First published in 2010 by
Healthy Life Media Ltd
Unit 21A, 152 Beaumont Street,
Westhaven, Auckland 2010
New Zealand
ISSN 1178-1831 (Volume 3)
Editor Niki Bezzant
Sub-editor Gertrud Wagner
Nutritionist Rose Carr, MSc
Art Director Jennie Parker
Designer Kirsty Donovan
Advertising Manager Melissa Massey
Director Kim Mundell
Managing Director Phil Ryan
Contributing food writers
Wendy Berecry, Niki Bezzant,
Jackie Charles, Rowie Dillon,
Dixie Elliott, Chrissy Freer, Sophie Gray,
Rebecca Heslop, Bronwen King,
Amanda Lennon, Liz Macri, Lois McLeay,
Jennie Milsom, Sally Parker, Louise Pickford,
Georgia Rickard, Sarah Swain, Sally Travis,
Meri Westlake, Sarah White
Food stylists
Wendy Berecry, Jane Collins, Chrissy Freer,
Saskia Hay, Trish Heagerty, Jennie Milsom,
Louise Pickford, Sarah Swain, Sally Travis
Photography
Melanie Jenkins, André Martin,
Cath Muscat, Carolyn Robertson,
Ian Wallace, Joanna Wickham,
Vanessa Wu
© Healthy Life Media Ltd
This book is copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, except for the purposes of brief reviews, without the written permission of the publisher.
No liability is accepted by Healthy Life Media Limited, the publisher, nor the authors for any information contained herein. All endeavours are made to ensure accuracy and veracity of all content and advice herein but neither Healthy Food Guide nor its publisher is responsible for damage or harm, of whatever description, resulting from persons undertaking any advice or consuming any product or food mentioned in Healthy Food Guide, this book or its website. Any person with health issues or medical concerns should first take advice from a health professional.
www.healthyfood.co.nz
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Lisa O’Neill and
Coeliac New Zealand for their assistance
in checking the recipes in this book.
Front cover: HFG orange and almond cake, page 112; Roasted garlic vegetable mash, page 109; Crushed butter beans and peas with salmon, page 41; Perfect pesto capsicums, page 10; Sumac lamb with corn and chickpea salad, page 70; Gluten-free fruit bread, page 110.
The pleasure in cooking and eating can disappear very quickly if you are diagnosed with an allergy or intolerance to a substance (found in food) such as gluten. It can be disorienting and confusing for everyone involved.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Living gluten-free can be dealt with positively and easily, especially when you have great recipes on hand.
This recipe collection brings together our favourite gluten-free recipes from the pages of Healthy Food Guide magazine. The recipes are simple, use readily-available ingredients, and they meet our strict nutrition criteria so you know you’re also getting healthy meals full of nutrients. And, most importantly, the food is delicious! Gluten-free doesn’t have to mean taste-free!
We hope you enjoy our selection. You can find more delicious, healthy, gluten-free recipes in Healthy Food Guide magazine and online: www.healthyfood.co.nz.
NOTE All recipes in this book have been triple-checked by gluten-free ingredient experts in the process of compiling this recipe collection. We are confident that all recipes are correct and gluten-free as printed. However, please be aware that ingredient formulations change from time to time, so it pays to be careful and double-check when using packaged ingredients.
Being healthy is about enjoying a wide variety of delicious food, every day. The recipes in this cookbook make it easy for you to eat well. Use these guidelines to choose which recipes are right for you.
When preparing meals for yourself, family or friends, use the ‘ideal plate’ as a guide for food proportions.
Your ideal healthy meal is about one-quarter carbohydrate, one-quarter protein, with the remaining half vegetables (excluding starchy vegetables - which are included in the carbohydrate portion).
