Anyone forced to make lifestyle changes because of a health problem?

[alysee]

I'm feeling very overwhelmed. My husband has had a heart episode and we are having to change our diet. My husband lost his father in 2019 to a stroke after having two heart attacks and stents years previous so we are taking my husband's diagnosis serious. I was already on a gluten-free diet because of Celiac Disease but now we have moved to vegetarianism(mostly vegan for husband) with the kids(not forced more like, we won't be making meat in our house but go to Nanas and eat all the meat you want) but I'm still overwhelmed because of the dinner troubles. It feels like we have such a small number of meals my kids will eat and that I can have too. Oh and not feeling like I'm making three meals.

Does anyone have suggestions for meal ideas that are vegetarian and gluten-free? 

 

 

 

 

 

[HomeAgain]

We slowly introduced more vegetarian meals over the years, but have different dietary needs.  Our kids' favorites are mostly curries, stir fries, and basic Mexican dishes.  We do end up eating a lot of rice.  One popular winter meal here is slow cooked black beans, coconut rice, lightly pickled cucumbers, and fried plantains.  It's hearty and filling, with just the right amount of fat for ds and I.  I can add lightly cooked corn tortillas for those who want something extra.

Another favorite is shakshuka.  My kids call it a middle eastern breakfast chili.  😄 I make it with chickpeas in a large, deep skillet, and while there are eggs on top, I am the only one who eats them so there are only 2.  Youngest ds prefers his with rice/grains (he doesn't eat bread), but the rest of us will have na'an.

A slight aside, but I get more buy-in to vegetarian meals if I really work on a balance of salty/savory/sour/fat.  Many of our dishes will have some sort of lightly pickled vegetable (cukes, radishes) or a slaw (I finally found a slaw my kids will eat. It's an apple cider vinaigrette covered one), or a yogurt sauce, just as an add on or topping but really to make the meal feel more rounded.

[Eos]

I'm so sorry this has happened, and it makes sense that you are overwhelmed - there's a lot of grief and fear to experience in addition to making concrete, challenging changes.  Here are some thoughts, and I'm guessing you already know these ideas so please excuse if it's redundant.

I think it's helpful to start by thinking about how you usually eat, especially for protein.  If you're used to a meat/veg/starch type plate for dinner, maybe it's easiest to start with a simple conversion - tasty beans or tofu/veg/starch.  Lots of flavor, crunch, and plenty of veg can make up for no meat so make more than what would seem like it fills the plate at first.  Try to always have a salad with a variety of dressings available and something crunchy in it like nuts, fresh red or bell pepper, or celery.  An extra course helps make it more filling.

If you don't need the meat substitute/veg/starch plate every night, do a dinner rotation on a weekly schedule so you don't have to think.  A kid-friendly rotation might include: chili with gf cornbread and salad; tacos with options your kids can add themselves: refried beans, cheese, olives, lettuce, salsa, etc; gf pasta with mushrooms instead of meat in the red sauce; veggie stir-fry with rice and tofu with peanut sauce; baked potatoes with options to add themselves: baked beans, cheese, green onions, sour cream, salsa, butter; a veggie or mushroom soup with gf biscuits or rolls plus salad; and maybe pizza night with toppings they could add - you can get frozen gf crusts and buy shredded mozzarella, red sauce, pepperoni for the kids, olives, mushrooms, feta, spinach, onions, tomatoes, etc.  Having things that kids can choose their own toppings for can be helpful.  Good luck!

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Harpymom

[freesia]

Oh I know the pain!  We have to manage my low carb needs with my dh’s difficult food allergy. 

Anyway, google rice bowls. Each person could assemble their own. I don’t link using my phone, but our favorite has roasted sweet potatoes and black beans and avocados. Sometimes I just google the ingredients I want to use. There’s a white bean and pesto one we like. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to make up your own if you have a couple of sauce recipes. 

Curry with white beans is also something we like. 

Pad Thai — it uses rice noodles. We use the Moosewood recipe with eggs. 

Fried rice is good. 

Tacos with red lentils is a favorite. 

