Gout Diet? We Don' Need No Steenkin' Gout Diet!

With apologies to the writers of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. :)

After a long talk with the podiatrist, my husband decided to just go for it and add back all the foods he had been avoiding because of his gout and see what happens. As long as he has his colchicine to take, that is, and the podiatrist told him to just go ahead and take it daily.

So, slowly foods are back, starting with beans, then spinach, nutritional yeast, and tonight I'll roast some cauliflower when I toss the potatoes in the oven for a roasted veggies meal.

One of the beauties of him eating these foods again is that now I can make some new recipes as well as tried-and-true, and the first new recipe is Tunisian Sweet Potato Stew from the McDougall Starch Solution book. Hubby was never a fan of sweet potatoes, but what the heck - he's at my mercy when it comes to dinner, and I found these nice sweet potatoes at the only grocery store I can walk to (Cars remain snowed in). 

The recipe:

TUNISIAN SWEET POTATO STEW 

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:
Servings:  6-8 

1/3 cup water
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2  14.5 ounce cans chopped tomatoes
2  14.5 ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¼ cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Place the water, onion, jalapenos, ginger and garlic in a large pot.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.  Add cumin, cinnamon, red pepper and coriander.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, green beans, vegetable broth and peanut butter.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir in cilantro and let rest for 2 minutes.  Serve over rice or other whole grains. 

The Starch Solution
John McDougall, MD and Mary McDougall

My lazy gal changes:
Frozen onion/green pepper mix, about half a bag, instead of fresh onion and pepper.
Half a can of chopped chilies instead of fresh.
Oops, I forgot to add the ginger. It was flavorful enough without it, though.
A box of Pomi chopped and a 28 oz can of garbanzos.
Frozen green beans
Broth made from Bryanna's broth powder mix.
I skipped the cilantro.

And a confession about the peanut butter. For the longest time I had no nut butters at all in the house. Then my son got on a "healthy food" kick after his dad's CABG surgery and was looking for something to make sandwiches of instead of his usual cheese. He tried and hated hummus, refused to even taste seitan, and out of exasperation one day told him to go buy himself some peanut butter, so he did. Instead of buying the natural organic brand I told him to get, he came home with a jar of Jif. I admit it's not the healthiest peanut butter in the world, but it's better than processed American cheese, so as each jar of Jif ran out I would grab another in the store. I never bought that natural organic one because 1) I knew he wouldn't even attempt to eat it and 2) I would, and would finish the jar in less than a week. So when it came to making last night's dinner, Jif was all we had in the house so Jif is what I used. When the cars get out on the road again (Maybe another month - we're getting another storm tomorrow that's dropping an additional 8 to 12 inches of snow followed by some sleet to seal them in nice and tight), one of the first stops I have to make is to the local HFS, where I'll pick up some Eden brand beans, another bottle of Solgar brand Vitamin B-12, and a jar of Maranatha No-Stir Organic Creamy peanut butter. Sure, I can buy this through Amazon, but for more than double the price, once shipping is figured in (Not eligible for free Prime shipping). Until then, Jif will do because that's what the grocery store within walking distance to our apartment sells.

Another delicious meal! I served it over plain old brown rice. I never saw my husband so happy eating sweet potatoes and beans, and he licked the bowl clean. I'm pretty sure after that reaction that this recipe is another keeper. LOL

Now to get ready for the storm. I better take inventory and see what I need in the pantry and freezer and take another walk over and grab what I can before it hits. The least I'll grab is another bag of potatoes and onions and a loaf of WW bread. Looks like hubby will be taking another one of his pool days and stay home from work on Thursday, too, so better pick up ingredients to make a nice soup for our lunches. 

I could strangle that groundhog!