I’m needing some new recipes because pretty much all of my old favorites are making me sick.
The recipes can’t include any or much:
onion
garlic
pepper
tomato
corn
whole grain or anything very high in insoluble fiber
anything in the cabbage family
large quantities of dairy
large quantities of fat
alcohol
I also might be having trouble with eggs.
(This list is depressing.)
Casseroles and soups would be especially welcome.
Ideas? My GI tract and I thank you in advance.
Low fat soft cheese? Low-fat live yoghurt (yeah, I know they’re day, but not sure how much is too much). Pity about the fibre thing. So only white rice/pasta, I suppose. And potatoes. How about exciting stuff like chicken/turkey? Are bananas a problem, 'cos they seem to belong in the “easy to eat and quite good for you” category.
And I think it is a terrible world if you cannot have garlic. 
OR alcohol. I hope you can have cake.
I’m generally avoiding cheese that’s more than a tiny sprinkle. Honestly, I don’t know how much dairy is “too much.” I’m essentially trying an elimination diet and some of the things on the list definitely give me trouble and some just might.
Bananas are fine except I’m not a big fan. Most of the stuff in my “fine to eat” list are things I don’t like all that much, which is really starting to suck.
Oh, citrus seems to be a no-no, too.
Ramen Stir-Fry
(makes 4 svgs.)
1 lb. meat or tofu (I use either lean beef strips or chicken tenders)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil
2 (3 oz.) packages flavored ramen noodles (get the low-fat kind - health food stores will sell them or you can even order them from Amazon.com)
1 (12 to 16 oz.) package vegetables (thawed if frozen - use any kind you want)
Soy sauce, to taste
Meat should be cut into strips or bite-size chunks.
Add the oil to a skillet and fry the meat until golden brown on the outside. While that’s going on take a medium or large saucepan, fill with water and put it on to boil. Once it’s boiling, put the ramen noodles in (reserve the flavor packets) and cook them until they break apart – 2 to 3 minutes. Drain them.
Add the vegs to the skillet with the tofu or meat and add the ramen flavor packets. Cook until the vegs are just tender and then add the noodles. Add soy sauce to taste.
This recipe is very versatile. You can also use white rice and your own seasonings if you prefer.
I have found you can do skinless chicken breasts in the slow cooker in the following ways and get something tasty to eat with rice or pasta or bread. I use bone-in breasts, cheaper and I think they cook faster.
I brown the chicken, cook 1 hour on high, then on low until done, about 4-5 hours.
Fried rice is also good. Cook the rice one day and make the fried rice the next day. I usually like it with eggs, but they aren’t a must. Dice up some meat and veggies of your choice and stir them in, along with soy sauce and whatever spices you feel up to. If you do add an egg, scramble it up last then stir it in at the last minute.
You poor thing. I guess you could blend up carrots and drink that. Liquid carrots. No idea if it tastes good, but you could always add bacon salt. Mmmm, bacon carrots.
Thanks for the ideas. I’ll be on the lookout for low-fat ramen.
Harriet, can you give me an idea of the ratios of cranberry sauce to chicken? That sounds like something way different that I would be able to handle.
If anyone else has further ideas, I’m still interested.
I usually use a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and about half a small jar of orange marmalade to either one turkey breast or 6 bone-in skinless chicken breasts. This goes in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Sounds like some kind of risotto is possible - usually it would require onions, but it will still be nice if you use a decent stock.
Chop up a carrot and a stick of celery (or any vegetable you are actually allowed to eat), fry them off in a tiny bit of oil, add a cupful of rice and fry it for a minute or two before adding a pint of good chicken stock. While that’s cooking, grill a chicken breast, then slice it and serve on top of the cooked rice.
Or you could do a similar thing with a nice piece of white fish.
Also, roast vegetables are good with anything - parsnips, carrots (choose thick ones and peel and cut them into chunky pieces), potatoes, butternut squash, maybe sweet potato? - are these all within limits for you?
Make double the amount of roast veg you require, then blend the surplus with some stock to make a delicious soup - the exact proportions of each vegetable don’t matter at all.
I wrote out a recipe for lentil stew with all these ingredients but decided not to post because of the amount of insoluble fibre. Are potatoes a good thing or a bad thing jsgoddess? What about brown rice?
White potatoes are fine. I haven’t eaten a sweet potato in years, but I’m guessing it would be fine as well.
Brown rice would be a whole grain rice? I’d probably have to be careful.
I adore lentils, but would probably again have to be careful.
I’d love the recipe.
Mangetout I feel like smacking myself for forgetting roast root vegetables. Thanks for the reminder.
Harriet, any chance I could leave out the marmalade? Or would that upset the whole taste of the thing?
Hearty Lentil Stew. The recipe is from the Gillian McKeith cookbook, she’s one of those nutritionist quacks, but most of her recipes are yummy. I’ve cooked this before and it’s my favourite warmer. This recipe originally had onions in it but I left them out.
Serves 4
225g lentils
1 wheat free vegetable stock cube
4 carrots chopped
half a butternut squash deseeded, chopped
1 sweet potato diced
4 small white potatoes diced
1 celery stalk chopped
50 grams of peas
100 grams of fresh watercress
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp tamari sauce
Soak the lentils for 20 minutes. Rinse then drain.
Place the vegetable stock in a saucepan with 750mls of water bring to the boil.
Add the lentils, carrots, sqaush, sweet potato and white potatoes. Bring back to the boil, then lower heat and simmer for further 5 minutes.
Add the peas, watercress, dill and tamari and serve.
I think I’ve seen similar recipes without the marmalade. You might try some fruit preserve that you’re comfortable with to give it a multi-dimensional flavor-apple? peach? cherry?. I don’t do well with citrus, either, but the marmalade in this doesn’t bother me. Of course, your digestive mileage may vary.