Luxurious eating with nothing fun added.
January 31, 2018 6:29 AM Subscribe
I'm a mom of children with severe food allergies, and as they get older and reject more offerings, I'm having a hard time finding ways of keeping myself interested in the process. Can you recommend superlative eating experinces (meals, recipes) that don't include milk, eggs, wheat, or nuts?
Before having kids, I struggled with mild eating disorders. My "natural" eating state is "will eat when interested, will always overeat when sugar". I am having a hard time coming up with new stuff for my kids to try that I will eat as well - as a result, I'm not getting enough calories every day, and my kids are subsisting on a diet of allergen-free convenience foods - which is leading to new forms of pickiness even though they're no longer toddlers.
Our best successes: sheet pan suppers with rotisserie chicken and roasted broccoli. Green beans and corn are still a-ok with them. They will no longer eat nuggets (probably because I've made a real effort to keep wheat out of the house since our last round of allergy tests in October, so they aren't fond of the gluten-free nuggets I've been getting). Basically, our dinners are some kind of meat, roasted vegetables, and fresh fruit. Honestly not bad from a nutritional standpoint, and I generally eat these dinners happily.
We commute to school and since wheat is off the table my fallback breakfasts of muffins, pancakes, and other grain-based baked goods eaten in the car are no longer in play. The safest breakfast is dry flavored Cheerios and bananas. My youngest is refusing to eat the bananas and we are running out of Cheerio flavors to keep us interested. When we have enough time in the morning I can usually talk them into oatmeal as long as I pour enough honey on it.
They eat lunch at school and because of their allergies lunch is often meatballs and corn, or similar meat/veg pairings which make it hard for me to serve similar options at dinner time.
I don't like "ersatz" food (don't tell me it's vegan cheesecake, tell me it's a cashew cream tart) and I miss superlative eating experiences. Can you suggest your most enticing carry-along breakfasts? Your favorite leisurely lunch that happens to not have any wheat or dairy or nuts in it? The best dinner you ever had that happened to be vegan? I need insipiration to keep going.
Before having kids, I struggled with mild eating disorders. My "natural" eating state is "will eat when interested, will always overeat when sugar". I am having a hard time coming up with new stuff for my kids to try that I will eat as well - as a result, I'm not getting enough calories every day, and my kids are subsisting on a diet of allergen-free convenience foods - which is leading to new forms of pickiness even though they're no longer toddlers.
Our best successes: sheet pan suppers with rotisserie chicken and roasted broccoli. Green beans and corn are still a-ok with them. They will no longer eat nuggets (probably because I've made a real effort to keep wheat out of the house since our last round of allergy tests in October, so they aren't fond of the gluten-free nuggets I've been getting). Basically, our dinners are some kind of meat, roasted vegetables, and fresh fruit. Honestly not bad from a nutritional standpoint, and I generally eat these dinners happily.
We commute to school and since wheat is off the table my fallback breakfasts of muffins, pancakes, and other grain-based baked goods eaten in the car are no longer in play. The safest breakfast is dry flavored Cheerios and bananas. My youngest is refusing to eat the bananas and we are running out of Cheerio flavors to keep us interested. When we have enough time in the morning I can usually talk them into oatmeal as long as I pour enough honey on it.
They eat lunch at school and because of their allergies lunch is often meatballs and corn, or similar meat/veg pairings which make it hard for me to serve similar options at dinner time.
I don't like "ersatz" food (don't tell me it's vegan cheesecake, tell me it's a cashew cream tart) and I miss superlative eating experiences. Can you suggest your most enticing carry-along breakfasts? Your favorite leisurely lunch that happens to not have any wheat or dairy or nuts in it? The best dinner you ever had that happened to be vegan? I need insipiration to keep going.
Granola or homemade granola bars for breakfast in the car?
posted by aimedwander at 6:47 AM on January 31, 2018
posted by aimedwander at 6:47 AM on January 31, 2018
Make corn-tortilla soft tacos or burritos with no cheese -- just beans, lettuce, salsa, shredded rotisserie chicken, guacamole.
Polenta-based dinners are comforting and delicious -- slices fried up from the tube with canned tomatoes, eggs or anything else.
For breakfast -- if you and your kids like homemade muffins, make them with almond flour.
posted by velveeta underground at 6:52 AM on January 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
Polenta-based dinners are comforting and delicious -- slices fried up from the tube with canned tomatoes, eggs or anything else.
