Bariatric Foodie is taking a hiatus

It almost seems strange to me to do this right now, but I will explain that in a moment.

Last night, March 29, my mother passed away at the age of 58 years old. It was very sudden. At this point, as I am sure you will all understand, I just don't have the words to say very much more than that.

Rikki Cox, September 14, 1953 - March 29, 2012 (with my daughter, "La Grande Diva", Annikki)



I am quite sure of one thing, though, and that is that I probably won't be able to post for a while as my family and I come to grips with this terrible loss and begin to move forward. It seemed strange to me to post even now, as if I should be doing something else. But I like to think of my readers as friends and, yes, some of you I consider as my own family. And it's good to turn to friends and family during difficult times.

I thank you for your understanding.

In my absence, I invite you to check out the recipe index (in the top menu), the recipe categories (scroll down and to your right) or the recipe suggestion boxes directly under each post to explore the many recipes that already appear on Bariatric Foodie.

My love of cooking comes from my mother. It is because of her that I love to feed people and it is her spirit within me that wants to gather us all together as a community with shared experiences. It would be the greatest honor to her for you to continue to use this blog in my absence, be inspired by the recipes and, as always, play with your food!

Nik's "Egg-chilada"

It's no secret. I love eggs. I love them scrambled, hard boiled, fried, in a scramble, in an omelet. I like to make pretty egg flowers and egg casseroles and I like to make them angelic.

I love eggs.

But it's been a long time since I did anything different with an egg. This morning, I felt experimental and that's always a good thing. Part of my "food joy" comes from playing with my food and seeing what happens.

This is what yumminess happened the other morning.

Nik's "Egg-chilada"
(This is for one Nik-sized one. If you can't eat that much, I understand! See the tips in the recipe for scaling it down.)
Ingredients:

1 medium egg + 1 medium egg white
(If you are newer out, just go with either one whole egg, two egg whites or 1/4 c. of egg substitute)

Your favorite innards (I used 2 oz. deli rotisserie chicken meat that I sauteed, but other options are ground or shredded chicken meat, steak, etc. This is probably a good way to use leftover meat!)

2 tbsp your favorite salsa

2 tbsp. shredded Mexican blend cheese

2 tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt

Directions:

If you're using eggs, put them in the bowl, then spray a pan down with nonstick cooking spray and set it over medium heat. You want your pan nice and hot.

Meanwhile, beat your eggs well. If you are using a whole egg with whites, the entire mixture should be a pale yellow and be sort of the consistency of a loose cake batter. Do NOT beat them until they froth.

Pour out your egg onto your pan (I use a flat griddle pan) and allow it to naturally form a circle-esque blob of whatever size it wants to be. Now here's the important part...the part where most people go wrong...

Leave it alone for a minute or two! You want the edges nice and set before you do anything. I like to add a generous sprinkle of black pepper to the upside while it's setting. When it's all set, slide a spatula all the way to the middle of your egg "pancake" lift it up (don't worry if some egg pours off at this point) and then directly flip.

Cook on the other side for about two minutes or until done and transfer to a plate (or cutting board in my case).

Now comes the fun part. Technically you can fill an egg-chilada with whatever you want. The important thing to remember is to not overload it or it won't hold...and what fun is that? I used some sauteed lunch meat and half my cheese.

 Load up one end of the egg pancake with your fillings and then roll it into an enchilada shape.

Top with salsa, remaining cheese and Greek yogurt and you are good to go!

This all sounds more complex than it is. The whole process takes about 5 minutes (aside from the meat sauteeing or reheating time, which is about another 3 minutes or so) and it's a yummy, yummy way to start any day!

EDITED TO ADD:

My pal Christina emailed me her egg-chilada pic. Hers is made of egg whites and has ground beef, Mexican cheese and salsa inside and a dollop of guacamole on top! Lookit! SO cute!

Then my friend Teddi emailed me the pics of her and her husband, Wulf's, egg-chiladas:

Teddi's has: eggbeaters, taco seasoned ground angus, cheese, taco hot sauce and plain greek yogurt.

Wulf's has: eggs, taco seasoned ground angus, cheese, onions, tomato, salsa and plain greek yogurt. YUMMY!



So what's YOUR egg-chilada made of? If you try it, send me a pic at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com!

Nik's Spicy (or not) Quinoa & Beans

You all might remember that this year I vowed that my Meatless Fridays this year would NOT be another litany of the “Three T’s”: Tuna, Tilapia and TVP. I’ve been branching out!

Like most of my food, this dish has a funny story to it. Last Friday I pick the divas up from aftercare. As per usual, they were hungry. They were also angry. They feel resentful because the snacks offered at aftercare all had meat which meant they could not partake (to be fair, I TRIED to send them with an alternative snack and they rebuffed). Now, understand that my kids are no different than anybody else’s. They KNOW what’s healthy…but that does NOT mean they always want to eat what’s healthy.

This was such a day. They wanted to stop for cheese pizza for dinner. I said no. Poutiness ensued. The youngest in particular has become very adept at that brand of whining that grates on my last little nerve so bad! She just keeps needling and needling until…well, parents you know what happens. You tend to explode, yell something and now everyone is stressed.

