Nourishing food is a pleasure we can have every day, gluten-free or not.
Our family lives by the simplest of all tenets, that a meal will only taste as good as the ingredients going into it. With little fuss, deliciousness can be had by using the best, freshest, most lovingly grown ingredients. Eat a perfectly ripe, organic tomato all by itself and it’s really good. Add a sprinkling of salt and you have a treat. Splash on some good olive oil and roast the beauties at just the right temp . . . and you get magic.
I urge you to seek out the best ingredients—neither the fanciest nor the priciest, but just the ones in season, abundant, or maybe even growing in your own backyard. Then we can play with flavor and texture combinations and discover ways for preparing and savoring these natural delights.
When we look at ingredients as a kitchen’s palette, the world of food is endlessly rich and varied. For those of us who cannot eat gluten, we remove only three items (wheat, barley, and rye) and still have thousands of tasty edibles to enjoy.
In our wheat-laden culture, it’s dangerously easy to pick up another slice of pizza, eat a quick sandwich, nibble on a bagel, or snack on crackers. Removing gluten from our kitchens makes it more difficult to fill our bellies with such empty bites—thank goodness. Without gluten, healthful whole foods such as fruits, nuts, alternative grains, cheeses, veggies, and eggs take on a more appealing and essential role than ever in our lives. Luckily, the world is crowded with a myriad of wonderful ingredients that happen to be naturally gluten-free.
In this book, I encourage you to use less predictable ingredients and to look at your kitchens with a sense of discovery. I don’t want to send anyone on a wild goose chase, but I do want us all to open our eyes wide at the market, to have fun and play with new foods. My hope is that your kitchen and approach to cooking and eating will become more expansive, and in turn more healthful.
That said, I would hate for you to feel beholden to a specific ingredient or rigid recipe. Instead, I hope you’ll scribble notes in the margins of this book. Splatter olive oil, butter, berries, and wine on the pages. I hope you will take these recipes and make them your own.
a few tips for my gluten-free friends . . .
COOK AT HOME. It’s the easiest, most healthful, and safest way to be gluten-free. Having a well-stocked pantry of quality basics allows you to make countless recipes without much fuss. Let the larder work as the foundation of your healthful working kitchen while a seasonal flow of fruits and veggies lends depth, richness, and variety to your family table.
When you head to the market, be ready to CHECK YOUR LABELS. Become an expert on what you can eat and what you can’t. (Even my gluten-intolerant kids are pros at reading labels. Before my daughter was old enough to read herself, she would ask an adult or teacher to read aloud the ingredient list before she would dig in.) This vigilance sounds daunting at first, but then it just becomes part of life. Truthfully, we should all take more time to be aware of what we’re putting into our bodies.
EAT WHOLE FOODS as often as possible. Look for foods that are simple, pure, and honest. Try to avoid buying products that are heavily processed, listing unidentifiable and unappetizing scientific names. Remember Michael Pollan and his brilliantly simple food rule: Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients or ingredients you can’t pronounce. Pollan’s motto is perfect for those of us who are gluten-free. Keep it simple, and eat real food.
DON’T FALL FOR TEMPTING “GLUTEN-FREE” MARKETING. If you are anything like I was when I first went gluten-free, I was thrilled to find so many “gluten-free” products available at the market. After spending months filling my shopping cart with all sorts of snazzy “gluten-free” packaged foods, I realized that I was feeding my family a lot of empty processed calories. (In fact, we were eating way more processed foods than we ever had before going gluten-free!) Thankfully, we’re back to cooking primarily with whole foods, but I do make small exceptions and I buy a handful of gluten-free products to make our lives easier. I will share my favorite pastas, sandwich breads, and flour blends with you in the coming pages.
SHOP BULK BINS WITH CAUTION. I have long been a fan of the frugality and environmental benefits of buying from bulk bins at my local health food market. Sadly, if you have celiac disease or severe gluten sensitivity, this is an area of the store you will probably want to avoid. Cross contamination is an undeniable risk in bulk bins.
