Q: My roommate recently developed a case of temporary IBS. Her doctor recommended that she cut out gluten and minimize her lactose intake for the next month or two. She is also a vegetarian, so at the moment she is practically vegan. I eat meat, but can absolutely find the joys in vegetarian cooking. But finding recipes that cut out both of those elements hasn't proved very easy.
I was wondering if anyone had an gluten/lactose/meat-free recipes they could recommend that would serve as a hearty meal that doesn't leave you feeling like you are eating a series of side dishes!
Sent by Carol
Editor: Carol, we're going to go with polenta here. It's hearty, filling, gluten-free, AND vegan — it really sticks to your ribs, too. It's also good for both breakfast and dinner. We love a little warm polenta with milk (substitute soy milk here) and some raisins and cinnamon for breakfast.
For dinner, you could make a braised, creamy squash and some greens to go over the polenta. Perfect comfort food. Here's a look at some recipes:
• Autumn Dinner Party Menu: A Polenta Bar!
Also take a look at that baked risotto from last week.
Readers, what would you suggest for Carol and her roommate?
Related: Recipe: Baked Mushroom Risotto with Caramelized Onions
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Comments (26)
you're such a caring roommate :) you could make some russian borsh or sauteed mushrooms (with gluten free pasta?)
How about a nice spicy black bean soup with a fresh salad and tortilla chips on the side? Or black bean tacos with avocado and lime on corn tortillas.
Another way to go would be a Thai curry served over rice (or Khao Soi, a red curry soup with egg noodles, tofu and mushrooms!)
If you have a slow cooker (or are willing to buy one for $30-$60...and it's totally worth it, trust me) there are a lot of great vegetarian recipes that are all veggies and stock and not only hearty but fit within her diet needs and freeze well for future meals! Here's a link to my favorite book http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetarian-Slow-Cooker-Recipes/dp/1558322566 but you can always find great recipes for it online too. Plus, if you want to add pasta or cheese to the meals for yourself you can, without effecting her. Good luck, and good on you for being such a great roommate!
I include a lot of gluten free and vegan recipes on my site. Here are a few:
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2010/11/winter-vegetable-soup-with-coconut-milk.html
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2010/08/savoy-cabbage-potato-curry.html
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2010/04/saru-tomato-lentil-soup.html
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/rajma-kidney-bean-curry-with-spinach.html
Pretty much any south Indian recipe would work...
Try South Indian and Thai food. The former is entirely vegetarian and very vegan friendly (just swap oil for ghee and omit yogurt) and the latter needs to be homemade to be vegan - just omit fish sauce and use equal parts lime juice + soy sauce to mimic the taste.
I'm vegetarian and cook both of these nearly all the time, so I guess I eat gluten-free and vegan most of the time, although I never thought of it that way!
One of my favorite things is to sautee a bunch of things you like and then put it over/mix it with a grain (I often use quinoa for protein). Kale, squash, onions, garlic always a winner. Also kale, dried tomatoes, onion, garlic. I find that big pieces of squash or onion or potato always make things feel like a real meal.
I made a yummy warm salad yesterday not realizing that it was vegan and gluten-free. Your roommate might like... sauteed butternut squash and farro salad (I used Satur's Crisp Cut Salad blend as my greens- a new find and my new fave!). You can dress it with any vinaigrette you want and maybe even add some nuts on top.
I also love the idea of a vegetarian tagine (think a combo of squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.) served over couscous.
Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new book, Appetite for Reduction, is almost entirely gluten-free, as well as whole-grain-based and lower-fat. Tons of great ideas in there.
if your roommate has ibs, I would stay away from corn products....corn can be a trigger for digestive problems.
veganomicon, also from isa chandra moskowitz (and terry hope romero) has some great bean recipes in it (mediterranean beans in tomato sauce) that is great served with rice,
and/or shephards' pie with tempeh (shephardess tempeh pie, iirc)
good luck!
What about veggie omelettes or frittatas? I'm not an expert, but I believe those wouldn't contain gluten or lactose.
