Tasty food is still mine to enjoy

Today, I going to get a little bit personal, I might even share too much information.

If you read my blog entitled “Cooking without fats and oils” you’ll remember that I was told to cut out all fats from my diet for health reasons. I was in hospital when this news was delivered and, at the time, I was convinced I’d never eat another tasty meal again. My doctor told me I had/have gallstones and I could either change my diet or have the gallbladder removed. Since there is no way I want surgery if it isn’t absolutely necessary (who would?) that meant changing my diet. Fast forward a month and I’d like to tell you a little bit about what the past month has been like.

Today marks day 26 with no fats or oils added to any of my food.

So, let’s start with the question I get asked a lot: “how are you feeling?” If I had to answer quickly, and without thinking about it, I’d tell you I don’t feel any different to before I landed up in hospital. But on deeper reflection I can tell you that I am, in fact, feeling much better. I no longer have constant indigestion, crippling heartburn or food coming back up to choke me in the middle of the night (sorry for that graphic image). I don’t have pain after every meal, and I don’t dread that hour after a meal waiting to see if whatever I’ve eaten is coming back to bite me in the proverbial backside.

While in hospital, a lovely dietician named Kelly Smith came to see me to chat about what I should eat, could eat and must delete from my diet. She was GREAT! She provided a list of foods which fall into each category and explained not only what to eat but why some foods are on the “with caution list”.  The first thing to note is that there are very few forbidden foods, but they do include things I was using freely to make great tasting meals. These include butter, cream, full cream milk and yoghurt and coconut cream. The list also includes one of my favourite foods – potato chips (French fries if you’re in the States) – and oily fried food so removing fish and chips from my eating plan has been a real challenge. On the plus side, there while there are fruits and vegetables that are less friendly to the gallbladder than others, no fruits or vegetables are forbidden, and most meat and fish are on the approved list with the exception of bacon and sausages and cuts that are fatty.

This list was very helpful but sitting in hospital I felt dejected!

Then I got into the kitchen and the (metaphorical) sun came out.

If you’re on my site or socials, you’ll know that cooking great gourmet standard food is one of my main purposes in life. I laughed Sam’s Gourmet Gathering earlier this year with the express desire to make cooking something that is both fun and easy for anyone, especially those with no confidence in their culinary abilities or lacking any real training. The company, site and everything about it is based on the idea that “You don't need to be a gourmet chef, or spend hours in the kitchen, to make delicious meals”. Cooking is my favourite pastime and something I love sharing. It is the activity I turn to to celebrate my wins and lick the wounds caused by losses. I’ve been cooking since primary school – sometimes with my dad and sometimes by myself – and for as long as I can remember both personal and (later) professional victories and defeats have been dealt with over a pot or pan of great smelling food.

Facing my new normal, the questions I had to ask myself were, “How am I going to cook without butter and cream in my arsenal? How will pasta sauces be creamy without the cream? How will I fry the perfect steak without butter?”

The only place to answer these questions was in the kitchen. So, on that first night home from hospital, I decided on a meal plan, took a look in the fridge and cupboard and found ingredients I could use instead. After that first meal I felt energised and happy and this “can do” sense only go stronger as night two’s dinner was enjoyed by my family. I discovered, on that first night, my sanctuary will still be there to help me through bad times and celebrate the good and, most importantly, tasty food is still mine to enjoy.

Yes, it’s taken some thought and I’ve had to adapt but, as my best friend said, “at least you have the skills to work around it.” Over the past 26 days I’ve cooked some of my favourite dishes and found wonderful ways to work around the lack of butter and cream in my fridge. I’ve changed the way I cook and how I look at the dishes I cook, and I’ve found that with a little planning, these ingredients really aren’t all that necessary. But it’s not only the ingredients that have changed, I’ve also changed the method of cooking some of my dishes. Don’t get me wrong, frying is still possible, you just need the correct equipment which is where the fabulous Miracle Grill Mat I spoke about in my previous blog comes in. The bottom line is that cooking can still be fun and dishes can be delicious without the fat or any other ingredient you’ve been told to stay away from. And if you don’t have the knowledge or think you’re missing the skills to adapt recipes to accommodate a new food preference, allergy or requirement, stick with me because I’m all about sharing my culinary secrets on this platform!

I can hear some of you gasping at the lack of butter and asking how I could possibly claim to have great food without it.

I’ll admit, a month or two ago I would have agreed that it was impossible. In fact, one of my favourite cookbooks by Ashleigh Levin suggests using real butter (not margarine) liberally and that’s one of the reasons I fell in love with her book. Now, I’m rethinking the need for butter and while I’ll always love the taste and may indulge from time to time – some things, like hot, freshly baked bread, just taste better smeared with butter – I’m coming round to the idea of eliminating it from everyday cooking.

I’ll be sharing some of my secrets and how I’ve adapted recipes to my new lifestyle in the Sam’s Gourmet Gathering membership which I’ll be launching on August 16. If you want to know how I’ve eliminated the fat and how to make a recipe your own if you need to change the ingredients, keep your eyes peeled and grab your spot in the membership as soon as it opens. I’ll be sharing weekly recipes, prerecorded live cooking classes, suggestions on how to make a recipe fit your needs and restrictions, and other fun and useful information. It’s the start of a community of like-minded cooks – from the beginner to the proficient – who’ll get together online to celebrate our culinary wins and help each other fix the flops.

But for now, I must run. My kitchen is calling and I’m off to see what I can do with prawns to make a delicious pasta dish.