My first cooked dinner!!

I have been so desperate to find a meal I can indulge in.  I want to cook.  I want to enjoy the fresh veggies of the season and I want to eat.....not drink my meals.  Here is my first "cooked" meal of my journey!!

Panko Fried Tofu:  (click the title for the recipe).  I only made 8 small squares of this dish.  Not the whole block of tofu.  I mixed garlic salt, cayene pepper and cumin in with the panko crumbs.  I didn't use chili sauce like the recipe calls for.  Instead I just dipped the tofu cubes in egg (more protein!!) first then the mixture.  Lightly fried in a pan.  I ate half (4 cubes).  Did not dip it in anything.  Enjoyed the flavor as is.  Was so yummy. I did REALLY well eating this.  No pain, discomfort etc. 


My side dish tonight was Low-Carb Squash Casserole.  I made several changes to this recipe and it was PEFECT for me!  I cooked the squash, diced onion and chopped garlic down to a soft state. (I had tried steamed squash earlier this week and it HURT to swallow).  Chopped it all up while warm in the pan.  In a bowl I mixed 1 egg, GREEK YOGURT (not mayo) and lower fat/2% shredded cheese.  Low fat cheese would do great in this dish. Mixed all of it together in a baking dish and added some garlic salt and pepper.  Baked as indicated in the recipe.  It was FABULOUS.  Using the greek yogurt instead of the mayo the recipe called for made this dish even healthier and with A LOT of protein (eggs, cheese, and greek yogurt).   The greek yogurt really made this dish so creamy.  I am not a big mayo fan anyway and the thought of baking mayo makes me want to gag.

I nibbled on the tofu while the squash casserole cooked.  Made it easy to eat slowly and spread it out over time.  Everything went "down" nicely and I was quite satisfied.  So much protein tonight and a lot of leftovers!!   I cooked and ate my first post-op meal!!  Rock on!!