Welcome to La Nouvelle Fourchette. My name is Tatianna and I am a food lover with dietary restrictions learning to navigate the world of cooking and healthy eating without sacrificing taste. With a little creativity, and a strong passion for food, I have learned to cook delicious dishes, that are great for you.
You may be wondering what La Nouvelle Fourchette means if you don’t have a background in French. Well, I will relieve you of your curiosities. La nouvelle fourchette means the new fork in english. I decided upon this name because it explains my relationship with food and cooking. About a year ago now, I discovered that I had many food sensitivities after seeing a naturopathic doctor for digestive health reasons. The food sensitivities I have include not being able to eat most grains, eggs, or dairy, along with an assortment of other foods. My diet was basically reduced to fruits, vegetables, and meat, very similar to the Paleo diet. When I first heard this news I was in disbelief. I remember going to the grocery store with my mom after the doctor’s appointment and trying to find things I would be able to eat. The following morning I had a flax cereal with quinoa milk and fruit. I could barely swallow a bite of it. I remember thinking, there’s no way I can live like this.
However, with time, research, lots of trial and error, experimentation in the kitchen, and countless trips to the grocery store, I got the hang of my diet. I found a lot of go-to foods that I could eat, as well as different blogs to follow for recipe inspiration. I really became interested in cooking and looking for new and exciting recipes. Because my diet basically forced me to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, I found my tastes changing. Before discovering my food sensitivities, I liked to eat healthy and I liked certain vegetables, but by no means would I order a salad by choice. Now, salads are one of my favorite foods. If you had told me this in high school, I wouldn’t have believed you for one second. It truly is crazy and amazing how much your tastes can change by eating healthier.
You may be wondering what La Nouvelle Fourchette means if you don’t have a background in French. Well, I will relieve you of your curiosities. La nouvelle fourchette means the new fork in english. I decided upon this name because it explains my relationship with food and cooking. About a year ago now, I discovered that I had many food sensitivities after seeing a naturopathic doctor for digestive health reasons. The food sensitivities I have include not being able to eat most grains, eggs, or dairy, along with an assortment of other foods. My diet was basically reduced to fruits, vegetables, and meat, very similar to the Paleo diet. When I first heard this news I was in disbelief. I remember going to the grocery store with my mom after the doctor’s appointment and trying to find things I would be able to eat. The following morning I had a flax cereal with quinoa milk and fruit. I could barely swallow a bite of it. I remember thinking, there’s no way I can live like this.
However, with time, research, lots of trial and error, experimentation in the kitchen, and countless trips to the grocery store, I got the hang of my diet. I found a lot of go-to foods that I could eat, as well as different blogs to follow for recipe inspiration. I really became interested in cooking and looking for new and exciting recipes. Because my diet basically forced me to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, I found my tastes changing. Before discovering my food sensitivities, I liked to eat healthy and I liked certain vegetables, but by no means would I order a salad by choice. Now, salads are one of my favorite foods. If you had told me this in high school, I wouldn’t have believed you for one second. It truly is crazy and amazing how much your tastes can change by eating healthier.
So, back to the name, la nouvelle fourchette, the new fork. I have found that I am literally eating a different fork of food. I am tasting the food I previously ate in a new way that I hadn’t ever tasted before. I’ve learned to cook with vegetables and bring out their natural flavors with different oils, seasonings, herbs, and side dishes. Aside from just vegetables, I have learned to experience sweets and baked goods in different ways. I no longer eat a lot of sweets to feel satisfied. Fruit is basically a dessert for me now. But I have also discovered a lot of delicious recipes using alternative flours such as almond and coconut flour.
La nouvelle fourchette also refers to the fact that I am new to the kitchen. I would say I’m pretty young. Twenty years old, a college student but also a cook. It can be a lot managing college and a special diet. I live in the dorms at a residential college campus without access to a kitchen. This has required a lot of planning and creativity on my end. But it has also taught me a lot about ways to navigate a diet such as my own without cooking. Part of my blog will be dedicated to recipes that one can use to navigate making meals without using a kitchen, as well as going out to eat and products that are good for on the go snacks. The other part of my blog will of course be me sharing the yummy recipes I make when I am home and have access to a kitchen!
So, what can you expect from La nouvelle fourchette? Let me tell you:
- Original Recipes made by me ranging from vegetable sides, entre sized meals, snacks, and desserts.
- Recipe Recreations. Like I said, I love looking at other blogs and finding new recipes! I will dedicate a section of this blog to recipes from blogs and cookbooks that I have tried. I’ll post pictures and give you my thoughts and feedback.
- Tips for navigating dietary restrictions. I’ll cover everything from where to go grocery shopping, food products I’ve found found helpful, and making time to cook healthy and tasty meals.
- Restaurant Reviews. It’s true, I’m a foodie at heart. Before all of my dietary restrictions, I loved going out to eat and trying new restaurants. And I still do. While my going out to eat has definitely cut down a lot, I still do go out to eat a good amount, and have found a lot of really great restaurants around the Twin Cities area that are very accommodating with my diet.
So, bienvenue, welcome, to la nouvelle fourchette. My hope is to give you recipes and information that inspire you to create your own meals like the blogs that I followed did for me and to help you find your new taste for healthy foods. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a bad omen. My dietary “restrictions” have actually ended up being one of the biggest blessings in my life and have opened up a world of food and cuisine that I may not have discovered without. Now, let me set this figurative pencil down, and pick up my fork! Forks up to delicious recipes to come!