A fun lunch or dinner that caters for multiple preferences and food intolerances is build-your-own-pizza. Lay out lots of topping choices and each person creates their own pizza, which is then baked and enjoyed.

1) Select pizza bases - make your own, or in this case I had some Freedom gluten-free pizza bases in the freezer.
2) Chop and place in individual bowls a variety of possible toppings, and set out herbs and sauces/spreads. In this case I had

3) Heat oven to 200C/400F, let each person assemble their own pizza, then bake for 12-15 mins until done. Slice and enjoy. Left overs can be refrigerated and used for lunch or snacks the following day.

These photos are of the four different pizzas my family assembled, taken before and after cooking. Each had what they like :-). Mine was (almost) tomato free and lower in salicylates. My daughter's was cheese free.

Got left over cooked rice? Need a quick lunch? A fried rice is fast and tasty! Not for the amine sensitive though.

Ingredients:
Cooked rice
Chopped onions and garlic (optional)
Boiled eggs, chopped
Chopped fresh parsley and/or chives
Bacon
Cooked chicken or other meats
Soy sauce
Salt
Anything else you like, so long as it is small or finely chopped/grated - eg grated carrot, thinly sliced zucchini

Method:
Heat some butter in a frying pan. Fry bacon until cooked; remove and chop up. Add onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add rice and stir to coat well in butter. Continue to fry and stir, adding herbs, cooked meats, salt and soy sauce to taste and any other veges etc, until everything is hot/cooked and rice is well fried. Add chopped eggs close to the end, and mix in gently. Serve!

A simple but tasty meatloaf free of salicylates, amines (assuming mince is fresh) and glutamates. For those without intolerances, it can be served with a tomato sauce, such as my sugar-free Garden Sauce.

"Failsafe" refers to foods that have no additives and are low in amines, glutamates and salicylates. This meat loaf recipe can be easily adapted by adding other foods to it if you don't have intolerance issues.

Ingredients:
1 kg beef mince
1/2 cup rolled oats (chopped not whole)
Piece of white leek stem, sufficient to be equivalent to 1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp dried chives
2-3 TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley (or 1 TBSP dried)
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180C/350 F and grease a loaf tin
2) Place all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix thoroughly, using your hands at the last to ensure thoroughly "gooshed" together
3) Press mixture evenly into loaf tin
4) Bake for 1 hour, until well cooked
5) Pour off excess fat if desired - I pour it into a bowl and leave it to set, then feed it to the chooks or dogs
6) Turn out onto chopping board and slice.

Serve with mashed potatoes & suitable vegetables, or rice and vegetables, depending on your tolerances.

Notes:
*Onions and garlic contain low levels of amines and moderate salicylates, unsuitable for a sensitive person or during elimination. Leeks are much lower in both, and are a good substitute for onions in most recipes. The white stalk can be used instead of onion, and the green leaves can be used as a vegetable, or instead of spring onions.
* Parsley and chives contain the lowest salicylate and amine levels of all tested herbs, and are considered safe for most people
* Rolled oats are a substitute for breadcrumbs - they have no amines or salicylates and do not contain gluten. Celiacs should use specifically gluten-free ones, if tolerated. Other options include breadcrumbs (we don't use them as we're wheat and gluten free, and the gluten-free breadcrumbs usually contain rice and/or corn which are high in amines and/or salicylates), almond meal (salicylates) or steamed cauliflower that has been chopped to crumbs in a food processor (amines and salicylates)
* Those without any sensitivities could add spices such as curry powder (1/4 tsp), and other herbs such as oregano and thyme (1-2 tsp each) and serve with a tomato sauce.
* For the mince to be safely low in amines, it needs to be preferably less than 2 weeks from slaughter, bought and used the same day or frozen for less than 4 weeks. (Amines increase as proteins age). Most cheaper mince in the supermarkets were vacuum packed, and could be sold "fresh" up to 3 months old. These must be assumed to be very high in amines. Find a butcher who makes his own the day the carcass comes in, and buy from him on that day. Mad Butcher is often a good source.

An experiment combining ideas from several recipes, these are really good! Sugar and gluten free, only good fats, tasty, and they will keep in the fridge for a few days, are foldable, and can be used as a substitute for wraps or tortillas. Fill or top with your favourite things!

To make pikelets instead, see Healthy Pikelets

Ingredients:
1 cup wholegrain rolled oats
6 eggs
1/4 tsp xanthum gum
dash pure vanilla extract
dash fresh cream
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Stevia blend (optional - leave out and add salt to taste instead if you want to use for savoury fillings or toppings)
1 cup cottage cheese

Method:
1) In a food processor or blender, grind rolled oats into a powder
2) Lightly beat eggs with xanthum gum, then add to food processor with all other ingredients
3) Process until smooth
4) Lightly grease a non-stick pan with coconut oil or butter, heat over medium heat
5) Pour in one ladle of batter, and tip and rotate pan to spread thinly
6) Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, and bubbly on top, then flip and brown second side.
7) Top with your favourite sweet or savoury toppings and enjoy!
Once cooled, cooked pancakes/crepes/wraps may be kept in a sealed bag in the fridge for a few days, and pulled out for a quick meal or snack.

