Finding meals that are tasty, satisfying, and also fit into your kidney and/or diabetes diet parameters can be challenging enough. Finding dishes that are warm, nourishing, and can sustain you on cold winter nights can be even harder. Here are two hot, savory dishes–one meat, one vegetarian–that can either make a quick party-pleasing dinner or supply you with multiple meals that you can put aside for when you don’t feel like cooking.*

Turkey and Beef Chili

Servings: 12; Serving Size: 3/4 cup chili over 3/4 cup white rice

Good for diabetes and dialysis diets

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of ground turkey
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 tablespoons cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose white flour
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 6 ounces of canned low-sodium tomato paste
• 9 cups cooked white rice 

Instructions

• Sauté turkey and beef in a large skillet until browned.
• Add chopped onion, green pepper, and garlic to the meat, and stir.
• Add cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and paprika, and stir.
• Sprinkle flour over the mixture.
• Mix the boiling water and chili powder. Stir into skillet.
• Cook slowly for 1 hour.
• Add tomato paste and stir well.
• Skim off any excess grease. Cook 30 minutes more.
• Serve over hot white rice.

Noodles may be substituted for rice. 

Veggie Strata

Servings: 9; Serving Size: 3” square

Good for CKD non-dialysis, diabetes, dialysis, lower protein, and vegetarian diets

Ingredients

• 7 slices sourdough bread, 1/2” thick (look for loaf with lowest sodium)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup raw mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 15 fresh spinach leaves
• 7 large eggs
• 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
• 1-3/4 cups half & half creamer (without phosphate additives)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco® hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ounce shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

• Cut bread into cubes. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 225° F for 15 minutes. Turn cubes over and continue baking for 15 minutes or until dry and crisp.
• Dice onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper.
• Melt butter in a small skillet and sauté onion, mushrooms and red peppers. 
• Grease a 9” square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange half of the bread cubes in a single layer in the dish and sprinkle with half of the vegetable mixture. Arrange spinach leaves on top.
• Form a second layer on the spinach leaves with the remaining bread and vegetables.
• Whisk together eggs, vinegar, half & half, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and black pepper. Pour evenly over the bread.
• Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Allow strata to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325° F.  Remove plastic wrap and bake for 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cut and serve.

Enjoy!

*DaVita Kidney Care. 7 Warm Kidney Diet Dinners for Cold Winter Nights. Retrieved from https://www.davita.com/diet-nutrition/recipe-collections/7-warm-kidney-diet-dinners-for-cold-winter-nights#:~ 

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