Picky Lacto-Vegetarian

[livinlearn]

I was wondering if anyone could help me out by giving me some recipes. I consider myself lacto-vegetarian though I will occasionally eat something with egg cooked in it. I also do not eat sugar, flour, wheat or pasta of any kind. I’m kind of fussy about sodium levels being too high and in general am just not a fan of salt. I just don’t see the need

Comments

[livinlearn]

I asked for recipes IF anyone had any. That’s it.

[wesa]

Calm down, sheesh.

[silverblaidd]

You replied to the wrong person.

[brewsternorth]

Would your diet exclude spelt 'flour', out of interest? Apparently one can get spelt pasta with not an ounce of wheat in it, which could be used if you're still interested in pasta-type dishes.

Also, you could try going Thai - make a curry with tofu or peanuts and a hot sauce, and then use those angel-hair rice noodles that can be found in Asian or health-food stores.

[livinlearn]

Thank you... you've actually been of help, it's appreciated.

I have tried rice noodles before but over boiled them and they came out soggy and really ruined the recipe. So in general I try to just stay clear from noodles/pasta and usually replace it with brown rice or quinoa.

Thanks again!

And I've actually never heard of "spelt" flour. I'll be sure to look it up.

[blueheron]

Brown rice noodles should be easy to find, and to cook them you don't boil them. You soak them in very hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes.

I am a fan of lentil recipes. I will cook red lentils with low sodium vegetable broth, minced ginger, garlic and finely chopped cilantro stems. For a treat every now and then I will add in some coconut milk, but that can be easily omitted. I serve it over quinoa or black rice.

Soups can be made in a similar way by adding more liquid, chopped celery, carrots and onion, and for variety split mung bean to replace the lentils works well.

[brewsternorth]

Brown rice noodles should be easy to find, and to cook them you don't boil them. You soak them in very hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes.

*nods* Same with the angel-hair noodles, I think. You can even thicken a soup by breaking some up into it as it cooks.

[livinlearn]

I haven't tried any curries yet. (I'm sure I sound stupid asking this) What exactly are they?

[jedimomma]

Curry = more or less anything you bloody well want, as long as it has curry powder added. At least, that's my experience. It's originally Indian, although there was a pretty profound influence of British-ness on them when they set up shop on the Indian continent.

There are *thousands* of types of curry powders, so you could experiment a bit with levels of heat, sweetness, sourness, etc. But a curry basically consists in "saute something, add curry". I'd suggest that you head for an Indian restaurant, except those dishes really will be loaded with salt & fat (cream, sugar, etc.--but boy are they good!). Maybe hit AllRecipes for some ideas? I posted one below, too.

[blueheron]

Forget curry powder. Curry powder is just a blend of other spices (the blend changes depending on the type of curry powder). For the real deal, you are better sticking with basic spices as fresh as you can get them -- grind them yourself if you can.

Curry powder is often not nearly as fresh as it could be.

[onlytakenotes]

There are a lot of snotty bitches in this community, so I hope you have hard skin, er, thick skin. Lots of skin? Skin should be involved. Though not in the cooking.

Anyway, what kind of food do you like? Italian? Asian? You might have some luck with raw-food recipes or vegan dishes.

I'll put my thinking cap on and look through my recipe folder.

[livinlearn]

LOL Yeah I was a little surprised by my first response and caught off gaurd. I guess I sometimes forget how close-minded people can be.

Not huge on the italian food, though I do like some. Asian food is delicious though sometimes a bit too spicy for my tastes.

Thanks for the help.

[jedimomma]

You dare to politely ask for recipes? In this community?! Madness...

Pfft. I know people on vastly more restrictive diets than this, for all kinds of reasons--yours looks like a cakewalk. Have you considered curries? My favorites. Here's one I made yesterday:

Garbanzo Bean Curry

1 med Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic
1 tbsp curry powder
1 Can chopped tomatoes
1 Chopped apple
handful Raisins
1 Banana, mashed
1 Can of garbanzos

Saute onion till golden brown in a little oil or butter. Add garlic & curry powder, cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, apple, raisins, banana and beans. Cook for about 20 minutes. Season to taste and serve plain, or over rice.

[hobochan]

Banana? Really? But... I think I'm all confused. How well does the banana flavor cross over after the cooking? I've used plantains before and it's turned out pretty good, but haven't tried 'naners.

[jedimomma]

The banana flavor is there, but it's not very prevalent (it would have a hard time standing up against all that curry, onions & tomatoes anyway). It adds a pleasant sweetness and a bit of richness to the dish, and helps bring together the sweet ingredients (apples, raisins) with the savory (tomatoes, curry, onion, etc.). I've made it without banana before, and it was fine, but lacking.