General Chat

Latest update: the soya mince also works really well

I did the same as with the Quorn mince, that is same recipe as with the meat mince cooked in the slow cooker for about half the time. We both thought it was, if anything, just slightly better in looks and taste than the Quorn.

So, decision made - soya mince it is.

I'm feeling a lot more relaxed about this "do" now. Of course there will be last minute things to do but quiches, sausage rolls, desserts and cakes are in the freezer (some home made, some shop bought) and a decision made about the main hot course. OH has organised some games for the younger children and I've got a couple of quizzes for anyone who fancies a go. Just the evening music to sort out now and I'm hoping son in law might do that for us. So it's all systems go.

Thank you for your helpful advice. :-D :-D

Not really, I haven't missed much and I've been on this diet just over 2 years. Just had chicken curry with cauliflower instead of rice. OH likes it as well. You can grate it so it looks like rice. I don't bother. Always felt very bloated with rice so happy with cauliflower. :-D

I couldn't even begin to imagine how that is Pat. Must be horrible.

It was just the spuds and, thankfully, it was just passing but it was a bit inconvenient at the time.

I can't eat potatoes or parsnips as they are high carbs, rice, pasta and bread on the high carb list.

I went through a phase of being intolerant to potatoes during the menopause. I can tell you that is not easy for a British person (potato intolerance I mean, the menopause wasn't much trouble!)

There is not much you can do with a potato that you can't do with a parsnip until you become heartily sick of them and decide you can cope with wheezing and doing the eye of a needle trick for a day or two just for a change!

I use coconut milk. I was trying other types of milk but could only try Soya, almond and coconut. Knew I disliked soya milk so tried the other 2. Didn't like almond milk so left with coconut.

I have no problem with cows milk just wanted to reduce animal fats. I eat a lot of meat, cheese and eggs because I'm carbohydrate intolerant. I have to reduce my carb count as much as possible. Meat/fish and salad or most veg is fine. Omelettes are great.

Soya mince is high in carbs I don't know about Quorn.

All the restaurants we go to understand my problem and I am never without options. I get cauliflower and broccoli instead of rice when I have curry and stir fried veg with the Chinese buffet we go to. I do have to be careful which Chinese meals I have but the chef always advices me which I should have.

My son is a chef and if asked he does meals not on the menu so covers all problems. He knows about them as our daughter has intolerances for lactose, glutton, eggs, sheep's milk, tuna and yeast. They started appearing in her late 20s.

Trouble is many places have boil in the bag meals or if fresh a strict menu. My husband once asked for an egg on a steak to be told, after waiter checked with the chef, that they didn't use eggs in the kitchen. Didn't go back there. :-D

If they want your custom (money) they'll accommodate you. :-D

:-)

I had never thought of using steak spice, for anything, it never even crossed my mind to buy it.

Restaurants do seem to be getting better at catering for people with allergies/intolerances or problems such as coeliac disease.

My problem is an allergy to shellfish which really makes me quite ill., It's a lot easier to avoid than dairy or wheat for instance but I love fish and you would be surprised how many fish meals contain shellfish as well. Even a plain bit of grilled salmon will often turn up decorated with a couple of prawns. I have to check everything before ordering and you can see the look on some of the young waiters' faces - they obviously think I am just a fussy old bat.

Now an update on the Quorn saga. I decided to use the Quorn mince with exactly the same flavourings etc. that I am planning to put in the meat mince and to try it in the slow cooker, but only cooking it for about half the time. I really didn't expect it to be very good and thought it might turn to mush. How wrong can you be? It was a great SUCCESS :-D :-D :-D

It hardly looked any different to the meat version. the texture was good, flavour was very good and we both cleared our plates. Even OH said it was very tasty and he is a confirmed carnivore. Because I cooked it for a shorter length of time than the meat version the onion was just a little crunchy but I thought the crunch gave it an extra bit of oomph. Next time I would put in just a little bit more of the steak spice mixture I used.

As you can tell I am delighted so thank you everyone for your advice.

