Gluten-Free Immune Boosting Recipes:

Inspired from www.glutenfreegirl.com

QUICK CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP, serves one, over the course of a long day of sniffling

  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, cut in half lengthwise, then chopped
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 chicken breast, already cooked, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free noodles

Heat a saucepan, then add the olive oil. Sautée the carrot, celery stalks, onion, and garlic together, on medium heat. Stir occasionally, making sure they do not burn. When the vegetables start to smell warm and autumnal, and the onion has become translucent, add the rosemary to the mix. Stir and let the flavors mingle.

Add the chicken stock and bring the heat to medium-high. Let the stock and vegetables simmer and dance, until the stock has come to a gentle boil. Let it continue to boil for about ten minutes, to roll the flavors in.

Add the cooked chicken to the pan and let the soup cook for another five minutes or so. At the end, add the gluten-free noodles.  Beware: don’t put too many in. It’s tempting to think you will need more and more, but you won’t. They puff up and soak up all the liquid, and then you are left with noodles and a few tablespoons of liquid.  Check for a soft bite on the noodles, after about five minutes. Add your favorite salt to the soup, stir, and serve.

BABY BOK CHOY, PUMPKIN SEED OIL, AND GOAT CHEESE

  • 4 baby bok choy
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
  • 1 teaspoon wheat-free tamari
  • a pinch of ginger
  • a pinch of anise seeds
  • a sliver of good, soft goat cheese

Cut the ends off the baby bok choy, then wash them gently. Pat dry the leaves, then stack them up on top of each other. Slice up the stalks and separate from the rest. Then, roll up the green leaves of the bok choy and cut them in a chiffonade.

In a good skillet or wok, on medium heat, pour in the pumpkin seed oil. When it has heated, add the stalks of the baby bok choy. After sauteeing for a moment, add the wheat-free tamari — no more than a small splash.  Add the pinch of ginger and the anise seeds. Sautee until the stalks have grown a bit tender, perhaps 3 minutes.

Throw in the chiffonade slivers of green leaves. Sautee for one minute. When the leaves have grown even more green, add in dabs of goat cheese throughout the skillet. Stir until it starts to melt a bit, which will happen almost immediately. Take the skillet off the heat and serve it that moment.

ROASTED VEGETABLE AND BROWN RICE SALAD: serves 4

Roast vegetables (the ones in season taste best)
Cook up some brown rice (or quinoa or millet)
Toss them together and add yummy ingredients that are in the refrigerator
Make a vinaigrette with some kind of vinegar or other acid and another oil

Eat.

  • 4 large carrots, cut into four pieces
  • 1 fennel bulb, sliced thick
  • 8 pieces asparagus, woody stems removed
  • 8 pieces lacinato kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
  • Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella
  • ½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • a pinch kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparing to roast the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 375°. Pull out a baking sheet.

Roasting the vegetables. Put the carrots, fennel, and asparagus onto the baking sheet. Toss them with the oil and salt and pepper. Roll them around on the baking sheet until they are coated with the oil. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast the vegetables until they are browned on the bottom and softened, about 20 minutes. Throw in the kale pieces and toss the vegetables on the sheet again. Roast until the kale is a bit wilted, about 3 minutes.

Preparing the salad. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and pile them on a cutting board. Chop them, roughly, until they are relatively bite sized. Toss them with the brown rice, the mozzarella, and the kalamata olives.

Making the vinaigrette. Grab a small jar with a lid. Pour in the lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper. Shake the jar. Add the oil. Shake the jar. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust the ingredients if necessary. Pour over the salad immediately. Toss and serve.

Thinking of this as a template, rather than a strict recipe, will inspire you to make it again and again. If you want it to be a main dish, you could add roasted tofu or chicken to it. If you decide to do this during the summer, you could roast tomatoes and eggplants, zucchini and squash. Try roasting the vegetables in coconut oil or walnut oil. You could use sherry vinegar or lime riesling oil for the vinaigrette. Throw in some sunflower seeds or toasted walnuts.

Really, you can’t go wrong. This is a satisfying salad that takes little time and feeds you with healthy foods, pretty inexpensively. Even if you are using organic vegetables.