i did put a sticky at the top of this forum for people to place their soft food recepies in. you can put anything in the blender. I would cook as you normally do and then blend it.

Yes, I look forward to seeing any posts there.

But another reason for this post is that I am curious about salads. I eat a Romaine salad every week or two. Is it bad to eat them?

No its not bad to eat them. It may be a little tought to chew but that would be good exercise for your jaw. If its too tough yo may want to consider getting a juier or blending your salads into a smoothie. Salad is very good for you and if I were you Id continue to eat them as much as possible.

You can also do a "chop salad" and chop up all sorts of veggies really fine. It is still a little bit of work to chew, but it digests easier and you can even add in grated and chopped carrot. It isn't the prettiest salad, but I first had it at a really good restaurant.

yeah htats a good idea. i should get a food processor.

WOW 35MM! On a good day I can get 22! Ok, sorry I know 35 still isn't great. I eat VERY healthy, so I had a hard time finding recipes that were soft/liquid, but me wanting to go to culinary school next year helped me hugely because I read through every cookbook in my library and came up with a few soup/smoothie recipes. I know the smoothies seem strange because they have leafy-greens in them, but if you balance the ingredients right you can't actually taste the bitterness, but it cuts the sweet a bit which is nice.
These smoothies could easily be doubled if you are hungry enough (and when you've got TMJ - who isnt?!)

Also, I usually eat a tablespoon or 2 of peanut butter (only fresh-ground or 'natural') with my smoothies to boost the protein, vitamins, and calories.

Avocado Pineapple Smoothie

1/2 Avocado
3/4 Cup Frozen pineapple chunks
pinch dried unsweetened coconut
huge handful baby spinach leaves
1/2 - 3/4 cup water

blend well in blender and slurp!
** About 250 calories **

Yummy Green Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
5 large romaine leaves or 2 handfuls
1/2 - 3/4 cup water

blend well in blender and drink!
**about 200 calories**

BANANA CRANBERRY CREAM SMOOTHIE

2 bananas
2 sprinkles cinnamon
1 teaspoon non-alcohol vanilla extract
1/2 cl of hulled pumpkin seeds
a few pecans (I used about 4 halves)
½ cup fresh cranberries or more to taste
water to desired consistency

Blend seeds/nuts first to create powder, then blend everything else together.
** about 450 calories **


CHICKPEA SOUP
1 can chickpeas
• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 2 carrots- chopped
• 2 sticks celery -chopped
• 1 can reduced salt chopped tomatoes
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 Cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 or 2 red chillies – deseeded and chopped (optional)
• olive oil – 1 to 2 tbsp
• 4 cups of organic vegetable stock
• 1.5 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1.5 teaspoon cumin

Fry the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in oil until just starting to softened. Next add the coriander, cumin and chillies (if using) cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for about 30min until the vegetables are cooked through.
Next add the chickpeas and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes.
(DEPENDING ON YOUR LEVEL OF CHEWABILITY - puree in blender for a thick & creamy soup or leave alone. Chickpeas are pretty easy to chew but I do have my bad days).

great---could you also put this in the sticky about tips etc? that way it will stay there and we wont have to dig for the post:)