veggie meals without wheat, soy or nuts?

shakybabe

I'm trying doing a few meals without meat for a couple of days of the week, but alot of meat substitutes contain soy and i have under active thyroid and have been told to avoid as it interferes with thyroxine absorption. I also have a severe nut allergy and am currently wheat free so what would my options be?

I've heard of Tofu but never tried it is that made from soy? I've had quorn mince in things like chilli but was looking for substitutes for bacon/sausage/chicken? .. I love bacon butties (use gluten free rolls) at weekend but trying to cut bacon out as its so high in salt is there something that tastes similar but not as high in salt or fat?

Thanks

JeninBelgium

not a bacon substitute but if you are looking for a source of protein on your meat free days why not try quinoa- it is a grain - well technically a seed and you can season/sauce it anyway you would prepare rice or couscous or even pasta and it is often recoend to those with gluten issues and nut allergies so, hopefully, it should be a safe food for you

Although a seed/grain it is pretty high in protein in comparison with rice or the others

My one strong piece of advice is to be certain that you rinse it well before preparing it, the quinoa has a chaff of saponin (sort of a thin membrane/skin protective layer thing) around it that is rather bitter but if you rinse it that part gets washed right off

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-quinoa.php

aaleigha1

quorn do a range of chicken like products and a bacon substitute
I dont know where you are but in the UK these are easily available through supermarkets

tofu is soya based so stay clear of that

I am a vegetarian and make a few veggie meals that seem to be liked by my meat eating friends

one is a very simple dish based on cauliflower

I steam a head of cauliflower
saute a couple of handfuls of sliced mushrooms
(you can add any veg you like)
then cool all the veg when its cool crush the cauliflower and mix in the rest of the veg
add some greek yog or creme fraiche and some grated cheese of your choice

onto this I sprinkle some rice crumbs to give a toasty topping but a few crushed crisps (chips) will work


pop in moderate oven till hot and the top is golden


for a less decadent meal use a basic cheese sauce for the dressing

you could do stuffed mushrooms (just dont use wheat or use a gluten free crumb)
make a veggie chowder

you can make things to your meat recipes and just leave out the meat and make sure you add in something for a protein source like lentils or beans

littlemili

If you have dietary restrictions for medical reasons I would not go about making things even harder for yourself. Why are you excluding meat? How about fish? Unless you are cutting it for medical reasons I would just eat meat. Why make getting adequate nutrition even harder than it already is for you?

OnceAndFutureAthlete

I came here to say quinoa, too. Love it! And it picks up flavors well.

I know that's not a direct answer to your question on meat substitutes, but, if i may ask (suggest?), why are you trying to imitate meat? It will never be competely satisfying as the real thing. Why not try instead to make a really tasty vegetarian meal that's not trying to be anything else?

A couple of suggestions were made above.

Also, look at indian recipes - really great and tasty vegetarian dishes. And you can get the spices and sauces at many upscale markets these days.

Aèlis18118360

Hi, I would suggest seitan, I eat it almost everyday.
Where I live I can find it in every supermarket, but I'm not sure if it is that common everywhere.
But it is also possible to make it at home (if you are interested I can write how I make it). Lots of protein, almost no fat and very low carbs.
(I'm vegetarian)

workerbee2011

If you're only doing a couple meat free days a week, you don't really need to worry too much about substituting protein - you'll get enough in the rest of the week. That being said, lentils are good - I make a rice and lentil bake that's SO easy and yum- just throw uncooked brown rice, lentils and some green leafy veg ( chard; spinach) in an oven proof dish, add some chopped onion, garlic and spices (cumin works great) and black pepper; top it up with water and a stock cube, and bake ( covered) at 180 (centigrade) for 40 mins.

fteale

Tofu is soy and quorn contains some wheat protein so isn't suitable for coeliacs.

Can you have dairy?

shakybabe

I'm not going completely meat free and yes I do eat fish too making a fish curry tonight with cauliflower rice, i use corn tortilla's instead of chapatti's.

I was reading an article about meatless monday and encouraging people to do some days meat free, although I only eat chicken or turkey anyway, I already substituted quorn mince for beef but I'm not a big beef fan (prefer lamb but its expensive to buy reguarly)

I was looking on Tesco's meat free range but loads are covered in breadcrumbs like the veggie burgers etc or the veggie sausages contain gluten as do regular ones though it doesn't say whether thats wheat gluten or not for regular sausages (I usually liked Richmond irish thick sausages)

Only thing I could think of was omelettes or an egg foo yung style dish (I'm ok with prawns but never tried any other shellfish) or I do love cheese and onion pasties or pies but again most of these are regular wheat products. Is there such a thing as ready roll gluten free pastry so could make my own?

Yes i have diary and eggs. I was just looking for healthier solution for my usual bacon butties though as Iike them on a regular basis! , would the turkey rashers be as low fat and as good as a vegetarian substitute?

Thanks

fteale

Yes, you can buy read roll gluten free pastry. Or it's very easy to make.

shakybabe

Yes, you can buy read roll gluten free pastry. Or it's very easy to make.

in UK? where from?