Can’t chew - what should I eat?!

[FiveGensOfLove]

I have a raging dental infection - swollen face, neck, jaw, the lot. Struggle to open mouth much, chewing is impossible. I need to eat a decent meal four times a day to line my stomach for the antibiotics.

Have tried:

Soup, various types
Mashed potato with mashed beans
Lentil dahl
Porridge
Weetabix and banana

It’s now day 5 of this and I’m getting v bored. I love food so this is killing me.
What else could I try? Two conditions: I’m vegetarian, and I don’t want to blend a normal meal into mush.

All ideas welcome

Scrambled egg?
beans
Avocado

Smoothies / juices - you can get a lot of nutrients from blending fruit and veg snd maybe some yogurt or milk

Whenn dd had wisdom teeth out we did all sorts of smoothies, veg and fruit. There are loads if recipes online.
Oats, yogurt and berries.
I couldn't eat at all for 6 weeks after surgery and eventually I did end up blending things like chinese noodle soup because it still tasted so good.
Hope you feel better soon.

Our avocados are at the stubborn stage but smoothies is a good idea 👍

Maggi noodles
Angel delight
Custard
Ice cream

My favourite smoothie has blueberries, banana, natural Greek yoghurt, honey and a little granola for a slight nutty taste.

Smoothies, fruit, yoghurt, vegetables. Maybe use protein powder. Cashew nuts blend very smooth especially if you soak them first.

Rice pudding.
Keep going with soup. I'm generally not keen on blended soups but butternut squash & sage is nice. Also leek & potato.

Hope the ABs make a difference soon!

I had 4 teeth out (in preparation for orthodontics) a couple of years ago, it is really tricky eating a varied diet and tbh in the end I did just resort to making normal meals and blending them up. I found it helped psychologically because you get the same enjoyment from cooking and feel as though you've had a proper meal.

If you don't want to go down that route, some other ideas:
Pasta in sauce - you can cook it until soft and cut it up small.
Veg like broccoli, cauliflower etc - again they'll go very soft if slightly overcooked.
Smoothies made with protein powder, fruit & yoghurt etc.
Yoghurt with fruit compote
Ragu (bolognese) sauce - made with veggie mince in your case. Could have it on a baked potato.
Fishcakes, if you're pescatarian.
Macaroni cheese - again, cut the pasta up smaller.
Chilli? You might need to crush any chunks of veg slightly with your fork!

Hope you see some improvement soon, OP!

Thanks, some good suggestions here! I tried some of the kids’ pasta bake last night which was v soft penne but couldn’t manage it so it really does have to be lump free.

@Splatling I now want a butterscotch Angel Delight REALLY badly . I think it’s sweet things I’m craving cos I can’t munch biscuits or chocolate at all.

Having the problem tooth out next week but still raging at the emergency (private, because I can’t get seen on the NHS for love nor money) dentist who wouldn’t give me antibiotics at the weekend because it ‘wasn’t indicated’, hours before I turned into a human balloon with weeping pus-filled sores on my gums.

Never felt sexier.

Risotto thecookreport.co.uk/orzo-risotto/

Thanks @Ricekrispie22 - looks like a lovely recipe (I loathe making ‘proper’ risotto and it’s never worth the effort)

Orzo pasta is very small and might work.
You can make a cheat 'risotto' with bulgur wheat
Eggs- scrambled, omelette, Crustless quiche

And puddings to make life more interesting:
Lemon posset
Baked custard
Sponge pudding with lots of cream to soften it

Hope you feel better soon

What about a shepherdess pie? I would have thought as long as the veg were chopped very small it should be ok. Personally I’d use a lentil bases but if you eat meat replacements then I would have thought veggie mince would also be ok.
If you want to mix up the flavours a bit I make an Indian spice cottage pie with sweet potato mash.

Huel?