My mom's closest cousin recently had his 2nd, 3rd and 4th strokes, and was depressed that he was now on an ultra-low sodium diet...in conjunction with the diet for his diabetes. He's been many things in his life, including a top-notch cook with a restaurant in New Orleans, but his new limitations have left him adrift at sea.
However, I'm on the same sodium intake as he is...and my mom has the same diabetes control restrictions. And I do most of the cooking in the family now, so I knew I could help.
So this Easter, we didn't exactly have our traditional creole Easter feast- mainly because he couldn't cook the crawfish- so it was my turn to prepare the meal.
I baked chicken wings & thighs with a mixture of lemon, dry white wine, unsalted butter and a host of spices; green beans with tomatoes & onions, cajun potatoes & corn, and a cherry pie blitz- all zero or reduced sodium. My aunt brought a reduced-sodium ham and made some reduced sodium Mac & cheese.
He not only enjoyed his meal, he left with a biiiiiig doggie bag. So sometime in the next few weeks, I'll be going over to his house to start helping him adjust his ingredients & recipes to his new reality.
The man has been one of my most important tutors in the culinary arts- second only to my mom- so being able to teach him something for a change was rewarding in the sense of repaying a debt, or reaching a goal he thought I could reach. It felt good.