Category: Gluten-Free Cooking

Condiments Beyond Mustard

Last week, I confessed my love for mustard. But you know the old saying: woman cannot live on mustard alone. Thankfully, there are many other condiments — gluten-free condiments! — that are ready, willing, and able to serve as you prepare delicious meals.

Because my weeknight dinners are always quick meals, a stash of condiments helps me add flavor, create sauces, and fix mistakes quickly. Even if dinner is just a plain chicken breast or piece of fish, the right condiment can turn ordinary meals into something delicious in mere moments. Continue reading “Condiments Beyond Mustard”

On Mustard

I am going to introduce a controversial topic here: my favorite condiment.

I won’t keep you guessing. I love mustard beyond all reason. My refrigerator is an embarrassment of mustard styles. Except honey mustard. I don’t understand the concept of honey mustard. Heck, I’m teetering on the edge of making my own mustard (someone, anyone, push me!).

For the record, I am not a ketchup fan. I wouldn’t even have the stuff in my house if it weren’t for the sake of maintaining a happy marriage. Someone I married a dude who reflexively ketchups just about potato item he sees. To each his own, I suppose.

In addition to the tangy heat mustard naturally has, it’s a low-calorie condiment. Unlike, oh mayo, a condiment I’ve been learning to love in moderation. And, of course, unless things have gone horribly wrong, mustard is gluten free, making it something you can trust in your kitchen.

Here are some ideas for incorporating mustard into your cooking repertoire (though I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that one of my favorite party dishes is sausage with a mustard dip):

  • Barbecue Sauce: Yeah, I love my mustard in barbecue sauces. I’m not alone. Use this sauce on everything. Literally. Everything.
  • Braised Dishes: I love to braise chicken in a mustard sauce. Even more than enjoying the sauce with that night’s dinner, I love having leftover sauce for lunches. This is a perfect comfort food dish. Serve the chicken over rice, potatoes, or quinoa.
  • Cream Sauces: The chicken dish above is essentially a cream sauce, but what about other cream(y) sauces? Like, oh, this delicious sounding egg dish with mustard-creamed spinach. Skip the breadcrumb topping unless you have gluten-free crumbs handy (I keep the ends from Udi’s loaves in freezer to make breadcrumbs on the fly).
  • Marinade: Dry mustard, Dijon, or even a traditional yellow mustard are perfect additions to marinades. Pork, fish, and chicken are perfect candidates for mustard-based marinades. I’ve even made lamb chops this way.
  • Mashed Potatoes: Oh yeah! Is there a reason why you shouldn’t add mustard to your mashed potatoes? No, not a single one.
  • Meat Rub or Glaze: Of course, you know the fun of including dry mustard in your spice rubs. But what I love is using it as a coating for pork chops or salmon. If you’re breading your pork chops, incorporate the mustard into base layer.
  • Potato Salad: My favorite potato salad features a tangy mustard-based vinaigrette instead of a creamy mayonnaise dressing (you could add a bit of mayo or Greek yogurt if you like that creaminess). The warm potatoes absorb lots of flavor from the vinaigrette, so be sure to reserve some for tossing with the potatoes right before serving. Needless to say, a grainy Dijon is perfect here!
  • Stews: I add mustard to crockpot dishes like braised beef or pork. Again, the tanginess enhances flavors. When I make a beef stew, mustard is one of my secret ingredients.
  • Veggie Flavor Enhancer: Mustard can be used in many ways to amp up the flavor of vegetables. It’s great with Brussels sprouts, and, confession, I’d probably mix up my own honey mustard for roasted Brussels sprouts. Or, if I weren’t in a sweet mood, this recipe from Michael Symon would do the trick.

What are your favorite ways to use mustard? Tell me!

Tip of the Week

Mustard, due to the vinegar used to make it, lasts a good long time (well, beyond the “enjoy by” date given by manufacturers). You can store an unopened container in your pantry for about a year. Store opened containers in the refrigerator for about a year. Do not use mustard where the liquid has significantly separated from the other ingredients or mustard, gone dark, and/or that smells “off”.

