Gout-Friendly Recipes
Cooking is not easy. To do it well, you have to plan ahead and put in quite a lot of work. And if you have gout, the workload doubles since your planning becomes mire complicated, and ordering takeout from McDonalds might trigger another attack.
So here are some gout-friendly recipes I have tried, which also require a minimum if preparation.
So here are some gout-friendly recipes I have tried, which also require a minimum if preparation.
EGGPLANT PARMESAN GRATIN
Ingredients::
A few eggplants (how many depends on the size, six of the smaller kind is enough for two).
Soy meat
Olive oil
Powdered parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Wash the eggplants, remove leaves, and slice in centimeter-thick slices. Put a half-centimeter layer of soy meat in the bottom of a ceramic casserole. Put one layer of egg plant slices on top, sprinkle parmesan cheese over, then follow up with one or two more layers of eggplant slices and parmesan cheese. Drizzle olive oil on top. Bake in the microwave on 600 w for 20-30 minutes. It is done when the eggplant slizes are soft.
Serve with bread or mashed potatoes, or a soup.
A few eggplants (how many depends on the size, six of the smaller kind is enough for two).
Soy meat
Olive oil
Powdered parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Wash the eggplants, remove leaves, and slice in centimeter-thick slices. Put a half-centimeter layer of soy meat in the bottom of a ceramic casserole. Put one layer of egg plant slices on top, sprinkle parmesan cheese over, then follow up with one or two more layers of eggplant slices and parmesan cheese. Drizzle olive oil on top. Bake in the microwave on 600 w for 20-30 minutes. It is done when the eggplant slizes are soft.
Serve with bread or mashed potatoes, or a soup.
CARROT POTATO CROQUETTES
If you want it salt-free, do not add salt. Otherwise, salt to taste. Contains close to zero purines.
Croquettes made from boiled carrots and potato mash.
Ingredients:
Six medium-sized carrots
One onion
Mashed potato powder (1/2 small bag).
Two eggs
Oil for frying
For flavoring:
5 spoonfuls of barbecue sauce, or
5 spoonfuls of grated paesan cheese, or
Grated black pepper
Preparation:
Peel and dice the carrots. You can then cook them on the stove, or in the microwave. 40 minutes at 600W. Use a cooking vessel which has a lid, then you do not have to add any moisture. Include the onion.
Cook the carrots until soft.
When the carrots are cool (the next day), mash the carrots and onion with a potato masher until they are in small pieces. Add the eggs and the mashed potato powder, and one of the flavorings. Let it sit for an hour (the potato powder will absorb moisture from the carrots).
In a fry pan, heat the oil and shape patties of the carrot-potato mash. Do not use too much oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with:
Cheese, salad, soup or similar.
Six medium-sized carrots
One onion
Mashed potato powder (1/2 small bag).
Two eggs
Oil for frying
For flavoring:
5 spoonfuls of barbecue sauce, or
5 spoonfuls of grated paesan cheese, or
Grated black pepper
Preparation:
Peel and dice the carrots. You can then cook them on the stove, or in the microwave. 40 minutes at 600W. Use a cooking vessel which has a lid, then you do not have to add any moisture. Include the onion.
Cook the carrots until soft.
When the carrots are cool (the next day), mash the carrots and onion with a potato masher until they are in small pieces. Add the eggs and the mashed potato powder, and one of the flavorings. Let it sit for an hour (the potato powder will absorb moisture from the carrots).
In a fry pan, heat the oil and shape patties of the carrot-potato mash. Do not use too much oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Serve with:
Cheese, salad, soup or similar.
HALLOWEEN QUICHE
The name comes from the main ingredients, especially pumpkin is more or less an early autumn vegetable.
Halloween quiche, almost purine-free.
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Ingredients:
4 large carrots, 1/2 pumpkin. 5 eggs, a little milk, about 4 teaspoons of butter. For spice: Curry powder, soy sauce, or pumpkin spices. Preparation: Dice all the vegrtables finely (or use a mixer). Put in butter and spice. In a separate bowl, mix the egg and milk and whisk until yellow. Cooking: Cook the vegetables on 300 watts in the microwave owen for 30 minutes. Then take it out, add the egg mix, and cook for another 10 to 20 minutes on 600W. Serve with: Bread, rice, or pasta (Whole-grain bread is better than white bread; brown rice is better than white rice; a short pasta, like maccaroni or farfalle, is better than spaghetti; and a whole-grain pasta (integrali) is better than a pasta without fiber. Of course, the key is the fibers). Cheese Fried tofu (atsuage) Soup |
My little book "Gout Simply Explained" attempts to let you know how to fight the condition underlying gout, for instance by eating right.
