Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Pearl Couscous

Right now I'm trying to cook without using salt to help figure out what I can do to help with my dad's new renal diet. So tonight I tried making some pearl couscous since he can't have potatoes. The proportions are the same - 1:2 couscous to liquid.


Tonight I sauteed up onions and garlic with some shaved carrots and tossed in some turkey breast towards the end to warm it up. In a pot, I browned a cup of couscous in some olive oil then poured in 2 cups of chicken broth. I also tossed in some ginger paste, fresh rosemary, sage and thyme. After the liquid boiled off, I tossed the veggies in for a last quick stir and voila, a one dish meal.

It was actually pretty tasty and something I would make for him at some point.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Learning to cook again

My dad just got out of the hospital and is back on a renal diet. So that means trying new foods on my end so I can teach my mom some creative approaches to food.


Last night, for his birthday I made some boneless chicken thighs tossed in olive oil with Mrs. Dash. I also roasted up some turnip, carrots and green peppers - again just tossed in some olive oil with Mrs. Dash. My mother kept saying, "This is just like how Rachael Ray cooks them!" I explained how she can take left over chicken, rice and veggies and toss it into some low-sodium chicken broth to make a chicken/rice soup.

Tonight, at home, I broiled a piece sockeye salmon brushed with olive oil, herbs de provence and the juice of a meyer lemon, roasted some more veggies and tried making mashed potatoes after soaking the potatoes and rinsing them to reduce the amount of potassium. I tried not to use salt, but it just felt like it was missing something. I did boil the potatoes with some garlic and added some pepper, thyme, oregano, mustard and a pinch of parmesan but it really felt like something was missing.

This week I'll try playing with some pearl/Israeli couscous and see if that's a good alternative to potatoes as it's low sodium. I'll get my camera sparked up and post some pictures again.

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