Cooking with Gluten Free Grains

Learn how to cook with gluten free grains like quinoa and millet. These are great alternatives to standard rice and corn.

Lemon quinoa salad
Serves 6

2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry quinoa
15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 English cucumber, diced
1/2 small red onion, minced
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/2 loosely-packed cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Lemon Dressing:
1 lemon squeezed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
For the Lemon Dressing: Add ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid, or small bowl, then shake or whisk to combine.

Add vegetable stock and quinoa to a small saucepan over high heat then bring to a boil.

Simmer until quinoa is tender and broth has been absorbed, 15 minutes. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork then scoop into a storage container or large mixing bowl with a lid to cool.

Add chilled quinoa to a large mixing bowl then add remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Mix together and serve.

Millet bread
12 slices

1 3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (leave this out if your GF flour blend already includes it)
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup psyllium husk powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups warm water (approx. 105 -110F)
2 large eggs, beaten (room temperature)

Grease and Preheat: Grease a 8″ x 4″ nonstick metal loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the oven rack to the middle position.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (if using), millet flour, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, salt, instant yeast, and sugar together.

Add Wet Ingredients: Add the oil, apple cider vinegar, warm water, and mix well until combined. Add the beaten eggs and mix for another minute until you get a dough that resembles thick cake batter (the dough will be sticky and wet, but that’s perfectly fine).

Transfer Dough to Pan: Transfer the bread dough to the prepared loaf pan and use a wet spatula to smooth out the top of the dough.

Let Dough Rise: Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for the next 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place until it has roughly doubled in size.

Bake: Bake the dough for 50 to 60 minutes until the bread is golden brown on top and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool Completely: Allow the millet bread to cool for at least 10 minutes in the loaf pan, before removing it and cooling fully on a wire rack.