5 Day Pouch Test Blog

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Seafood Gumbo

Recipe source: myRecipes.com

Day 4 Recipe. Enjoy the shellfish and bacon with limited vegetables drained of cooking broth. For Day 6 and Beyond enjoy with broth 1 cup servings.

This recipe skips the tedious steps and hard-to-find spices of traditional gumbos without compromising any of the flavor. Serve over rice.

Yield

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2  pound  sliced bacon, diced
• 2  stalks celery, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1  medium onion, sliced (1 cup)
• 1  green pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  cups  chicken broth
• 1  14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
• 2  teaspoons  kosher salt
• 1  teaspoon  dried thyme leaves
• 1  pound  large raw shrimp, cleaned
• 1  pound  fresh or frozen crabmeat
• 1  10-ounce box frozen okra, thawed and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

Preparation

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Discard all but a thin coating of fat from the skillet. Add the celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Spoon the vegetables into the cooker and add the broth, tomatoes (with their liquid), Worcestershire, salt, and thyme. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours, or on high for 2 hours. Add the shrimp, crabmeat, and okra, and cook 1 hour longer on low heat or 1/2 hour longer on high.

Tip: Once the ingredients are in the pot and the slow cooker is simmering, don't lift the lid. Heat and steam escape. If you do, you'll lose an estimated 20 minutes of cooking time.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 273 (27% from fat)

Fat: 8g (sat 2g)

Protein: 38mg

Carbohydrate: 11g

Fiber: 2g

Cholesterol: 204mg

Iron: 4mg

Sodium: 1757mg

Calcium: 222mg

Jane Kirby, Real Simple, MARCH 2004

Day 4 Recipe: ROASTED SALMON WITH SHALLOT GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!

At LivingAfterWLS we have been actively working on our next community cookbook -- the first cookbook, A Collection of Neighborhood Recipes has been a wonderful success and is available in it's second printing. (Link to learn more). We are still accepting recipe submissions for the new cookbook: 4 Seasons of Holidays with WLS (Link for submission details).

Today's recipe is from our cookbook co-editor, Celadon. It is perfect for Day 4 of the 5 Day Pouch Test and it is delicious! You'll cook it often, even when not on the 5DPT. Grapefruit are in season right now and they are a nutritious low-glycemic food. Salmon is rich in Omega3 fatty acids - the good fat that is believed to help with weight loss.

ROASTED SALMON WITH SHALLOT GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE
4 skinless salmon fillets, 5 to 6 oz each
1/4 tsp. salt
2 ruby red grapefruits
2 tsp. olive oil
1 T. minced shallot
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 tsp. honey
1 pinch cayenne
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 T. thinly sliced basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 °. Season the salmon with 1/4 teaspoon salt, place in a baking dish and roast until cooked through, about 18 minutes. While the salmon is cooking prepare the sauce. Cut 1 of the grapefruits into sections by cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit, then standing it on 1 end, cut down the skin to remove the pith and peel. Then, with a paring knife, remove each segment of fruit from its casing and cut the segments in half. Set the segment pieces aside. Juice the other grapefruit and set the juice aside. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, grapefruit juice, honey, and cayenne pepper and bring to simmer. Cook until sauce is reduced by about half about, 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and season with salt, to taste. Right before serving, toss the grapefruit pieces and basil into the sauce. Put the salmon onto a serving dish. Spoon sauce over the salmon and serve.

Note: Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories 345, Total Fat 18g, Saturated Fat 3.5g, Monounsaturated Fat 7.3g, Polyunsatured Fat 6g, Cholesterol 85mg, Sodium 230mg, Carbohydrates 16g, Protein 29g, Fiber 1g

Breakfast Dilemma Days 4 & 5

Recently asked on the 5 Day Pouch Test Forum in the Neighborhood:

"What do you eat for breakfast on days 4 and 5? I can see eating steak and chicken and ground meat for lunch and dinner but what do I do about breakfast?"
--BaileyGirl

"On days 4 & 5 you can still eat stuff from days 1,2 &3. So, use a protein drink, egg, or cheese stick for breakfast and you'll be fine."
--Kressy

"They are correct, that any of the day 1,2 & 3 foods are fine for days 4 & 5. But it never hurts to look outside of the "Breakfast Box" and eat lunch or dinner type foods. I've found that a few thin slices of chicken breast hold my appetite and energy in check better than anything else I can eat for breakfast. Although, admittedly, I'm stuck in a hard-cooked egg/cottage cheese breakfast rut."
--Kaye