For breakfast -- if you and your kids like homemade muffins, make them with almond flour.
posted by velveeta underground at 6:52 AM on January 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
Try Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour if you want to do muffins/pancakes, etc. - use it in this cake with a different frosting (or none!). I like this chili without the beer; you can add corn, zucchini, carrots, whatever other vegetables if you like. Falafel, hummus, balela? Something like Singapore curry noodles? Tostadas or tacos with guacamole? Latkes with applesauce as a side? Easy Thai like Swimming Rama or thom kha soup? Enchiladas with no cheese are possible...use some refried beans to bind the filling instead. Nthing Indian as a good option, and potentially doing what my brother and SIL do: an easy quick meal for the picky creatures and something different and exciting for the adults. Plenty of braises/stews would fit this bill as well, served with polenta, rice or potatoes if you want a starch...pot roast, etc.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 6:52 AM on January 31, 2018
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 6:52 AM on January 31, 2018
I like Nom Nom Paleo. Lots of tasty and novel dishes that are pretty easy to prepare, especially for Instapot recipes. She has kids and often provides kid-friendly meals and snacks. I especially like her lunchbox recipes. My daughter uses this bento lunch box for school.
posted by waving at 6:53 AM on January 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by waving at 6:53 AM on January 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
Have you considered substantive dinner soups? There are endless options for soups. A customized idea is some kind of hot pot soup that starts with broth, kids can then add the ingredients they want like meats, beans, veggies, and rice or some kind of wheat-free noodle, etc. Serve the soup with wheat-free crackers.
There are also decent gluten-free pastas for dinner. The ones I've tried don't seem to reheat well. But they're ok fresh.
posted by answergrape at 6:53 AM on January 31, 2018
There are also decent gluten-free pastas for dinner. The ones I've tried don't seem to reheat well. But they're ok fresh.
posted by answergrape at 6:53 AM on January 31, 2018
I have a friend who is on a modified paleo diet and more or less lives like this. She reads a lot of vegan cookbooks and blogs and then adds actual meat to the dishes (but no dairy or eggs). She calls it the "hipster blasphemy diet" and she's made some really creative things. Her favorite site for inspiration is Paleohacks.
posted by juniperesque at 6:56 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by juniperesque at 6:56 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sushi handrolls and rice balls can be fun and interesting or comfortably predictable and are nicely filling while being by default free of your allergen list. The trick is buying the right kind of rice and cooking it properly, but I see that you're in a pretty big city and so should have a good Asian market that can provide.
For handrolls you'll want to figure out the right seasoning ratio that tastes yummy to your kids and keeps the rice at the right consistency. For rice balls it's just salt on the outside. You can get rice ball molds that make it super duper easy to make them equal in size and portioned well. Wrap the handrolls in a cone of nori, these are easy for kids to hold and eat and look exciting. The rice balls can also be wrapped in nori or other green leaves or left unwrapped - the bigger ones should be wrapped at least a bit so they can be held cleanly.
Fillings are up to you. For the handrolls, cut things into matchsticks. For the rice balls, dice or mince. Any kind of vegetable will work, and any sort of meat that your kids are into at the time. A great way to use up tiny bits of leftovers. I love rice balls with canned fish in the middle and minced cucumber, or with green peas mixed into the rice and leftover roast chicken in the middle. Some favorite handrolls are surimi (the fake crab sticks, these often have egg in them as a binder so be careful) and avocado, scallions and smoked salmon, bell pepper, mushroom, and browned ground beef (tastes like a steak sandwich!). Pretty much anything you'd put in or on a rice bowl you can put inside a rice ball or handroll and pack it up for lunch. To make prep simpler, try to cut things into matchsticks ahead of time and get into the habit of, when you have a little bit of something leftover, dice it up and keep it in the fridge as a filling option for a few days.
A whole bunch of other Asian cuisines apart from Japanese food naturally falls into your allergen limitations - I assume you're well acquainted with tamari vs soy sauce, that's really the big kicker there. Depending on your tastes and what you consider "superlative" I suggest picking a cuisine and diving into it, figuring out the basic pantry staples and learning a few recipes - one easy lunch, one exciting dinner, one breakfast option. It can seem intimidating but if you're going for solid home cooked food and not "my chinese aunties would cry tears of joy at these perfectly formed dumplings" then it's not nearly as insurmountable.
posted by Mizu at 7:05 AM on January 31, 2018 [4 favorites]
For handrolls you'll want to figure out the right seasoning ratio that tastes yummy to your kids and keeps the rice at the right consistency. For rice balls it's just salt on the outside. You can get rice ball molds that make it super duper easy to make them equal in size and portioned well. Wrap the handrolls in a cone of nori, these are easy for kids to hold and eat and look exciting. The rice balls can also be wrapped in nori or other green leaves or left unwrapped - the bigger ones should be wrapped at least a bit so they can be held cleanly.
Fillings are up to you. For the handrolls, cut things into matchsticks. For the rice balls, dice or mince. Any kind of vegetable will work, and any sort of meat that your kids are into at the time. A great way to use up tiny bits of leftovers. I love rice balls with canned fish in the middle and minced cucumber, or with green peas mixed into the rice and leftover roast chicken in the middle. Some favorite handrolls are surimi (the fake crab sticks, these often have egg in them as a binder so be careful) and avocado, scallions and smoked salmon, bell pepper, mushroom, and browned ground beef (tastes like a steak sandwich!). Pretty much anything you'd put in or on a rice bowl you can put inside a rice ball or handroll and pack it up for lunch. To make prep simpler, try to cut things into matchsticks ahead of time and get into the habit of, when you have a little bit of something leftover, dice it up and keep it in the fridge as a filling option for a few days.
