Simply . . . Gluten-Free Quick Meals: More Than 100 Great-Tasting Recipes for Good Food Fast (2 page)
Authors: Carol Kicinski
Gluten-Free, Graham-Style Crumbs and Crackers.
These are perfect for making a quick gluten-free crust for pies and cheesecakes. Available in some regular grocery stores, health food stores, and on the Internet.
Gluten-Free, Panko-Style Bread Crumbs.
Perfect for breading meat and fish or for adding a crunchy topping to casseroles and such. Made by Kinnikinnick, this is one of my favorite gluten-free products. Available in some regular grocery stores, health food stores, and on the Internet.
Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread and English Muffins.
I store my gluten-free bread and English muffins in the freezer, so I believe they can be classified as pantry items.
Ice Cream.
There is no better quick dessert than ice cream, either full of dairy or dairy-free. I sometimes even melt vanilla ice cream and use it as a sauce for cakes and pies.
Jarred Roasted Red Peppers.
It doesn’t take long to roast red peppers at home but you have to think ahead and buy the fresh peppers first. The great thing about the canned variety is they sit there waiting for you until the moment when inspiration strikes unexpectedly.
Jarred Tomato Sauce.
For those times when I don’t have all day to simmer tomato sauce I find jarred a perfectly good replacement—although I do doctor it up with fresh onions and garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, extra herbs, and perhaps a splash of red wine.
Mayonnaise.
I keep good-quality mayonnaise and egg-free mayonnaise substitute (such as Vegenaise) on hand for making creamy dressings and for baking. If you have non-gluten-free people in your household, you need to make sure they do not use a knife for spreading mayo on their bread and then stick it back into the mayo (or any other condiment or jam) jar, otherwise cross contamination can occur and you could become ill. If you cannot trust that they won’t be extra-cautious, you may want to have your own designated gluten-free jar.
Millet.
I keep whole millet on hand for making hearty, whole grain hot cereal. I also use millet flour in baking.
Nonstick Cooking Spray.
This is such a time-saver. It is so much easier to spray a pan than it is to brush on oil or butter. Do not buy baker’s nonstick cooking spray as it contains flour and thus gluten. Organic varieties are now also available.
Nuts and Seeds.
I keep a variety of nuts and seeds on hand. I buy them in bulk, which saves money, and store them in the freezer, which extends their shelf life. Nuts can be ground for making gluten-free, grain-free pie crusts, they are great for coating fish, chicken, and pork, dressing up salads, and they are wonderful for snacking.
Oats.
Buy only certified gluten-free oats. Oats themselves do not naturally contain gluten but due to growing and manufacturing processes, cross contamination can be a problem.
Oils.
As I said, I don’t have a huge pantry so I stock extra-virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, and sesame oil. I find that in most cases these three will fill any need I have.
Olives.
I keep a variety of olives on hand not just for using in recipes but also to use as an emergency appetizer for unexpected guests. I stock kalamata, Spanish green olives, and even small cans of sliced black olives.
Peanut and Sunflower Butters.
I keep both on hand for baking and for when I need a quick snack. I stock sunflower butter so I can prepare nut-free dishes.
Potato Starch.
Also an ingredient in my Sweet Rice Flour Blend, potato starch is not the same as potato flour. It is available in natural food stores and on the Internet.
Quinoa.
The whole grain superfood, this is great for gluten-free porridges, pilafs, and as an alternative to rice or couscous. I buy prerinsed quinoa as it saves precious time in the kitchen.
Rice.
I always have arborio and brown rice on hand as well as instant rice for those times when I need a really quick meal.
Salt.
I cook exclusively with either kosher or fine sea salt. If you use regular table salt, use half the amount called for in the recipes.
Sweet Rice Flour (also known as glutinous rice flour).
I buy either superfine or Asian.
Sweeteners.
I always have granulated, raw, brown, and confectioners’ sugar on hand as well as agave nectar, maple syrup, and palm or coconut sugar for when I want unrefined sweeteners.
Tapioca Starch.
Available at Asian markets and natural food stores, this is good for thickening sauces and gravies. It is also an ingredient in my Sweet Rice Flour Blend. Asian tapioca starch is less expensive.
Vinegars.
I stock a few more varieties of vinegar than oil: balsamic, red, and white wine. Sherry, apple cider, and rice vinegars each fill their own niches. If space was not an issue for me I would probably keep even more varieties but these fill most of my needs. I don’t buy bottled salad dressing because it is so easy to make it from scratch so I figure I have earned a little extra pantry space for vinegars.
White Rice Flour.
I buy either superfine or Asian white rice flour in bulk and keep it on hand for making gluten-free flour blends. They are available in natural food stores, Asian markets, and on the Internet.
Xanthan or Guar Gum.
Used in baked goods and in my Sweet Rice Flour Blend, it helps hold gluten-free baked goods together. Available in natural food stores and on the Internet. I store mine in the freezer. For people with corn allergies, choose guar gum instead of xanthan gum.
T
here are a few key elements to getting a meal on the table quickly. One is organization. If you have things where you can find them and put them back in their place, you won’t waste time searching for something you need.
Menu planning is another time-saver. Personally, I have never been one to plan out a whole week’s menu and then follow that plan. After all, on Sunday I may have planned to have beef on Tuesday, but when Tuesday comes around I may be in the mood for fish. However, having a general idea of what you may want to eat the coming week and shopping accordingly just makes good sense. There are certain fresh items I always have on hand and replace weekly: eggs, cream, Parmesan cheese, butter (unsalted always), onions, garlic, fresh herbs, potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables, salad fixings, meat, poultry, fish, and fresh seasonal fruit.