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MICROWAVE CHEESE-BAKED CAULIFLOWER
Cheese-baked cauliflower, fresh from the microwave.
Ingredients
One head of cauliflower
Cheese (two slices)
For spice:
Curry powder or salt and pepper
Preparation
Clean and wash the cauliflower head. Place it in a silicon casserole (if it is not big enough, break it up).
Cooking
Bake the cauliflower in the microwave at 500 W for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on size). Add about a half a centimeter of water in the casserole to avoid it gettng burnt.
After the first round in the microwave, add some more water, place the cheese on top and bake the cauliflower at 800W for 5 minutes.
Serve with:
Pasta in tomato or cream sauce.
One head of cauliflower
Cheese (two slices)
For spice:
Curry powder or salt and pepper
Preparation
Clean and wash the cauliflower head. Place it in a silicon casserole (if it is not big enough, break it up).
Cooking
Bake the cauliflower in the microwave at 500 W for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on size). Add about a half a centimeter of water in the casserole to avoid it gettng burnt.
After the first round in the microwave, add some more water, place the cheese on top and bake the cauliflower at 800W for 5 minutes.
Serve with:
Pasta in tomato or cream sauce.
FRIED CABBAGE WITH MARINATED TOFU
Fried cabbage with marinated tofu (and konyakkyu, the gray translucent strips).
First, the fried cabbage. This is very easy to make but it does not at all feel like boiled cabbage.
Ingredients
1/2 head of cabbage, oil for frying.
For spice
A spice mixture such as chili, curry, or Janes Krazy Salt.
Preparation
Slice the cabbage in slices less than 5mm wide. Cut across to make reasonable slices.
Cooking
Heat a fry pan with oil on high heat, and add the cabbage. Fry while stirring frequently until at least a third of the cabbage pieces are browned.
Then make the marinated tofu.
Ingredients
Tofu, sauce for the marinade (ponzu, soy sauce, or Yoshidas gourmet sauce).
Preparation
Put the tofu on kitchen paper on a plate, then put another piece of kitchen paper and another plate on top, press carefully (so as not to break the tofu), and put weights on top to let it press out the water for an hour at least.
Then put in a shallow pan and add the marinade. Leave overnight to let it soak in.
Cooking
When marinated, fry in a pan untill crisp on the outside.
Serve with
Bread, rice or another grain; or pasta.
Ingredients
1/2 head of cabbage, oil for frying.
For spice
A spice mixture such as chili, curry, or Janes Krazy Salt.
Preparation
Slice the cabbage in slices less than 5mm wide. Cut across to make reasonable slices.
Cooking
Heat a fry pan with oil on high heat, and add the cabbage. Fry while stirring frequently until at least a third of the cabbage pieces are browned.
Then make the marinated tofu.
Ingredients
Tofu, sauce for the marinade (ponzu, soy sauce, or Yoshidas gourmet sauce).
Preparation
Put the tofu on kitchen paper on a plate, then put another piece of kitchen paper and another plate on top, press carefully (so as not to break the tofu), and put weights on top to let it press out the water for an hour at least.
Then put in a shallow pan and add the marinade. Leave overnight to let it soak in.
Cooking
When marinated, fry in a pan untill crisp on the outside.
Serve with
Bread, rice or another grain; or pasta.
CELERY, ONION, AND CARROT CHEESE COUSCOUS
This is a sort of slow-cooker microwave dish. Make it in the morning and forget about it until lunch.
Ingredients
3 carrots
6-8 celery stalks
1 large onion
Couscous grain (about 1 cup)
Cheese (a fat cheese with strong taste works best, or you can combine different cheeses). I used matured cheddar.
Preparation
Cut the vegetables finely. Put half the carrots at the bottom, cover with a layer of couscous grains, about two thirds. Then add celery and half the onion, and carrots on top. Cover with the rest of the couscous grains. Add celery and about half the onion on top, Sprinkle cheese over until it covers the onions completely.Make sure your pan is big enough for the dish, otherwise the cherse will run over the sides.
Cooking
Put in microwave at 200 W for 60-80 minutes. The time depends on how wide the bowl is. It cooks faster in a wide bowl but the juice from the vegetables are better preserved in a deep narrow bowl. Cover completely with a lid or plastic. Stir when done.