[Laura Corin]

What kind of food do you like to eat? Italian? Middle Eastern? Asian? 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Garga]

8 minutes ago, Harpymom said:

I'm so sorry this has happened, and it makes sense that you are overwhelmed - there's a lot of grief and fear to experience in addition to making concrete, challenging changes.  Here are some thoughts, and I'm guessing you already know these ideas so please excuse if it's redundant.

I think it's helpful to start by thinking about how you usually eat, especially for protein.  If you're used to a meat/veg/starch type plate for dinner, maybe it's easiest to start with a simple conversion - tasty beans or tofu/veg/starch.  Lots of flavor, crunch, and plenty of veg can make up for no meat so make more than what would seem like it fills the plate at first.  Try to always have a salad with a variety of dressings available and something crunchy in it like nuts, fresh red or bell pepper, or celery.  An extra course helps make it more filling.

If you don't need the meat substitute/veg/starch plate every night, do a dinner rotation on a weekly schedule so you don't have to think.  A kid-friendly rotation might include: chili with gf cornbread and salad; tacos with options your kids can add themselves: refried beans, cheese, olives, lettuce, salsa, etc; gf pasta with mushrooms instead of meat in the red sauce; veggie stir-fry with rice and tofu with peanut sauce; baked potatoes with options to add themselves: baked beans, cheese, green onions, sour cream, salsa, butter; a veggie or mushroom and barley soup with biscuits or rolls plus salad; and maybe pizza night with toppings they could add - you can get frozen crusts and buy shredded mozzarella, red sauce, pepperoni for the kids, olives, mushrooms, feta, spinach, onions, tomatoes, etc.  Having things that kids can choose their own toppings for can be helpful.  Good luck!

 

I was going to suggest a lot of the same:

 

1. First, you grieve and storm at the frustrating changes.

2. Convert your current meals whenever you can.

3. Make only 7-10 different meals and be done with it. Just eat the same meals week after week. If you hate doing this, you can add more meals in later.  This is what we do. We eat the exact same meals week after week and have done so for years. There are food aversions and dietary needs involved.

4. Don’t cook an entirely different meal, but tweak. For example, on Spaghetti night, my DH has gluten free pasta and the rest of us have regular. Yes, there are two pots to boil, but it’s not a big deal.  On Taco Tuesdays, some of us use flour tortilla shells and DH use corn shells. On pizza night, my DH’s crust is cauliflower, while the rest of us use flour crusts, etc.

[alysee]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

What kind of food do you like to eat? Italian? Middle Eastern? Indian? 

We like Greek, Asian(but not curries....sigh) and Tex-mex mostly. 

We ate a lot of Sheet pan meals, stir fry, tacos, mac and cheese or spaghetti with bolognese and barbecue.

The problem seems when Beans are visible. I can mash them and they will eat it(like Tacos or hummus) but chickpeas are rejected. 

[alisoncooks]

Two veggie Tex-Mex meals we like:

1. https://www.badmanners.com/recipes/roasted-chickpea-and-broccoli-burrito. (Does have chickpeas but you could sub them -- diced potatoes would go nice! -- or leave them out but they do get nice and chewy!)

2. https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-cauliflower-taco-bowls/ (I save a step and roast the corn on the sheet pan with the cauli)

We love The NY Times shawarma recipe and I bet you could totally sub cauliflower/or potatoes for the chicken! We serve with hummus/pits/feta/olives.   https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017161-oven-roasted-chicken-shawarma

[HomeAgain]

40 minutes ago, alysee said:

The problem seems when Beans are visible. I can mash them and they will eat it(like Tacos or hummus) but chickpeas are rejected. 

Oh, that's hard.  No falafel?

Risottos are another popular option here.  Technically a side dish, but they can be made heartier with a topping after adding whatever to the rice itself.  I finally got the house to eat mushrooms by making one with baby bellas (which they are reluctant about in any other prep), but adding truffle salt/truffle oil at the very end (which they love).  Finding something like the salt or oil is pretty inexpensive and goes far, and the risotto rice itself absorbs about 4x whatever stock you use, so one cup of rice becomes a huge pot.

