Dinner ideas for altered taste and smell due to Long Covid
Occasionally the green beans don’t taste great for me so next time I will probably have another vegetable at the side. However, the curry itself was amazing.
The sauce can also be made in batch and frozen and goes well served with a vegan chicken burger if you are unable to have fish fingers or would like something different. :)
This pear salad recipe has been taken from a Tesco magazine and modified slightly to make it suitable for my altered taste and smell. Below, I haven’t mentioned substituting the beetroot leaves as I am able to eat these but had mixed lettuce instead for this dinner as there was some in the fridge which needed used up.
Vegan Bolognese Ingredients List
(Serves 4, plus extra sauce for tomato pasta, pizza sauce etc.)
4 tomatoes 1 courgette
2 sticks of celery 2 small carrots
1 small green pepper 4 small potatoes
100g mushrooms 200g mixed nuts
1 tbs plain flour 1tbs tomato purée
Fresh Basil
Vegan Bolognese Recipe
- Cook enough pasta and leave to cool.
- Peel carrots and potatoes
- Chop all the veg into small pieces of the same size.
- Place all the veg in a pan with a little water and simmer with the lid on, stirring regularly.
- Add tomato purée and take the pan off the heat.
- Blend veg with a stick blender until smooth.
- Mix flour with a little water and add slowly to veg mix, stirring all the time.
- Return to heat to cook the flour.
- Add seasoning and basil to taste and add water to make the desired consistency.
- Leave the sauce to cool.
- Finely chop the nuts or chop in a blender but don’t over blend as these give the texture.
- Add the veg sauce to the mixed nuts as required.
- Mix the pasta with the mixed nuts and serve.
- Portion the leftover sauce and freeze for a pasta sauce or sauce for a homemade pizza for an easy dinner another night.
Overall, I am looking forward to having this dinner again and might even try using the nut filling for other dinners such as having it in a pie or as meatballs. I will be posting any attempts at using this recipe again😀.
6/9/21- pesto pasta and vegetable crisps
At the side is some vegetable crisps. I am unable to have many brands of crisps as I struggle to eat fried foods but I have found that these vegetable crisps work well for me.
1/9/21- Quorn paprika pieces and rice
The Quorn was cooked with some tinned tomato and paprika powder before being left to cool. The rice was also cooked and cooled before being mixed with some mixed seeds. These mixed seeds were great as they added an extra texture to the dish and helped cover up the strange texture from the Quorn. At the side is some beetroot leaves.
Overall, this meal was quite successful and I would happily have it again. I will have Quorn pieces once in a while too as they make a nice change from having nuts or fish.
31/8/21- Prawns and noodles
30/8/21- Raisin and cashew nut couscous
Some couscous was cooked and cooled before being mixed with some chopped carrot, green pepper, celery, raisins and mixed nuts. I really liked the taste of the raisins as they added a sweetness I was able to identify and the nuts added extra texture and some protein to the dish too.
At the side is some mixed salad made up of lettuce, carrot and red cabbage. Bags of mixed lettuce are very convenient, however, I have found I have to be careful about which ones I choose as many contain rocket or onion which I am unable to eat.
27/8/21- Spicy bean potato
The potato was cooked in the microwave in the afternoon and then left to cool.
The spicy bean topping made from tinned kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, some chilli powder, chopped red chilli, salt and black pepper which were simmered in a pan before being left to cool too.
The potato was then cut up into chunks and the bean topping mixed through it. To finish, some mozzarella was sprinkled on top and some beetroot leaves were added to the plate.
25/8/21- Prawn, salmon and lemon balm pasta
A small amount of salmon which we had left over from another meal was cooked in the microwave and then broken up. The vegetables, lemon balm and some left-over prawns from last night's dinner were then mixed through the pasta with some creme fraiche. The meal was finished with some salad at the side.
If you are unable to eat seafood, you could have pine nuts as a source of protein instead. Sometimes I find that tomatoes taste a bit weird to me but you could use celery if you are looking to add another vegetable to the pasta.
24/8/21- Mango and prawn rice
This rice dish was made by cooking and cooling rice, then mixing it with some chopped green pepper, chopped mango, pre-cooked prawns and black pepper.
This meal is ideal as it doesn't involve a lot of cooking and tastes great served cold.
20/8/21- Lemon vegetables and cashew nuts
This dinner was great as it had lots of textures, some flavour from the ginger and was also quite sweet. This dinner is probably not the healthiest as it contains a lot of sugar, however, it is ideal to have once in a while as a substitute for a take-away. To make this dinner even better, you could have some of the spring rolls from the 20/8/21 post on my 'Lunch Ideas' page as a starter.
