It is constantly surprising how many things contain wheat, barley or rye. There are obvious things that you cut out straight away—bread, pasta, beer, cakes and pastries—unless they’re specifically marked “gluten free”. But there are a host of less obvious things as well, turning you into an expert in reading food contents labels. Things to check carefully on a gluten-free diet include:

• chocolate and lollies
• cereals
• biscuits and crackers
• French fries—these can be coated with flour before deep frying
• gravy mixtures
• processed meats and sausages
• salad dressings
• sauces, including soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Hoisin sauce
• seasoning mixes, including rice and noodle flavourings
• seasoned snack foods, such as potato and corn chips
• soups and stocks
• spreads, such as Vegemite, peanut butter, Anchovette paste
• yoghurts—some of the flavoured ones are thickened with gluten.

To anyone attempting a gluten-free diet, making the change seems daunting—“what am I going to eat?” being the primary concern. Our diets are often so loaded with breads and cereals that you can’t have any more, it can be a real challenge to find alternatives. There are plenty of delicious things that you can eat, it’s just about making sure you eat enough to fill you up.

Gluten-free fillers

Our favourite gluten-free fillers are:

• chickpeas, lentils, beans (kidney, cannellini, butter, fava, black)
• quinoa, buckwheat, polenta
• seeds, nuts
• corn, rice, potatoes
• eggs
• plus a host of other fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and fish.

Gluten-free substitutes

If you’re really struggling to fill up, here are some of the things that we’ve substituted into our meals to make them gluten free.

Tasty gluten-free meals

Gluten free doesn’t mean flavour free! We make some delicious gluten-free meals. Once you learn what you can and can’t eat it makes it much easier to adapt your recipes to suit. Check out some of our regular dishes:

Soups

• Zucchini, potato and feta soup
• Dhal
• Chestnut soup
• Pumpkin soup

Salads

• Witlof, apple and walnut salad
• Quinoa tabouli
• Asparagus and pea salad
• Orange and fennel salad
• Coleslaw
• Caramelised pear & fennel salad with gorgonzola

Mains

• Herbed rissoles
• Coconut chicken curry with banana chutney
• Pasta with cauliflower, peas, mint and quinoa
• Coconut, chicken and banana curry
• Thyme and lemon lamb with zucchini and chickpea
• Lamb and haloumi skewers
• Beef tacos
• Fish with charred Mediterranean vegetables
• Tuna with bean salad

There are so many mouthwatering recipes in Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals it’s hard to choose, but eventually I settled on an Asian style beef and noodle salad (page 68).

Challenge #2 Seared Asian Beef, Best Noodle Salad & Ginger Dressing

All of the recipes in this book start with the instruction “ingredients out” and this recipe also suggested boiling the kettle and setting a frypan on high heat.

Ingredients: cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, rice noodles, romaine lettuce, carrot, cucumber, radishes, coriander, spring onions, cress, alfalfa sprouts, steak, Chinese five spice, pickled ginger, limes, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, red chilli

So I set about weighing ingredients and getting various tools ready to go. This took 10 minutes and 44 seconds. Slightly longer than the first challenge but not by much.

Start cooking

First is toasting the nuts and seeds until golden then setting aside. Next pouring boiling water over the noodles to heat them through; then rubbing the steak with Chinese five spice, salt and pepper, and cooking in the pan until done to your liking (medium-rare for me). All very straightforward.

Next was the ginger dressing, really just mixing the pickled ginger, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and chopped chilli together. Not difficult.

Now on to assembling the salad—separating lettuce leaves, grating carrot, chopping radishes, cucumber and spring onion (by hand, not with the food processor like most of these recipes call for), grabbing the coriander leaves, cress and alfalfa, then arranging them on a platter or board—there’s nothing complicated here. All the while flipping your steak and, when cooked, resting it.

Finally, draining the rice noodles and scattering them over the salad, slicing the beef and placing the slices on top, then scattering the platter with the nuts and seeds.

It all sounds like the simplest thing in the world, and it is, but it still took me 22 minutes and 20 seconds to complete it. Although I have to admit, I wasn’t trying too hard because after last time I’d decided I preferred my own cooking pace.

That brings the total cooking time up to 33 minutes and 4 seconds. OK, so not 15 minutes but I still think that’s really quick to produce a delicious healthy dinner.

My thoughts

Positive: This dish had fantastic Asian elements—sweetness, saltiness, heat, fabulous crisp vegetables, amazing crunch from the toasted nuts and seeds, soft noodles, and tender juicy meat. I loved the combination. There were lots of beautiful textures and every mouthful was just a little bit different, depending on what ingredients had ended up on the fork.

Negative: Who am I kidding—brilliant dish! Just took a little longer to prepare than I expected.

Next time?

