Kabocha

Clean and scrub.

Microwave for 1-2 minutes to soften the skin and make the squash easier to cut.

Cut in half, scoop out the seeds.

Cut into 1-inch chunks.

Toss with kosher salt, neutral oil, pepper.

Roast at 425F for 15-20 minutes.

RetroArch

Installing and configuring RetroArch in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, running on a Lenovo X220.

Fresh install of Ubuntu comes with RetroArch, but I couldn't find the cores. There may have been easy fix (Settings > User Interface > Menu Item Visibility > Show 'Core Downloader') but I've already changed too much, and I don't feel like doing another fresh install to try. 

Snap package could not play in-game audio, possibly because of sand-boxing. Do not bother with snap package.

Installed the PPA from github:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libretro/stable && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install retroarch

Had to modify the config (vi ~/.config/retroarch.cfg) so that

libretro_directory = "~/.config/retroarch/cores"

libretro_info_path = "~/.config/retroarch/cores/info"

And create the info directory (the cores directory already existed)

Start (or restart) RetroArch. Now Main > Online Updater > Core Downloader should be visible, but don't click it yet. First choose

• Update Core Info Files
• Update Controller Profiles
• Update Cheats
• Update Databases
• Update Overlays
• Update GLSL Shaders

Do one at a time, don't rush.

Then choose Core Downloader and you should be able to find e.g. mGBA, melonDS DS, and so on in the list.

Transfer ROMs over to e.g. ~/roms/gba and ~/roms/nds directories, using scp for example.

Then scan for them: "+" symbol > Scan Directory > roms/gba or roms/nds or even just roms.

If everything was setup correctly, the main menu bar should have a GBA icon or an NDS icon. If not, check the cores can be loaded. 

FWIW, "pulse" was the default sound driver, there was stuttering in Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA). The "alsa" driver should be better (it was).

RetroArch controls

• F1 quits the game 
• Pressing ESC twice quits RetroArch
• Navigating the menu using the keyboard: Backspace goes up a level, arrow keys up and down menu, ENTER to dive into a menu item.

Things I tried that didn't work

• The Lakka distro wraps RetroArch in LibreElec. Nice, but could not get the x220 to display externally, and sound buttons did not change sound volume.

Chicken curry fried rice

 Ingredients (feel free to add, subtract, or adjust amounts)

• have ready 500g previously cooked jasmine rice
• if freshly made, spread on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more
• 1 skinless boneless chicken thigh (approximately 185g), cut into small pieces
• marinade the chicken with 1/2tsp chicken bouillon powder, then a tsp of oil
• if you want to velvet the chicken, add the bouillon powder, an equal amount of cornstarch, then 1 tsp of water. Mix, add the oil, and mix again.

Prepare in separate bowls

• 180g frozen corn
• 100g frozen peas
• 110g carrot, diced to be the same size as the corn and peas
• 1/2 medium sized onion, diced (approximately 85g)
• 1 sweet pepper, diced (approximately 115g)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, or as much as you like

(Looking at the above again, it's pretty clear it's roughly equal weights of each of the veggies, except for corn which 2x, and garlic, which is whatever you want. Dollars to donuts the volumes are roughly the same. If you don't have a scale, it's about a cup of each.)

Unless you have a big wok and a hot stove, have a large bowl to hold ingredients after they have been cooked.

Stir fry the chicken and set aside.

Stir fry the onions and carrots until the carrots are almost sufficiently tender. I don't like crunchy carrots, so I add a bit of water cover, lower the heat a bit, and let steam for 2-3 minutes. This also deglazes the wok.

Add the frozen corn and bring everything back up to a sizzle. Add the peas and bring everything back up to sizzle again. Add the sweet peppers and cook the veggies until the peppers have the right amount of crunch. I like crunchy peppers. Cook the veggies in any order you like to get the results you want. Dry out any excess liquid, and set aside e.g. in the same bowl as the chicken.

Rinse the wok to get rid of sugars introduced by the veggies and dry with paper towel. Reheat the wok to medium-high. Add 2-3 tsp oil and briefly fry the garlic. Add the rice in 2-3 portions, stirring it together with the garlic. Continue to stir-fry the rice until it has dried out a bit e.g. there is some crackling or browning. Add S&B curry powder 1 tablespoon at a time and stir-fry until the rice tastes right. Carefully introduce 1/3 to 1/2 cup water along the edges of wok (as opposed to pouring it directly into the rice) in small amounts. Stir-fry the rice between additions. The water helps dissolve the curry powder and lets it be absorbed by the rice. Add the least possible amount of water. Keep in mind the veggies and chicken will probably have some juices too.

