Pureed food -- good ideas?

My dad had a stroke and could only eat pureed food. I took some beef wellington with beef stock and he loved it. It may not look gorgeous but the flavor was such a treat. Vicchysoise is also a great different taste that has some substance. My mom made egg custard that was a little lighter than flan and could be melted in the mouth.

A lot of Indian lentil or vegetable dishes are very close to a puree already, so would probably still be quite good if thinned and pureed enough to go through a straw.

A very runny chia pudding could probably be sipped through a large straw, and the chia seeds would provide some texture without actually requiring chewing.

Also, the pureed soups that are most common in the US are pretty mild in flavor. If this is mostly the type of soup your friend has been eating, he might enjoy spicier and more strongly flavored soups like an Indian rasam, a pureed form of a Thai coconut or hot and sour soup, Egyptian red lentil soup, etc.

You still need pure that is thin enough to go through a straw. I think that if you use kefir as a base and add veggies, protein and herbs/spices, you can go a long way. It might look and feel like a smoothie, bit it can taste quite different. Think kefir + roasted pepper + a touch of garlic and habanero, kefir + salmon (or chicken) + onions sauteed in curry, kefir + ham + peas...

Have you tried pureed cauliflower with a little cream and Parmesan cheese? Or a squash or asparagus soup? Or cold pureed borscht with a little yogurt? The problem with a lot of things that can be eaten through straws is that they aren't terribly filling, except for maybe milkshakes. What types of foods does he like?

My husband had to have his jaw wired shut and he blended all sorts of regular meals. One favorite was mac 'n' cheese and I recall he also pureed a whole cheeseburger. Creamed spinach was also good. He was so happy to eat something other than smoothies and had no qualms about blending sandwiches with milk. I suppose you just need to eat it all luke warm so as not to get burned through the straw!