Quick garlic-free dinners?

[Wraithling]

Hi everyone. I normally put loads of garlic in pretty much everything but I've started going to aikido again in the evenings and eating garlic beforehand is, well, it's not really considerate to the person you're practicing with. So does anyone have any good ideas for garlic-free cooking? So far I've been making pasta sauces and just leaving the garlic out, but they're proving a little disappointing. Quick recipes would be a bonus, but something I could make in advance and just heat up beforehand would also be a good idea.

Cheers,

Alex

[Blueberries]

Hi everyone. I normally put loads of garlic in pretty much everything but I've started going to aikido again in the evenings and eating garlic beforehand is, well, it's not really considerate to the person you're practicing with. So does anyone have any good ideas for garlic-free cooking? So far I've been making pasta sauces and just leaving the garlic out, but they're proving a little disappointing. Quick recipes would be a bonus, but something I could make in advance and just heat up beforehand would also be a good idea.

Cheers,

Alex

Hi Alex, I quite like garlic but I actually don't cook with it by default. I think it's just because it's a nuisance to chop and always make my fingers smell like garlic for days! I only put it in when a recipe calls for it. Although I do cook with shallots alot, they taste a bit closer to garlic than other onions. What do you think of shallots?

Regarding recipes you could try flavouring your food with stock or miso or soya sauce or other garlic-free or not predominantly garlicy sauces. Try miso soup or a stir-fry. Pretty much any recipe can be made garlic-free but I understand that you're used to the taste :)

[harpy]

Lemon juice is another good thing to liven up a sauce and I believe it's supposed to make you smell nice as well, as is parsley :)

A very quick but delicious sauce for pasta which I think I first read about on here is to whizz the drained and rinsed contents of a tin of artichoke hearts with some tahini and lemon juice. It doesn't need garlic but you could add some herbs and spices.

[Andy_T]

Sorry, Alex, but there is NO replacement for garlic :-)

I like to use vegan dashi (broth made from seaweed), but the commercially available ones all contain MSG, so not everybody's preference.

Best regards,
Andy