A New Scientific Salad!

G'day, Readers, 

Today, I'm sharing with vous a (not-so -scientific actually/nor renal-friendly, but I love it), salad I have been sooooo enjoying again, (as tomatoes, on most renal regimes are rather frowned upon due to the potassium (k) count).

It is based on the side salad my dad used to make back in the 70's on his celebrated spaghetti nights.  His, if memory serves, was more a mix of tomato, onion and cucumber dressed with oregano (a major player in this salad), white vinegar and oil.

My version is a tad tweaked and it goes like this:

(Sorta) Dad's Cuc 'n Tomato Salad

-half a small English cucumber, peeled and chopped.

-1 clove of garlic, finely minced, (and letting it rest for half an hour or so, for the allicin to form)

-2 golf ball sized, nice 'n ripe tomatoes, cut up small

-couple sprigs of fresh parsley, (curly), finely chopped

-few shakes of dried oregano

-few shakes of dried onion

-1 shake of dried wakame, (aka seaweed, which is a nice and k-balanced source of natural sodium and many other important minerals).

-1/2 tsp of hazelnut oil

-1/2 tsp linseed oil

-1/2 tsp EVOO, (extra virgin olive oil)

-1/2 tsp of ACV (apple cider vinegar)
-fresh black pepper to taste

(All ingredients organic when possible.)

Serves 1. 

(I enjoyed a small handful of almonds on the side.)

Next time I'm gonna throw in some chick peas or beans of some sort.

And on the subject of legumes/pulses, I still sometimes just stand back in delight at how many natural, healthful, delicious and, "off limits for renal patients", foods I have managed to re-incorporate into my diet since the renal failure.  Liiiiiiiil by lil, over maaaaany moons, testing this and that, using my trusty monthly blood tests that show exactly how said foods are affecting ye ole electrolytes.

Some of these sorely missed foody delights include: brown rice, whole grain pastas/breads, all legumes, bananas, (wooohooooo!), all nuts 'n seeds, as mentioned, tomatoes--and even the odd normally-cooked potato.  :)  Always in moderation, of course.

Thankfully, (and I believe, due to my rather vegetarian/clean-eating ways for so long now), I have zero problems with high serum phosphorus levels.  Something many kidney patients have to keep an eye on.

So hopefully, this gives some hope to those of you out there newly diagnosed with CKD and feeling the cosmic-bummer that is the docs nonchalantly uttering phrases like, "White rice/pasta/bread ONLY now" or, "No more nuts, or bananas, or dates or potatoes or...".
 

bon ap & bon vibes,

: J