Whether using naturally gluten-free ingredients or a special mix, these gluten-free dishes will wow!
Soupy Creamy Golden Rice With Crispy Spiced Chickpeas
Some dishes just scream “comfort food”, and this creamy, soupy golden rice topped with crispy spiced chickpeas ticks all the boxes for a hearty and comforting vegetarian meal any time of year.
It’s super easy and doesn’t require a ton of hands-on work. The flavors are quite subtle, not the kinds of spices that punch you in the face. In fact if you’re not careful it can be a tiny bit bland, so I recommend being a little heavy-handed on both layering salt as well as the red pepper flakes.
What really elevates this soupy turmeric rice dish is the crispy, crunchy chickpeas that are PACKED with flavor. Used as a topping, these chickpeas first provide protein, but also have a salty and spicy flavor, some intensity from the shallots, and little crispy bits from the coconut as well.
Mini Pavlovas with Grapefruit Curd & Berries
For whatever reason, pavlovas feel super fancy, and I always have to remind myself that they’re actually really simple. And these mini pavlovas piled high with tart grapefruit curd, berries, and pillowy whipped cream are sheer heaven no matter the occasion.
So whether you want an easy make-ahead dessert for a dinner party, or just want to treat yourself, you need these in your life.
What’s pretty great is that they’re also naturally gluten-free, dairy-free (though you’d need to top them with something else), and unleavened. WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE???
If you’re wondering how the chemistry works in this mini pavlova recipe, here are a few things to know about it:
- The vinegar (or some recipes use lemon juice, cream of tartar, some kind of acid) helps stabilize the egg white foam, and interferes with clumping; it helps prevent the effects of “overbeating” as well, usually where the egg whites collapse and weep (boy, don’t we all). Ultimately, it helps make the meringue a little chewy.
- Adding cornstarch to the egg white foam interferes with the egg proteins and provides a buffer to prevent overcooking. But too much cornstarch can make it almost chalky and too chewy, so don’t overdo it.
- The cornstarch and vinegar both act as stabilizers and help create that soft marshmallow-y center that the pavlova is known for.
Protein-Packed Single-Serving Almond Butter Waffle (GF, Keto, Low Carb)
First off, I’m not going to pretend that these are “real” waffles. Not like my fluffy carb-y buttermilk goodness, or dark chocolate indulgence. But if you’re on a low carb diet for whatever reason, this keto waffle recipe might be your best friend.
I accidentally made this a few months ago on a healthy whim, and kind of forgot about it since it didn’t blow my mind.
But the last month I’ve been on a super low-carb diet for health reasons for (like keto, but more restrictive). And after a couple weeks of egg-mania plus some 90-second keto bread, I was craving something that felt semi-normal.
It’s crazy easy and all the ingredients were things I had on-hand. Even if you’re not on a specific diet, going low-carb and gluten-free on occasion isn’t a bad thing.
I often add a bit of cinnamon and vanilla to the mix, and you could even try going a tiny bit savory if you wanted (like some fresh rosemary). It doesn’t need sweetener, but you could definitely add a bit of honey or monkfruit syrup too.
I’ve made it in both my more Belgian-style waffle maker and a more traditional rectangle one and it’s great either way (I’m more partial to the Belgian).
90-Second Keto “Bread” (No/Low Carb)
I KNOW. You’re probably thinking, “What is happening here? Who is this person??” Same. But here we are—90-second keto bread.
When I started looking for easy keto bread recipes, just to have a vehicle for my almond butter, I had trouble finding one that sounded good. A lot had cream cheese (not my thing, nor do I keep it around the house), or weird ingredients (lookin’ at you psyllium husk), or were overly complex. And then I found this gem.
Technically I guess it should be called like…5-minute keto bread since you have to get the ingredients out and stir them together. The 90 seconds is just the cooking time. But still.
Socca (Chickpea Flatbread) with Roasted Veggies & Goat Cheese
Be honest…if I say “chickpea flatbread”, does it give you immediate cravings?? I’m guessing that’s a NO. But it should. Socca has been on my radar for several months, but for whatever reason I kept putting off giving it a try.
Then last week I was starving, needed something super healthy, and had nothing in my fridge…I’d gotten back in town late Christmas Eve so everything was closed. I had some veggies clinging on for dear life in my fridge and that was it. So I decided that socca needed to happen immediately.
What is socca?
Socca (called farinata over the border in Italian Liguria) is a traditional Provençal flatbread and street food, somewhere between a pancake and a thick crepe. It’s crazy simple, made with chickpea flour and water, with a little salt and olive oil for flavor.
It’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, and high in protein from the chickpea flour. Cooked under the broiler, it’s got a charred top and golden, crispy outside, with a soft creamy inside, perfect for topping with whatever your heart desires.
Personally I love garlicky roasted vegetables and soft, salty cheese, but you can top with eggs, fresh veggies, meat, or anything else, or just slice it up into wedges and eat hot and fresh.
It’s satisfying, one of those healthy recipes that still feels a little indulgent. And perhaps most importantly, socca is flexible…as long as you have chickpea flour on hand you can make it, and then just figure out what your refrigerator has to offer for toppings.
I use a small 5-inch cast iron skillet for a single portion of this socca breakfast skillet. You can double or triple it for a larger pan to feed more people, but it’s so easy and fast to make that I wouldn’t try to use it for leftovers. It’s definitely best fresh.READ THE POST
Salmon Potato Hash With Fresh Herbs
Some of the best recipes result from trying to use up an ingredient, and that’s definitely the story of this AMAZING salmon and potato hash.