19/8/21- Prawns and Quinoa
First, the prawns were mixed in a bowl with chilli jam for some flavour. Some chopped tomatoes and celery were then also added to the bowl along with some tinned quinoa and the meal was ready to be eaten.
If you are unable to have some of these ingredients, this dish could be served with some carrots, green pepper or pine nuts instead.
18/8/21- Pasta with seeds and vegetables
17/8/21- Sushi and salad
With my sushi, I had some vegetable crisps and lettuce. On the plate is also a bean salad made from tomato, kidney beans and tomato sauce. The potato salad was made by cooking and cooling some potatoes and then putting some plain yoghurt on top with some mixed herbs. For some reason, the potatoes had a slightly weird taste for me tonight but I was able to eat it with some of the grated mozzarella which was on the plate too which was fine.
16/8/21- Salmon pasta
First, the pasta was cooked and cooled. The salmon was cooked in the microwave and then left to cool too. The salmon was then broken into small pieces and mixed with some sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, creme fraiche, salt and black pepper.
Like many other dishes, this meal could be cooked in batch and eaten for lunch the next day. For more lunch ideas click here.
15/8/21-'No chicken' burger with padron peppers and vegetable crisps
At the side is some padron peppers which were lightly fried before being patted dry with some kitchen towel and cooled. I am not usually able to eat fried foods but these peppers were fine for me. Next to the peppers are some vegetable crisps which I enjoyed as they added an extra texture to the plate and I could also taste the salt on them.
14/8/21- Prawn and peanut rice
Here is another take on the peanut rice dish I posted a few months ago which I really enjoyed.
The sauce was made from some peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, coconut milk, ground ginger and cayenne pepper which were cooked for about five minutes to thicken the sauce. Once the sauce was cooled, some pre-cooked prawns were mixed through. Next, the rice was cooked and cooled. To finish, some cashew nuts were sprinkled on top for extra protein and some extra texture. This dinner was really filling so I did not finish it all and you may not need to make as much as was on my plate.
This meal worked really well for me as there was some texture from the sauce as we used crunchy peanut butter and the cashew nuts also had a good texture. The sauce was great as it was sweet but also slightly spicy. If you are unable to have prawns, I think it would go well with some green peppers, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots mixed through it too.
13/8/21-Vebetable lasagne
The Quorn chicken had a slightly strange texture and I am not sure I would have been able to eat it on its own or with a mild sauce but since tonight's sauce had lots of chilli powder, I managed fine. The chicken was cooked with tinned tomato, chilli powder, chopped green pepper, celery, mushroom and red chillies.
At the side is some bulgur wheat which I am really enjoying at the moment as it has a great texture. I also had some beetroot salad which gave extra textures and colours to the plate.
11/8/21- Coconut rice
Enjoyed this coconut rice dinner. It was made by cooking and cooling rice and then mixing chopped green pepper, celery, mango, pineapple, desiccated coconut and cashew nuts through the rice. To finish, some chopped chillies were placed on top for some flavour which I could taste. I could also taste the mango and pineapple which was great.
10/8/21- Smoked trout salad
The salad also has some vegan gouda cheese, vegan feta and beetroot salad. At the top of the plate is some coleslaw made from yoghurt instead of mayonnaise as I am unable to have products with a high egg content at the moment. Beside this is some potato salad made with plain yoghurt, potato, celery, walnut, salt and black pepper. Next on the plate is some tomato pasta made by cooking and cooling pasta and then mixing it with some tomato ketchup and chilli powder.
Although this involves some cooking and a bit of preparation for the individual components, you could make extra and have some for lunch the next day.
7/8/21- DIY takeaway
As a carbohydrate, some canned quinoa was used. For the protein some prawns added to chopped green pepper and carrot which were then all mixed with some chilli jam.
This dinner was very convenient and travels well too so can be even taken to a friend's house for dinner as socialising can be difficult with Long Covid. When eating with others, I have also found that sitting near an open window or door can help remove odours whilst wearing lava beads can mask unpleasant smells. These beads can be soaked in an essential oil you are able to tolerate and can be smelt when you experience a bad smell. The beads may not work for everyone but they are really helping me at the moment as they remove unpleasant smells and replace them with a smell such as lavender. I bought my beads from Ebay and then made a necklace and bracelet but you can also buy ready made jewellery online.
