Favorite Recipes Light on Legumes & Wheat?
I've been vegetarian or vegan my whole life, so I've always been a legume lover. Lentils, black beans, garbanzos...I love them all. But over the last four years or so, I've started to have problems tolerating both wheat and legumes in large quantities. I get crippling stomach cramps after eating a meal consisting mostly of legumes. I have tried lots of things -- first, soaking and cooking legumes for a long time to make them easier to digest and cutting out bread, then, when that wasn't enough, cutting out most legumes and cutting out wheat entirely. But that limited my diet a lot and made it harder to get the nutrients and protein I need. These days, my strategy is to avoid wheat most of the time and eat one small serving of slow-cooked legumes or processed legumes (like tofu) per day. I still have serious cramping sometimes, but it isn't as bad as when I ate more legumes. I have smoothies with rice or pumpkin protein powder for breakfast and eat lots of fruits and veggies. I also eat lots of potatoes, some oats, rice, and some noodles made from rice or buckwheat.
So...that's a long-winded introduction to my real question: what are your favorite healthful main dish recipes that don't include legumes or wheat? I want to try some new recipes and/or meal ideas!
I'd look into other whole grains - quinoa, bulgur, barley, millet, etc.
Look into soups and salads...
Make your own bowls. Top the grains with your favourite (roasted) veggies, nuts/seeds and your favourite dressing.
There are tons of amazing recipes out there for grains and veggies... I don't even know where to start!
But what you also might want to look at is a probiotic and/or digestive enzyme supplement. It's not cool to have such terrible stomach pains from a healthy food...
Thanks for the input!
@blinknoodle
Any favorite recipes with quinoa or millet? My mother made quinoa a lot when I was a kid, but I haven't cooked with it much myself. I do like puffed quinoa cereal for a fast breakfast on occasion. I always disliked millet, but I'd be willing to try it again if you have a good recipe!
Bulgur was always one of my favorite grains, but it's a wheat product, not a whole grain, so that's out. I still make bulgur pilaf once a week, because I've always loved it so much...so cheap and delicious, especially if you saute the bulgur with mushrooms and a dab of earth balance before adding water...droooool. I just can't eat much of it anymore :(. And barley triggers the cramping, too (maybe it's the gluten).
I make lots of soups, and they are great for lunch or a starter course, but I'd really like main dish recipes, for hearty casseroles or stews or such like...stuff that's filling and substantial.
@veganhealthy
Although these foods are healthful, my doctor tells me that these problems are not uncommon, and that intolerances can develop at any age, even in otherwise healthy people. I have experimented with probiotics, and I've talked to a couple of doctors. I haven't found anything that helps so far, but I'm still experimenting. In the meantime, I am looking for recipes that don't trigger my symptoms...can you give me one of those amazing recipes you mentioned? I will be very grateful :)>>>
sure :)
you said you like quinoa:
http://www.healthyveganrecipes.net/video/swiss-chard-recipe
and soups/stews:
http://www.healthyveganrecipes.net/video/vegan-sweet-potato-soup
and hearty comfort meals:
http://www.healthyveganrecipes.net/video/vegetarian-bolognese-recipe
http://www.healthyveganrecipes.net/video/barley-casserole-recipe (just sub the barley for rice if it gives you issues)
those are all just my recipes - there are of course a ton of awesome recipes floating around the net.
I love Manifest Vegan - she does gluten-free, so no wheat. One of hers that I'm in love with right now is this:
http://www.manifestvegan.com/2010/10/chocolate-acorn-squash-baked-custard/
I ate it for dessert, but also for breakfast one day :)
I hope that helps!
Sorry, I realized after I posted that bulgur is in fact wheat. I love it, though!
Here are some of my favourite recipes with quinoa and millet:
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/lime-cilantro-quinoa-corn-salad/
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/pomegranate-lime-asparagus-quinoa-salad/
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/moroccan-barley-and-pea-shoot-salad/
(sub quinoa for the barley, spinach/chard for the pea shoots)
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/turkish-bulgur-pomegranate-and-almond-salad/
(sub quinoa for the bulgur)
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/millet-bowl-with-spinach-leek-and-toasted-pumpkin-seeds
I also really like the quinoa falafels from Thrive Foods.
Feel free to leave me a comment on my blog if you try any of the recipes. :)
Thanks to both of you! I've been getting really tired of making the same stuff, and really needed some fresh suggestions. Today is shopping day, so I'll pick up some ingredients.
I will try the chard recipe soon and sub spinach for the chard, because I have a huge bunch of spinach I need to use! I have never heard of kamut noodles (for the bolognese)...where do you find those?
Blinknoodle, I'll definitely be trying that first salad. I'll give the millet bowl a try, but I might chicken out and replace the millet with quinoa the first time through...maybe I can work my way up to millet over time. I see you are into Turkish food! I am too! Do you know the portakal agaci blog (http://www.portakalagaci.com/)? She's an omnivore, but a really talented cook. There's lots of veg inspiration there and some veg recipes, too. My Turkish is really bad, but I muddle through with a dictionary and some guesswork; I like her blog better than the ones I've found in English (I used to really enjoy Yogurtland, but she never posts anymore). It's a big challenge for me, but I try to tell myself that trying to understand portakal agaci recipes improves my language skills.
I have never heard of kamut noodles (for the bolognese)...where do you find those?
kamut is a relative of wheat - might not be so great for you... but you can use any gluten-free pasta (brown rice, corn, quinoa, etc...) - or what I love to do is serve the sauce over some cooked brown rice. It might sound a bit odd at first, but it's really yummy and not as heavy-feeling as pasta :)
also - if you like chili, have you ever tried making it with squash and/or sweet potato cubes, and no beans? It would be really nice with a bit of quinoa tossed in there too... was just daydreaming about chili variations ;)
Ah, good to know! I might try it with buckwheat or rice noodles, then. I like rice with a hearty sauce, too, especially if it's a sturdy brown rice.
I haven't tried chili with alternate ingredients...I used to make chili a lot in the winter, and stopped after these problems began. Squash sounds like an interesting idea; squash is so tough and could probably survive the slow cooking process well. Maybe delicata squash? If I remember correctly, it's a little less sweet than acorn or butternut, though I haven't had it in a while. Interesting idea!
I just made this this weekend and loved it! You could just omit the beans: http://www.theppk.com/2010/10/quinoa-white-bean-and-kale-stew/