Grill from Ipanema!

Tomorrow, I’m guessing that many watching the England v Uruguay game (and the other fixtures in the World Cup) will be having a barbecue or as we call it here for the grill from Ipanema.  Our choices from the bariatric recipe repetoire are pretty much the same as on offer for the Bank Holiday and Memorial Day feature which you can read again here

What will be slightly different is some of our pre-, half-time and post-match extras. I am all too aware that this can be my own undoing so I take special care to make sure there are some treats that I can enjoy without spoiling the party. Today I have made an avocado dip to serve with vegetables and crudites for the pre-match; some fruit kebabs which can be drizzled with a yogurt mixture or no-added-sugar chocolate for half-time; and for those who want to party on (and perhaps celebrate?) a post-match banana split which we are calling a Lallana Split (because we’re depending on this English player to get the ball in the back of the net!).

All are easy to prepare at the last minute so can be made well ahead and kept in the refrigerator then quickly assembled as required.

AVOCADO DIP

I used some cooked young baby spinach in my dip mixture but it works just as well with spicy salad leaves like rocket or watercress.

Ingredients

METRIC/US

1 avocado (I used a ripe Peruvian Hass one)

1 shallot or small onion, peeled and very finely chopped

50 g/2 oz fresh young spinach, cooked and chopped or raw rocket or watercress, finely chopped

200 g/scant 1 cup extra light garlic and herbs soft cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

vegetable crudites to serve

Method

1.  Peel and stone the avocado and mash until smooth. Add the shallot or onion, spinach, rocket or watercress, soft cheese and salt and pepper to taste, mixing well.

2.  Spoon into a serving dish, cover tightly and chill until required. Serve with vegetable crudites.

SERVES 6

WLS PORTION: 1/2

V suitable for Vegetarians

CALORIES PER PORTION (WITHOUT CRUDITES): 66

PROTEIN:  4.5g

CARBOHYDRATE: 2.3g

FAT: 4.2g

FRUIT KEBABS

You hardly need a recipe for these just some ideas of what can be threaded onto skewers – consider:

whole strawberries; kiwi fruit slices, cubes of melon, whole grapes, pieces of mango and chunks of banana (which I like to roll in desiccated or shredded coconut to prevent them from turning brown) all work well in combination.

You can serve them plain and simple or provide a sauce for dipping or drizzling. I like to make a melted no-added-sugar sauce for those who want a chocolate fix but also provide a choc-shot ready-made mixture for those who want to drizzle just a little over their fruity kebabs. Likewise make your own flavoured yogurt or use a ready-made low-fat and low-sugar one for dipping or drizzling. I generally use fat-free Greek yogurt and add just a little sweetener and grated lemon zest to mine for something home-made and quite saintly!

Nutritional information will depend upon fruits chosen and any toppings but in most cases will be quite satisfactory for any bariatric eating plan for those who are at the Green stage (what I call ‘Eating for Life’ stage) after surgery.

BANANA SPLITS

Again I’m not giving a hard and fast recipe just some instructions and ideas for choices to make your split work for you. Obviously you will need a halved ripe banana to begin. Then consider topping with low-fat, low-sugar or light ice cream or even a yogurt ice. Top with a few crushed or broken nuts (walnuts are very good) and drizzle with a little melted no-added-sugar sauce or Choc Shot ready made topping as liked.

Enjoy and may your team win!