DON’T BE SHY. Advocate for yourself at your local grocery or health food store. Politely request specific ingredients and brands you want. I also encourage you to contact manufacturers or check their Web sites to make sure something is truly gluten-free. I sent countless e-mails to producers when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease to be certain that the products I bought were safe for me. We can all help in educating our own communities on how to live a healthful, wholesome, and abundant gluten-free life.
stocking the pantry
WHOLE GRAINS + SEEDS. Make friends and experiment with whole grains and seeds: millet, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, certified gluten-free oats, corn, and various rice varietals. Thankfully, Alter Eco and Bob’s Red Mill have extensive lines of gluten-free grains and seeds. (I’m hopeful there will be even more organic options available soon.) Lotus Foods has a nice selection of organic heirloom rice, ranging from black to red to brown. See my Grain + Seed chapter for detailed recipes and ideas.
POLENTA + CORNMEAL. Bob’s Red Mill is a great source for GF cornmeal, polenta, and masa harina.
CORN TORTILLAS + CHIPS. Gluten-free folks, chips and tortillas are our friends, but check the labels. I have found that more and more corn tortillas have “wheat gluten” or “wheat flour” in the ingredients. You can always make your own tortillas using gluten-free masa harina.
GLUTEN-FREE PASTA. Bionaturae’s gluten-free pastas get our vote. The noodles don’t get gummy like so many GF pastas, and they’re organic. Bionaturae makes spaghetti, fusilli, penne, and elbow pastas.
FLOURS. Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix is my favorite all-purpose blend. I use it for all my tarts and galettes. (Keep in mind that there is a hint of sweetness.) Many GF folks have taken to mixing their own flours, and I applaud that, though I find that the ease of this store-bought blend works for our family. Pamela’s pancake mix is also really good.
Sorghum and white rice flours are versatile and relatively flavor neutral, which makes them good for thickening gravy, dredging meat, and other similar uses.
Millet, oat, buckwheat, brown rice, and quinoa flours are all flavorful in their own distinct ways. See these grains and flours put to good use in my Grain + Seed chapter.
Nut flours are a gift to any kitchen. Ground nuts are not an inexpensive option, but the resulting creations are rich and nutritious. See my Nut chapter for recipes.
GLUTEN-FREE BREADS. Canyon Bakehouse seven-grain bread is my favorite sliced sandwich bread.
Udi’s millet-chia bread and whole grain bread are both good all-around sandwich breads.
Food for Life rice-millet bread is a tasty, dense, cake-like bread.
Mariposa Bakery has an incredible range of artisanal breads.
GLUTEN-FREE BEER. There is a growing list of GF beers on the market. I particularly like Green’s Belgian Beers and St. Peter’s Sorghum Beer.
GOOD OLIVE OIL. Make sure to buy true extra-virgin olive oil. You may want to consider buying a lighter, less expensive oil for cooking and a fruitier, more expensive oil for finishing and salad dressings. There is so much variety in the market that I encourage you to taste many oils and choose your favorite.
ASSORTED COOKING OILS. I fell in love with coconut oil when we lived in Bali. It’s great for roasting veggies, cooking up stir-fries, and baking. You can also use coconut oil at higher heats than olive oil. Canola works well in combination with olive oil when making mayo at home. A splash of toasted sesame oil gives great flavor to stir-fries and Asian-inspired dishes.
VINEGARS. I admit it—I mostly use balsamic vinegar for my dressings, as I like the sweet-tangy combo. I also use a lot of apple cider vinegar. Champagne, red wine, white wine, and sherry vinegars also live in our cupboard, but honestly, I rarely use them. I occasionally splurge on saba for a special treat. {GF folks, be sure to avoid malt vinegar.}
DJION MUSTARD. I always buy a basic Dijon for my salad dressings, sandwiches, and other basic uses. See this page for my favorite simple dressing recipe.
TAMARI SAUCE. Soy sauce is one of those sneaky ingredients that contains wheat and must be avoided. Buy gluten-free tamari sauce as a substitute—it’s delish!
