Easy Everyday Gluten-Free Cooking Busts a Food Rut

I like to think of myself as being pretty creative in the kitchen. I mean, I like to cook and I enjoy trying new things and I’m always testing out new foodie ideas that pop into my brain (some work, some don’t). But even still, I get bored sometimes. I get stuck in a food rut. And sometimes — because I’m gluten-free and try to be Paleo most of the time — I really get stuck in the ol’ piece-of-meat-with-roasted-veggies-and-potatoes-for-dinner rut. For the record, it’s a delicious rut to get stuck in, but still. Sometimes you need a little extra inspiration to shake things up. And that’s exactly how I felt when I was sent a copy of this book: Easy Everyday Gluten-Free Cooking.

I’ve read a lot of gluten-free cookbooks — some more advanced and some pretty basic — and I thought this one did a great job at demystifying a gluten-free diet. The bulk of the cookbook is made up of recipes (250, in fact, so lots of choices), but the first section includes a nice bit about gluten-free flours, how to avoid cross-contamination, common ways to thicken sauces without flour, how the recipes work and more. It’s just enough info to help the gluten-free guy or gal get started in the kitchen without totally overwhelming them.
All of the recipes take foods that typically have gluten in them — pizza, meatballs, sandwiches, desserts — and show you how to make a gluten-free version. I wouldn’t call all of them “easy” or “everyday” (I don’t know about you, but baking my own bread isn’t an everyday thing for me), but there are certainly some great go-to recipes that just about anyone could whip up and feel good about.
And this cookbook gave me just the inspiration I needed in the kitchen to bust out of my gluten-free food rut. I made Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers that were simple, beautiful and had me asking myself: “Why don’t I make these on the reg?!”

I also made the Turkey Meat Loaf that was so tasty that I forgot to snap a photo. Darn. And, yet again, it had me asking: “Why don’t I make meat loaf more often?” Easy, simple, tasty — and gives you leftovers. That’s a win in my book (or, really, their book), for sure.
I also tried out some desserts. Because, well, desserts are tasty. And, on the whole, I think gluten-free sweets are sometimes even better than gluten ones. In my experience, they’re usually so dense and rich and moist and ummm … just take a look. These Nanaimo bars were pretty epic. No-bake and totally delicious. Not exactly “healthy” by any stretch of the imagination, I made these for a party and everyone loved them. I was sad I didn’t make a double batch for leftovers …

I also made a batch of Crunchy Mocha Cookies from the cookbook that were pretty good. Not life-changing, but they had a nice chocolate and coffee flavor. And, ahem, they were super good with a little strawberry Halo Top Creamery ice cream in between. Ice cream sandwich!

I plan to make a few more recipes from Easy Everyday Gluten-Free Cooking for fun, but I’m happy to report that my food rut has officially been broken. Boom!
How do you bust out of a food rut? —Jenn