A whole bunch of other Asian cuisines apart from Japanese food naturally falls into your allergen limitations - I assume you're well acquainted with tamari vs soy sauce, that's really the big kicker there. Depending on your tastes and what you consider "superlative" I suggest picking a cuisine and diving into it, figuring out the basic pantry staples and learning a few recipes - one easy lunch, one exciting dinner, one breakfast option. It can seem intimidating but if you're going for solid home cooked food and not "my chinese aunties would cry tears of joy at these perfectly formed dumplings" then it's not nearly as insurmountable.
posted by Mizu at 7:05 AM on January 31, 2018 [4 favorites]
I second the taco experience. Do corn tortilla as a base or rice.
You can still bake your veggies (bell papers, tomatoes, etc) and then let the kids top their own corn tortilla/rice with veggies. Also add some salsa and browned beef or chicken. I also do refried beans or bake chicken with salsa and black beans in the crock pot during the day. Mixing up the toppings and letting the kids mix their own meal keeps it fun. The rice leftovers are pretty decent to eat at work - I do so ~100 times a year.
On preview: I also eat the asian version with steamed veggies and chicken over the rice with different veggies/sauces. This feeds me another 50 lunches a year and my toddler will eat all of it (although in separate compartments in his lunch box - not all mixed together).
posted by Kalmya at 7:09 AM on January 31, 2018
You can still bake your veggies (bell papers, tomatoes, etc) and then let the kids top their own corn tortilla/rice with veggies. Also add some salsa and browned beef or chicken. I also do refried beans or bake chicken with salsa and black beans in the crock pot during the day. Mixing up the toppings and letting the kids mix their own meal keeps it fun. The rice leftovers are pretty decent to eat at work - I do so ~100 times a year.
On preview: I also eat the asian version with steamed veggies and chicken over the rice with different veggies/sauces. This feeds me another 50 lunches a year and my toddler will eat all of it (although in separate compartments in his lunch box - not all mixed together).
posted by Kalmya at 7:09 AM on January 31, 2018
Could rice noodles possibly be your friend? We've recently introduced our kid to Pho and he is into it (which is absolutely shocking because he is a picky eater in the extreme). Same with Pad Thai (leave out the peanut-related products).
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:17 AM on January 31, 2018
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:17 AM on January 31, 2018
Some Metafilter people just suggested socca to me when I put up a request for vegetarian recipes. It's a savory pancake made from chickpea flour and is absolutely delicious. You can get the chickpea flour from Bob's Red Mill ($2.79 for 3 batches here in Cincinnati) or your local Indian store.
posted by 8603 at 7:35 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by 8603 at 7:35 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Check out Lebanese/Middle Eastern recipes. A lot of veggies, lentils, ground beef, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant. I personally don't like lamb, but my kids and husband do - I do chicken instead. It's not hard to do pilaf (it's rice mixed with a toasted orzo made in chicken broth and is SO good). Will your kids do hummus and veggies?
One of the rules we had in our house when we were trying new food was that you had to take one bite for every year you were old. Four years old? Four bites. And they couldn't be tiny squirrel bites - they had to be real ones. After that, you didn't have to have any more. Kids REALLY won't starve themselves, and I usually had at least one thing on the plate that I knew they would eat. I never did the kid food routine and I always have -- and still do -- refuse to make separate food for a protestor.
Check out the NY Times recipe for Turkish Red Lentil Soup. It's nom and you can adjust how much cayenne you put in it (I put just a tiny dash). Absolutely use the dried mint!! I don't bother with the bread cubes, and I've always used brown rice instead of long grain. I also use an immersion blender at the end. I have also found the soup tends to need more salt and lemon at the end than indicated in the recipe.
Here is a recipe for Lebanese beef and greenbeans. It's a little different than the recipe I learned from my best friend (her mom uses garlic instead of onions and cilantro instead of parsley), also I've never had cinnamon in mine, but it sounds intriguing! I've also made it substituting potatoes for the beef. It is like comfort food in a bowl.
Picadillo is really good! I use dried cranberries instead of raisins and leave out the olives because nobody likes them but me. You can also add in carrots and potatoes.
Finally, another option is to do kind of a big antipasto salad night if they will eat it. I start with a Shepard's salad of tomatoes, baby cucumbers, green bell peppers, cubanelle peppers (those light green long ones), red onion (soaked in cold water first to take out the bite) and parsley - all diced evenly. The only thing put on this is flaked Kosher salt, lemon juice and olive oil. You need to let it sit while you prepare everything else, because this will kind of create it's own dressing.
From here you can kind of go wild. If your kids will eat stuff from an olive bar (olives, roasted peppers, etc.), get whatever you want. You don't need very much of each at all. Maybe a 1/3c of each. Chop everything up. Pick up one of those mixed salami packages from TJ's - they usually have three or four different kinds of meat. You can also get ham or turkey or whatever. Loosely slice those after you've rolled them up so they're in long slices.
