What should I make for dinner, given these unusual constraints?

November 1, 2006 5:33 PM

What should I make for dinner, given these unusual constraints?

A houseguest and I will be arriving on separate planes at around 10:00 at night. We will both be quite tired (I in particular will be on hour 18 of my day) and will want a quick and tasty dinner before going to bed. My houseguest is gluten-intolerant and also cannot eat highly acidic foods like tomatoes or vinegar.

I'd like to spend no more than about 15 minutes cooking. Any advance preparation would have to be done the day before. I don't have any special gluten-free ingredients and this is all happening next week, so unless they're readily available in the supermarket I have no time to obtain them.

Anybody have any suggestions more profound than "omelettes"? I've reviewed this thread but most of the ideas there, while yummy-sounding, violate one or more of the constraints above.

posted by bac to Food & Drink (24 answers total)

How about a nice pure vegetable soup? Get some squash or carrots, roast them the day before, throw them into a food-processor/blender. Wrr. Wrr. Wrr. until it's smooth. Add ginger, or pepper or garlic. You can prep the day before. Heat it up on the day. If you want, get some rice crackers (should be gluten-free). Small simple homemade meal before bed!
posted by typewriter at 5:51 PM on November 1, 2006

Your link says that rice and soybeans are OK, so how about some Ma Po Tofu? The only tricky bit might be finding hot bean sauce and sesame oil, although good supermarkets in major urban areas often have them. I don't know if bean sauce contains gluten - you'd have to read the ingredients to be sure. Ask your friend if he can have Chinese bean sauce and soy sauce. (If you can't find hot bean sauce, you can use regular bean sauce plus chili oil as a substitute).

I skip the step where you boil the tofu, and I can prep and cook the whole thing while the rice is cooking. Ma Po Tofu is my favorite fast meal!
posted by Quietgal at 5:53 PM on November 1, 2006

Omelettes are a perfect solution. In France they are often eaten for dinner.

Something simple would be boneless chicken breasts in a pan with some olive oil, capers and perhaps a little lemon juice (which is a less acidic sour than vinegar, etc.). A steamed vegetable (whatever is fresh) and some microwaved frozen corn for a starch.
posted by caddis at 5:55 PM on November 1, 2006

Quesidillas using corn tortillas. I like them with just melted jack cheese and guacamole but you could probably pick up some cooked chicken breasts or other things in a supermarket if you are into that. I often make guac using salsa. You could add it afterwards if it is too much for your friend.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 5:56 PM on November 1, 2006

Teriyaki Veggie or veggie/chicken stir-fry, for all the reasons you'd want Ma Po tofu -- spicy bean sauce is pretty acidic IIRC. You can usually even find chopped veggies available at the supermarket in the prepackaged veggie section, or in the freezer section. Just check the ingredients of anything you get from the freezer section. You find glutien in the WEIRDEST places.
posted by SpecialK at 6:01 PM on November 1, 2006

Like fish? You can make herb-encrusted salmon steaks in about 10 minutes, and that's including prep-time.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:07 PM on November 1, 2006

How about preparing the ingredients for a yummy warm salad the day before?

Day before
Grill some chicken breasts perhaps with a marinade of your choice.

Chop up some veggies... green beans, capsicum, baby corn and maybe some carrot.

Maybe make a little dressing - honey, sesame and roast garlic? I'm not 100 percent positive, but I think soy sauce has gluten in it.

Pop the grilled chicken, chopped veggies and dressing in the fridge (separate containers).

When you get home
Slice the chicken and steam or stir fry the veggies.

Toss chicken and veggies in bowl, add dressing, enjoy!

That, or toast on gluten free bread.

I *love* toasted sandwiches and they take but a minute or three to make. Gluten free (rice flour) bread is extra yummy, too. I've bought it in the supermarket, but that depends on your supermarket I guess.

Cheese / chutney / ham is my fave combo for the toast. Mmm. Chutney.
posted by t0astie at 6:09 PM on November 1, 2006

Are bell peppers too spicy? You could make stuffed peppers. Tasty, easy, no major prior prep and ingredients are gluten free and easily obtained.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:20 PM on November 1, 2006

Hmmm...would chicken fried rice work? Your link says rice is ok to eat, and you can make the dish quickly if you have some precooked rice & chicken breast in the fridge or freezer. Things you could add, like onions, egg, and veggies, sound like they could be ok, and you can alter the seasonings according to what your guest likes to eat.

You could also make baked potatoes and top them with broccoli & cheddar, or whatever else you folks like.

