To ask for your ideas/recipes for guest with lots of dietary requirements?

[Farandole]

MIL is staying with us. She has a very restricted diet and I'm running out of meal ideas. She can't have:

• beef

-pork (Though will eat sausages/bacon)

• tomatoes
• citrus
• any spices (herbs are fine, but nothing hot/spicy)
• alcohol

-shellfish -anything crunchy

So far we've had lamb chops, chicken, salmon, pasta with pesto and veg, lamb bolognaise (actually Greek pasticcia), mac and cheese and a sausage casserole. We're having prawns tomorrow. I'm running out of ideas after that.

I like to cook, but I mostly like spicy dishes, so I don't have a lot of bland recipes. We are not in the UK, so m&s gastropub meals are sadly not an option.

Any ideas? Ideally something easy that won't require hours in the kitchen.

Please let's not make this a thread about 'why is DH not cooking?' Or 'why do you hate your MIL?'. I just want recipe ideas.
Thanks in advance

cauliflower/broccoli cheese
soups
curry and rice - chicken/paneer/lentils/lamb - but without chilli?
coq au vin and dauphinoise pots

also, what does she eat when not staying with you?

Well you are doing very well so far as that is 8 different meals so she can't really complain if you start to repeat a bit.

Is she OK with rice?

What about a nice rissotto? I usually do one with bacon lardons, prawns, peas and yellow pepper. I would use a bit of cooking wine but if she is alcohol intolerant then just use stock.

Baked potatoes with either beans and cheese or tuna and mayo?

Cod (or other form white fish) wrapped in Parma ham? Or with rich tomato sauce with black olives

Goan fish curry (mild version)

Stuffed peppers

Frittata

Does she eat duck? Slow roasted duck with roast potatoes and plenty of veg is my favourite.

Cottage pie made with lamb or turkey mince

Korma made with extra cream if she cannot cope with the mild spice, use veg protein / vegetables to give a change from chicken or lamb

Nut roasts / chestnut based dishes

Mushroom stroganoff

Have a look for vegetarian lentil/ bean dishes as these are often flavoursome without being spicy ...

Fish pie? Mix of white fish and salmon, in a white sauce, topped with mashed potatoes. I don't cook the fish, just cover with the sauce, mix it up a bit, top with mash and cook in the oven for about 40 mins. serve with veg.

Thanks! Lots of good ideas. She can't have curries (no spices) or anything in a tomato sauce. Coq au vin and risotto require wine (in my book at least). Cod would be fine, we actually had it last weekend but could do a different recipe. She doesn't eat tuna. I don't mean to dripfeed, sorry! The verboten list is very long and includes other, seemingly random, green veg, fruit and meats.

She is Indian, so rice is fine. I'm thinking of doing a fried rice on Saturday. Still don't know what to do on Sunday.

I wish she'd cook a meal! She's actually a great cook, I miss her food.

I'd probably start again from the list you have.

Gammon, egg, chips, peas and mushrooms.

Salmon on pastry, a sort of salmon wellington type thing with the fish and sauce inside.

Battered fish and chips.

Scampi.

Baked potato with tuna and sweetcorn filling and rice.

Roast chicken dinner.

Chicken or fish stir fry.

We had duck at restaurant last weekend, she barely touched it so I think that's a no. Fish pie/shepherd pie might work.

I need to be off now but will come back and check later. Thank you in advance for all the great ideas!

Couscous(lots of colourful veg,parsley and mint),throw in meat/fish of your choice or have as accompany ment to chicken/pork chop.
risotto with pork,chorizo and spinach.
And as above you can't have too much roast chicken.

Perhaps just be honest and say you're not sure what to make next and can she suggest something she'd like? Or just repeat some of the meals you've already made!

Nigella's chicken & chorizo tray bake, with or without the chorizo!

Chicken

Lamb or chicken kebabs with rice & salad, plain yoghurt sprinkled with dried mint

Kedgeree using whatever fish MIL will eat

Then repeat everything you've already made!

I'd also just go round your list again!
Or how about a roast?
Or bangers and mash?
Fish Pie? (with the mash on top)

Linguine with cubes of roasted butternut squash and feta tossed through it.

Roast chicken dinner.

Baked potato with roasted veg (or beans and cheese if you think you'd get away with it).

Though to be frank if I was staying with you and you just endlessly repeated the dishes you already have done, I'd love it.

What about a Spanish Omelette with nice bread and salad, Chicken Skewers with Roast Veg Couscous, Gnocci with a green sauce, Mac 'n' Cheese, Moussaka, Paella, Fajitas and Mil could assemble her own?

Would she eat halloumi?

I do a savoury rice thing that's nice - it's sort of risotto, but not as fussy to make.

Fry a chopped onion until softened but not brown. Add long grain rice and bacon lardons, and fry until the rice has browned. Add chicken stock and simmer until the rice is cooked, adding extra stock/boiling water when needed, and adding cooked chicken towards the end, and stirring in chopped parsley, cooked peas and quartered, hard boiled eggs just before the end of cooking (somthey can heat through).

If she likes sausages, how about sausages and oven roasted vegetables - I use butternut squash, courgettes, peppers and red onions, and give them about 20 minutes in the oven before adding the sausages for the final half hour or so. You can do the same thing with chicken - I use thighs or quarters.

Or how about toad in the hole with mash, cabbage and gravy? That way she could put gravy on it so there is no crunch, but the rest of you could have it crunchy if you want to.

Rissoto

Carbonara

Kebabs
You could do a mixture. Marinade some overnight in lots of spices, do a couple of plain chicken or lamb ones for MIL. Can serve with plain rice or potatoes for her if she doesn't like wraps. Mixture of sauces, like hot salsa, then cooling yogurt on.

Non spicy lamb tagine?
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2303638/family-meals-easy-lamb-tagine-

Creamy chicken pie
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-tarragon-chicken-potato-bake
I dont see why you couldn't use parsley instead of tarragon. Then djon instead of wholegrain mustard, if she wouldn't like the seeds. Use homemade mash instead of frozen.

You could even make the filling for a jacket spud topping. Then if you have a portion of curry in the freezer, people who like spice can have that. I make a similar thing by cooking mushroom and chicken with garlic. Add a good dollop of philly cheese, and little stock to get the right consistancy. Add parsley or thyme. I put wine and dijon in too but it works without.

Fish tacos with mexican coleslaw? (You can have some spicy salsa to spice up everyone else's). Pasta with cream sauce and side greens. Gnocchi with spring greens and parmasan, Chicken with approved veg, sausage and lentil casserole, oven roasted med veg with couscous & falafel (separate her couscous first before stirring in harissa).

Garlic mushrooms on toasted brioche?

Make a traditional Indian curry (ie one without spice).

Recipe:

Chopped butternut squash
Lentils boiled until just tender
Onion/garlic/ginger if she eats it
Coriander seeds, mustard seeds (or a tiny bit of mustard)

Fry off the seeds until they crackle, add the onion/garlic ginger, add the butternut squash and lentils, a bit of water, plenty of seasoning (traditional Indian food is made with black pepper, salt, coriander powder and kashmiri chilli which isn't hot). Fresh parsley or coriander to finish.

Serve with warm bread or naan.

Chicken laksa. Jamie Oliver has a recipe that I swear by. Just leave out the chillis.

Home made naan is made by mixing wholewheat flour with salt, oil, and yoghurt. Plenty of quick recipes out there. I'd give you mine but it's a faff (requires proofing for a day etc).

Hummus
Omelette and salad
Baked potatoes and filling
Quiche Lorraine
Greek style meze with olives
Souffle