When my daughter was recovering from a broken jaw from a cycling accident, she got very tired, too, of milkshakes. She cooked carrots until they were very tender,sprinkled them with a bit of balsamic vinegar, then hit them with the immersion blender until they were smooth. They are not liquid, but are very smooth, so I'm not sure this will work for your patients.

As I posted in another thread, I recently made cheese soup for BIL. I strained it so that there were no bits of solid food in it.

HTH

Don't know if they can have the acid, but maybe a gazpacho? Nice and refreshing during the hot weather. I usually make mine with Knudsen's Organic Mixed Veggie juice (low sodium) and add the veggies, so it would have a non watery result if pureed.

All things can be pureed....with enough broth or milk or apple juice added.
The nursing home where my MIL was would puree or chop the regular meals.
I never thought that pureed tossed salad would be anything she would eat....but she did!!
And veggies and meat and potatoes and vegetable soup.....desserts weree things like pudding or pureed fruit.
Even meat and mashed potatoes with ebough broth was pureed.
Linda c

Butternut Squash soup can be pureed very smooth and is delicious and nutritious - w/o all the croutons I put in mine, of course.

I would think that chilled cucumber soup (no seeds or peel) would puree well.

Hello, AM, it's good to see you again!

Teresa, butternut squash soup does sound yummy, I really like it. I also like smooth and creamy potato soup and zucchini soup.

A nephew broke his jaw riding bulls, and so we pureed a lot of stuff. He even pureed pizza and beer, although I wouldn't recommend it, LOL. He did like very soft custards, broccoli cheese soup and CocoWheats cereal mixed with copious amounts of sugar and enough milk to make it drinkable. It probably was healthier than the pizza/beer combo....

I also remember that we made chicken noodle soup and put it in the blender with some mashed potatoes and mixed it all up, he also liked that, said it seemed more "substantial". We made very thin apple sauce, pureed peaches and pears, mixed a lot of fruit with yogurt.

Good luck, I agree that nearly anything can be pureed, but I don't know how appetizing some of it might be.

Annie

Thanks for the recipe suggestions. I had been staying away from soup recipes since (like suggesting that they puree their regular foods) soups and shakes are an obvious solution. They are also something patients are already having a lot of and don't necessarily need a recipe.

Cool summer soups however, are a terrific idea particularly with warmer weather and I haven't heard anyone mention them at the clinic or seen them in any of our handouts. And those carrots sound wonderful too, I appreciate your input.

You've given me a great idea for focusing my handout with new recipes.
Thank you!
AM

Hi Annie! Thanks for you input (looks like we posted at the same time). Your nephew drinking cocowheats with sugar and milk made me smile. I'm not so sure I'd put that "recipe" on paper, but I'll keep it in mind for any appropriate patients! ;)

AM

Ok. I think I've got it now. You are not looking for liquids/soups, but rather pureed solids.

What about the British stand-by, mushy peas. Here is Nigella Lawson's recipe for mushy peas. You may need to rename the recipe. DH would balk at "mushy peas," although he might eat it by another name.

On that same page is a link to her recipe for cauliflower mash, which I've eaten as a mashed potato substitute.

Would cheese grits fit into your requirements? Gruyere Grits are a little different from the usual cheddar cheese grits. Beating them also seems to make them creamier and perhaps easier to swallow. If I were making Gruyere Grits for someone with swallowing difficulties, I might forego the baking which firms up the dish.

Gruyere Grits

1 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 quart milk (whole milk!)
2 cups butter
1 cup of quick (not instant) grits
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring milk and butter to a boil. Gradually add grits. Bring to a second boil. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix with electric mixer until creamy. Add grated gruyere cheese with a wooden spoon. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Can be made and refrigerated a day or so in advance. Let sit at room temp for about an hour before baking.

Pureed cauliflower with a little goat's cheese is delicious. Celeriac puree, perhaps mixed with a little mashed potato, or leek and potato... not everyone wants "sweet" flavours. I would try pureed salmon, potato, carrot and leek for a complete meal.

Thank you! Grits and cauliflower are both great ideas.

And yes, I'm not looking for liquids or soups, or regular recipes that are just pureed, but rather foods that are meant to be eaten as a puree. Grits certainly fit that description! Although they aren't the standby in Connecticut that they are in other regions, I might get a few takers who are looking for variety in their meals and may be willing to give it a try.

You would think that people who are having trouble swallowing and are desperate to take in calories would be willing to experiment with new things, but I am not finding that to be the case.

AM

Pureed mango with yogurt would be delish! Mangos are very cheap these days and have good vitamin values.

I think rice with peanut sauce would make a good puree. I would put the rice through the food processor dry, and then cook that. That way it'll be like porridge rather than completely mushy. And I'd make the peanut sauce with coconut milk and peanut butter- I love that flavor combination. I wonder if cottage cheese would be soft enough. I found a sour cherry tree in my neighborhood, and I've been on a breakfast kick of 4% cottage cheese with sour cherry jam :-). I'm also wondering about cold tomato/fruit soups. I guess adequate protein is probably a big hurdle a lot of the time. I wonder if chicken could be poached in gravy until falling apart, and then put in a stand mixer to shred it very finely. Tofu or milk powder could probably be added pretty unobtrusively to some things. I think a baked or mashed potato pureed with bacon and cheese would be delicious, maybe adding milk to thin it. My favorite preparation of zucchini is pan fried with sauteed onions and tomatoes or tomato sauce, and I think that would taste good as a puree.

