which ones are gluten free – why we need fibre in our diet
Fibre: why is it important?
- It acts like a sponge by absorbing liquid and helping ease bowel movements
- It acts like a bulking agent, sweeping through our colon like a broom to help reduce constipation
- It promotes healthy gut bacteria and aids good digestion
There are a lot of flours made from Almonds, (GF),Oats, Brown rice (GF), Chickpea Flour, Corn flour (GF), Flaxseed flour/meal (GF) Quinoa flour, Coconut flour, Peanut Flour (GF) Potato Flour (GF), Soy flour (GF) etc
Amaranth
Grown: an ancient grain
Flavour: mildly peppery taste
Use: great in soups and stews, or you can pop it like corn and use it in muesli bars
Health: powerful punch of protein & minerals
Gluten: gluten free
Barley
Flavour: nutty
Use: to make flatbreads, porridge and great additions to soups and stews
Health: high in carbohydrates,
Gluten Free: no, but it is low in gluten
Buckwheat
One of nature’s most resilient crops – not part of Poaceae family it is actually a fruit related to rhubarb.
Flavour: Nutty, earthy flavour and wheat-like characteristics
Use: suited perfectly the international palate such as Japanese soba noodles, Russian blinis and kasha, French galettes, crepes, soba noodles and pierogi. Delicious in chocolate chip biscuits and in gluten free pastries
Health: helps keep your gut healthy by promoting good bacteria. Has high levels of antioxidant rutin
Gluten: Buckwheat is not a wheat and is gluten free. Buckwheat flour has up to 3 x the fibre of gluten free flour
Bulgur (Triticum)
Flavour:
Used: quick cooking, fibre rich is the main ingredient in tabbouleh salad and kibbeh meat patties
Cassava Flour – manioc flour
Grown:
Used: as a thickener in Brazilian stews
Gluten Free; yes
Chapati Flour
Grown: made of wheat and malted barley flours
Flavour:
Use; In Indian chapatis
Health:
Gluten Free:
Einkorn
Grown: in Europe. Likely the first type of wheat to be cultivated by humans
Use: flour used in bread
Health: it is higher in nutrients than modern wheat
Sorghum (also known as great millet, Indian millet)
Grown: In the USA as animal feed. It is a strong grass. It originated in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa and spread to India and China
Flavour: This grain looks and tastes like mini popcorn when popped.
Use: Grounds as flour, It is used to make flatbreads, quick breads, muffins, pasta, desserts, roti, dosa or cheela and can be eaten raw. Pop it like popcorn as for a healthy snack. In the Microwave place ¼ cup sorghum in a small food safe paper bag. Fold the open end of the bag over twice. Place the bag, folded side down in the microwave and on high for 1.3 minutes. Pay close attention and be sure to remove the bag from the microwave before popping stops. Its delish as is, and makes a great crunch garnish for salads and soups too. You can mix it with nut butter, honey, dried fruit and nuts and roll into balls for an energy boosting snack
Health: a good source of vitamins and minerals and a rich source of antioxidants, may help inhibit tumour growth, lowers blood cholesterol, provides strong bones, boost energy levels etc
Gluten Free: Yes
Awareness: it can cause respiratory failure and even death if taken in excess amounts.
Health: per cup you get 4 grams of fibre plus Magnesium
Millet
Flavour: a very mild flavour.
Use: it can be boiled whole and used like rice or enjoyed as a filling ‘porridge’ topped with cinnamon, shredded coconut and banana. Used in bread baking and pancakes. In India and Pakistan called bajri flour or kurakkan
Health: good source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals
Gluten: gluten free
Quinoa
Flavour: crunch, nutty seed
Use: porridge, or as a base for a salad, then add in spinach, sundried tomato, celery, etc what ever you want.
Prepare: just 15 minutes to cook, using 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. The water can be your favourite stock, to add more flavour
Health: low GI and contains potent plant antioxidants and packed with fibre & proteins
Gluten free: yes
Spelt:
Grown: Southern Germany since 4,000 BC
Use: use whole Spelt to make sure you are getting the whole grains. High protein spelt flour can be used for pizza dough or bread, as a grain in salads or stirred into soup
Health:
Teff
Grown: Ethiopian grain
Flavour: earthy flavour
Use: great in soups or as an alternative to polenta, or in your smoothies, over your breakfast cereal, add to cakes, muffins. Toast and add to salad. Used in flatbread injera which is eaten across East Africa. A handful in a salad is great, but flour is where it comes into its own
Health: high in iron, calcium and packed full of vitamin Bs – so great for energy. It has an estimate 20-30 percent resistant starch, which is a type of fibre that helps blood sugar management, weight control and gastrointestinal health. No folate was Chia and Quinoa have. It does have vitamin K. Eating bread made from teff during pregnancy maintain iron stores.
