Complete Meals as Soups and Smoothies Blog 3

The first blog in this series gives a meal plan for 6 meals a day as soups and smoothies suggesting that fluid intake can become an easier task without having to constantly use prepared or ready made thickened fluids after every meal. Often these types of commercial fluids are unpopular and expensive. Inadequate fluid intake is common in dysphagic acute stroke and, I am sure, in other medical conditions. An article by Whelan (Inadequate fluid intakes in dysphagic acute stroke. Whelan, K. In: CLINICAL NUTRITION, Vol. 20, No. 5, 2001, p. 423 - 428.) suggests that most of the fluid in dysphagic diets comes from the foods served. I have also seen this in a slow rehabilitation setting with dysphagic diets after motor vehicle accidents, when patients refuse thickened fluids.  Obviously in the rehabilitation setting recovery is a priority and various fluid consistencies and food textures need to be challenged to meet patient goals. Complete meals as soups and smoothies, however, may appeal for the home setting or long term care.

These two thick soups contain parsnip, carrot, swede and turnip. I find these a useful addition to the recipes as they come with lots of flavour and give a creamy smooth texture when puréed. This is particularly useful when blending meat which, even when slow cooked, has a tendency to be fibrous and grainy.

Boeuf Daube Provençale Soup

Ingredients                                        Serves 5

500g boneless lean chuck steak cut into small pieces

2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 cup red wine

1 medium carrot peeled and chopped

1 medium parsnip peeled and chopped

½  large turnip peeled and chopped (or 1 small)

½ large swede peeled and chopped 9or 1 small)

1 can chopped tomato (400g)

1 cup beef broth

1 bay leaf/ dash of cloves/tsp fresh thyme

Mashed Potato to serve

Method

1. Add oil to slow cooker and seal pieces of beef. Add garlic and cook briefly.
2. Add all other ingredients and follow instructions for the slow cooker.
3. Cook until beef is very tender. Remove bay leaf.
4. Place in a high-powered blender adding more beef broth if required to achieve a smooth thick consistency.
5. Serve in a soup bowl with piped mashed potato around the edge. Place in hot oven for 10 minutes to give a golden look. This can be mixed in as the meal is being consumed.

Nutrition Information per serve: Energy 1536 kJ, protein 38g, fat 11.2g sat fat 4.5g, carbohydrate 17.7g, sugars8.3g, fibre 5.6g, sodium 400mg.

 

Boeuf Daube Provençale Soup

Lentil and Vegetable Soup

I have used green split peas instead of lentils with this soup. Split peas and lentils have similar macronutrient composition but can vary in vitamin and mineral content. Cooking times are also similar. I also used the vegetable kohlrabi that is a turnip with a sweeter taste than the classic turnip. However, the slightly bitter tasting turnip can also be used.

Ingredients                                                    Serves 5

1 &1/4 cups lentils

3 &1/2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

2 tsp oil

1 small carrot peeled and chopped

1 small parsnip peeled and chopped

1sticks celery chopped

½ swede peeled and chopped

½ Kohlrabi peeled and chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 clove garlic

1 can chopped tomato (400g)

½ tsp mixed herbs

salt to taste

Method

1. Add lentils to the broth and bring to the boil. Skim any surface froth.
2. Add oil to a frying pan and fry onion, garlic and other vegetables except tomato, for 2 mins.
3. Tip vegetable mix into the lentil/broth mix together with the tomato and herbs and simmer for 40mins until all vegetables are tender. Add salt to taste.
4. Blend until smooth even texture is achieved.

An alternative is to blend 1 cup of the lentil soup and add it back to the soup. If the chopped vegetables meet the standard size of <1.5cm for soft diet or <0.5cm for minced and moist diet this thick version of the soup can meet the requirements for texture modified diets. Check with the speech therapist if uncertain of the suitability for an individual.

Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Nutrition Information per serve: Energy 1104kJ, protein 16.7g, fat 4.0g, sat fat 0.7g, carbohydrate 35.3g, sugars 9.3g, fibre 10.3g, sodium 329mg.

Follow On Blog of Complete Meal Soups.

