I went gluten free in July 2020. As if a pandemic wasn’t enough of a strain, I committed to saying farewell to many foods I enjoyed and, frankly, depended on. The transition took an emotional toll. Meals I relied on as quick-and-easy staples were suddenly off limits, and I grieved the fact that my body could no longer digest those meals without consequences. I remember a meltdown, very early on, when I became somewhat irrationally frustrated that I had eaten black beans three nights in a row because the only other thing I had on hand was pasta. I could have easily walked to the store to buy other options, but the conundrum overwhelmed me. The most likely explanation for my meltdown is the fact that I was actually coming to terms with the underlying conditions that caused me to go gluten-free. I had just been diagnosed with endometriosis. But that was out of my control. Instead, what I ate for dinner each night was inside my control, and suddenly that too had become limited.
No matter why someone makes a dietary change, it’s always a hard, and emotional, transition. When safe foods become unsafe, we experience a real loss of something that brought us pleasure and sustenance. It takes time to adjust to the new normal and all that it implies. Since that pasta meltdown, I’ve made many strides. I still miss real pizza and bagels. But I’ve found decent alternatives like cauliflower crust pizza and gluten-free frozen bagels that mostly scratch the itch. I’ve had to make some real changes for this project to accommodate my dietary needs, especially when it comes to Alison’s desserts. King Arthur’s gluten-free baking guide has been hugely helpful. Other recipes I’ve simply had to swap or eliminate ingredients all together.
For this recipe, I had to substitute brown rice for spelt because spelt is a form of wheat. However, I’d say that the rice did a fine job of mimicking the chewy texture of spelt, and I didn’t miss the spelt at all. I chose Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice. They come in packages of 2-cups worth of rice and require three minutes in the microwave. A yummy substitute AND a time saver.
I used Trader Joe’s hot italian sausage here, and started by browning the meat fillings. Before turning on the pan, I tried to separate the meat into smaller pieces, because I find breaking up sausage meat with a wooden spoon to be quite difficult and sticky. Once the meat was browned, I added garlic (I used regular garlic cloves, not green garlic) and the rice, and let the rice get toasted and crunchy. At one point, I began adding the broccoli rabe into the pan, bit by bit, until dark green. I topped the whole pan with a bit of parmesan and called it a day.
This is a quick, satisfying, and well rounded meal that I quite enjoyed eating. I love when one pan can hold a vegetable, a protein, and a starch. This recipe provides all three in a cohesive effort, and it can be made entirely gluten-free! I call that a win-win meal.
155 recipes cooked, 70 to go.