 

[alysee]

24 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

Oh, that's hard.  No falafel?

Risottos are another popular option here.  Technically a side dish, but they can be made heartier with a topping after adding whatever to the rice itself.  I finally got the house to eat mushrooms by making one with baby bellas (which they are reluctant about in any other prep), but adding truffle salt/truffle oil at the very end (which they love).  Finding something like the salt or oil is pretty inexpensive and goes far, and the risotto rice itself absorbs about 4x whatever stock you use, so one cup of rice becomes a huge pot.

 

They really like Falafel 🤷‍♀️ I'm assuming it's because we lived around the corner from the best Middle Eastern restaurant until 2019. I was so sad when I couldnt eat there anymore but my kids would happily eat the falafel or chicken dishes. 

[alysee]

40 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Two veggie Tex-Mex meals we like:

1. https://www.badmanners.com/recipes/roasted-chickpea-and-broccoli-burrito. (Does have chickpeas but you could sub them -- diced potatoes would go nice! -- or leave them out but they do get nice and chewy!)

2. https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-cauliflower-taco-bowls/ (I save a step and roast the corn on the sheet pan with the cauli)

We love The NY Times shawarma recipe and I bet you could totally sub cauliflower/or potatoes for the chicken! We serve with hummus/pits/feta/olives.   https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017161-oven-roasted-chicken-shawarma

These look delicious! Thank you! 

[alisoncooks]

We're huge mushroom fans here. How about portobello pizzas? https://cafedelites.com/portobello-pizzas/

Also, if you do tofu, iirc @Laura Corin shared this recipe recently. https://www.plantpowercouple.com/recipes/balsamic-tomato-tofu-cutlets/ (But just a note: store bought bouillon is too salty to sub 1:1...trust me! 😵)

[Selkie]

If you're searching online for recipes, use the words "whole food plant based" or "wfpb" instead of "vegan". Whole food plant based recipes are optimal for heart health. Many of these recipes will be gluten free or can be easily converted to gluten free.

Plant based Facebook groups are excellent resources, especially for beginners.

This is my favorite plant based recipe site. All of their recipes are gluten free.

https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com

 

[lauraw4321]

I’d recommend How Not to Die cookbook. I don’t go quite as extreme as he does (for example, I use salt, not Miso paste, and I use pre-made “milks.”)  But I eat one thing and the rest of the family eats something else. Also look into Leafside. They are pre-prepared WFPB freeze-dried meals that are very heart healthy and great for when you just can’t cook. You could do those with your DH and cook the kids something they are more used to. 

[Laura Corin]

2 hours ago, alysee said:

We like Greek, Asian(but not curries....sigh) and Tex-mex mostly. 

We ate a lot of Sheet pan meals, stir fry, tacos, mac and cheese or spaghetti with bolognese and barbecue.

The problem seems when Beans are visible. I can mash them and they will eat it(like Tacos or hummus) but chickpeas are rejected. 

Red lentils are your friend, because they dissolve easily, so that they are not visibly lentils.  Searching for red lentil pasta sauce, red lentil lasagne (assuming you can get GF pasta), etc. will pull up lots of options.

This one was a hit with us; I used red lentils

https://rainbowplantlife.com/healthy-vegan-lentil-shepherds-pie/

[alysee]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

Red lentils are your friend, because they dissolve easily, so that they are not visibly lentils.  Searching for red lentil pasta sauce, red lentil lasagne (assuming you can get GF pasta), etc. will pull up lots of options.

This one was a hit with us; I used red lentils

https://rainbowplantlife.com/healthy-vegan-lentil-shepherds-pie/

I made up our own red lentil spaghetti sauce and it was a hit. This looks delicious. I will see how it goes. 

[Jenny in Florida]

4 hours ago, alysee said:

Does anyone have suggestions for meal ideas that are vegetarian and gluten-free? 

First, I'm sorry you're feeling overwhelmed. I've developed a variety of not-fun health issues over the last few years, including some kind of as-yet-undiagnosed something that required me to go gluten free. I was already vegan by choice (although after I gave up dairy, it became clear I have some kind of intolerance, there, too), and the combination of vegan and gluten free was really daunting at first.

