Quick, Convenient, and Incredibly Customizable Rice Bowl

 I eat a lot of rice, and it's super easy to make a meal with rice that's nutritionally complete! So, this is what I normally do. You can make a single serving, or you can make multiple and refrigerate or freeze the rest for later! This meal is extremely customizable and accessible, and it's full of flavor! As a bonus, it's also super cheap to make! You don't have to stick strictly to this recipe either, and can add, change, or remove anything you like! You can add cheese, or an egg, beans, or anything else. This is very flexible and to your liking!

Ingredients:

• A protein (I tend to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, catfish fillets, or tilapia fillets. You can also use cheap steak or a slice of chuck roast, chicken breasts, tofu, whatever strikes your fancy!) 
• Frozen vegetables (I like to use a medley, like mixed vegetables with peas, carrots, and green beans, or something like a fajita blend or Baja roasted corn blend, but you can pick your favorite frozen veggies!)  
• Rice of choice (you can use either regular rice or minute rice -- I tend to prefer minute rice for convenience and quickness' sake)
• Seasonings, to taste 
• Oil of choice 
• Water or (optional) veggie, beef, or chicken broth 

Directions:

1.  Oil and season your protein and set to cook in either the air fryer or oven. Typically, the air fryer will be 380℉/180℃ for 10-20 minutes, and the oven at 375℉/190℃ for 30-40 minutes. Ensure it temps correctly!
2. For regular rice, rinse rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, and then set to cook in a rice cooker or sauce pot about 15 minutes before the protein is done. I like to use a 1:1.5 ratio of rice to water, but if I have it on hand, I'll use chicken broth instead (if you're vegetarian or vegan, you can use veggie broth!). For minute rice, cook according to package directions 5 minutes before the protein is done cooking.
3. When rice is almost done, toss in your frozen veggies, however many you'd like, stir in veggies and seasonings, and resume cooking.
4. While rice finishes cooking, take out your cooked protein and cut it into bite size pieces.
5. Mix everything together, and enjoy!

Easy and Accessible Gluten-Free One Pot Pasta

 I love pasta, and this pasta is super delicious and versatile, and you can add or remove any additions you like! I'll be writing this recipe the way I normally prepare it, but any add-ons I use (cheese, spinach, ground turkey, sauteed onions, etc/) can be removed or substituted if you either don't have them or don't like them. There's not many measurements, because i just kind of feel it out according to personal taste, but there should be just enough measurements to get by. This meal takes about 20-30 minutes total to make, depending on what shortcuts you take (such as buying frozen pre-chopped veggies vs chopping your own), and only uses one pot to limit dishes, and on top of all that you can feed multiple people with this. Or, if you're on your lonesome, you'll have leftovers for several days. If you can't eat all that pasta leftovers before it goes bad, it's very easy to separate out into meal prep containers and freeze for reheating! 

 

Ingredients: 

• 12 ounces of your favorite gluten-free pasta
• 2 1/2 cups pasta sauce and equal parts water (equivalent to a no. 2 can, which is 20 oz; you can also use two 11 oz cans)
• 1 lb ground meat (I use turkey) 
• shredded cheese (you can grate your own or buy a pre-shredded mix! I like the Mexican cheese mix since it melts super easily)
• 1/2 cup diced onions (you can use pre-diced frozen onions, or dice your own, whatever works best for you) 
• 2-3 cups baby spinach (you can buy pre-chopped frozen baby spinach or chop your own, whatever works for you)
• Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Directions: 

