It also allows you to make every small batch (3 pieces of chicken at a time).  I did notice that the "sour" part of the meal, made my nose run.

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE
I was on a roll so I tested Fried Rice too.  Work like a charm.  You can take any plain chicken or vegetable and puree it with the fried rice to have a Chinese style meal.  Chinese style cabbage puree easily. Many of the Chinese mushrooms had anti-cancer properties.

VEGETABLE LO MEIN
I'm going to assume that this will work.  My daughter came home from school and finished it before I had a chance to puree any of it.


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.