Get Serious About Cutting Your Fat Intake
If it sounds like the same kind of diet advice you’re used to hearing, there’s a reason for it. A good diet for someone with liver cancer isn’t much different from any other common-sense approach to healthy diets. The only difference really is that after a liver cancer diagnosis, it’s critical to be consistent about following your diet plan. Reducing your fat intake really begins when crafting your grocery list. If you have family members helping with shopping, make sure that they’re buying lean cuts of fish and chicken rather than less-healthy red meat options. And using fish as a red meat substitute doesn’t just reduce unhealthy saturated fat ingestion. It can be a great way to get good omega 3 fatty acids into your diet as well. Another way to reduce your overall animal fat intake is to replace with plant-based fat sources when possible. Good extra virgin olive oil and avocados are great sources of unsaturated healthy plant fats.

Why it Matters

Getting your fat intake under control can help improve heart health and lower cholesterol levels. But there’s another reason to cut down on your animal fat intake that can have a direct impact on cancer. The low density lipoproteins in saturated fats can actually give cancerous tumors the fuel they need to grow faster. Reducing these LDLs may work to deprive cancer cells of food and keep them in check longer. So if you’re instituting diet changes after a liver cancer diagnosis, reducing saturated fat should be high on your list of dietary priorities. And cutting fat is only one of the tactics you’ve got to work with.

Switch to Organic Food Sources

Going organic is a good idea for someone who wants to eat healthy and have some degree of certainty about where their food comes from. It’s one of the few things you can control about food quality across the board. But organic food takes on a whole new level of importance for individuals with liver cancer. The liver is the organ that detoxifies your body. And eating organic whole foods is one strategy for making sure you’re not unknowingly consuming chemicals or pesticides that your liver may have to struggle to eliminate. Eating organic food whenever it’s possible will also help you cut out a lot of the processed food items you should try to avoid. Many processed foods tend to have a higher content of chemicals that will make you liver work harder than it should have to in its detoxification role. Sticking to a diet that makes sure you’re as healthy as possible isn’t overly difficult. It just requires some commitment. And when you have so much that isn’t under your control, being able to control one aspect of your health can be empowering as well as nutritious.

1. Quinoa

Pronounced “Keen-waa”, this grain is often described as a super food, and it is, quite simply, genius. It’s a complete protein all on it’s own, and is a great filling ingredient to use in a delicious vegetable soup. You could also make a nutritious and tasty salad based around it – similar to the way you would use couscous or risoni. Boil it with vegetable stock or tomatoes rather than water alone to give it added flavor. You can also find quinoa flakes in some supermarkets or health food stores that make a nutritious alternative to porridge oats in the morning.

2. Falafel

You can’t go wrong with this Middle Eastern, delicious and spicy use of the chickpea. It is widely available now pre-cooked and microwaveable, but it is just as easy to buy the falafel mix yourself and prepare at home – usually you just have to mix with water and let stand for anywhere between 20mins to 2 hours. Create a fun dinner atmosphere by allowing everyone to create his or her own delicious pita. Store the rest of the falafel in your Westinghouse Fridge and you can have a delicious meal for lunch at work the next day!

3. Tofu

This can be quite a terrifying food to work with if you’ve never cooked it before, but tofu really can taste fabulous! Make sure first off that you have bought the right tofu consistency for the meal you want to prepare – silky tofu will just turn to mush in a stir-fry and is best used in soups, whereas firmer tofu would be what you are after when using the wok. You can often find pre-marinated tofu in the vegetarian section at the supermarket, which is very handy as getting the flavor into tofu is probably the biggest challenge.

4. Black Beans

A tasty and nice alternative to your standard baked beans, you can flavor these with cumin and coriander and use them to create a gourmet version of vegetarian nachos. Corn chips, black beans, capsicum, spring onions, salsa, guacamole and sour cream…an easy and fun dinner dish! You could get away with making one massive plate of this, which means less mess to clean up and fewer dishes in your Bosch Dishwasher afterwards!

