Thirty Minute Meals: Keeping it Simple

Celiac.com 09/16/2022 - What’s for dinner? Somewhere between soccer practice, business meetings, hobbies, dentist appointments and time for family and friends, that question is always in the background.

People often ask me for quick dinner ideas. In the real world, not every meal––or even week of meals––can be gourmet. Hectic lifestyles warrant easy, affordable meals that are kid-friendly and satisfying for adults.

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Everyone’s lifestyles and dietary needs are a little different. Some of the quick meal ideas below start with seasoned or pre-made items. Many people may enjoy this technique while others would prefer to add all the seasonings themselves and start from scratch at each meal.

Whatever your preference, you can add any of these ideas to your meal-making repertoire either as they are shown, or by making your own personal adjustments. Brand names given were gluten-free at the time of writing this article. However, it is always necessary to verify before enjoying.

Order a Meal to Take Home

When dining out at a restaurant, order an extra gluten-free dish to take home to enjoy the next evening. I frequently enjoy this option locally at P.F. Changs Thai Restaurant, Outback Steakhouse and Boston Market. Many of their dishes travel well and are equally as good on the second day. This second meal is not to be considered leftovers. Pitch the take-home box and serve it on dinner plates.

Shop the Grocery Deli

Pick up a gluten-free pre-made rotisserie chicken or two, a pre-washed bag of salad greens, bag of baking potatoes, shredded Mozzarella cheese and pears. Once home, add raisins, pine nuts and mandarin oranges to the salad. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top. Combine the Mandarin orange juice with mayonnaise for a tasty dressing. Bake the potato in the microwave until done. Add toppings of your choice. For dessert, wash and cut the pear in half. Remove the stem and seeds. Top with Mozzarella cheese and warm the pear in the microwave until the cheese melts.

Use a Store Bought Dinner Mix

Thai Kitchen and other brand names offer meal mixes that need very few additional ingredients for a complete meal. You can expand the number of servings for their Pad Thai seasoned noodle mix by adding more of your favorite vegetables to the dish, 1⁄2 teaspoon of their red curry and a can of low fat coconut milk. For a refreshing dessert, a simple scoop of gluten-free lemon sorbet is very satisfying.

Enhance a Premade Item

Amy’s Gluten-free frozen Cheese Pizza provides the base for a quick meal. Bake the pizza for 5 minutes as directed on the package. Top with stewed tomatoes or gluten-free pizza sauce, add gluten-free pepperoni, a layer of onions, chopped bell peppers, chicken from a can or left over rotisserie chicken from a previous meal and top with a layer of Mexican Cheese Mixture and Mozzarella. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve applesauce on the side. Of course leftover pizza makes great snacks and lunches.

Have Fun with Finger Food

Make a Tuna Spread with a can of drained gluten-free tuna or seasoned tuna from a pouch, a half-cup of gluten-free mayonnaise, and a dab of pickle relish, salt and pepper. Serve with crackers and cheese and sliced Boars Head or Hormel luncheon meats. Add a plate of cut vegetables (can be purchased precut from the store) and a tray of beautiful fruit. Gluten-free cottage cheese or a fruit yogurt are an easy dip. For an even hungrier crowd, make Chebe Bread Mix into Pigs in the Blanket with Hillshire Sausages and enjoy a fun finger food dinner with a movie. For dessert, serve apple slices with melted gluten-free chocolate.

Prepare a Pasta Dish

One of the fastest meals is a pasta dish. This recipe for Sarah’s Cheese Lasagna may be changed by using different types of pasta. Serve it in a stylish dish.

• Boil gluten-free lasagna noodles until tender then drain and rinse with warm water
• Slice mozzarella cheese into thick slices
• Open a jar of your favorite gluten-free spaghetti sauce
• Find a pretty baking dish that is suitable for the microwave
• Layer lasagna in the dish as follows: Sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella. Top with a layer of noodles and sauce. Cover entirely with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes until the cheese has melted.
• Vary the recipe by including walnuts and a can of spinach. Or while the noodles are boiling, you can fry a pound of ground turkey with a few diced vegetables and onions to add to the lasagna. This dish also makes great leftovers.

Keep it Simple with Salad and Poached Fish Seafood Salad and Apple Rings for Dessert

• Open a package of pre-washed Spring Salad Mix.
• Add sliced almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds to the salad
• Pour 2 cups of gluten-free chicken broth in a fry pan and add 2 teaspoons of berry jelly to the broth. Turn on to medium heat and stir together.
• If desired, add strips of green, yellow and red pepper to the broth.
• Add your choice of cod, monkfish or tilapia fillets and simmer (poach) until the fish turns opaque and flakes, about 7 minutes. Remove from the broth, salt and pepper the fish and serve on top of the salad greens. Be careful of any bones.
• Top with a gluten-free dressing like Annie’s Naturals Low Fat Raspberry Vinaigrette or make your own Ginger Dressing by combining 1 1⁄2 Tablespoon of freshly chopped ginger, 3 Tablespoons of gluten-free soy sauce, 3 Tablespoons of mirin, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar
• Dessert: Cut a tart apple horizontally into 1⁄2 inch rounds. Remove the core. Baste with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and then with cinnamon (or ginger). Top with chopped nuts if desired. Placed rings on a lined cookie sheet and broil until soft, about 8 minutes.

Broiling is Fast

• Steak Rolls with Vegetables and Wild Rice. Pistachio Peaches for Dessert.
• Slice 1 pound of flank steak across the grain into 16 strips. They should be less than 1⁄2 inch thick. Pound each strip to 1/8 inch thick and season with salt and pepper
• Place slices of bell pepper and Portobello mushrooms (or any of your favorite vegetables––well, corn probably wouldn’t work) across the short end of a strip of pounded flank steak. Roll the steak around the vegetables and secure with a toothpick. Place on a lined baking pan in a single layer.
• Marinate for 10 minutes using your favorite gluten-free salsa, Lea & Perrins Steak Sauce or your favorite vinegar dressing. Or prepare a marinate of 6 Tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar, 6 Tablespoons of gluten-free soy sauce, 4 teaspoons of brown sugar and 1 Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil.
• Broil steaks for 5 minutes 10 inches from the broiler. A grill would also work, but be careful of the toothpicks (if you soak the toothpicks prior to using, they will not burn).
• Serve steaks with gluten-free barbeque sauce or Lea & Perrins Steak Sauce and pre-prepared wild rice by Fall River. Simply open the package of rice and reheat. Add as many toasted pecans and sliced grapes as you desire. Or make the rice into small patties by combining 1 cup of the cooked rice with 1⁄4 cup chopped pecans, 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 eggs. Mix all ingredients together and fry on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.
• For dessert, open a can of sliced peaches. Put in a medium size pot on the stove and add 1/3 cup of low fat cream cheese. Cook on low until the cream cheese has melted. Remove from the stove. Pour a package of Pistachio Instant Pudding (or your favorite complimentary pudding) into a clean bowl. Pour the peaches and cream mixture over the pudding. Mix well. Serve warm with a gluten-free cookie or on top of pound cake. Or serve cold by mixing in 1 cup of whipped cream.