Spoilt For Choice
I think it was in 2005 that I first got told I might be gluten intolerant, but it wasn’t till about 2009 that I truly started to try and understand what that meant. Back then going gluten free was like talking a strange language that even I didn’t understand. Gluten free bread were these horrible blocks that crumbled into bits and were only good for toasting. Nowdays we are so spoilt for choice with the abundance of gluten free products on the market. Finding the good ones can be a bit hit and miss so I have put together a list of some of my favorites:
The gluten free pasta market is pretty competitive now which is fabulous because as a result most of the pasta is actually pretty good and no longer do you need to make special trips to the health store, you can find everything you need in the supermarket these days. San Remo is my pick for spaghetti. Don’t over cook it though or it will break up into small pieces. It is stocked in most major supermarkets.
Orgran is my go to safe brand for flours, breadcrumbs and pasta. These guys have done a fabulous job creating products that really work and taste good too. It might not be exactly the same as the gluten options but their breadcrumbs are awesome! Their flours are a pretty good 1 to 1 conversion. Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farm have a good selection.
If I don’t need a plain or self raising flour then besan flour is my go to flour of choice. I use Golden Shore - it’s just my fave. I love besan flour for things like fritters or falafels. I find the flavour blends nicely with almost everything.
B Free is a brand that does a really good wrap. Their multigrain and their sweet potato are my go to choices. They are soft to roll straight out of the packet, they don’t require heating and don’t taste anything like cardboard (hooray!) Stocked at Woolworths.
If you are a cheese fan like me, Coles has an excellent selection of gluten free crackers. Gone are the days of not being able to enjoy the foods you love; crackers and cheese are my ultimate thing to eat, I would happily eat them every day…. So I simply love the endless supply of options for gluten-free crackers but for a nice cheeseboard these are my top picks:
Wellabys feta, olive oil and oregano - found in Coles.
Olina’s fig and sunflower, and Olina's activated Charcoal - found in Coles and Woolworths.
I am also a big fan of the endless amounts of rice crackers that are available today.
I would love to hear of any favourites you have found or any interesting new items in the market. My latest find which I think is pretty cool is Edamame bean spaghetti, I use edamame quite a bit so I was very excited to try these out. They have fabulous colour, a great texture and a very earthy taste so are great in something like an Asian stir fry.
Ok. That’s me and gluten-free. Have fun shopping!