Adapting for Different Diets & Preferences

Unless you’re cooking for yourself 100% of the time, I’m sure you’ve grappled with the ‘keeping everyone happy’ dilemma at some stage.

Even in my house, where we both love most food, there are times when my Irishman and I disagree on what’s going to be delicious. And don’t get me started on fussy 2-year-olds!

Over the years I’ve developed some simple strategies to cope with this problem without having to cook separate meals.

It isn’t necessarily as difficult as you’d think.

How to Cope with Different Diets / Preferences without Cooking Separate Meals…

1. Focus on commonalities.

The first and easiest solution is to find a meal that will please everyone.

So ask yourself what does everyone like? Or what can everyone eat?

Part of the problem is that we tend to define allergies or taste preferences by what we ‘don’t / can’t’ eat. So this becomes the focus. Sometimes just changing the way you think about the problem can be enough to spark creative ideas for solutions.

2. Serve with different sides.

The next place I’d look for solutions is to find different ways to serve the main component of the meal so that it keeps everyone happy and satisfied.

For example, I’d serve my main ‘protein’ with steamed veg or a salad so I’m keeping low carb. Where as for my Irishman, I’d serve the protein with something carb-focused like potatoes.

Or say it’s curry night…

I’d serve mine with some grated raw cauliflower (cauliflower ‘rice’) and steamed rice for my Irishman and the boys.

Too easy.

3. Choose a different ‘protein’ or main event.

I find this one particularly helpful for catering for plant based people.

So the carnivores will get their chicken, steak, fish or whatever. And the vegetarians will have some grilled halloumi or omelette, or for a more vegetable focus pan fry some mushroom ‘steaks’ or eggplant ‘steaks’.

Then just keep all the accompaniments veggie friendly and everyone is happy.

4. Adjust the quantities / ratios to suit.

This may not be helpful in the case of allergies. But when it comes to taste preferences, especially around health, tweaking the quantities can be really helpful.

For example, I might cook up 2 steaks and then rest and slice them. Then my Irishman would get a larger serving of steak with a little salad. And I would have a lovely big salad with some chunks of avocado or nuts and a smaller amount of steak tossed in.

5. Free yourself from rigid recipes.

You know how I always include ‘variations’ at the bottom of my recipes?

Well, the reason I do that is to open your mind to the possibilities that are out there. I want to empower you to ‘tweak’ the dish so it suits you and your situation.

I really believe the secret to catering for different tastes and allergies without turning yourself into a multiple-meal-making-machine is to develop the confidence and skills to free yourself from the constraints of rigid recipes.

And you know the best way to learn?

Take baby steps.

And that’s where the blueprint or ‘template recipes’ in the ‘Master Your Meal Plan‘ program come into play.

It includes 63 templates which will give you the confidence and skills to cook more creatively, while still having a basic recipe to follow.

16 Clever Substitutes for Going Gluten-Free

BREAKFAST

1. eggs not toast

While there are some surprisingly good gluten-free breads available these days, they tend to be very expensive. A better and even healthier alternative is to switch to having a hot breakfast a few days a week. Fried eggs are my Irishman’s favourite where as I prefer mine poached.

2. gluten-free granola and yoghurt

Feel free to use a commercial granola or muesli. But if you’re up for making your own, I recommend Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola or this decadent chocolate option.

3. quinoa porridge (oatmeal)

My local supermarket now stocks rolled quinoa in the health food section. I’ve been loving using it to make a gluten-free porridge or oatmeal, pretty much just cook it the same way you’d cook oats.

4. chia seed bran, psyllium, instead of wheat based bran.

If you love your wheat bran based cereal, try using one of the above options instead. I particularly love chia seed bran because it isn’t as gloopy as psyllium and is quite high in protein.

LUNCH

5. lettuce leaf wraps

Instead of regular wraps or sandwiches wrap your filling in iceberg lettuce leaves. You’ll need more filling to make up for the lack of bread.

6. lunchbox salad

Make a composed salad to take to work with you. I’ve been doing this for years without thinking too much about it but Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall brought the idea to life in his book River Cottage Everyday.

Here’s how you do it…

i. Choose a protein.

