VSG - The Puree Stage
When I started my VSG journey, I was very honest with my dietician that I wanted to keep my diet fairly clean. I see a lot of VSGers on Instagram using processed foods to get to their protein levels. To each their own, but I - personally - view those products like junk food, bariatric junk food. Protein puffs that taste like Doritos just seems like gateway drug food. And I didn't have 80% of my stomach removed to go back to bad habits.
Thus, even though I'm on week 2 of my post-op liquid stage, I've been itching to get in the kitchen and start cooking again. So, I went ahead and made some purees to put in my freezer. I'll take out one container are a time and use it until it's gone, then move on to the next. The nice thing about this in that, even if I don't use all of them during my puree stage, I can use these frozen purees as future sauces for fish, etc.
I know veggies and tofu may not be everybody's cup of tea, but wanted to share my recipes anyway. Ya know, just in case. I took dinners I like to cook and added tofu to them form protein counts. (Our daily goal is 40-60 grams of protein).
Recipe 1: Broccoli & Spinach Puree
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups of raw spinach
3 oz of extra firm tofu
Directions: Boil broccoli in salted water until soft. Strain 95% of the water out and then move to your blender (I use a Ninja Bullet). Add 2 cups of raw spinach and 3 oz of tofu. Then, I add the seasonings of my choice. It's important to add only dry spices because the texture needs to been as smooth as possible. Because my puree stage is week 3 post-op, my new born baby tummy cannot handle that kind of texture....yet. Baby steps. But, go crazy and season as you like. I used onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper and lemon juice.
Total protein count: 15 grams.
Recipe 2: Whipped Cauliflower
Cauliflower - 8 cups (I used a whole bag)
3 oz of tofu
Directions: Just like the broccoli, boil the cauliflower in salted water until soft. Then strain and move cauliflower into blender with about 10% of the water it was cooked in. Add the tofu and preferred seasonings. I like garlic and a little ground red pepper.
Total protein count: 25 grams
Recipe 3: Italian Style
2 vine tomatoes
1c chopped zucchini
1c sliced baby bellas
2 cups raw spinach
6 oz tofu
Directions: Chop all veggies (except spinach) and sauté down. The zucchini needs to be soft. this is the perfect time to season as well. I did Italian seasoning and garlic. Yes, I love my garlic. Once you're happy, throw this all into your bullet. Then I added my tofu and, because my spinach needed to be used, I added 2 cups of raw spinach. And because I wanted more flavor, I added some fresh lemon juice, salt and a little more garlic. Once I'm allowed to eat solid food, I will cook this sauce without blending it and add a tofurkey sausage, which is an additional 28g of protein.
Total protein count: 26 grams
Recipe 4: Edamame Mousse
1/2 cup of edamame
3oz of tofu
Directions: My shelled edamame was frozen, so I boiled for approximately 6 minutes and drained. Add to bullet, add tofu and your fave seasonings. I did onion powder, salt and pepper. I added some water and a slight drop of truffle oil - because I could. Blend away. This ended of being my fave, it is so creamy and delish! I'll be using this one first for sure.
Total protein count: 18 grams
If you try one, let me know!
PS: I used to use the broccoli puree, sans tofu, on my baked potatoes. And I loved it!
And don't forget to check out my podcast, Life With Liz, available now!
-Liz