Fibromyalgia Recipes



Roasted Duck in a Cranberry Sauce

 

This is a great recipe for any leftovers you may have from a Christmas dinner. I was taught how to cook by my Italian/Austrian Grandmother. She was truly talented and could make a seven course Mediterranean meal out of almost nothing in the fridge. I owe a lot to her because she made me feel very capable and comfortable in the kitchen. 

But lately, though, I've missed my other heritage. So for the past few years, I've been traditionally making roasted duck l'Orange for Christmas to incorporate my Dutch, Irish, and Swedish roots. I find it's the best way I can honor my other Grandmother, who typically made traditional Irish meals.

The duck this year was large and we had a lot left over so I decided to create a unique dish for lunch the following day. This dish is quite easy to make and you can substitute any fruit or veggie you'd like, I just happened to have cranberries left over and added them.

The ingredient portions will very depending on how much you have left over, but when you add rice to anything, it will make the dish a meal. This dish can certainly be modified to add greens like broccoli or spinach to add more color. I just didn't have that left over when I made this. And you could also substitute pasta for the rice. I personally am staying away from pastas at the moment because I'm finding that most gluten (even the little you'd find in gluten-free pasta) is causing my stomach to be upset.

Ingredients:

Duck breast, shredded 

One tablespoon orange sauce

4 ounces of cranberry sauce

1 cup cooked basmati rice 

1 onion, diced and sauteed in 1 tablespoon of ghee 

Method:

Prepare the rice according to directions. Saute diced onion in a large skillet with the ghee until translucent. Mix together the cranberries, orange sauce, shredded duck, and cooked rice and cook until heated through. Season to taste and enjoy! 

Homemade Chili Recipe

Chili is a very popular food in the States. It is unknown exactly where chili originated from originally, but most believe that it is not from Mexico. The Mayan and Aztec society made a chili-like stew with meat, peppers, chocolate, vegetables, and cinnamon, called mole. 

Mole is often thought of as the origin of the famous dish. However, most chili experts agree that San Antonio, Texas is where the origin of chili was made in the 19th century.  

No matter what you believe, homemade chili is rather easy to make. Especially on a Fibro sufferer because it can be left in a crock pot all day. The beans are very fiber-rich in complex carbohydrates, something Fibromites need if they have to steer clear of wheat-based carbohydrates.

There are many different variations to this recipe, below is a kid approved one, however. This recipe is one of my versions of the all famous dish. I have made slight variations over the years with the meat. Sometimes I use chicken or tofu and I'll provide those recipes at a later time, but the spices in my chili have always stayed the same. 



These spices can be suited to your taste, however, this recipe has a stamp of approval from my oldest daughter. They are not over powering, nor do they make the dish bland for adults. Hope you enjoy. 


What you will need:


1 pound of ground *beef
1-2 teaspoons (or to taste) of the following dry spices:

  •   Cumin
  •   Coriander
  •   Curry
  •   Chili (powder or sauce)
  •   Pink Himalayan Salt

 1-2 tablespoons of the following fresh spices:

  •   Cilantro
  •   Basil
2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 slice of a yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 can of tomatoes in juice
1 can of tomato paste
2 cans (16 ounces each) of red kidney beans
1 can (10 ounces) of diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar

Directions:

Brown the ground *beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain. Add *beef to a large crock pot with tomatoes, paste, green chilies with tomatoes, spices, brown sugar, peppers, kidney beans, garlic, and onion. Simmer on low for a minimum of 6 hours. Serve with a gluten-free bread and a fresh garden salad and enjoy!
*beef at 80% lean, grass fed and hormone-free, is the best choice for full flavor, but can be substituted with chicken, pork, turkey, or even tofu.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant is a tough subject for many Fibro sufferers because it is a nightshade. Sometimes nightshades will cause inflammation and it is best to limit your intake, but I find I can eat this dish on occasion, even with Fibro. Below is a twist on an old favorite.

This recipe was taught to me by my Grandmother. She was a great Italian cook and loved to serve 10 course meals when she was feeling well. Sometimes, however, her post-polio would get the best of her. It was at this time that she came up with this recipe. 

Eggplant is an old Italian favorite, and this one is quick and easy on Fibro stiff joints. It is also so good that it will fool even a most die hard eggplant parmigiana lover, like my husband, into thinking you slaved over a stove all day.




Ingredients:

Two large eggplant, sliced
Two large cans of tomatoes
One can of tomato paste
1/4 cup *white zinfandel or red wine
1quart of water
One package (16 OZ) of shredded mozzarella cheese
Two tablespoons of Olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan and Romano cheese blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and oil and set to boil. Fill another pot with the tomatoes, paste, and wine. Set burner on low heat. Stir occasionally. Once large pot comes to a boil, place sliced eggplant into the water. Cook eggplant for about two to three minutes, or until the eggplant is blanched, drain and set aside.

Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with some of the heated pasta sauce (about a quarter). Layer eggplant and cover with some mozzarella (about a quarter). Drizzle some more sauce over the eggplant and repeat this layering process. Cover with foil and place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle Parmesan and Romano cheese blend to taste. Serves 4-5 people.




Chicken Salad

The summertime can bring a lot of fun for a family, but it can also bring flares because of the hot days and cool nights. Cooking is hard to do in the summer because temperatures rise and having flares can make things worse.

But we all have to eat! And when you have Fibro, you have to eat well in order to stay fabulous. Having said that, I'm going to share some new recipes. These two recipes are quick and easy and you won't have turn on your stove.


The first recipe is a new spin on an old summer favorite, Chicken Salad. I often make it with left over pieces of the prior night's roaster chicken, but you can very easily use ready made chicken breast strips from the meat section of your local market, or a ready-made rotisserie.




What you will need:
4 cups of shredded chicken breast (about a breast and half cooked)

 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

3 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil

2 teaspoons of paprika

1-2 teaspoons (to taste) of pink himalayn salt

15 pitted kalamata olives in olive oil

2 Roma tomatoes

3 small cloves of garlic (chopped)
 

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together. Serve cold with you favorite gluten-free crackers or bread. This amount of salad will easily make about 8 sandwiches.



Spinach Dip



Spinach Dip is one of my favorite snacks. This recipe is really easy and really good with crackers or chips.




What you will need:

3 tablespoons of softened cream cheese

12 ounces of sour cream

4 small cloves of chopped garlic

1 slice of a purple onion, diced

1 chopped Roma tomato

8 ounces of chopped frozen spinach

1 medium green pepper (diced)

1/2 cup of Romano and Parmesan cheese blend

1 teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:
1.) Saute spinach, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and pepper with one tablespoon of olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes).

2.) Blend sour cream, cream cheese, grated cheese, sea salt, and saute mixture together.

3.) Chill for one hour and serve with gluten-free crackers, chips, or tortillas.


Hope you enjoy these summer favorites of mine!


Sausage Stuffed Peaches Over a Bed of Onions and Rice




I have to admit that this recipe is one of my left over creations.  I had a 3 small pork chops and some rice with onions (Mashkoul) left over from yesterday and I needed to combine it with something new.  Call me a true Italian because I hate to waste food!  My pork chops had a Dove Chocolate Spiced Rub on them which gives this dish a nice spice to it.  But brown sugar with some nutmeg and cinnamon would also go nicely!  The rice is a great recipe all on it's own and you can find it here:


http://www.food.com/recipe/rice-with-onion-mashkoul-418082

Now for my creation which serves 5:

Ingredients:


10 ripe peaches pitted and skin removed
2 cups prepared rice with onion (mashkoul) minus the baking time in recipe
1 pound of sweet chicken sausage (I used Alfresco)
3 small cooked boneless pork chops (mine had a Dove Chocolate Spiced Rub)
3 eggs
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 of grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 cups of water

Method:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut up peaches and remove pits and skin.  Set aside.  Fill a greased baking pan with the prepared rice and onion and place the peaches on top of the rice.  Pour 1 cup of water over the rice and peaches.  Mix sausage, pork, eggs, cheese, bread crumbs together and stuff your pitted peaches.  If you have extra sausage you can cover the rice and peaches too like I did.  Place pan in the oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove from the oven and add the extra cup of water to the rice if it's needed.  Enjoy hot!

Mojito Meatloaf

I am in no way a chef like Anne Burrell. I can't even pretend that I "cook like a rock star". I'm just a plain old Mom who cooks, but I must say that this latest creation is pretty gosh darn good and can hold a tune! It's a kid tested and hubby approved recipe, and as a side note, no alcohol was abused or used in the making of this recipe. It's strictly a virgin and gluten-free Fibro-friendly meal.


Ingredients:

1 pound of hormone-free ground turkey (I used Trader Joe's)
2 cloves of organic garlic, pressed
2 slices of a small organic red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
3 tablespoons of organic flaxseed meal (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 egg
Mojito glaze, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine spices with onion, garlic, ground turkey, flaxseed meal, and egg in a bowl.  Mix well and shape mixture into a loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine lime rind, lime juice, balsamic white wine vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, mint, and honey.  Mix well and then heat over high heat for about 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir until the glaze mixture has thickened.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Place loaf in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and glaze the meatloaf with half of the Mojito glaze.  Return to oven and bake for about 35 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and glaze the meatloaf the remaining glaze.  Bake 15-20 minutes more, or until the meatloaf is no longer pink and juices run clear.  Place loaf on a cooling rack and cool for approximately 10 minutes to allow the Mojito glaze to harden.  Serve with Indian Basmati rice and peas.  Enjoy.

Mojito Glaze Ingredients:


1 teaspoon of lime zest (about one small lime)
1 organic lime, juiced
1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar (Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup of olive oil (Trader Joe's)
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped mint
2 tablespoons of organic wild collected raw honey (Trader Joe's)




 

 

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