Soft foods

This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for a while and someone on twitter just reminded me.

I can’t eat certain foods as they set off jaw pain.  Things like french sticks, apples, doritos are all no goes for me.  And as I mentioned in my last post I don’t really like soup that much…

So here are some suggestions for not-soup-soft-foods:

• jacket potatoes (I have to leave the skin) with… cheese, houmous, soft cheese, tuna… or even use a sweet potato for more variety
• lentils, see below for a suggested recipe
• fishfinger sandwiches, cut up small and using soft bread
• cauliflower cheese
• overcooked pasta (use small pasta so you don’t have to chew much)
• pancakes
• baked eggs
• poached eggs
• fried eggs
• scrambled eggs
• omlette
• poached or steamed fish can be easy to eat and prepared in many different ways
• smoothies
• juice
• hot chocolate
• tofu – baked, in curry, fried with rice, scrambled etc. if you’re new to tofu, it’s nice and soft and the flavour is very much down to how you season it
• yogurt
• pureed fruit
• mashed potatoes
• ice cream
• some fruits like bananas and raspberries might be ok for you
• some people are ok with rice, i’m not one of them, too much rice and it triggers jaw pain…
• you could try eating cake although it will probably be slower than normal, cream or ice cream might make it easier
• houmous with pita or very soft breads
• other dips are a great way of adding some flavour to what can feel like a very bland diet
• when my jaw was bad i could manage croissants and pain au chocolate, provided they were cut up small, as they sort of melt in your mouth
• on a similar note, puff pastry with cheese on top was ok for me too
• mousse
• mushy peas
• soft chips (as opposed to the crispy kind)
• porridge with fruit
• baby food
• you might be able to manage something like macaroni cheese or fish pie depending on how much you can chew.  as my pain was easing, i could eat macaroni cheese when it was made with small pasta shapes and provided i ate very slowly and had very small mouthfuls

I know there will be many many other options but these were the ones which sprang to mind today!

---

Lemon and coriander lentils

Red lentils
Salt and pepper
Garlic paste
Cumin powder
Coriander powder
Lemon juice
Chopped coriander (frozen is good)

Put a saucepan on the heat and pour in the cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, pepper and add garlic paste. Once they’ve started to heat, add your lentils. Stir them into the spices and once well stirred, add enough water to cover the lentils. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on the water, you will probably need to top it up. At the end, you want to end up with no excess water. You’ll know it’s ready because the lentils will be soft and light in colour, normally takes about 20 minutes. Stir in a splash of lemon juice and the chopped coriander. Serve with rice.

Vary the spices for variety, you might want to use thai flavours for example.

Christmas dinner

Are you vegetarian and looking for something interesting to go with your roast potatoes this year?  Look no further than this amazing Mushroom and Nut Wellington recipe from the Coop.  I’ve used it for almost 10 years now… It’s sooo yummy and you can also adapt it into ‘sausage rolls’.  To make it easier on your hands, chuck as much as you can into a food processor and don’t worry about the fiddly plaiting aspect – just make sure the pastry covers it.  Won’t look so pretty but you’ll save your hands for unwrapping presents!

Recipe: Swede Gratin

I would include a photo but it’s not the most photographic of foods.  That said it is incredibly yummy and perfect for this time of year.  Me and my carer had an afternoon in cooking and made 7 of these, that’s how much I like it.  It freezes well but I find it needs defrosting before cooking.

Serve with veggie sausages.

Swede Gratin

Per serving:

100g swede

30g grated cheese (I use lactofree cheese and cheese could easily be left out)

3 tablespoons flour

50ml milk (I use oatmilk)

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Use your food processor to slice the swede thinly (about 3-5mm thick roughly)  then boil for 15-20 minutes until they start to soften. Leave to cool. Once cooled, add a layer to your baking dish. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and flour then half the cheese. Add another layer of swede, pour milk over it and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Freeze at this stage if required.  Bake for about 40 minutes. You might need to put some foil over it if the top starts to burn.

Chronic pain cookbook

I have a chronic pain condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  My hands are the most affected part of my body and this makes everyday things like cooking very difficult.  As they were worsening, I found that there were fewer and fewer things I could manage to cook.  So I did what I always do, I looked online for advice.  But there didn’t seem to be much… there was a lot about using food to make yourself well again but not much on food that you can prepare when you have chronic pain.  So instead I put together my own advice and recipes.

It’s based entirely on me, my likes and dislikes, my pain and my situation so it won’t be entirely spot on for other people.

Unfortunately, since having the idea of the chronic pain cookbook, my pain has deteriorated too much and I now need carers to cook for me but I hope it is of help to someone.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback and recipe suggestions.

Chronic Pain Cookbook Version 1