Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Bisque Soup

Fall has arrived and lately I’ve been craving butternut squash. To satisfy that craving, I tried my hand at a new soup this past weekend that incorporated both a hearty butternut squash and a couple sweet potatoes. Combined, the two vegetables make a high-vitamin, fiber-dense dish that’s also very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash (1,050 gm. cooked weight*)
• 146 gm. yellow onion, chopped
• 9 gm. (1 ½ tsp.) of minced garlic
• 2 tbs. of butter
• 709 gm. sweet potatoes/yams, peeled and cut into chunks
• 907 gm. (32 oz.) Swanson’s Certified Organic Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 375°
• Cut the butternut squash in half; seed it and place skin-side down on a cookie sheet
• Bake squash for 60 minutes
• When squash has approximately 15-20 minutes left to bake, melt butter in large stockpot
• Add onion, garlic and sweet potatoes; cook on medium-high stirring frequently
• Remove squash, allow to cool before removing skin and hard stems

*This is when I measured the butternut squash, which explains the “cooked” weight listed above.

• Add squash and broth to stockpot, bring to a boil
• Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes
• Using a ladle or slotted spoon, transfer portions of soup to a food processor and blend until smooth before adding back to the pot; repeat 2-3 times depending on your preference for chunkiness

Yield: Approximately six 1 ½ cup servings (365 gm. each)
Phe: 196 mg.
Calories: 210

Since I’m 34 weeks pregnant and already incorporating greater amounts of phe into my diet, this recipe was purposely made with the intention of being slightly higher in phe. However, you can easily adapt this recipe for a version that is lower in phe by using a 32 oz. package of Swanson’s Certified Organic Vegetable Broth instead of the chicken broth. The adjusted nutritional values would be 170 mg. and 210 calories per 1 ½ cup serving.

Happy fall, y’all!

–NM

Garlic Roasted Baby Bella Mushrooms

Here’s a flavorful and easy side dish I came across on Pinterest. I adapted the recipe slightly by using baby portabella mushrooms and also did the math to figure out phenylalanine and calorie numbers.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pre-sliced baby portabella mushrooms (approx. 452 gm)
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1-2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper, or to taste
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse the mushrooms, if necessary, and set aside. Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until evenly blended. Toss the mushrooms in this mixture until they are evenly coated. Place them into a 7×11″ baking dish and make sure the mushrooms are spread out in a single layer. Roast the mushrooms for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Yield: 3 servings
Phe: 124 mg per serving; 372 mg entire recipe
Protein: 3.5 gm per serving
Exchanges: 8.3 per serving
Calories: 144 per serving; 432 entire recipe *
Fat: 11.8 gm per serving

* Based on 2.5 tbs. olive oil and 4 cloves of garlic

After making this a couple times, I’ve served it along with Cambrooke Foods Pierogi or if I still have a good amount a phe left in the day, I’ll use it as a side dish to a baked potato.

–NM

PKU-Friendly Sweet Potato Casserole with Bananas

This recipe is an adaptation of one I recently saw demonstrated on one of our local weekend morning news shows. Using roasted bananas provides a natural sweetener and also adds fiber and potassium into the PKU diet. With a few slight changes to the ingredients and some gram-scale measurements, I was also able to figure out the amount of phe per serving. In addition to being an awesomely flavorful comfort food perfect for the approaching holiday season, this recipe yields enough servings to feed the entire family. Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients

• 6 pounds (about 6) sweet potatoes
  (approximately 1,480 grams when measured after being mashed)
• 2 ripe bananas, skins on
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Michele’s Butter Pecan Syrup
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups of miniature marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Peel the sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks and boil until soft (try piercing with a fork to determine when done).

Meanwhile, roast the bananas, with the skins on, for 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and pulse with a hand mixer until whipped. When the bananas are cool enough to handle, slice the end opposite from the stem with a sharp knife.

While holding the bananas from the stem, squeeze the contents into the bowl of mashed sweet potatoes. Add the butter and maple syrup, mix until smooth. Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt; mix to combine. Transfer to a shallow baking pan and smooth out the surface with a spatula. Top potato-banana mixture with marshmallows and evenly sprinkled brown sugar. Bake at 300 degrees F until heated through, about 20 minutes. For the last minute or so of baking time, switch your oven to broil for that campfire roasted marshmallow consistency.

Couple of things to note: I selected Michele’s Butter Pecan Syrup for two reasons: 1.) it is completely phe free and 2.) I really wanted to add butter-roasted pecans, but as we all know, that’s a PKU no-no. If you decide to use a different brand of syrup, be sure to adjust the phe as needed. Also, feel free to have fun with the toppings. Instead of marshmallows, you may want to try raisins for a healthier option.

Yield: 8 servings
Phe: Entire recipe = 1,340 mg; 167.5 mg/serving
Protein: 3.2 gm per serving
Exchanges: 11.2 per serving
Calories: Entire recipe = 2,616 calories; 327 calories/serving
Fat: 6.2 gm per serving

* Simply divide the casserole into 10 servings for fewer mg of phe/serving.

–NM

Creating a kitchen tablet holder for PKU recipes

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a third of American adults ages 18 and older own a tablet computer like an iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus or Kindle Fire. That’s almost twice as many from one year ago. Chances are, folks in the PKU community are no exception to this growing trend. In fact, I tend to use my own tablet for referring to recipes as opposed to the traditional printed cookbooks. That’s where the inspiration for this DIY project came from. Here’s how you can also make your own kitchen tablet holder for PKU recipes.