Inspired by fellow vege gardener Katrina P, I decided to experiment with a way of doing pumpkin soup I hadn't tried before. It turned out delicious!

A hearty, meaty soup perfect for cold winter's nights, and is very quick to make. Left-overs can be frozen and used on days you don't feel like cooking. The seasonings are mostly optional/flexible - use to taste or change for what you have on hand.

Ingredients (to serve about 8 as a main meal):
2 TBSP coconut oil
900-1000g beef mince (prime or premium is best. If using standard mince, drain fat after browning)
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 cabbage, chopped
500g fresh or frozen green beans
1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
2 good handfuls of chopped parsley
2 jars/cans diced tomatoes (or 10 oz tomato paste for a stronger tomato flavour and colour)
1 TBSP nutritional yeast
3 TBSP tamari sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp onion flakes
salt to taste
Kettle full of boiling water

Method:
Melt oil in very large pot. Brown mince, and drain fat if excessive. Add onions, cabbage, beans and parsley. Add enough boiling water to cook veges - they don't need to be covered as they will wilt down. Add rest of ingredients, pouring in enough extra water to make desired soupy consistency (can be as thick as you like). Cook for a few minutes, then taste fluid, and adjust seasonings as needed. Simmer until veges are soft and flavours melded, about 10-15 mins. 

Cheap and easy, but high in carbs. I threw this together after a long day in which the fridge died, I've been slogging around in endless rain, and my husband was making murmurings about buying hot chips from the takeaway bar. This is better than spuds soaked in nasty vegetable oils! I did note however, for the first time in two weeks I woke up hungry during the night - so it's obviously not too good for keeping blood sugar stable. Eat at your own peril! ;-)

Ingredients:
Enough potatoes to feed your family
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Canned tuna, drained
Method:
Peel potatoes and cut into suitable even sized chunks. Place in pot, cover with water and some salt, and cook on the stove until just tender. Drain. Arrange potato in well-greased oven proof dish. Spoon sour cream over it. Strew flakes of tuna over the surface. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 180C (350F) until heated through and cheese melted, about 15-20 mins.
Serve with steamed veges or a large salad.

This is my own variation of an Alison Holst recipe, "Potatoes to Die For"

Ingredients for 4 main course servings:
1 1/2 kg kumara of your choice - the red ones hold together better during precooking than the orange ones do
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup milk
200 g grated cheese

Method:
1) Put a large pot half filled with salted water on the stove to boil. One at a time, peel the kumara, slice into 5mm slices and drop into a bowl of cold water, ensuring all the slices separate. When the pot is boiling, drain the kumara well, then drop into the boiling water and cook until just barely tender - about 7 mins for red kumara, or 5 for orange. Immediately drain into a colander.
2) Meanwhile make the sauce: chop garlic finely and place in a bowl. Add to it, mixing until smooth, the flour, salt, sour cream and milk.
3) Grease an ovenproof dish, about 23 x 30cm. Overlap half the kumara in it, drizzle half the sour cream mix over it, and then sprinkle with almost half the grated cheese.
4) Open a large can of your favourite fish - I used smoked fish - drain and tip into a bowl. Break it into flakes with a fork, then spread over the kumara/sour cream in the baking dish.
5) Repeat the kumara, sauce and cheese layers.
6) Bake uncovered at 180C (350 F) for about 30 minutes, until the mixture feels firm and the topping is golden brown. Allow to stand in a warm place for 5-10 mins before serving.

Serve with salad.

An omelette is a quick and easy light meal, and something I enjoy for lunch from time to time. 3 eggs makes a good sized omelette for one person, though to be honest that number is based on the fact it cooks well in my smaller frying pan. Any fewer and it would be too thin and burn in the middle. So you might want to adjust depending on your equipment. An omelette is very easy to make, when you know how. It also is flexible - you can add herbs or fillings to your heart's content. Here are the basic instructions - dress it up as you like.

Basic ingredients:
3 eggs
2-3 tbsp. milk
salt to taste
1-2 tsp herbs of choice - I like chives
Butter or coconut oil
Method:
Melt some butter or coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Whisk all other ingredients together in a small bowl. When pan is heated, pour omelette mixture into pan. Cook gently until bottom is brown and top is almost set. Ease the edges loose and fold omelette in half, sliding folded omelette to centre of pan. Cook a little longer on both sides until done.

Optional: add other ingredients, such as a little grated cheese, or make the omelette more substantial by adding chopped bacon or other cooked meats, diced cooked potatoes etc; place these on top after pouring in the mixture.

This soup uses left-over cooked pumpkin pieces. I had left over buttercup pumpkin in the fridge, skins on. I've never used the skin in soup before but recent reading on the Vege Gardener group I'm part of convinced me it was a good idea for increasing nutrients and would not detract from the flavour or texture. No one happened to mention the change in colour though LOL