Spaghetti Carbonara

The easiest pasta dish you will ever make with just 5 ingredients in 15 minutes, loaded with Parmesan and bacon! From damndelicious.net.

Spaghetti Carbonara
4 servings


Ingredients:

8 ounces spaghetti
2 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (if tolerated)
4 slices bacon, diced (if tolerated)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (if tolerated)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup water and drain well.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan; set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; reserve excess fat.

4. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.

5. Working quickly, stir in pasta and egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

6. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Stir Fried Beef and Veggies

Stir fries are the perfect choice for meals that you want to make quickly. You can always change up the vegetables to suit your family’s favorites. This recipe has been adapted to be IC friendly. From grandmotherskitchen.org.

Stir Fried Beef And Veggies
Serves 4


Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (if tolerated)
2 lbs. lean beef, sliced thin
10 fresh small mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 cup broccoli floret pieces
1/2 red sweet bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 Tablespoons soy sauce substitute or Coconut Aminos
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated gingerroot (if tolerated)
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the frying pan on medium heat.

2. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until transparent.

3. Add the sliced beef and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

5. Add the broccoli and all the peppers along with the soya sauce, water, bean sprouts, and gingerroot.

6. Turn the heat to high and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until the vegetables are just tender. Do a taste test and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Shut off.

7. Delicious served with rice.

Parmesan Zucchini Appetizer

This recipe is both easy and tasty. Your guests will love every bite! What more could you want? From icdietblog.com.

Parmesan Zucchini Appetizer


Ingredients:

3 cups grated zucchini squash
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (if tolerated)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (if tolerated)
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4/ teaspoon oregano
dash of pepper (if tolerated)
dash of garlic powder
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten


Directions:

1. Mix all together. Spread into a greased 13 x 9-inch pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Cut into squares. May be served hot, warm, room temperature or cold.

Options: this dish can also be made in muffin tins, but cooking time will be shorter.

IC Friendly Ingredient Substitution List

One of the hardest things to do when you first get diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis is to start following the IC Diet and learning to cook with new ingredients. Let's face it, adapting some recipes to the IC Diet is down right frustrating. While it's easy just to leave out potentially bladder irritating ingredients, the result may leave a lot to be desired in the flavor department. Through much trial and error, we have put together this ingredient substitution list.

As is always the case with IC, this ingredient substitution list is just a guide. Everyone with Interstitial Cystitis is different. An ingredient that is bladder friendly to one person may set off a 4 alarm bladder flare in another.

Check out what to substitute for the following from: healthyicrecipes.com.

• Lemon Juice Substitutes- Kefir Lime Leaves, Lemon Zest, Lemon Oil, Lemon Essence, Lemon Extract, Amchur / Amchoor Powder (mango powder)

• Salad Dressing and Condiment Substitutes- Homemade Ranch or Caesar using a mix like Simply Organic Ranch Mix or Garlic Oil (our favorite is Boyjilans)

• Chocolate & Chocolate Chip Substitutes- Carob Chips, Chocolate Flavored Stevia Drops

• Red Wine Substitutes- Blueberry Juice

• White Wine Substitutes- Pear Juice

• Hot Pepper Substitutes- Cayenne Oil

• Chili Powder Substitutes- Hungarian Paprika

• Cinnamon Substitutes- Ceylon Cinnamon (try Frontier Herb Organic Ceylon Cinnamon Powder)
A rough distinction can be made between two types of cinnamon: Cassia and Ceylon Cinnamon. When you buy Cinnamon in the United States, you are probably buying Cassia because it is less expensive than "True Cinnamon". Cassia Cinnamon, however, contains a moderately toxic component called coumarin which is known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations and could be one reason why Interstitial Cystitis patients have problems with Cinnamon. That's why we recommend trying Ceylon cinnamon. Ceylon is often called "True Cinnamon" or "Real Cinnamon". True Ceylon Cinnamon has negligible amounts of coumarin and has a much more refined flavor. Ceylon Cinnamon is sometimes referred to as Real Cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon sticks (or quills) have many thin layers and can easily be made into powder using a coffee or spice grinder, whereas cassia sticks are much harder.

• Garlic Substitutes- Asafoetida

• Ginger Substitutes- Galangal

• Onion Substitutes- Green Onions or Chives, Shallots, Asafoetida
Tip: Try Cooking these items first, if you can tolerate the onion substitute cooked, then try it raw.

