Dish ideas for dinner? Him with diabetes and her with allergy to grains

[profnot]

Hi, SLF

Any dinner ideas for a home with a guy with diabetes and a gal who cannot eat potatoes, shellfish, wheat, corn, rice, barley, or any other grains?

I'm moving into the house of an elderly friend of mine while his wife has to be out of state for several months to take care of a family member. He has heart problems and wife wants me to keep an eye on him.

So what main dish do I cook for dinner every night? So far, we both like meat loaf, baked chicken with parmesan & paprika, frittata, poached fish, slow cooker beef or lamb roast, and chicken caesar salad.

Quinoa works but he doesn't like it much. I can hide it in meat loaf and other things.

He hates soups, chowders, and stews - which I love :-(

Any ideas?

I'd love to read your suggestions. I can easily google for recipes.

Thanks!!!

[JaneV2.0]

The no-grains thing makes it easier for both of them. That's a plus.

One thing I like is fauxtato salad, made with cauliflower, cooked al dente, and otherwise put together however you like your potato salad. Also "bowlwiches," which are salads made with popular sandwich ingredients--like Reuben, egg-salad, cheeseburger...

[Rogar]

At one time I tried using garbanzo bean flour as a replacement for grain flower in baking. It was a little difficult for me to work with as a novice at it, but there are recipes for various flatbreads and pizza crust and maybe other things using it and no grains. There are also a lot of uses for lentils, especially in Indian type dishes. Legumes might work (?) like maybe lima beans and ham.

[JaneV2.0]

Cauliflower can be subbed for a lot of starchy carbs. It makes excellent mash--you can add a little cream or other cheese, if you like. You can substitute finely chopped or grated cauli for rice in many dishes. Fried "rice" is one of my favorites, with BBQ pork, scrambled eggs, and green onion. It also makes a passable alternative to pasta, as in cauliflower and cheese casserole with bacon. Some people use it for pizza crust and even dessert--a variation of rice pudding. I don't know if I'd go that far...If you run out of ideas, check out (library pun) Paleo or LC cookbooks for ideas.

[Rogar]

It might take some ingredient reading to make sure, but most of my local stores carry pastas made from lentils and or quinoa.

[SteveinMN]

most of my local stores carry pastas made from lentils and or quinoa.
True. But check that label. Some of them are very high on the carb count, which would not be good for the diabetic.

Deleting grains wouldn't be all that hard. Jane mentioned "bowlwiches"; lettuce wraps would be a logical extension of those. You could adapt cauliflower in lots of ways -- riced to serve as a bed for stir-fries or even in stuffed peppers.

This might be a good situation in which to use one of those spiralizers to create zucchini noodles. Or (check the label first) those shirataki noodles available in stores that serve a decent Asian population. Some of them are made from tofu; others from konnyaku or konjac, which is a Japanese yam (not sure if that fits under the starchy prohibition). It's at least a different shape. :) Prepared properly and dressed with a sauce, they could be hard to differentiate from the real thing.

Consider also the power of salsas, relishes, and chutneys to alter the flavors of food so you're not looking at "&^@# baked chicken" again.

[Mary B.]

konjac, which is a Japanese yam (not sure if that fits under the starchy prohibition). It's at least a different shape. :) Prepared properly and dressed with a sauce, they could be hard to differentiate from the real thing.


I cooked Japanese yam noodles and served them with a sauce last week. They were okay, but the only way that someone could mistake them for wheat pasta would be if they had never had wheat pasta. Just saying. They're weirdly spring and it's good not to talk about eating worms while you're eating them. There's something oddly.... muscular about them. :~)

100% agree about the cauliflower. And salsa.

[JaneV2.0]

I cooked Japanese yam noodles and served them with a sauce last week. They were okay, but the only way that someone could mistake them for wheat pasta would be if they had never had wheat pasta. Just saying. They're weirdly spring and it's good not to talk about eating worms while you're eating them. There's something oddly.... muscular about them. :~)

100% agree about the cauliflower. And salsa.

Muscular--haha!--that's one way to describe it.
I had some left over in a bowl of curry, and the next day they had lost their muscle tone ;)--so maybe leaving them in sauce overnight is the solution.

[profnot]

These are great ideas! Thanks!

[Gardnr]

It's summer. Grill: fish, chicken, veggie slabs, ground beef patties, kabobs (grill extra chicken for salads and lettuce wraps)

Bake: mix of black beans, rice, salsa, shredded cheese (throw in some quinoa for good measure)

Pot of chili


Turkey Meatloaf (I make double batches and freeze)


1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 zucchini, coarsely shredded
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. Ground turkey
1 Tbsp. Spicy brown mustard
Cook quinoa, fluff, let coolslightly

Preheat oven to 425. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; spray with non-stickcooking spray
Squeeze zucchini dry and place in large bowl with egg whites, 1/4 cup chilisauce, onion, sage, salt, and pepper. Add turkey and quinoa and stir to mixwell..
Shape into 6 ovals. Place loaves on baking pan. Stir together remaining 1/4 cupchili sauce and mustard in a small bowl, spread mixture evenly over loaves.
Bake 30 - 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving
5 Weight Watchers points.(Freeze well.)