No specific recipe ideas, but I will say that we rely a lot on Mexican or Tex-Mex, Indian, Asian-inspired stir-fry and Mediterranean meals as well as big salads with things like baked potatoes on the side. 

One favorite when I have the presence of mind to plan ahead is seasoned black beans over toasted polenta rounds (I buy the stuff in the tube) with diced tomatoes and bell peppers on top and baked sweet potatoes on the side. 

We also eat a lot of "hummus plates," which include gluten-free crackers, carrots, grape tomatoes, fancy olives, grapes or other easy-to-grab fruit, etc.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Jenny in Florida

[GoVanGogh]

I was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s in 2019. After the initial shock, I realized I needed to make some major lifestyle adjustments. (I was diagnosed with celiac in 2005, so have been gluten free for a long time.) 
Three things that have really helped me:

1.) I now view food as medicine and think in terms of flooding my body with the healthiest, freshest food possible. 
2.) I think in terms of what I am fortunate to be able to eat, such as tropical fruits (mangoes, pineapple....), avocados, etc. By ridding my diet (and budget) of meat and processed foods, I am able to afford (calorie, fat and money-wise) to eat, say two mangoes in one day or a whole avocado on a salad. 
3.) I shop at a local farmer’s market so I can buy the freshest items possible and then plan meals around that. 
 

I read John Robbins’ book Diet for a New America. I didn’t particularly learn anything new in the book and some of the chapters drug on, but it did give me a much needed push to move to a plant based diet. I have dropped 15 pounds somewhat effortlessly and without feeling deprived. I have a few “treats” that I do still eat occasionally, such as Justin brand peanut butter cups. 
 

I now make taco salad with lentils instead of ground hamburger. I am just starting to explore how to incorporate lentils into meals, but that one was an easy switch. 
 

Besides diet, I would also look at the exercise component. The two really go together. Once you start feeling better, you get more active. Once you start working out and feeling better, you want to fuel your body better. Before I got sick,I was a long distance runner and gym rat. Now I hurt all the time and deal with horrible stiffness. But I am forcing myself to do something every single day. I dove into yoga as a way to heal body and soul, esp yin and restorative yoga. My neurologist sent me to physical therapy, which I hated and I wasn’t making any progress. I ended up hiring a personal trainer, which has been an amazing investment. He has also been able to help me with my diet. 

[Spy Car]

4 hours ago, alysee said:

 

The problem seems when Beans are visible. I can mash them and they will eat it(like Tacos or hummus) but chickpeas are rejected. 

I'm just starting my experimentation with garbanzo bean/chickpea flour. Last night I made nuggets/dumplings in a savory spicy gravy Rajasthani (Indian) style, but I think the basic idea could be easily swung in different directions/styles depending on the flavorings and sauce that one uses. Quite good. Gluten-free. High protein. Healthful.

I'm going to continue experimenting and alternating the flavors and perhaps even varying the cooking methods.

The basics are easy. Use 100g of garbanzo bean bean flour per person. Season the flour. Add 1 Tb of olive oil per 100g. Mix well. Then slowly add water, mixing, until one has a firm kneadable dough. Knead well (10 min?) Roll pieces into long rolls (1/2 diameter).

Cut tubes into sections (4-5 inches). Boil in batches until tubes float to the top (4 min). Drain and let rest.

That is the pre-cook. Then you can cut the pieces into smaller nuggets and pan-fry or otherwise brown up (going to try air-frying). And then top with a sauce/gravy or cook in a sauce. 

As I say, brand new to me. But it was a hit with my family last night.

Here is a link to a recipe for a Rajasthani version of this idea:

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/gatte-ki-sabji-recipe/

Bill

 

[NewnameC]

Is seafood allowed? I know there is a great risotto with shrimp.

[Jean in Newcastle]

People have often suggested modular meals here.  So taco night could be assemble your own but with choices of beans or meat as a protein.  Or dairy free cheese if you like that.  (We are dairy free here and rarely use it because we don't like the taste so much).

