My Kitchen in the Desert

I’m after comfort food today. Comfort food for GERD sufferers that is. Something that will not irritate, not cause an excess of stomach acid, something that will be soothing to my oesophagus and stomach and other digestive organs. This means cooking something with potatoes, you can’t go wrong with potatoes as long as they’re microwaved, steamed, baked or even boiled, just don’t add fat. Shepherd’s Pie. Lots of potatoes. But wait, I’m a vegetarian! How do I accomplish this?

Let’s start with the potatoes. I’ve chosen the casserole dish I’m going to use and worked out how many potatoes, once mashed, it will take to cover the dish. For me it’s 3 large potatoes (Lady Christl potatoes as it happens, nice yellow flesh that mashes nicely). I don’t bother peeling, just chop and microwave till tender. I mash them adding only 1 teaspoon of butter. Now here’s where I do something a bit different. My mash is quite lumpy and textured, nice but not smooth. I make up a small serve of Deb instant mash and add it to my own potatoes. Makes for a very yummy tasting potato mash! And it spreads nicely. Okay, potatoes done.

For the “savoury mince” I basically make up a very thick pasta sauce, vegetarian of course. For those GERD sufferers who are saying “but I can’t eat tomatoes” please remember the 10 minute/2 hour rule – either cook the tomatoes for less than 10 mins (i.e. leave them raw) or simmer them for 2 hours. This will eliminate or neutralize any acid in the tomatoes. Tinned tomatoes have usually been cooked so won’t need the full 2 hours, experiment and see.

My “savoury mince”/pasta sauce consists of sauteed onion (small) and mushrooms (lots), add a 425g tin tomatoes (no added salt), 425g tin tomato puree (no salt), 425g tin of lentils (Sanitarium’s Savoury Lentils), a squirt of worcestershire sauce (small squirt) (and I could have used red wine or other flavouring), diced carrots and chopped zucchini. A bit of water, some salt (1 tsp) and herbs and spices (remember to use “warm” spices only or if you’re having a bad day just go with the green or dried herbs). Allow to simmer on the stove top for an hour. Should thicken up nicely and smell delicious.

For extra protein I added a can of Sanitarium’s Casserole Mince. This looks like dog food which is why I only use it in thick, rich tomato based dishes. Once it’s covered it doesn’t look so bad. It is made from gluten, so for those of you who are allergic or wish to avoid gluten, try a soy based “mince”.