I will certainly make Jamie’s Seared Asian Beef, Best Noodle Salad & Ginger Dressing again but will start by cooking the steak, and allowing it plenty of time to rest. The nuts and seeds can easily be toasted in another pan—extra washing up but not a big deal.

Summer is here and the weather is really heating up (today is 33°C and the forecast for tomorrow is 39°C!) so it’s the perfect time to be tucking into a great crunchy salad. For me, when it’s this hot the thought of not only cooking but eating a hot meal is just too much to bare so last night I whipped up an old favourite from last summer—witlof, apple and walnut salad with honey mustard dressing.

This recipe is based one by Matt Moran with some variations. What I love about it is the tartness of the apple and the crunch from the witlof and roasted walnuts. The radicchio gives a delightful slightly bitter twist. Combined with a dressing that has a hint of sweetness, I just can’t help going back for more…and more and more.

Ingredients

Leaves of ½ a radicchio (or you could use 1 red witlof)
Leaves of 1 white witlof
1 handful of rocket
1–2 green apples, sliced approximately 4mm thick (I like apple so I generally use 2)
70g walnuts, roasted

Dressing

20 ml chardonnay vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard (I like to use Maille)
1 tsp seeded mustard
2 tsp honey
70ml grapeseed oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In an oven pre-heated to 180°C, roast the walnuts for 10–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

While the walnuts are roasting make the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, mustards and honey. Still whisking, slowly pour in the grapeseed oil and combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse the witlof, radicchio and rocket well and combine in a bowl with the apple slices. Drizzle with the honey mustard dressing and toss to coat. Move the leaves onto a serving platter and sprinkle the roasted walnuts over the top. Serve immediately.

I think this makes a beautiful accompaniment to a whole roasted chicken.

Note: The makes four large serves. if you want to make a smaller quantity, simply leave out the radicchio and only use 1 apple.

For me, quinoa tabouli is the essence of summer. It’s light and very refreshing. The simple dressing means that the flavours of the raw vegetables are allowed to shine through and it is very clean on the palate. I feel good after eating it.

Quinoa tabouli not only tastes great, it is also very healthy for you—parsley being a source of antioxidants, folic acid, and vitamins A and C, and quinoa a source of protein, dietary fibre, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium.

Quinoa tabouli takes a lot less time than the more traditional version with burghul (cracked wheat), but none of the delicious flavour is lost and it’s gluten free.

Serve with a bit of ham and hommus, barbecued lamb, or grilled chicken.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
3 cups curly parsley, chopped
2 cups baby grape tomatoes, halved
1 Lebanese cucumber, deseeded and diced
4 shallots, finely sliced
¾ cup mint, chopped

Dressing

⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Method

Rinse the quinoa well in a colander to ensure there is no grit. Once rinsed, place it into a small saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the pan and place on kitchen towel to drain.

Meanwhile, place the lemon juice and olive oils in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Place the cooked quinoa into a large salad bowl and add the parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, shallots and mint. Toss to combine. Pour in three-quarters of the salad dressing and toss to coat. Taste and add additional dressing if needed.

What you’ll need:

1 bunch baby asparagus (any coarse ends removed)
300g fresh baby peas, shelled
A handful of fresh English spinach leaves
A small handful of freshly picked mint leaves
Juice of half a lemon
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
80g soft feta or goat’s cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a small pot of water to the boil on the stove. Once boiling, add the asparagus and shelled peas and blanch for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and immediately place vegetables in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process (you want them to still be firm, not soggy).

Place the spinach and mint leaves in a bowl. Remove the asparagus and peas from the ice water and drain. Add to the spinach and mint. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze the lemon juice over the top, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat the vegetables.

Arrange the vegetables on a serving platter and crumble the feta or goat’s cheese over the top. Serve immediately.

Summer calls for something light, cool and refreshing to eat. Orange and fennel salad is the perfect summer salad to serve up on those really hot days. We had this just last week with Jim’s homemade crumbed calamari. Delicious! It’s also really good with grilled white fish, such as coral trout.

Vinaigrette

1 tbs Dijon mustard
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tbs honey
1 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs lemon juice
Zest of ½ a lemon
Salt and pepper

Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Salad ingredients

2 oranges
2 stalks celery
2 bulbs fennel
1 granny smith apple
A large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves

Peel your oranges, cut them into segments and place them in a large salad bowl. Finely slice your celery stalks and add them to the bowl. Roughly chop your parsley leaves and add them to the bowl. Finely slice your fennel bulb (a mandoline is great for doing this) and add to the bowl. Finally, slice your apples into matchsticks and add to the bowl. Drizzle the ingredients with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss to combine the salad. Adding the vinaigrette will stop the apple and fennel from discolouring if you need to set the salad aside and wait for seafood to finish cooking.