5. Scout out your Local Vegetarian Restaurants

Indian, Thai and Italian restaurants will often be your best bet if you are still struggling for inspiration. Even if you aren’t vegetarian yourself, you will be impressed with how tasty non-meat dishes can actually be.

How To Make Stir Fry Rice & Green Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
• 6 scallions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin sticks
• 4 ounces yard-long beans, cut into short lengths
• 6 ounces asparagus, trimmed
• 3-4 fresh Thai basil leaves

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the rice in lightly salted boiling water for 12-15 minutes, drain well, then cool thoroughly and chill overnight.
2. Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the curry pasted for 1 minute.  Add the scallions and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute.
3. Add the zucchini, beans, and asparagus, and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until just tender.  Break up the rice and add it to the wok.  Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes, until the rice is hot.  Stir in the basil leaves. 
4. Serve hot.

Stir fry meals are becoming more popular every day.  If you have any particular menu item you would like us to post just let us know.  Veg dishes are a whole new category here on the Patch.  Hope you enjoyed today’s vegetarian recipe.

How To Make Thai Potato Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 2 pounds waxy potatoes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 carrot, cut into thin strips
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 fresh red chile, sliced
• 1 bunch scallions, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon chopped lemongrass
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Cooking Directions

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the potatoes into small dice.  Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the diced potatoes for 5 minutes.  Drain thoroughly.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet, swirling the oil around the base of the wok until it is really hot.
3. Add the potatoes, diced bell peppers, carrot, zucchini, garlic, and chile to the wok and stir fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in the scallions, coconut milk, lemongrass, and lime juice and stir fry the mixture for a further 2 minutes.  Add the lime zest and cilantro and stir fry for 1 1 minute.
5. Serve hot.

Let us know how you enjoyed this vegetarian recipe.  If you liked it maybe we can come up with more recipes like this vegetarian stir fry.

Ingredients

• Vegetable or peanut oil, for deep frying
• 8 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 2 fresh green chiles, seeded and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 scallions sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into sticks
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 ounces fine green beans, halved
• scant 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1.5 cups coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Thai soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cooking Directions

1. Heat the oil for deep frying in a skillet and carefully lower in the tofu cubes, in batches, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
2. Heat the other oils in a wok and stir fry the chiles, garlic, and scallions for 2-3 minutes.  Add the zucchini, cucumber, green bell pepper, broccoli, and green beans, and stir fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the peas, coconut milk, soy sauce, and sugar.  Cover and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
4. Stir in the tofu and serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.

So there you go…Our version of Tofu and Green Vegetable Curry.

Vegetarian Recipes are becoming more and more popular as people move towards a more health centered lifestyle.

This rice pilaf recipe certainly will qualify as a healthy dish. 

How To Make Brown Rice Vegetable Pilaf

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tender celery stalks, leaves included, quartered lengthwise, and diced
• 2 carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 fresh green chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 scallions, green part included, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup whole almonds, sliced lengthwise
• 1 3/4 cups cooked brown basmati rice
• 3/4 cup cooked split red lentils
• 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 5 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• salt & pepper
• fresh celery leaves to garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a deep skillet with a lid over medium heat.  Add the onion.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add the celery, carrots, chile, scallions, and almonds.  Stir fry for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are al dente but still brightly colored.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside until needed.
3. Add the remaining oil to the skillet.  Stir in the rice and lentils.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.  Reduce the heat.  Stir in the stock and orange juice.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Return the vegetables to the skillet.  Toss with the rice for a few minutes until heated through.  Transfer to a warmed dish, garnish with celery leaves, and serve.

If you enjoyed this Brown Rice Vegetable Pilaf Recipe then please leave a comment and let us know.

Paella recipes have a long history of being made with chicken, seafood, and just about every Spanish concoction you can think of.

