One key to eating healthy, gluten-free is: STAY AWAY from prepared foods. They are high in calories and are not the best for your health or your waist-line. The experienced gluten-free cook makes almost everything from scratch. I do buy Udi's Breads because they are superior in taste to the breadmaker gluten-free variety. They are also lighter and have less calories.
And Duke's Mayonnaise is great in a pinch ;)
I also buy prepared pie shells from Whole Foods. They have figured out the "science" behind a good crust. No other manufacturer can touch their quality. I've tried the boxed, gluten-free kinds at home, and they failed. So go with Whole Foods.
Now let's start with pantry essentials:
Canned Diced or Whole Tomatoes -- The only canned vegetable/fruit I have in the pantry is canned tomatoes. These can be used to cook spaghetti sauce, okra and zucchini dishes, beans, soups, etc. Tomatoes are the basis of a number of good family dishes, and I find myself reaching for them time and time again. My favorite brands are Muir Glen and Pomi; both are gluten-free and organic. Along these lines, I also have plenty of tomato paste and tomato sauce on hand. I use these primarily as a base for my Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce and to top/bind together meatloaf.
Fresh Fruits and Fresh Vegetables -- As many of you know, I have farm-fresh fruit, veggies and meats delivered weekly from a local consortium of farmers and ranchers. I base my weekly meals on the goodies that are in my bin every Friday. I don't ever buy canned fruits or veggies -- eating whole foods is KEY to living gluten free. And it's a whole lot healthier (and much, much lower in sodium) than canned counterparts. I always have onions (love the sweet 1015s), broccoli, squash (winter and summer), green beans, asparagus (in season), carrots, celery, romaine or green leaf lettuce, green onions (use the green ends for chives), strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, raspberries, pears, apples, lemons, oranges, limes and sometimes kiwis. This is just a sampling -- I usually go with what's in season.
Fresh Potatoes -- I would rather die than eat potatoes out of a box. Always, always, always have a few russets, yukons or new potatoes on hand for oven-fried or mashed potatoes. I also have delicious organic garnet yams from Central Market. I am a southerner and I love my sweet potatoes (yams). I use them for baking, mashing or incorporating into a pie.
Pam's Other Essentials:
- Lowfat milk (1% or 2%)
- Whipping cream
- Sour Cream
- Lowfat Greek Yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Butter (Salted and Unsalted -- the latter is best used when using for cooking)
- Cream Cheese (spreadable and in the blocks)
- Cheddar Cheese (Extra Sharp) in a block -- I like to freshly grate it
- Bleu Cheese crumbled
- Feta Cheese crumbled
- Mozzarella string cheese
- About 7 different kinds of mustard
- High-Fructose-Free Ketchup (made by H-E-B)
- Duke's Mayonnaise (the only mayo to use if not making homemade)
- Assorted Fruit Preserves
- Pacific Free Range Organic Chicken Broth
- Udi's GF Bagels
- Udi's GF White Bread
- Udi's GF Multi-Grain Bread
- Minute Maid Orange Juice
- Gluten-Free Spaghetti or Linguine (Dried)
- Imperial Pure Cane Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Domino Confectioner Sugar
- Pecans (Texas is famous for its pecans!)
- Coconut milk (I make a lot of Indian dishes and coconut cakes!)
- Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Oatmeal (GF)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
- Joe T. Garcia's salsa mild and medium
- Milagro Corn Tortillas (available at HEB, Central Market)
- Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix (the best)
- Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- White Jasmine Rice
- Brown Basmati Rice & Brown Short-Grain Rice
- Mango Chutney
- Baker's Sweetened Coconut
- Maple Syrup
- Karo Light Corn Syrup (for candy-making)
- Karo Dark Corn Syrup (for pecan pies)
- Milagro Tortilla Chips (all God's children gotta have a snack!)
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Xanthan Gum (essential to GF baking)
- Guar Gum (" " ")
- Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour
- " " Tapioca Starch
- " " Potato Starch
- Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Corn Grits
- Bob's Red Mill GF Stone Ground Cornmeal
- Sea Salk Coarse and Finely Ground
- Black Pepper in Grinder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Pimentos
- Horseradish in a jar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
- Tabasco Sauce
- Cajun Pepper Sauce
This is a good start. And I'll be sure to include recipes in the future that include these pantry essentials. I didn't include spices in this list. I will in an upcoming post.
Because I love to make cakes for my family, I always have my flour mixture on hand. I'll write about this in a future installment and include my amazing recipe for coconut cake!
Happy cooking!
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