Avoiding food chemicals such as salicylates and amines can be downright painful. It looks healthy (it is healthy for most people!), but you can’t eat it! Sometimes it feels tempting to reach for something you know you won’t react to – even if it isn’t good for your overall health.
Never fear. Help is on the way. It is possible to eat food that is both super tasty and healthy as well. With a little preparation, you will be eating gourmet meals (without the side effects) in no time. Check out these recipes that are low in salicylates and amines, and are free of dairy, wheat, egg and gluten.
Pear and Bean Salad
- 2 fresh pears, sliced thinly
- ½ cup of mung bean sprouts
- ½ cup lightly steamed green beans
- 4 shallots, chopped
- ½ cup cooked, or tinned (without additives), red kidney beans
- ½ cup cooked, or tinned (without additives), cannellini beans
- 1 tablespoon of flaxseed or sunflower oil
- ¼ cup malt vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients and serve.
Spring chicken and cashew salad
- 200 g plain cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
- ½ white cabbage, shredded
- 125 g fresh green beans, topped, tailed and sliced
- 4 shallots, diced
- 4 sticks of celery, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup of cashew paste
- ¼ cup cashews
Salad dressing
- ½ cup flaxseed oil
- ¼ cup pear juice
- ¼ cup of malt vinegar
- 1 clove of crushed garlic
- Salt to taste
Combine chicken and vegetables in a large bowl. Mix cashew paste and salad dressing. Pour over chicken and vegetables and toss lightly. Sprinkle cashews on top.
Nutty lentil loaf
- 4 cups cooked, or tinned (without additives), brown lentils
- 2 cups raw walnuts
- 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- Salt to taste
Blend lentils and nuts into a course paste with a food processor. Heat oil, add shallots and celery and fry until soft, not brown. Add poppy seeds. Add lentil mix. Put in well greased and lined loaf tin and bake at 160°C for one hour.