Pasta nights could be pasta, pasta sauce and a protein choice on the side (could be lentils to add to the sauce for the vegetarians, some ground meat to add for the carnivores). 

You could still do your sheet pan dinners but add some beans as a side instead for the vegan. 

Stir fries could have a choice of tofu or meat to add into the main veggie stir-fry. 

[Btervet]

If you are converting to vegetarianism/veganism for health reasons, it can really help to include some animal products that are a big help to flavor, but have minimal to no negative health consequences. Top of the list here would be chicken stock, but also very small amounts of cream or butter to pull a sauce together. These can make a huge difference.

The best way we had to introduce more whole fruits and vegetables into our diet was to subscribe to a CSA. We got the biggest box possible, and had to learn to cook vegetables I never even knew existed. Just trying to eat through our CSA box was a huge help in creating new healthy meals and letting go of meat centered meals.

My kids also like to cook a lot, so meals that are vegetarian (not necessarily vegan depending on additions) that they can prepare/cook include oatmeal, rice bowls, sauteed or steamed (in microwave) vegetables, and I've spent considerable time teaching them the knife skills to be able to prepare any fruit we have available.

One thing that really helped us convert to vegetarian meals was loosing the idea of protein/grain/veg at each meal. Being more flexible with the structure of the meal, being okay with three large servings of vegetables constituting dinner, really helped. We also love to explore the huge variety of grains available that I never knew about previously (I'm not sure which are gluten-free, but many are): barley, quinoa, oats, all types of rice (black rice being a favorite treat), farro, etc.

[alysee]

43 minutes ago, NewnameC said:

Is seafood allowed? I know there is a great risotto with shrimp.

Nop. Complicating it also is that I have shellfish and some fish allergies. 🙃

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's health problems.  I have gone through the major diet change process and I know it's really overwhelming at first.  Two of my kids have Celiac, and my DH has severe food allergies, and I'm trying to eat Whole Food Plant Based, though I give myself a lot of wiggle room, just like you.  Here are some of our standard, regular meals:

GF spaghetti or other noodles with a lentil-mushroom Bolognese sauce.  I finely chop a bunch of mushrooms and sauté them in a very scant bit of olive oil until they have reduced significantly in volume, the more, the better IMO.  I add a can of drained, rinsed lentils (I prefer the flavor/texture of beluga lentils, also called black lentils.  You can also start from dry and cook them separately).  Add to your favorite jarred sauce.  You can make this even healthier by adding vegetables and/or using GF pasta that is bean or chickpea based, or whole wheat.  

Vegan Chili.  I use this recipe more-or-less, and I add a can of corn because yummy corn and about 1/4-1/2 cup red quinoa, which helps to absorb some of the juice and adds a meaty texture to compliment the beans.  This became my favorite chili recipe instantly, the flavor is so good.  You do NOT need an instant pot, the recipe is made from canned beans, I have no idea why you'd drag out the instant pot rather than simmering another 4-10 minutes on the stove. 

Indian Red Lentil Dahl.  I use this recipe.  

Beyond Burgers or other vegan burgers- a once a week staple for us.  Yes, they are very salty.  I think if they are your only indulgence, there are not too bad!  

Mexican Black Bean Bowls.  These are a huge hit.  I cook black beans from soaked in the IP, then drain and add stock (chicken or veg), sautéed onion, a chopped chipotle pepper or two from a can, and juice of 2 limes.  Serve with rice and corn, plus any toppings you  might like.  I use sour cream, but you can get a vegan substitute easily in the USA!  

Red bean tacos- Prepare everything as you would for normal tacos, but instead of meat, drain and rinse as many cans of red beans as your family needs and add a packet of taco seasoning and some water and simmer them a few mninutes until the water is mostly cooked off.  Black beans are also fine for this.  As are lentils.  It's also really easy to make meat for kids and beans for adults.  

Refried bean burritos.  Open can, heat beans, put in tortillas, add salsa!

PBJ on toast or crackers, gf as necessary.  