6/8/21- Mixed bean, lemon and dill pasta
This meal involved little cooking and could work as a lunch as well as a dinner. First, the pasta was cooked and cooled, then some mixed beans, chopped green pepper and chopped tomato were mixed through the pasta. At the side is some plain yoghurt with lemon juice and dried dill which I mixed through the pasta once I had tried it to check I could eat it. The sauce added some flavour which I could taste and also made the pasta less dry.
5/8/21- Mushroom and lentil curry
4/8/21- Sesame and honey vegetable noodles
3/8/21- Spicy bean wrap
I have discovered that I am unable to eat chickpeas and some tins of mixed beans contain chickpeas so at the moment it is best to stick to the same brand or check for trigger foods before buying new products. If you are unable to have mixed beans, you could have green pepper, celery, chillies and pine nuts instead.
2/8/21- Caribbean banana and pineapple rice
The rice was cooked and then cooled. Some green pepper, pineapple and red chilli was chopped up. Next a banana was mashed up with some lime juice, lime rind, salt and black pepper to make a sauce. The sauce was then mixed with the pineapple, vegetables and some cashew nuts for protein.
This dish can be frozen without the rice for another dinner and also involves very little cooking so is ideal. You could also use different ingredients such as mango or carrot if you are unable to eat some of the foods I can have.
31/7/21- Mushroom and spinach pizza
The pizza sauce was made from scratch to avoid garlic and onion. It was made using tinned tomatoes, chopped aubergine, chopped courgette, salt, black pepper and tomato puree which were all heated up and blended to create a smooth sauce. Although making the sauce involved some cooking, it can be made in batch and frozen for a pasta sauce or for pizza so can offer quite a few dinners.
The pizza was topped with mushroom, spinach, green pepper, tomatoes and mozzarella and was sprinkled with some black pepper and mixed herbs before being put in the oven. Once the pizza was cooked, it was left to cool before serving. For me, this meal had no unpleasant taste. Making my own pizza is a great option for me at the moment as I am able to avoid my trigger foods and you could easily customise this meal to suit your needs.
30/7/21- Sweet and Sour prawns
The rice was cooked and cooled as usual. Some pineapple, carrot, celery and green pepper was then cut up and cooked with some pineapple juice (or you could use orange juice), vinegar, tomato puree, brown sugar, ginger powder, salt, black pepper and finally corn flour to thicken the sauce. When the sauce was cooled, it was then mixed with the rice and pre-cooked prawns. If you have time, it is best to chill a bowl of the sweet and sour before serving but it could also be served at room temperature.27/7/21- Alpine macaroni
The pasta was made by cooking and cooling pasta and then mixing it with creme fraiche, black pepper and salt. The pasta was then topped with some grated mozzarella. At the side is some apple sauce which added some sweetness and flavour to the dish. This pasta is also sometimes served with some chopped potato and bacon mixed through it but I am unable to have meat at the moment so avoided the bacon. I may have it with some potato next time though.
The salad at the side includes spinach leaves, lettuce, tomato, carrot and cucumber.
26/7/21- Prawns and pasta with a lemon and dill dip
First, the pasta was cooked and cooled, then topped with some prawns. Although some of the prawns in this picture are quite large, I have found that smaller prawns are better as larger prawns sometimes have a strange taste for me at the moment. If you struggle to eat prawns, you could try having them with a chilli jam or sauce to mask some of the taste, as long as the sauce does not contain any of your trigger foods.
The dip at the side is shop bought and doesn't contain any onions or garlic. I think this sauce was a special so I may not be able to find it often. I think plain yoghurt, lemon juice and dried dill would work instead of buying the sauce if it is difficult to find. I did buy two packets so next time, I could mix it through the pasta but I wasn't sure whether I would be able to eat it so had the dip in a bowl this time.
At the side is some lettuce, grated carrot and tomato.25/7/21- Katsu curry no chicken wraps
The rice at the side was cooked and then cooled and the salad at the side is just some ice berg lettuce and grated carrot.
The wrap's filling was made by cooking a 'no chicken' burger which was vegan and also didn't contain any of my trigger foods. The burger was then cut up into smaller pieces and left to cool. The Katsu sauce was made by mixing some plain yoghurt with curry powder and turmeric. When the burger was cool, it was mixed with the sauce and rolled up in the wrap.
