Monday 30 June 2014

What to eat when you can't eat anything - Week 9

I've just  finished Week 9 of my intolerance regime and my mindset has slowly changed. I don't really miss dairy products any more. I'm still eating some goat's cheese, but I really think that I won't ever go back to consuming dairy products the way I used to. I definitely don't feel the need to have dairy milk or yoghurt ever again - except maybe to be polite in people's houses or restaurants. 


A lot of the food I made this week seemed to have kind of an American flavour - not deliberately, just a coincidence!

Breakfast

1. With the beautiful weather we had recently I was looking for another easy, refreshing breakfast and I was craving berries. I decided to try Berry Smoothies.The frozen berries from Dunnes formed the backbone of my breakfasts. I started with blueberries, and when I ran out I bought raspberries. The rest of the smoothie consisted of my usual Koko coconut milk drink, whole chia seeds, ground flax seeds and bananas. It's so fast and tasty, so versatile, and easy to drink on the go if you're running late for work. The only problem is that it isn't quite filling enough. I'm going to have to source some vegan protein powder that isn't pea protein in order to make it a proper meal.  

Lunch

 1. I'm still on the hunt for filling lunch ideas, and this recipe was a great success. Due to the texture and the garlic in it it reminded me of a basil hummus. It's really tasty, filling and fast to make - and it doesn't require any tahini!  www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/butter-bean-dip

Dinner
1. I really don't eat enough fish these days, so I tried to up my Omega 3 intake by making Teriyaki Salmon http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/teriyakisalmon_66107. I made extra sauce (leaving out the ginger) and served it with stir-fried vegetables and rice noodles - so easy, healthy and tasty!

2. Here's another recipe from the Ainsley Harriott's Meals in Minutes cookbook, available here. These Bean Burgers are really versatile. You can replace the spices with basil and oregano to give them an Italian flavour and serve them in a tomato sauce with pasta for a vegan 'spaghetti and meatballs'. Another blogger has posted the recipe:  http://blog.boden.co.uk/todays-recipe-spicy-beanburgers-from-ainsley-harriott/ 
We served them with Sweet Potato Frieswww.cuisinart.com/recipes/sides/6177.html which is another versatile recipe - I often have them spiced with smoked paprika, or sprinkled with herbs like oregano, rosemary, sage and majoram before cooking. 

I also made the BBQ Sauce from this recipe to accompany the dish:
http://tasty-yummies.com/2012/02/20/gluten-free-vegan-lentil-meat-loaf/I made a lot of changes to the recipe - but it still tasted really good. I left out the celery seed and the blackstrap molasses, substituted chilli flakes for the sriracha and used mustard powder instead of wholegrain mustard. I do have liquid smoke - I picked it up on a whim the last time I went to the US. I'm not sure where you can get it in Ireland - I'd try fancy food stores like McCambridges or Morton's as I'm not sure the the sauce would taste the same if you used smoked paprika - but it's trying to make a small amount if you can, as it worked so well with the burgers and fries. 

3.  I had a lentil craving, but didn't want dahl, so I found a great recipe for Vegan Sloppy Joe's (something I'd only ever heard mentioned on TV) This was SUCH a simple and tasty meal. Another great after-work recipe. I just used mustard powder instead of regular yellow mustard, and served with gluten-free bread. http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/snobby-joes/


Snack

1. After last week's courgette overload I mostly stayed away from this versatile vegetable. The only exception I made were these Baked Courgette Fries. There are a million recipes for baked courgette/zucchini fries on the internet, but I picked this recipe as it didn't require any eggs. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/05/28/crispy-healthy-baked-zucchini-fries/ These tasted lovely and light, and would make a great accompaniment to a burger dinner as well as being a tasty snack on their own. I didn't make the healthy ketchup she suggested (I will soon) but used some of the leftover BBQ sauce from above instead. 

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