Falafel wraps or pitas.  I buy store-bought falafels and heat in oven, then spread (store bought) hummus onto a pita or tortilla, add salad leaves, red onion slices, cucumber slices, falafel balls, and a good squirt of sriracha.  A bit of soy sour cream or plain yogurt is also excellent.  

 

Every week, I make a couple of big salads that we eat at lunch or to fill in the cracks around a meal of leftovers.  These include:

- Lentil-Mango-Pomegranate Salad

- Quinoa salad with cucumbers and raisins, lemon vinaigrette

- Chickpea Waldorf Salad

- Green salad with all the fixings you might like.  For me that means having sliced red onion on hand, raisins or an apple to chop up, and a half can of lentils (drained/rinsed).  I make homemade dressing and always have some ready, so this is a quick lunch.  A seeds and nut mix for salads adds a good crunch on the top.  

 

-----------

This is personal, but I disagree with the advice to transition slowly.  A quick change gives you some momentum to work with and leads to feeling better and seeing better lab numbers rapidly, which is motivating, creating a good cycle.  

I would suggest looking at what you already eat, and seeing how easy it is to veganize it.  Using vegan "meat" can help while you are trying to get the kids on board. 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Sorry, just saw your kids won't do beans.  Eeeek!  Many of the recipes above can be batch made and frozen in individual portions, so DH can have a nice bowl of chili while everyone else is eating mac and cheese for example.  

[alysee]

We had some success today with an edamame stir fry!

Made it with our usual stir fry sauce which I think helped 

I didnt know how the 3yo would react so I deconstructed it for her but otherwise we all ate the same meal. 

[Carol in Cal.]

I wonder whether going all the way to vegan is the wisest move at this time?  

I suspect that your husband would do quite well on a very low fat diet that included some lean meat, fish, and poultry, and if you don’t object to that on moral grounds, it would be a much easier transition.  When I had gall bladder trouble and was eating extremely low fat to wait for surgery, the only meats I could eat were:  fish, shellfish, lamb tenderloins, pork tenderloins, ground turkey breast, skinless chicken breast, and skinless turkey breast.  But those totally saved me from wasting away.  I was hungry a lot of the time.

Gluten free and vegan is very difficult to switch to together.

A couple of cookbooks to consider:

”There She Glows” which is vegan.  It has a hummus recipe based on beets that is absolutely fantastic on cucumber rounds.

”Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites”—this includes a lot of vegan dishes.  It is not a gluten free cookbook by any means but it has TONS of gluten free recipes.  Some of them are quite hearty, and that is a blessing.  Switching to low fat vegan cooking leaves many people hungry all. The. Time.  
 

 

[GoVanGogh]

As an aside: I would look at the role gut health and chronic inflammation have to do with health issues. Possibly add in prebotiocs and probiotics. There are a number of books on the market regarding anti-inflammatory diet. 
 

I agree with Monica about jumping in rather than a slow transition. I started with a slow transition, then was compelled to jump straight in. I am glad I did. I started seeing faster gains in my health in a much shorter time and it was so motivating and encouraging. 

[73349]

Hi! Yes. We are GF 24/7 and eat vegetarian six nights a week. Also we hate bitter/spicy flavors and avoid alcohol and food coloring.

Here are some options for flavors your family may like. Add/change ingredients to your preference. I'm only including here things that are vegan.

• Mexican... Or how about soup? Add cornbread?
• Mediterranean (I swear, it doesn't taste like eggplant.)
• Asian example; you can do a lot with Asian food because it already emphasizes rice and vegetables.
• This is an Italian stuffed tomato recipe I veganized, a bit time-consuming so we only do on weekends. Want a flatbread to go with it?
• Turkish red lentils with tomatoes (I love this over roasted red potatoes.)
• Breakfast for dinner = French toast--add Beyond sausages on the side if you're into that, or go lighter with a fruit salad. Check GF bread ingredients if you want vegan.
• Or try this replacement for egg-based omelets
• Sweet potatoes stuffed with either BBQ or Buffalo-flavored chickpeas (I do the sweet potatoes in the Crock-Pot.)
• Speaking of sweet potatoes, if you have access to Miyoko's cheese, this is amazing.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Carolina Wren

[Indigo Blue]

Here is a recipe I found a few days ago in a little booklet I found in the back of my recipe drawer titled “Healthy Recipes for the Heart.” Heart healthy, gluten free, vegan.