First, I found an old cutting board from a thrift store for $1.50. Then I purchased a Scrabble tile holder from a local antiques and collectables store for $5. For a little embellishment, I found unfinished wooden letters from JoAnn Fabrics (although you could also find something similar at other hobby stores such as Michaels and Hobby Lobby). Lastly, you need a wooden wedge of sorts. My brother-in-law, who is handy with a power saw, made mine, but a child’s wooden block would also work. Use wood glue to assemble the pieces, allow to dry over night, and cover with your favorite paint color. I decided to use a slightly darker shade for the “Create” letters so that it would pop a little.

Enjoy!

–NM

Garlic Roasted Eggplant Spaghetti Sauce

During this long, President’s Day weekend, I was looking for ways to shake-up the spaghetti and marinara I seemed to be eating all the time. I wanted to try something new and eggplant is something I did not have a lot of experience cooking. If you have never cooked with eggplant, try not to get freaked out by the brown seeds. Those are normal. And it is important to extract as much liquid from the eggplant when you press it between the paper towels. This will provide you with the best roasted flavor and texture as possible.

Low-protein Garlic Roasted Eggplant Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 med-large eggplant, unpeeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup Classico Traditional Sweet Basil pasta sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Place eggplant in colander, sprinkle evenly with salt and let stand for approximately 2 hours.
• Rinse salt from eggplant and press firmly between triple-layered paper towels.
• Toss eggplant and olive oil together in a large mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle garlic powder on top of eggplant/olive oil mixture, making sure to coat evenly.
• Spread in single layer on large baking sheet.
• Roast for approximately 30 minutes or until tender and brown. Stir every 10 minutes.
• Allow eggplant to cool when done.
• Separate into two, ½ cup servings (It is important to measure the eggplant after it is cooked because the size and weight of eggplant changes dramatically after it has been cooked).
• Set one serving aside for sauce.
• Store the second serving in the refrigerator until ready to eat at a later time.
• Toss remaining ½ cup of roasted eggplant and 1 cup of pasta sauce into a sauce pan on medium-high heat.
• Once sauce mixture is warm, serve on top of low-protein Aproten Spaghetti noodles.

Yield: 1 serving, plus an additional serving of roasted eggplant for later
Phe: 129 mg (sauce & eggplant only; add additional phe for low-protein pasta)

My oven seemed to run a little hot for 500 degrees and I did not really need to roast my eggplant for a full 30 minutes. In fact, I would venture to say that mine turned out slightly over cooked; however, I will get better with practice. Just watch the eggplant closely as you roast it on the baking sheet and if you feel that it is getting heavily browned, then remove it from the oven. Whenever you prepare to eat the left-over portion of the roasted eggplant, simply repeat the last two steps in the directions listed above. Depending on your preference, you may also want to top the dish with Daiya Mozzarella Shreds and serve with low-protein garlic bread.

–NM

Portabella Stuffed Peppers

One of my favorite dishes that my mother would make when I was off-diet was stuffed peppers. Her original recipe called for mixing a pound of ground beef with a cup of minute rice, diced onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. Once the mixture was combined, she’d cut the tops off of four green bell peppers, hallow-out the seeds and then fill each pepper to the top with the mixture.

Earlier today, I decided to try my hand at adapting this family recipe for a low-protein PKU diet and I was extremely pleased with how well this dish turned out! I substituted portabella mushrooms for the ground beef and instead of minute rice, I used Cambrooke Foods’s low-protein short grain rice. Here’s a closer look at the recipe and how I prepared it.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium-sized green bell peppers
• 2 medium-sized portabella mushroom caps, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1-1/3 c of Cambrooke imitation short grain rice
• (4) 26 oz. cans of Campbell’s concentrated tomato soup
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• To prepare the green bell peppers, slice the tops off and hallow-out the seeds.
• Place the caps back on top of the peppers and set aside in a dutch oven.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine portabella mushrooms, onion and imitation rice.
• Once ingredients are mixed, add ½ cup of tomato soup and stir until well coated.
• Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.
• Using a large spoon, scoop mixture into each bell pepper until filling is level with the top of the pepper.
• Place the pepper cap on top of the now-stuffed pepper, use two toothpicks to secure the cap and place back inside the dutch oven.
• Repeat until all five peppers have been stuffed and re-capped.
• Pour the remaining condensed tomato soup in the dutch oven, filling in around the peppers until the peppers are at least half-way covered with the soup.
• Place lid on dutch oven and bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Yield: 5 stuffed peppers
Phe: 161 mg per pepper*
Protein: 2.5 gm per pepper
Exchanges: 10.7 per pepper
Calories: 197 per pepper
Fat: 0.8 gm per pepper

* Based on 1.2 cup tomato soup mixed in with ingredients, not soup peppers are baked in.

Invest in some plastic containers for storing extra servings in the refrigerator or freeze for later.

As you can tell, this recipe makes a ton of leftovers. I ate one pepper immediately and packaged the rest in Tupperware containers. I placed two servings in the fridge for eating later this week (maybe as a packed lunch for work) and froze the other two so they wouldn’t go bad. If you feel like you need a little more sustenance, serve the pepper along with Aproten low-protein noodles and use the extra tomato soup as gravy. Just be sure to add 68 mg of phe per ½ cup of tomato soup you top it with.

Enjoy!

–NM