Think leftover cooked meat or fish, canned tuna, boiled eggs.

ii. Choose something to bulk it out.

Starchy foods work well here such as canned chickpeas or beans, leftover cooked potatoes, roast vegetables or cooked quinoa. Or try some vegetables like finely chopped raw or steamed broccoli, grated raw vegetables, salad leaves or avocado.

iii. Add a highlight ingredient.

Like goats cheese, other cheese, roast nuts, fresh herbs (basil, mint or parsley are best), olives or cherry tomatoes.

iv. Add a ‘dressing’.

It could be just a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Or a big dollop of pesto, hummus or olive tapenade.

7. legume salads

Toss your favourite sandwich filling with a drained can of chickpeas, beans or lentils and a little olive oil for a quick lunch salad. In Winter you can warm the legumes first in a pan with a little oil.

DINNER

8. skip the crackers or bread

If you’re in the habit of having cheese and crackers / bread or dips and crackers to start a meal, either skip the crackers or replace with raw veg such as carrots or celery.

9. vegetable ‘pasta’ or ‘noodles’

There are so many options to replace your pasta with vegetables. My favourites are zucchini ‘fettuccini’, carrot ‘spaghetti’ (shave with a vegetable peeler to get ribbons then cut into ‘spaghetti’. Simmer in boiling water until just tender) or zucchini ‘orechetti’ (slice zucchini into coins and pan fry in a little oil until just tender).

All can be used in Italian style dishes or to replace wheat based noodles in Asian cooking.

10. a bed of greens

Serve your favourite bolognese or other hearty pasta sauce on a bed of greens. Baby spinach is great or try wilting greens such as kale, spinach, collards, chard or silver beet in a pan with a little olive oil.

11. almond meal ‘bread crumbs’

Replace bread crumbs in meatballs or meat loaf with almond meal. Same goes for bread crumbs used as a coating.

12. cauliflower ‘couscous’

Process raw cauliflower in a food processor until you have instant ‘couscous’. No need to cook but if you’d prefer it warm you can heat it through in a pan with a little oil or butter before using.

13. red lentil ‘couscous’ or ‘risoni’

Just boil red lentils until tender. Drain and use anywhere you’d use couscous or risoni (little rice shaped pasta).

BAKING

14. almond meal ‘flour’

The problem with most commercial gluten-free flours is that they’re very low in protein whereas wheat flour contains gluten so has a higher protein level. So I’ve found that just substituting ‘gluten-free’ flour doesn’t give good results.

Almond or other nut meal or ‘flour’ tends to give better, if heavier results. In general I’d recommend looking for a recipe that is designed to use almond meal rather than experimenting yourself. Most of the recent sweet treats on Stonesoup are either gluten-free or contain a GF variation.

I’ve been experimenting with flour from higher protein sources like chickpeas and quinoa but haven’t found anything I’m super happy with yet.

15. GF ‘pastry’ for tarts

My favourite ‘cheat’ way to make GF tarts is to crumble commercial GF cookies or biscuits like shortbread and combine with a little melted butter. Then spread the mixture in your tart shell and chill until set.

My Favourite Gluten-Free Ingredients

• Vegetables!
• Almond Meal / Almond Flour
• Lentils & Beans
• Coconut Flour
• Psyllium (for fiber)
• Nuts & Seeds

PLUS!

See the Low Carb section for inspiration for both GF and Low Carb substitutes… [/tab][tab]

Dairy-Free

When Fergal was first born, like most new mothers I was super vigilant in observing his every move. So when I noticed he was having a bit of reflux, I did some research.

One suggested solution was to try eliminating dairy from the mothers diet.

So I decided to have ‘dairy-free week’.

While I love cheese way too much to ever voluntarily avoid dairy long term, it wasn’t too difficult just for the week. It didn’t really seem to make a difference to little Fergal.

But on the upside I made some great discoveries…

12 Clever Ideas for Eating Dairy-free

1. Grated nuts as ‘Parmesan’

Finely grating Brazil nuts with a microplane has been my ‘go-to’ dairy-free option for ages. While it looks the part, the flavour isn’t as good as real parmesan. But recently I’ve discovered an alternative. See my Brazil Nut Parmesan recipe!