I'm giving OH a rest as chief taster tomorrow and doing him a chicken dish but Thursday I am going to try the same thing with some soya mince and see what that's like. Watch this space :-)

I drink soy and almond milk


Rollo ............. not all of us can drink goat and sheep's milk. I can't


I will admit that it has got a lot easier in the 11 years since I was diagnosed ............. and it is very rare now to find places on this side of the Atlantic that do not have soy or almond milk, or even rice milk.

And I have yet to find a restaurant that will not be able to provide a non-lactose option, eg, by serving french fries or a roast potato instead of mashed ......... or even making a special batch of mashed potatoes made without butter or milk.

That obviously predicates that I, or any other diet restricted person, has been considerate in choosing a meal ............ it is not fair to choose a dish containing lots of cheese, cream, etc etc that the chef has spent hours imagining and making, and asking for it to be completely re-done.

We will be going out for a special meal tomorrow night, to a 5* restaurant where we are known .............. they have me in their files. I will be given a special no lactose amuse-bouche. I will choose a meal that does not have any dairy as an essential ingredient ......... hopefully bison, or duck ......... and which will taste equally good if they have to replace the carbohydrate or vegetable.

I drink almond milk - I'm not lactose intolerant, but I prefer it. Tastes lovely, is cholesterol free, and the unsweetened version is half the calories of even skimmed milk :-D

People who are lactose intolerant can drink goat and sheep's milk.
I drink goat's milk anyway as I prefer it. As it is easy enough to get goat's milk I don't know why cafes etc don't make more effort as lactose intolerance is not rare.

Sharron

most of them seem to think eggs ARE dairy .........

......... perhaps because they all come from farms????????

That is probably why you are asked about eggs. They assume you are eschewing dairy for ethical reasons.

I would also like people to know that, as a vegetarian, there is nothing I cannot eat but there are many things I choose not to eat.

That is probably why you are asked about eggs. They assume you are eschewing dairy for ethical reasons.

I would also like people to know that, as a vegetarian, there is nothing I cannot eat but there are many things I choose not to eat.

I'm lactose-intolerant, and have lost track of the number of times that a server when asked if a dish has dairy in it, has replied

"No. It does have egg in it though. Can you eat eggs?"

I've also been served a cheese salad and a cheese sandwich on planes when a no lactose meal was ordered.

In the case of the cheese sandwich, one of the cabin crew checked the record and discovered that No Lactose had been crossed out and replaced with Vegetarian :-S



so it isn't only vegetarians who have problems :-D

Even that is a improvement on the cheese salad that was the usual choice when I first stopped eating meat.

If there is one thing you really want to eat in the evening it is cheese!

Mostly I cook things that are pretty indistinguishable from meat dishes because I was cooking for Fred and OH is not vegetarian.

If it was within my capability I would make toads with vegetarian sausages but, if we have one, OH must make it. Shepherd's pie, stew, hot pot,pasties, pies, they all are pretty much the same as similar meat concoctions.This is where Quorn is particularly handy.

I have to say that, yesterday, when we went to Festival Park in Ebbw Vale, I had a cheese and onion pasty in the cafe and it was one of the best pasties I have ever eaten. It was absolutely delicious and seasoned to perfection with just enough peppe that you could taste it but not be overpowered.

Just that pasty will have me going back again.

It seems to be restaurants that have the problem. We go out sometimes with a vegetarian cousin and I've lost count of the times he has been offered fish as the veggie option :-0. Or they proudly tell him they can "do him an omelette".

We did find a pub not too far away that had 2 or 3 really imaginative veggie options. OH and I often chose them because they were so good. What happened? Pub changed hands and they went back to offering a vegetable lasagna as the only vegetarian choice :-P

Amazing how one's life can be defined by what they eat. There's a problem with vegetarians? Are 'we' non vegetarians because I certainly don't have a problem with vegetarians.

The tomato ketchup trick might well provide the little something.

I sometimes use Quorn mince for things like bolognese and moussaka, mostly to save some calories. It's fine in those sort of dishes, as they are well flavoured and seasoned anyway. It still lacks a little something, but we find it perfectly acceptable :-D