Spice it up
This dish may appear bland, but it is low in sodium ss well as purines. Drizzle a little soy sauce, or sprinkle some curry powder or blac pepper over it. Or add some hot sauce.
Serve with
Tofu, soup, or bread.
Ingredients
3 carrots
6-8 celery stalks
1 large onion
Couscous grain (about 1 cup)
Cheese (a fat cheese with strong taste works best, or you can combine different cheeses). I used matured cheddar.
Preparation
Cut the vegetables finely. Put half the carrots at the bottom, cover with a layer of couscous grains, about two thirds. Then add celery and half the onion, and carrots on top. Cover with the rest of the couscous grains. Add celery and about half the onion on top, Sprinkle cheese over until it covers the onions completely.Make sure your pan is big enough for the dish, otherwise the cherse will run over the sides.
Cooking
Put in microwave at 200 W for 60-80 minutes. The time depends on how wide the bowl is. It cooks faster in a wide bowl but the juice from the vegetables are better preserved in a deep narrow bowl. Cover completely with a lid or plastic. Stir when done.
Spice it up
This dish may appear bland, but it is low in sodium ss well as purines. Drizzle a little soy sauce, or sprinkle some curry powder or blac pepper over it. Or add some hot sauce.
Serve with
Tofu, soup, or bread.
CABBAGE AND ONION WITH TOMATOES FRY AND STEAM
This is a very simple dish to prepare, and will serve as the base for many meals. I prepared two variants: Fried and steamed. Steamed vegetables are even simpler to prepare than fried. Don't forget to save the steam water, it is great as a soup base.
Ingredients
1/2 small head of cabbage
1 onion
10 minitomatoes
Preparation
Cut the onion and cabbage into fine strips. Add the tomatoes whole (since they are going to burst and release flavor during cooking).
Cooking
Steaming:
We have a steam plate which basically is a metal plate which fits snugly in a deep fry pan. We have a domed lid which means the steam circulates through the vegetables. The heat reaches all the vegetables as the steam circulates. It takes about 15-20 minutes to steam the vegetables, depending on the size of the fry pan.
Frying:
Add 4 spoonfuls of oil to a big fry pan and heat it up. When a drop of water sizzles in the oil, add the vegetables. Fry at high heat whie stirring frequently for 10 minutes, then lower the heat and fry whie stirring occasionally until the tomtoes pop. Then stir and fry some mote to absorb the taste from the tomatoes.
Spice it up
You can add salt, crazy or herb salt, garlic seasoning, or soy sauce to include umami. Or curry powder or another spice mix, which will change the character of the dish completely. Do it after steaming, as the steam absorbs the spice and it ends up in the steam water.
Serve with
Rice (brown rice is better, as it has its own taste), tofu, any meatless stew or curry.
Ingredients
1/2 small head of cabbage
1 onion
10 minitomatoes
Preparation
Cut the onion and cabbage into fine strips. Add the tomatoes whole (since they are going to burst and release flavor during cooking).
Cooking
Steaming:
We have a steam plate which basically is a metal plate which fits snugly in a deep fry pan. We have a domed lid which means the steam circulates through the vegetables. The heat reaches all the vegetables as the steam circulates. It takes about 15-20 minutes to steam the vegetables, depending on the size of the fry pan.
Frying:
Add 4 spoonfuls of oil to a big fry pan and heat it up. When a drop of water sizzles in the oil, add the vegetables. Fry at high heat whie stirring frequently for 10 minutes, then lower the heat and fry whie stirring occasionally until the tomtoes pop. Then stir and fry some mote to absorb the taste from the tomatoes.
Spice it up
You can add salt, crazy or herb salt, garlic seasoning, or soy sauce to include umami. Or curry powder or another spice mix, which will change the character of the dish completely. Do it after steaming, as the steam absorbs the spice and it ends up in the steam water.
Serve with
Rice (brown rice is better, as it has its own taste), tofu, any meatless stew or curry.
SWEDISH BEETROT SALAD
This is a Swedish Christmas dish, but you can eat it all year round. The original contains salted herring, but you can leave that out since it can be hard to get. I leave it out since the dish becomes purine-free that way. And my wife hates it.
Ingredients
One big apple, peeled and pitted.
One big potato, peeled and boiled
Beetroots, pickled (save about half the juice from the jar!). I used up one small jar (from IKEA) on this one, but you can use less if you like.
