BRACES-FRIENDLY RECIPES
Orthodontic patients may enjoy a variety of healthy food options, from main dishes to side dishes to snacks and desserts. A healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps the patient achieve the best possible results from orthodontic treatment. Here are some recipes to help you prepare braces-friendly foods for the orthodontic patients in your life.

Submit your own braces-friendly recipe! Send to info@aaortho.org. Please include your name and be clear as to whether the recipe is a Main Dish, a Side Dish or a Dessert.
Pasta Pomodorini
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Pasta Pomodorini
Ingredients
  • ¾ pound spaghetti or spaghetti
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • ¼ cup sliced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon finely minced Calabrian chilies, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 pint small cherry tomatoes, stems removed, crushed between your thumb and forefinger
  • Sea salt, preferably gray salt
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, each torn into 2 or 3 pieces
  • Wedge of Parmesan cheese
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook until the slivers are golden brown and crisp, then add the chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Simmer briskly to soften the tomatoes and thicken the juices, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the warm pot off the heat. Add the sauce and the basil and mix well. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and grate Parmesan over the top to taste. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Provided by Michael Chiarello of the Food Network
Baked Ham N’Egg Hash Browns
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Ingredients
  • 3 cups frozen shredded hash-brown potatoes, uncooked
  • ¾ shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup diced cooked ham or shredded deli ham
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart casserole. Spoon shredded potatoes on the bottom, top with the cheese and ham. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, evaporated milk and salt. Pour egg mixture over ham mixture in casserole. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350°; if chilled, bake 55-60 minutes. Let stand five minutes before serving. Makes about six servings.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Red Beans and Rice
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Ingredients
  • 3 ½ cups water (total)
  • 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
  • ½ cup onion or 2 Tablespoons dried onion
  • ¾ cup chopped green pepper (or any sweet bell pepper)
  • ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dry long-grained rice
  • (optional: 2 teaspoons dried basil or 6 crushed basil leaves)
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups only of the water with the beans, onion, bell pepper, garlic and oregano. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add salt, optional basil and remaining 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil again, then lower the heat to simmer and stir in the rice. Cook for 20 minutes, or to your favorite level of softness. Makes about six to eight servings.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Best Baked Spaghetti
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped or 1 Tablespoon dried onion
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
  • ½ cup Burgundy or merlot wine (Burgundy gives a deeper flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup grated American cheese, about 4 slices, or ½ cup grated mild cheddar cheese
  • ½ lb. dry spaghetti, broken in half
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large no-stick frying pan or Dutch over, sauté meat, onion and garlic. Add tomato sauce, wine, oregano, sugar and salt. Simmer, cover, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (It really makes a difference if you can take this amount of time! Otherwise 20 minutes will serve to heat everything.) Cook spaghetti and drain. Put half the spaghetti in a greased 3-quart casserole, and then add half the sauce and ¼ cup of the grated cheese. Add the remaining spaghetti and sauce, and stir everything with a large spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Best if baked for 45 minutes at 350°. Makes about six to eight servings.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Soy Simmered Chicken Wraps
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Ingredients
  • 3 boneless chicken breast halves
  • 2 large onions, chunked
  • Small flour tortillas (pkg. of ten) wheat or white
  • (optional: 10-16 oz. of cooked chopped broccoli)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 Tablespoons peach or apricot jam
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Directions
In a slow cooker, or a large pan on the stove, layer the onions and the chicken breast. Allow at least three hours in the slow cooker on medium, or at least one hour on the stove---the longer the better, but you don’t have to do anything to it while it cooks. Spoon out the chicken onto a cutting board, and with a knife and fork, shred the chicken as finely as you’d like. In a small saucepan, stir all sauce ingredients together over medium heat until the mixture starts bubbling, then let it simmer for five minutes on low heat to thicken. In a serving bowl, stir sauce and onion into chicken; if you’d like, add cooked chopped broccoli. Makes about six to eight servings.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Three-Cheese Macaroni Extravaganza
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
  • Water for boiling noodles
  • (optional: 1 or 2 onions, chopped)
  • (optional: 1 to 2 Tablespoons margarine for sautéing onions)
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but the canned type works too)
  • ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1½ cups milk
  • ½ cup bread crumbs or dry stove-top stuffing
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium pot, boil macaroni in water until you can just cut it with the side of a fork; drain and set aside. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions in the margarine until they are clear and tender. In a 3-quart greased casserole, stir together the macaroni and milk. Sprinkle with the cheeses and onion, then stir it all together. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Cover and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves six to eight.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Apple Bombolini
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Apple Bobomloni
Ingredients
Rustic Dough*:
  • 9 ounces cake flour (about 3 cups)
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into large pieces
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon cold water
Apple Sauce Filling:
  • 4 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
Diced Apples:
  • 4 Granny Smith apples
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
Directions