When you’re ready to eat, roughly chop the parsley leaves and fennel fronds and add to the salad with more vinaigrette to taste. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Crispy, zingy and loaded with healthy fresh vegetables—coleslaw is a great salad for summer. I’ve been thinking about making coleslaw for many months, since we were at Taste of Sydney and ate coleslaw and crispy skinned chicken (it was like grown-up, much healthier version of KFC). So that’s what I decided to make myself for lunch one day last week, although I made parmesan crumbed chicken to have with my coleslaw.

The most basic coleslaw is a mixture of red and green cabbage with carrot in a mayonnaise or vinaigrette dressing. From that base, you can add ingredients like apple, fennel, radish, celery, shallots, even nuts—anything with a bit of crunch that’s not too overpowering in flavour.

I’ve found a blend that I’m very happy with:

1 cup red cabbage
1 cup green cabbage
1 small bulb of fennel
1 carrot, peeled
6 radishes, topped and tailed

Dressing
⅓ cup mayonnaise (you could make you own but I use Best Foods or Thomy)
1 tbs white wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Finely shred the cabbage, and grate the fennel, carrot and radishes. You can do this by hand for a more rustic coleslaw, or use the food processor for really fine vegetable pieces.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar by whisking. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste, then toss through the vegetables.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the dressing to flavour the vegetables.

One of our regular dishes is thyme and lemon lamb with zucchini and chickpea salad. I can’t take credit for the idea. It is based on a recipe in the CSIRO Healthy Heart Program cookbook but we’ve changed the cut of meat and recipe to suit our own tastes.

This is one of those dishes that is packed with flavour—it’s really surprising given the overall simplicity of the ingredients and the way you prepare them. Not only that, it’s good for you too…

Ingredients

400g lamb back strap
Filling
100g ricotta
1–2 tbs basil, finely chopped
1 tbs thyme (or lemon thyme), finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
Salad
3 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthways (2–3mm thick)
olive oil
16 pitted kalamata olives, halved
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1–2 small fennel bulbs, finely sliced
2–3 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbs basil, roughly chopped
1 tbs thyme (or lemon thyme), roughly chopped
3 tbs parsley, roughly chopped

Method

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, basil, thyme, lemon zest and olive oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper (you can add salt to taste).

Remove any sinew from the lamb back strap and tenderise with a meat mallet until 5mm thick. Spread the ricotta mixture across the flattened meat and roll up. Use toothpicks to secure the roll, if required.

Heat some olive oil in an oven-proof frypan and sear the lamb roll for 2 minutes on each side for colour. Place in a moderate oven 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and rest the meat for half the total cooking time.

Meanwhile to make the salad, toss the zucchini and fennel in a small amount of olive oil to lightly coat. Place on an oven tray and cook for approximately 8 minutes, until softened.

Transfer to a bowl and mix with the remaining salad ingredients. Cover with cling film and set aside until the lamb is ready.

Cut the lamb into chunky slices (about 2cm thick) and serve with the chickpea salad. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the top. Serves 4.

Jim and I love a good lunch. Preferably something that’s healthy and full of flavour. Even better if it’s quick to make. So here’s today’s delicious selection…

1 tbs pine nuts
2 x 150g tuna steaks
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 x 400g tin four bean mix, drained and rinsed
½ cup basil, finely chopped
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup shallots, finely sliced

Heat a small fry pan over medium heat and lightly toast the pine nuts until golden. Set them aside.

Heat a lightly oiled fry pan or grill over high heat. Add the tuna steaks and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Tuna should be cooked so that it’s still pink on the inside. Set aside and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pine nuts in a bowl and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with the tuna steaks.

You can also make this dish with tinned tuna. Simply drain it and break it into chunks, then toss through the salad.

One of my favourite television cooking series was Jamie Oliver’s “At Home”. I found it quite inspiring to watch because of his enviable vegetable garden.

Yes, I know, he had a gardener who kept the garden in great shape, but I still think it is something to aspire to. Jamie made it look so easy and, for me, it couldn’t get any better than wandering out into the garden and picking the ingredients that I needed fresh from the ground.

While that’s a dream for another day, I can still enjoy Jamie’s ideas for cooking with fresh produce. And now that Spring is here, there’s plenty to choose from.

Brisbane is warming up at the moment and I really had a hankering for a gorgeous salad. The strawberry salad with speck and haloumi from Jamie At Home hit the spot. Sweet, sour and salty goodness!

The nicest thing…it was easy to make and rewarded big time on flavour. The salad was light and refreshing on a warm day.

I have to admit to making a few adjustments to this recipe. I used prosciutto instead of speck, and rather than serving that raw, I grilled it for a few minutes so it was crispy. I also used roughly a third more strawberries and lots of salad leaves.

The combination of basil, haloumi and macerated strawberries with balsamic vinegar in one mouthful was divine. In Jamie’s own words, “a brilliant thing to eat”.