Get a pack of Romaine lettuce hearts, chop that up, throw it in a bowl, mix in everything else, the dressing from the Shepard salad should be sufficient at this point, otherwise toss in some extra olive oil. If you have some good bread around, great. Otherwise, it's an excellent meal. The prep takes a little while, but it's really, really good and extremely filling. I put fresh mozzarella in mine, but I know you can't do that with allergies (maybe have a separate plate for the family members that can eat it). It also makes a great lunch the next day.
Good luck and definitely try the one bite for every year trick. It made a huge difference with my kids. One will now eat everything and anything including raw oysters. The other with usually try new stuff at least once, and they're teenagers!
posted by dancinglamb at 7:48 AM on January 31, 2018 [6 favorites]
One of the rules we had in our house when we were trying new food was that you had to take one bite for every year you were old. Four years old? Four bites. And they couldn't be tiny squirrel bites - they had to be real ones. After that, you didn't have to have any more. Kids REALLY won't starve themselves, and I usually had at least one thing on the plate that I knew they would eat. I never did the kid food routine and I always have -- and still do -- refuse to make separate food for a protestor.
Check out the NY Times recipe for Turkish Red Lentil Soup. It's nom and you can adjust how much cayenne you put in it (I put just a tiny dash). Absolutely use the dried mint!! I don't bother with the bread cubes, and I've always used brown rice instead of long grain. I also use an immersion blender at the end. I have also found the soup tends to need more salt and lemon at the end than indicated in the recipe.
Here is a recipe for Lebanese beef and greenbeans. It's a little different than the recipe I learned from my best friend (her mom uses garlic instead of onions and cilantro instead of parsley), also I've never had cinnamon in mine, but it sounds intriguing! I've also made it substituting potatoes for the beef. It is like comfort food in a bowl.
Picadillo is really good! I use dried cranberries instead of raisins and leave out the olives because nobody likes them but me. You can also add in carrots and potatoes.
Finally, another option is to do kind of a big antipasto salad night if they will eat it. I start with a Shepard's salad of tomatoes, baby cucumbers, green bell peppers, cubanelle peppers (those light green long ones), red onion (soaked in cold water first to take out the bite) and parsley - all diced evenly. The only thing put on this is flaked Kosher salt, lemon juice and olive oil. You need to let it sit while you prepare everything else, because this will kind of create it's own dressing.
From here you can kind of go wild. If your kids will eat stuff from an olive bar (olives, roasted peppers, etc.), get whatever you want. You don't need very much of each at all. Maybe a 1/3c of each. Chop everything up. Pick up one of those mixed salami packages from TJ's - they usually have three or four different kinds of meat. You can also get ham or turkey or whatever. Loosely slice those after you've rolled them up so they're in long slices.
Get a pack of Romaine lettuce hearts, chop that up, throw it in a bowl, mix in everything else, the dressing from the Shepard salad should be sufficient at this point, otherwise toss in some extra olive oil. If you have some good bread around, great. Otherwise, it's an excellent meal. The prep takes a little while, but it's really, really good and extremely filling. I put fresh mozzarella in mine, but I know you can't do that with allergies (maybe have a separate plate for the family members that can eat it). It also makes a great lunch the next day.
Good luck and definitely try the one bite for every year trick. It made a huge difference with my kids. One will now eat everything and anything including raw oysters. The other with usually try new stuff at least once, and they're teenagers!
posted by dancinglamb at 7:48 AM on January 31, 2018 [6 favorites]
How are the kids with Indian food? Not all of it is like the kind of food you get in restaurants. This cookbook Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking could offer some suggestions. There's certainly dairy, nuts and whole grains in that cookbook but there are loads of other recipes that would fit your restrictions.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:21 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:21 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Some of her stuff may be a bit "ersatz" for you as she does do a lot of vegan cheeses, but I have had really, really excellent luck with the entree/side recipes from the Minimalist Baker blog, and she also has a cookbook. They are super simple to make, and I am not exaggerating when I say that every single one I've made has been delicious. Some of her recipes do have nuts but you can search her website to find the many recipes that don't have nuts.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Quinoa and vegetable stuffed portobello mushrooms
Grain free tabbouleh salad
Crispy smashed potatoes with garlic pesto
30 minute sweet potato cauliflower curry
posted by fairlynearlyready at 9:01 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Here are a few of my favorites:
Quinoa and vegetable stuffed portobello mushrooms
Grain free tabbouleh salad
Crispy smashed potatoes with garlic pesto
30 minute sweet potato cauliflower curry
posted by fairlynearlyready at 9:01 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: For breakfast I would try oatmeal or some nut-free and gluten-free granola or seed bars. I saw someone suggested granola already above, but as the mom of a nut-allergic kid myself I know how ridiculously difficult it is to find genuinely nut-free granola or granola bars, so I'm going to suggest a few brands in case you haven't found them yet: Made Good granola and snack bars are top 8 allergen free. 88 Acres seed bars and seed butters are also top 8 allergen free. Gerbs makes granola that is, amazingly, free of the top 12 allergens.