It doesn’t always have to be the standard ‘meat and three veg’ scenario you may be familiar with. A pasta salad, for example, could easily have the nutritional balance within it: one-quarter (of the volume) is cooked pasta, one-quarter cooked chicken, and the remaining half diced vegetables such as capsicums, cucumber and tomatoes. The amount of food you need each day will depend on your age, size, gender and how much physical activity you do at work or play. (See ‘how much do I need to eat?’) But the proportions of different types of foods you need will more or less be the same.
• high carbohydrate vegetables: potato, kumara, sweet corn, yams, taro
• breads and cereals: rice, gluten-free pasta, gluten-free bread, gluten-free tacos, gluten-free tortillas
• meat and fish
• milk and dairy products
• eggs: five to six eggs each week is fine but if you have high cholesterol, the advice is to limit it to three
• legumes: dried peas and beans such as chickpeas, red kidney beans, lentils and other legumes are reasonably high in carbohydrate but they are also high in protein so they are usually included in this food group.
• tofu
• nuts and seeds: these are also very high in fat, but mostly good fats which we need
Exclude high-carbohydrate vegetables when thinking of your half plate. Bulk up on low-kilojoule (but still nutrient-rich) vegetables such as:
• asparagus, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, courgettes, cucumber, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, silver beet, tomatoes and turnips - to name a few!
The amount of energy you need each day to maintain your weight depends on your age, gender, height, weight and physical activity level. Your weight history can also influence your daily requirements. The information in this table is for ‘average’ adults, so may need to be adjusted.
• If you are older, you will need to reduce your kilojoule intake by about 500kJ (women) and 1200kJ (men) - depending on how active you are.
• If you are younger, men will need about 800kJ more, and women will need around the same number of kilojoules as for 31 to 50-year-old women.
Female |
Activity |
kJ per day |
Height: 1.6m |
Sedentary |
7600 |
Age: 31-50 |
||
Weight: 60kg |
Moderate |
9800 |
Male |
Activity |
kJ per day |
Height: 1.9m Age: 31-50 Weight: 80kg |
Sedentary |
10,400 |
Moderate |
13,400 |
Sedentary - seated work with little or no strenuous leisure activity.
Moderate activity - standing or walking work or sedentary work with regular exercise of at least 30 minutes.
Note Individual needs vary so use this as a general guide only. If you want help to interpret and apply this information, consult a dietitian or nutritionist for personalised advice and guidance.
A nutrition information panel (above) shows the analysis of the nutrition in each recipe. Listed below are our guidelines for approximate recommended intakes for an average adult based on an 8700kJ day. Individual requirements will vary.
PER SERVE Always note the recommended serving size. If the recipe is analysed for six serves, but you divide the recipe among four, you are getting half as much again. When reading nutrition information on food packaging, check how many serves they claim. Sometimes it it is realistic, other times it’s not.
ENERGY Needs vary depending on your height, weight, gender and activity levels. (See ‘how much do I need to eat’ for guidelines.)
PROTEIN A minimum of 15 per cent energy from protein is recommended. This equates to 78g in an 8700kJ day.
FAT 20 to 35 per cent energy from fat is recommended. This equates to 45-80g in an 8700kJ day.
CARBOHYDRATE Ideally, 45-65 per cent of our energy will come from (good quality) carbohydrates - between 235-340g in an 8700kJ day.
SUGARS Ideally, less than 15 per cent of our energy will come from sugars - that’s a maximum of 78g in an 8700kJ day.
FIBRE Recommended daily intake: Women: 25-28g Men: 30-38g
SODIUM The ideal is 920-1600mg each day. This may be lower for people on low-sodium diets. Most of us get much more than the ideal.
CALCIUM Recommended daily intake: Women 50+ and Men 70+: 1300mg All other adults: 1000mg
IRON Recommended daily intake: Women 19-50: 18mg Women 50+ and all men: 8mg
PER 100g We don’t have this on our recipe analysis but food packaging will have a ‘per 100g’ column. This is useful to compare similar products.