Gluten free: yes
Oats
Grown:
Flavour:
Use: porridge, breakfast cereal, biscuits, cakes, snack bars
Health: energy sustaining and helps maintain a healthy digestive system. Rich in a soluble fibre beta-glucan and anti-inflammatory compound avenanthramide, which together, help prevent obesity related health problems. It assists in lowering blood pressre and lower LDL cholesterol
Rye Flour
Grown: Milled from rye kernels, a type of cereal grain and varies colour from light to dark, depending on mainly how much of the whole grain it contains.
Flavour:
Use:
Health:
Gluten Free
Semolina Flour – sometimes other wheat grains are called semolina such as corn (grits) and rice semolina
Grown: generally coarsely-milled, refined hard durum wheat flour
Use: pasta, couscous, gnocchi and puddings
Health:
Gluten Free: no – it is high in gluten
Rice:
Store: store rice in an airtight container in your pantry. Don’t keep for more than a year. Weevils love rice and can get into even unopened packets
Cook rice awareness; be careful with cooked rice. Harmful bacteria can grow quickly in rice. Do not leave on the bench, that is all it takes. Place in refrigerator covered. Or you can freeze it. Only ever reheat once.
Amount: rule of thumb is 1 cup of raw rice will produce 3 cups of cooked rice (Brown rice yields a little less). Pre-soak Brown rice and it will cook quicker as it does seem to take longer than white to cook.
Arborio rice
Grown: medium grain rice from Italy
Use: traditionally used to make risotto. Never wash risotto rice as you’ll lose some of the starch you need to make your risotto creamy. Rissoto is a great way to use up leftover meat and vegetables. A good quality stock is important.. It takes about 25 minutes to make a risotto. You need to be attentive and stir during that time. Leave your risotto to sit for a few minutes once its cooked to absorb the parmesan and relax a little bit improving flavour and texture
Gluten free: yes
Basmati rice
Grown: India and Pakistan
Use: aromatic long grain rice
Gluten free: yes
Brown Rice
Flavour: Nutty taste
Gluten: gluten free and a good way to boost your fibre intake
Health: rich in good fats and minerals and a good source of fibre. It is not milled so it retains the bran and therefore the fibre, B vitamins and mineral that are lost in milling.
Awareness: as it retains the oil in the bran, brown rice can go rancid if not stored in a cool dark place. Recent studies show that brown rice contains arsenic
Calrose rice
Grown: commonly grown in Australia
Use: medium grain rice
Glutinouse rice (the term used to indicate that it is gluey or sticky.)
Grown:
Use: Asian cuisine in sweet and savoury dishes,
Jasmine rice
Grown and known as: Thai
Use: aromatic long grain rice
White Rice
Grown
Health: Milled to remove the bran layers. This enables longer storage of the rice as oils are removed, as are valuable nutrients. White rice is polished after miling producing a brighter appearance.
Wild rice (not a rice but a seed of grass) – more expensive than ordinary rice
Grown: in water in Canada and USA and never milled
Flavour: grainy flavour and looks like a dark long grain of rice
Use: sometimes mixed with other rice to add interest and flavour
PASTA
Fresh pasta versus dried pasta
While making fresh pasta will always be a delicious experience.
Fresh rolled pasta will cook faster wince it has a more tender texture
Tips:
- Its better to use too much water to boil pasta, as otherwise it will stick together
- Never cook two types of noodles together
- Run cold water on the noodles after you drain to prevent them from over cooking and going gooey
- Put the sauce on the noodles as soon as you strain them, so they don’t dry out or stick together
Couscous
Grown: dietary staple in North African countries and made from semolina, wheat flour, salt and water. It is also widely used in Middle Eastern countries.
Flavour: it has little flavour, and this is why it is used often to accompaniment with spicy and highly flavoured food. Couscous can absorb strong flavours easily.
