It’s been a while!
Fall may not seem like a time of new beginnings, but being a teacher alters my perspective. So here I am trying to get back into sharing hacks to lead a gluten-free life!
This hack has changed a bit since I planned to write this. That is one of the things about eating gluten-free. Your favorites are constantly changing as more products hit the market and others are no longer available. Some disclaimers- this is my current list for today and as of the writing of this the items are gluten-free. I’m sure it could be different tomorrow. 😉 Secondly, this list is based on my opinions. I haven’t been given any items to review or been paid for my endorsement. Lastly, I am only reviewing items I have local access to. I would love to hear about your top 5 gluten-free comfort foods where you live!
Number 5 applies to my whole family. We love a spaghetti dinner! If we can’t make it to Olive Garden for a delicious salad and gluten-free rigatoni then we make it at home. My favorite gluten-free noodles, Barilla, are a crowd favorite! My gluten eating family members enjoy these too. They cook up very similarly to gluten noodles. Some of the noodles I used in the past were very dense or fell apart quickly. Barilla has a great flavor and has the perfect bite when cooked al dente. We also pair it with Prego sauce and some browned, ground beef or ground turkey. (Often a mix of the two.)
To go along with our spaghetti dinner we come to number 4- gluten-free breadsticks. Something we make for many occasions but really shine with a pasta dish! I got the recipe for these from one of my favorite gluten-free cookbooks; “The Gluten-free Kitchen” by Roben Ryberg. Like most of her recipes if you follow her instructions you come away with a really great product! These are light and fluffy and an easy addition.
Number 3- Annie’s Gluten-free macaroni and cheese! We love this as a side or mix in a protein and vegetable and make it the meal. We get consistent results and have figured out that cooking for 12 minutes is just the right amount of firmness for our family. It’s something we make sure is well stocked in our kitchen year round!
Number 2- chicken strips! There is a great restaurant in our area, Hot Mamas, that has gluten free chicken strips, fish & chips, and onion rings!! This place came highly recommended from some friends of ours, and it does bit disappoint! When we can’t get to the restaurant for this delicious treat I use the frozen Perdue chicken strips. Or I make it from scratch using our “magic chicken strip” recipe. Having been gluten-free this long it is so amazing to go enjoy chicken strips with the family at a restaurant!
Ok so I am having the worst time narrowing down the top comfort food item.. so I’m cheating and going to call it a tie. ☺️
Tied for the number one comfort food item in our house- “sinfully Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls” and chocolate chip cookies! If you’ve read our cookbook, “150+ Gluten-free Family Favorites”, you know that cinnamon rolls are an important part of how we celebrate around here. Recently I’ve discovered something that kicks it up a notch is to double the amount of cinnamon and/or use Pampered Chef cinnamon! I love how deep and warm the flavor becomes when I’ve done that! Give it a try- you’ll love it! When I don’t have time to make a batch of cinnamon rolls we love getting some from our local gluten-free bakery, Elegant Elephant!
And for the tie- chocolate chip cookies. I have another post about how long I’ve worked to make a great chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was trying so hard to make it one of the recipes in the cookbook, but the results were too inconsistent. Now a few years later I may have figured it out! It’s in our final trial around here which means making it often until my taste testers are satisfied! 😂 Needless to say it’s often requested!
Ok, I’d say that rounds out my top 5(+) gluten-free comfort foods to date! I’m curious what gluten-free comfort foods do you and your family gravitate towards? Please leave a comment below!
Gluten Free Life Hacks 