If you like, 1/2 small onion
Preparation
Chop all ingredients finely (dice into cubes approx 0.5 cm to the side). If you include an onion, chop that even finer. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Cooking
Pour the beetroot pickle juice over the ingredients in the bowl and mix throroughly. Leave for at least one day, stirring and packing every two-three hours. The beetroot pickle juice should penetrate the apples.
Spice it up
This dish, thanks to containing so much vinegar, will become weird if you try to spice it up. Eat as is, possibly with a dusting of allspice.
Serve with
Traditionally, this dish is served with boiled eggs, and some people also eat it with mayonnaise or sour cream. All those are purine-free and hence gout-friendly.
Ingredients
One big apple, peeled and pitted.
One big potato, peeled and boiled
Beetroots, pickled (save about half the juice from the jar!). I used up one small jar (from IKEA) on this one, but you can use less if you like.
If you like, 1/2 small onion
Preparation
Chop all ingredients finely (dice into cubes approx 0.5 cm to the side). If you include an onion, chop that even finer. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Cooking
Pour the beetroot pickle juice over the ingredients in the bowl and mix throroughly. Leave for at least one day, stirring and packing every two-three hours. The beetroot pickle juice should penetrate the apples.
Spice it up
This dish, thanks to containing so much vinegar, will become weird if you try to spice it up. Eat as is, possibly with a dusting of allspice.
Serve with
Traditionally, this dish is served with boiled eggs, and some people also eat it with mayonnaise or sour cream. All those are purine-free and hence gout-friendly.
BANANA APPLE PUDDING
Steamed banana apple pudding, a simple to make purine-free dessert without added sugar.
The steaming plate is really a very useful appliance. And this dish does not need any added sugar - the bananas provide it all. Really a gout-friendly dessert - no purines in sight and no added sugar to make your liver produce excessive uric acid.
Preparation Time
This dish took 30 minutes from start to finish, most of it was steaming.
Ingredients
One big apple, peeled and pitted
1 1/2 banana
3 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
Preparation
Cut the fruit into one-centimeter cunes and run in a mixer until smooth. Add eggs and milk and mix.
Cooking
Pour the resulting batter into individual steam cups, and serve with the pudding still in the cup.
Just be careful not to let the steaming pan boil dry, you probably need to fill it up a couple of times during the steaming.
Let steam for 20 mins, until the top of the pudding cracks.
Spice it up
You could add rum (the alcohol would disappear during steaming) and I have an intiition that a pinch of ginger and cinnamon would be good. But I have not tested that.
Serve with
Ice cream (if you like, dairy-free).
Preparation Time
This dish took 30 minutes from start to finish, most of it was steaming.
Ingredients
One big apple, peeled and pitted
1 1/2 banana
3 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
Preparation
Cut the fruit into one-centimeter cunes and run in a mixer until smooth. Add eggs and milk and mix.
Cooking
Pour the resulting batter into individual steam cups, and serve with the pudding still in the cup.
Just be careful not to let the steaming pan boil dry, you probably need to fill it up a couple of times during the steaming.
Let steam for 20 mins, until the top of the pudding cracks.
Spice it up
You could add rum (the alcohol would disappear during steaming) and I have an intiition that a pinch of ginger and cinnamon would be good. But I have not tested that.
Serve with
Ice cream (if you like, dairy-free).
PURINE-FREE PIZZA
Pizza is an easy to make food which is also easy to make purine-free.
Pizza is a great food, easy to make and filling, with very few people who dislike it (a poll among resident 7-year-olds gave a 100% "like"). And you can prepare a lot in advance. Serves 4-5 people.
Preparation time
Baking 15 minutes, filling 10 minutes, preparation 30 minutes. Longer if you let the kids make their own.
Ingredients
Pizza dough: Water 0.25 liter, salt 1 tablespoon, oil 3 large spoons, yeast 50 g (about four bags of dry yeast), flour 0.6 liter, If you want to use gluten-free flour this is one of the few times it does not matter - this bread should not raise very much.
Filling: Whatever you have handy - mushrooms, vegetables of any kind (the kids put broccoli on theirs), and plenty of cheese.
The cheese should be grated before you use it. We usually mix cheddar and pecorino romano, but if you do not want to grate it yourself you can just buy pre-grated cheese. You will need about 0.3 liter of grated cheese for this pixzza, or more if you like.
