Cooking for People with Allergies - Part 2

So, you're curious on how I cook yummy Italian gluten-free foods? 

Read on, and get ready to make a meal... because this is going to make you hungry. 

      When I was eating gluten-free I had one main obstacle... I missed Italian food. If you are like me, you like good pasta, cheese and marinara sauce. When you start a gluten-free diet it can be very confining, but instead of letting that box me in, I let it expand my "food vocabulary." 
     Okay, so I promised to talk all about what Italian dishes I came up with that are gluten-free, grain-free and super yummy. Did I mention that my entire family likes them? 

Missed part 1? 

See my 3 tips on substitute cooking here

Here are some of the classics to try with a new twist. 

Lasagna:

     For gluten-free AND grain-free lasagna ...try this out: Take a large zucchini and run it through a mandolin slicer. Horizontally, you can make long slices of zucchini (or any other squash) and use that in place of noodles. You know what the good thing is? You don't have to pre-cook the "noodles." Just layer the long zucchini slices in place of the pasta and you have a great dinner coming up!


     For another variation of gluten free lasagna, you can make a "tex-mex" version. Yes, Mexican lasagna. Start with corn tortillas. This time, the tortillas will be your "noodles." Layer enchilada sauce, taco meat, cheddar cheese and tortillas till your pan is full. Top with sauce and cheese and bake until cheese is melted and the lasagna is hot all the way through. 

Pasta:

     Rice pasta is a great way to feed a family or a crowd. It tastes pretty much like the real thing if you cook it correctly. Whenever you cook pasta, make sure to put salt in the water as it boils. 

     A book that I highly recommend is "Pizza on the grill" by Karmel & Blumer. They show you how to make your own GF pizza crust that can go on the grill! Now there's no excuse to switch to GF now is there? 

     Last week I was chatting with a friend of mine that cooks and bakes gluten-free for her large family. I asked her what she would recommend to those just starting out with gluten-free living. She said...      "The best thing you can do when starting out cooking gluten-free is to not OVERCOMPLICATE things. Don't make a fuss trying to make GF bread, just substitute another serving of veggies instead!" 

Just because something can be hard should not 

keep you from trying and doing it. 

Read my other tips of Gluten Free living