Living gluten free does not mean one has to live pasta free. There is a large variety of gluten free pastas on the market, even some from well-known wheat-based pasta makers
- Deboles - With the wide variety of styles and grains, this brand is quickly becoming a favorite.
- Dr. Schar - Their collection contains unique shapes of corn and rice based pasta and they also make a variety of other gluten free products.
- Ener-G Foods - These pastas are made literally with just white rice flour and water, so they accommodate a variety of allergy needs.
- Mrs. Leeper's - In addition to their corn and rice based pastas, Mrs. Leeper's also makes boxed dinners.
- Orgran - All their products are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg free, Yeast Free, GMO Free and Vegan.
- Quinoa - This brand sets itself apart by using the naturally gluten free and nutritious quinoa grain.
- Tinkyada - One of the most well known and well liked gluten free pastas, this past is rice based and comes in a variety of styles.
- Trader Joes - They may skimp on the price, but never on the flavor!
- Another source for gluten free, economical pastas are Asian markets. They have many white rice and mung bean based noodles that are naturally gluten free. Often, there are also buckwheat noodles, however, check carefully as many brands mix wheat flour in with the buckwheat, be sure to choose a brand that is 100% buckwheat. Furthermore, a word of caution to those with Celiac or who are highly sensitive - noodles found in the Asian market are not certified gluten free and are often not produced here in the United States so there is always potential for contamination.
Cooking gluten free pasta is quite different from cooking wheat pasta. While the flavor of gluten free pasta is comparable to wheat pasta, getting the texture right can be tricky. Some helpful hints to ensure delicious, perfect pasta every time are:
- The first tip to making good gluten free pasta is to read the directions. There are many different types of gluten free pasta and all are not created equal. Unlike wheat pasta, the directions are not always the same. Some cook better at a constant, rapid boil like traditional wheat pasta, some (especially the kind found in Asian stores) are best soaked in cool water overnight, while others are directed to be dumped into a pot of boiling water, then to turn the heat off, cover them and let them sit in the cooling water until soft. The directions for your brand should be your guide.
- Wheat pasta tends to be heartier and yields more servings than gluten free pasta so always make a little more than what you are used to.
- Cook only as much gluten free pasta as you need at the moment because it does not freeze or reheat well. It is best eaten immediately after cooking.
- Gluten free pasta is known to be very sticky. To combat this, there are two things you can do - add 2-3 teaspoons of oil to the water before dropping in the pasta and stir often. The oil will help coat each strand of pasta, ensuring they won't stick and stirring will agitate the pasta in case some pieces do begin to attach to one another.
- To add flavor, as with wheat pasta, generously salt the water as you bring it to a boil.
- Do not overcook gluten free pasta. Cooking the pasta too long will cause it to get too soft, mushy and it will disintegrate into very small pieces.
- When you drain pasta from hot water (so not with the kind you soak in cool water overnight), run very cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking and to keep it al dente.
- When adding noodles to a soup, only do so at the very end as the noodles will not hold up to long boiling or simmering.
Last week, we were given a box of canned goods from someone who was moving. I rummaged through it to find things that would be safe for me to eat. One thing I found was some canned sardines in tomato sauce with red pepper. I have never had them, but hey, it was safe for me, and it was free! I did a quick Google search trying to figure out what to do with them and came up with this recipe. I thought it looked like a good place to start. But, as I was cooking it, it seemed a bit bland for my tastes. So, I doctored it up a bit! Here is what I came up with:
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Seafood Pasta
from Clara, http://sixfoodintolerance.blogspot.com
Makes 4 large servings
Ingredients:
16 ounces brown rice pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (5.5 ounce) can sardines in tomato sauce with chili, not drained (I used this one)
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced claims in clam juice (1 drained, 1 not drained)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
6 baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
Lemon juice
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender.
While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cook for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the sardines with their sauce, breaking up the sardines with your spoon a bit. Cook a bit to heat the sardines through.
Drain the diced tomatoes and add them to the pan and the Italian Seasoning.
Drain 1 can of the minced clams - put the clams in a bowl off to the side. With the second can, drain them over the pan, allowing the juice to go into the sauce, add the clams to the same bowl as the other. Do not add the minced clams yet.
Add the sliced mushrooms, stir and reduce heat to low.
Keep on a low simmer until the pasta is ready, allowing the sauce to thicken.
When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the sauce.
Add the clams and the lemon juice.
Continue cooking just long enough to heat the clams through (if you cook them too long, they'll get chewy/rubbery).
Serve and enjoy!
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This dish turned out pretty tasty. Hubby thought it was a bit too "fishy" but enjoyed it anyway. I think that next time, I will add some fresh basil. I think it would "brighten" the dish and maybe take away some of the fishiness.
The thing I like most about this dish is it is made from things that I can keep in my pantry. I love "pantry" meals because I can keep the ingredients on hand for a long time and just whip the dish up whenever I need it and quickly, too! Pantry food, and meals, have saved our budget lots of times when we were struggling.