If you don't have to avoid coconut, So Delicious coconut yogurt might be another good breakfast option. They do make products on shared lines with some of your allergens but they have very strict cleaning and allergen testing procedures, and a lot of MFA families I know really trust them.
I'd advise you to stay away from the Bob's Red Mill brand items recommended above, if you have tree nut allergies, unless you don't care about cross-contact risk; last I checked all of Bob's Red Mill's stuff comes with a tree nut CC warning. But there is a brand of gluten-free flour called Namaste that is genuinely free from all of your other allergens as well. You could try using that to bake muffins or bread and see how it turns out (I haven't tried Namaste myself since we do not have to avoid gluten in my house, but I've heard good things about it from friends). Also, Cherrybrook Kitchen makes a line of baking mix items that are both gluten-free and free from nuts, eggs and dairy, including cake mix (which can be used as a base for muffins, if you add some fruit and oatmeal) and pancake mix.
For dinner, I'd suggest exploring what you can do with potatoes and sweet potatoes as a starch base in place of pasta. If legumes outside of peanuts are not a problem for you, also look into lentils and beans as meal bases. Also, a lot of Chinese dishes are already free from wheat, egg, and dairy, and it's often a trivial thing to make them nut-free as well. There is a blog I follow, Nut Free Wok, that offers a really great selection of nut-free Asian recipes that you can try (including suggestions for subs for people with MFA, and specific safe brand suggestions for ingredients).
posted by BlueJae at 9:48 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you don't have to avoid coconut, So Delicious coconut yogurt might be another good breakfast option. They do make products on shared lines with some of your allergens but they have very strict cleaning and allergen testing procedures, and a lot of MFA families I know really trust them.
I'd advise you to stay away from the Bob's Red Mill brand items recommended above, if you have tree nut allergies, unless you don't care about cross-contact risk; last I checked all of Bob's Red Mill's stuff comes with a tree nut CC warning. But there is a brand of gluten-free flour called Namaste that is genuinely free from all of your other allergens as well. You could try using that to bake muffins or bread and see how it turns out (I haven't tried Namaste myself since we do not have to avoid gluten in my house, but I've heard good things about it from friends). Also, Cherrybrook Kitchen makes a line of baking mix items that are both gluten-free and free from nuts, eggs and dairy, including cake mix (which can be used as a base for muffins, if you add some fruit and oatmeal) and pancake mix.
For dinner, I'd suggest exploring what you can do with potatoes and sweet potatoes as a starch base in place of pasta. If legumes outside of peanuts are not a problem for you, also look into lentils and beans as meal bases. Also, a lot of Chinese dishes are already free from wheat, egg, and dairy, and it's often a trivial thing to make them nut-free as well. There is a blog I follow, Nut Free Wok, that offers a really great selection of nut-free Asian recipes that you can try (including suggestions for subs for people with MFA, and specific safe brand suggestions for ingredients).
posted by BlueJae at 9:48 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't eat dairy. I miss the richness and creaminess of cheese and cream in cooking. I just made a replacement for potatoes au gratin, which could be called potato garbanzo hotdish or potatoes with garbanzo milk? White potatoes sliced thin, layered with onions. I had leftover ham, so added that. Topped up with gram (garbanzo) flour and water that had soaked for an hour to a cream consistency. Salt, pepper, rosemary. It was really good.
In Italy, I enjoyed farinata, aka socca, which is garbanzo flour, water, olive oil, rosemary, baked at high heat. The key to making it come out right is to let the garbanzo flour and water soak for 4+ hours. It's tasty hot or just warmish, and goes well with many different vegetable sides. Now that I have the process, next time I'll make sauteed spinach to go with it.
I miss pizza with green olives and pepperoni but it's not right without cheese. I make polenta with a fair amount of olive oil to get the richness, and add slices a lot of olives and pepperoni at the end. Because it has my favorite toppings, it satisfies that craving.
Rice noodles with peanut sauce, if ground nuts are an option.
Corn tortilla wraps with rice, beans, shredded veg., salsa., maybe meat.
Slice boneless chicken into strips, add herbs to taste, fry fast with a small amount of oil. Healthier than nuggets, very easy.
Most Oriental foods - Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc. - don't use dairy or wheat. Indian foods vary, but many regions don't use tons of dairy, so those cuisines and recipes are a great source of ideas. A lot of gluten-free stuff is highly processed trying to taste like the wheat version, so as you discover foods you like, it will get easier.
posted by theora55 at 9:58 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
In Italy, I enjoyed farinata, aka socca, which is garbanzo flour, water, olive oil, rosemary, baked at high heat. The key to making it come out right is to let the garbanzo flour and water soak for 4+ hours. It's tasty hot or just warmish, and goes well with many different vegetable sides. Now that I have the process, next time I'll make sauteed spinach to go with it.
I miss pizza with green olives and pepperoni but it's not right without cheese. I make polenta with a fair amount of olive oil to get the richness, and add slices a lot of olives and pepperoni at the end. Because it has my favorite toppings, it satisfies that craving.
