4 Nut-Free Meal Recipes
Last month we explored my favourite Nut-Free Snack Ideas. Rice paper rolls, dream cups, bliss balls and blueberry muffins - sounds like a feast, am I right!? This month, we’re getting heavier and heartier, and looking at some delicious meals that are also nut-free. These meal ideas are perfect for lunches, dinners, or for those bulk Sunday meal prep sessions.
In case you’re behind the times, I’m here to remind you that FOOD ALLERGIES ARE A THING. In fact, a large US-based study found that over 1 in 10 adults have a food allergy (even though almost 19% of the population were ‘convinced’ they had allergies, but that’s a whole other story). In this study, the most common allergy found was that of peanuts & tree nuts. The next most common was shellfish, but as everyone here is a kind and compassionate vegan, we need not discuss this any further.
The recipes below are ideal for you if you have a nut allergy yourself, or if you have family or friends who are allergic. They’re designed specifically for those nights when you have ‘allergy-friends’ over for dinner. I get it, it can make the evening a stressful affair, but it really doesn’t need to be. Following a plant-based diet myself, I feel so incredibly appreciative when I go to events and the host has taken the time and effort to prepare vegan-friendly meals. Now is your time to reciprocate and show some love.
Here are 4 of my favourite nut-free meals. Enjoy!
Potato and Chickpea Curry
Ingredients:
2 tsp oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
750g potatoes
120g tomato puree
500ml hot vegetable stock
240g tinned cooked chickpeas
Directions
1. Add the oil and onion to a large saucepan and fry for 2 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add in the garlic and the spices and mix well, frying for another minute.
2. Wash the potatoes and chop into small pieces, roughly 1 inch in size. Add the potatoes, tomato puree and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then pop on a lid and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. You should be able to stick a knife through the centre of the potatoes easily but they should still be firm.
3. Add in the chickpeas and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to warm them through.
4. Serve with boiled rice and some fresh coriander to garnish.
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Lentil Pumpkin Salad
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut pumpkin, chopped
1 tin brown lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp thyme leaves
Natural sea salt, to taste
Peppercorns, to taste
1 small red onion, sliced
200g baby rocket
Dressing: 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pumpkin on a baking dish. Toss with oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and browned.
2. Rinse and drain lentils. Place lentils in a bowl. Add onion, rocket, feta. and roasted pumpkin.
3. For dressing, whisk the balsamic vinegar, oil and wholegrain mustard in a small bowl. Pour over salad and serve.
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Roast Vegetable Pita Pockets
Ingredients
1 eggplant
2 carrots
1 red bell pepper
1 tsp Ras-el-Hanout or your favourite mixed seasoning
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
Pita pockets
1 cup hummus, or if you have a seed allergy as well, swap this out for mashed avocado
a handful baby spinach
pomegranate seeds, to garnish
chopped parsley, to garnish
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Cut the eggplant, carrots and bell peppers in 10 cm long strips and arrange them on a baking tray spayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with spices (it’s better combine them together in a small bowl), salt and black pepper and roast for about 25 minutes or until eggplant is tender.
2. Bake pita breads and cut them in halves. They will form pockets, so you can stuff them with about 2 tablespoons hummus/avocado each, a few strips of roasted veggies and a few leaves of baby spinach.
3. Sprinkle your pita pockets with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Voila!
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Healthy Sweet and Sour Stirfry
Ingredients
Stirfry:
2 tbsp oil
400 g tofu
bunch of scallions
red capsicum
yellow capsicum
carrot
2 tbsp tamari
handful of green beans
sesame seeds (omit if you also have a seed allergy)
For sauce:
2 cloves garlic
Thumb sized piece ginger
3 tbsp white rice wine vinegar
100 ml agave syrup
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp arrowroot +100ml boiling water
2 tbsp tamari
Directions
1. Add your garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, agave syrup and tomato purée to the blender
2. Mix together your arrowroot and boiling water. Leave to sit until it thickens- about 30 seconds. Next, add your tamari and arrowroot mixture to the blender and blend!
3. Put your frying pan on a high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add your finely cubed tofu and fry so that it starts to brown and then add 2 tbsp tamari
4. Remove from heat. To your hot pan, add 1 tbsp oil. Add your chopped veg and fry for 3.5 minutes
5. Pour the sauce and tofu into the pan and fry for a further minute. Serve with a dusting of sesame seeds and rice or noodles- whichever you prefer!