# Dietary Alternatives to Nightshade



## kelluna (Sep 10, 2007)

I've known for a while that I'm intolerant to nightshade, but I now think I need to be really strict about it. I love green chile and peppers, and I'm wondering if people have salsa and spice alternatives. I'm fine with sweet rather than white potatoes, and I've never liked tomatoes, but I miss green salsa!

I know that radish and horseradish aren't nightshade, but I've never really used them in cooking...Any recipes?

Also interested in parsnips and turnips...again, recipes?

For those who don't know...nightshade includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers (sweet and spicey), eggplant, paprika, cayenne, and others...

Nightshade does not include tumeric, cumin, (does anyone know about curry?), onions, garlic, ginger, wasabi.

Thank you!


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## kjbrown92 (Dec 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kelluna* 
I know that radish and horseradish aren't nightshade, but I've never really used them in cooking...Any recipes?

We just use radish raw, and horseradish a condiment.

Quote:

Nightshade does not include tumeric, cumin, (does anyone know about curry?), onions, garlic, ginger, wasabi.
I have two different brands of curry here, and one of them has cayenne pepper and the other has red pepper in the ingredients. But there are lots of different versions of curry, so you may be able to find a safe one.

We use a lot of onion, garlic, and ginger here. DS can't do white potatoes, so we do a lot of sweet potatoes as well (baked, fried, oven baked, roasted) and rice with things like roast chicken and gravy. And I've heard of tomato-less ketchup but I can't remember what's in it (might want to do a google search). We're okay with tomatoes, and some of the nightshades, just not all of them. Nightshades are supposed to be inflammatory for anyone with arthritis.


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## earthmama369 (Jul 29, 2005)

I haven't used a ton of substitutions, just found new recipes and new foods to try, but there are a couple things ds just doesn't want to live without, so I make sweet potato fries instead of potato fries and mashed cauliflower (or cauliflower and parsnip) instead of mashed potatoes.

It's the "hidden ingredients" that really get us. I find myself reading labels and doing more and more shopping at Trader Joe's, since they seem to be one of the only stores where I can reliably get tuna fish, shredded cheese, mayonnaise, salad dressing, etc., without nightshades. Bouillon and soups we just have to make from scratch.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

I have seen tomatoless ketchup and such made w/ beets and various things. On the curry - just make your own and leave out the peppers and add heat with a safe spice.


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## paulapatrice (Jun 2, 2009)

Most commercial wasabi, unless you buy the root and grate it, contains Mustard.
Mustard contains paprika, a red pepper.
Ditto mayonnaise and nayonnaise.

Curry is a spice combination so yes, it contains nightshade because by definition it contains red pepper.

I used to love mustard...









Quote:


Originally Posted by *kelluna* 

Nightshade does not include tumeric, cumin, (does anyone know about curry?), onions, garlic, ginger, wasabi.

Thank you!


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## kjbrown92 (Dec 13, 2007)

The wasabi I have contains mustard, but mustard is ground mustard seeds. It only contains paprika if it says it does.

You can make your own curry powder, and omit any nightshades...


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

This is my favorite recipe for parsnip - roasted with horseradish. If you look at that site, there are several other parsnip recipes, too. You can also make parsnip fries with them (baked) - never tried them fried.

Radishes - red radishes can be cooked like baby red potatoes. They are not starchy, so will not absorb flavorings, but when they're cooked they get tender and lose their bite so flavor is very similar. Great for things like faux-tato salad where the potato is not contributing anything other than volume. Daikon radish can also be cooked - I've made faux-tato pancakes with it, and I've also baked it into casseroles (chunked) instead of potatoes.

Cauliflower is the other typical potato replacer - does great steamed and mashed. I prefer to only cook it until soft (and not mushy), and then mix it with cream cheese for the creaminess that is missing from the potato starch - add some garlic and blue cheese for flavor. 1 head of cauliflower really cooks down a lot once mashed - if it's more than just the two of us I always cook at least 2 heads (for 4 adults).

Are tomatillos nightshades? That's the base of most green salsas I'm familiar with. One of my favorites (that I've had but never found a recipe for) uses tomatillos, avacadoes and hard cooked eggs. It's the spiciness of salsas that'll be difficult without nightshades. But there are dozens of types of salsas that can be made without nightshades.

Personally I don't care for rutabagas or turnips - hopefully someone else will have some thoughts on their use.

Oh, another potato replacer is plantain - the riper the plantains the sweeter - the greener they are, the more starchy. I make mofongo - I just sautee up some bacon and onions, toss in chunked peeled plantain, add some stock, cover and let it simmer until they're soft. Mash the plantain, add a little salt and it makes a great mashed potato replacer. They can also be fried - either as chips (sliced paper thin), or as a veggie (sliced thicker). The riper they are the sweeter and softer they are, so they only need to be cooked until brown. If they're green they usually need to be cooked twice to soften up. These are great served with sour cream.

And of course there's squash. Shredded summer squash works decently well as hashbrowns/potato pancakes or other dishes that call for shredded potatoes (squeeze the water out first). Winter squash cooked and mashed is a less starchy alternative to sweet potatoes - they can be used fairly interchangeably in most recipes.

For curry, you'll have to blend your own to eliminate the nightshade.


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