Omelets do sound good though. Mmm. Wanna make me one now?
posted by tastybrains at 6:31 PM on November 1, 2006

In the broiler: pork chops
In the microwave: red potatoes (use 6 to 8 small "new" sized potatoes, prick with fork, microwave 8 to 10 minutes, smash a bit with a fork, toss with a couple tbls olive oil, salt & pepper)
On the stove top: steam a vegetable (frozen peas & carrots are innocuous, fresh broccoli florets are nice)
Additional/alternate sides: Applesauce, cottage cheese
Dessert: yogurt

15 minutes cooking, and you should be able to work in a glass of wine for yourself.
posted by paulsc at 6:41 PM on November 1, 2006

I can't beat omelettes. They can be so delicious and genuinely trivial to make. And you can customize around food preferences.

Make mine feta, tomato, green onion and jalapeno with avacado and sour cream on the side.
posted by unSane at 6:46 PM on November 1, 2006

Another option if you are fans of red meat is a couple of nice-looking steaks. Season with salt and pepper, serve with perhaps a salad.

Me, I'd prefer something with less red meat and more grains and acidic vegetables like tomatoes, but, that sort of goes against the rules here...
posted by rossination at 6:52 PM on November 1, 2006

stir fry shrimp and veggies.

or buy a gourment meal the day before and stick it in the fridge and just heat it up when you guys get in.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:10 PM on November 1, 2006

Okay, dammit, now I'm hungry.

Thanks, all. I'm leaning towards the fried rice or stirfry, but other ideas are still most welcome.

tastybrains, your kitchen or mine?
posted by bac at 7:45 PM on November 1, 2006

After a long day travelling, I find that I'm often too knackered or, really, too lazy to cook (even a quick stirfry). If you get home and find that you just don't want to turn on the stove, I'd go with some rice crackers, fresh fruit, vegetables, and some tasty dips. I particularly enjoy carrots and hummus as well as the variety of flavoured rice crackers widely available. I'd also enjoy a smoothie of some sort, blending fresh frozen fruit with yogurt and ice cubes.
posted by lumiere at 8:15 PM on November 1, 2006

Keep it simple. Anything that has only one ingredient is gluten-free as long as that ingredient isn't wheat, rye, oats, barley, or triticale.

Grill some meat (steak or pork chops), stir fry some vegetables, cook some instant rice. Maybe if you have a little time to put into it in advance, shop for a nice gluten-free sauce to put on it.

How about a nice pure vegetable soup?

Just be aware that that just about any store-bought soup, soup base, bouillon, etc., will contain gluten. (And usually store-bought teriyaki sauce too)

Ask your friend if he can have Chinese bean sauce and soy sauce.

If it has more than one ingredient, the answer is "check the ingredients list." There is no prepared food that you can say without reading the label that it will not contain gluten. There are gluten-free soy sauces available, but most do contain gluten (in fact, many, if not most, have wheat before soy in the ingredients list).
posted by winston at 8:19 PM on November 1, 2006

Please ask if your guest can have rice. Some people who are gluten intolerant can't. Some can handle kamut, some can't. Quinoa is usually ok, and you can make a nice pilaf from it.

If you aren't used to reading labels closely, stick to things prepared from scratch. Many gluten-free products aren't, really. A nice green salad (no crutons, obviously), perhaps with a marinated chicken breast on top (pre-cook chicken, reheat before adding to salad). Or with a very nice cheese.

Meat and potatoes works. If you make them into a hash, they can be made ahead of time, and reheated. Hummous as a dip with fresh veggies. Pot roast. All kinds of soups (watch the bases, as Winston noted). Cheese, fruit and yogurt, maybe with that omelette.

Personally, I'd go with a soup of some kind, with hummous and fresh veggies on the side, fruit for dessert. Simple, you can do all of it ahead, substantial yet light enough to tempt after a long day of travelling. You also want a bit of variety in case your friend says, "oh, I'm sorry, I can't eat that."
posted by QIbHom at 9:09 PM on November 1, 2006

Keep in mind that MSG has gluten, so lots of soy sauces etc are apparently bad, and malt comes from barley, so also has gluten. Therefore anything with malt vineger is out, as is anything that just lists 'vinegar' without saying what kind it is. This information came from my celiac friend the few times I've cooked for her. Oh, and cornflour for thickening is OK as long as it's not wheaten cornflour, you'll need to check the ingredients for that (YMMV, my boyfriend thckens his stir fry, I don't).

