‘If you give someone a fish, you feed them for the day. Teaching them to fish and you will feed them for their lifetime.’

Surprise, surprise, it’s another proverb from me this month. I’m sure whoever first said this never knew how right they were about life after weight loss surgery! Of all things, they mention the great quality protein of fish rather than those harder to tolerate options of steak, pork or chicken breast which many of you may battle with. Anyway, where am I going with all this?

I reckon learning to self-manage your dietary behaviour after weight loss surgery is like learning how to go ‘fishing.’ Rather than simply being given a ‘fish’ that can become repetitive or boring (i.e. a list of so-called ‘allowed’ or ‘’not allowed’ foods), ‘catching’ a fish translates to finding an interesting recipe from the ocean of options available (i.e. cookbooks, internet websites, TV shows etc), and adapting it to suit your needs to avoid dumping (i.e. substituting ingredients to avoid excess fat, refined sugar or carbohydrates).

The end result can mean the freedom of choosing various ways of using protein foods for planning your main meals each day to keep you and your family happy – and without the burden of cooking two different meals or having the same thing each and every day.

I’m sure you’ll recall the early post-op stage of your journey (otherwise known as the honeymoon). It involves following strict guidelines with your dietary behaviour. Some of you may be in that phase right now. My role in that honeymoon might seem like Mr. Protein Policeman, but that’s to help you learn to appreciate and use quality protein foods first and foremost in your eating for appetite management.

In other words, protein first means setting the safety net for preventing real hunger between meals when the honeymoon ends and avoiding old habits from rearing their ugly heads.

You’ll know already I’m no magician. I might wish I was, but let’s just say I won’t be giving up my day job! That’s because I’m afraid to say, I’m unable to pull more dense ‘gold’ level protein foods ‘out of the hat’ than are already available in the form of meat, chicken and seafood. Even so, I’d like to unlock the magician in you, and that’s where recipe adaption fits in. Get ready with slip, slop, slap and wrap - we’re about to go ‘fishing.’

I’ll use the Healthy Food Guide website as our fishing boat today (https://www.healthyfood.com/). I pay a monthly membership of $2.75 for online access, and each week my inbox gets filled with heaps of great articles and recipe ideas. When I first read these with my ‘weight loss surgery’ patient eyes, I see that many of the articles and recipes are unsuitable with the emphasis on carbohydrate foods, or eating patterns with ‘healthy snacks’ between meals. At the same time, I’m thinking that doesn’t mean those recipes are useless. With a wee bit of tweaking, they can suit just fine, and some need no tweaking at all. For example, let’s start with an oldy but a goody – mashed spud.

Obviously, potato is pure carbohydrate. Eating this in large amounts can cause a whole lot of issues by displacing room in your pouch for protein, and also causing cravings for sweets or more carbs between your meals. So, instead of a mountain of mashed spud for your lamb shank, let’s catch our first ‘fish’ for today:

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER MASH

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

oil spray

¼ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

salt and black pepper (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Spread cauliflower on a baking dish and sprinkle with spices. Spray with oil and toss well to coat. Roast for about 20 minutes until tender.
Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl. Use a stick blender or food processor to purée to a mash-like texture. Add parmesan and blend well. If needed, add a little boiling water to thin texture. Season to taste (if preferred).

So who’s up for an egg now? Did I hear someone say ‘only if it’s on toast – it’s a thin slice.’ Well in my mind, any toast – thick or thin – is literally ‘toast’ with this wee gem:

POACHED EGGS WITH CAULIFLOWER TOAST, KALE AND DUKKAH

Ingredients

1 whole cauliflower
2 tablespoons dukkah spice mix or lightly crushed cumin seeds, plus extra to serve
6–8 large kale or cavolo nero leaves, centre stalks removed

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1⁄2 medium red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
4 poached eggs and squeeze lemon juice, to serve

Instructions

Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the cauliflower across into 4 slices about 1.5–2cm thick, drizzle with 1tbsp of the olive oil, then sprinkle over the dukkah or crushed cumin.
Put the cauliflower in the prepared tray and roast for 30 min or until golden.
After 20 min, heat the remaining olive oil in a medium, lidded casserole over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli (if using) and stir for 30 sec, then add the kale or cavolo nero, along with a few tablespoonfuls of water.
Cover with the lid and braise for 10 min, stirring occasionally. You may need to turn the heat down or add a little extra water if it’s cooking too furiously.
Divide the cauliflower toasts among 4 warmed plates and top each with a poached egg.

