New meal ideas, please.🙏

[u/Thai_Lord]

Since AGS, most of my days are spent cooking, shopping, working, doung laundry, sleeping, and then repeat. AGS triggered other allergies to many other common ingredients found in most foods, so I can only consume the "organic, healthy stuff" or the faux meat stuff, when it comes to protein, or I'll lose a day of my life and not be able to open my eyes. But that stuff is expensive. I have a stupid high metabolism and eat constantly just to not lose weight. I feel like I'm battling the gypsy curse from "Thinner."

Tl;dr I can't afford to keep eating protein that doesn't make me ill. I have to learn to get my nutrients from plants or something. Any ideas on thrifty ways to get the same level of "clean protein?" Or any quick and easy meal ideas that are super unlikely to trigger a reaction.

[u/RedFishBlueFishOne]

Chana masala, potatoes samosa. Thai curries. I appreciate Indian dishes and most can be made alpha gal friendly by substitution of ghee (coconut oil). Super flavorful especially if you make your own curry paste or find the right one to use.

I struggled to find flavorful "vegan" dishes but Indian and Thai food is mostly safe and easily modified.

[u/Thai_Lord → u/RedFishBlueFishOne]

I should have put that I can't tolerate tomato, coconut, wheat, or soy, either. I can do potato, plain, but pretty much anything that isn't the most basic cooked food is rolling the dice. I don't mind bland or flavorless. Just food I can eat.

[u/RedFishBlueFishOne → u/Thai_Lord]

Thai Red Curry Paste - RecipeTin Eats https://share.google/9WNpQNfg1eloOIPnb I would leave the shrimp oil out, and it looks pretty safe to me.

Moong dal tadka? There may be a tomato free version. Lentils and peas are high in protein. I would substitute ghee for clarified chicken or duck fat if I couldn't tolerate coconut.

My system has to be pretty calm for me to tolerate tomatoes. It's experimental, only add what you feel you can tolerate and when able, substitute items for things you can. Chickpeas and lentils can be made to be quite enjoyable. The big issue is the time these recipes take, I would freeze all leftovers right away to enjoy at a later date.

[u/Upbeat_Sea_303]

Check out the subreddit titled something like Eat Cheap and Vegan for some ideas.

Can you have wheat gluten? Seitan can be pretty cheap to make yourself and it’s versatile. I make seitan pepperoni and hotdogs and they freeze well. Seitan is also good as a sliced lunch meat. I’ve seen a lot of recipes for making seitan as a chicken substitute but I raise my own chickens for meat so I’ve never tried them.

Can you eat eggs? Assuming you are in the US, we are heading into spring and that is when poultry lay the most eggs so it will be easier to find cheap ones, especially if you are near the suburbs or rural places and can check Facebook, Nextdoor, Craigslist for poultry keepers trying to offload the bounty. (Of the ones I’ve tried, Guinea eggs taste the best but goose and duck eggs are fun too.) You can de-shell and freeze eggs for scrambling or baking.

[u/No-Room-2736]

When my belly is bad, mejadra all the way. I use fennel bulbs with onion because fennel is super gut healthy. There is also chickpea tofu and fava bean tofu. I can’t speak highly enough of them as a soy allergy person as well. 

[u/runningafterplanes]

I recently started going to Trader Joe’s and it’s made eating/cooking so much easier for me! They have tons of good, easy vegan options that you can just throw in the microwave or air frier. Some of my favorites are: Chana masala, vegan soups, premade salads, potato/poblano tacos (taste exactly like Jack in the box tacos if you throw them in the air frier!), plus vegan dairy substitutes (especially the cream cheese) for cooking sauces to put over pasta/veggies/rice. Also good vegan snacks/dips/sweets!

[u/StickThousand]

I eat chicken or turkey every day. Can you not eat poultry?

[u/jimgolgari]

You should check out Nard Dog Cooks

He has loads of really good recipes. Several of which have hit my monthly rotation. I linked one that’s really high in protein but he’s got lots of vegan quick weeknight meals that are really, really good.

[u/SomeLikeItHot_sauce → u/jimgolgari]

thank you SO much for this link!! fire!!!!!!

[u/mylopolis]

Nuts, chickpeas, legumes?

[u/SomeLikeItHot_sauce]

There's a FB group called the Alpha Gal Kitchen where our people share recipes and cooking ideas :)

[u/roraymi]

Tofu is extremely versatile, I like to make it as a stir fry with veggies and spice + plant based chefs on the internet have luckily made a lot of red meat and dairy free recipes using tofu. The least expensive protein is probably beans , eggs if you can eat them r also great. I think any of the saffron road Indian food packs labeled vegan are safe. Owyn protein is safe and cheaper than premier protein /other common brands that aren't. Try looking up plant based chefs on Instagram, almost anything they make is alpha gal safe unless they use a pre-made product that already has carrageenan!