But instead of doing that, I sort of let her stew in the back seat. By the time she gets home she has proclaimed there is nothing to eat in the house and she guesses she will starve! (Note to La Petite Diva: when your mother works days for an organization that actually DOES reach out to hungry people around the world, the absence of cheese pizza will garner little sympathy.)

In response, I went into the kitchen and whipped this up. I’ll tell you about her response in a moment.

Nik’s Spicy (or not) Quinoa and Beans

(Makes, I'd say, enough for 3 non-ops with a healthy appetite + 1 post-op)
For what it's worth, this recipe, in my opinion, is probably best suited for folks 6+ months out. 

Ingredients:

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 heaping tablespoons of Sofrito (if you don’t know what that is, I talk about it in this video)

¼ tsp each:

• ground chipotle powder (omit if you don’t want a spicy dish, using chili powder instead)
• ground cumin (keep in even if you don’t want the spicy version)
• ground coriander (keep in even if you don’t want the spicy version)

1 c. uncooked quinoa

3 c. water

1 can (I used 15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (I used 10 oz.) tomatoes & chiles (if you want the un-spicy version, use Mexican style diced tomatoes without chiles)

Optional:

Greek yogurt

Avocado

Directions:

It all started with this GORGEOUS plate of chopped veggies.

In a pan, heat up oil then add veggies and sautee until soft.

Add garlic then give it a good stir and let it go another two minutes or so.



Mix in Sofrito and spices, except chipotle powder, and mix well (if you are using chili powder instead  it is fine to put it in at this point)



Add quinoa and chipotle powder together and give it a stir. Quickly add water (trust that you do NOT want chipotle vapor in your face so don't dilly dally!)



Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer about 20 minutes.



When the quinoa is done (and if you read Monday's post you'll know when that is), give the whole thing a good stir and then add your drained beans and tomatoes & chiles (or tomatoes if you are not using chiles).

Allow it to simmer about five minutes more and then...it's done!

So…back to the kid. We get home. I whip this up (it took MAYBE 30 minutes) and call the child to get some. She insists on taste testing first. I give her a spoonful and she goes, in a voice indicating she is clearly doing ME a favor, “I guess I will have some.” With that she takes her bowl to her room (where she has been sent for being a grade A nuisance!).

Twenty minutes later…in a much better mood…child creeps BACK downstairs and says, “Mom? Can I have some more please?”

And there you have it folks! This dish is not only yummy but transformative, turning brats…er, unwieldy children into manageable creatures!!!

How to Cook Quinoa



I get this question enough that it deserves its own post!

Quinoa! It's a great grain...a WHOLE grain...a grain you should get to know, especially if you are a post-op vegetarian. It's got fiber, complete proteins and tons of nutrients. In addition to cauliflower rice it makes a great sub for regular rice in any dish.

But it isn't THE most approachable food in terms of cooking, is it?
Well that's why I am here to help!
In many ways, cooking quinoa is very similar to cooking rice. Here is my three step method to perfect quinoa every time:

Step One:

For every cup of quinoa you intend to make, you need about 1.5 cups of liquid (many websites say 1.25 cups...I tried that and it didn't work out so well. One and a half? Perfection!). Now, notice I said a cup and a half of liquid, not (necessaarily) of water. That's because, like rice, you can cook quinoa in a great number of things, depending on what you are trying to make. If you are making a simple side dish, that liquid might be broth (although I suggest half water/half broth unless you like a really intense flavor). If you are making a quinoa pudding (similar to rice pudding) you might do milk in addition to or even instead of water.

It's also best to put any additional flavorings IN that water. I like to make my quinoa with chicken broth and I throw a whole clove of garlic in there for extra flavor. Let that come up to a simmer.

NOTE: As a Foodie below noted, read the directions on the quinoa you buy. If you buy pre-rinsed (I never have and did not know it existed until you guys told me!) then rinse it first! The kind I get from Whole Foods at the bulk bin does not require rinsing.

Step Two:

Add your quinoa, of course! Just pour it right into the liquid and give it a stir. Then reduce the heat to medium and cover it. It takes about 15-20 minutes to do its thing. You should probably check it a few times and give it a stir, to make sure you have enough liquid in there. If your quinoa is not yet done (I'll tell you how you can tell in a moment) and your liquid is nearly gone, you can always add more!.

Step Three:

Quinoa is a fairly firm grain. It is not rice, so it's not going to get as soft as rice would, but it should be fairly tender (if you taste it, it should not be crunchy or difficult to chew). The most tell-tale sign that quinoa is done is that the little "ring" pops out of it. It should look something like this:

See the little rings on the spoon? Those are what you WANT to see!

When that happens, it's at least ALMOST done. Give it a taste. If it is easy to chew, turn off the heat, replace the cover and let it sit a few minutes more for good measure.

What you should end up with is a pile o' yumminess that looks something like this:



Now you're ready to embark on the wide, wonderful world of quinoa recipes...starting with the one I post on Wednesday!

Melissa's Protein Cookies

Have you enjoyed reader submission week? Good! Just remember, though, you don't have to wait for me to ask you for recipes. If you make a great recipe you want to share, write it up, snap a picture of the finished product and email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com!