Raise the heat and add the veggies and chicken to the curried rice. Stir fry the combination a few minutes to reheat and blend. Add more curry powder if you like.

For a protein boost, serve with chopped peanuts.

To brighten the flavours, serve with a squeeze of lime.

Inspired by this recipe:

• https://cookingformysoul.com/curry-fried-rice/

I did not include egg to avoid raising the protein levels.

I am aiming for low-sodium, but feel free to add salt to the chicken marinade, and to the final product.

Chicken and Ginger Congee

• 1-inch piece of ginger (or less), julienned
• 2 stalks green onions for garnish
• 300g skinless chicken breast, sliced 3-5 mm thick (your choice)
• I think this recipe would work with 200 to 250g chicken breast
• adjust protein per serving
• marinade chicken breast with:
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp low-sodium oyster sauce 
• 1 tsp low-sodium chicken powder
• 2 tbsp water
• massage above into the sliced chicken breast, then add
• 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil and massage again to blend in
• let marinade 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rice
• wash 3/4 cup jasmine rice
• bring 8 cups water to boil
• add the rice, return to boil
• lower heat to medium-low
• loosely cover to avoid boiling over
• cook this way for 30 minutes. Do not stir.
• once time is up, whisk the porridge for 3-5 minutes until the rice has broken up
• add the chicken gradually so they don't stick together
• cook another 2-3 minutes until the chicken is done

Amateur attempt at nutrition facts:

• 300g raw skinless chicken breast provides 60-93g protein. Let's go with 76g protein.
• 1 tbsp Wan Ja Shan vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce: 550mg sodium
• 1 tsp Lee Kum Kee premium bouillon powder flavoured with chicken: 810mg sodium
• Yields about 1800g congee, makes 4 servings
• So about 75g chicken slices per serving, add congee until scale reads 450g.
• Each serving: 19g protein, 340mg sodium

Kiddo requested less ginger, so I added half to the pot and set aside the rest as garnish.

Added a lap cheong sausage for the kiddo. Each one weighs 46g, contains 7g protein and 370mg sodium. If it's cut into 11 slices, each slice 33mg Na. Ignore the protein.

Source:

• Kidney-Friendly Chicken and Ginger Congee
• Chicken Congee (鸡粥) | Made With Lau 

Beef and Macaroni

This is the 1/2 recipe of https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/262326/a-minnesotans-beef-and-macaroni-hotdish/, makes 3 servings.

• ½ pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• ¼ large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• ¼ large onion, chopped
• ½ (16 ounce) can tomato sauce (e.g. Hunts)
• ½ pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce (substitute with coconut aminos if aiming for low-sodium)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅜ teaspoon dried basil
• ⅜ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (omitted)
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup beef broth (or just use water)

Brown the beef, break it up, drain excess fat, and set aside.

In the same pan, sauté the uncooked macaroni, peppers, and onions for 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, ground beef, and the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the skillet and burn. Add more water or broth if needed. When the macaroni is tender, remove the lid and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened. Optional: top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Amateur attempt at nutrition facts:

• 8 ounces raw extra lean ground beef: 48-52g protein, 145mg purines, 71-150mg sodium
• 1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni: 7g protein
• 8 oz Hunt's tomato sauce: 310mg sodium
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce: 56mg sodium
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce: 710mg per tbsp, so divide by 6 gives 118mg sodium
• have not counted sodium or protein content of other ingredients

If it makes 3 servings, each serving contains:

• 18-20g protein
• 48mg purines (converts to 96mg uric acid)
• 185-211mg sodium

According to Google AI, the human body typically converts purines into twice their weight in uric acid.

If a low-purine diet is less than 100mg purines per day, one serving represents half that.

Stuffed Peppers

• 4 red, green or yellow bell peppers
• 1 cup cooked white rice or couscous
• 2 cups cooked ground beef (or try using any chopped meat)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1/2 cup no salt added chicken stock
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1 peeled, diced tomato, or about 1 cup crushed / diced tomatoes
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Slice off tops of bell peppers, remove seeds and discard. Chop up the bell pepper tops and place into a large bowl. Add rice or couscous, chopped meat, dried basil, parsley, chicken stock and red onions. Toss to combine and season with fresh pepper. Stuff each pepper with filling, sprinkle with parmesan and place in a square baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender.