The complete meal soups presented in the following recipes include broth or bone stocks for addition of umami flavour. I believe the extra work needed to achieve this is extremely worthwhile. However, supermarket stocks are available.

Tofu Miso Soup

I have included this delicious recipe as a lighter main course choice at mealtime. A favourite dessert can provide the extra energy and protein. (see “Super Foods for Small Appetites”), available from Family Concern Publishing.

Ingredients                                                    Serves 2

180g smooth Tofu

30g white miso paste

500 ml water or vegetable broth

1 cube frozen spinach (optional)

1 tbsp. mushroom duxelles (optional)

1 egg whisked

Method

1. To make the mushroom duxelles – chop 250g mushrooms finely, heat 30g butter and 30g olive oil in pan and fry mushrooms with chopped onion (medium size fine chop). Cook for approx. 10 mins until soft; add salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth for use with smooth puree diets. Freeze in ice cube tray in tablespoon size portions and reheat as needed.
2. Bring water or broth to the boil, add the miso paste and whisk to dissolve the paste.  Add the cubed tofu and whisked egg and simmer 2 mins. Remove from heat and blend until smooth.
3. Steam spinach.

This blended soup is not thickened at this stage. To serve as a thickened fluid add the recommended amount of thickener for mild, moderate or extremely thick. It is easiest to do this in the blender.

Serve as a creamy soup decorated with small amounts of the flavour boosts of mushroom and spinach. See photo below.

Nutrition Information per serve: Energy 564kJ, protein 10.5g, fat 7.5g, sat fat 1.9g, carbohydrate 6.1g, sugars 4.1g, fibre 0.6g (not including thickener), sodium 787mg.

 

Tofu Miso Soup with purée mushroom and spinach garnish

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients                                                    Serves 5

250g Split Peas yellow dry

700ml water

150g lean ham pieces

50g onion chopped

100g carrot chopped

500ml milk

pinch pepper

small ham bone

Bay leaf and thyme sprigs

Method

1. Wash and soak peas overnight.
2. Add ham bone, ham, herbs and pepper, onions and carrot. Bring to the boil and simmer 3 hours. Skim off any frothy surface scum.
3. Remove ham bone and herb pieces.
4. Blend soup in blender until smooth, adding milk to achieve required thickness.

Smooth Extremely Thick Split Pea Soup

Nutrition  Information per serve: Energy 1126kJ, protein 20.6g, fat 6.5g, sat fat 3.2g, carbohydrate 29.7g, sugars 7.5g, fibre 5.8g, sodium 519mg.

The yellow colour defines this soup but chopped kale or spinach can be added at the last minute for nutrition and flavour. However, the colours of yellow and green blended together are not attractive. It would be better to start with green split peas and add the greens to this to enhance the green colour.

Prawn and Pumpkin Bisque

Ingredients                                                    Serves 5

500g cooked prawns including shells

200g pumpkin cut into small pieces.

3 cups reduced sodium chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

1 medium onion peeled and quartered

4 cloves garlic halved lengthwise

3 celery stalks cut into chunks

1 medium carrot cut into chunks

1 pinch thyme

½ tsp. black peppercorns

1 heaped tsp. sweet paprika

50g butter melted plus 50g olive oil

1/3 cup flour

Method

1. Shell the prawns. 
2. Create the stock by combining prawn shells with chicken stock, wine, onion, garlic, celery, herbs and peppercorns. Bring to the boil and simmer covered 30mins. Strain.
3. Steam pumpkin pieces.
4. Stir flour and paprika into the melted butter and olive oil and stir until mixture darkens (about 3 mins).
5. Whisk in the stock and bring to the boil. Allow to thicken. Simmer 2 mins and remove from heat.
6. Add prawns and allow to cook 3 mins. in the hot mix.
7. Add cooked pumpkin.
8. Blend until smooth thick consistency is achieved.
9. Serve with dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition Information (extra nutrition from sour cream and stock created above not taken into account). Energy 1139kJ, protein 16.6g, fat 19g, sat fat 7g, carbohydrate 8.6g, fibre 0.8g, sodium 526mg.

Extremely Thick Prawn and Pumpkin Bisque

(Prawns in photo added for illustration only)