Lifestyle

Dialysis diet cooking with Katie Lee Joel

Celebrity Chef Katie Lee Joel loves to cook, loves to write about cooking and comes from a family that loves to eat good cooking. When her grandfather was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease brought about by high blood pressure, cooking became a challenge. For a family that loves to eat — to the point that the conversation around the dinner table is what will be served at the next meal —the restrictions on the dialysis diet made many of the Southern-style foods the family enjoyed off-limits for her grandfather. Katie and her grandmother spent time in the kitchen coming up with low sodium, low phosphorus and low potassium alternatives of some of their favorite recipes.

Once Katie became aware of chronic kidney disease and the restrictions on the dialysis diet, she wanted to help others. For two years in a row Katie has offered her kidney-friendly recipes to Shire Pharmaceutical’s Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods cookbook. Katie says, “"I know how difficult managing kidney disease can be, which is why I was so excited to contribute my recipes to Shire's new edition of the Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods cookbook."

Katie recalls that when her grandfather was diagnosed with kidney failure, the family was concerned about his health, yet her grandfather was more concerned about the food restrictions on the dialysis diet. With her knowledge of food and flavors she got creative in the kitchen to lower phosphorus, potassium and sodium, while keeping meals flavorful. “With all of the other restrictions kidney disease placed on his life, I knew we had to find a way for my grandfather to still enjoy his meals. He needed to feel comforted by food and at the same time be nourished and maintain a diet that would support his health,” states Katie.

In addition to creating kidney-friendly recipes, the West Virginia native is working on a cookbook to be published by Simon and Schuster in 2008. Her cookbook will feature her family’s recipes that call for seasonal ingredients. Katie grew up appreciating foods prepared with simple, fresh ingredients. She even maintains a garden in the summertime to have fresh vegetables for her favorite recipes. Katie believes everyone should be aware of the foods they eat and calls it “conscious consumption.” In 2005, Katie co-created the website www.oliveandpeach.com with partner Aleishall Girard around the philosophy of conscious consumption. Katie says, “If you are what you eat then you should know what you are eating.”

Writing cookbooks and creating recipes aren’t the only activities that keep Katie busy. She is a special correspondent for Extra and a contributing editor to Gotham magazine. She also has a culinary and lifestyle column, Katie’s Kitchen, published weekly in Hamptons, a sister publication of Gotham. Katie was the host of Bravo’s Top Chef in its first season. She has also appeared on Martha Stewart, Today, Access Hollywood, CBS Early Show, Fox News, E! News Daily, Fine Living’s Pairings and has been featured in publications including People, In Style, Celebrity Living, NY Dog, Life and Style and Hamptons Style.

Katie is proud to be a sit on the council of Chefs for Humanity, a group that provides humanitarian aid worldwide. She is also a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an organization that educates and mentors women in the culinary profession.

In 2004, Katie married singer, pianist, songwriter, Billy Joel at their home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The couple now lives in the New York area.

With her busy schedule, Katie still finds time to do cooking demonstrations with Shire Pharmaceuticals. “Last year, I attended the American Association of Kidney Patients annual convention in Orlando, Florida, where I met many incredible people who openly shared their stories and listened to mine. Many of the people told me they had diabetes in addition to kidney disease, which made it even harder for them to find tasty and healthy meals. I want to show patients that cooking kidney- and diabetes-friendly foods is not a sentence to boring food, it just means being creative and making some adjustments."

Katie shares two of her dialysis-diet recipes here: Turkey Meatloaf, which she says is a favorite of her husband’s, and Apple Cobbler. Katie enjoys attending events and doing cooking demonstrations of her renal-friendly foods. She says, “My grandfather has since passed, and sharing these recipes is a way to honor his memory.”

Katie hopes people of dialysis enjoy her recipes. Click the link to get your copy of Shire Pharmaceutical’s 2007 cookbook Kidney Friendly Comfort Foods: Eating Well for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients, Including Those with Diabetes.

Katie will be in Houston, Texas on Saturday, December 8 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Houston Downtown. Call 1-877-601-8016 to register. Attendees will watch Katie prepare her kidney-friendly foods and receive lunch featuring the recipes being prepared.

Turkey Meatloaf

Recipe created by celebrity chef Katie Lee Joel.

Portions: 6

Serving size: 2 slices

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup low-sodium ketchup

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Heat olive oil in medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add onions and bell peppers and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add thyme and bay leaf. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaf, then set aside onion mixture and let cool to room temperature.
5. In a medium bowl, mix turkey, bread crumbs, eggs Worcestershire sauce and onion mixture until well blended.
6. Put turkey mixture into a loaf pan. Top with ketchup.
7. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until the meatloaf reaches 160° F.

Nutrients per serving

• Calories: 252
• Protein: 23 g
• Carbohydrate: 9 g
• Fat: 13 g
• Cholesterol: 160 mg
• Sodium: 232 mg
• Potassium: 428 mg
• Phosphorus: 232 mg
• Calcium: 48 mg
• Fiber: 0.1 g

Apple Cobbler

Recipe created by celebrity chef Katie Lee Joel.

Portions: 6

Serving size: 1/6 of cobbler

Ingredients

• 4 cups apples, sliced and peeled
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter substitute (such as Smart Balance®) softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water, boiling

Preparation

Nutrients per serving

• Calories: 405
• Protein: 3 g
• Carbohydrate: 84 g
• Fat: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 2 mg
• Sodium: 111 mg
• Potassium: 162 mg
• Phosphorus: 61 mg
• Calcium: 56 mg
• Fiber: 4.0 g