For the dough*: In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, add the dry ingredients and mix for 5 seconds to blend. Add the butter and vanilla and mix until the butter is about the size of peas. Add the cold water and blend until the dough just comes together. Form the dough into a roughly shaped ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Applesauce filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples. Put the apples with the rest of the ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and cook until the apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and refrigerate.

Diced apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into large slices. Toss with the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and set aside.

Assemble the bomboloni: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll out to1/4-inch thick round. Cut into 6-inch rounds. Place about 1/4 cup of the Apple Sauce Filling onto the center of each round. Top with a few pieces of the Diced Apples. Pull the sides up towards the center to form a bundle, pinching the dough together towards top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking

Bake the bombolonis: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the bombolonis from the refrigerator and place them on a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

*Time Saving Step: Use store-bought pie crust

Makes 5 servings.
Provided by Michael Chiarello of the Food Network
Twisty Soft Pretzels
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Ingredients
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • ½ envelope yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Pinches of salt or cinnamon-sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. In a small bowl, stir together warm water, yeast and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, mix salt and flour with a large spoon. After 5 minutes, stir yeast mix into flour mix. With well-floured hands, shape dough into 6-inch rods, initials, animals or traditional twisted pretzel shapes. Brush them with the beaten egg and place on a greased cookie sheet. If desired, sprinkle them with extra salt or cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 12 minutes at 425°.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Sensational Cinnamon Snickerdoodles
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on low to combine the shortening, 1 ½ cups sugar and eggs. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. In a separate, small bowl, stir together the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to use later. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour. With well-floured hands, pinch bits of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar until coated. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8 to 10 minutes at 400°, being careful not to over bake. Makes about five dozen. Store in a covered container.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Pumpkin Cake
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Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
  • 1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of nutmeg
  • ¼ cup water (add 2 tbl. of water if eggs are small)
Directions
Put cake mix in a large bowl. Make an indentation in the center and pour in the oil and one egg. Mix using mixer at medium speed, then add the rest of the eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add pumpkin, sugar, spices, then water. Bake in greased and floured tube pan in 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes. Cool before removing from pan. Makes a moist and delicious cake—no frosting required.
Recipe courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontists
Apple (NOT TOO) Crisp
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Ingredients
  • 4 cups (about 8 large apples) peeled, coarsely sliced apples (MacIntosh and Rome apples work well; avoid Delicious apples)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup margarine, chopped into small bits
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a 9”X13” pan, spread sliced apples. Sprinkle with the water and cinnamon. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and margarine with a pastry cutter or fork, until mixture becomes fine crumbs. Sprinkle crumb topping over apples. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350°. Cover with foil while warm to soften topping. Makes about eight servings.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Quick Cake-Mix Cookies
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Ingredients
  • 1 box cake mix (Any flavor, the size it takes to make two 9” rounds)
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients using an electric mixer until well blended and creamy (about 1 minute). Using a tablespoon, drop onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes at 350°. Makes about 4 dozen. Store in a covered container.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
Lime-Graham Cheesecake Nibbles
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Ingredients
Crust:
  • 1½ cups graham-cracker crumbs (about 9 double-square crackers, crushed)
  • 3 Tablespoons margarine, melted
  • – or –
  • 1½ cups gingersnap crumbs (about 24 to 30 gingersnap cookies, crushed)
  • 3 Tablespoons margarine, melted
Filling:
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 3 drops green food coloring
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Line two muffin tins with 24 cupcake papers. In a medium bowl, stir together the crumbs and margarine. Spoon 1 Tablespoon of the crumb mixture into each paper. Press down the mixture firmly with the bottom of a small juice glass. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together egg whites and the salt until the mixture forms soft peaks. Set aside. In a large bowl, use the mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar, food coloring, lime juice and flour, until fluffy. Add the yolks until well mixed, then use a spoon to fold in the whites. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the lime mixture into each paper. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool on the counter for 20 minutes, then keep refrigerated. Makes two dozen.
From “The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You and Your Orthodontist Will Love” by Pamela and Brenda Waterman. www.bracescookbook.com
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