My notes: did not have parsley, substituted dried oregano. Really, any seasoning would probably work. Since the filling is already cooked, taste and adjust, e.g. with Mrs Dash. Did not use parmesan cheese. Instead, pulled them out after 30 minutes and topped with shredded cheddar and a bit of panko. Broil for a few minutes at the end to brown the panko and cheese topping (watch carefully).

Amateur attempt at nutrition facts:

• 2 cups cooked extra lean ground beef weighs about 8 ounces or 246g
• 23g protein
• 157mg purines
• 1 cup cooked white rice: 4-5g protein

If the above makes 4 servings, each serving:

• 7g protein
• 39mg purines

Source: https://www.kidneycommunitykitchen.ca/dietitians-blog/portions-matter/

Tahini and Hummus

Tahini

Toast 1 cup hulled sesame seeds in a dry skillet (e.g. the 10" cast iron one) until light brown. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Let cool for a few minutes, e.g. in a metal mixing bowl. Process in a food processor until crumbly. Add 2 tbsp of neutral oil (light olive, avocado, or sesame) and process another 2-4 minutes. Add a bit more oil, 1/2 tbsp at a time, if necessary, until the paste starts to fold over so the blades can chop it. A pinch of salt of desired, to taste.

Source: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/26901/easy-tahini-recipe/

Hummus 

Have ready 250g cooked chickpeas, well drained. 

Add to food processor big bowl: 1/4 cup tahini and 1/4 cup lemon juice (approx 1 lemon). Process for 10 seconds (they say 30), scrape down the sides, process for another 10 seconds (again they say 30). Apparently this helps "whip" or "cream" the tahini. Update I'm not entirely sure this step is necessary or does what it claims to do. With our food processor, this "whipping" step throws a lot of the ingredients up onto the bottom of the lid, which requires careful scraping. Might be a waste of time. Why not add the tahini, lemon juice, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and half of the chickpeas, and then blitz it? Maybe I'll try that next time.

Be careful not to nick the spatula on the food processor's blade.

Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove mince garlic, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp of table salt. Whip it again with the food processor for 30 seconds or so. Scrape down the sides and bottom, and whip it again for 30 seconds.  

Add 1/2 of the chickpeas and process for 1 minute. Add the remaining chickpeas and process for 2 minutes, scraping periodically. Another friendly reminder not to nick the spatula on the blade.

The hummus will likely be thick and have tiny bits of chickpeas. Either gradually add 2-3 tbsp of cold water and continue processing, or add 1-2 ice cubes. I like using the ice cubes because they stir things up in the bowl. Also, they cool things down, which might help balance the heat being added by the processing. Do the above until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust as needed.

This should all fit in a 500ml mason jar. Serve with a thin layer of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika, sumac, or za'atar.

Source: also Inspired Taste

Naan bread (low sodium)

Add to the bowl of a stand mixer:

• 2 cups flour (whole grain, bread, whatever you got)
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp ground white pepper (skipped this time b/c kids)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (aka garlic granules)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (bottled was ok, fresh is probably preferred)
• 2 tsp olive oil (light is fine, EVOO is probably wasted here b/c cooking over hight heat)
• 1 cup warm water (mine was around 38C, ideal is 41-46C)

Stir that around with the dough hook on medium until it starts to form a dough. Lower the speed a notch, and add flour 1 tbsp at a time until the dough comes away from the sides. Knead with the machine for 5 minutes, or 10 minutes if by hand. Place the dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl, and cover. Let rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 8 balls, cover with mixing bowls, towel, or whatever, and let rest again for 10 minutes give or take.

Heat a cast iron pan to 450F or slightly higher, maybe 475. Do not add oil to the pan. It should be dry.

On a well-floured surface, and with a well-floured short rolling pin (dowel), flatten the ball into a disk roughly 6-8 inches in diameter. Gently knock off any excess flour by passing the disk between your hands, flap, flap, flap. Flop the disk into the hot pan, and let it cook 1-2 minutes until it is puffed up and has nice brown spots. Flip it over, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the colouring is what you want. Remove and put onto a plate for immediate consumption, or onto a cooling rack.

After each patty, wipe any flour out of the hot pan, so it doesn't burn and affect the next slice of naan bread.

Source: https://www.cukebook.org/recipes/low-sodium-flatbread-recipe/