Our final offering this week is from Melissa R., who is from Pittsburgh.  I've actually met Melissa in real life. And one of her twin sons has actually been published on this blog before for making uber-nummy and WLS-friendly mozzarella sticks. 


Melissa loves to get her boys involved in the kitchen and believes (as I do too) that having them help is a great way to get them to open their minds to healthy eating!

With that said, Melissa set out to make some cookies. She reports the results are absolutely delicious!

Melissa's Protein Cookies

• 3/4 c. no-calorie sweetener (Melissa used Splenda, which measures 2:1 with sugar [for every two cups sugar, 1 cup Splenda], check your sweetener's website to get the conversion for 1.5 cups sugar)
• 1 c. rolled oats
• 1 c. vanilla why protein powder
• 1/2 c. soy flour
• 1 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 can (10 oz) pumpkin puree
• 3 tbsp 0% plain greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp flax seeds (ground)
• 1 c. chopped fresh cranberries
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together Splenda®, oats, protein powder, soy flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Stir in pumpkin, yogurt, and eggs. Stir in flax seeds, cranberries, walnuts, if desired. Roll into 48 large balls, and flatten on a baking sheet, or use mini muffin tin and make mini muffin.  I have done both and they turned out well both ways!.
3. Bake for 9-12 minutes in preheated oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE: the cookies will come out really dry if overbaked.

I applaud Melissa, as I have never attempted protein cookies before. Hers look fabulous! If you have any questions for Melissa about her cookies, leave them in the comments and I'll get them answered for you!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

You ever had an aversion to trying something but you can't really verbalize why? 


That's how I feel about cauliflower crust pizza. I have not tried it because...I don't want to try it. I don't have any better reason. Don't get me wrong. Search the term on Pinterest and you'll see wonderfully yummy pictures of it and I am sure it is very tasty. But I'm not going to make it. 


However, what's WONDERFUL about Bariatric Foodie is that we are a community. If I am not making something, one of you guys probably are. Such was the case here. Interestingly enough, I asked my friend Wendy, who makes the pizza often, to go over the basics for me but then I also got a completely unsolicited email from someone with their version.


The two have the same outcome but different prep methods, so I'm going to give you both!


Amy R.'s Cauliflower Crust Pizza
(Makes a pizza to share)

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Italian or pizza seasoning, halved
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder
olive oil 

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of precooked toppings

Directions:

Make some cauliflower rice (here's how) and make sure it is well drained.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. 

Add oregano, half of the Italian/pizza seasoning, minced garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings, cheese, remaining Italian/pizza seasoning, and garlic powder. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes). 

Even my non-veggie eating, picky 9 year old ate it and liked it.   There is NO way anyone would ever guess this crust is made from a vegetable!

Wendy D.'s Cauliflower Pizza Crust

(which I have affectionately dubbed the "Weeknight" version - makes one personal sized pizza)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. raw shredded cauliflower

2 oz, 75% fat free cheese (can use any cheese)

1 egg white

4 slices turkey pepperoni

1 tablespoon pizza sauce

Italian spices

Directions:

Mix together the cauliflower, 1 ounce of the cheese,  egg white and italian seasoning.

Spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread the mixture out on it.  Cook it for a few minutes on each side until it's golden on each side. 

Add a bit of pizza sauce, 4 slices pepperoni, and top with the remaining cheese.  

You can cover the pan to let the cheese melt or you can pop it in the oven for a few minutes.  

So now we have not one, but TWO, versions of cauliflower crust pizza, made by Foodies for Foodies.

Thanks Wendy and Amy!

Carissa's Cinnamon Muffins

Ok, I just have to say...you guys are cooking up some yummy stuff! I am IMPRESSED with what I've received.

There's still room if YOU have a recipe to submit for the Foodie Nation. I always make good use of submissions but this week is devoted to what YOU are cooking! Email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com for details on submitting a recipe.

Today's offering is from Carissa. She got the idea for her Cinnamon Muffins from our girl Shelly at The World According to Eggface. She liked the protein muffin idea and decided to play with it and make it her own!

Here's how it goes down.

Carissa's Cinnamon Muffins


Ingredients

3/4 c. whole wheat pancake mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp splenda brown sugar
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 c milk
1/4 c. sugar free pancake syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine pancake mix, baking soda, cinnamon, brown sugar, protein powder and milk in a medium bowl.  Stir until smooth.
3. Fold in syrup.  I like to not completely mix in the syrup as it adds a little extra syrup surprise in the final product...but its up to you! :)
4. I pre-grease my muffin tins so they come out easier after...but again, your prerogative!
5. Pour mixture into muffin tins until they are about 3/4 full
6. Bake for approximately 16 minutes

Carissa really likes these muffins but report that they sometimes flatten out on her. For that, I have this to offer. Whenever making baked protein goods, investigate using double-acting baking powder. I could get into a lengthy chemistry explanation, but these guys do it better than me. 

The bottom line: Double-acting baking powder gives you more time to work with your batter (which you may need when incorporating protein). Also remember that, as a general rule, baked protein goods require about double the leavening agent of their non-protein counterparts. So if a recipe calls for 1/2 tsp baking powder, for a protein version you'd use a full tsp and so on. Reasoning: it's heavier. It takes a bit more "muscle" to get it to rise! (I know we can ALL understand that analogy!)

