Any Ideas For "disguising" The Texture Of Meat?

[Kelleybean]

Hi -

My son has been on a gluten-free diet for about 3 weeks now. He does not have celiac but he is autistic. I am REALLY struggling to come up with a variety of meals from him, and have been relying excessively on PB&J and gluten-free macaroni and cheese. He has always with rare exception refused meat. I've tried chicken, hamburger, salmon, steak ... basically we offer him everything my husband and I eat.

I don't think it's just him being picky; I am almost positive it is his autism that is making him sensitive to the texture. He actually shudders and gags when he tastes meat. He will do the occasional hotdog, used to do McDonald's chicken nuggets and Dr. Praegger's fishies (for some reason won't eat the gluten-free version which is strange b/c to me they taste similar). He will also eat bean patties and scrambled eggs. The common denominator seems to be that he only likes protein when it is soft and the texture fairly uniform.

Any ideas for things that I could try with him? I'm at a loss!

[ElseB]

Why is it necessary that he eat meat? There are lots of non-meat sources of protein, like beans and eggs which you say he will eat. (and I'm speaking as a meat eater, not a vegetarian, in case you were wondering!) I hated meat when I was a child - nothing wrong with the taste, I just hated the texture. But I loved beans, eggs, tofu and fish. I was vegetarian for almost 10 years, and only went back to meat after I was diagnosed Celiac (I decided one food group restriction was enough!). And now I love nothing more than a medium-rare steak. But seriously, if you can get him to eat non-meat sources of protein he doesn't need the meat.

[eatmeat4good]

If he like bean patties you could puree ground chicken or beef and mix in with the mixture before you make the bean patties.

I used to make patties from ground chicken or ground turkey or both.

If you put the raw meat in the food processor it becomes a much finer texture that can then be added to your bean patties.

You could also try making patties from the just the meat and add an egg like meat loaf to make the texture smoother.

My son didn't like chewing meat. I learned to make "chicken nuggets" from the finely ground meat and coated it with potato flakes and fry them in a little safflower oil.

Sometimes I would add cottage cheese and puree it with the meat. It makes for a softer texture and adds a little protein, if you can tolerate milk.

My son didn't like vegetables so I would also puree the raw veg with the raw meat and make patties out of that. The vegetables were undetectable that way, but he got what he needed.

[tarnalberry]

Try making pancakes from well blended meat. I haven't treied it yet myself, but google "chicken pancakes" and you'll find it. There are some good sights with recipes fr autistic kids with texture issues.

[GFinDC]

I sometimes mix canned salmon into guacamole I make. I pick out the bones and skin usually and just stir it in. If he likes chips he might like that as a dip. Or as an alternative to mayo on a sandwich or wrap.

You could also try a sweet potato meatloaf for him.

[cahill]

I have a hard time swallowing and digesting meats. Just plain meat or even a hamburger patty is almost impossible for me to swallow.

I find if i cook very finely ground meats in a sauce or stir fry they are much easier to swallow and digest.

Have you tried mixing ground meat in casseroles ,stews or ,if he can eat nightshades, a red sauce

[Kelleybean]

Why is it necessary that he eat meat? There are lots of non-meat sources of protein, like beans and eggs which you say he will eat. (and I'm speaking as a meat eater, not a vegetarian, in case you were wondering!) I hated meat when I was a child - nothing wrong with the taste, I just hated the texture. But I loved beans, eggs, tofu and fish. I was vegetarian for almost 10 years, and only went back to meat after I was diagnosed Celiac (I decided one food group restriction was enough!). And now I love nothing more than a medium-rare steak. But seriously, if you can get him to eat non-meat sources of protein he doesn't need the meat.

I agree that meat probably isn't necessary - I was actually a vegetarian for a while and mostly cook meatless meals. It would help if my kid would actually eat a veggie that wasn't pureed! I guess I keep wanting to go to meat b/c I want to open up his meal options a bit. Right now he has scrambled eggs for dinner several nights a week. I guess there isn't anything wrong with that, I just wish that I wasn't doing it b/c I am having trouble thinking of other options for him if that makes sense.

I tried tofu with him but it was a while ago, he didn't like it. Maybe I need to try it again.

[Kelleybean]

You could also try a sweet potato meatloaf for him.

Can I get this recipe?

[Kelleybean]

Thanks, everybody for your help! I truly mean it. Some of these suggestions might really work for him.

[Jestgar]

Somewhere someone posted that they mix baby food pureed meat (or something like that) into gluten-free muffins for their child. You could experiment with something like that.

[cahill]

You could also try a sweet potato meatloaf for him.

Another request for the recipe ,,Please

[GFinDC]

Ok, this isn't exactly the recipe. Someone else had posted about sweet potato meatloaf a couple times recently but I don't remember what thread or who. Anyhow, this recipe calls for bread, but you just leave that out.

Changes I made were:

I used hamburger not turkey.

No bread.

No barbecue sauce.

I cooked the sweet potato in the microwave for 10 minutes instead of boiling it.

I added some psyillium husks, because I like adding extra fiber to foods.

I left out the egg by accident but will add it next time. It held together fine without it though.

I used 2 lbs of hamburger with 1 large sweet potato.

I made 3 small loaves instead of one large one.

Next time I plan to try adding some smashed up green peas and maybe some sliced or chopped olives. I think I've seen where people add chopped parsley sometimes. I guess about any veggie could work though?

Ingredients

* 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

** 1 pound ground turkey breast ( I used 2 lbs of hamburger)

** 1 large egg (oops, I forgot the egg!)

* 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1/4 cup honey barbecue sauce (I left out)

** 1/4 cup ketchup (I left this out)

* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

** 2 slices whole-wheat bread, torn into small crumbs (skip this!)

* 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

* 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

** 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

** 1/2 cinnamon

** a couple teaspoons of Italian herbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.

2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potato, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the sweet potatoes, and mash or whip until smooth.

3. Mix the ground turkey together with the egg, sweet onion, garlic, barbecue sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and whole wheat bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes, and stir until evenly combined. If the mixture seems too wet, add more bread crumbs. Use your hands to form the turkey mixture into a loaf shape and place in the prepared baking dish.

4. Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour. Slice the loaf to serve.

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