1. Cook your ground meat in a pot on medium heat with your seasonings until most of the liquid has cooked off and it's started to brown, breaking up the chunks regularly until your meat is broken into small pieces.
2. Add your diced onions into the meat - the leftover grease from the meat is enough to cook down the onions and you shouldn't need to add extra oil. Cook until the onions are softened and the liquid has cooked out and been absorbed completely. Meat should be browned by now. 
3. Add in your spinach and continue cooking until spinach has shrunk down to about 1/3rd of its volume. 
4. Add in your pasta sauce to the pot, fill the can or jar with equal parts water, and add the water to the pot. Turn up the heat to medium-high and continue cooking until your sauce is bubbling, and be sure to taste as you go. Season further if you think it needs it! The meat has been seasoned, but even if the sauce is pre-seasoned, it might need more. Trust your own judgment. 
5. Once sauce is bubbling, add in your pasta. Stir, cover the pot with a lid, and let cook, removing the lid to stir occasionally so that the pasta doesn't stick to the pot and burn or stick together and become a clumpy mess. Cook pasta for about 10-15 minutes, until it reaches al dente and has absorbed much of the added water in the sauce. Don't worry if all of the excess liquid hasn't been absorbed, because it will absorb more as it sits.
6. At this point, you can add in your cheese. I do one to two handfuls of shredded cheese and stir until it melts and fully incorporates. 
7. Serve and enjoy!  

Gluten-Free Meatloaf/Meatballs (meatloaf has instructions for both air fryer and oven!)

 I love meatloaf, and it's thankfully super easy to adapt to be gluten-free! This meatloaf is moist, flavorful, and has just enough gluten-free breadcrumbs to bind everything together whilst not making the meatloaf dry and cakey. It's also super easy, and fast if you use the air fryer! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this one. I made it a bit ago and forgot to take a photo at the time.

The meatloaf pairs really well with some classic mashed potatoes and gravy (find a recipe where you can make gluten-free gravy here), and it also goes great with greens like asparagus or brussels sprouts! Recipes for roasted veggies and mashed potatoes will come soon, worry not! The meatballs that you can also make out of this recipe are awesome in something like a meatball sub or a pasta dish, too!

 

Ingredients: 

Meat Mixture:

• 1 lb ground meat of your choice (I use ground turkey since I can't have beef)
•  3-5 tbsp of your favorite barbecue sauce (depending on how much you want the barbecue sauce flavor to shine)
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
• 2 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup Kikkoman Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup onions, minced

Glaze: 

• 2 tbsp barbecue sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin (ensure your mirin is gluten-free! most mirin is naturally gluten-free, but some has additives that may contain gluten.)
• 2 tbsp ketchup 

 

Oven Preheat Temp: 375℉/190℃ 

Air Fryer Preheat Temp: 380℉ (I am unsure of the specific settings on non-US air fryers to recommend a temperature, since mine only goes up in ten degree increments. I could assume it might also be 190 celsius, like the oven. Any non-US air fryer havers, feel free to chime in!)

Meat Mixture Instructions: 

1.  While your oven or air fryer is preheating, add all the meat mixture ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together until just combined. You don't want to overmix the ingredients, as it can cause the meat to become tough upon cooking. If you find you don't like the texture/find it too wet, you can add a spoonful or two of additional breadcrumbs, but if you add too many extra, it can make your meatloaf extremely dry and cakey. 
2. For Meatloaf (Air Fryer): Form into a loaf in the air fryer basket, lined with foil. Cook for 15 minutes. During first cook, mix together your glaze in a small bowl and set aside. Once first cook finishes, brush glaze over top of meatloaf and cook for another 10 minutes. 
3. For Meatloaf (Oven): Form into a loaf in an oven-safe casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes. During first bake, mix together your glaze in a small bowl and set aside. Brush on glaze after first bake, and bake for another 25 minutes. 
4. Ensure your meatloaf temps at 365℉/185℃. 
5. For Meatballs: Form meat mixture into balls, at whatever size you like (I tend to do smaller bite-size meatballs for ease of cooking faster and for eating easier). Arrange them in a cold pan, ensuring none of them are touching, and cook on medium heat until both sides have a good sear and the meatballs temp at 365℉/185℃. Glaze is optional for meatballs, but if you want it, you can toss the cooked meatballs in the glaze and cook on low for a few minutes to thicken it. 
6. Serve with your preferred sides and enjoy! 

Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese

I love macaroni and cheese. It's probably one of my favorite things to eat ever, so you can bet as soon as I got my celiac diagnosis, one of my first priorities was figuring out how to make my mac and cheese gluten-free. Part of doing that was testing out a gluten-free roux and the resulting béchamel, which you can find here. This mac and cheese is delicious and I don't find I miss anything from the original that I can't get in the gluten-free version! You can easily cut down this recipe if you want less mac and cheese, but I'm feeding three people, so this is my recipe to make enough for everyone and have leftovers.

  

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups béchamel
• 4 cups shredded cheese of your choice; a blend of cheeses is usually better! If you prefer shredding it yourself, you can get blocks, but I personally get a bag of a shredded cheese blend for ease of access
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard or mustard powder; if you are allergic to mustard or have issues finding a certified gluten-free mustard, you can use a dash of Worcestershire (ensure it is gluten-free! not all Worcestershire sauce is) and turmeric
• your favorite seasoning blend, to taste
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup sour cream 
• milk, to thin out sauce if needed 
• 12 ounces of your favorite gluten-free pasta - equivalent to 1 box of pasta; it doesn't have to be macaroni if you don't have macaroni available!
•  optional: bacon or turkey bacon

Directions: 

1. If using bacon: chop bacon into bite-size pieces and add to a cold pot. Cook on medium heat until desired crispiness. Set aside in a glass or ceramic prep bowl. Optional: you can use whatever grease is left over from the bacon to add to your roux! Simply measure out the bacon grease and make up the difference with your other fat of choice.
2. Set salted water to boil in a separate pot. 
3. Make your roux and béchamel using instructions found here in the same pot you used to cook your bacon (to lessen the amount of pots and pans used).
4. Gradually add your shredded cheese into your bechamel, stirring as you go until it is fully melted and incorporated.
5. Add your pasta to the water once water is at a rolling boil.
6. While pasta cooks, add mustard, seasonings, salt, and sour cream to cheese sauce and mix until incorporated. If sauce is too thick, add a bit of milk to thin it out.
7. Drain pasta, leaving behind some of the pasta water. Add pasta and reserved pasta to cheese sauce, mix to incorporate, and (optional) mix in bacon.

Gluten-Free Pancakes

 I won't claim these to be the best gluten-free pancakes out there, as I'm sure there are better, but they're certainly the best gluten-free pancakes I've personally made and had. They're super easy to make and if you want to add mix-ins like chocolate chips or blueberries, you totally can! For a good topping for these pancakes, check out my Simple Fruit Syrup! As always, ensure all of your ingredients are certified gluten-free to avoid accidentally glutening yourself! Lots of fillers in baking products can contain gluten, even if it seems innocuous.

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, melted butter, or avocado oil
• 1 egg or equivalent egg replacer
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup King Arthur 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour 
• 1 tbsp baking powder 
• dash of salt
• 3/4 cup milk (for a thinner pancake, use 1 cup)
• optional: dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice 

 Directions:

1.  In a large mixing bowl, add egg, sugar, vanilla extract, and oil, and beat together until combined.
2. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and (optional) cinnamon and mix in until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
3. Stir in milk and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Batter should be mostly smooth, with a few small lumps, which is perfectly normal. Mixing until perfectly smooth will cause your pancakes to be less fluffy and more dense.
4. Preheat your pan with a bit of oil or butter on medium-low. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and a rubber spatula to scrape out the bowl and cup for each pancake you measure out and pour. You should get 5-6 pancakes out of this.
5. Cook on one side until the edges start to bubble and brown, then flip your pancakes and cook until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Be careful not to smush them, or all the air will flatten out and lead to a dense pancake.
6. Repeat until all of your pancakes are complete, and enjoy with whatever topping you like! 

