Several members of my New England ohana maintain gluten-free diets. This means wheat, oats, malt, rye and barley are off limits. No bread, pasta, panko, beer or beef barley soup. Rice, quinoa, corn, tamales and mochi are all OK. Spam also appears to be gluten-free.
I'm thankful to have learned so much about gluten-free cooking in such a short time. Wheat products, and wheat flour in particular, show up in unexpected items. For example, shoyu (soy sauce), oyster sauce, and cream of chicken soup all contain wheat flour and therefore, are not gluten-free. I suspect it may be used as a thickener for oyster sauce and cream of chicken soup, but I'm not exactly sure why wheat flour is even required for shoyu!
Coming back to my own pantry, Bulldog katsu sauce, mustard and Worcestershire sauce are gluten-free. I also found a host of gluten-free products, even organic, gluten-free shoyu stocked at Safeway.
This week menu is gluten-free in honor of my New England ohana. I picked these specifically because I think they are gluten-free as is. Last week's lobster in melted butter is also most certainly gluten-free!
I'm thankful to have learned so much about gluten-free cooking in such a short time. Wheat products, and wheat flour in particular, show up in unexpected items. For example, shoyu (soy sauce), oyster sauce, and cream of chicken soup all contain wheat flour and therefore, are not gluten-free. I suspect it may be used as a thickener for oyster sauce and cream of chicken soup, but I'm not exactly sure why wheat flour is even required for shoyu!
Coming back to my own pantry, Bulldog katsu sauce, mustard and Worcestershire sauce are gluten-free. I also found a host of gluten-free products, even organic, gluten-free shoyu stocked at Safeway.
This week menu is gluten-free in honor of my New England ohana. I picked these specifically because I think they are gluten-free as is. Last week's lobster in melted butter is also most certainly gluten-free!
Monday
Mediterranean Lamb Stir Fry. The one questionable item was the store-bought chicken broth. It contains yeast extract, but this is gluten-free.
Tuesday
Taco Meat--No Mix with corn tortillas, Laurie's Guacamole and Tropical Fruit Salsa. If it's difficult to get mangoes in New England, fresh peaches will work for the salsa too.
Wednesday
Clam and Cannellini Bean Soup. Perfect for the land of cherrystones, quahogs, steamers and littlenecks. It's supposed to be a little cooler in New England this week, so a nice light bowl of soup is in order. Eaten outside, of course!
Thursday
Salt and Pepper Shrimp, green beans and rice. The crisp on the shrimp is from constarch and not flour. In case you were wondering, the 5 spices in Chinese Five-Spice powder are cinnamon, anise, star anise, cloves and ginger. All gluten-free.
Mediterranean Lamb Stir Fry. The one questionable item was the store-bought chicken broth. It contains yeast extract, but this is gluten-free.
Tuesday
Taco Meat--No Mix with corn tortillas, Laurie's Guacamole and Tropical Fruit Salsa. If it's difficult to get mangoes in New England, fresh peaches will work for the salsa too.
Wednesday
Clam and Cannellini Bean Soup. Perfect for the land of cherrystones, quahogs, steamers and littlenecks. It's supposed to be a little cooler in New England this week, so a nice light bowl of soup is in order. Eaten outside, of course!
Thursday
Salt and Pepper Shrimp, green beans and rice. The crisp on the shrimp is from constarch and not flour. In case you were wondering, the 5 spices in Chinese Five-Spice powder are cinnamon, anise, star anise, cloves and ginger. All gluten-free.
Friday
Tart-style Rat-pa-tooty. Summer veggies are in season! Peak-season tomatoes, zukes, and red peppers are good for all.
IMPORTANT NOTE
I am by no means an expert on gluten-free eating. So please make sure to check your own versions/brands of the ingredients listed to make sure they are gluten-free.
Like going vegetarian, going gluten-free is not as daunting as it seems. One family member even made a kid-friendly gluten-free cookbook to prove it. The food is simple and yummy.
It would be much more difficult to go potato-chip or ice-cream free.
What other gluten-free recipes and resources do you have out there? Send 'em in or post 'em.
Tart-style Rat-pa-tooty. Summer veggies are in season! Peak-season tomatoes, zukes, and red peppers are good for all.
IMPORTANT NOTE
I am by no means an expert on gluten-free eating. So please make sure to check your own versions/brands of the ingredients listed to make sure they are gluten-free.
Like going vegetarian, going gluten-free is not as daunting as it seems. One family member even made a kid-friendly gluten-free cookbook to prove it. The food is simple and yummy.
It would be much more difficult to go potato-chip or ice-cream free.
What other gluten-free recipes and resources do you have out there? Send 'em in or post 'em.