OLIVES. Olives are one of nature’s rich treats, which of course are gluten-free as well. They make a great snack or simple appetizer option.
NUTS + NUT BUTTERS. Raw and toasted nuts and nut butters are wonderfully gluten-free. See my Nut chapter for recipes and ideas. Store nuts in the fridge to prolong freshness.
BROTHS. We’ve become so attached to the flavor of homebrewed chicken and veggie broths that it’s hard to go back to the store-bought kind. If you’d like to make your own broth, see this page and this page for my easy recipes. Store broth in your freezer until you need it.
EGGS. Not only are eggs wonderful as the star of a meal—often making meat unnecessary—but they are also amazingly helpful as a binder and moistener in gluten-free baking. Our favorite eggs come from the farmers’ market, butcher shop, or occasionally our neighbor’s coop.
MILK, CREAM, AND BUTTER. Organic is a must for us.
PARMESAN. This miracle cheese adds both salt and acid to any dish. Shave Parm onto eggs, into a soup, and onto salads or pastas. Save your rinds to add to soups for flavoring. It’s said that the aging process of true Parmesan makes it easier to digest than other cheeses.
FETA + FRESH GOAT CHEESE. I use these two cheeses as flavor accents, especially to add a little protein and creaminess to vegetarian dishes.
YOGURT. I’m a huge fan of Greek strained yogurt, and now it’s possible to buy organic (thank you, Straus Family Creamery). For those who cannot tolerate cow’s milk, Bellwether Farms makes amazing sheep’s milk yogurt.
DAIRY ALTERNATIVES. Almond and coconut milks are great options for folks who can’t tolerate dairy. Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss is the ultimate creamy frozen treat for GF folks who can’t eat ice cream made with milk.
SWEETENERS. We try to use as little refined white sugar in our house as possible, though we are not dogmatic about it. I like to experiment with various natural sweeteners, as I enjoy the range of flavors and believe that variety is a good hedge on the health front. Honey, molasses, turbinado sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar, and light agave nectar are all ingredients we use to make sweet treats.
DRIED BEANS. I have a cupboard full of dried beans—everything from cannellini to Midnight Black to tiny flageolet. Rancho Gordo’s heirloom varietals are my favorite. Every time I see a new type of bean at the market, I try it, and I am never disappointed. {GF folks: Be sure to give your beans a thorough rinse before cooking.}
JARRED TOMATOES. Tomatoes are one of the few seasonal goodies we cannot live without all winter long. We freeze homemade Candied Tomatoes and buy jars of organic crushed or pureed tomatoes to add to soups, stews, and sauces.
GARLIC, ONIONS, AND SHALLOTS. We always have these flavorful friends on hand.
LEMONS. I couldn’t live without lemons. A squeeze of citrus can brighten up most meat, fish, veggies, and grains. Before adding more salt to a dish, try adding lemon juice. And you can always use lemon juice in place of vinegar as the acid in your salad dressing. I’m partial to Meyer lemons, as I enjoy how perfectly their natural sweetness tempers the bitter notes.
FRESH HERBS. Homegrown herbs can transform your cooking. If you can spare the yard or some sunny window space, grow some herbs. They make everything better!
DRIED HERBS. We always have dried bay leaves, fennel seeds, and oregano ready to use.
SPICES. Look for the “gluten-free” label on all spices. Or contact the manufacturer. We buy Spicely Organic Spices.
SALTS. There is so much fun to be had with salt! My favorite salt is Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, which are pure heaven. I have also grown fond of using smoked salt, especially in my beans. Artisan Salt Company’s Salish (alder-smoked fine salt) is fantastic. I like using pink Himalayan salt, gray salt, fleur de sel, and Balinese sea salt. Diamond Crystal kosher is our basic bulk salt. My overarching advice for salt use in your kitchen is to taste taste taste. Get to know your salt and how “salty” it is. Having a deep familiarity with the salt you use will make all the difference in your cooking.
FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER. There is no comparison of the flavor of freshly ground black pepper next to the ashy, dusty pre-ground stuff. Investing in a little pepper mill is worthwhile.