Stir fry and rice sounds like a great idea, you can cut everything up the day before, just be wary of any flavourings you add.
posted by shelleycat at 9:25 PM on November 1, 2006

Regular soy sauce is made from wheat (gluten!) Fried rice, or anything Asian would be difficult to make without it.

I agreee that you should stick to single ingredients, no mixes or preprepared food. Rice or potatoes are fine as is meat, veggies and dairy. Keep your seasonings basic. Herbs are fine but beware seasoning mixes.

Baked potatoes are a good choice. Make some grilled chicken, bacon, broccoli, etc., along with the potatoes before you leave and just reheat in the microwave. have some butter, sour cream, and shredded cheese on hand and dress them up. Diced tomatoes or salsa (for you), green onions, sauteed mushrooms, and/or chunks of ham are also good additions. Mm.. roast beef, sauteed onions, provolone, and beef broth is a nice combo. Comfort food is what you need after travel.

My family's gluten free equivalent of mac n'cheese is chicken, peas and rice. I steam up some rice and while it is still hot I add butter, salt and pepper, and as much canned chicken broth as it will take without swimming, then add cooked chicken and frozen peas (still frozen) and let it stand long enough to warm the peas through. If it needs it, you a can give it a few seconds in the microwave. Basic and warm.
posted by kgn2507 at 9:44 PM on November 1, 2006

Beans and rice is my favorite fast comfort food.

Shopping list: one big white onion or two smaller onions; 1 head garlic -- you'll need maybe 4 cloves; olive oil; instant rice - or the rice of your choice if you make it the day before; fresh or canned mango, pineapple, cucumber, avocado; 2 cans of black beans. Side vegetable of your choice. Cheddar or other cheese for shredding on top of beans and rice.

Make instant rice, or make rice the day before to reheat.
Chop onions and garlic (3 min?)
Saute them in olive oil (3 min)
Open and drain/rinse 2 cans of black beans.
Once onions are translucent, add beans to pan and let bubble, stirring occasionally; then turn heat down and let warm and season (5 - 10 min). Add a bit more oil or butter if needed. Add pepper, cumin, basil or whatever to taste.
Loosely chop mango, pineapple, cucumber, avocado for a fruit salsa that goes on top of or next to the beans & rice.
Prep side vegetable, if you're having one. Serve a mound of rice, a mound of beans (on top of the rice if you like), fruit salsa, grated cheese on top.

Incidentally, homemade hummus is good and easy to make. You can ensure it doesn't have any forbidden ingredients. Takes about 10 minutes; easy recipes available on internet.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:37 PM on November 1, 2006

(I've found Bragg's to be a good glueten-free soy-sauce substitute. It's not the same, but it's just as tasty, and in a prepared dish with other flavors you're unlikely to notice the difference.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:09 AM on November 2, 2006

I nth the idea of a cheese/fruit/veggie tray. You can buy gluten-free bread or crackers -- or if you can't find any, just cut up the cheese into cubes and stick it with toothpicks. That way it doesn't look like it NEEDS bread. Fruit would include grapes, berries, apples, and pears; veggies could be carrots, broccoli, and snap peas.
posted by parilous at 8:19 AM on November 2, 2006

You might find this site inspiring.
posted by redfoxtail at 9:24 AM on November 2, 2006

I don't understand how there could be so many suggestions and no one else has mentioned fish. Fish don't contain gluten, do they? You can, quite literally, make a restaurant-quality herb-encrusted salmon steak in as much time as it would take to cook two microwave meals. You don't even have to get steak-cuts…you can do it with fillets as well.

Get a quarter teaspoon of dried dill, and half a teaspoon of oregano, thyme and basil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Or you can get a pre-mixed "fish herbs rub" mix that accomplishes the same thing but saves a minute measuring. Turn your oven on to 350. Get a non-stick pan and set it on a burner at high heat. Let it get hot as shit.

Next get a couple of salmon steaks. Cover one side of the salmon steaks with the herb mix. Don't be a pussy and just "sprinkle" some of the herb mix on—you gotta cover it with herbs. Throw the herb-side down on the hot pan. Turn down the heat to three-quarters and wait about four minutes. You can save yourself some time and cook the non-skin side first, then just before flipping the steaks over, you can literally peel off the skin (as opposed to cutting it when raw, which can be messy).

After removing the skin (if necessary), sprinkle the same herb mix on the other side and flip it over. Wait another four minutes. Take the steaks and throw them in the oven for another couple of minutes. Done.

Honestly, you'll spend more time cleaning the pans than you will cooking.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:53 PM on November 2, 2006