Serve the blanched kale or cavolo nero alongside, sprinkled with a little extra dukkah or cumin and a squeeze of lemon juice.

That’s been two nice examples of simple substitution. While we’re on the topic of simple substitutions – let’s have a look at another. I hear so often that meat patties just ain’t right without the burger bun. Our third catch of the day begs to differ:

BEEF AND BEAN BURGERS WITH MUSHROOM BUNS

Ingredients

400g can black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
8 large flat mushrooms, stalks removed, wiped with wet paper towel
8 slices (80g) Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon American mustard
1 carrot, grated
8 slices pickled jalapeno

400g lean beef mince
2 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper
1⁄2 iceberg lettuce, leaves torn 8 slices canned beetroot

1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings

· Exchange swiss cheese for a lower fat option like Noble or Edam

· Consider grating courgette rather than carrot & using beetroot sparingly

· Apply label reading guidelines for dumping risk of mustard

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking dish with baking paper.
In a bowl, combine black beans and beef. Using wet hands, form mixture into 4 patties.
Place mushrooms on prepared tray. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with pepper.
Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying-pan over medium-high. Cook patties for 3 minutes each side, or until browned and cooked through to your liking.
Place a slice of cheese on each patty and return to oven until melted. Remove from oven.
Top four mushrooms, stalk side up, with lettuce. Layer on patty, mustard, beetroot, carrot, onion and jalapenos.
Top with remaining mushroom ‘lid’, skewer and serve immediately.

Now I’m thinking these recipes so far might be a bit basic for some of you ‘foodies’ out there? How about we look at this one that needed nothing done differently to suit your needs of avoiding excess carbohydrate while still giving a flavour sensation and testing your culinary skills a bit more. To pimp up the protein, there’s always the idea of tossing in some deli meat like salami or ham pieces too.

EGG CANNELLONI WITH CREAMY SPRING VEGES & ROAST TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients

spray oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 courgettes, thinly sliced
4 cups baby spinach or rocket
4 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons parmesan

1⁄2 red onion, finely chopped
8 spears asparagus, ends trimmed 1⁄2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1⁄2 cup cottage cheese
4 tablespoons water
2 cups cherry tomatoes
fresh herbs to garnish, e.g., thyme, parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°c.
Spray a frying pan with oil and set over a medium-high heat.
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
Add asparagus and courgettes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add peas and spinach or rocket and cook until wilted. remove from heat and stir through cottage cheese. Set aside.
Spray a small frying pan with oil and set over a high heat.
Pour about 1/6 of the egg mix into the pan and tip pan to make a thin omelette.
Cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute until set. Remove from pan and set aside. repeat with remaining mixture to make 6 omelettes.
In a baking dish, place an omelette and spoon in 1/6 of the vegetable mixture. Roll gently to make one cannelloni.
Repeat with remaining 5 omelettes and mixture. Arrange in dish, sprinkle with parmesan and scatter over cherry tomatoes.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes, until parmesan is golden and tomatoes are soft.

Garnish with herbs to serve.

Are you starting to see that ocean of options out there now for your fishing trips? Here’s another tasty number, tailor made without the need for substituting any ingredient other than that carbohydrate trying to sneak in as linguine – another name for fettucine styled pasta:

PRAWN ARRABBIATA

Ingredients

250g linguine

300g cooked peeled and deveined king prawns

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large red chilli, sliced

1 large red capsicum, sliced into thin strips

2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes

7 cups baby spinach

¼ cup parmesan, shaved, and 125g mixed salad leaves, to serve

Use the linguine for serving to your family while you can focus on the prawns instead
Consider alternatives to the linguine including cauli rice or spiralled courgette

Instructions

Cook the linguine in a large pan of unsalted boiling water according to the pack instructions, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate large pan. Add the garlic, chilli and pepper and cook over a medium high heat for 5 min or until soft.
Add the canned tomatoes, then bring to the boil and bubble for 5 min. Reduce the heat to low, then add the prawns and spinach and cook for 1–2 min until the prawns are hot.
Toss the linguine with the sauce, then divide among 4 bowls. Top with the parmesan, then add a grind of pepper and serve with salad leaves.