Per serve: |
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Per serve: |
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Per serve: |
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Per serve: |
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Per serve: |
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Has no ingredients known to commonly contain meat or meat products.* |
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Has no ingredients known to commonly contain gluten.* |
|
Diabetes-friendly Has 65g carbohydrate or less, 4g fibre or more, 7g saturated fat or less and 800mg sodium or less per serve (applied to mains, soups and substantial sides).** |
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Has no ingredients known to commonly contain dairy products.* |
* Always check the particular ingredients you are using.
** For recipes which meet the criteria for saturated fat and sodium, but not fibre, you may be able to add fibre with vegetables or whole grains to make a diabetes-friendly serve. Check the amount of carbohydrate is right for you.
Once you know a few tricks and techniques, cooking gluten-free is easy, and easily achievable.
It’s the gluten in wheat flour that makes it so ideal for bread and other baked products. Liquid added to flour causes the gluten molecules to join together to form a rubbery elastic mass. This mass has the capacity to stretch and rise due to the action of baking powder or yeast. As such, it provides a structural framework on which other ingredients are held. Flours without gluten do not provide the same elastic matrix for the structure and textures we associate with bread and baked goods.
Wheat flour is often used to thicken or bind products such as soups, stews, batters or sauces.
Flour is often used to coat products like fish or schnitzel before dipping in egg and crumbs. It forms a good base for the egg and crumbs to cling to.
You can successfully substitute gluten-free varieties of flour or baking mixes for wheat flour in baking recipes. Some recipes adapt better than others. Recipes which work well are:
• recipes with only small amounts of flour
• recipes with ground nuts eg. almonds (but watch the fat content)
• recipes with high fruit content eg. carrot or banana cake
• recipes with coconut.
These types of recipes tend to have a heavier, moister texture naturally, which compensates for the dryness of gluten-free flours and means substituting generally works well.
• recipes with high flour content
• recipes that are traditionally light and fluffy, eg. sponges, scones
• bread
Ready-made gluten-free baking mixes are especially formulated to give good results in baking recipes. They’re great for convenience and consistency, and you know there is no risk of cross-contamination.
Mixes can be substituted in the same quantities as wheat flour.
It is also possible to make your own mix of flours for baking. Here is an example:
1 part maize cornflour
2 parts soya flour
2 parts rice flour
3 parts potato flour
INSTEAD OF |
USE |
breadcrumbs for coating |
polenta LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) crushed rice crackers |
flour for coating (eg. fish, schnitzel) |
rice flour cornflour (check it’s made from maize) |
flour for thickening (eg. gravy, stew) |
cornflour arrowroot (half quantities) |
couscous |
quinoa |
stock powder |
homemade stock gluten-free stock powder gluten-free soup mix |
GOOD SOURCES OF GLUTEN-FREE-RELATED INFORMATION |
Shopping for gluten-free items can be time-consuming, but once you know what to look for it becomes easier. Use these lists as a general guide.
amaranth
anti-caking agents
arrowroot
baby rice cereals
balsamic vinegar
buckwheat
caramel*
corn
corn breakfast cereals
dextrose*
fructose*
glucose* (including solids and syrup)
malitol
millet
maltodextrin*
plain popcorn
plain rice crackers/ rice cakes
polenta
potato flour
quinoa
red wine vinegar
rice
rice bran
rice breakfast cereals
rice flour
rice noodles
sago
sorbitol*
sorghum
soy flour
tapioca
vegetable gums
white vinegar
white wine vinegar
wild rice
* Gluten is not detectable in these ingredients (due to processing), even if derived from wheat
barley, barley flakes, barley flour
bran, cereal, cornflour made from wheat, flour, some types of hydrolysed vegetable protein, starch, hydrolysed plant protein (often found in stock cubes), modified food starch
bulgar, couscous, durum, enriched wheat flour, semolina, spelt, wheat bran, wheat flour, wheatgerm, wheat starch
oat bran, oat flour, oatmeal, oats, rolled oats
rye
rye flour
triticale
triticale flakes