Certain people experience serious side effects after eating foods containing gluten, a compound found in wheat, barley and rye. Symptoms of gluten intolerance, or Celiac disease, are varied but often manifest as digestive distress, bloating, gas, weight loss or as less obvious skin rashes and nutritional deficiencies. The only way to combat gluten intolerance is with a gluten-free diet. Gluten is present in foods like bread, wheat-based cereals, pizza, beer, soy sauce and many packaged foods that use flour as a thickener or filler. Despite these restrictions, many options for gluten-free diets exist.
Kids' Foods
Children who need to avoid gluten miss out on some classic kids' favorites like macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Making homemade, gluten-free versions of these foods is easy with the right ingredients.
For chicken nuggets, dip chicken tenders in beaten eggs and then roll them in finely crushed gluten-free tortilla chips. Bake the tenders in a 350 degree F oven until browned and the chicken is cooked through.
Cooked rice pasta mixed with a homemade cheese sauce makes a delicious gluten-free macaroni and cheese. Make the sauce by melting 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of white rice flour to make a smooth roux. Add 3 cups of milk and 2 cups of cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth enough to mix with the cooked pasta.
Ethnic Cuisines
Certain cuisines, like Thai and Indian, feature many dishes that are naturally gluten-free. Thai meals often feature gluten-free ingredients like rice or rice noodles as a base. Flavorings like curry, lemon grass and fish-sauce are gluten-free. Classic dishes like pad thai, which consists of rice noodles stir fried with vegetables, shrimp, egg and fish sauce, or summer rolls, which feature fresh vegetables and meat in rice paper wrappers with peanut or chili sauce, are gluten-free.
Indian recipes often use gluten-free ingredients like chickpea flour, rice, spices, beans, meats and vegetables. Red lentil dal, a traditional Indian dish made with lentils, onions and spices served over rice, and chicken tikka masala, which features chicken marinated in spices and yogurt in a creamy tomato gravy over rice, are two examples Indian gluten-free meals.
Holiday Fare
Many traditional holiday foods like stuffing and pie are off-limits for gluten-free diners. Rice or gluten-free corn bread may be used in lieu of flour-based breads for stuffing. Canned cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions are primary ingredients in the classic green bean casserole, but both contain gluten. A gluten-free white sauce can be made to replace the soup by sautéing button mushrooms in butter and stirring in an equal amount of rice flour to make a roux. Two cups of milk finishes the sauce, which is then poured into a casserole dish with the green beans. To make the crunchy fried onion topping, soak thin slices of onion in milk for about 10 minutes and then coat them with a mix of tapioca and rice flour. Fry the onions in canola oil until browned. At dessert, crushed gluten-free gingersnaps mixed with softened butter may stand in for traditional flour-based pumpkin pie crusts.