Rice noodles with peanut sauce, if ground nuts are an option.
Corn tortilla wraps with rice, beans, shredded veg., salsa., maybe meat.
Slice boneless chicken into strips, add herbs to taste, fry fast with a small amount of oil. Healthier than nuggets, very easy.
Most Oriental foods - Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc. - don't use dairy or wheat. Indian foods vary, but many regions don't use tons of dairy, so those cuisines and recipes are a great source of ideas. A lot of gluten-free stuff is highly processed trying to taste like the wheat version, so as you discover foods you like, it will get easier.
posted by theora55 at 9:58 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Can they do coconut milk? Curries? maybe coconut rice?
Also, if you're feeling burned out coming up with stuff, what about using one of those services, like SunBasket? It might give you some variety but also give you a little break.
posted by vunder at 10:07 AM on January 31, 2018
Also, if you're feeling burned out coming up with stuff, what about using one of those services, like SunBasket? It might give you some variety but also give you a little break.
posted by vunder at 10:07 AM on January 31, 2018
Best answer: When my kids were small and I often felt out of ideas at dinner time, we had a handful of standard dishes we returned to that could be varied enough for adults to find them interesting. Some of them were pasta, I'm leaving them out, but here are those you might use:
One was a Thai-inspired curry made with a curry paste from a jar (read the ingredient list to avoid nuts), and some vegetables fresh or frozen, lemon or lime juice, Thai soy sauce and coconut milk (if you can eat coconut? if not, it was very good with canned chicken stock in place of the coconut milk). Sometimes I added chicken cubes, or shrimp or both. Or fish, or pork. Also the vegetables could be varied endlessly. This is almost as fast as fast food. You just cut the vegetables in different size pieces to fit the cooking time: carrots thin, cabbage thick etc. I made enough rice so we could have fried rice the next day. Either for dinner along with steamed vegetables and maybe (not always) some grilled meat, or for breakfast. I personally love the Asian style of having savory food for breakfast, and so do my kids. Fried rice are also easy and fast to make. Everyone can style it for themselves using chutney or sweet chili sauce or soy sauce or all combined.
Another returning dish was couscous with a stew of some sort. Obviously you can't have couscous, but this works just as well with rice or quinoa or barley. The Moroccan style of making stew is so simple: you just cut whatever vegetables and meat you have in equal size cubes and put them in the pot with a bit of olive oil all at the same time, maybe with a can of tomatoes. Season with just salt and pepper. Cook till done, no browning or complicated prepping, and the taste is amazing. Mixing meats is good, vegan is good, the idea is that you can vary endlessly based on season or whatever you have. And this point I put in the softest veggies in a bit later than the meat, alliums and root vegetables, but I didn't before and it was still delicious. On the side, mix a couple teaspoons of harissa with some of the liquid from the stew in a bowl, and everyone can find and make their own level of spiciness by mixing it into their stew.
Cottage pie or farmers pie (vegetarian) is very often a hit with kids and adults. It's hearty and homey and can be very healthy depending on what you put into it. Serve with a fresh salad. You can make them ahead and put them in the freezer for emergency fast food.
At my local store, you can buy the vegetables for a ratatouille pre-cut, both frozen and fresh. The fresh version includes fresh herbs, otherwise just buy a jar of "herbes de Provence". Then you just have to add olive oil, a can of tomatoes and seasoning. To me, this tastes like being in France, and it is fine on its own, with rice or with some meat. In France you often get it at room temperature for lunch, which is great.
The soba noodles I like the best are pure buckwheat, and my kids love a broth with some vegetables and noodles.
A more practical thing: we had a whole ritual about getting home from school/preschool. When I picked up the girls, they would get a snack on the way home. For a while it was a meatball from a great convenience store on the way, or it could be apple quarters I brought from home. Then at home they for a while but when I started cooking - maybe after 15-30 minutes, I'd prepare some healthy snacks in the kitchen. Carrot sticks, or just frozen peas (big favorite!) or edamame beans or kohlrabi with a dipping of mild soy sauce. That gave me some respite so I could prepare the food properly, and since the snacks were all healthy, it wouldn't be a big tragedy if they only ate rice or potatoes for dinner. This way, we almost never had "child friendly" food. They would have sit at the table, keep table manners and to taste a tiny bit of everything, but we would never fight over food. If they were hungry before bed they could have an apple cut in quarters and a glass of water (they have no allergies but they don't like milk much). My youngest was picky eater in her first years but got over it, today they both eat everything, and over the years I've seen plenty of their friends grow from picky eaters to omnivores when they were with us on holiday.