2. Whipped Coconut Cream

Desserts are easily the most difficult area to go dairy free. My favourite whipped cream alternative is to chill a can of coconut cream (the higher the fat content the better) then spoon the solid cream into a bowl and leave any watery liquid in the can. Whisk until thick just like regular whipping cream.

3. Roasted pine nuts instead of goats cheese

Where you have a cheese being used as a flavour highlight, for example in a salad of roast beets and goats cheese, roasted pine nuts or other nuts can work as a replacement by providing richness and visual interest.

4. Cashew ‘Sour Cream’

You need a super high-powered blender for this to work. Soak cashews in water for a few hours, then drain and keep the soaking water. Whizz cashews in your blender adding in a little water as you go. Add lemon juice until you’re happy with the taste and keep adding water until you’re happy with the consistency. You can use a food processor but it won’t end up as creamy. Or see this cashew sauce recipe.

5. Cashew ‘cream cheese’ or Macadamia ‘ricotta’

See the Cashew Ricotta recipe over here. Or see my Macadamia ‘Ricotta’

6. Coconut Yoghurt

See the recipe over here.

7. Nut milks

Home made almond milk is easy and really delicious. But it’s a bit too time consuming for me on an everyday basis.

There are some pretty tasty almond milks on the market. Some are very sweet though so you might need to try a few brands. Skip any sweetened with agave as this is almost pure fructose ( and if you’re wondering why this is a bad thing see here)

8. Nut butters in sauces

I recently made a butter chicken (aka chicken tikka marsala). The recipe called for cashew butter to finish the sauce. It was amazing the difference the cashew butter made to the curry adding lovely nutty complexity. So I’m planning on experimenting with using other nut butters in sauces. Think sate and beyond.

My supermarket stocks cashew, peanut, and almond butters in the health food section. All are worth playing with.

9. Coconut oil

It’s hard to go past real butter in baked goods. The next best option is coconut oil. But these make everything taste coconutty so be warned!

10. Vegetable or nut oils in baking

When a coconutty flavour isn’t an option just sub in a neutral flavoured oil like refined coconut oil or refined olive oil.

If the recipe instructs you to cream butter and sugar the oil won’t cream up and trap as much air as butter would. So add a little extra baking powder to make up for it. 1/2 teaspoon should do in most cases.

11. Clarified butter or ghee

Most dairy dietary problems are a reaction to the sugars or proteins in milk products. Clarified butter or ghee has had these removed so can be fine for most allergy situations. To make your own just melt butter in a saucepan. Skim off and remove any white foam from the top. Keep the lovely buttery oil in the middle and discard the white solids from the bottom.

This also makes the ghee or butter oil more stable so great for cooking at higher temps.

12. Coconut sorbet

My go to ice cream replacement. When I used to have an ice cream maker I would just churn a can of coconut cream with a little icing sugar for sweetness. However these days my favourite Coconut Sorbet doesn’t require an ice cream machine or added sugar. Win win!

My Favourite Dairy-Free Ingredients

• Nuts & Nut Butters
• Avocado
• Nutritional Yeast (give cheesey flavours)
• Tahini (sesame seed paste)
• Coconut Cream / Coconut Oil / Coconut Yoghurt
• Dark Chocolate

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Vegetarian + Plant Based

My Favourite Vegetarian + Plant Based Alternatives

• Chicken / Pork = poached or fried eggs, cooked chickpeas, cooked white beans (cannellini / butter beans), halloumi cheese.
• Bacon = sun dried tomatoes, grilled peppers, smoked tofu, smoked almonds, smoked paprika.
• Chorizo = sun dried tomatoes, grilled peppers, smoked tofu, smoked almonds, smoked paprika, cooked chickpeas.
• Ground (Minced) Meat = cooked lentils.
• Meatballs = lentil balls.
• Burger patties = roast mushrooms, veggie burgers, chickpea burgers.
• Steak = mushroom steaks or eggplant steaks.
• Cheese = nuts, nut sauces or nut butters. Avocado. See the dairy-free section for more ideas.
• Milk = nut milks, coconut milk, hemp milk.
• Butter = Coconut oil, olive oil.
• Eggs = beans or lentils, nuts, seeds, in baking apple puree or ground flax seeds.
• Ice Cream = coconut sorbet or other sorbet.
• Whipped Cream = Whipped coconut cream.

