UGH.
After his first heart attack, he began to eat with us, every single meal.
This wasn't as hard for him as he originally thought it would be. He has found that many of our recipes are really tasty and has developed a list of favorites. In case you or someone you love is trying to make a few changes in your diet and are finding it difficult and overwhelming to sort through the recipes, I will post some of his favorites here.
In case you are not aware, I am not a physician or a dietician and can make no claims about the health aspects, but I do believe that our choices are better than bacon and smoked ribs for the heart.
Black Bean Burgers
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained.
(Rinsing and draining is an important step.)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (approximately)
Olive oil
1 tsp grated lime rind
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of oregano
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 large egg, beaten
In a food processor, combine beans, 1 tsp of oil and the garlic and pulse until it makes a paste. Add breadcrumbs, egg, lime rind, chili powder and oregano and pulse again a couple of times.
With wet hands scoop balls of this mixture and flatten to form a patty. Place the patties in a skillet with a small amount of olive oil and cook on a medium high heat approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
I will warn you. This looks pretty toxic in its pre cooked state, but once cooked, with whole grain buns, lettuce tomatoes and whatever else you would like on your burger, they are DELICIOUS. If you would prefer, you can add a bit more garlic or chili powder.
Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"
We were doing this before the heart attack. The first few times he ate them, he just raved about how wonderful they were... Okay, so let's be real, there is still milk and butter in this dish, but there are more vitamins in cauliflower than in a starchy potato.
Cook cauliflower until tender. Drain well.
Mash cauliflower with a potato masher, or whizz it in a food processor if you like them super creamy.
Add a splash of milk and a couple of tablespoons of butter. Mix well. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk or butter. You can also add a tablespoon of sour cream.
Add chives, garlic or other seasonings if you would like. I like them mixed with roasted garlic and black pepper. Salt to taste. Viola! Yummy.
Orange Pork Roast
Some days he just wants meat. Meat meat meat. Sigh.
So, here is the easiest, most raved about pork roast I have ever made. They all beg for this stuff and I don't feel too badly about making it.
1-2 lb pork loin
1-2 oranges
1/2 can of whole cranberries
Apple cider vinegar
Fresh ground pepper
I have a small slow cooker that I use for this recipe.
I place a 1-2 lb cut of pork loin in the bottom of the slow cooker fat side down. I turn the cooker on HIGH and leave this for about 1/2- 1 hour. (Sometimes I am in a hurry and just continue on without waiting, but that 1/2 hour does really help the flavor a bit.)
Next. Put one capful of apple cider vinegar directly on top of the roast. Slowly....
I open a can of whole cranberries. Scoop 1/2 of the can into the pot on top of the roast.
Grab 1 orange, cut it in half and squeeze it over the roast. Drop the remaining orange carcass into the pot.
Use your pepper grinder. Grind fresh black pepper over the top of the pork. Turn the cooker down to low and leave it alone for 4-6 hours.
Ben prefers just the pork, but loves the flavor. I love the pork with a bit of the cranberry sauce. The orange bits need to be discarded, they have done their job, created flavor, now toss them. I serve this with baked sweet potatoes and salad with homemade salad dressing.
Warning: I have no idea what the sugar count would be in this recipe, so beware diabetics...
Just in case you are feeling generous.....
...or want to support this blog...
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