This dinner could also be served without the wraps as a curry or the wraps could be filled with vegetables, rice or nuts and the sauce instead of the burger. I really like the no chicken burgers from Aldi as they can be used in a range of ways and are one of the few convenience foods which don't contain any of my trigger foods.
24/7/21- Homemade Pizza
For easiness as I struggle to do too much at the moment, we bought a pre-made pizza base but you could make your own from scratch if you felt up to this.
So many sauces contain garlic and onion so I used the pasta sauce made on the 18th of July which we froze (see below for more information.)
The pizza was then topped with some sliced tomato, mushroom and green pepper. Next, some grated mozzarella was added and finally some mixed herbs and black pepper were sprinkled on top for some flavour.
Finally, the pizza was cooked and then left to cool before being served.
The benefit of making your own pizza is that as long as you are able to have the base, a tomato sauce and the mozzarella, you are able to customise the other ingredients to suit your needs. Next time I might add pine nuts, pineapple, aubergine or courgette to my pizza for a change.
22/7/21- Green pesto pasta
The pesto used in this pasta dish was green which didn't taste any different to me compared to the jar of red pesto. However, it was a different colour so if you find that cooking with lots of colours instead of lots of flavours works for you at the moment, it could be worth a try.
Two different types of pasta were used in this dinner to which was good as this gave me an extra texture on the plate.
On top of the pasta was some mozzarella which I found was better than the parmesan which I had been using before. The cheese was not as dry so had a better texture for me in this instance as the pesto sauce was quite dry.
At the side was some steamed Mediterranean vegetables for nutritional benefit and also adding extra colour and texture to the plate. the vegetables I had tonight included aubergine, courgette and tomato but you could also include mushrooms and green pepper if you are able to have these foods.
19/7/21- Vegetarian cajun rice
This is probably one of the spiciest dishes I have ever eaten and I could actually taste the spices which I am sometimes unable to taste. You could possibly serve this dish with some plain yoghurt on top to add an extra texture and also compensate for the spicy nature of the dish. 18/7/21- Mediterranean pasta
The sauce was made from tinned tomatoes, chopped aubergine, chopped courgette, salt, black pepper and tomato puree. The mozzarella went well with the dish as it added an extra texture to the meal. At the side is some salad which also added some extra texture and colour. The pasta was served in a bowl as for quickness, the pasta was run under cold water to cool it down which made the pasta sauce quite watery.
The sauce was made in batch and then blended with the aubergine and courgette to create a tomato sauce which we are going to use to make pizza as I have found that finding a pizza with no garlic in the shops is almost impossible.
17/7/21- Prawn quinoa
This dish was made by chopping up some green pepper, courgette and aubergine and steaming them. The vegetables were then left to cool before being mixed through the quinoa.
The prawns were marinated in some chilli jam to give the dish some flavour and then they too were then mixed through the quinoa.
This dish has lots of flavours and tastes great when prepared a few hours in advance so there is time to chill it in the fridge before being served.
15/7/21- Summer salad
In the main salad part, there is some green pepper, cucumber, tomato, radish and lettuce. This was the only part of the meal which could not be prepared in advance as I am unable to eat vegetables which have been cut up the day before.
The potato salad was made by cooking and cooling some potatoes, cutting them up and mixing them with some plain yoghurt, salt and black pepper.
Next is some tomato pasta. This was made by cooking and cooling some pasta and mixing it with tomato sauce. At the side of the pasta is some vegan mozzarella which went really well with the pasta.
Beside this is some Aldi infused smoked salmon with lemon and pepper. This was quite good as I could taste the black pepper occasionally so had some flavour.
The polenta was grilled and then left to cool before being served. I love having polenta as it is slightly salty so I can taste it and it has a good texture too.
I am looking forward to having this again tomorrow night. Although salads involve some prep which is not ideal if you have fatigue, they do have lots of colours and flavours which is good.
14/7/21-Aubergine bake
The bake was made by layering slices of aubergine, white sauce and tomato salsa in a dish and topping this with white vegan cheese and mixed seeds before cooking and leaving to cool. The tomato salsa was made from tinned tomato, salt and black pepper. If you are unable to eat aubergine, you could substitute this for another vegetable such as courgette. For another texture, you could add pasta sheets to this dish to make it taste more like a lasagne. There was lots of textures in this bake and it can also be made in batch and frozen.
At this side is some lettuce, chopped tomato, cucumber and croutons which adds extra colour and texture.