Menu of the Week

Of course, this week’s menu features lots of mustard! The chicken in the Dijon sauce is a favorite of mine — you can customize the dish for any style of chicken you like. It also makes incredible leftovers. Spoon a bit of the sauce over rice and make your mouth happy!

The addition of mustard to the creamed spinach amps up the flavor — bitter greens are greatly enhanced with a bit of mustard. I prefer to use coconut milk instead of the traditional cream because I like the subtle sweetness it brings to a dish.

  • Chicken with Dijon Sauce
  • Mustard-Coconut Milk Creamed Spinach
  • Rice or Potatoes for Absorbing Extra Sauce

Making Mashed Potatoes Even Better!

It’s probably no secret that I am a carb eater. Rice, potatoes, and, in the old days, sourdough bread were always the stars of my eating repertoire. While things have changed in my world, they haven’t changed that much. I still believe potatoes are one of nature’s (gluten-free) perfect foods.

And in my pantheon of potato dishes, I rank mashed potatoes at the top. Not only are they delicious, but they also remind me of my grandmother, an amazing cook. Even my mother, a dedicated non-cook, makes great mashed potatoes. It’s clearly a family tradition! Continue reading “Making Mashed Potatoes Even Better!”

Bringing It All Back Home: Chicken Chile Verde

One of the things I love about gluten-free eating is the variety of foods I’ve discovered by exploring the foods of various cultures around the world. While a GF diet can be challenging, I think it also encourages me to explore foods more broadly than I once did.

Of course, sometimes that exploration takes me right back home. As a native of California, I have Mexican food in my blood. When my husband and I travel, the first food we crave is Mexican (and those cravings have lead to some very, very interesting meals in various countries of the world). Generally, our first meal at home comes in the form of tacos. Continue reading “Bringing It All Back Home: Chicken Chile Verde”

Using Rotisserie Chicken for Fast Gluten-Free Meals

Yesterday, I did a half marathon, leading to the inevitable questions about my sanity. These remain unanswered. Still, I finished with my best time ever. Sure, it was a mere thirty seconds faster than my previous best time ever, but it’s the little victories, right? After the race, I gorged on french fries and a burger (sans bun, but I was all about the meat anyway). Today…

My muscles are a bit tired, my left hip is suggesting a trip to the spa, and my mind is saying it’s time to resume healthy eating. Last week’s carbo loading may have started a bit early, if you know what I mean. Continue reading “Using Rotisserie Chicken for Fast Gluten-Free Meals”

Variations on Gluten-Free Fried Rice

In my city, the only restaurant that offers gluten-free fried rice is P.F. Chang’s, and I order it every time I eat there. Unfortunately, I cannot always count on this when the craving hits, and, you know, making fried rice is the work of minutes if you have cold, leftover rice in your fridge.

And that is the key: cold, leftover rice, or “overnight rice”, a description I read that charms me to this day. Warm rice is too wet to fry up properly. Leftover rice, after a night or so in the refrigerator, is drier. It hits the wok with a sizzle and fries perfectly. Continue reading “Variations on Gluten-Free Fried Rice”

(Mostly) Easy Gluten-Free Cookies

(Updated 1/19/2015)

A friend of mine toured the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free facilities and was so enthusiastic about what she learned, she bought a very large bag of Bob’s gluten-free all-purpose flour. For the record, my friend is not gluten free. Some marketing messages are very powerful.

She went home and baked up a batch of chocolate chip cookies using her own tried-and-true recipe. Needless to say, the cookies were not good (her description of her family’s reaction is much more colorful!). She had to dump the whole batch. On the plus side, I was the grateful recipient of the rest of the bag of gluten-free flour. Continue reading “(Mostly) Easy Gluten-Free Cookies”