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The Impossible Cookbook: How to Cook for the World's Most Difficult Dietary Restrictions
February 25th, 2013Top StoryThe Impossible Cookbook: How to Cook for the World's Most Difficult Dietary RestrictionsThe world offers us plenty of meal options, but thanks to awful things like allergies, intolerances, and ethics, many of us avoid some of those options. Whether you're suffering from a limited food selection or want to know how to cook for someone who does, here's how to still cook tasty food when your options are severely restricted. I'm a reluctant vegetarian. I decided to give it a shot nearly nine years ago for no particular reason and it stuck. Now meat just seems too unappealing to eat and I'm stuck with tofu—except I just found out I'm allergic to soy, most meat and fish, as well as a ton of other common foods. With severely limited options, I had to learn how to cook new recipes. Through the process I also discovered I am not alone. Many people have allergies, intolerances, or ailments like Crohn's Disease that prevent them from eating most food. (In fact, we have a representative in every category here at Lifehacker.) This post aims to provide options for those who can't eat like a normal person, or allow their friends and family to cook for them if they feel so inclined. The recipes selected will help you learn useful skills as you continue to cook for a restricted diet. Because of all the recipes, it's pretty long. Feel free to skip to the section most relevant to you (though you may want to read them all, as you'll find a lot of overlap in the recipes): How to Cook Vegetarian FoodCooking a vegetarian meal doesn't take a whole lot of forethought, but it helps to understand what it actually means to be a vegetarian before making your choices. The most common type of vegetarian is the ovo-lacto vegetarian, which means they don't eat any meat (that includes beef, pork, chicken, fish, and pretty much anything with a face) but they do eat eggs and dairy products. Some vegetarians are more strict and cut out either eggs or milk, while some are less strict and still eat fish (but they're more commonly known as pescatarians). Because ovo-lacto is the most common type, the recipes in this section will contain no meat but may contain dairy and eggs. Oatmeal RisottoRisotto's a great option when you can find one without meat or seafood. Learning to cook vegetable-based risotto, however, demonstrates how flavorful food can be without meat. Additionally, this risotto is made with oatmeal and not the standard arborio rice. It's a great example to show you how easy it can be to substitute various ingredients when you're trying to make something healthier or just more accessible to people with dietary restrictions. Here's what you'll need:
First, make the oatmeal:
Then, sauté the vegetables:
Watch how it's made over at How2Heroes Zucchini LasagnaPasta is a common option for vegetarians, but most lasagna comes with a large helping of meat. Meat-free lasagna is still really tasty, however, and this recipe is no exception. It's also a fantastic way to learn many useful pasta-related skills as the recipe requires you to make your own marinara sauce, cook noodles, create a ricotta filling, and make an egg wash. Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce:
Ingredients for the Egg Wash and Zucchini:
Ingredients for the Ricotta Filling:
You'll also need 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided. To start making actually making the recipe, you need to prepare the marinara sauce:
Note: This recipe makes more sauce than you will need for the lasagna but extra can be stored in individual containers and refrigerated for use within one week, or frozen for up to three months. Next, make the egg wash and fry the zucchini:
Next you need to prepare the ricotta filling. In a large bowl, using a fork mix 1 lb ricotta cheese, 1 egg, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp salt, ⅓ cup grated Romano cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Finally, assemble and bake the lasagna:
Watch how it's made over at How2Heroes More Vegetarian RecipesWant more vegetarian options? Check out these recipes:
How to Cook Vegan FoodVegans are a little more difficult than vegetarians. In addition to no eggs or dairy, vegans don't eat or use animal products at all. That may seem obvious, but because of how many products are processed that isn't always the case. For example, sugar and wine are both often filtered with charcoal made from animal bones. Insulation and lubricants are made from animal parts. These recipes will not use any animal products by default, but you'll need to make sure the ingredients you choose don't contain any, if you care (or the person you're cooking for does). Black Bean BurgersVegans are difficult to cook for, especially because protein sources are limited. The black bean is one of the best ways for a vegan to get protein, and you can turn it into all sorts of things. In this case, we're making burgers. To make the burgers, you'll need the following ingredients:
You'll also want the following items for preparing the burger when you're finished:
To actually make the burgers, first mix and form the patties:
Next, cook and make the burger:
Watch how to make these over at How2Heroes Quick Chickpea CurryChickpeas are great. They have a strong, built-in flavor and are easy to cook. This quick curry dish is a great option for vegans because it doesn't take long and offers a lot of flavor. Getting to know the chickpea is really useful for vegan cooking, because you'll find it in Indian, Ethiopian, and Middle Eastern food, all of which offer a number of great vegan choices. If you learn to cook the chickpea well one way, you'll inevitably seek out many others. Here's what you'll need:
Here's how you put it all together:
See how it's made over at How2Heroes Vegan TrufflesGreat vegan desserts can be a tough to come by, but no sacrifices are necessary with chocolate truffles. They may be small, but they pack a lot of fudgy flavor and demonstrate an important element of creating vegan desserts: you'll do well by shying away from the baked goods. While you can still bake some great vegan desserts, focusing on available flavors and minimizing substitutions will more likely produce a no-compromise treat that everyone will love. Here's what you'll need:
To make the truffles, follow these instructions:
Watch how to make this over at How2Heroes More Vegan RecipesWant more vegan recipes? Check these out:
