texasmesquite

Learning to cook for people with cancer

By Kathy Edwards
Special to the Reporter-News - Abilene
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Fascination with food and food preparation brought an overflow crowd of cancer patients, caregivers, medical professionals and those wanting to stay healthy to a special event at Alley Cats, 216 Pine St.
The Cancer Services Network offered the public education event based on recipes in the cookbook "Eating Well Through Cancer," by Holly Clegg and Gerald Miletello, M.D.
Jimmy Tomlin, chef and co-owner of Alley Cats and Top Cat Catering, prepared four dishes from the book, which CSN gave to each person attending. The cookbooks and other informational material were underwritten by Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceutical company and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
As Tomlin went through the steps of each dish -- and while staff and volunteers served already-prepared portions of the recipes to the 75 souls hungry for the food -- Janet Basom, a registered and Texas-licensed dietician with the Joe Arrington Cancer Research and Treatment Center, spoke on the most important aspects of ensuring cancer patients maintain their weight and stamina during treatment.
"The need for good and adequate nutrition increases at each level of diagnosis and treatment for the patient," said Basom. "Cancer is not very gracious. If a patient loses 5 percent of his or her body weight during treatment, it contributes negatively on the outcome."
Increasing the number of daily portions of fruits and vegetables is recommended, said Basom, who is an advocate of eating "real" foods that are as close to the original source as possible and not overprocessed.
Cancer Services Network is planning to offer another cooking class in the spring.
The organization is supported by the United Ways of Abilene, Brown County, Scurry County and Nolan County.

Tips and recipes for cancer patients

Eat something before treatments.
Eat smaller meals more often.
Drink more fluids including water, juice and teas, but not carbonated beverages.
Some recipes to tempt palate of cancer patients
Caesar Salad
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
1 large bunch romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn into pieces
1/3 cup croutons
Combine all ingredients except lettuce and croutons in a food processor and blend smooth. Pour over lettuce, tossing well. Top with croutons, if desired.
Makes 4 servings
Doctors' Note: Romaine lettuce is a little more nutritious than iceberg. Great source of vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C and folic acid.
Chicken Piccata
½ cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups canned fat-free chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional
In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat each chicken piece with mixture; set aside. In a skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, heat oil and cook chicken breasts on each side until golden brown over med-high heat. Remove chicken from pan as needed to brown all pieces. Add chicken broth, garlic and lemon juice to pan, and scraping sides of pan. Return chicken to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with parsley, if not neutropenic, and serve. (Neutropenia occurs in patients who have low white cell counts as a result of radiation or chemotherapy.)
Serve over Perfect Pasta.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Perfect Pasta
1 (12-oz.) package angel hair pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Cook pasta according to directions on package, omitting salt and oil. Drain and set aside. In a small pan, combine all remaining ingredients and sauté for a few minutes. Pour over cooked pasta and toss. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Doc's Note: Good anytime post-treatment.
Ambrosia Crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons margarine
¼ cup flaked coconut
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
3 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 large bananas cut into ½-inch thick slices
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in the margarine with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside. In a bowl, combine the coconut, pineapple, oranges, bananas, lemon juice and coconut extract; toss well. Place the fruit mixture in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with the reserved flour mixture. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until golden.
Makes 10 servings.
Try it hot out of the oven over vanilla frozen yogurt.