When preparing your weekly menu in the midst of back-to-school season, planning and creativity go a long way. To help, here are some clever (and tasty!) gluten-free substitutes that make creating a variety of delicious and nutritious meals a breeze. Use these ideas as a jumping-off point to get your family through this busy time of year, and beyond.
Swap croutons for nuts.
If you’ve recently switched to a gluten-free lifestyle, you may miss the satisfying crunch croutons added to your salads. Of course, you could make your own croutons using gluten-free bread – but an even easier option is to sprinkle a few nuts for extra taste and texture.
Try polenta.
A wonderful starch that can stand in for pasta or couscous, polenta provides a delicious base for so many meals. It can be served soft and topped with sauce, veggies or protein – or cut into squares to be grilled or sautéed. Its versatility is pretty amazing. What’s more, when you use ready-made polenta like our Ancient Harvest varieties, your dinnertime prep becomes as quick and easy as can be.
Embrace quinoa.
Easy to make and adapt, quinoa is the ultimate gluten-free side dish. It can be used to replace pasta, couscous – you name it. Browse our delicious, organic varieties – and check out our step-by-step guide for how to properly cook quinoa.
Coat with crushed flax or gluten-free fiber cereal.
Have a recipe that calls for breadcrumbs, and you don’t know what to use? Replace those traditional gluten-laden crumbs with crushed flax or your gluten-free fiber cereal of choice. Our Ancient Harvest 100% Whole Grain Hot Cereal Flakes are a great substitute, to be used in everything from meatloaf to eggplant parmesan.
Make “pasta” out of veggies.
With a vegetable peeler and a bit of patience, it’s easy to turn a zucchini or carrot into fettuccini-style ribbons. Alternatively, you could try spaghetti squash (The Kitchn has a great how-to) or simply swap out your pasta for a bed of hearty greens (you’d be surprised at how well wilted kale stands up to a chunky sauce.) Of course, for those times when you just want the taste and texture of traditional pasta, our Ancient Harvest Supergrain Pastas® should do the trick. We’ve got penne, rotelle, linguine – even mac & cheese!