Unlike my children, I have allergies, and when I first discovered it I was so depressed because I couldn't eat a lot of things I loved and I could never eat convenience food. Over time, it became a blessing. I've learnt to cook and friends like to visit because I get allergies and food preferences.
posted by mumimor at 10:27 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
One was a Thai-inspired curry made with a curry paste from a jar (read the ingredient list to avoid nuts), and some vegetables fresh or frozen, lemon or lime juice, Thai soy sauce and coconut milk (if you can eat coconut? if not, it was very good with canned chicken stock in place of the coconut milk). Sometimes I added chicken cubes, or shrimp or both. Or fish, or pork. Also the vegetables could be varied endlessly. This is almost as fast as fast food. You just cut the vegetables in different size pieces to fit the cooking time: carrots thin, cabbage thick etc. I made enough rice so we could have fried rice the next day. Either for dinner along with steamed vegetables and maybe (not always) some grilled meat, or for breakfast. I personally love the Asian style of having savory food for breakfast, and so do my kids. Fried rice are also easy and fast to make. Everyone can style it for themselves using chutney or sweet chili sauce or soy sauce or all combined.
Another returning dish was couscous with a stew of some sort. Obviously you can't have couscous, but this works just as well with rice or quinoa or barley. The Moroccan style of making stew is so simple: you just cut whatever vegetables and meat you have in equal size cubes and put them in the pot with a bit of olive oil all at the same time, maybe with a can of tomatoes. Season with just salt and pepper. Cook till done, no browning or complicated prepping, and the taste is amazing. Mixing meats is good, vegan is good, the idea is that you can vary endlessly based on season or whatever you have. And this point I put in the softest veggies in a bit later than the meat, alliums and root vegetables, but I didn't before and it was still delicious. On the side, mix a couple teaspoons of harissa with some of the liquid from the stew in a bowl, and everyone can find and make their own level of spiciness by mixing it into their stew.
Cottage pie or farmers pie (vegetarian) is very often a hit with kids and adults. It's hearty and homey and can be very healthy depending on what you put into it. Serve with a fresh salad. You can make them ahead and put them in the freezer for emergency fast food.
At my local store, you can buy the vegetables for a ratatouille pre-cut, both frozen and fresh. The fresh version includes fresh herbs, otherwise just buy a jar of "herbes de Provence". Then you just have to add olive oil, a can of tomatoes and seasoning. To me, this tastes like being in France, and it is fine on its own, with rice or with some meat. In France you often get it at room temperature for lunch, which is great.
The soba noodles I like the best are pure buckwheat, and my kids love a broth with some vegetables and noodles.
A more practical thing: we had a whole ritual about getting home from school/preschool. When I picked up the girls, they would get a snack on the way home. For a while it was a meatball from a great convenience store on the way, or it could be apple quarters I brought from home. Then at home they for a while but when I started cooking - maybe after 15-30 minutes, I'd prepare some healthy snacks in the kitchen. Carrot sticks, or just frozen peas (big favorite!) or edamame beans or kohlrabi with a dipping of mild soy sauce. That gave me some respite so I could prepare the food properly, and since the snacks were all healthy, it wouldn't be a big tragedy if they only ate rice or potatoes for dinner. This way, we almost never had "child friendly" food. They would have sit at the table, keep table manners and to taste a tiny bit of everything, but we would never fight over food. If they were hungry before bed they could have an apple cut in quarters and a glass of water (they have no allergies but they don't like milk much). My youngest was picky eater in her first years but got over it, today they both eat everything, and over the years I've seen plenty of their friends grow from picky eaters to omnivores when they were with us on holiday.
Unlike my children, I have allergies, and when I first discovered it I was so depressed because I couldn't eat a lot of things I loved and I could never eat convenience food. Over time, it became a blessing. I've learnt to cook and friends like to visit because I get allergies and food preferences.
posted by mumimor at 10:27 AM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
If soy is ok, tofu scrambles are a good substitute for scrambled eggs. There are so many variations that I'm not about to start. If oats are ok, check out the previous metafilter threads on savory oatmeal (the last comment in that thread leads to a previous ask about the same sort of thing). I'm a big fan of miso in oatmeal myself.
I'm a huge fan of Ropa Vieja and Chilaquiles. Chilaquiles normally has cheese in it, but there are tons of recipes out there for dairy-free versions.
It's not a huge break from what you're having already, but stamppot and other variations on it could be good.
Another vote for Thai curries if you can do coconut milk. The pastes are usually spicy and have a bunch of ingredients in them, so be careful if you're avoiding something like shellfish (shrimp goes into one of them, can't remember which).
For portable breakfasts, you could use dried fruits (apples, raisins, apricots, etc.) as a component. You could make some variation on gorp/trail mix. Use dairy free chocolate chips instead of m&ms (or if there are dairy free m&m knockoffs, that's even better (if chocolate is a no-go, carob can be used, I guess)), raisins, piece of dried fruit, pieces of gluten free granola (to replace the usual nuts), etc. You can also vary the dried fruits in there so that it's different every week or so.
If sesame/peanuts are ok, sesame noodles (rice noodles or buckwheat) are great. Also, if spicy foods are ok, Mapo Tofu is great, as are Dan Dan Noodles.
posted by Hactar at 11:53 AM on January 31, 2018
I'm a huge fan of Ropa Vieja and Chilaquiles. Chilaquiles normally has cheese in it, but there are tons of recipes out there for dairy-free versions.
It's not a huge break from what you're having already, but stamppot and other variations on it could be good.