In keeping with jessicav's suggestion, you could make congee with peanut sauce. Or congee with any sauce that you would put on rice. DD ate a lot of congee when her jaw was messed up. I think we may have hit it with the immersion blender to make it smoother.

Here is a basic congee recipe:

3/4 cup long grain rice
9 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

In a large pot, bring the water and rice to a boil.
When the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to medium low. Place the lid on the pot, tilting it to allow steam to escape.

Cook on medium low to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has the thick, creamy texture of porridge (1 - 1 1/4 hours). Add the salt, taste and add seasonings if desired. Serve with garnishes.

Oh, I forgot about the asparagus souffle I made when DD could eat soft foods. I don't know if this fits your needs, but it is really good! I would serve it for a dinner party.
It tastes good the second day and it is good even if it doesn't puff up.
Simply Recipes' Asparagus Souffle

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 lb asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed and discarded, thick spears peeled, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely ground dry bread crumbs
3 Tbsp cake flour (can substitute all purpose flour)
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch dry ground mustard
Pinch ground cumin
Pinch ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (can substitute Parmesan, but frankly I prefer the Gruyere)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
5 egg whites
6 8-ounce ramekins

METHOD
1 Blanch asparagus for 2 minutes in boiling salted water (1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water). Drain. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside to let cool.
2 Melt 1 Tbsp butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook gently until soft, do not let brown. About 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3 Puree asparagus and shallot mixture in a blender. Measure out 1 1/4 cup of puree.
4 Butter 6 8-ounce ramekins. Coat well with the bread crumbs, reserving any leftover bread crumbs.
5 Make a thick bechamel sauce. Over medium-low heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add the cake flour and whisk to completely incorporate the flour into the butter, continue to stir for a couple of minutes. Do not let brown. Very slowly, add the milk to the mixture, little by little, whisking constantly. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the nutmeg, cumin, mustard, ginger, and some fresh ground black pepper. Lower the heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.
6 After 15 minutes, remove the bechamel from the heat and stir in the cheese. Transfer the bechamel and the asparagus mixture to a large mixing bowl (if you have a mixing bowl with a pour lip on the side, use it, it will make it easier to pour out later). Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings. The souffle base should be well-seasoned. Stir in the egg yolks until well combined.
At this point you can make ahead the souffle mixture. Refrigerate to store for up to two days. Return to room temperature before proceeding.
7 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
8 Prepare a water bath (a bain marie). Have ready a 9x12 baking dish with at least 2 inch sides. Put on a kettle of water to boil.
9 Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and using a mixer, beat the egg whites to firm but soft, almost stiff, peaks. (Make sure there are no traces of egg yolk or shell in your egg whites before starting.) Do not over-beat. Over-beating results in stiff peaks that are dry, somewhat reminiscent of styrofoam. Use a rubber spatula to first fold in one quarter of the beaten egg whites into the asparagus mixture, then the remaining three-quarters. Use a light touch to keep from deflating the egg whites.

10 Fill ramekins with the mixture up to a quarter-inch from the top. If you want, sprinkle leftover bread crumbs on top. Place the ramekins in the bain marie baking dish. Place baking dish on the middle rack in the oven. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around the ramekins until the water comes up halfway the sides of the ramekins.

11 Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 15 minutes more, until puffed up and golden brown. Don't open the oven door until the souffle is just about done, or it may fall.
You can serve the souffles immediately or you can serve them later. To proceed for serving them later, let the souffles sit in the bain marie for 15 minutes. Then use run a sharp knife around the edges and invert the individual souffles to a buttered baking sheet. Cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before re-baking. Heat oven to 400 degrees F, bake the souffles on a buttered baking sheet, not in ramekins, for 7-8 minutes, and serve.

Yield: Makes 6 individual souffles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Basic Congee recipe

Thank you!! Those recipes look perfect and I truly appreciate your help. I'm going to run at tasting at the clinic this week and see how patients like them.

AM

"You would think that people who are having trouble swallowing and are desperate to take in calories would be willing to experiment with new things, but I am not finding that to be the case."

Don't be too discouraged. They're likely just tired of changes and want to have a piece of them still intact. That's my thing I call "desire for normalcy". Of the utmost importance to seriously ill people. I'm sure you make perfectly delish food!!! (hugs Arabella)

rob333, I think your sentiments are so spot on.

AM, please let us know how the tastings turn out!

Excellent perspective, Rob. Thank you.

AM

I have been making Gordon Ramsay's broccoli soup - head of brocolli, water to cover most of it and some salt. Boil until soft and fully puree - add a healthy dose of olive oil and that's it. I usually add a good tablespoon of olive oil per bowl or a tablespoon of coconut oil to get my fats and calories in if I am having it for lunch - not as much oil if it's a side dish.

AM, because of this thread, I've gotten curious about pureed veggies. I ran across this article at Serious Eats. It may provide some guidelines for your handout, so folks can experiment for themselves. (Love the author's name, Sue Veed!)

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Make A Vegetable Puree