Cooking Well: Multiple Sclerosis (8 page)

serves 2

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, zucchini, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper, green onion, herbs, and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Spread the vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan. In a bowl, beat the eggs, water, and season to taste. Add the egg mixture to the vegetables and let the eggs set. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and continue to cook until golden brown. Transfer to a platter, cut in wedges, and serve immediately.

Serving suggestion: Serve over a bed of fresh spinach.

serves 1

Place all the ingredients in a blender and fill with ice. Puree on high speed until smooth. Divide between two tall glasses and serve immediately with a straw.

S
oups and salads are very versatile and can be served as an appetizer, main course, side dish, or even dessert. They are quick and healthy meal options, and can be a great way to use leftovers. In addition, salad recipes don’t require much cooking, if any, and the techniques used are very basic. Salads taste better when put together at the last minute. They will be more appealing and pleasing with their fresh colors, textures, and flavors.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind whenever you prepare soups or salads.

First, stay away from croutons and avoid unhealthy salad dressings. Healthy dressing choices include oil (particularly olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, and/or walnut oil unless you have a nut allergy, and vinegar (wine, balsamic, or apple) or citrus juices with fresh herbs. Apple cider vinegar can be beneficial to your health due to its cleansing and healing properties. So don’t hesitate to substitute it for vinegar or citrus juice.

If you have no problems with nuts, use a few nuts in your salads such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and pepitas, or sprinkle freshly ground flaxseeds. Include lots of vegetables in your salads, particularly the recommended greens and vegetables in the shopping list of this book, as they are very powerful antioxidants. Onions, scallions, shallots, and garlic are also important, as they too have cancer-flighting properties and help lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

Your salads may contain an adequate amount of protein, which should come from lean sources such as fish, poultry, or tofu. Plant protein sources such as dry beans, lentils, and garbanzos may be substituted. They will provide fibers and polyphenols which have good anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties. Note: if you are not a vegetarian, try to maintain a good mix of animal and plant proteins to ensure you get the nutrients you need.

The addition of fresh herbs and freshly ground spices will add flavors and antioxidants which will help boost your immune system. Limit cheeses to lower-fat brands to minimize fat intake. Shredding just a little fresh parmesan over a salad can add much flavor without adding unwanted calories. As for a soup, be careful not to overcook the vegetables you add to your soup bases, as they will lose their nutrients. This can be tricky because a soup’s ingredients will continue to cook as long as the soup is hot, even after you’ve taken it off the stove. So undercook the vegetables to allow for that extra time and to preserve their nutritive values. For herbs in soup, use dry herbs at first and finish with fresh herbs (using fresh herbs at the beginning will only be a waste of money, as the flavors will evaporate during the cooking process.) For balanced nutrition, be sure to include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables just as you would in your salads.

serves 6

Make a small X incision on the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Blanch the tomatoes for 20 seconds. Remove and place in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel, seed, and dice the tomatoes.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the leek, carrot, celery stalks, bell pepper, and sauté rapidly. Add the turnip, nutritional facts garlic, stock, bouquet garni, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until barely tender. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and simmer for a minute. Finish with the parsley and adjust seasonings.

serves 4

Place the carrots, apple, onion, stock, bouquet garni, and ginger powder in a large pan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through (about 10 to 15 minutes). Transfer to a blender and purée with enough liquid to obtain a soup consistency. Season to taste and serve immediately.

serves 4

Place the zucchini, squash, onion, stock, and bouquet garni in a large pan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through (about 10 to 15 minutes). Transfer to a blender and purée with enough liquid to obtain a soup consistency. Return to pan, add the basil, and season to taste. Bring to a boil and serve immediately. Top each serving with a tablespoon of yogurt.

serves 4

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock, lentils, bouquet garni, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes. Skim the surface as needed. Continue to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes in order to thicken the soup. Remove the bouquet garni. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a medium pan over high heat. Add the ground turkey and sauté until cooked through (about 3 to 4 minutes). Strain and disregard any fat. Add the meat to the prepared lentils and bring to a boil. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.

If the soup turns out too thick, adjust with stock. If the soup is too thin, reduce the liquid more or mash a little bit of the lentils and return mixture to the pan.