Another vote for Thai curries if you can do coconut milk. The pastes are usually spicy and have a bunch of ingredients in them, so be careful if you're avoiding something like shellfish (shrimp goes into one of them, can't remember which).
For portable breakfasts, you could use dried fruits (apples, raisins, apricots, etc.) as a component. You could make some variation on gorp/trail mix. Use dairy free chocolate chips instead of m&ms (or if there are dairy free m&m knockoffs, that's even better (if chocolate is a no-go, carob can be used, I guess)), raisins, piece of dried fruit, pieces of gluten free granola (to replace the usual nuts), etc. You can also vary the dried fruits in there so that it's different every week or so.
If sesame/peanuts are ok, sesame noodles (rice noodles or buckwheat) are great. Also, if spicy foods are ok, Mapo Tofu is great, as are Dan Dan Noodles.
posted by Hactar at 11:53 AM on January 31, 2018
Pan sauces will elevate your meat and veggies. Pan fry meat of your choosing. Then set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan and throw inn some minced garlic or shallot. Sauteed a a minute. Then deglaze the pan with a liquid of your choosing. Chicken stock, wine, orange juice..... let it cook down a little while you scrape up the delicious browned bits from the pan. I use butter to finish it, but you can use a corn starch slurry. Add fresh herbs or other flavorings like capers or mustard. Pour it all over everything.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 12:37 PM on January 31, 2018
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 12:37 PM on January 31, 2018
Searching for "cute bento box lunch" will get you a lot of ways to dress up rice, veggies, and meat slices to keep them interesting. They're catching on in the US, so there's a growing number that involve wheat-based bread sandwiches or crackers, but you can skip past those. BoredPanda has a collection, mostly from BentoMonsters.com (which has a lot of wheat-based bready things that may not be adaptable).
Pics: Rice penguins. Totoro and soot sprites. Star Wars stormtrooper.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:35 PM on January 31, 2018
Pics: Rice penguins. Totoro and soot sprites. Star Wars stormtrooper.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 1:35 PM on January 31, 2018
Breakfast: What about a variation on rosti or hash browns - cook & mash white or sweet potatoes, then shape them into little hockey pucks and lightly fry and salt them (or bake in muffin pans)? That'd be a tasty breakfast, and could probably be portable if you make them in batches and microwave or quickly heat them in the morning. You could add corn niblets, bits of red pepper, and small chunks of meat like sausage or bacon for extra flavour.
Dinner: Shepherd's pie- a stew of meat + veggies, covered in mashed white or sweet potatoes, and then baked to crisp up the potato layer.
Snack: Certain bagged frozen fruits & veggies- specifically blueberries, black sweet cherries, pomegranate arils, mango chunks, grapes, and green peas, maintain a soft texture even when frozen, and make a surprisingly nice snack just eaten straight out of a bowl, still frozen. Gives a similar experience to eating ice cream, as it's cold and sweet.
Dessert: Freeze ripe peeled bananas cut into chunks, then blend in a food processor. Somehow they emulsify and turn shockingly creamy- really tastes like ice cream. Good with cocoa powder blended in, too.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:31 PM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dinner: Shepherd's pie- a stew of meat + veggies, covered in mashed white or sweet potatoes, and then baked to crisp up the potato layer.
Snack: Certain bagged frozen fruits & veggies- specifically blueberries, black sweet cherries, pomegranate arils, mango chunks, grapes, and green peas, maintain a soft texture even when frozen, and make a surprisingly nice snack just eaten straight out of a bowl, still frozen. Gives a similar experience to eating ice cream, as it's cold and sweet.
Dessert: Freeze ripe peeled bananas cut into chunks, then blend in a food processor. Somehow they emulsify and turn shockingly creamy- really tastes like ice cream. Good with cocoa powder blended in, too.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:31 PM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Shakes for breakfast. Find a pea-based or other non-dairy protein powder, throw in banana, preferred milk substitute, ice, cocoa powder, cinnamon, etc. they’re fast and tasty!
posted by sleeping bear at 12:05 AM on February 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sleeping bear at 12:05 AM on February 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I ask because I recently had the revelation that my own fond food memories from childhood, the things I remember loving and am nostalgic for, never involved novelty. It's been really freeing. Previously we were in constant conflict because I would make new/interesting things and my picky eater would hate them and it was such a morale blow to me every time. Now I make pretty much the same 3 or 4 things (that my kids like) all the time, and it's been a huge relief. It's really nice to have the kid just pick up her damn spoon and eat, instead of seeing her face crumple with disappointment and distaste at the sight of something new every time.
My point is just that if they're ok and you're ok with the dinners you've got, then don't beat yourself up to change course, at least not for regular weeknight dinners. If they're fine but you're bored, maybe consider weekend cooking projects as an entertainment for you.
You asked for an allergen free recipe that's interesting. I made this vegan Indian tomato coconut soup the other day and it is delicious and very easy. She gives stovetop directions after the pressure cooker option.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:44 AM on January 31, 2018 [9 favorites]