Public Domain Picture: Bob’s Red Mill via Wikipedia
This is a close-up picture of quinoa grains. This grain is high in proteins with a balanced amino-acid blend. It is a good grain for vegans as well as for folks with Celiac Disease. I buy the grains (as opposed to the pasta) to make Taboulee, a Lebanese salad on which I was raised and which is traditionally made with burghul (cracked wheat), which I cannot eat due to Celia Disease. I find quinoa to be quite palatable. You can purchase organic quinoa grain from:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/product.php?productid=3616&cat=0&page=1
Picture from Quinoa Corporation website
Quinoa is my preferred alternative to wheat for pasta dishes. It is not a sweet as corn pasta, which I dislike. For most pasta dishes, I prefer it to brown rice pasta. Ancient Harvest pasta, a product of the Quinoa Corporation, is my favorite. Here is the link to their website:
I think of the foods I grew up on as “good peasant food.” They derive from other times and places, when people were mostly agrarian and were conscious of not being wasteful or extravagant. When my family and family friends came to the “new country,” they were usually poor at least initially. Hence, their eating habits remained as budget-wise (and incidentally as healthy) as they were in the “old country.” These recipes have advantages in addition to being healthy, delicious, and economical. They are easy to make and naturally wheat-and-gluten free or easily and tastily adapted to be so.
Gluten-free Spaghetti with Garlic, Spaghetti con aglio, Italian
Serves Four
To make this vegan friendly, just substitute olive oil for the butter and use gomaso in place of the grated cheese. Gomaso is a Japanese seasoning with salt, sesame seeds, and seaweed. You can get gomaso at Japanese groceries, Whole Foods, health-food stores, or on-line from Eden Foods:
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/index.php?cPath=26_48
My preference for grating cheese is Locatelli Romano, which is available through some fine food stores or on-line at:
http://bestnewyorkfoods.com/locatellicheese-com/index.htm
The recipe:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sweet butter
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 package gluten-free pasta, quinoa or brown rice, and enough water to cook
1 cup boiling water
Salt and cracked black-pepper to taste
Freshly grated romano cheese to taste
Prepare the sauce:
Place the oil and the butter in a sauce pan that will be large enough to accommodate the pasta when it’s cooked. Put the heat on low and let the butter melt. Add the garlic and brown, being careful not to let it get too dark or it will be bitter. You can actually take the pan off the heat when the garlic starts to brown because it will continue cooking in the hot oil and you will avoid burning it by taking it off the heat early in the process.
Prepare the pasta:
Follow package directions to prepare the pasta.
Note: You will need to add approximately one cup of boiling water to the sauce. If you use brown rice pasta, use the pasta water. If you use quinoa pasta, use plain boiled water.
Prepare the dish:
Do not drain the pasta. Use a pasta fork to transfer the pasta from the water to the pan with the oil and garlic. Let some water, but not all run off, Mix the pasta with the oil and garlic and then enough of the one-cup of boiling water or pasta water to make it a bit saucy and slippery, but not enough to make it run. Add the fresh herbs and the salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with grated cheese on the side for everyone to use to taste.
A nice green salad with tomatoes, slivers of fresh Bufffalo mozzerella, olives, and tomatoes makes the perfect side dish.
Gluten-free Lentils and Rice, M’jeddarah. Lebanese
Serves Four
This dish is naturally gluten-free. It is a staple among the Lebanese, especially for Christians during the Lenten season. It’s always been my budget stand-by. I think it’s delicious and tummy-warming and eat it frequently. Traditionally, this dish is topped with plain yogurt. Vegans can use soy yogurt. I’m fond of Wild Wood soy products. Their website only shows flavored soy yogurt, but they do have plain. (By the way, their soy creamer is the absolute best and gluten free.)
http://www.pulmuonewildwood.com/index.asp
I use Aleppo pepper, which is a type of capsicum and which I buy at a local Middle-Eastern (these days generally referred to as Mediterranean) grocery. You can use any other ground red pepper if you don’t have or don’t want to purchase Aleppo Pepper.
The recipe:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced and mixed with 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of brown lentils
1/4 cup of short-grained brown rice, my preference is Lundberg.
2 1/2 cups of water or gluten-free vegetable broth, home-made or store bought (not a tomato broth)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and Aleppo pepper to taste
dairy or soy yogurt
Prepare the dish:
Sauté the the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a small pan.
Place the lentils, rice and water in a pot. Add the sauteed vegetables and the parsley and seasonings. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil and then cover a lower to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t stick, until both the lentils and rice are done. This will take approximately 45 minutes. Add water if necessary to completee cooking process.
Meanwhile, saute the slivered onions until golden brown.
When the lentils are rice are ready, taste for seasoning and adjust. Serve with the sauteed onions and the plain yogurt on the side to be used as condiments.
A traditional Lebanese vegetable salad of slivered carrots and zucchini goes well with this, and it’s another traditional dish that is naturally wheat-and-gluten free.
Gluten-free Carrot and Zucchini Salad, Salata Jezar wa Koosa, Lebanese
Serves Four
2 large carrots, cleaned and shredded (use the large side of a hand shredder)
2 small zucchini, cleaned and shredded (use the large side of a hand shredder)
lemon-garlic dressing (see below), to taste
Prepare the salad:
Mix the vegetables and then dress with the lemon and garlic dressing, not so much that the salad is soupy.
Gluten-free Lebanese Lemon-garlic Dressing, Ziet bil-Toom
Prepare the dressing:
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the best quality you can afford when it’s for a dressing
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 lemon juiced
1 fresh garlic clove, crushed well using a mortar and pestle
1/8 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), minced (you can substitute parsley)
Whisk all the ingredients together. Dress salad to taste.
This dressing will also work well with a more typical dinner salad.
I encourage you to check-out the links in this post. Most have wonderful recipes on their sites, many gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
Retailmenot.com: For those with Celiac Disease, I’m not sure you’ll find any food coupons here that you can use, but I’m sharing the link in case there’s interest in food product coupons or others. I haven’t used the site myself, but was introduced to it just today by my daughter-in-law who saved $30 on the shopping she had to do.
