okay, so I am not going to die without Boca burgers
which I must immediately give up as they are loaded with gluten. I loved my spinach, tomato, mushroom salads with a chikun Boca cut up on top. Today, I subbed garbanzo beans and I was just fine. I didn't even miss the Boca part much. I have hardly eaten in a week and it is unusual for me, who can cook and figure about anything out, to be asking what I can still eat. The answer is plenty, of course. I am being stubborn and lazy, and about the most depressed I have been in years over this because ever day I go gluten free I feel better than I did the day before and after 5 days, my gut has calmed down so dramatically I can scarcely believe it. It means I have my answer even after 5 days, so this has to be permanent. Whine...gluten, maltodextrin, wheat starch, modified food starch...it is in everything and what doesn't have those things has whey, HFCS and/or MSG. I love licorice, red, black it doesn't matter, but it has wheat in it.
Between being depressed over this and having had chest pain for the last week, well I am not a nice person right now. I am also full of beans which I CAN still eat.
Oh no! I'm sorry you're allegric to such a common thing. Can you make your own burgers and freeze them? It's more work, but it might even taste better. Don't be depressed! ;)
You can still have amy's kitchen organic bistro burger.....& probably make something like those chicken patties using tofu
Oh man, sucks not being able to eat gluten.
I fell in love with seitan from a recipie on this site. I love to make seitan "meat" balls and spagetti. I cook the seitan halfway and then finish cooking it in some juicy spagetti sauce. Ummmm it soaks up the onion/tomatoe/garlic flavors of the sauce and thickens it at the same time. Absolutely delicious...oh, sorry.
i can empathise. i feel the same way. when i find vegan and gluten free stuff, i often still want to scream, cos its usually got sugar, vinegar, mushrooms, or yeast in it (other things that i can't have!).
it is hard to begin with, just like veg*nism is- finding new foods, loosing old ones, adapting existing ones. but you'll soon get a whole stash of new recipes, substitutions, and ingredients together, and before you know it, you'll be sorted.
do you eat soy? you can get gluten-free, vegan, chicken-flavoured boullion cubes like these (which i've even amazingly seen in regular grocery stores, in the 'organic/natural foods section!):
http://www.celiac.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=168
and could perhaps marinade some frozen, thawed tofu chunks in a little stock, and some random herbs, then grill/pan fry them- maybe dusted with a cornmeal coating with some chicken seasoning herbs (i have no idea what herbs go with chicken, lol)... and toss them on your salad.
if you don't eat soy.... maybe try soaking some polenta in it, then pan frying that, or something - don't be afraid to experiment- if it goes wrong, do what i do, and feed it to someone else, or recycle it (my bf is the bottomless pit dustbin who eats my mistakes)!
i don't know if you can get them where you are, but you can also have Sol Cuisine Veggieburgers- both the origional, and spicy black bean versions. they're not chicken style, more beef style, but they're not beefy flavoured or anything. useful for defrosting, breaking up, and rolling into 'meatballs', or mushing into homemade corn tortilla taco filling stuff.
oooh, and in case of a depressed and fatigued dinner emergency, amys has a few boxed and canned dinners that you might be able to eat- i like the canned chilli, the veggie korma curry meal, and the black bean burrito meal- there are a few soups that are gluten free and vegan too, from what i remember.
just hang in there- its extra hard when you feel ill- but it looks like the change is having its benefits already- hopefully you'll be perky and spritely and dancing in the aisles at the healthfood store in no time!
ETA: please try and contain your excitement... but i may have possibly found you some licorice (bleurgh- don't bring it anywhere near me!) :
Black: http://www.celiac.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=795
Fruit (assorted): http://www.veganessentials.com/catalog/candy-tree-organic-licorice-vines.htm
In a choice between feeling good (ie not being sick) and eating something I like, the first always wins. Because for that brief minute you eat something you may enjoy it, but it is soon overshadowed by the hours or days of feeling ill.
You are a great cook! This is totally surmountable and you will feel so much better.
Prettyin_Punk beat me to linking that recipe. I have done that three times now and each time is awesome. Highly recommend trying it out with gluten free products!
hoodedclawjen LICORICE????? How nice, I am checking that site out.
prettyin_punk beat me to it but I was also going to suggest TVP and/or TSP. With your obvious skill as a cook I'm sure you could figure out ways to make great burgers and other "meatlike" products out of it. There are recipes all over the web for burgers, sloppy Joes, "meatballs" etc.