While I would be happy to shop every day for food, it is just not practical. Every couple of months it is a good idea to do a big restocking. If possible go to one of those big box stores and buy certain foods in bulk; this saves not only time but also money. Buy fresh foods weekly. With a variety of food on hand you can always figure out something to eat.
A big time-saver during the week is to wash up the fruits and veggies and apportion the proteins if needed before putting them away. Taking a few extra minutes on grocery shopping day saves a huge amount of time during daily meal preparation.
Restaurants have to prepare a lot of meals quickly, so they employ something called
mise en place
.
Mise en place
is a French term that literally means “to set in place.” The chef reviews the menu and gets out everything he or she will need to prepare the menu, then washes and chops the vegetables and fresh herbs and has them ready when it comes time to cook. They get out the pots and pans, spatulas and knives they need, and preheat the ovens. When it is time to cook, they can do so uninterrupted. This is a brilliant strategy to employ at home as well. It is always a good idea to review a recipe fully before starting; nothing is worse than being halfway through making a dish and finding out you don’t have an ingredient or the proper equipment. Think through your menu the same way a chef does: for example, if garlic or parsley is called for in two recipes, chop the amount you need for both at the same time.
The next element in creating great meals quickly is to start with great ingredients that do not require a lot of fuss to make them taste great. A bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries can be as good a dessert, if not better, than a complicated torte. Great salad greens need only a simple dressing of lemon juice or vinegar and good olive oil to make them spectacular.
Don’t be afraid to take help where you can get it. Nowadays you can buy preprepped vegetables and salad greens that can be huge time-savers. I am also a huge fan of the supermarket rotisserie chicken; it doesn’t cost very much more than buying a raw chicken and can be used in a number of ways: shredded for salads, soups, and stews, turned into chicken tacos with the addition of a corn tortilla and some salsa, or just served as is with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten it up. Some chickens are injected with gluten-containing ingredients so make sure you check with your particular store.
As far as quick-cooking equipment goes, there are a few items I believe to be lifesavers: good-quality, sharp knives, microplane graters, spoons, tongs and spatulas, measuring spoons and cups, whisks, silicone spatulas, strainers, a food processor, a microwave, a mixer, a good blender, sturdy pots and pans that can be used stovetop or in the oven, and a slow cooker. It is better to have a few good-quality pieces of kitchen equipment that are multipurpose than to have cupboards and drawers full of gadgets that have only one purpose.
The oven is one of the greatest labor-saving devices we have and it is often overlooked. People tend not to think of roasting as a method of quick cooking, but the truth is that with minimal preparation you can roast meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, and fruits and reap great rewards. Stir-frying and sautéing can be fast but you need to stand over the stove to do it whereas with roasting the oven does all the work and you get all the credit.
The following chapters contain recipes and strategies to help you get delicious, gluten-free food on the table fast, no matter the occasion or time of day.
TAKING A LITTLE TIME to prepare a few basic gluten-free flour blends will help speed you along in cooking and baking. Included in this chapter are a few you can prepare ahead and keep on hand in either the pantry or freezer. Not only is making your own gluten-free flour blend and pancake and biscuit mix less expensive than purchasing ready-made from the store, but also the quality is so much better. My gluten-eating friends are always amazed that the gluten-free baked goods I prepare taste just as good, if not better, than their gluten-filled counterparts. The trick to pulling off this feat is starting with a really good gluten-free flour blend or baking mix.
• Dairy-Free
Make 9 cups flour mix
I am including this recipe from my first book,
Simply … Gluten-free Desserts,
here again because it is a terrific, pastry-quality, all-purpose, gluten-free flour blend. It can be used as a cup-for-cup replacement for regular all-purpose wheat flour. Making your own flour blend at home saves money and ensures you will get terrific results. Spend a couple of minutes mixing up a batch of this sweet rice flour blend and you will have an all-purpose, gluten-free flour on hand when you need it. Store your flour blend in an airtight container in your pantry or in plastic freezer storage bags in the freezer.
All gluten-free flours are not created equal; use superfine or Asian white rice and sweet rice flour, and your final dishes will have no gritty texture or cardboard flavor. Sweet rice flour is also sometimes called glutinous rice flour. Superfine rice flours can be purchased on the Internet or in health food stores. Purchasing Asian rice flours from an Asian market will be less expensive than buying them from the health food store. Tapioca flour is also sold in Asian markets, again at far less cost than from the health food store.
4
1/2
cups superfine white rice flour
1
1/2
cups sweet rice (glutinous)
flour
2 cups potato starch (not potato
flour)
1 cup tapioca flour (also known as
tapioca starch)
4 teaspoons xanthan or guar gum
In a large mixing bowl, slowly whisk all the ingredients together very well, making sure they are evenly distributed.
This recipe can easily be halved, doubled, or tripled.
• Dairy-Free
Makes 6 cups mix
This is a great basic mix that can be used for making pancakes, biscuits, muffins, shortbread, and quick breads. I realize that you can now purchase pre-made, gluten-free biscuit mix but making it at home not only saves you money, it also ensures that you can control the quality of the ingredients used; you can decide the amount and type of sugar (or other sweetener) you add, eliminate hydrogenated oils, and make sure that nothing but good-quality ingredients goes into your food.
This recipe starts with the Sweet Rice Flour Blend and will produce light, delicate pancakes and baked goods that are as good if not better than those made with regular wheat flour. This mix is also very versatile.
When you are ready to start cooking, simply add liquid, fat, eggs (or egg substitute), and possibly some type of sugar to the mix for making things such as muffins or pancakes. This gives you lots of flexibility: if you like butter, use that as your fat; for dairy-free you can add grapeseed oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, nondairy butter substitute, or whatever type of dairy-free fat you prefer. The same goes for the type of liquid you use; you can use any type of milk or dairy-free milk you like, or even fruit juice.