Since you can not use meat (because it has too much purines), you can use fake meat, like soy-based meat. But it is not at all necessary, the pizzas do fine with just veggies.
Also, if you plan to use tomato sauce, check for added sugar. Basil pesto is a very good alternative, at least for grownups. But do not use too much.
Preparation
Mix the oil, salt, and water with the flour and work the dough until smooth. Knead it and add flour until if feels silky. Leave to raise for 10-20 minutes.
Use a large clean surface to bake out the dough on oven paper that you easily can transfer to the oven sheet, Create a large flat bread which should not be thicker than 0.5 cm and add the filling. If you want to use pesto, smear the bread thinly with it, then add a thin layer of cheese before adding a thin layer of filling, and then more cheese. Since you can use neither fish nor meat on your purine-free pizza, you have to put on mushrooms and vegetables. It works perfectly fine to take the vegetables from the freezer without thawing. Make sure the ingredients are spread out and there is air between them. Add another layer of cheese on top and put the pizza into the oven.
Cooking
Bake in the oven until done, then transfer to a plate and serve.
Spice it up
It is possible to add a little hot sauce, but be careful not to take too much.
Preparation time
Baking 15 minutes, filling 10 minutes, preparation 30 minutes. Longer if you let the kids make their own.
Ingredients
Pizza dough: Water 0.25 liter, salt 1 tablespoon, oil 3 large spoons, yeast 50 g (about four bags of dry yeast), flour 0.6 liter, If you want to use gluten-free flour this is one of the few times it does not matter - this bread should not raise very much.
Filling: Whatever you have handy - mushrooms, vegetables of any kind (the kids put broccoli on theirs), and plenty of cheese.
The cheese should be grated before you use it. We usually mix cheddar and pecorino romano, but if you do not want to grate it yourself you can just buy pre-grated cheese. You will need about 0.3 liter of grated cheese for this pixzza, or more if you like.
Since you can not use meat (because it has too much purines), you can use fake meat, like soy-based meat. But it is not at all necessary, the pizzas do fine with just veggies.
Also, if you plan to use tomato sauce, check for added sugar. Basil pesto is a very good alternative, at least for grownups. But do not use too much.
Preparation
Mix the oil, salt, and water with the flour and work the dough until smooth. Knead it and add flour until if feels silky. Leave to raise for 10-20 minutes.
Use a large clean surface to bake out the dough on oven paper that you easily can transfer to the oven sheet, Create a large flat bread which should not be thicker than 0.5 cm and add the filling. If you want to use pesto, smear the bread thinly with it, then add a thin layer of cheese before adding a thin layer of filling, and then more cheese. Since you can use neither fish nor meat on your purine-free pizza, you have to put on mushrooms and vegetables. It works perfectly fine to take the vegetables from the freezer without thawing. Make sure the ingredients are spread out and there is air between them. Add another layer of cheese on top and put the pizza into the oven.
Cooking
Bake in the oven until done, then transfer to a plate and serve.
Spice it up
It is possible to add a little hot sauce, but be careful not to take too much.
Read More Recipes Here:
I have published a few other recipes and more information on gout and nutrition on these pages:
• Forbidden gout foods - what to avoid in your diet when you have gout
• Great foods for gout beaters - some philosophy and sample recipes
• Food for gout sufferers - things you can eat if you have gout
• What to do when the diet gets boring
About gout and your health
• Your heart and gout
• The danger of being fat
• The inflammation causes the pain
• Why does gout always happen in the big toe?
About uric acid and purines
• Where does uric acid come from?
• How much uric acid do you have in your body?
• What are purines?
• Can you change the pH of your urine - and does it matter?
Traditional and modern gout remedies
• Alternative medicine for gout
• Do cherries work against gout?
• Trying apple cider vinegar
I have published a few other recipes and more information on gout and nutrition on these pages:
• Forbidden gout foods - what to avoid in your diet when you have gout
• Great foods for gout beaters - some philosophy and sample recipes
• Food for gout sufferers - things you can eat if you have gout
• What to do when the diet gets boring
About gout and your health
• Your heart and gout
• The danger of being fat
• The inflammation causes the pain
• Why does gout always happen in the big toe?
About uric acid and purines
• Where does uric acid come from?
• How much uric acid do you have in your body?
• What are purines?
• Can you change the pH of your urine - and does it matter?
Traditional and modern gout remedies
• Alternative medicine for gout
• Do cherries work against gout?
• Trying apple cider vinegar
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