And now for something completely different… All of the ingredients in this recipe look excellent and exciting except for the, errrr, hmmmm, couscous and kumara. Remember a recipe means there’s no rule that these ingredients must be used. Think back to my blog about quinoa (click here), and consider it an option of replacing the couscous while maybe only using about 1/3 of the kumara.

MOROCCAN LAMB STRUDEL WITH KUMARA WEDGES AND KALE COLESLAW

Ingredients

1 cup couscous
450g lean lamb mince
1 teaspoon ground fennel
2 egg whites
olive oil spray
500g kumara, scrubbed, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup hot reduced-salt chicken stock
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 sheets filo pastry
2 tablespoons mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin)
600g prepared slaw (omit dressing)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Replace couscous with quinoa
Be mindful of kumara for incorporating in finished product (i.e. family has more)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
Place couscous in a large heatproof bowl. Add stock and stir to combine. Cover and stand for 5 minutes, or until water is absorbed.
Stir with a fork to separate grains. Add the lamb, coriander, fennel, cardamom and egg white, and mix well.
Stack filo on a clean work surface spraying between sheets with olive oil. Shape lamb mixture into a log in middle of sheets. Fold filo over lamb, and tuck both sides. Place on one of the prepared baking trays. Spray filo with olive oil and sprinkle with seeds.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through (cover with foil if over browning).
Remove from oven and stand for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.
Meanwhile, onto the second baking tray place the kumara wedges and spray with olive oil. Bake wedges for 30 minutes, or until golden and tender.
Toss slaw with lemon juice and olive oil. Serve strudel with kumara wedges and kale slaw.

Next up is this tasty sounding number you might like the sound of. Cook enough of it and you’ll have leftovers for the next day too. Obviously, my eyes are wondering about the flatbread. Remember, just because it’s flat doesn’t mean it has less carbohydrate. So, how about substituting the flat bread with mushroom buns as we did earlier or even other ideas like using lettuce cups instead.

MINTY LAMB BURGER

Ingredients

1⁄2 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried mint
450g lamb mince
1⁄4 cup couscous
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley salt and pepper, to season

To serve:
4 tablespoons natural low-fat yoghurt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped cucumber
1⁄2 red onion, diced
4 Greek flatbreads or tortillas

Exchange quinoa for couscous
Mushroom buns or lettuce cups for the flatbread

Instructions

Cook onion in oil until softened. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
Stir in cumin and mint and cook for a few more minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add mince, couscous, parsley and seasoning.
Use damp hands to mix together. Shape into 4 x 2cm-thick patties.
Grill patties on barbecue hotplate or in a non-stick pan for about 6-7 minutes each side.

For the dressing:

Mix yoghurt, mint, cucumber and onion.

To assemble:

Place patties in flatbread with dressing.

Serve with a sprig of mint and salad vegetables.

As the sun will always set, all days out on the fishing boat must end. Before we call it a day though, I’d like to think back to my last blog where I talked about the quality/density of protein (click here). I’ll always worry about you getting that dense protein at each meal (20g protein is about 100g of chicken thigh meat). While flavour fatigue or boredom with protein is a common complaint on the weight loss surgery journey, I know there’s only a limited number of protein foods out there to choose. That’s hardly a great reason for choosing carbohydrate foods instead - the danger of doing so is letting old habits sneak in, snowball, and take you back towards square before your surgery (i.e. former kryptonite foods like crackers & bread). In my mind, being creative with recipes is the key to avoiding that, and your opportunities are endless.

I love getting inspired by recipe ingredients and using my own combinations for making my meals. After our trip today, I hope you can too. Actually, ever since I first got my idea to write this blog I’ve been overloaded with so many good ideas – involving mince, pork, chicken, fish, and vegetarian proteins. I pretty much felt like I’d need to write a recipe book or something.

I’ve captured those recipes as they arrived from the Healthy Food Guide emails to me each week, and I’ve added them to a big folder in the waiting room of our Hamilton clinic. I hope you’ll enjoy a quick read over these for your inspiration when you visit us next. All the best until next time where I’ll look at cooking methods for making tolerance to proteins easier/less problematic - helping you to stay in the driver’s seat of your journey.

Drew