So in the above recipe, I'd suggest 1 full teaspoon of double-acting baking powder. You can find it in Wal-Mart (Great Value even makes it!) and it costs less than $2. 

If you want a "smack yo momma" good topping for this, here's something I've used on cinnamon stuff in the past:

Nik's Cinnabon Topping

1/4 c. Lowfat (Neufchatel) cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp. unflavored Greek yogurt

1 - 2 tbsp either sugar-free caramel syrup or sugar-free brown sugar cinnamon syrup

No calorie sweetener, to taste

Optional: A "splick" of apple pie spice

Mix it all in a bowl then refrigerate for about 30 minutes before smearing onto a muffin. It's best with this one if you "smear as you go."

Thanks Carissa for sharing your muffin recipe. Keep playing with your food!

Foodie Submission: Lois's Banana Butterscotch Protein Blizzard

So last week I promised reader submissions! This one came in from Lois. We actually ended up having a really good and productive email conversation stemming from her emailed recipe and she has given me permission to share that conversation with you.

I've said it a few times and I will say it again: be CAREFUL of protein shake additives. It's fine to add some stuff to your shake to make it more enjoyable but pay attention to the stats! Protein shakes should always be mostly protein. If what you are adding changes that, then it should probably be in the "extreme moderation" category. If you're ever unsure if your additions are helping or hurting your shake, my Protein Shake Check-Up tool is a great place to start to find out!

Such was the case with Lois' Blizzard. She reports she only has this every once in a while (cuz, as a Foodie, she is learning moderation!) so it's all good on her end. In this post I will show you her recipe and then a few modifications I made to it in order to get it more toward being an everyday shake.

Here is Lois' original recipe from her blog, Thoughts Along Life's Highway:

Banana Butterscotch Protein Blizzard (Original version)

1 ripe or overripe banana
10 oz milk
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Butterscotch Instant Pudding mix
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 cup ice
8-10 vanilla wafers
1 Tbsp Sugar Free caramel syrup (Torani or DaVinci)

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Makes 2 servings

Now if you've read this blog for a while, you know I don't post stats (nutrition information) on my recipes for a variety of reasons (click here to read them all!) but what you may not know is that I do RUN stats on the recipes I post so that I can know where they are on the protein:carb:fat spectrum. From eyeballing this recipe, I thought it might be in order to run some stats and I did. The basic stats for the recipe above (for each serving) are:

342 calories, 44g carbs, 31.5g protein (which differs from the 28g or so she quotes on her blog).

When I told Lois she was a bit surprised, but since she only has this every now and again as a treat she said she'd play around with it to see what could be done. It makes me very happy when Foodies take food information and use it to their advantage!

So here's my suggested recipe for making the same sort of shake with a few less calories.

Banana Butterscotch Protein Blizzard (Every Day version)
(I say "every day" version as this is a more sensible treat version but if you want an "every day" every day version, you might just make the shake and skip the chunky additives)
8 oz milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp (or two pumps) Davinci sugar-free Butterscotch syrup
1 tbsp sugar-free, fat-free banana cream pudding powder
1 low-sugar graham cracker, smashed into large-ish pieces
1 cup ice
No-cal sweetener, to taste

Optional: Since there are already a lot of flavors going on here, you can choose if you want to add caramel to the mix. If so, use Davinci or Torani sugar-free caramel syrup.

Ok...so here are the "why's." If you read the Protein Shake Check-Up tool, you'll see that I hardly ever advocate for whole bananas in protein shakes. Half? Yes. Whole? Not so much. Read the Check-Up to find out why! By replacing with a tablespoon of pudding, we've come down about 75 calories and 20+ grams of carbs.

Lois' original recipe calls for Butterscotch pudding. Well, since I added banana, I didn't want to use two different kinds of puddings. Pudding mix doesn't have bad stats, but every gram of carbs counts and if you can avoid adding them to a protein shake, you should!

Lastly, I replaced the Nilla wafers. Even if you get the sugar-free kind, they're still pretty carb heavy. Instead, I went with a graham cracker, which gives you a nice, lightly sweet chunky additive for a fraction of the calories and carbs. So it still feels like a treat!

Also, try using the Triple X method to blend a smooth, thick, creamy shake. Just remember that you don't add your graham cracker until the end and then only whiz a second or two to keep it chunky!

This shake clocks in at 260 calories, about 23g arbs (12 of which coming from the milk) which is pretty darn decent if you do this as a meal replacement.

If you want to cut that down even further and are willing to gather a few extra ingredients, here's another version:

1/2 c. unflavored Greek yogurt
1/2 c. water
1 scoop vanilla whey
1 tbsp banana pudding mix
1 tbsp sugar-free Butterscotch syrup
1 cup ice
1 low-sugar graham cracker crushed

Same directions as above.

So there you have it...THREE different variations of the same shake! It really goes to show how a few ingredient swaps can change everything!
Thanks, Lois, for sharing your shake, your blog and for allowing me to make over your shake! I have another Protein Blizzard recipe here on the blog along with my general thoughts about Blizzard additives. Check it out!

And check back for more reader submissions this week!

