If you're cooking gluten free this Christmas, but stuck on what to make, then I have some suggestions for you.

 

Firstly, from the archives, last Christmas I put together two different menu suggestions.  One is a traditional Christmas roast, including turkey, stuffing, Brussels sprouts with caramelised garlic, pecan crusted sweet potato, mince pies and a luscious berry pavlova. The second menu is a more relaxed barbecue meal. It's still a festive meal with prawn skewers, rack of lamb, chargrilled zucchini wedges, plenty of salads and finished off with chocolate and champagne truffles.

 

Gluten Free Scallywag has a new Christmas magazine which you can download for free. It has some lovely recipes, including a couple of different roast dinners, plenty of side dishes and desserts.

If you have a gluten free friend or family member and want to make them a present this year, then last year I also put together a list of links and suggestions. You can find them here.

 

If you're going gluten free it can be easy to focus on all the foods you can't eat. However, while it might feel like getting rid of gluten also means getting rid of loads of different foods, the vast majority of ingredients out there are naturally gluten free. Meat, chicken, vegetables, fruit, legumes, eggs, milk, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices . . . all of them in their basic, unprocessed form are gluten free.

 

Rather than focus on the foods you can't eat, try to think about and be excited by all the foods you can eat. The myriad of flavours which are still available to you, even though you're doing without gluten.

 

To help you along, here are three recipes which are naturally gluten free. Three recipes which are also delicious, filling, tasty, interesting. Beautiful meals which anyone would be happy to eat, gluten free or not.

 

 

By using chickpea flour in her recipe, instead of the regular wheat flour, Scandi Foodie has created a gorg eous gluten free meal. I've made these pancakes and they are utterly delicious. Rather than serving them with jam for breakfast, I have them for dinner with a salad and some brown rice.

 

 

While it's billed as an Easter recipe, this roast lamb meal from Jamie Oliver works any time of the year. A garlic and mint flavoured olive oil is used to baste the lamb while it's roasting in the oven. The meal is served with potatoes, carrots, leeks and green beans. The only note of caution is with the chicken stock. These sometimes contain gluten, but gluten free versions are widely available.

 

 

Lovely salad in a bowl from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks, where quinoa is served with chickpeas, red onion, fresh coriander and a killer tahini dressing. Simple, beautiful food that is a meal in a bowl.

 

 

If you're contemplating going gluten free the idea can be daunting. However it is possible to eat beautiful, tasty, nutritious food and avoid gluten. While gluten is found in some dietary staples, most foods are naturally gluten free, meaning you actually have a vast array of flavours and textures to choose from.

 

If you're contemplating giving up gluten, here are my five tips:

 

 

Eating gluten free seems quite fashionable at the moment, however if you suspect a gluten problem see your doctor. Don't just assume and don't self diagnose. Get tested.

 

 

Gluten is a protein in the grains wheat, oats, rye, barley and triticale, which means gluten is found in foods made from these ingredients. 

 

 

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when starting out, but remember most foods are naturally gluten free: meat, fish, potatoes, milk, vegetables, lentils, cheese, fruit, rice, corn, yoghurt, chickpeas, eggs, olives, avocado, nuts – all of these are completely gluten free. Add to these the gluten free grains like quinoa, polenta, millet, buckwheat and amaranth and you have a lot to choose from.

 

 

When you first go gluten free keep it simple and focus on foods which are naturally gluten free. Whatever your taste buds, try to think up five different meals and stick to these for the first few weeks. It's too overwhelming to try and change everything at once.

 

 

To eat well and be healthy when gluten free you need information, but it also helps to have patience and a willingness to expand your food horizons. There are loads of on- and off-line resources which can help you. Do some googling and find trusted resources.  A good place to start is Coeliac New Zealand.

I’ve been thinking about Christmas gifts over the last few weeks. Most food gifts revolve around cakes, chocolate and sweets. Looking through Christmas magazines, they're full of bonbons, white Christmas, chocolate truffles, mini cupcakes, biscuit stacks, cake, cake, cake and cake. While it all looks beautiful and I'm not trying to be a kill-joy, I don't know many people who need more chocolate at this time of year. So I like my presents to be a bit different. Delicious food, that's a bit healthier.

Over the next few days I'm going to be blogging about healthier foods you can make for Christmas gifts.

 

 

With so many bland and blah mueslis out there, a bag of home made tasty, fruity and spicy muesli is a lovely gift to receive. I've made several versions in the past, including this nutty, spicy granola from Where's the Beef. I also like the look of their Toasted Tahini Granola.

Vincci at Ceci n'est pas un food blog has a wonderful spiced up Indian Infusion Granola, which is packed full of seeds, spices, nuts and dried fruit. She also has a recipe for Winter Spice Granola, with dried cranberries and apple.

There's a lovely dried-fruit-packed gluten free muesli at Green Kitchen Stories or The Food Coach has a slightly simpler version.

Or Delia Smith has a good natural muesli recipe.  You can make this as-is, or use the recipe as a base and tweak the fruit, add spices or chop through some nuts.