Our Paella recipe is a vegetarian dish that you and your friends will enjoy.  Don’t get cheap with tomatoes, you will need a full pound of them.

How To Make Vegetarian Paella

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 1 cup medium-grain paella rice
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pound tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 4 oz green beans, halved
• 14 oz canned pinto beans

Cooking Directions

1. Put the saffron threads and water in a small bowl or cup and let infuse for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a paella pan or wide, shallow skillet and cook the onion over medium heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.  Add the garlic, bell peppers, and eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. 
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until glossy and coated.  Pour in the stock and add the tomatoes, saffron and it soaking water, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer, shaking the skillet frequently and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the mushrooms, green beans, and pinto beans with their can juices.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes, then serve immediately.

If you enjoyed our easy vegetarian paella recipe leave a comment and let us know.

For those of you that don’t know, Artichokes are really good for you.  They are what a nutritionist would call a, “healthy food”.

And seeing how we all like healthy foods, this vegetarian cooking recipe should be in your weekly dinner rotation.

By the way if you don’t blanch the green beans the recipe won’t turn out quite right.  Blanch the freakin’ green beans!!

How To Make Artichoke Paella

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 oz tomatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained
• 15 oz canned artichokes hearts, drained and coarsely sliced
• generous 1 1/2 cups medium grain paella rice
• 5 1/2 cups simmering vegetable stock
• 5 1/2 oz green beans, blanched
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges at serving

Cooking Directions

1. Put the saffron threads and water in a small bowl or cup and let infuse for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a paella pan or wide, shallow skillet and cook the onion and zucchini over medium heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.  Add the garlic, cayenne pepper, and saffron and its soaking liquid and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Add the tomato wedges, chickpeas, and artichokes and cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until the rice is glossy and coated.  Pour in about 5 cups of the hot stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Do not stir during cooking, but shake the pan once or twice.  Add the green beans and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Shake the pan and cook for and additional 10-15 minutes, or until the rice grains are plump and cooked.  If the liquid is absorbed too quickly, pour in a little more hot stock, then shake the pan to spread the liquid through the paella.
4. When all the liquid has been absorbed and you detect a faint toasty aroma coming from the rice, remove from the heat immediately to prevent burning.  Cover the pan with a clean dish towel or foil and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Serve direct from the pan with the lemon wedges to squeeze over the rice.

Leave a comment and let us know how much you enjoyed this segment of Vegetarian Cooking with Artichoke Paella.

We have several vegetable casserole recipes here at Potato Patch Recipes.  But we really hope that you try this one out.

Don’t try making this vegetable stew recipe without first putting together your shopping list and getting all of the ingredients together first.  As you can see there are many and that is why this dish is so tasty.

How To Make Vegetable Casserole Stew

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with basil and garlic, with their juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1  1/2 inch lengths
• 2 large thin skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 3/4 inch pieces
• 2 large onions, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 large red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 small zucchini, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
• Yogurt for topping

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes with their juice, olive oil, ketchup, salt, sugar, basil, and pepper.
3. In a 6 quart casserole, combine the beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, bell peppers, and eggplant.  Pour the tomato mixture over the vegetables.
4. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours, basting the vegetables with their juices every 30 minutes.
5. Mix the zucchini in the casserole and bake, uncovered, for an additional 25 minutes.
6. Mix the zucchini into the casserole and bake, uncovered, for an additional 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with yogurt.

If you like this vegetable casserole stew recipe please leave a comment.

Your prep time and cook time total should not take more then 1 hour.  That includes a few red wine breaks.

Potato Patch Recipes is glad to present to you this new vegetarian recipe.

How To Make Baked Ancho Mexican Beans

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Optional 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped canned green chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup tomato puree

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300F
2. Coat a 1 1/2 quart casserole with cooking spray.
3. Combine all of the ingredients in the casserole, cover, and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer, or until the casserole is bubbly.

Please leave a comment after you have tried this Vegetarian Recipe | Baked Ancho Mexican Beans