• Peanut Butter Substitutes- Cashew Butter, Sunflower Butter, Pumpkin Butter

• Raisins Substitutes- Dates

Sweet Cinnamon Smoothie

Cinnamon is one of the most popular and favorite spice in the world. It’s commonly used in flavoring desserts, snacks, pastries an other food. It’s unique taste and scent isn’t the only reason why you should love it. Cinnamon is a great way to maintain and control blood sugar level, energy and mood. It’s also known to contain anti-bacterial compounds which helps prevent bacterial disease. This Cinnamon Nutribullet recipe is smooth and sweet without being too crazy high in calories, although it can be made higher for people seeking more calories by adding more maple syrup or some protein powder. Adding a garnish of nuts also can add protein.

A sweet, refreshing smoothie from allnutribulletrecipes.com.

Sweet Cinnamon Smoothie Recipe
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

2 medium banana, sliced
1 tsp. nutmeg (if tolerated)
1 tsp. cinnamon (if tolerated)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
Almond milk to fill line (unsweetened)- if using a regular blender start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed in order to get proper blending
Nuts (those you can tolerate) as garnish (optional)
Shredded Coconut (without problem ingredients) as garnish (optional)


Directions:

Place all ingredients into the NutriBullet or blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with nuts and coconut if desired.

Ice Tea Float

This sounds so yummy and perfect for a warm summer day! Inspired by a recipe in "Best Places Seattle Cookbook: Recipes from the City's Outstanding Restaurants and Bars." by Kaspar Donier of Seattles Kaspar's. This recipe has also been adapted to made it IC friendly.
From alchemybakingblogspot.com.

Ice Tea Float


For the Sorbet

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups (1 liter and 65 ml.) water
1 1/2 cups (300 g.) sugar
5 - 7 chamomile or peppermint tea bags, depending on how strong it is
juice of one lemon (if tolerated) or use or you can use a little lemon extract, oil, or zest (if tolerated) instead of lemon juice or just omit
a small bunch of fresh mint


For the Liquid Element

Very Cold Unsweetened Iced Tea (chamomile or peppermint) – add fresh mint to this to let it infuse while it cools


Instructions:

To make the sorbet. First make some strong tea by adding the water to a saucepan, then add the sugar and stir it. Almost bring it to a boil. Add the tea bags and mint, and remove the pan from the stove. Cover it and let it steep for 30 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, squeeze out the tea from the bags and discard. Add the lemon juice. Now you can either leave the mint in the sorbet base while it cools, if you want a stronger mint flavor, or you can remove it now. Refrigerate this till it's very cold, at least 4 hours. Now remove the mint if you haven't already. Process the sorbet mixture in the ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions. Freeze mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, first let the sorbet sit out a few minutes until it's soft enough to scoop. Add a few scoops of sorbet to a glass, then fill glass with iced tea and garnish with fresh mint.

You can also serve the sorbet as a refreshing dessert with some tropical fruit if desired.

*IF YOU DON"T HAVE AN ICE CREAM MACHINE, Make an Icy Slushy- Make the sorbet mixture as directed above.

Pour it into a shallow dish in the freezer. Scrape it after it starts to freeze. About 30 minutes later, scrape it again. Keep scraping it every half hour or so till it's icy and frozen. Put this mixture in a glass and add iced tea to it to make an icy slushy.

Guacamole

Guacamole, a dip made from avocados, is originally from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words—ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce).

Did you know that traditional guacamole only has avocado, salt, and a bit of pepper? You do not need to add tomatoes, chili peppers, or onions to enjoy this fantastically healthy dip for tortilla chips! If you want to add a little variety, combine with chopped, sweet red peppers and a spoonful of sour cream. Yum! From icdietproject.com.

The trick to making perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

Guacamole

Here is a simple guacamole recipe that has been adapted to be IC friendly. From simplyrecipes.com.


Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados (if tolerated)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 Tbsp of fresh lime juice or lemon juice (if tolerated) or you can use a little lemon extract, oil, or zest (if tolerated) instead of lemon juice or just omit
2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of thinly sliced green onion or use some onion powder (if tolerated) or omit
2 tablespoons cilantro (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped (if tolerated)
A dash of freshly grated black pepper (if tolerated)

*Serve with tortilla chips without problem ingredients.


Directions:

1. Cut avocado, remove flesh: Cut the avocados in half. Remove seed. Score the inside of the avocado with a blunt knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. (See From How to Cut and Peel an Avocado. Place in a bowl.

2. Mash with a fork: Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don't overdo it! The guacamole should be a little chunky.)

3. Add salt, lime juice, and the rest: Sprinkle with salt and lime (or lemon) juice. The acid in the lime juice will provide some balance to the richness of the avocado and will help delay the avocados from turning brown. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, black pepper. Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.

4. Cover with plastic and chill to store: Place plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole cover it and to prevent air reaching it. (The oxygen in the air causes oxidation which will turn the guacamole brown.) Refrigerate until ready to serve.