Low Carb!

When I first started on my diabetes / Low Carb adventure, I had this idea in my mind that I wanted to stick to real food.

No ‘fake’ Low Carb bread products for me.

Mostly it was a taste thing. How could Low Carb bread possibly taste any good?

I also didn’t want to be relying on processed staples.

For years I was happy to just skip the toast and sandwiches. But over the years I’ve realized it’s nice to be able to have a sandwich, or something on ‘toast’ (I’m looking at you avocado) from time to time.

And the best news?

You don’t have to sacrifice pleasure.

Sure some of these options are ‘different’ to real bread made with real flour, but different can still be super delicious and satisfying. You don’t need to compromise your health goals to enjoy any of these ideas…

THE BEST LOW CARB SUBSTITUTES

NOTE: All these suggestions are also gluten-free! And most are paleo as well…

Sandwich Bread Substitutes

• Cauliflower & Linseed (Flax) Bread
• Broccoli Sandwich Bread

Wrap / Tortilla / Flat Bread Substitutes

• Iceberg Lettuce Leaves – as a wrap
• Cos / Romaine Lettuce Leaves – as a wrap
• Cabbage Leaves – as a wrap
• Collard Greens – as a wrap
• Cream Cheese Tortillas

Burger Bun Substitutes

• Lettuce Leaves
• Magic Almond Burger Buns

Savoury Toast Substitutes

• Roast Mushroom ‘Toasts’
• Cauliflower & Linseed (Flax) Bread
• Low Carb Almond Breads
• Broccoli Sandwich Bread
• Life-Changing Cauliflower Loaf
• Rosemary Almond ‘Sourdough’

Sweet Toast Substitutes

• Low Carb Almond Breads
• Strawberry Shortcakes

Pizza Base Substitutes

• Cauliflower ‘Pizza’
• Salamino Pizza
• Pea & Pesto Pizza
• Turkish Cauliflower Pizza

Pasta Substitutes

• Baby Spinach – My personal favourite Low Carb pasta substitute is to serve my pasta sauce on top of a big bowl of baby spinach leaves. This is my quickest and easiest go-to. The hot sauce wilts down the leaves a little so it’s not so salady but still nice and fresh-tasting. Best with your heartier sauces. You’ll need to serve more sauce then you normally would with pasta to make it filling enough.
• Zucchini ‘Noodles’ – The obvious Low Carb alternative to spaghetti. Unlike many Low Carb writers, you won’t ever hear me calling them ‘zoodles’. Such a silly name for a really lovely way to prepare a vegetable. There are many ways to turn your zucchini into strands. A vegetable peeler or mandoline will work but I like my zucchini ‘pasta’ enough to have invested in a spiralizer which I love. If you’re not a spiralizer convert you might enjoy reading ‘Do You Need a Spiralizer?‘ on my other website.
• Spaghetti Squash – You have to see it to believe it but this Low Carb vegetable naturally has flesh which literally looks like spaghetti. Not easy to find here in Australia but fun to play around with if you can get it. Personally I prefer the flavour and texture of spiralized zucchini but spaghetti squash can be a nice change. If you’re not familiar with it, try my Spaghetti Squash Bosciola.
• Cooked Cabbage – When cabbage is shredded and cooked down until meltingly soft, it really does have a similar texture to cooked pasta. So much so that my favourite Low Carb Lasagna recipe uses cabbage instead of lasagna sheets. Trust me, when cooked this way cabbage is ah-ma-zing.
• Ricotta Gnocchi – Gnocchi need not be all heavy potato and flour. Italians also make a lighter gnocchi using ricotta cheese. These delicate little pillows are a new creation for me but something I love (and my Irishman gets excited over them even though they don’t contain spuds!). Recipe here.
• Cooked Greens – For a Wintery alternative to my baby spinach, I love to cook up a big pot of greens like this kale on a Sunday night to eat during the week. Either plonk the sauce on top, or use the greens as a Low Carb pasta substitute for baked pasta dishes like Mac & Cheese. My Killer Kale Gratin recipe is a tasty example of this strategy in play.
• Roast Low Carb Veg – Another favourite trick is to roast a big tray of Low Carb veggies like broccoli or cauliflower and serve your sauce on top. Also works well with more summery veg like eggplant and zucchini as in my Easy 1-Dish Ratatouille.