13/7/21- Banana rice
Some green pepper, celery, pineapple and red chilli was cut up and mixed with some cashew nuts. The sauce mixed through the fruit, vegetables and nuts was made by mashing up a banana and mixing it with some lime juice, lime rind, black pepper and salt. Like many of my meals, this dish freezes well so is ideal to make in batch. The rice at the side was cooked and then cooled.
Overall, this dish had lots of textures and some good flavours too from the lime juice and chillies.
12/7/21-Tuna and sweetcorn pasta
This dinner is similar to the dinner idea I posted on the 6th of June only this time there was some sweetcorn through the pasta.
First, the pasta was cooked and cooled, then the pasta was mixed with some tinned tuna, tinned sweetcorn, tinned tomato, salt and black pepper. The tuna was broken up into small pieces as for some reason, big pieces of fish taste very unpleasant to me. Compared to the last time I had this meal, I found that adding the sweetcorn was better as it gave an extra texture and also some more colour to the plate.
Although this dish does involve cooking which is not ideal if you have to cook the meals yourself, you could make it in batch and have some for lunch the next day to reduce the time you have to spend dealing with cooking smells.
11/7/21- Bean wrap
At the side is some couscous and green peppers. Couscous is great as it can be served with many foods and has an unusual texture too. The green peppers add some colour to the plate as well as some extra texture. They were lightly fried, dried with some kitchen towel to remove any oil and then left to cool. If you cannot get away with even slightly frying anything due to your altered sense of taste, you could steam your vegetables instead.
9/7/21- Peanut rice
The sauce was made from some peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, coconut milk, ground ginger and cayenne pepper which were cooked for about five minutes to thicken the sauce. Like some of my other ideas, I appreciate this may not be ideal if you have to cook for your self and are suffering from altered senses. However, although I was not cooking this dish, I didn't find the smell in the kitchen afterwards too bad as we avoided any trigger foods. Next, the rice was cooked and cooled and then mixed through the sauce once it had cooled as well. To finish, some cashew nuts were sprinkled on top for extra protein and some extra taste.
This dinner worked really well for me as there was some texture from the sauce as we used crunchy peanut butter and the cashew nuts also had a good texture. The sauce was great as it was sweet but also slightly spicy. If you wanted to add more texture to this dish, I think it would go well with some green peppers, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots mixed through it too. 😀
8/7/21- Sesame noodles with salmon and vegetables
I found that the best part of this dinner was the sesame oil as it has a distinctive flavour which tasted nice to me despite my altered senses. There was also lots of textures and colour which I enjoy at the moment too.😀
6/7/21- Salad
If you are unable to eat tomatoes or prawns due to your Long Covid, this meal could easily be adapted. For example, you could use half a pepper instead of a tomato. I personally am unable to eat red, orange and yellow peppers but am able to eat green peppers at the moment. However, this may not be the case for you as everyone seems to experience Long Covid slightly different. Also, if you are unable to eat prawns, you could stuff the tomato with the bulger wheat and some pine nuts instead.
At the side is a salad and some bulger wheat. Although the bulger wheat has to be cooked and then cooled, I enjoy having it once in a while as it offers an extra texture to the meal and has no unpleasant taste for me.
4/7/21- Frozen lentil curry
Tonight I had some lentil and cashew nut curry from the freezer. My Mum made this curry in batch a while ago and we froze it, making tonight's dinner quick and easy. The full ingredients list is written below in the post from the 13th of June.😀
3/7/21- Vegetable Tagine
Before the Covid pandemic, my family and I visited Morocco and since then, tagine has been a meal we have loved having for dinner. Usually, we have warm chicken tagine but tonight I had a cold, meat free version. However, I still enjoyed it.
First, a tomato, some green pepper, celery, carrot, aubergine and courgette were cut up and placed in a dish with some water, seasoning and tagine spice and put in the oven. After about one hour, the dish was taken out of the oven and left to cool. For the spices, we still had some tagine spice mix left from Morocco but you could use a mix of spices in your cupboards if you don't have a pre mixed jar.
After the vegetables had cooled, some pine nuts and cashew nuts were sprinkled over it for some protein and an extra texture. The tagine was served with some cold couscous that was also cooked earlier and left to cool.
Overall, this meal was quite successful as there was not weird flavours and lots of textures and colours. I was also able to taste some of the spices in the tagine which was good. As with previous meals, this dish could be made in batch and frozen to make another night's dinner slightly easier.