Veggie Tales (part 5): A day in the life of a post-op vegetarian

So now that we've gone over what a vegetarian is, whether post-ops can even be vegetarians, how to make the transition and how to make good food choices, I figured I'd give you a day in the life of a post-op vegetarian.

Let's start in the pantry.

Here are some of the staples you’ll always find in my kitchen:

• Greek yogurt (usually homemade; vegans could substitute soy yogurt)
• Soy milk and/or raw milk (regular skim milk from the grocery store would work, too)
• Shredded cheese (vegans can buy soy cheese)
• Canned beans (dried beans are cheaper but I like the convenience of canned beans)
• Canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) for roasting for snacks
• Nuts and/or nut butters
• Tofurky Italian sausages (I use them in dishes like jambalaya but also eat half of one sliced up with spaghetti sauce on it for a quick and easy  meal)
• Morningstar Farms fake meat products, like fake ground beef, fake chicken and fake bacon
• Protein powder and protein bars (the ones I usually use contain whey isolate but there are soy isolate options available for vegans)

With these staples, I can throw together a quick meal like black beans with a little salsa and shredded cheese on top or a stir fry make with Morningstar Farms fake chicken and whatever veggies I happen to have in the house.

A couple other items you might want to keep on hand are cottage cheese and tofu; I just don’t care for either of those things myself.

Sample Menus

Here are a couple days’ worth of sample menus, which are pretty typical for what I eat.  These menus give me plenty of protein as well as other nutrients.

Day One

Breakfast – protein shake with soy milk and protein powder

Lunch – pumpkin spice Greek yogurt (plain Greek yogurt mixed with sugar free cheesecake pudding mix, pumpkin puree, a little Splenda and a splash of sugar free caramel syrup, topped with Cool Whip Free and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg; vegans can use soy yogurt)

Snack – roasted chickpeas (see recipe to follow)

Dinner – sausage and beans (see recipe to follow)

Snack – protein bar

Day Two

Breakfast – protein bar

Lunch – Island Red Beans (see recipe to follow)

Snack – almonds

Dinner – scrambled egg with cheese (scramble tofu with vegan cheese if preferred), Morningstar Farms breakfast strips, apple cinnamon muffin

Snack – Greek yogurt (or soy yogurt) with sugar free banana pudding mix and Splenda, topped with half sliced banana

Recipes

Roasted Chickpeas

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans).

Put a towel on a baking sheet, spread the beans on the towel and pat dry.  Remove the towel, drizzle with olive oil (or just spray with cooking spray), stir, and spread out in a single layer.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 400 degrees.  Yeah, they take a while.  Stir three or four times during baking.

Take out of the oven, season however you like, stir and eat. 

Sausage and Beans

4 Tofurky Italian sausages, sliced
2 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
minced garlic (I use about a tablespoon)
Franks’s sweet chili sauce (by the hot sauce in the grocery store; I use about ¼ cup)
tomato sauce (a couple tablespoons)

Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a big pot until slightly soft.  Add the beans, sausage and diced tomatoes.  Stir and add tomato sauce and sweet chili sauce (a little of the chili sauce goes a long way).  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to eat leftovers all week.

Island Red Beans

4 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
minced garlic (I use about a tablespoon)
2 habanera peppers, diced (this makes it really spicy; use just one pepper if you want it less spicy; these peppers are small but a little goes a long way)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 or 2 cups water (depends on how saucy you like your beans)
½ teaspoon dried cilantro
½ teaspoon dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste

Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a big pot until slightly soft.  Add the diced habanera peppers and cook for a couple minutes.  Add beans, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 25 minutes.  You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to eat leftovers all week.

Well...that about wraps up this BF Basics series. Thanks for allowing me to share a bit about my life as a vegetarian with all of you. Nik has assured me that there will be a version of this series for download within the next few days, so look for that soon!

Until then...play with your food!


Previous: Making good vegetarian food choices

Veggie Tales Home

Veggie Tales (part 4): Making Good Vegetarian Food Choices

BF Basics: Veggie Tales was composed by four-year post-op and 25-year vegetarian, Kelly, better known as Poet Kelly on Obesity Help. This series is written in her voice with the full endorsement of Bariatric Foodie. If you have any questions for Kelly about any of the information provided, please leave them in the comments and she'll gladly respond.

Basically, you want to look for the same kinds of things on the nutrition label of vegetarian foods that you’d look for on non-vegetarian foods.  Look at how much protein it has, how many calories, how much sugar, how many grams of fat and carbs if you count those things.  There are a few things to keep in mind when reading labels, though.

• Don’t assume “vegetarian” or “vegan” mean healthy.  There is lots of vegan junk food out there and vegan or not, it’s still junk food.  Vegetarian food products can be high in sugar, high in fat and full of all kinds of chemicals you wouldn’t want to put in your body.
• Don’t assume the word “vegetable” means vegetarian.  For instance, canned vegetable soup often contains beef or chicken stock.  Once I bought some frozen vegetable fried rice only to find out it actually contained chicken fat!
• Don’t assume prepackaged foods are vegetarian just because you would not put meat in them if you made them yourself.  A friend of mine once found a packaged cake mix that contained beef fat!  I’ve never seen a cake recipe that calls for beef fat, but they put all kinds of wacky stuff in packaged foods.
• Don’t assume fake meat products, like veggie burgers, have as much protein as real meat.  Some brands will have more protein than others.  Read the label.