I’d bought a couple giant salmon filets, but the week kind of got away from me and they were smelling stroooong. I was trying to figure out what to do, since throwing $20 worth of salmon away did not appeal. But just eating the filet itself kind of freaked me out. So I decided to just bake it up and figure it out later.
Then I got a brainwave about a salmon and potato hash, since I also had a bunch of red potatoes to use up. After looking up a bunch of recipes nothing struck my fancy, so I just made it up.
And this has become a new fave, a hearty and healthy lunch option that makes great leftovers and is the perfect way to use up leftover salmon.
The recipe is super flexible, so you can add other veggies or adjust the seasonings based on your mood. Just don’t add anything too wet (like fresh zucchini or squash)…it’s meant to be dry and get kind of caramelized.
You’ll actually notice through this recipe that I alternate between two sets of photos. I’ve made this a few times, and once I added in some roasted butternut squash that was just sitting around. Don’t let it confuse you!
To really level it up, serve with some fresh salty feta, goat cheese, or capers, or top with poached or basted eggs. READ THE POST
Winter Grain & Roasted Vegetable Salad With Balsamic Dressing
It’s happened. I found a salad recipe I love. True, it’s packed with roasted vegetables and hearty grains in addition to the baby kale…
But still, I absolutely love this recipe, and for a person who’s not really into salad, that is saying something!
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s CRAZY adaptable, takes very little hands-on time, and you can use store-bought ingredients to make things simpler. I used pre-cooked beets (I still went ahead and roasted them after), and a clamshell of baby kale which is tender and doesn’t need shredded.
This roasted vegetable salad is also a great dumping ground for other leftovers…I’ve tossed in roasted veggies, grilled chicken, and anything else that caught my fancy. It made a great make-ahead lunch for taking to work all week, and I actually *looked forward* to pulling it out of the fridge.
Besides swapping out the wild rice for a hearty grain like barley, and I played with the dressing proportions quite a bit…in particular, I decreased the olive oil so it makes less dressing but the flavor is stronger—so you need less and cut the calories down a little.
Because I use baby kale and it’s more tender, this works okay, and you can add the dressing ahead of time without everything getting too soggy. It packs a punch!
Quick Healthy Thai Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl
Sometimes a self-directed health guilt trip and a slapdash new recipe can actually work out for once. My track record lately on poorly-thought-out and super rushed recipe trials has been…not great. Due to tons of travel lately (and not a little bit of stress and convenience-based choices), I’m feeling less than spry and as soon as I got back from a week at the wineries of Sonoma I really felt the need to LOCK IT DOWN.
I really needed to actually eat a decent healthy lunch last week, and this thai chicken with cauliflower rice happened to catch my eye. I actually threw it together in just a few minutes *while* making my dinner for that night, and to my surprise it was totally awesome! Easy, delicious, and fast.
And best of all, it made amazeball leftovers. Like, leftovers I actually looked forward to warming up at work. I made a few tweaks to the recipe, both playing with the ingredients in the sauce slightly as well as combining a few steps to make it even easier.
Roasted Vegetable Barley Salad With Lemon Tahini Dressing
It’s rare that I find a recipe that not only makes amazing leftovers, but makes *enough* of them that it’s worth all the work. And that I can actually talk myself into still choosing over the cafeteria’s amazing chicken tenders on days 2, 3, 4…
This is one of those recipes.
This grain and roasted vegetable salad is a total recipe unicorn—easy, versatile, and just as good hot, lukewarm, or cold. It can be meat-y, vegetarian, or vegan. Basically, YOU DO YOU.
Also, this lemon tahini dressing is sooooo good! It really pulls everything together, with depth and tanginess but doesn’t just overwhelm you. Honestly you should put this dressing on everything!
The only downside of this recipe is that actually getting that many vegetables roasted or grilled (and prepping them, honestly) can take a bit of time.
However, what I usually do is pace it over the course of an afternoon, since the veggies don’t need to be piping hot fresh. And I’ll do a combination of grilling and roasting so I don’t have my oven on forever. I love to absolutely pack this salad with veggies rather than have it be really grain-heavy, because HEALTH.
Almond Pavlova With Balsamic Berries & Whipped Cream
I feel a little like a superhero on this one. Like I’ve tackled something a proper baker would do with ease.
Or maybe I’ve just been watching too many Great British Bake-Off episodes…which is probably true anyway, but my point is that they are ALWAYS using meringue of some sort and getting all fancy, but it’s always felt like something a bit too complicated and fiddly for regular ol’ folks. However, I’m here to tell you that it’s amazing and delicious, and we all need to go out and make pavlovas RIGHT THIS SECOND!
See, I’ve never been a huge fan of meringues…like those hard little cookies that are like styrofoam? So this was a baking technique that I wasn’t quite rarin’ to try. But what I discovered was that there is a key difference between a meringue and a pavlova.
What makes a pavlova magical is that, after you’ve whipped the egg whites and added all the sugar, you add a tiny bit of vinegar and cornstarch. This is chemistry sorcery, and results in an amazing marshmallow-y center with the meringue’s crispy outside. As a bonus, this is naturally gluten-free, so can be a fancy but still easy dessert to make when you need something GF.
These are so versatile and can be topped with all sorts of things. You definitely want something sharp or tart to offset the intense sweetness, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with some more “out there” flavor combinations. But for this one, I went with one of my favorite combos of all time—almond and berry. Because I thought, “What can make this even better?? Easy: almond pavlova!” This is kind of like a posh strawberry shortcake, and you’ll be wow-ed by the lush, pillowy textures, the chewiness of the meringue, and the way all the flavors explode in your mouth.