2/7/21- No chicken burger with potato wedges and salad
For dinner I had a no chicken burger. The burger can be bought in Aldi and is great because it is vegan but does not contain any garlic, onion or other trigger foods. As usual, this meal was served completely cold so the burger was cooked in the afternoon and then left to cool. I had some chilli jam on top of the burger to add some flavour and there was also some beetroot leaves in the brioche bun. These burgers are also very versatile as they can be used as a chicken alternative in a number of dishes. See my coconut rice meal below for another idea.
At the side is some salad. potato wedges and coleslaw. The coleslaw unfortunately didn't taste very nice for me tonight. I think this is because often foods with eggs in them have a weird taste, however, I have been alright with coleslaw other nights so am unsure whether this was just a one off. I am unable to eat fried or oily foods so the potatoes were cut up, steamed then left to cool and then finally sprinkled with some cayenne pepper which I could taste as it is slightly spicy. The salad was made up of some spinach. tomatoes, cucumber and celery.
30/6/21- Potato salad
Here is another potential dinner option. I was supposed to be having pizza tonight. Most pizzas do have garlic in them but we thought we had found one that didn't in the shops. Unfortunately after the pizza was bought we realised it contained some garlic very low down in the ingredients list in small print so I was unable to eat it.
This meal was cobbled together from some items we had in the fridge. The potatoes were cooked, cooled and then mixed with plain yoghurt, salt, black pepper and cashew nuts. The cashew nuts were good as they added an extra texture as well as giving me a source of protein. At the side is some salad too.
As with previous meals, this dinner does involve some cooking and preparation which can be challenging if you have fatigue and altered senses but this meal can be made in batch to be eaten the next day. You could also have less potato and more salad for a change and could incorporate some salmon, mozzarella and other vegetables for a salad with lots of textures and colours.
29/6/21- Pesto pasta
This pesto pasta dish was made from a jar of red pesto which did not contain garlic or onions. I sprinkled some parmesan over the pasta which was good as it gave the dinner an extra texture. Although other cheeses may work for you, I am unable to eat coloured cheeses such as cheddar so am currently sticking to white cheeses. At the side of the pasta is some mixed lettuce for extra colour and texture.
You could also make this meal in batch and have some for lunch the next day to save time and also mean you can avoid cooking smells at lunch the next day.
28/6/21- Prawns, vegetables and rice
As usual, the rice was cooked and then cooled. The prawns and vegetables were steamed and then cooled too.
The vegetables were sweetcorn, carrot and celery but you could use whatever you have in the fridge that you are able to tolerate if you have Long Covid altered taste and smell.
I am able to eat fish but if this is a struggle for you, you could try eating it with chilli jam or another spicy sauce in an attempt to mask the taste. However, if you are buying dipping sauces, always check the ingredients for trigger foods which you can't eat. Unfortunately, many sauces have onions and garlic in them. Sometimes garlic and onion can be in powdered form too so it is worth knowing what you can tolerate and checking the ingredients list before you buy. Even after over 3 months of altered taste and smell, I still sometimes end up eating foods which taste very unpleasant to me so don't be disheartened if not every meal is a success.
27/6/21-Nachos
Tonight I had nachos again. They are one of my favourite meals at the moment as they have some flavour from the spicy bean topping and also have lots of great textures.
The dish was made from nachos and a salsa made from a tin of mixed beans, celery, tinned tomatoes, salt, black pepper and lots of chilli powder!
At the side of the plate is some green peppers which were steamed and also some lettuce, radish, cucumber, carrot and celery to add some extra colour.
In the bowls at the back is some chopped tomatoes, guacamole and plain yoghurt. The guacamole was made from avocados, chopped tomatoes and some salt.
This meal was as enjoyable as meals can be for me at the moment when I am unable to taste most foods and many foods are also very unpleasant. My altered smell can make cooking an unpleasant experience so I am very lucky to live with family who can help out. However, if cooking is a challenge, you could make the bean salsa in batch and freeze it for a quick and easy meal with minimal cooking smells.
26/6/21- Vegetable pastry
Here is another dinner option I have been trying. 😀This pastry was filled with chopped tomatoes🍅, courgette, aubergine and celery and also some pine nuts and feta. You could also add other vegetables such as pepper for extra texture if you are able to eat this but at the moment I am only able to eat green pepper😢. This pastry had lots of textures from the different vegetables to the cheese👍. Like most of my food at the moment, the pastry was cooked and then left to cool before I ate it.
I have also used a similar idea to this pastry for a lunch option. By making the pastries smaller, they are a good substitute to a sausage roll, which I am currently unable to eat due to meat tasting disgusting at the moment👎. You could also make these pastries in batch and freeze some so this can be a quick and easy option for a meal if you have a busy week.
