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.