However, before (and after!) my treat of sushi (almost 3 meals in a row too!) I relied on very soft foods for sustenance, and by playing around with a couple of ingredients and flavours, I ate very well!
Would it be anti-nutritionist of me to admit to eating pudding for breakfast? I wound up alternating between two (chocolatey, of course!) concoctions for the most part, for both breakfasts and snacks when I wanted something a little different than applesauce. The first one I tried out was actually the result of an error I made when I was putting together my favourite ice cream base. In trying to be full of foresight pre-surgery, I made several batches of the base, but on the last go-round, I left out a portion of the liquids! I noticed the problem as I was scraping the mixture into a container (the scraping should have clued me in!) but I tasted it and found that the omission made the ice cream into a rather delicious pudding!
"Un-Wise" Chocolate Pudding
Serves 3 (about 1 cup/serving)
1 (12.3-oz) block Mori-Nu lite silken tofu
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla1/3 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup Splenda*
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup chocolate Unsweetened Almond Breeze1/3 cup cold brewed coffee substitute (like Teeccino)
*if you add sugar instead, add 511 calories and 132g carbohydrate to the total mixture (170.3 cal / 44g CHO per serving)
- In a food processor, combine tofu, sugar, and vanilla. Puree until smooth, scraping the processor sides as necessary.
- Whisk together cocoa, Splenda and salt, then add to the food processor.
- Pour in the Almond Breeze and coffee.
- Puree again until smooth and velvety.
- Chill before serving.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 135.2
Total Fat: 2.4 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 107.2 mg
Total Carbs: 30.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
Protein: 9.0
The other ridiculously good pudding I made as an emergency "oh-my-god-I-need-chocolate-NOW" fix was an adaptation of one of Angela's recipes on Oh She Glows. I had some chia seeds in my arsenal pantry for adding to my mom's weekly breads, and though I knew that they were nutritious (just check out Angela's write-up!), I realized just how important they are for anyone recovering from injury, surgery or other physical stressors! Chia seed is high in protein (18%) and calcium (6.3% - about 5-6x that of milk!), and since it was bone that was recovering from being shattered (not to mention I have osteoperosis), I figured that any help is good!
RESTipe for Repair
Serves 1, about 3/4 cup
2 tablespoons chia (Salba) seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, hot1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon sweetener (I used sugar, but agave nectar, honey, etc. work well)
1 tsp vanilla extract - Combine chia seed, Almond Breeze and hot water in a bowl, mixing well.
- Stir in cocoa and sweetener until blended, then place into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- If desired, heat in the microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute before stirring in vanilla.
- Otherwise, add vanilla to cold pudding and enjoy right from the fridge (my fave way)!
Calories: 140.2
Total Fat: 9.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg Sodium: 45.6 mg
Total Carbs: 18.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 11.1 g
Protein: 4.8 g
Black Bean Tamale Soup
Serves 2 very generously
½ large sweet onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder1 tsp oregano
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ cups water
2 oz canned diced green chiles, drained
8 oz can salt-free tomato sauce
1 cup (about ½ a 19-oz can) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup dry polenta
Zest of ½ lime
½ tbsp lime juice
- In a large pot over medium heat, saute onions in a splash of water for 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic and continue to cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in chili powder, oregano and smoked paprika. Stir to completely combine.
- Add broth, water, chiles, tomato sauce and beans, stirring well.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook over low for 15 minutes.
- If desired, transfer half of the mixture to a blender and puree before returning to the pot.
- Add ketchup, polenta and lime zest.
- Simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add lime juice and serve.
Calories: 264.0
Total Fat: 1.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 2,231.8 mg
Total Carbs: 52.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 11.0 g
Protein: 11.6 g
Have a happy New Year, everyone!