At the side is a salad consisting of lettuce, tomato, celery, radish, sweetcorn and cucumber. This added some extra colour to the plate as well as offering an extra texture.😀
25/6/21- No Chicken bites with coconut rice
Before I got Long Covid, I used to eat meat. This meal does look like it contains chicken but it is actually vegan as I am unable to eat meat at the moment. Again, this meal was served cold due to my altered sense of smell and it did not contain any garlic or onions which I am unable to eat due to my altered sense of taste.👍
The rice was cooked, cooled and then mixed with coconut milk, curry powder and some salt. The rice was quite saucy so went well with the no chicken burgers. As it contains coconut milk and curry powder, I was also able to taste some of it which is great.👍
On top is some ALDI no chicken chicken burgers which were also cooked, cooled and cut up. These burgers are good as they do not contain any of my trigger foods which are present in most vegan meals. I have found that I am unable to eat the burgers though if they have been cooked in the oven at the same time as real chicken burgers or other meat so this is something to bear in mind if your are cooking for others at the same time.
Finally, this meal had some cashew nuts and coriander sprinkled on top to finish the dish off. Unfortunately this meal does involve a lot of cooking but I thought I would post it anyway in case you have someone who can cook for you or are looking to make a meal for someone you know with Long Covid. Feel free to post any comments in the box below.😀
24/6/21- Green pepper, tomato and pine nut rice
Savoury rice has become a big part of my diet as it tastes good cold and can be made in many different ways. 😀
This particular dish included rice which had been cooked and cooled and then mixed with tomato sauce, chilli powder, salt and black pepper. When buying sauces, always double check the ingredients list as many have garlic or onion in them and some also contain garlic or onion powder. I have found that whether in blended or powdered form, I struggle to eat foods which contain any garlic or onion flavouring so if this is the same for you, it is worth checking the ingredients list before you buy items.👍
Some tomato, green pepper and red chilli was chopped up and these vegetables were then mixed through rice with some pine nuts. As I have mentioned before, nuts are a great source of protein, especially when your diet is meat free, plus they also have a good texture.👍 The rice was then served with a side salad, adding more texture and colour. This dish could easily be adapted to use up any vegetables you have in your fridge, reducing food waste and saving money!😀
23/6/21- Steamed salmon with potato salad and vegetables
Despite being unable to eat meat, I am able to eat fish and sea food as long as it is broken down into small pieces and served with a dressing or sauce. 👍
In this case, the salmon was coated in lemon juice and black pepper and then topped with some chopped red chillies. At the side is some courgette, cauliflower and broccoli. These were steamed at the same time as the salmon, reducing the amount of time you have to spend around cooking smells.
The final aspect of the dish is a potato salad. The potato was cooked, chopped and cooled. On top is some plain yoghurt and mixed seeds. Mixed seeds are another really useful item to keep in your cupboards. When either you can't taste anything or most foods taste disgusting, as long as seeds are not a trigger food for you, they are a great source of protein, have a good texture and are able to make food look a bit more interesting. 😀
22/6/21- Jackfruit wrap with green peppers and polenta
Here is another option for dinner. This wrap contained jackfruit, another item that is great to have in the cupboard, which was coated in a sauce made from plain yoghurt and curry powder. There was also some lettuce in the wrap for some extra crunch.
At the side is some polenta and couscous as there was not a lot of polenta left in our fridge. At the side there is also some chopped tomatoes and green peppers for some extra colour. As I have mentioned earlier in my 'lunch ideas for altered taste and smell due to Long Covid' page, I am unable to have red, yellow and orange peppers but for some reason I am able to have green pepper.😏
Overall, this meal does not have much cooking involved and there are lots of different flavours from the polenta being salty to the wrap being slightly spicy. If, like me, you are able to taste some spicy and salty flavours, this meal could be a good option. This dinner could also be adapted by changing the sauce to a chilli and tomato base or by serving with rice instead of couscous.😀
21/6/21- Salmon bagel with salad
Beside this is some potato salad made from potatoes, cooked and cooled, which were then coated in tomato ketchup, chilli powder and red chillies to add some more spice.👍
The rice side dish contains rice, again cooked and cooled, that was then mixed with plain yoghurt, curry powder and sultanas.