Rice & Couscous Substitutes

• Baby Spinach Leaves
• Cooked Greens
• Beautiful Boiled Broccoli
• Cauliflower ‘Rice’
• Cauliflower Couscous

Low Carb Legume Substitutes

• Nuts! eg whole hazelnuts for chickpeas.
• Ground (minced) meat – especially for lentils.
• Other protein eg boiled eggs, cheese, cooked chicken or sausages
• Broccoli Hummus
• Roast Cauliflower ‘Hummus’

Low Carb Potato Substitutes

• Cauliflower Cashew Mash
• Cheesey Cauli Mash
• Roast Low Carb Veg – especially this cauliflower or my Easy 1-Dish Ratatouille.
• Kale Chips

Low Carb Flour / Breadcrumb Substitutes

• Almond meal / almond flour
• Ground sunflower seeds
• Coconut flour

Low Carb Cereal / Oats (Oatmeal) Substitutes

• Coconut Almond Cereal
• Overnight Seeds
• Pecan ‘Porridge’
• Peanut Butter Granola
• Chocolate Granola

Fussy Eaters

It can be heart breaking. I know. You’ve slaved away to make a beautiful, healthy meal. Poured your heart and soul into it.

And it gets left on the plate. Usually with a disdainful look.

Mothers of small children are probably the most familiar with this unpleasant scenario. As I (unfortunately) know only too well these days with two small boys in the house.

Sometimes I wish I was one of those parents talking about how their child loves olives and broccoli and kale and chilli and anchovies. But then Fergal & Finbar wouldn’t be the Fergal & Finbarello I know and love.

And I wouldn’t have this amazing opportunity to (hopefully) help them learn to love a bigger variety of food.

Plus fussy eaters can come in all shapes and sizes so if you have a larger one on your hands these tips are for you too!

4 Tips for Coping with Fussy Eaters

1. Try to see it from their perspective.

Our taste buds and eating history are all different. So it’s super important to remember that what you experience when you pop that delicious broccoli in your mouth isn’t the same for others. You can’t know what it’s like for them so keep the judgement out of the equation.

2. Take the pressure off yourself.

One of my playgroup friends told me about a book that really helped her family. And mine. Basically the deal is that as the cook it’s your job to put appropriate food on the table.

And that’s it.

It’s then up to your eater (and his / her tummy) to decide how much of this to actually eat.

I’ve found this mindset shift super helpful. Because it’s no longer my responsibility to ‘get’ Fergal to eat his dinner. So I don’t stress if he leaves the table with an empty stomach. It’s his call.

Of course, you know that toddlers are super smart and as soon as you stop trying to ‘get them’ to do something they’re waay more likely to do it themselves.

3. Cook in bulk.

I have a dream that we sit down to eat the same thing as a family every night. But reality is Fergal and Finbar has his dinner at 6 and my Irishman and I eat after the boys are in bed. At this point Fergal and Finbar are tiny carb-lover whereas we’re the opposite so a one-size-suits-everyone meal isn’t happening.

Rather than cook two meals every night I’ve found cooking in bulk to be key!

If I cook a special meal for Fergal like his favourite Egg Fried Rice I make 2 or more servings for lunch or another dinner.

Most nights I try and just add carbs to whatever we are having.

Again cooking in bulk really helps so I have a supply of cooked rice, quinoa, pasta, spuds or sweet potato to just heat and serve during the dinner scramble.

4. Keep trying.

As Winston Churchill said,

‘Never give in – never, never, never, never.’

Just keep offering a variety of food.

The thing to remember is it can take eight or so exposures before we enjoy some ingredients so persistence is required!

For more on this I recommend reading Jeffrey Steingarten’s book ‘The Man Who Ate Everything’ where he tells the story of his quest to overcome all his food dislikes.