How to Cook Gluten-Free FoodGluten allergies and intolerances can make eating out difficult, but cooking without gluten isn't as much of a challenge. Most of the time you just need to substitute the common ingredients for similar ones (e.g. using cornstarch instead of flour). While there are many gluten-free alternatives to standard foods (e.g. pizza), they don't always taste and feel like reasonable equivalents (much like fake meat). For that reason, we're going to concentrate on gluten-free recipes that don't have traditionally gluten-rich content. Eggplant TimballoEggplant timballo is bubbly, cheesy, and delicious. It's a great comfort food, which is something harder to come by when you can't eat gluten (as most "comfort foods" contain a lot of grain). This recipe, in particular, demonstrates how one simple replacement—cornstarch for flour—goes a long way. Primary Ingredients
Egg Wash
Marinara Sauce
You'll also need four individual-size casserole dishes for baking the timballos. Get started by making the marinara sauce:
Next, prepare the eggplant:
Finally, assemble and bake:
This dish freezes very well. Prepare and bake as you normally would. Let it cook, cover and freeze. When you're ready to eat, defrost or put in the microwave for 15 minutes. Then bake at 375º for 15 minutes. Watch how this dish is made over at How2Heroes Curried Lentil, Squash, and Apple StewThis dish offers a surprising amount of flavor and satiety and demonstrates how you can really create an impactful dish with just a few vegetables and spices. If there's one thing to learn here, pay attention to how the onions are prepared and sauteéd. The spices are included in the process and this helps bolster the great flavor of this stew. Here's what you'll need:
If you don't have access to some of the ingredients, this stew still tastes good anyway. Most of the time I don't bother with the spinach and have left carrots out in the past without affecting the flavor much. Cooking the stew is easy. Just follow these steps:
The finished stew serves about six people and preserves well for about a week. Asian-style Noodles with Turkey MeatballsA lot of Asian food is often off the menu for gluten-free eaters, but this dish not only delivers similar flavors but plenty of lean protein as well. If you're learning to cook for the gluten-intolerant, or are one yourself, it's good to start experimenting with substitutions for common problem foods like noodles. This recipe is also a favorite of Tessa, our contributions editor, who offers the following advice when making it:
Ingredients for the Meatballs:
Ingredients for the Noodles:
Before you get started making the meatballs, preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a large mixing bowl to combine turkey, bread crumbs, onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, and herbs. Mix until blended, then add the lime and maple syrup. Mix again. Add salt and pepper (careful with the salt - tamari is salty). Form the meatballs by hand - keep them about the size of a golfball. Place on baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Depending on how hot your oven runs, you may only need about 15 minutes. Cook them until they're no longer pink, and no longer than that or they'll dry out. Next, cook the pasta as directed, but just until al dente—don't overcook it! Meanwhile, bring your vegetable oil to a skillet (or wok) and add your onions, garlic, chile, ginger, and carrots. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, just until tender. Add the tamari and vinegar and give it all a stir. Drain your noodles and toss them in with your skillet mixture, coating them. Add the baby spinach at the VERY end, just enough to barely wilt it. Add in your fresh herbs. Toss everything on a plate and top it will as many meatballs as you can eat. Find more recipes like this one on the Gluten-Free Goddess Chicken and DumplingsYou can't go wrong with chicken and dumplings. If a gluten allergy has you down and you wish you had something you could eat, this ought to be a recipe at the top of your list. It's another great example of how using corn products (in this case, corn meal) can still create edible foods without any gluten problems. Ingredients for the Chicken Stock:
Ingredients for the Seasoning and Soup:
Ingredients for the Dumplings:
Just follow these steps to put it all together:
Find more great recipes like this one over at Chow Divine Gingerbread CookiesGingerbread cookies make for a fun dessert, but traditionally they're chock full of gluten. These cookies are not only gluten-free, but vegan as well, and you'll get 24 cookies out of a batch. Generally speaking, desserts and other baked items that traditionally require grain are difficult to deal with but these gingerbread cookies provide a helpful introduction to how you can bake without gluten-heavy flours. Here's what you'll need:
Follow these instructions to put it all together:
Watch how this is made over at How2Heroes More Gluten-Free OptionsWant more gluten-free recipes? Check these out: How to Find Recipes for Your Specific NeedsThis post only includes a few recipes for a handful of restrictive diets, so you may want more of what's already here or have specific needs we didn't cover. If you're looking for something very specific, one of the best things you can do is use Allrecipe's ingredient search tool. Whatever you can't eat, just type it into one of the "exclude" boxes and you'll see options that omit the stuff you can't eat. It's exceptionally helpful when you need something specific. That aside, here are further resources to help you learn more about cooking with restrictions:
Even though dietary restrictions can feel like you'll never eat anything good again, you will. Try some of these recipes, seek out your own, and let your tastebuds recalibrate a little. Change is often difficult, but new food becomes part of your normal routine after a little practice. After a little experimenting in the kitchen, you'll quickly find ways to love what you eat even if you have to leave out a few seemingly vital components. A very special thanks goes out to How2Heroes, cHow Divine, and the Gluten-Free Goddess for contributing recipes to this collection. These sites offer tons of great food that people with dietary restrictions can eat, so be sure to bookmark them and visit regularly. Photos by Jiri Hera (Shutterstock) and their respective recipe sources. |
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