There are some beansprouts at the side as we had some of these in the fridge 😂 and there is also some mixed salad to add some extra texture and colour.👍
In the middle of the plate is some homemade coleslaw, made by the same method described in yesterday's lunch post.
Apart from the potatoes and rice, the rest of this dinner does not involve cooking which is a big plus for my altered sense of smell. To avoid all cooking, you could buy pre-prepared sides but always check the ingredients list as many items annoyingly have garlic or onions in them.😠
19/6/21- Scallops with leftover pasta
Again, the pasta from last night's dinner was made in batch (see post below for ingredients list) which meant less cooking smells and less food waste! 👍
I had some of the pasta tonight with some carrot, tomato and Chinese cabbage at the side, giving extra textures and colours to the plate. The scallops were steamed, cooled, coated in chilli flakes and black pepper and then sprinkled with some lemon juice, similar to the cod I had on the 10th of June.😀
Again, this meal had no strange taste for me. However, at the start of my Long Covid, nearly every meal had an unpleasant taste 👎 . Over the past few months I have slowly but surely been working out some of foods I definitely can't 👎 have so now avoid and my meals have significantly improved 😀. I am still adding to the list of foods I can't eat but don't be disheartened if most food tastes bad for you at the moment. I found that trying each piece food on my plate individually and having quite plain food at first helped me work out which foods worked and which foods were causing the rest of the meal to have an unpleasant taste so this may be worth a go if you are struggling.👍
18/6/21 - Green vegetable and parmesan pasta
This dinner was made using a recipe today (which was slightly adapted to make the dish cold to accommodate my altered sense of smell👍) and is a Northern Italian pasta dish.
The pasta was cooked then cooled down and has mushrooms, courgette, celery and mange tout mixed through it which was steamed then cooled down too. On top of the pasta is some parmesan.
To the left hand side of the plate is some yoghurt. This was supposed to be mixed through the pasta but it is at the side in case it made the pasta slightly gloopy since it was being served cold or in case it tasted strange to me. However, it tasted fine and went will with the vegetables.
Overall, I enjoyed this meal and it too could be made in batches and eaten the next day!
16/6/21- 'Use-it-up' Salad
This meal had lots of great textures and also used up many items in the fridge that were near their best before/cell by date. I am passionate about protecting the environment so minimising food waste is important to me. Unfortunately I have found that recently there are a lot of foods in my cupboards I can't eat but as I live with my family they have been able to eat this so it has not gone to waste. 👍If you live alone, why not give any food you cannot eat at the moment to family or friends. I'm sure they will be delighted to receive a bag of free food!😀
15/6/21- Polenta with Mediterranean vegetables and chilli ricotta
14/6/21- Chilli prawns with sesame noodles and vegetables
13/6/21- Lentil curry
10/6/21- Steamed cod with salad and bulgur wheat
I had a cold tuna pasta dish for dinner tonight. At first I wasn't sure I would be able to eat fish as I have to avoid chicken and ham at the moment. However, I gave it a go and have found that as long as the tuna is broken into small pieces and has sauce or vegetables mixed with it, it is fine for me. 👍 This is especially good as it gives me another option to seeds, nuts and lentils for getting enough protein.
My tuna pasta consisted of cooked pasta, drained tinned tomatoes 🍅, tinned tuna, mixed herbs, salt 🧂 and black pepper. This is a quick and easy fix and you don't have to spend too long in the kitchen so can avoid cooking smells which is a big plus. 👍You could even make extra and have some for lunch the next day! 😀 For more lunch ideas, check out my other page on this blog called 'Lunch ideas for altered taste and smell due to Long Covid.' It can be quite difficult to find new options for lunch when ham, chicken and cheese sandwiches, sausage rolls, falafels and many other foods are not an option so hopefully this other page will give you some new ideas.
5/6/21- Chilli Nachos
Here is my first suggestion for a dinner idea. I have found that hot food, meat and onions are to be avoided along with many other foods due to my Long Covid altered sense of taste and smell. For dinners I have found spicy foods with a good texture are best. This dish was made from a spicy vegetable salsa, nachos, vegan cheese 🧀 and guacamole. 🥑 The spicy vegetable salsa contained tomato puree, celery (which I have found is a good substitute for onions 🧅), tomatoes🍅, red pepper, green chilli pepper, salt 🧂, black pepper and lots of chilli powder! I had a white vegan cheese 🧀as I have found I am unable to eat cheddar but can have white cheeses such as mozzarella and feta. This meal was ideal as the nachos had a good texture and I was able to taste some of the salsa as it was spicy.
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