Simple Fruit Syrup

 I don't like syrup on my pancakes, typically. So, every time I make pancakes, I use this lovely fruit syrup instead, which is super easy to put together and tastes delicious! The syrup pictured here is an amazing nectarine syrup I put together! Peeling isn't required, just a quick dice, and it can be easily multiplied or divided to make more or less! Furthermore, if you use blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, no chopping is required at all since they'll cook down and crush super easily for a jammy syrup.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fruit of your choice (I find this syrup works best with stone fruits like peaches or nectarines, apples, strawberries, and smaller berries like blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• dash of salt
• dash of cinnamon 

 Directions: 

1. Chop fruit into a small dice. You can skip this step if you are using a berry that's small enough to not need chopping. 
2. Add to a pot with water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Cook on medium-high heat until fruit is softened and syrup is slightly thickened. Syrup should take on some color from the fruit.  

Mother Sauces

The Mother Sauces

Lots of sauces and soups contain a base known as a mother sauce. Here's how to make a gluten-free roux in order to make your favorite gravies and sauces gluten-free! 

Roux

A roux is extremely simple -- equal parts fat and flour depending on how much sauce you intend to make. I use the King Arthur's 1:1 flour for this.

1. Use about 2-3 ounces (4-5 tablespoons) of fat to flour. I tend to prefer butter or canola oil for the fat, but any neutral oil or ghee will work. 

2. Saute 1/2 cup minced onions in the fat until soft (you can use frozen diced onions if you don't want to or can't dice an onion for whatever reason! It is also completely optional). 

3. Gradually add flour and whisk until fully incorporated -- mixture should be lump-free with a texture between a thick paste and wet sand and there should be no unincorporated flour left. The longer you cook the roux, the smoother it becomes and the less thickening power it has. The three different rouxs have different uses and are not interchangeable.

 4. Whisk continually as the flour cooks down; for a white roux (the most common type, used in white gravy, cheese sauce, and béchamel), cook until aromatic, slightly nutty, bubbling slightly, and just before it starts developing color. For a blonde roux (most commonly used in velouté, a light stock thickened with blonde roux which is the foundation of something like a light gravy) cook 3-4 minutes longer than white roux until the nutty aromatics are stronger and the roux has taken on a slightly darker pale-golden color and thinned out. For a brown roux (used for espagnole, the base of many rich, dark sauces and gravies), continue cooking another 6-8 minutes until the roux has thinned out further still, taken on a stronger nutty aroma and turned a golden-brown color.

Sauces

Béchamel is made by adding milk* to your white roux and fully incorporating the roux via whisking it until there's no lumps and the sauce is your desired thickness. Thicker béchamels are best used in white gravy and cheese sauce, and thinner béchamels are best used in cream soups. Season your béchamels to the taste of whatever application you are using it for, and go from there!

Velouté is made by adding a light stock (chicken, turkey, or veal) or broth* to your blonde roux. You can use homemade stock if you prefer, but if you want a more accessible and less time-consuming meal, you are completely allowed to simply use a boxed broth or stock. Be wary of boxed broths and stocks and be sure that they're totally gluten-free before use. Velouté is great for chicken/turkey gravy and thickened turkey/chicken soups.

 Espagnole is made by adding a dark stock (pork, beef) or broth* to your brown roux. As with velouté, you are more than allowed to use premade stock or broth for a quicker and more accessible meal if you can't or don't want to make it homemade. Espagnole is great for brown gravy, sauce espagnole, and rich, dark soups.

*Amount depends on how thick or thin you want your sauce to be. If you add too little and want to thin it out, add more liquid. If you want it thicker, add less liquid, and if you added too much you can cook it until it thickens more. For the meat based sauces, gravies specifically, you can also use the pan drippings from your meats. You can also apply these gravy methods to plant-based dishes by swapping out meat stocks or broths for vegetable stocks or broths.