The challenge of specific dietary requirements makes a truly creative cook happy. Vegans for dinner? I'm your woman. Gluten-free, dairy-free, low-sugar baking? Come on over - there's a cake cooling on the sill and the kettle's just boiled. Feeling blue, like the world's come to an end? Chicken soup will help, but I'll come up with something equally healing if you can't/won't do poultry. Limitations and constraint. Those are my things.
But Oscar's beautiful girlfriend's requirements - the result of a crohn's diagnosis - listed on his phone last Tuesday night, precluding her from the (admittedly boring) brown rice pilaf we'd made read like a Horror Story:
no raw vegetables
no raw fruit
no high fibre
no grains
no nuts
no wholemeal ANYthing
Which'd be pretty much everything I cook. Everything I like. Maybe not the grains so much anymore as I've been finding Athina Koullouros' reasoned arguments for their limitation fascinating, and yes, I love baked pears and poached peaches as much as anyone else, but no salad? NO salad?? G'ah.
And yet. Limitations. I don't let those hold me back. Meat and dairy are on the menu, as is, of all things, pasta, so long as it's the kind of pasta I'd normally eshew...am thinking spaghetti bolognese or some sort of long, slowly cooked ragu. Anyway, open to suggestion, most especially vegetarian options - thoughts?
What about something like this? http://www.athinkingstomach.com/2013/01/too-simple-to-be-recipe.html
Or, if you're willing to go the meat option, this? http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/KADDO-BOURANI-PUMPKIN-WITH-YOGURT-AND-MEAT-SAUCES-50107221
Ooof, a Crohn's diagnosis, that's really tough. My thoughts are with the boy and his girl.
Posted by: Christina | August 12, 2014 at 01:11 PM
I recently bought the Oh She Glows cookbook and after reading your post, flipped through it a moment ago. A couple of recipes featuring avocado sounded yummy and possibly would meet the dietary restrictions. You might find some inspiration on the web site. I did a search using "avocado" and found this: http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6033267
Bonus: no grains at all.
Beautiful photograph!
Posted by: Elaine | August 12, 2014 at 01:21 PM
Frittata??
Posted by: kathryn elliott | August 12, 2014 at 04:38 PM
Or . . . not vegetarian, but Teresa Cutter's meatballs, with pasta - they're made with ricotta, so lighter than the standard variety http://www.thehealthychef.com/2011/05/organic-meatballs-in-tomato-sauce/
Posted by: kathryn elliott | August 12, 2014 at 04:41 PM
Sorry, my thoughts are coming in slow drips.
I reckon a simple frittata with sweet potato wedges and then some cooked spinach, maybe with a little nutmeg and cream?
Or my other thought was to make some of that ricotta gnocchi - not sure if you've seen the recipes, but it's really simple to make and *really* delicious. It can also be made in advance and then just takes minutes to cook (as long as you have a really big pan). You could even make spinach gnocchi and have that with a tomato sauce and some parmesan?
Posted by: kathryn elliott | August 12, 2014 at 05:22 PM
Even though I was a vegetarian for many years and feel it made me a better and more varied cook I admit to getting rather peeved with the proliferation of niche boutique diets such as vegan-paleo etc etc, but a genuine health issue such Crohns or celiac disease I will rise to the occasion. The thought of never eating salad again makes me feel sad for this young woman, but there is quite a bit within those limitations. If you're having pasta maybe a socca (chickpea pancake/pizza) would be a good entree, gnocchi of any kind sounds delicious even the traditional potato gnocchi with a meat or vegetarian sauce sounds like it wouldn't be out of bounds. I guess most pulses, lentils, beans would be too high fibre. A poached pear for desert with a chocolate sauce would be rather nice too..
Posted by: Elizabeth | August 12, 2014 at 05:42 PM
you guys...great ideas, and so many ideas pinging 'round for me now...lovely.
Posted by: lucy | August 13, 2014 at 08:08 PM
I have ulcerative colitis (related to crohn's), and when I get a flare up need to go on the specific carbohydrate diet (like paleo) to manage it, but for me no grains means NO GRAINS, so I was unsure if pasta would really be a good idea ... Soups are good, fish and a (cooked) greens side, or a slow cooked meat stew...
Posted by: Jo | August 14, 2014 at 07:24 AM
jo, thank you. SO much. i would have thought that pasta was wrong, so i'm glad you've confirmed it. i feel better knowing that, in your experience, it's better to go with no grains at all. you're a star!
Posted by: lucy | August 14, 2014 at 08:56 AM
Soufflés! Make guests feel spoiled but are easy.
Posted by: Naomi | August 21, 2014 at 08:28 AM