Gluten Free Week: Keep it Simple

It is easy in the booming market of expensive gluten free foods to get swept away with all the marketing. You do not need to buy gluten free items when naturally gluten free items are throughout the grocery store. And most convenience foods can be made simply and at home.

With a few quick changes many of our meals became gluten free. We traded for gluten free soy sauce, gluten free pasta noodles, quinoa for couscous. We now use rice flour instead of wheat to make a roux for a gravy, bechamel sauce or cheese sauce will not alter the flavor too much. Though I typically use 1 part flour to 3 parts fat (instead of the usual 1 to 1 ratio). All you have to remember is that gf flours tend to take in much more liquid. They are thirsty flours!

Many of our dinners were already gluten free and Isabel, for years had self regulated without realizing it. But, she had also stopped trying new foods because she was afraid she'd get a stomach ache. Now, she eats things she would never touch before: mushrooms, onions, spinach, beans, sour cream. Knowing what makes her sick frees her up to eat anything other than gluten!

I was looking through my menu planning (it's sparce!) and my archives. Here are some of our favorite dinner ideas and recipes, most were written over the years. Dinner should not be a problem without gluten!

*Tacos, use authentic corn tortilla's. All of the toppings meat, cheese, beans, sour cream(check label for thickeners), salsa, tomatoes, lettuce...

*Pot roast, potatoes, veggies, green salad

*Roast chicken, brown rice, sliced fruit, raw veggies

*Beef and veggie soup (with gf pasta noodles)

*Shepherd's pie, green salad, fruit salad

*Steak with holiday potatoes, lemon asparagus, green salad

*Pork chops with sweet potato fries

*Hungarian goulash

*Beef bourguignon

*Chicken Strips and roasted potato fries (Recipe this week!) 
*Spring rolls (use gf soy sauce)


*Something out of nothing soup

*Broccoli soup with chicken

*Chicken stir fry with soba noodles (use gf soy sauce)

*Easy baked gumbo
 
*Split pea soup

*Flank steak with cilantro pesto, grilled corn salad with tomatoes and feta cheese (use gf soy sauce)

Dessert: 

 *Sweet chex mix

*One-one-one cookies

*Chocolate flourless cake (Recipe this week!)

*Ice cream (watch for mix ins)

*Frozen yogurt (watch for mix ins)