I did a gluten-free elimination diet for three months last year --- on top of already being vegan. People thought I was CRAZY especially since I wasn't celiac (I did it for my back problems). My biggest struggle was feeling full...then I learned to embrace rice more and got creative making simple dishes with vegetables, seitan (gluten-free veggie meat alternative), beans or soy. Also this might be a good opportunity to explored different cuisines, esp the rice-based ones. Thai, Japanese or my fave Vietnamese have tons of GF dishes. As long as you use tamari sauce (or Bragg's Liquid Aminos) that is! Mexican food you can make veggie fajitas with corn tortillas... Spanish food make paella... see, not so hard!
Get creative and have fun!
stilettoninja... Seitan is NOT a gluten free food, it's actually made entirely from wheat gluten.. just sayin' :)
I actually did the vegan gluten free thing for a couple of years and concentrated on beans, nuts, seeds, gluten free grains like quinoa, rice and amaranth, and lots of vegetables.
Some of my staples were: nori rolls, spring rolls, soups and stews, gluten free pasta (tinkayada brand is great), falafel, quinoa, all different kinds of rice (jasmine, brown, arborio etc..)curries, polenta etc..
If you're roomie can get her hands on some chicpea flour (also known as gram flour) she can make socca and gluten free vegan omelettes.
Many raw food cookbooks are naturally gluten free and vegan..
There are some great prepared gluten free flour mixeson the shelves these days so she can still enjoy pancakes, muffins and baked goods!
Thanks so much for all the great ideas! We hadn't thought of polenta and I love all the extra ideas from everyone! I love the kitchn community! - Carol
@fitzowics80 - Oooof! I meant tempeh! TEMPEH! Ha. I love using the Tofurkey marinated tempeh line for a quick meal! You can find all sorts of flavors at Whole Foods. :)
I agree with jilrenee. I have no allergies or sensitivities, but I have a heck of a time digesting corn. I can do it in small-medium quantities, but large amounts of it - or corn salads, curries and the like - well, let's not go there...
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ I'm not vegan, but I use her recipes a lot (I have a wheat allergy). Everything on here is gluten-free and I'm pretty sure most of it is vegan as well.
I was at a dinner party recently where there were both vegans and gluten free guests, and the host made an awesome meal - baked butternut squash stuffed with rice pilaf, some sort of lovely fried tofu with dipping sauce, a green salad with pistachios bell pepper and a gf sesame dressing, and for dessert made a luscious chocolate cake from Babycakes (a gf/vegan cupcake shop and cookbook). Nobody even noticed it was gf/vegan until somebody brought it up!
Also, thai curries are great as long as you don't add the fish sauce - coconut milk is great at making you feel full.
Soups, stews and chilis! The Daily Special from Moosewood has lots of great soups.
Also, Veganomicon is of course vegan, and has lots of recipes that are GF or easily modified.
Soups, stews and chilis! The Daily Special from Moosewood has lots of great soups.
Also, Veganomicon is of course vegan, and has lots of recipes that are GF or easily modified.
manifestvegan.com has gf/vegan recipes, although they're primarily desert.
I'd also recommend Veganomicon. I also like the site elanaspantry.com, although it's not vegan it does have some tasty or easily modified gf recipes.
Good luck!
How about quinoa? You could do quinoa salads, quinoa risotto, quinoa soup, etc
I recently had post-parasitic IBS from volunteering abroad, and while people's triggers are different, many foods listed here are common triggers for folks with IBS, especially coconut milk. I learned a lot from this website: http://www.helpforibs.com/. It looks kinda shady and like it's trying to sell you a bunch of stuff, but it's really not and it was also the ONLY thing that helped me not be doubled over in pain after every meal. The main tenants are 1.) eat soluble fiber with wild abandon, 2.) eat insoluble fiber cautiously, 3.) keep fats to a minimum. She also gives really helpful suggestions about when (often) and how (always start off with safe foods and then add other foods) to eat. I got the book as well, but the recipes aren't too vegetarian friendly and I didn't use it that much. The website has everything you really need to know.
farro is not gluten free.
i have a ton saved in my online cookbook (cookmarked.com). look me up on the site!