These elimination diet-friendly recipes are just as tasty as regular food, and they ease your woes as you work within your restrictive diet trying to find out if you have any food sensitivities or allergies.

Whether you’re on an elimination diet, have some digestive troubles or just want to watch your waistline, the following 3 recipes are sure to be pleasing in more ways than one. They are super easy to make and if you’re like me, you’ll be expanding your food repertoire at the same time.

Millet is a grain similar to quinoa but less expensive and a little less tasty (quinoa has a nutty flavour while millet does not). Washing these two grains is tricky. The easiest way is to purchase a sieve but if you don’t have one handy: put the grain in a pot of water, swish it around, strain with your fingers and repeat at least once more before cooking.

This Asian-inspired recipe was adapted from The Vital You’s Ultimate Holistic Cookbook:

Miller’s Supreme Millet & Veggie Dish

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup millet (washed)
4 - 5 large stalks of asparagus
2 large stalks of broccoli
2¾ cup water
¼ tsp to taste
1 tsp tahini (sesame paste/butter)

To Cook: Add salt to water and cook millet under low heat until water is consumed. Millet should be slightly crunchy. If not cooked enough, add just enough water, gradually, until cooked. Set aside.

Saute onion in oil with low heat.

Add asparagus and broccoli, and continue sautéing with low heat until veggies are slightly soft but still crunchy.

Add cooked millet to veggies. Mix well. Cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Drizzle tahini to millet and veggies, and mix well.

This tart and Spanish-inspired black bean spread comes from the CCNM’s Brown Rice Cookbook and works well as a yummy dip for rice crackers as an appetizer:

Black Bean Spread

2 cups cooked or canned black beans
1 small chopped red onion
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 roughly chopped garlic clove
1 tbsp mixed herbs (I used oregano and basil)
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp lime juice (or water if you don’t want to cheat and can’t have citrus)
1/8 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Makes approximately 2 cups.

For dessert, how ‘bout some chocolate pudding? Ok, it’s not really chocolate pudding, but close enough considering its texture and hint of cocoa. Adjusted again from The Vital You’s cookbook:

Kinda Like Chocolate Pudding

Blend:

12 dates
12 figs (unsweetened)
1 quart of purified water (more or less depending on the dryness of your fruit)
1 tsp of raw carob powder

Use less water to begin with. For this recipe, I actually tripled the fruit and carob powder they call for when using a quart (or 1 liter) of water.

Blend together in a blender.

YUM! Kinda like chocolate pudding!