The COVID-19 pandemic has made eating in an everyday occurrence across the country, but for cancer patients who often have unique nutritional needs, at-home meal preparations can be particularly challenging.
Fortunately, culinary experts at the OSUCCC – James are here to help with tips and easy-to-prepare recipes that can help cancer patients and caregivers get the most out of their homemade meals and snacks.
“In The James Instructional Kitchen, we work with patients, outpatients and caregivers on personalized nutrition education plans,” says chef Stephanie Urrutia, RD, LD, a senior culinary educator at the OSUCCC – James. “We focus on high-protein, high-calorie and easy-to-eat recipes, and provide information tailored to the patients’ diagnoses.”
Today’s Recipe: Hearty Gumbo Soup
The Hearty Gumbo Soup is full of a variety of vegetables. From the base of onions, celery and green bell pepper to the add-on of tomatoes, okra and whatever vegetables are on hand — corn, zucchini, sweet potatoes, squash, asparagus — the possibilities are endless. For the gumbo demonstrated we used okra, tomatoes and chicken to round out the soup. Grains such as brown and white rice, quinoa or grain blends offer a nuttiness and chewy texture to round out the gumbo to make a hearty, complete meal.
Okra is a fruit that is commonly used in savory applications. Okra is high in magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B Vitamins and fiber. Okra also contains many polyphenols that help protect against inflammation, work as antioxidants and help improve immune, brain and cardiac function. Okra also contains lectin, which is being studied for its anticarcinogenic properties, in particular for breast cancer.
Tomatoes are another fruit that is commonly used in savory applications and prepared like a vegetable. They provide a nice acidity to the gumbo in addition to Vitamins C and K and antioxidants. The main antioxidant found in tomatoes is lycopene, which has been studied for its properties in reducing the risks of cancer and heart disease. Lycopene is present in raw tomatoes, but more easily used by the body in cooked tomatoes.
Chicken or chicken andouille sausage are both great, lean high-protein options to round out the nutrition density of this soup. The andouille spice offers warming additions to the gumbo with sassafras, oregano, paprika and garlic being common flavors associated with Cajun cooking. Chicken andouille sausage is typically not cured, thereby devoid of nitrates that are common in commercially-produced sausages and deli meats.
Nitrites came under fire due to the potential production of carcinogenic nitrosamines under certain conditions such as an acidic stomach. Nitrosamines were reported to be related to esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer and other tumors. However, recent epidemiological investigations of nitrates and tumors have shown that no clear evidence has verified that dietary nitrates could increase the occurrence of tumors.
As always, it’s important to remember that safe preparation and handling of foods is the most important factor for food preparation to make sure that you have lowered the risk for introducing food borne illnesses, bacteria and viruses, into your body.
Ingredients
• 12 ounces chicken or chicken sausage
• 6 tbsp file powder
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup green bell pepper- chopped
• 1 cup onion-chopped
• ½ cup celery-chopped
• ½ cup okra- cut into rounds
• ½ cup tomatoes- chopped
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1 ½ cups rice
• 3 cups vegetable stock
Directions
1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat
2. Sprinkle chicken with 2 tbsp file powder
3. Cook chicken in skillet for 2 minutes, until browned, flip and cook for another 2 minutes
4. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside
5. Add oil and 4 tbsp file powder to skillet and cook until color of peanut butter
6. Add peppers, onions and celery to skillet- cook 2 minutes until tender. Mix in okra and tomatoes cook 1 minute longer
7. Stir in warmed vegetable stock
8. Let simmer on stove 6 minutes until gumbo is thickened
9. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces and add to gumbo- let simmer 5 more minutes
10. Cook rice or other grain as package directs with vegetable stock while the gumbo is simmering
11. Serve gumbo over a scoop of rice
12. Top with chopped parsley, green onions or hot sauce as desired
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