Eating Well on Dialysis

Waikiki Rice

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." Brown sugar is slightly higher in sodium than white, so use brown sugar if sodium isn't a big problem for your diet.

1 1/3 cups water
1 cup canned pineapple tidbits
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 1/3 cups quick-cooking rice

Bring all ingredients except rice to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until rice has absorbed the liquid. Makes 4 servings.

Lemon-Parsley Rice

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt."

2 cups boiling water
1 cup white rice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cook rice in boiling water over low heat for 15-17 minutes or until rice is done (has absorbed all the liquid). Mix remaining ingredients and pour over hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

Oven-Cooked Rice

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt."

2 cups boiling water
1 cup white rice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon cumin

Mix ingredients and pour into greased casserole. Cover and bake 35 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees F. Makes 4 servings.

Marinated Zucchini

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." Summer squash such as zucchini is a moderate potassium vegetable, with 173 mg in 1/2 cup. If you have fresh basil and oregano from your garden, use 1 tablespoon of each instead of 1 teaspoon.

4 medium zucchini
1/8 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vinegar

Cut zucchini into 1-inch slices. Saute in hot oil until light brown, and drain on paper towels. In a casserole, place one layer of zucchini, Dot with chopped garlic, basil, oregano and parsley. Sprinkle with pepper. Repeat until all zucchini are used. Boil vinegar 5 minutes and pour over squash. Let marinate at least 12 hours. Drain and serve. Can be kept for over a week in refrigerator. Makes 8 servings.

Top Health Blogger Award

I am proud to tell you that Eating Well on Dialysis has been recognized with a Top Health Blogger Award by Wellsphere.com, a portal Web site for many different kinds of health-related blogs and Web sites. It's a relatively new site, collecting a number of voices relating to all different areas of health and wellness. Do check them out. Here's the neat badge they gave me to display. You will find Eating Well on Dialysis and other renal disease related Web sites in the Kidney Failure Community.

Eating Well Kidney Failure Community

Herbed Peas

Adapted from "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." Peas are a moderate potassium vegetable (134 mg in 1/2 cup).

2 lbs. frozen peas
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
6 green onions
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons non-dairy creamer, such as Coffee Rich

Melt butter or margarine in heavy skillet. Add peas, onions and all ingredients except creamer. Cook covered until peas are tender. Add creamer and heat thoroughly. Makes 4 servings.

Glazed Onions

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt."

3 lbs. small white onions, peeled
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Paprika

Cook onions until tender (20 to 30 minutes), drain, put in shallow baking dish. Combine sugar, mustard, butter or margarine, and thyme. Spread mixture on onions. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 20 minutes, basting occasionally. Makes 8 servings.

Baked Onions and Apples

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt."

2 medium to large onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 cups apple rings, 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine

Place a layer of sliced onions in an oiled baking dish, cover onions with a layer of apple rings, which should be cored but not peeled. Mix together the sugar, nutmeg, thyme and lemon rind, and sprinkle over the apples. Repeat the process until onions and apples are used up. Pour over the top the lemon juice and melted butter or margarine. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Makes 4 servings.

Corn Curry

Adapted from "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." I've reduced the amount of sour cream from the original recipe. Corn is lower in potassium when cooked from frozen.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons sour cream
Pepper to taste

Melt butter or margarine in skillet. Add vegetables and curry. Cover. Cook over low heat until vegetables are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream, season with pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Corn on the Cob

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." Corn is a moderate potassium (204 mg in 1/2 cup) when cooked from raw.

Drop fresh husked corn in 1 inch of boiling water. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cover the kettle and boil 5 to 10 minutes. Spread with unsalted butter or margarine and sprinkle with garlic or onion powder.