People with food intolerances typically struggle with cooking well-balanced meals every day. If you are part of this group, you may know that this situation makes you constantly be looking for suitable ingredients to prepare your daily dishes.
Certainly you surely had to become a food expert to choose the right components of each meal. Occasionally, you may feel excluded since you think you are missing the most delicious flavors in the world, especially when eating at restaurants.
Most food places do not have specialties created with food intolerances in mind, and people with any of these conditions end up choosing something from the menu, which is usually less tasty or less nutritious. Let alone the concern about cross-contamination that may happen in those places.
If you are dealing with this issue, you do not have to worry. Just do a little research on food constituents and substitutes. Then, you can cook delicious meals comparable to those served in restaurants.
Gluten-free ingredients
The most common food intolerances are related to wheat, dairy, caffeine, salicylates, amines, FODMAP, sulfites, fructose, and gluten. The symptoms of these intolerances vary from diarrhea and rashes to headache, abdominal pain, and a runny nose.
Food intolerances are not life-threatening, but they are a major problem when you are trying to cook nutritious and complete dishes. It limits your food options and can trigger some health issues. Fortunately, the solution to this condition is based on designed diets.
The idea is to plan all your meals using the proper ingredients and avoid those which cause problems. For example, if you suffer from coeliac disease, you cannot eat bread, pasta, cereals, beer, baked goods, crackers, sauces, dressing, and gravies.
Instead, you can consume gluten-free groups like fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, fish, seafood, dairy, beans, legumes, nuts, and grains. Looking at these broad food ingredients, your spectrum of cooking options is widely open.
For example, the grains and legumes group offers you creative ways of cooking. Gluten-free grains include peas, lentils, beans, kidney beans, oat, amaranth, corn, and rice.
Imagine all the delicious dishes you can prepare with these gluten-free components. But if you are still thinking of restaurant dishes, and all the missing flavors, find out that there are gluten-free versions of all meals.
International gluten-free recipes
You go to a restaurant to eat your favorite meal and try some international preparations. Due to gluten intolerance, this option is less and less frequent. However, you will be surprised by knowing that there are international cuisines that are coeliac friendly.
Mexican cuisine has plenty of different preparations to offer. Most of their dishes contain rice, beans, proteins, herbs, and spices, which happen to be gluten-free. So, you can easily go to any Mexican restaurant, or even better: try to make them at home.
You will discover that countless Mexican rice recipes are equally delicious as the ones served in restaurants. Next, you’ll learn how to prepare a couple of them:
Mexican one-pot rice (4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 diced onion.
- 2 diced peppers.
- 2 minced cloves of garlic.
- 1 teaspoon of paprika.
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- 1 teaspoon of cumin.
- 1 cup of basmati rice.
- 2 cups of vegetable broth.
- ½ cup of water.
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
- 1 can of black beans.
- 1 can of sweet corn.
- 3.5 oz (100 grams) of cheddar cheese.
- 1.8 oz (50 grams) of red jalapeños.
- 1 avocado.
- Fresh coriander for garnish.
- Olive oil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- In a frying pan, pour olive oil, add onion and peppers. Cook at medium-low heat until softened.
- Incorporate garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and stir very well.
- Add basmati rice, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Combine very well.
- Cook until boiling, and then cover the frying pan.
- When rice is almost ready, incorporate black beans, sweet corn, and water.
- Sprinkle cheese all over the rice and grill for about 5 minutes.
- Serve with avocado slices and coriander on the top.
Easy Mexican side dish rice (4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of long-grain white rice.
- 2 cups of chicken broth.
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- ½ cup of tomato sauce.
- ½ teaspoon of cumin.
- Salt.
Preparation:
- Rinse rice until water flows clear.
- In a saucepan, pour vegetable oil and cook at medium heat.
- Add rice and cook until it is slightly browned.
- Incorporate salt, cumin, and garlic powder.
- Pour tomato sauce and chicken broth. Cook until boiling.
- Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve with chicken and green salad.