Animal Ingredients to Watch Out For

It would be easier to avoid animal products if companies always labeled things clearly, but they don’t.  For instance, the label on a package of cheese will not list “calf stomach” as an ingredient but it might list rennet, which just happens to be another word for part of the stomach of a calf.  Here are some ingredients to watch out for if you want to avoid animal products:

• Albumen – usually comes from egg whites.
• Carmine, carminic acid, cochineal – red dye made from crushed beetles.
• Casein, caseinate, sodium caseinate – milk protein.  Often found in soy cheese (which means they aren’t vegan).
• Gelatin – yes, like in Jello.  Made from boiling the skin and hooves of horses, cows and pigs.
• Glycerides, monoglycerides – animal fat.
• Lactic acid – found in blood and muscle tissue.  Use in fermented foods like beer and sauerkraut.
• Lard – fat from pigs or cows.
• Natural coloring – can mean anything, including animal ingredients.
• Natural flavor – can mean anything, including animal ingredients.
• Pepsin –from the stomach of pigs, used in some cheeses.
• Rennet, rennin – from the stomach of calves, used in some cheeses.
• Stearic acid – animal fat, sometimes used in chewing gum.
• Vitamin D – when foods are fortified with vitamin D, the way milk often is, the vitamin D usually comes from animals, often from fish liver oil.
• Whey – a milk product.

In summary, what you need to remember is:

• Don’t make assumptions.  Read labels, including the list of ingredients.
• Animal ingredients go by many names and can be found in foods you might not expect to find them in.  If you want to make sure something is vegetarian or vegan, read the ingredients.

Previous: Making the Transition

Veggie Tales Home

Veggie Tales (part 3): Making the Transition

BF Basics: Veggie Tales was composed by four-year post-op and 25-year vegetarian, Kelly, better known as Poet Kelly on Obesity Help. This series is written in her voice with the full endorsement of Bariatric Foodie. If you have any questions for Kelly about any of the information provided, please leave them in the comments and she'll gladly respond.

Making the transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet may seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be.  You can jump right in the deep end if you want, but it might be easier (and less scary) to take baby steps.

Here are some tips:

• Start having Meatless Mondays.  Serve your family a tasty vegetarian meal for dinner once a week.  As you, and your family, become more comfortable with meatless meals, start having other meatless days.
• Start having Meatless Mornings.  Have a meat-free breakfast.  Make that egg- and dairy-free if you are transitioning to a vegan diet.  Later, you can start having meatless lunches, too.
• Start trying some meat-free substitutes for your favorite dishes.  If you love chili, prepare it with soy crumbles or TVP instead of ground beef. 
• If you normally use chicken stock in your homemade soup, use vegetable stock instead. 
• If you are transitioning to a vegan diet, try vegan soy slices instead of cheese or a tofu scramble in place of scrambled eggs.
• Designate one day a week as “Try a New Vegetarian/Vegan Recipe” day.  Explore beyond vegetarian versions of your old favorites.
• Visit a local vegetarian or vegan restaurant to enjoy some really good vegetarian cuisine and to get a feel for some of the possibilities.
• Find some vegetarian friends.  Maybe you can all get together for a monthly potluck.  You can trade recipes and share stories.

What about the family?

If you have children, you can choose to continue serving them meat or you can choose to transition them to a vegetarian or vegan diet with you.  Children of all ages can get plenty of protein and other nutrients on a vegetarian or vegan diet.  If you live with other adults, of course they will make their own choices about whether or not to continue eating meat or to make the transition with you.

Here are some ways to manage your family menu as a vegetarian:

• Serve your family meatless meals some days, even if they are not planning to adopt a vegetarian diet.  A lot of families that eat meat still have Meatless Mondays.
• Allow adult family members to prepare their own meat if you don’t like cooking it or just don’t want to prepare two meals every day.  That’s what I do in my house.  Teenage children can also prepare their own food if they don’t like what you’re serving.
• Prepare meals that will work for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.  For instance, have Build Your Own Taco night and put out seasoned ground beef, seasoned soy crumbles, shredded cheese, veggies and refried beans and let everyone assembled their own tacos.  Or stir fry veggies in one pan, chicken in another and tofu in a third.  Family members can all take some veggies and then choose whether to take chicken, tofu or some of each.

What about going out to eat?

I eat out a lot.  Most restaurants have vegetarian options these days.  Even if there are no vegetarian entrees on the menu, you can order a main dish and ask them to leave the meat off.  I often order a chicken salad without the chicken!

If I’m going to be dining at someone else’s house, I usually ask in advance what they will be serving.  Often I will be able to eat at least part of the meal but if not, I just bring something with me, just like I do if I’m going somewhere that I don’t expect to find weight loss surgery-friendly food.

In summary, what you need to know is:

• You can take baby steps as you make the transition to a vegetarian diet; you don’t have to jump in the deep end all at once.
• You can find a solution that works with your family if other family members don’t want to become vegetarians.
• You can enjoy eating out as a vegetarian.

Previous: CAN post-ops be vegetarians?

Veggie Tales Home

Veggie Tales (part 2): CAN post-ops be vegetarians?

