Chemo Friendly Big Meals and Entrees
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Our recipes are crafted with the cancer fighter and the most common side-effects in mind. Each one is hand crafted to overcome mouth sores, metallic tastes, nausea, and loss of appetite.
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Baked Mac'N'Cheese
A classic casserole dish from the 1950s. This dish is characterized by it’s ease of preparation and savory, cheesy flavor.
Beef and Broccoli
Beef and Broccoli is a Chinese restaurant classic. Thinly sliced beef, stir fried with broccoli and then topped with a savory brown sauce.
Beef Stroganoff
A hearty egg noodle and gravy dish. Very easy to prepare and an infinite amount of variations. Odds are you have had this at some point in your life, whether in a school cafeteria, a TV dinner, or a high-end restaurant.
Brined and Herb Roasted Turkey
Turkey is the iconic holiday dish. It is most often eaten in accordance with a American Thanksgiving tradition. This recipe includes an extra preparation step referred to as “brining.” The brining process increases the moisture and savoriness of the turkey creating the perfect turkey that is incredibly difficult to overcook.
Chicken Cacciatore
A classic Italian dish. Fairly popular in Italian restaurants until recently when it was disregarded and categorized as old fashioned. It is characterized by chicken breasts covered in tomatoes and veggies then baked in the oven until it is fork tender.
Chicken Pot Pie
This recipe is for what I consider to be the easiest way to make a chicken pot pie. The biscuit dough on top adds a nice deviation from the standard flavorless pie crust and makes it fun to eat. The best thing about this dish is it tastes even better as leftovers.
Chicken Tetrazzini
A delicious if unauthentic American-Italian dish. The highlight of this dish is the excessive use of parmesan and the unashamed use of a generous cream sauce. This dish is another one of my family’s favorite recipes. It was first brought into our family by my grandparents neighborhood gourmet club.
Chicken Tikka Masala
A classic Americanized Indian dish. It is famous for its use of curry, yogurt as a sauce, and delicious vegetables. This version is not very authentic but is made so that the average home cook can get a grasp on the flavors and have a new experience.
Corned Beef and Colcannon
Corned beef and colcannon is a traditional meal eaten in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. This salty, savory dish is highlighted by its use of salted beef, boiled in a pot until tender. While it may be strange for the uninitiated no American-Irish St. Patrick’s Day would be complete without it.
London Broil
A culinary classic. London broil is a specific cut of beef that when done incorrectly is like trying to eat a hockey puck. But when done correctly, it is a tender and flavorful steak and is affordable enough to feed the whole family. The key is to never over cook it and to always cut the steak at a 45-degree angle.
Ma Po Tofu
A spicy authentic Chinese classic. Savory brown sauce with sweet tofu and a mouth numbing spicy finish. This dish uses a unique type of chile that not only is spicy, but is also known for causing numbness. If you love spicy, this dish is for you!
Parmesan Mushroom Marsala Rigatoni
Filling and savory yet light sauce with fun Rigatoni noodles and chicken to round out the dish.
Pasta with Cauliflower
Pasta with Cauliflower is a perfect example of an American-Italian cream sauce pasta. The savory, cheesy sauce covers the noodles and cauliflower perfectly. The best noodles to use are the kinds that will absorb, store, or scoop the sauce. Featured in the picture is Campanelle, but Cavatelli or shells work great too. This savory cheesy pasta is sure to delight, even the pickiest eaters.
Pasta Alla Marco
Pasta alla marco is a fun and sassy pasta dish that adds variety to everyday pasta. Its bright color and fun textures make eating pasta fun and delicious.
Peperonata with Pasta
A classic southern Italian dish. Peperonata is a stew made with peppers, onions, and tomatoes. But it can be used as a perfectly savory, spicy, and sweet pasta sauce. When served over pasta, Peperonata becomes your new favorite dish!
Pork Loin with Orange Sauce
A surprisingly wonderful combination. The unique flavor of the pork combined with the natural sweetness of the oranges highlights the naturally sweet and savory character of the pork, creating a surprisingly light and delicious meal.
Pork Scaloppine
Pork scaloppine, also known as escalopes or fritter, is a classic ingredient in many Italian dishes including, but not limited to, pork parmesan, pork marsala, and pork saltimboca. It is characterized by a thin piece of pork loin that has been butterflied, beat with a mallet, breaded, and deep fried or pan fried. This should always be served with a sauce as the pork itself is fairly boring and is the featured ingredient in my pork marsala recipe. I prefer to use the pork over the chicken as it has a more distinctive savory flavor and adds more character. Especially when paired with marsala wine sauce.
Shrimp Scampi
To me, the name of this dish sounds like something sketchy that a mobster would do to you. I don’t completely understand the association, but I’ve felt like that for a long time. Shrimp Scampi is known for its use of delicate angel hair pasta tossed in a delicious olive oil and sun dried tomato sauce. When the shrimp, spinach, lemon and Parmesan comes into play, it becomes a bold yet delicate masterpiece.
Spaghetti Alla Bolognese
Very simply translated: spaghetti in the style of the Bolognese. The Bolognese are famous for their meat sauce. And it is fabulous over spaghetti.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
What would a cookbook be without a decent recipe for spaghetti and meatballs? My father-in-law, Tony’s favorite recipe. When he first had this dish, he was immediately transported back to his childhood. Growing up in an Italian family, he immediately declared that Me Maw would be very proud! This is also one of my mom’s favorite dishes and something she asked for weekly when she was going through chemo treatments. Jarred Sauce? FAH’ GET’ ABOUT IT! (Throw up hands in the air!) Don’t be chintzy! Make my marinara recipe in this book! Take the time and do it right!
Spaghetti Carbonara
A classic Italian favorite. This dish has been Americanized by utilizing bacon (smoked cured pork belly) instead of pancetta (unsmoked pork belly) or guanciale (pork jowl), as would be used traditionally in Italy. This dish is a favorite in both America and Italy. And like all true Italian dishes, its brilliance is only matched by its simplicity. The single most difficult part of this dish is ensuring that the heat from the noodles cooks the egg sauce, not the heat from the pan. If done correctly, the egg sauce will bake into the noodles, trapping the pepper and the cheese against the noodle and leaving a dry, baked-on sauce.