2 Responses to “ANYBODY HAVE RECIPES THAT I CAN MAKE FOR SOMEONE WHO JUST HAD A HEART ATTACK AND IS ON A HEALTHY DIET!?”

1. eutychusagain
   

   02. Jun, 2010

   sweetenred,

   As a matter of fact, yes.

   First, go to

   http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/find/browse/results?type=browse&att=160

   and

   http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/

   In the first website are several recipes that you’ll need to look through to find what you’re looking for, but once you’ve found a recipe without cheese or oil or meat or fat of any kind, you’re likely to enjoy it since they’ve been tested.

   In the second website are hundreds of recipes, not all of which you will like, but scroll down to the “Lighter” and to the “vegetarian” sections, and make sure that you pick a recipe without cheese or meat or fat or oil and y9ou’re sure to like it. These are simply great recipes.

   Now, see if you can find a copy of “Everyday Cooking With Dr. Dean Ornish.,” read it and start finding out just how to cook heart-healthy. What makes a fat-free dinner? Ornish tells you. Then experiment with the recipes and you’ll find which ones you like. I have several that I still make from this selection.

   There are some for which you can substitute Smart Ground (my favorite) meat substitute for hamburger.

   Here’s one that we really like. For the meat we substitute a couple of packages of Smart Ground or Good Ground (basically the same stuff, just different manufacturers and slightly different tastes) and it’s still a great dinner pie:

   Tartee (Meat And Fenberry Pie)

   adapted from De Bors Hede Boke of Cookry
   (The Bors Hede is the restaurant at the Camlann Medieval and Renaissance Faire site near Seattle. We’ve gone there many times):

   Ingredients

   2 Medium Pie Crusts
   1 Pound Pork — Cubed [or substitute]
   1 Pound Chicken — Cubed [or substitute]
   2 Tablespoons Butter
   6 Ounces Cranberries or Grapes
   1 Medium Egg
   3 Tablespoons Sugar [or Splenda]
   1 Teaspoon Ginger
   1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
   1 Teaspoon Fennel Seed — Crushed
   1 Teaspoon Salt
   1 Pinch Saffron [actually, the saffron is just for color]

   Directions

   Line pie pan with 1 pie crust. Saute pork and chicken in butter until browned. Place in pie pan. Scatter cranberries or grapes over meat. Combine remaining ingredients, sprinkle over pie. Top with other pie crust, seal and vent. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
   Serves 4

   It’s an adaptation of a medieval recipe. Medieval cooking used a lot of saffron for its color. Omit it if you like.

   As well, you can try any stufato (a northern Italian vegetable stew) like this one, which I found in a magazine years ago. It’s by Nika Hazelton:

   Tuscan Vegetable Stew

   Makes about 3 quarts, serving about 6

   2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
   2 medium onions, thinly sliced
   1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
   2 large zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
   1 medium head romaine lettuce, finely shredded
   2 pounds fresh peas, shelled, or 1 10-ounce box frozen peas
   1 cup finely chopped parsley
   2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
   2 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled, or 1 10-ounce box frozen lima beans, or a pound of edamame (green soybeans, and very good in this stew)
   1/3 to 1/2 cup full-flavored extra-virgin olive oil [This was in the original recipe. I omit the olive oil for heart-healthy reasons. I do not miss it]
   Salt to taste
   Freshly ground pepper (a generous 1/2 teaspoon to start, then serve the soup with a peppermill to add more at the table)
   Freshly grated Parmesan fat-free cheese (Kraft Free or any Lisanatti cheese substitute)

   Directions

   Spread the tomatoes over the bottom of a 5 to 6-quart pot.

   Top the tomatoes with a layer of onions.

   Sprinkle with garlic.

   Add a layer of zucchini.

   Top the zucchini with the lettuce.

   Top the lettuce with the peas.

   Sprinkle half the parsley and all the basil over the peas.

   Add the beans.

   Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup parsley over the vegetables.

   Drizzle the olive oil over everything. [or not, if you omit it as I do.]

   Cook, covered, over low to medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables start releasing their liquid. Do not stir. Do not even remove the cover for 10 minutes.

   At this point, add salt and pepper to taste, reduce the heat to low, stir and mix vegetables well. Cook, over low heat, covered, for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender but not mushy; do not overcook. Do not add water; the vegetables have enough water of their own.

   Serve hot, lukewarm or at room temperature. Pass the grated cheese separately.

   (I substitute Lisanatti cheese substitute for real cheese. It’s the best one I know.)

   Now, while I use quite a bit of tofu, using it takes a little practice. It has a “tang” to it that needs to be mellowed in many sauce recipes, but it can be very good for making a low-fat alfredo sauce that is superb on pasta. Here’s one from the “Fighting Fear of Tofu” website that I tweak just a little:

   12-oz package fettucini, fusili, or other pasta (I’ve even used orzo)
   3 cloves garlic, crushed
   16-ounce tub silken tofu
   handful of fresh parsley
   handful of fresh basil or a very healthy sprinkling of dried basil
   1/2 cup low-fat milk, rice milk, or soymilk
   3 tablespoons of Smart Balance spread or Take Control
   Freshly ground pepper to taste
   Grated fresh Parmesan cheese, preferably organic, or Parmesan-style soy cheese for topping
   Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook the noodles in rapidly simmering water until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes, then drain.

   Now, the original recipe says:
   “In the meantime, heat the margarine a small skillet. Add the crushed garlic cloves and sauté over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are golden. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic cloves.”

   OK., but I like garlic so much that I don’t bother with this step. I just crush the garlic and throw it in the blender along with the Smart Balance.

   Combine the tofu and milk in a food processor or blender and pour in the melted margarine from the skillet. Process until completely smooth and creamy. Warm it in a sauce pan on the stove. Combine the hot, drained noodles and the sauce in a large serving bowl and toss together. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and toss again. Serve at once. Pass around the Kraft Free, soy, or Lisanatti Parmesan cheese to whoever wants some.

   Learn to roast vegetables and stuff them with all kinds of condiments. Roasting makes them sweet, and a roast butternut squash with orange marmalade in it or canned cranberries (not just the sauce) or peppered with peas with dill, is great.

   These can get you started. There are many to find and many to adapt once you konw how to. It’s simple to do, and you can make your table just as delicious cooking low-fat as any other can be.

   I have several vegetarian cookbooks, and I always find a few wonderful recipes in each one. Omit the oil or cheese, and they are as heart-healthy as anything can be.

   When I bake bread–I do it weekly–I substitute a cup of gluten flour for a cup of the whole wheat. That way I can omit the salt (it’s used to strengthen the gluten, but with the extra gluten you don’t need to do that), and I omit the oil, too. I don’t miss it, and neither does anyone who eats it.

   I’ve cooked fat-free or nearly so for years, and my whole family enjoys it, too.

   Mangiamo!

2. Mel Accad
   

   02. Jun, 2010

   Try to give him some COFEE