So Many Dishes

I’ve talked numerous times about making changes to recipes. How many times have I said, it’s just a guideline? It’s become a theme in our kitchen.

For the next month or so, I’m going to be making adjustments to the type of dishes I cook, not just tweaking recipes. TLDR: for medical reasons, both Ken and I need to restrict our diets, but in different ways.

Ken has had laryngopharyngeal reflux, or LPR, sometimes called silent reflux, for years. It’s been well controlled with medication, but he has occasional serious flare ups. The last time it happened, in 2013, he actually lost his voice for a few weeks. He’s been really good since then, but a few weeks ago he developed a sore throat that won’t go away. The doctor upped his medication, but also strongly recommended a low acid diet. The list of foods to avoid includes a lot things we eat on a daily basis. The list includes onions, tomatoes, citrus, tea, and coffee.

As if this wasn’t enough of a complication, I got a call from my doctor’s office Monday afternoon with results from the bloodwork I had done last week. It turns out that I need to reduce my potassium intake. The nurse said, “cut back on bananas and orange juice.” But I don’t eat that many bananas, and I can’t remember the last time I had orange juice. I started looking at the list of high potassium foods, and it includes more things that we use in our cooking, such as beans, spinach, potatoes, whole grains. Sigh.

Oh, well, this too shall pass. Ken’s throat will heal and we’ll be able to gradually add some more acidic foods back into our diet. I’m treating the potassium result as an aberration. I looked at recent test results from bloodwork ordered by my cardiologist, and the potassium level was fine. This new result was just over the normal range, so I don’t think it will take a lot to bring it back in line.

The recipe pictured above is one I made a few nights ago, when we knew about Ken’s restrictions, but not mine. This is a recipe from Skinnytaste that I adapted to fit the low acid diet, and in the process changed the dish from Tuscan style to Greek.

White beans, spinach, and feta screamed “Greek” to me, not Tuscan, the original title descriptor. What made it Tuscan was the inclusion of fresh sage and a bit of balsamic vinegar. I couldn’t imagine sage with the rest of the ingredients, and Ken agreed. I swapped lemon juice for the balsamic, and reduced the amount to just 1 teaspoon. It was just enough acid to brighten the dish, but, mixed with the other, more alkaline ingredients, didn’t cause an issue for Ken. I left out the onion the dish called for, and I didn’t miss it. I’m presenting the recipe the way I made it.

Greek White Beans with Shrimp, Spinach, and Feta

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cups baby spinach
• 2 ounces feta, crumbled
• Salt, to taste

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp with a pinch of salt until just opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add dill and lemon juice, cooking another 30 seconds. Add the broth, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in beans and spinach and cook until spinach wilts, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in shrimp. Top with crumbled feta cheese and serve. Makes 4 servings.

As you can see, it’s a very quick recipe. The results were delicious. We both agreed that we couldn’t imagine it with sage. I also cooked some orzo, and the combination was great.

Happy eating!