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Nutritious meals for wheat-free vegetarians

by Terry Farris

question
I'm looking for some nutritious wheat-free meals. I don't eat red meat, and avoid dairy products as much as possible. Can you help?

answer

Wheat-free (and gluten-free) meals are not as hard to prepare as you may think. A very good friend of mine, also a professional cook, has a private client she does custom meals for. This person is also on a wheat-, dairy- and meat-free diet. Here's a typical meal she prepares today:

  • Puy Lentil Salad with Rocket, Anchovies and Caperberries with a light Vinaigrette Dressing
  • Vegetable Soup (with organic seasonal veg)
  • Grilled Swordfish with Marinated Cucumber and Dill Salsa
  • Fresh Fruit Salad

Think of using more rice and potatoes, beans and various grains such as buckwheat, quinoa and barley. And you needn't cut out bread - most large supermarkets and certainly health-food shops sell gluten-free bread made with rye, buckwheat and various other grains.

You can also buy wheat-free pastas. Have you ever made a roasted Mediterranean vegetable bolognaise? Polenta is also gluten-free. How about a seafood risotto? Use extra virgin olive oil drizzled over freshly steamed vegetables instead of butter. My friend also suggests buying seasonal, organic produce whenever you can because it tastes better and doesn't need tarting up.

There are a number of books available. The Sensitive Gourmet by Antoinette Savill comes highly recommended, and you could also try visiting the bookshop Books for Cooks (or if you don't live in London, try phoning for a mailing list on 020 7221 1992). They are particularly good, but any decent book store with a cooking section will let you browse, pick and choose what suits your taste.

You can also find dozens of suitable recipes (aimed at people with coeliac disease) at www.celiac.com and information for coeliacs in the UK on www.coeliac.co.uk

Good luck

Terry Farris, The Cooking Coach

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