Non tomato-based healthy/veggie/budget-friendly meal ideas please?

lilmisskitkat

Hi

As the title says i'm looking for some inspiration for non tomato based meals. I have Fibromyalgia which has recently become more debilitating (sp?) and my Dr has suggest looking at my diet to see if changes can help ease some symptoms. He suggested cutting out caffeine/alcohol/artificial sweetners and eating as fresh and un-processed as possible and also to keep a food diary to see if anything in particular triggers more pain or ibs symptoms.

Anyway, tomatoes seem to be a trigger for me (sob sob) and reading into it online it seems that cooked tomatoes can be a trigger for inflammation in people with FM, also potatoes, peppers, aubergine. Basically stuff i use ALL the time in cooking, tinned toms are my saviour for quick meals/spag bol/curries/soups etc

So can anyone suggest healthy, budget friendly meals that aren't tomato-based please? I'm not veggie but i'm not a big meat-eater and love veggie meals.

Thanks

K xx

Boodle

You could try blitzing cooked red peppers to take the place of tomatoes in things like red sauces, though I realise it isn't quite as economical. Perhaps bulk it out a bit with some water and red lentils. You could make a thin sauce from sweated carrots, onions and celery then stock and freeze it in portions and use the vegetable sauce where you would use the tomatoes.

For more savoury things such as cottage pie, chilli, you could use a savoury brown sauce (I make mine with yeast extract as stock, thickcned with flour if needed.) I often do this anyway, just to break up the amount of tomato-based meals.

Butterfly_Brain

I have the same problem but mine is caused by a hiatus hernia, so I stick to mushroom sauce, cheese sauce, Cream cheese or cream cheese with chives, pineapple or garlic, basil pesto and Mayo ( But be careful with Mayo because this too is acidic)

Grimbal

how about:

pasta with roasted veg & feta
jacket spuds with whatever filling you fancy really
stir fries - can add in quorn/tofu/nuts for protein
HM veggie burgers with sweet potato wedges/salad
polenta with mushrooms in cream & garlic sauce
risottos of various flavours
ricotta & spinach stuffed pancakes/cannelloni with a white/cheese sauce
curries e.g korma, dhals, dry curries etc

will keep thinking & adding

LittleMissAspie

You don't need tomatoes to make a sauce. How about beans or lentils, my boyfriend makes his chilli with a tin of black beans and that makes the sauce.

Lentils for spaghetti sauce, like a dahl.

If we're having fajita thingies we just add oil and the spices.

Use cauliflower instead of potatoes as your soup base.

Soworried

Hi
One of my favourites is to sweat off some leeks in butter. Add on top of par boiled cauliflower and pour over a cheese sauce. Add a pinch of paprika to the top. Lovely with crispy onions served on the top.

jumblejack

Savoury pancakes are mega cheap to make.

Put anything on them: mushrooms in a creamy white sauce, etc.
You can even make a lasagne type dish with them instead of pasta, just use oven roasted veggies or lentils etc inside the layers with cheese sauce to sub the tomato sauce.

I bet you will think of loads of ideas when you get going.
All the best.

vanoonoo

are you ok with soya? soy sauce can make a tasty glaze as can balsamic vinegar to make other veggies more interesting

also, try an indian style dhaal (lentil and garlic) with rice or flatbreads - delicious!

PollyOnAMission

What about a curry made from:

Onion
Garlic
Green Peppers (if you are OK with these)
Chillies (if you are OK with these)
Chick Peas
Spinach
Spices (cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, curry powder, ground ginger, turmeric)
Fresh ginger
Fresh coriander
Natural yoghurt (stir in towards the end of cooking to make sauce).

You can add chicken too if you do want some meat. I also think cauliflower would work well.

Easy, healthy, quick, cheap, tasty and it freezes really well too

Phoolgrrrl

You can make a quick healthy white/cheese sauce by heating about 1/3 of a tub of extra light cream cheese in a pan and adding chicken stock. You can thicken it with corn flour. This is what i use for lasagne as I am following weight watchers. You could do a veg pasta bake with this sauce.

If you look at weight watcher recipies they might suggest a few things?

Cous cous 'cooked' in stock and spices with cooked veg mixed in, I find it doesn't need a sauce.

Stew made with lots of root veg and beef stock?

Veg stir fry with garlic, ginger five spice and soy sauce. Noodles are cheap if bought from chinese super markets, and also in place like home bargins.

Use butternut squash to make wedges as an alternative to potato.

I have seen people using swede instead of potato to top cottage pie but I haven't tried it as not to my taste!

You could use olive oil as a sauce for pasta like in spaghetti alla vongele. Not sure if healthy/cheap tho!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spaghettiallavongole_77129

Butterfly_Brain

Phoolgrrrl wrote: »

You can make a quick healthy white/cheese sauce by heating about 1/3 of a tub of extra light cream cheese in a pan and adding chicken stock. You can thicken it with corn flour. This is what i use for lasagne as I am following weight watchers. You could do a veg pasta bake with this sauce.

I have seen people using swede instead of potato to top cottage pie but I haven't tried it as not to my taste!

Swede with shepherds pie is lovely, my DH prefers it to potato