Carribbean Pink Bean Soup

[freesia]

Since they like Mexican, maybe they would change their minds about beans if they are spiced with Taco seasoning.

[Eos]

Garbanzo flour makes a yummy gf crepe - you can also think of it as an eggless omelette. Have any ingredients ready cooked to fill them like broccoli, mushroom, cheese, spinach.  Whisk together 1 cup of garbanzo flour, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper or cayenne, let it sit for ten minutes.  Whisk it again then pour a small amount into a hot omelette pan that's lightly oiled, swirl it around to get the batter to the edges. Cook it for a minute or two, flip and cook for another minute or two.  Instant omelette or crepes!  You can make a lot and freeze them for filling another time.

Edited May 26, 2021 by Harpymom

[stripe]

On 5/24/2021 at 7:28 AM, alysee said:

 

The problem seems when Beans are visible. I can mash them and they will eat it(like Tacos or hummus) but chickpeas are rejected. 

Chickpeas are kind of hard to digest in my experience. Some of those kinds of beans also seem to really cause gas. I’d start with beans and split peas/lentils that fall apart more when cooked, with a softer skin, like black beans or navy beans. Also, nothing wrong with mashing and mixing in.

[dsmith]

I have similar issues. Ds has food issues (sensory related) and is on WW, I eat gluten free and recently went full wfpb due to cardiac issues, dh eats whatever, neighbor who is temporarily staying with us has no teeth, and mil changes her diet daily. I have one meal I can make with a little extra work and that works for everyone except the neighbor (I freeze leftovers into individual meals for when we are eating something he can't), but I'm trying to figure out meals I can do in a similar fashion. This is what I made last night: https://reciperunner.com/greek-lemon-chicken-skewers-tzatziki-sauce/

I did the chicken for the rest of the family, but for me I took two tablespoons of the marinade and added it to a drained can of chickpeas. I popped them in the air fryer until they were a little bit crisp but kind of chewy. Everyone eats the chicken in a pita with the tzatziki and their choice of the following: thin sliced cucumber, shredded lettuce, thin sliced tomato, red onion and feta cheese. I make my own tzatziki with Kite Hill dairy free sour cream, and it's delicious. I will either make a big salad with all the veggies, chickpeas and dairy-free tzatziki or I use a gluten free wrap or gf pita if I can find it. For other days I make quick meals for myself, often rice and beans. I'm addicted to A Dozen Cousins ready to eat beans and frozen brown rice. I put the rice on a plate, beans on top and microwave. I usually put some avocado on top. My husband does a lot of the cooking for everyone else, so that makes it easier to focus on myself. But I'd never get the rest of my family to eat the way I do, and on days when I'm cooking sometimes I'm making 3 separate meals. We used to do more freezer cooking, and we've decided to get back into it, but freezing in smaller containers now that we're all over the place with who will eat what.

[Spy Car]

On 5/24/2021 at 5:55 PM, Harpymom said:

Garbanzo flour makes a yummy gf crepe - you can also think of it as an eggless omelette. Have any ingredients ready cooked to fill them like broccoli, mushroom, cheese, spinach.  Whisk together 1 cup of garbanzo flour, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper or cayenne, let it sit for ten minutes.  Whisk it again then pour a small amount into a hot omelette pan that's lightly oiled, swirl it around to get the batter to the edges. Cook it for a minute or two, flip and cook for another minute or two.  Instant omelette or crepes!  You can make a lot and freeze them for filling another time.

Similar is Socca (French name) or Farinata ("standard Italian" name). They don't use baking powder and thin the flour 1:1 and serve as flatbread, either plain of with goodies cooked in.

Just beginning my exploration with cooking with garbanzo bean/chickpea flour. Socca/Farinata is yummy. I bet the crepes are similar.

Bill