Use: as a side dish to curries, chillies and stews as a substitute for rice. As a base for a salad, such as roast vegetable salad. In burger mix, or falafel mix. As a stuffing with chopped dried fruits.
Cook: when we buy it – it has been cook, so we are just rehydrating with boiling water 1 ½ cups couscous and add 1 ½ cups of hot liquid such as water or stock, cover with a tight fitting lid and lave for 5 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up and add to what ever you are doing with it.
Types of pasta
Long pasta
Angel’s hair:
Long thin, thinner than spaghetti, best with light oil based and cream sauces, such as Marinara sauce with shredded chicken or shrimp
Bucatini:
more rounded than traditional spaghetti and a hole through the middle. Use in soups, pasta dishes, casseroles, it hoards extra sauce.
Fettuccine:
Like flat spaghetti noodle. Its thicker and denser noodle and fairly wide. Cook with chunky meat sauces, such as creamy alfredo sauce
Spaghetti:
Cylinder shape like angel hair and bucatini but slightly thicker. Cook with meatballs or pesto shrimp spaghetti
Linguine:
Resembles fettuccine, but not as wide – commonly cooked with seafood dishes, mixed with white wine sauces, clams, mussels. Any cream based or white wine sauce tastes perfect
Papperdelle:
They are wider than fettuccine, and great with rich, meat based sauces, such as ragu or Bolognese. Also great with seafood pasta dishes.
Tagliatelle:
Easy to mistake tagliatelle and fettuccine – but it’s a little thicker to bite and can handle thick meat sauces, and will do a cream or tomato sauce
Vermicelli:
Thin, skinny noodles – there is Italian and Asian vermicelli – one made with semolina and the latter a rice noodle. You can toss it with some olive oil and a can of tomatoes for a light spaghetti like dish and use in stir frys and soups
Short pasta
Campanelle:
Not such a well known pastas, its rolled in a cone and the hollow centre catches thick sauces very well
Casarecce:
A loosely rolled and twisted noodle which will catch sauces well\
Cavatappi:
Hollow spiral shaped noodle like a double elbow – its great for macaroni and cheese
Fusilli:
Spiral shaped noodle has a lot of grooves to catch extra sauce and dressings like with a thicker sauce – marinara or meat and sometimes used in salads
Radiatori:
Use in soups and casseroles – its shape is like a futuristic spiral
Rotini:
Known as corkscrew shaped pasta. It is tighter than fusilli. Its catches the sauces well from thick and meaty to oil based to creamy. Great in one pot chicken cacciatore
Elbows:
Widely used and great for macaroni cheese
Farfalle:
Bow tie pasta, great with creamy pasta and salads
Gemelli:
Looks like ropes twisted. It collects sauce well and common noodle when adding leafy veggies and herbs to pasta and pasta salad
Penne:
A Kitchen favourite – this hollow cylinder-shaped noodle is ideal for catching lots of sauce, use in casseroles mixed with chicken and zucchini
Rotelli:
A fun wheel shape and catches all types of sauces and ingredients in soup or pasta
Rigatoni:
Looks like penne, but its stumpier and not as narrow. Great for catching sauces
Orecchiette:
Looks like the shape so ears
Ziti:
Similar to penne, but narrower, and used in casseroles, or just tossed with a little olive oil or tomato sauce
Conchiglie:
Shell in shape and ideal with cream sauce or thick and hearty meat sauce
Orzo:
Often mistaken for a grain – the smallest of pasta shapes. It resembles rice and is often used in salads or soups
Ditalini:
Small and like a sliced ziti noodle. Common in minestrone soup and pasta fagioli
Sheet Pasta
Lasagne:
Common sheets used to make lasagne
Filled pasta
Tortellini:
Like little donuts stuffed with cheese and meat, great tossed in oi and parmesan cheese
Ravioli:
These are square and stuffed with cheese or vegetables or meat
Manicotti:
Like jumbo penne noodles and you stuff them with cheese and sauce or a Bolognese sauce
Cannelloni:
Tude shape pasta, it starts as a sheet and rolled into tubes and stuffed with cheese and tomato sauce
Jumbo shells:
Large shells and stuff with cheese filling and topped with sauce before baking
Dumpling Pasta
Gnocchi:
Made differently from hand rolled and extruded pasta with potato as the base ingredient with flour and egg added. And dousing it with creamy sauce, making it from butternut squash instead of traditional riced potato