BF Basics: Veggie Tales was composed by four-year post-op and 25-year vegetarian, Kelly, better known as Poet Kelly on Obesity Help. This series is written in her voice with the full endorsement of Bariatric Foodie. If you have any questions for Kelly about any of the information provided, please leave them in the comments and she'll gladly respond.

Sometimes people ask me if it’s possible for post-ops to be vegetarians.  Can they get enough protein without eating meat?  Sure they can.  Absolutely.  I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 14 years old and was not about to start eating meat when I had weight loss surgery.  I get at least 70 grams of protein daily without any trouble, usually more, and later on in this series I’ll tell you how I do it. 

Is it hard to get enough protein post-op without eating meat?

Well, I don’t think it’s too hard.  Since non-meat foods usually have less protein per ounce than meat, it does mean I have less room in my pouch for non-protein foods.  For instance, three ounces of meat has about 21 grams of protein but a half cup of black beans only has about seven grams of protein.  That makes it even more important for me to focus on protein first.

Here is a list of foods and how much protein they contain.  You might be surprised to learn that even broccoli has protein in it!

Food….Grams of Protein

Black beans, 1 cup…15
Kidney beans, 1 cup…13
Veggie burger (varies somewhat by brand)…13
Tofu, 4 oz…11
Peanut butter, 2 tbsp…8
Almonds, ¼ cup…8
Soy milk, 1 cup…7
Soy yogurt, 6 oz…6
Spinach, cooked, 1 cup…5
Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup…4

Don’t beans have a lot of carbs…and don’t they give you a lot of gas?

Yep, they do.  They are complex carbs, though, and high in fiber.  But depending on what they’re made of, beans and pasta are digested differently.  Vegetarian post-ops will probably take in more carbs altogether than post-ops that eat meat, though.

Beans do give some people a lot of gas, and some post-ops have uncomfortable gas anyway.  I’ll tell you a secret about how to make less gassy beans, though.  If you buy dried beans instead of canned beans, and soak them in cold water with some baking soda for about four hours, then drain and rinse the beans, and finally soak them in cold water for another four hours, they will not make you fart as much.  Dried beans are cheaper, too.

What about the first few weeks post op?

Your surgeon or dietician will probably give you a meal plan and it will probably include lots of meat, eggs and dairy products.  Your surgeon and dietician may or may not be very familiar with a vegetarian or vegan diet.  Your best bet is to find a dietician that is familiar with both weight loss surgery and a vegetarian or vegan diet, though it might be hard to do that, depending on where you live.  You may end up having to educate your doctor or dietician!

You can substitute vegetarian or vegan options for the items on your standard post-op meal plan.  Here are some options:

Clear Liquids

• Substitute veggie broth for chicken broth. You can even add unflavored protein powder to your broth (if your plan allows it) to boost the protein. See below for guidance on protein powders.
• Skip the Jell-O – it’s made from the hooves of horses and cows!

Full Liquids

• Use soy milk instead of skim milk in protein shakes.
• Use a soy protein powder instead of one made with whey, which is a milk product.
• Substitute soy yogurt for regular yogurt.

Pureed Foods

• Puree things like beans, tofu and vegetarian chili.

Protein Supplements

You may have noticed that protein supplements contain different types of protein.

• Whey isolate and whey concentrate are both types of milk protein.  Whey isolate is what is most often recommended for weight loss surgery patients, but there are other good choices, too.
• Soy isolate is not found in as many protein supplements, but it’s a good choice for vegetarians and vegans.  Make sure you read all the ingredients because even if a supplement contains soy isolate, it might also contain some animal ingredients.
• Rice protein, pea protein and hemp protein powders are likely to be labeled as vegetarian or vegan protein supplements.  These are not as good a choice as whey or soy isolate because they don’t have all the amino acids we need.  If you use one of these, I suggest mixing it with soy milk instead of water because then you get more amino acids.
• Collagen is a form of protein found in those little “protein shots” or “bullets” that promise large amounts of protein in just a few ounces of liquid.  The collagen comes from boiling the skin and hooves of horses, cows and pigs, so it’s not a vegetarian form of protein.  It’s also missing some important amino acids so it’s not absorbed well at all.

What about vitamins?

All post-ops should be taking vitamins.  What kind of vitamins you  need depends on what kind of weight loss surgery you had and on your labs (which you should be getting done regularly).  Vegans can look for vegan forms of vitamins; many supplements contain animal ingredients.  All vegans should take a B12 supplement, regardless of what type of surgery you had; even vegans that have not had weight loss surgery need a B12 supplement because plant foods contain very little B12.

In summary, what you need to know is:

• You can get enough protein as a post-op without eating meat.
• Because non-meat food sources have less protein per ounce than meat food sources, you have to be careful to put protein first in every meal. There isn’t a lot of room for non-protein foods, especially at first.
• Many foods including beans, tofu and even vegetables like broccoli contain protein.
• You might have to educate your surgeon or dietician about a vegetarian or vegan diet.
• There are many vegetarian alternatives to suit each post-op eating stage (clear liquids, full liquids, purees, etc.)
• All post-ops should take vitamins.  Vegans need to take a B12 supplement, even if they have not had weight loss surgery.

Previous: What the Heck is Vegetarian?

