Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

Last week my son fell and knocked a tooth loose, so the doctor prescribed a soft food diet for a while. Not mushy, but just softer on the teeth.  That means that this week's menu plan is full of foods that are easy to eat, but still delicious. This week's recipes are internationally inspired, and full of incredible flavours. I hope you enjoy!







Monday: Thai Curry Vegetable Stir Fry over Rice Noodles 
(I used Summer Fresh's Thai Curry Sauce and poured it over a medley of mixed vegetables. cook the rice noodles separately and add them in at the end.)

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

This is a long weekend here in Canada, and I've been too busy supervising a sleepover and going strawberry picking to be too worried about my menu plan.  This week's menu plan is filled with simple meal ideas that don't take much effort to put together. 

Monday:  Tajaditas (Plantain Chips topped with Oil & Vinegar Coleslaw) & Mini Sweet Peppers Filled with Sautéed Ground Beef & Shredded Cheddar Cheese 












Tuesday: Stuffed Eggplant with Tomatoes
& Raisins with a Garden Salad  (RECIPE)













Wednesday:  Chicken & Vegetable Soup
(This one is easy: GF broth, leftover shredded rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies + some chopped celery. Salt & Pepper. Bring to boil. Done)










Thursday: Chicken Drumsticks & Thighs with Strawberry BBQ Sauce & Feta and Watermelon Salad  (Salad Recipe)
BBQ Sauce recipe to come this week!










Friday: Gnocchi in a Simple Tomato Sauce

Gluten Free Gnocchi in a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

This is quite honestly the simplest thing you will probably ever make, yet the flavour is incredible and the texture rivals any good cream sauce.  I use this sauce as a pasta sauce, but it could easily be used for chicken or even pork.  I used to make a really complicated sauce from scratch, with milk and gluten free flour and spices, but now I rarely bother.  This is just easier.  It is too much dairy for my son, so it's something I usually make for my husband and we serve our son some pasta with tomato sauce.

There is some discussion around whether blue cheeses are gluten free.  Some types were once made by molding on bread, but most are no longer produced this way.  Make sure the brand you purchase is indeed gluten free.

Ingredients
(Makes enough sauce for 2 packages of gnocchi, or one 450g bag of regular pasta.)

1 box Campbell's Stock First Cream Stock (Gluten Free, but always check labels)
1 piece (approx. 150-200 g) Gorgonzola cheese   ** I just buy a wedge at the local supermarket, and add until the sauce tastes the way I like.
2 pks. Gluten Free Gnocchi, or one 450g Bag GF Pasta


Directions

1- Pour Cream Stock into a sauce pot and heat over medium heat.
2- Cut Gorgonzola into cubes and add to pot a few cubes at a time, whisking until melted.  Taste after every few cheese cubes have melted, and stop adding when the desired flavour is achieved.  I  like mine strong, so I usually use the whole piece.
3- While the sauce is cooking, boil water for the pasta.  Drop in the gnocchi.  They only take about 2-3 minutes to cook.  When they float to the top, skim them out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them in a large bowl.  Do not rinse.
3- Pour sauce over cooked pasta and toss to coat.  Season if desired with some black pepper or chopped parsley.

This sauce looks and tastes decadent,  but is beyond simple to make. It's pretty much a non-recipe if I've ever seen one.  This is perfect for date night.

You're welcome.

Gluten Free Gnochhi

I'm often frustrated by the lack of gluten free pasta available in grocery stores.  There are usually only one or two varieties available, usually with the options of a spaghetti, a ravioli and a penne.  Sometimes some lasagna noodles. 

Then I went shopping at a store called Grande Cheese, and discovered that they carry a whole variety of gluten free pastas.  I discovered a brand imported from Italy called Dialdi, that makes some of the best pasta I've eaten.  It's a mixture of corn and rice, and the texture is almost identical to regular pasta.  Plus, it doesn't dry up and go hard when refrigerated like some brands, so you can actually have it for leftovers. 

I was there buying these this weekend when I saw something I've been looking for but haven't been able to find- Gluten Free Gnocchi!  Two kinds, one made with rice, and one with corn.  I bought both and can't wait to try them to see which I like better. 

Gnocchi is my favourite pasta, and we haven't had it since we went gluten free for my son.  I'll be making these with two different sauces, so if they taste good, I'll share the recipes here. 

I don't know if you can see the difference in colour between the rice and the corn pasta.  I'm curious to see the difference in taste and texture. 

Love having new options to choose from, let's hope the flavour measures up!