When I learned that I’d be gluten-free for the rest of my life I mourned the loss of pasta which I had grown up eating almost daily with my Italian family. I truly believed that nothing could ever replace the delicious, glutenous substance that is now my poison. I tried rice pasta after rice pasta until I finally found one that I can confidently recommend. My Italian step-mother had bravely prepared dinner for me one night and when I took my first bite all the colour drained from my face and I was filled with fear. Thinking she might have made a mistake, I politely asked if she had remembered to make rice pasta for me and even went so far as to check the bag myself just to be sure. The flavour and al dente texture of this pasta had me fooled! Rizopia is the brand. A Canadian company based out of Toronto, Ontario.

My tips and tricks for cooking rice pasta:

1. Use a large pot with more water than usual as the water becomes very starchy which will make the pasta stick together if there isn’t enough water in the pot.

2. Don’t overcook! I always check my pasta well before the package’s recommendations and remove it when the texture still feels slightly undercooked. It will continue to cook slightly when you drain and rinse it so I find that if it’s the perfect texture when you drain it, it quickly becomes overcooked by the time you serve it.

3. Rinse well with cool water and serve immediately.

This is more of a non-recipe because it’s so easy. The amounts below are estimates, feel free to use them as a guideline.

Ingredients:

454g bag of brown rice pasta (we used spinach brown rice pasta tonight)
3 cloves of garlic
10-12 sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large handfuls of arugula
1/2 cup red or white wine
16 raw prawns or shrimp (chicken would be good too)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Put a pot of water on to boil while you start making the sauce. Cook pasta until al dente.

Combine the sun dried tomatoes, garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil in a food processor or a blender and process until it forms a paste. In a large pan heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat and saute the shrimp until they just start turning pink. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the tomato/garlic mixture and wine. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the arugula. Add the drained and rinsed pasta to the pan and mix thoroughly so the sauce coats the pasta. Transfer to bowls and enjoy!

Serves 4 or provides yummy leftovers for lunch!

According to wikipedia Creole jambalaya is traditionally a combination of meat, chicken, sausage, seafood and vegetables. Rice and stock are added to the recipe in equal amounts at the end of cooking and the mixture is brought to a boil and left to simmer until the rice is cooked. We cooked our rice separately and spooned the mixture on top but I love the idea of a one pot dish so we’ll try this method next time!

This dish can easily be made allergy-free by only including foods from your safe list. It’s not an exact science, just throw together what you’ve got on hand and enjoy the simplicity of cooking with very little measuring. Vary the spices according to taste. This combination pleased our palate.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground bison or beef
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
15-20 large prawns
8 gluten-free sausages
1 large handful green beans
1/2 can of corn
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks of celery, sliced
7-8 medium mushrooms, sliced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp paprika
pinch of unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

Directions:

In a large fry pan, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat.
Fry the onions for 5-6 minutes, until soft and add the garlic, cooking for another minute or so.
Add the beef, sausage and chicken, until almost cooked through.
Add all the vegetables and spices cooking for an additional few minutes to combine the flavours.
Add the can of diced tomatoes, mix well, cover and simmer for 25-30min. (This is where you could add equal amounts of rice and gf stock or water if you choose, to make it a one pot dish.)

Serve in a bowl over rice.

Look for a brand that makes fruit preserves or jams without added sugar (or the addition of artificial sweeteners.) St.Dalfour’s and Crofter’s Organic both make fruit spreads that are sweetened with fruit juice.

What fruit preserves did you use for this recipe? I’d love to know your favourites!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unrefined virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup fruit juice sweetened mango preserves or jam (preserves have more whole fruit than jam)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp GF sweet red chili sauce or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 whole free range chicken, quartered or 4-6 legs with the thigh attached
Unrefined sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mango preserves, balsamic vinegar, chili sauce, rosemary and a pinch of unrefined sea salt; stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand until the chicken is cooked. (You can make the glaze ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Before using, warm over low heat.)

Place chicken pieces in a baking dish and season lightly with unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, uncovered for 50 min. Pour the mango-balsamic sauce over the chicken and continue cooking for 10-15 min, basting every 5 min or so to create beautifully glazed chicken pieces. If additional sauce remains in the baking dish you can serve it drizzled over the chicken.

Served with green beans lightly sauteed in unrefined virgin coconut oil. Delicious.

Serves 4-6.

4 skinless, boneless, free-range chicken breasts
½ cup chopped spinach
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tbsp dried basil
1 large organic lemon
2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
unrefined sea salt to taste
lemon pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, going almost all the way through.
Mix spinach and basil together in a bowl and set aside.
Thinly slice lemon and then cut the slices in half.
Fill each chicken breast pocket with ¼ of the spinach mixture and 2-3 lemon slice halves.
You can use toothpicks to hold the pockets closed, but we’ve had luck without them.
Lightly salt and sprinkle the chicken breasts with lemon pepper.

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Sauté the breasts until they are lightly browned on both sides, approx. 3 minutes each side.
Add wine, broth and a slice of lemon if you have any leftover and bring to a simmer.
When the chicken is cooked, remove and tent with foil.
Turn the heat up to medium high and reduce the sauce until it’s thick enough to drizzle on the chicken.

Serve with a side of lightly sautéed green beans and salad topped with avocado and apple slices.

The main ingredients to this dish are coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar. Feel free to add any combination of meat or fish and veggies that you desire. The spice level of this particular dish is very mild.

Ingredients:

1 400ml can Thai Kitchen Premium Coconut Milk
2 tbsp Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste
2 tbsp Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce
2 tbsp unrefined sugar
1/3 cup water
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 large handful of snow peas
1/2 lb (250g) fresh or frozen shrimp, thawed

Directions:

In a large saucepan combine the coconut milk and green curry paste and simmer over medium heat for 5 min. Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, water, carrots and snow peas. Simmer for 10 min, stirring occasionally until the veggies are almost tender. Stir in the shrimp and continue cooking 3-5 minutes until shrimp are cooked. Serve with jasmine rice.