BF Basics: Veggie Tales Home

Veggie Tales (part 1): What the heck IS a vegetarian???

BF Basics: Veggie Tales was composed by four-year post-op and 25-year vegetarian, Kelly, better known as Poet Kelly on Obesity Help. This series is written in her voice with the full endorsement of Bariatric Foodie. If you have any questions for Kelly about any of the information provided, please leave them in the comments and she'll gladly respond.

You probably know that vegetarians don’t eat meat.  You might not know that there are different types of vegetarians, though.

• Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products, but no beef, chicken, fish or other meats.
• Lacto vegetarians eat dairy products but no eggs, beef, chicken, fish or other meats.
• Vegans eat no animal products at all, including no eggs, dairy products or honey.  Vegans, and sometimes other vegetarians, try not to use animal products for things other than food, too.  For instance, they don’t wear leather shoes or belts and don’t wear fur coats.  They might try to avoid using cosmetics and other products that have been tested on animals, too.
• Pescatarians aren’t really vegetarians, in my opinion, but some consider themselves vegetarians so I won’t quibble over semantics here.  They eat fish but no other animals.  They usually also eat eggs and dairy products.

There are a variety of reasons vegetarians might choose a meatless diet:

• They believe it’s healthier than eating meat.
• They believe it’s wrong to kill animals.
• They don’t agree with the way animals raised for food are treated (including the way laying hens and dairy cows are treated).
• They are concerned about the environment (raising meat for food is much harder on the environment/creates much more pollution than raising plants for food).
• They are concerned about world hunger (the amount of grain raised to feed one meat eater would feed 14 vegetarians).
• Some practice religions that encourage a vegetarian diet (like Seventh Day Adventists, Hindus, Buddhists and many pagans).
• They just don’t like meat.
• A few people become vegetarian after weight loss surgery because they find they no longer tolerate meat well.

Not all vegetarians believe all of these things.  That is one reason some are stricter about their diet than others and some eat no animal products at all while others eat eggs or dairy products.

Aren’t vegetarians skinny?

A lot of people expect vegetarians to all be skinny and healthy.  After all, vegetables aren’t fattening, right?  But vegetarians don’t just eat vegetables.  Trust me, if you eat no meat but eat lots of pasta, bread, cheese pizza, potato chips and ice cream (you can get rice milk ice cream if you are a vegan), you’re not going to be skinny!  Know how I know?  Yeah, I learned that the hard way.

Vegetarians aren’t all the same.

Maybe this is the most important thing I can say about vegetarians.  They are not all the same.  Some are skinny, some aren’t.  Some eat a very healthful diet, some eat lots of junk food.  They choose not to eat meat for different reasons.  Some are really strict about not eating meat and some are more laid back about it.  Some are very into health and fitness, some are couch potatoes.  Some are very involved in the animal rights movement, some aren’t.

In summary, what you need to know is:

• Overall, the term “vegetarian” refers to a person who chooses not to include meat in their diet
• Some vegetarians eat no animal product at all while some at eggs and/or dairy products.
• There are lots of different reasons for becoming a vegetarian.
• A vegetarian diet is not automatically a healthy diet.

BF Basics: Veggie Tales

Howdy, Foodies!

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to be both a WLS patient and a vegetarian? Many think it’s not possible because of the protein needs after WLS, but I happen to know a few post-op vegetarians who have realized great success. My friend Kelly, a three-year post-op and vegetarian of more than 25 years, is one of them.

This week, she’s going to share with you all the basics of vegetarianism, how that all relates to post-op life and even give you some tips and recipes for integrating vegetarian eating into your life! Thanks Kelly!

Over the next five days, this series will speak from Kelly's perspective. If you have any questions for Kelly about any information she’s given, leave them in the comments and Kelly promises to respond to them quickly!

Here’s what Kelly has to say:

I was really excited when Nik asked me to write a series on a vegetarian post-op diet for Bariatric Foodie. I love Bariatric Foodie, I love being post op and I love being a vegetarian, so it’s right up my alley. I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking lately about my diet, and I’ve been considering transitioning to a vegan diet, so the timing was good for me.

I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 25 years, since I was 14. The food choices we make can be pretty complicated, but to put it simply, I decided I personally didn’t want to kill animals and that I didn’t need to do so in order to eat. I grew up in a family of meat-eaters and vegetarians were kind of rare back then. 

Now I find a lot more people eating a vegetarian diet and a lot more food options out there.
I had gastric bypass surgery a little over three years ago and it never occurred to me to start eating meat after my surgery. I did have to change my thinking about protein a bit and make some changes to my diet in order to increase my protein intake. The meal plans and recommendations I got from my surgeon and dietician were designed for people that eat meat so I had to customize those to fit my needs.

I’m not going to try to convince you that you should be a vegetarian. That’s up to you. I’m just going to tell you that you can be a vegetarian and get enough protein and be healthy after weight loss surgery, if that’s what you want to do. And I’m going to show you how to do it.



In this series, we’ll cover:

• Part I: What the heck is a vegetarian, anyway?
• Part II: CAN post-ops be vegetarians?
• Part III: What does this look like in real life and how do you make the transition?
• Part IV: Making good vegetarian food choices
• Part V: A day in the life of a post-op vegetarian