6 Scleroderma-Friendly Recipes

Eating a balanced diet is sensible advice for anyone, but it’s even more important if you have scleroderma. The body needs vital nutrients and vitamins in order to keep healthy, fight infections and perform at its best. When you are already ill, eating well can help ease the symptoms of your disease, help you recover better from treatments, as well as give you more energy and help maintain a healthy body weight. However, scleroderma treatments can make you feel nauseous and leave you with little appetite.

Here are six recipes from Scleroderma Aware, that were also featured on the MomMomontheGo blog. Bear in mind that different foods affect people differently, so if there’s an ingredient in any of the recipes that doesn’t agree with you, you can switch it for something else.

1. Chicken and Vegetable Noodle Soup

Chicken soup is traditionally a soothing dish that people eat to help them when they don’t feel well. Packed with nutrients, protein and vitamins, this soup is easy to prepare and doesn’t need to be blended.

Ingredients (serves 4):
½ Tbsp oil
2 cups of cooked chicken breast (shredded or diced)
2 quarts water
4 cubes of chicken bouillon
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups frozen peas
3 cups rice noodles (uncooked)
1 cup sliced celery
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp fresh herbs or 1 tsp dried herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Add the oil to a large pan and fry the celery over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the carrot, water, bouillon cubes, dried herbs (optional) and seasoning. Bring to the boil and add the egg noodles, then reduce the heat and simmer for eight minutes. Add the chicken and the frozen peas and cook for a further five to ten minutes. Add fresh herbs (optional) and serve.

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2. Alfredo Sauce

A quick and easy-to-make delicious sauce that you can use with your favorite pasta and can be used for the lasagna recipes which follows.

Ingredients (serves 6):
1¼ cup low-fat milk
¼ cup light cream cheese
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of the milk with the cream cheese and flour until thoroughly blended. Pour in the remaining cup of milk, stirring continuously to ensure it’s smooth.

In a large pan, melt the butter and then add the cream cheese mixture and heat through, while stirring to thicken. When the sauce is at the desired thickness, add the Parmesan cheese. Season and serve.

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3. Chicken Kabobs

This light and tasty meal and can be served with rice, stir-fried vegetables or noodles.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp soft brown sugar
½ cup of sesame seeds
1 pounds chicken breasts cut into ½ inch cubes.

Method:
Mix together the oils, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame seeds in a large bowl and add the chicken cubes. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. If using wooden skewers for the kabobs, soak in cold water for a couple of hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line or grease a baking tray and thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Place the skewers on the baking sheet and bake for eight to 10 minutes until golden and cooked through.

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4. Lasagna

Lasagna is great if you’re having people over for dinner, it can be prepared in advance and then put in the oven when your guests arrive. This recipe uses the Alfredo sauce but you can substitute it for a regular bechamel sauce.

Ingredients (serves 10):
1 Tbsp oil
12 ounces of lean ground beef (organic if possible)
12 ounces of lasagna sheets (dried or fresh)
½ cup of low-sodium beef broth
2 cups Alfredo sauce
1½ cups of skim mozzarella cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. If lasagna sheets need preparing, do this first and set to one side. Brown the beef in the oil over a medium heat, add the broth and mix well. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish (9X13 inch) with one cup of the Alfredo sauce, then alternate layers of lasagna sheets and beef, leaving one inch at the top of the dish. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

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5. Swedish Meatballs

Many scleroderma patients find they cannot easily digest red meat, so this recipe uses ground turkey. The meatballs should be made in advance so they can chill in the refrigerator for a while, which helps them to keep their form when baked.

Ingredients (serves 6):
2 pounds ground turkey
1 cup bread crumbs
2 egg whites
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup water
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp Worcester sauce
1 Tbsp fat-free sour cream
Salt and pepper

Method:
To make the meatballs, mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, allspice, salt and egg whites in a large bowl and then form into one-inch balls using wet hands. Arrange on a greased baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. When ready, heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the meatballs over a medium heat. Then transfer the meatballs to a large baking dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, combine the water and the cornstarch in a bowl and set to one side. In a large pan mix the Worcester sauce and beef broth together and bring to the boil, add the cornstarch mixture and turn the heat to low and stir until the sauce has thickened. When ready, take off the heat and stir through the sour cream, pour over the cooked meatballs and serve with your choice of accompaniment.

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6. Baked Chicken

A healthy alternative to fried chicken, but just as tasty.

Ingredients (serves 6):
6 large skinless chicken breasts
½ cup of flour
½ cup of cornmeal
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp melted butter
2 cups of buttermilk

Method:
Prepare the chicken breast by soaking it in a large bowl of buttermilk and placing in the refrigerator for half an hour. Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large plastic bag, add the cornmeal, flour, and salt and dip each breast in the mixture until they are thoroughly coated.

In a large greased or lined baking dish, add the coated chicken breast and drizzle with half of the melted butter and place in the oven. After 10 minutes, turn the chicken breast over and drizzle with the remaining butter and bake for a further 10 minutes or until cooked through.

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Scleroderma News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.