if you're gonna be efficient at cooking gluten-free & dairy free for yourself or your family, you're going to need basic, pre-made, foods in your fridge that can go in any meal. you're gonna need things like rice, beans, meat, quinoa, and all kinds of veggies. here are some of the staple items in my fridge and how i make each:
1. how i make rice
out of stovetop, instant pot, and a rice cooker, i would have to recommend a rice cooker. and that's because it stresses me out the least. the rice we have at the moment is basmati rice which is a 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water ratio. i put the correct ratio in the rice cooker, set it to cook, and walk away. the rice cooker usually times it perfectly! sometimes, i like to make a more flavorful version of rice by replacing the water with bone broth or chicken broth, adding a few tablespoons of butter, a splash of lemon juice, garlic salt, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
2. how i make quinoa
although quinoa can be made in the rice cooker, i usually make it on stovetop so that i have a little more control. i almost always make quinoa flavored and here's how i do it: in the medium pot, i put 1 cup of quinoa, 1 1/4 cup of broth, a few tablespoons of butter, and all the seasonings listed above on my recipe for rice. then, i turn on the stove. once it comes to a boil, i cover the pot, turn the temp to low, and let it simmer for around 20 minutes. here is a helpful infographic from https://blog.goodeggs.com/get-your-grain-ratios-right-8c618d12e29b for both rice and quinoa!:
3. how i saute ANY vegetable combo
i start by pouring a little bit of oil in a pan with minced garlic, minced ginger, and onion flakes. once it cooks for a little bit, i add chopped veggies, starting with the hardest veggie that will take the longest to cook. as the veggies begin to cook, i add a splash of water and gluten free soy sauce so that it doesn't burn. as the time progresses, i add the vegetables that are softer and require less time. the timing takes a little practice but i've found that stir fry vegetables are rather forgiving!
7 of my favorite quarantine meals and recipes:
1. variations of chipotle burrito bowls
the basic ingredients for a copycat chipotle burrito bowl are rice, beans, and meat. from there, you can mix and match with whatever else you have. i like to use whatever meat we have and cook it with seasonings like cumin, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic salt. black beans and pinto beans from the can are cheap and easy to heat up in the microwave. and then, as mentioned earlier, i've been making basmati rice in the rice cooker. i've gotten used to the correct ration of rice/water and then i just start the cooker and walk away. i like to top my burrito bowls with things like corn, lettuce, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, and southwest dressing. i found this dairy free southwest dressing on pinterest and its so good! and although there are a lot of ingredients, they are all relatively easy to find in your kitchen. and you can just chuck whatever ingredients you have in there and it should taste fine. i love it on burrito bowls and if your more in the mood for a taco salad (basically an upside down burrito bowl) its great for that too.
2. variations of teriyaki bowls
all i make anymore is stir fry vegetables, rice, and some sort of asian-inspired meat. lately i've been obsessed with stir frying cabbage and kale! some other foolproof stir fry vegetables are broccoli, carrots, riced cauliflower, and even sliced brussels sprouts. my favorite meat for teriyaki bowls is alaskan salmon patties from costco. they are easy to cook in a pan or on parchment paper in the toaster oven. and then of course, i use my rice cooker to make basmati rice. i recently made this thai peanut dressing from a salad recipe that I've been topping my teriyaki bowls with along with a splash of gluten free soy sauce and occasionally gluten FULL teriyaki sauce.
3. midwestern comfort food
this is a foolproof mix and match of meat/potatoes/vegetables. sometimes my dad will grill something like steak or pork tenderloins, but if not, I will bake chicken thighs with seasoning in the toaster oven. I also like to roast vegetables like frozen broccoli from costco (because its easy...no cutting required!), brussels sprouts, and asparagus. for potatoes, i will either chop them up and roast them, or make mashed potatoes in the instant pot with a recipe i found on pinterest.
to quickly determine roasting times for veggies, I reference this infographic from https://www.healthline.com/health/vegetable-roasting-guide#6:
4. chicken parmesan but without the parmesan
so am i the only one that ferociously craves marinara sauce?? i feel like that’s the only reason i like pizza. i just LOVE the red sauce omg. so i like to make my usual chicken thighs in the toaster oven, sauté or bake some veggies, heat up some rice or quinoa, and then douse it all in spaghetti sauce... this may not be for everyone? it didn’t sound weird until i wrote it down. but man... ever since i had that really good pizza loaded with sauce, meat, and veggies from mypie, i’ve needed to recreate that same sensation.
5. gluten free blueberry oat muffins for breakfast!!!
these muffins are stinking good...that's all.
6. canned tuna plopped onto a pile of spring mix with rice on the side
i love tuna and i've found that mixing canned tuna with mayonnaise and eating it off of a bed of spring mix is really good. i used to make salads like this in the caf when i lived in the ACU dorms before covid-19, so it makes me all nostalgic (even though it was, like, 2 months ago). i used to top it with more veggies and oil and red wine vinegar. the rice on the side is simply for carbs - i like having the flavorful rice i mentioned earlier with a pad of butter.
7. basic smoothies that are only a little bit healthy
i've always wanted to be like those social media lifestyle influencers who make super healthy smoothies every morning. i'm not a wimp when it comes to healthy food, but, as it turns out, i am a wimp when it comes to healthy smoothies. through all of my attempts to throw the right combination of superfoods in a blender, i've learned i don't usually like the result. BUT, recently i found a way to make a healthy smoothie that i actually like the taste of! the easiest fruit for me to use is a frozen triple berry mix. triple berry smoothies have NEVER done me wrong. and apparently berries are decently low in sugar? the next safe superfood is kale...i actually really like its flavor in a berry smoothie. and then for protein/collagen, i've been using the vital proteins collagen peptides. i love this particular brand of protein powder because it doesn't taste like anything and the texture doesn't affect the texture of the smoothie. this combination of fruit, kale, and collagen protein powder, has really seemed to work for me. so if you feel like giving up on healthy smoothies, try something simple and see if you like it!
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