Recipes

Alli's Great Big Open Source Cookbook

You wanted the best, you got the best; the hottest food in the world. This!

Why these Recipes are Gluten-Free

I have some rather difficult-to-deal-with food allergies. I can't eat corn, wheat, and sesame, which significantly impacts my ability to eat at restaurants and eat pre-packaged foods. As a result I've been cooking the vast majority of the food that I eat since I was diagnosed with these food allergies in 2012. The linked recipes were made so that I can eat them; sometimes this means that I use an ingredient that is a bit unusual (for instance, tamari instead of soy sauce because soy sauce has wheat in it), and it often means that I use replacement ingredients. When you see something like "flour" or "starch" in a recipe, it is one of the Allergy-Safe Ingredient Replacements I've listed elsewhere. If you don't know what an ingredient is, check that link for a glossary.

In short: all of these recipes have been created with gluten-free, corn-free replacements for foods that contain those allergens, and should therefore work well if you attempt them with g-free flours.

This is not a "health" thing as in "I prefer to eat g-free because it is 'healthy,'" it is a "health" thing as in "if I eat gluten I get migraines, I don't absorb nutrients, and horrible things happen in my guts." I do not recommend that anyone eat a g-free diet unless it is medically necessary; if it is possible for you to eat wheat then that is likely a more affordable and more nutritious option.

How this page is Organized

This probably doesn't look like the kind of cookbook you're used to; this is going to be an ongoing work in progress. This page is divided into two main sections:

• Standard recipes, which is unlabeled at the top of the page and starts with "Main Dishes." This section is organized by meal type in categories like "soups" and "desserts."
• Low-spoon foods, which has its own jump-to heading and is made up of recipes that require minimal effort.

These are different types of recipes. The standard recipes are things that you might consider serving to guests or bringing along to a potluck. The low-spoon foods are things that you might eat on your own or with your housemates as a simple, low-effort way to get nutrients into your body. Hash and Eggs is something that my spouse and I cook for each other for dinner frequently, but we wouldn't make it as a dinner for guests. Many of the low-spoon foods will rely on pre-packaged foods like box-mix macaroni and cheese, frozen rice, or frozen vegetables. Low-spoon foods are less "recipes" and more suggestions for how people who have difficulty cooking might find a tasty way to feed themselves without outputting significant effort.

Resources Before you Start Cooking

• How to Keep a Basic Pantry
• Kitchen Tools
• Mis en Place

Difficulty Ratings

Because I've been cooking so much for so long, I am a very competent home cook. I recognize that many people are not, and that people have wildly variable skill levels. As such I have rated these recipes by this Cooking Confidence Scale. The numbers beside each recipe rate the difficulty of preparing the dish on levels from 0-5 and a section at the start of each recipe will explain why the recipe received its rating.

Main Dishes

Meat Dishes

• Meatloaf
• Baked Chicken and Rice
• Beef Stroganoff
• Pork Chops
• Curry Chicken Salad
• Potato Chili Chicken
• Air Fryer Tilapia
• Lasagna

Vegetarian or Vegan Dishes

• Pan-fried Tofu
• Frittata
• Deep-Fried Tofu
• Curry Chickpea Salad
• Oven-Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Soups

• Basic Rules of Soups
• Simple Stock
• Chicken Marsala Soup
• Wet Dog Chicken (this is a somewhat creamy chicken and rice soup with mushrooms that is named for a family joke)
• Pumpkin Sausage Soup
• Chicken and Rice Soup
• Pot Pie Soup
• Beef Stew
• French Onion Soup
• Onion and Potato Soup
• Vegetable Soup (same base can be used with potatoes, rice, or noodles)
• Spoonie Soup (basic instructions for a variety of soups for people who might have difficulty cooking)

Side Dishes

Salads

• Red Cabbage
• Potato Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad

Starches

• Mashed Potatoes
• Fried Rice
• Spanish Rice

Vegetables

• Fried Mushrooms
• Pan-cooked Squash
• Garlic Butter Green Beans
• Creamed Pearl Onions
• Pan-cooked Spinach and Onion
• Buttered Asparagus
• Steamed Artichokes
• Baked Garlic Broccoli

Multi-Purpose Basics

• Crumb Mixture for Breading
• Hummus