Dawn's Version of Foil Bag Surprise

Original Recipe: Foil Bag Surprise

The substitution I made to this recipe was using Italian (mild) sausage and a red pepper (because we've found it bothers hubby's tummy less and it is one of the 15 foods excellent for kidneys).
I DID use salt and pepper but you CAN and should use a NO salt spice blend in order to make it kidney friendly...AND soak the hash browns previous to use.

;) DELICIOUS a definite make again!

Dawn's version of Grilled Cheese

Original Recipe: Grilled Cheese

Diabetes Friendly: whole wheat bread, or whole grain (even better), white cheese (havarti, swiss) slices

Kidney Friendly: white bread, white cheese (havarti, mozzarella, swiss) slices

My FAVE version is just a havarti slice on rye bread but that isn't advisable for a kidney patient...thankfully it is still good on white bread! ;)

Dawn's Version of Chili Cheese Fries

Original Recipe: Chili Cheese Fries

Ok I know the possibility of making chili cheese fries completely healthy is pretty slim but I will settle for a slightly healthier version! I LOVE chili cheese fries and while i don't intend to eat them OFTEN I would like to enjoy them SOMETIMES. So this is what I came up with:

I used a store bought bag of fries and baked them but for a KIDNEY FRIENDLY version they should be cut from fresh potatoes and soaked twice first to remove the potassium.
If you are feeling adventurous they could be coated with a wee bit of olive oil and a NO salt herb mix and then baked till crispy.

I made a monterey jack cheese sauce ...original recipe here: Queso Blanco
What I really did was tweak a parmesan cheese sauce I always make for tortellini and used the green chilis from the Queso Blanco recipe. So I cooked about a cup maybe a bit more of monterey jack shredded, about 1/2 cup of half and half, about a Tbsp of margarine, a can of green chilis and a little bit of flour to thicken the sauce. (for tortellini cheese sauce it is 1 small carton of whipping cream, 1/2-1 cup of parmesan cheese-I use "shaky cheese", 1/4 cup or bit less of butter and parsley flakes...this is NOT kidney friendly and I do NOT eat it often but I admit it is a guilty pleasure because I LOVE it!)

And the chili was:

ground chicken, spices (chili powder etc. SouthWest Spice), garlic, onions, red/yellow peppers, black beans, one can of chipotle flavoured brown beans, 2 chopped tomatoes 

and a tiny bit of bbq sauce for added flavour

to make a more kidney friendly version substitute chick peas (garbanzo beans)

and because I used tomatoes instead of soup or sauce as I would usually it is also kidney friendly because much of the phosphorous is removed! ;)

Dawn's Version of Meatloaf

Original Recipe: Favourite Meatloaf

I haven't made this yet because it's been too hot to cook in the oven but I'm going to soon...it's a recipe for burgers I found that I've tweaked to be a meatloaf instead and is very healthy and kidney friendly.

CHERRY MEATLOAF

1/2 small sweet onion (Vidalia or Walla Walla), chopped small
1 lb of lean ground beef
1/2 cup dried cherries, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs (white)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Cherry Ketchup (recipe follows)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Press into a greased bread loaf pan and cover with Cherry Ketchup.
Bake in preheated oven at 350C for 40 minutes to an hour.

DIABETIC VERSION: substitute whole wheat bread crumbs
substitute raw sugar in the ketchup

CHERRY KETCHUP

Dawn's Version of Eggs in Baked Bread Bowls

Original Recipe: Breakfast Bread Bowls

Kidney Friendly Version:
white dinner rolls
eggs
havarti, mozzarella or monterey jack cheese
pepper


Diabetic Friendly Version:
whole wheat rolls
eggs
cheddar, marble, or any cheese liked
s & p

Other Variations:
scrambled egg version with cheese, peppers, mushrooms or other veggie you like

I was going to try a recipe for rolls using a low phosphorous baking powder but upon further study realized that it elevates the potassium and since I, myself am watching my potassium it is probably not really that bad to just use a regular white bread roll. (until I'm also watching phosphorous that is) ;)

I really liked these bread bowl eggs because the roll gets a little crunchy and the cheese melts in with the pepper and egg and tastes really yummy! :)

Dawn's Version of: Tortilla Bowls

Original Recipe: Chicken and Mango Tortilla Bowls

Forgot to take pics!! Will take some next time I make these I promise!

Diabetic Friendly Version:
whole wheat taco bowl
ground chicken, beef or turkey
Southwest Spice mix (recipe below)
grated cheese: low-fat cheddar or mozzarella or marble
veggies (tomatoes, mango, celery, peppers, olives, shredded lettuce)
salsa

Kidney Friendly Version:
white bread taco bowl
ground chicken or turkey
Southwest Spice mix (recipe below)
grated cheese: mozzarella, monterey jack or havarti (low fat or light versions)
veggies (tomatoes, celery, peppers, shredded lettuce)
low-sodium salsa

Other Variations:
fill bowls with your version of chicken salad or taco fillings

Southwest Spice mix:

2 Tbsp Chili powder


2 Tbsp paprika


1 Tbsp dried oregano


1 Tbsp ground coriander


1 Tbsp garlic powder


2 tsp cumin powder


1 tsp cayenne pepper


1 tsp dried crushed chili powder


1 tsp black pepper


Mix well and spoon into a tightly lidded jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to four months.

Our Plan

We both like to try new recipes and sometimes play around with them to sort out newer, healthier and better versions for our families so we decided to share a blog, choose recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner to begin with and each of us tweak them into a slightly modified version.
Hopefully we'll come up with some fun and delicious new ideas and recipes that are low-fat, kidney friendly, diabetes friendly and maybe even kid friendly!
Keep an eye out....we're working on three recipes now!