3 Gluten-Free Meals Under $30

Many people have concerns when exploring gluten-free meal options. Will substitutions be expensive? Will they taste as good? Are they easy to make? Eating gluten free is surprisingly inexpensive when you use naturally gluten-free ingredients such as vegetables, and proteins like eggs and fish.

Gluten-Free Meals on a Budget

You can make all three of these gluten-free meals for under a total of $30 – less than $10 per meal. Rest assured that these are inexpensive, taste delicious, and are simple to make. That’s a win times three! If you are craving Mexican, Italian, or simply just comfort food, then dig into these options.

Impromptu Tostadas Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes, Serves two To prepare the chipotle sauce: Mix all the ingredients together in a small mason jar and set aside for flavors to develop. To prepare the corn tortillas: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corn tortillas on to a baking sheet and brush each side with olive oil. Sprinkle each with a little sea salt and place into oven. Set timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes have passed flip the tortillas and return to oven for 5 minutes. They should be crisp like a corn chip. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool. To prepare toppings: Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, the onions, and the mushrooms, and sauté until onions and mushrooms are golden brown. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. In a small bowl add the mango, avocado, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. Season with a pinch of sea salt. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix together the shredded carrot and cabbage. Place mixed greens into a small bowl as well. Finally, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add the 4 eggs and reduce heat to medium low. Season with salt and pepper. To reheat the refried beans place into a small saucepan and cook on medium low or cover them and microwave for a minute. To assemble the tostadas: Either offer the toppings individually and allow people to pick and chose what they like or assemble yourself. First spread the refried beans onto the baked corn tortillas. Then add the sautéed onions and mushrooms, and spoon 1 teaspoon chipotle sauce over the top. Continue to top with mixed salad greens, shredded carrot and cabbage, and once again top with chipotle sauce. Finally add the mango avocado salsa and top each tostada with a freshly fried egg. Serve immediately. Offer more chipotle sauce or your favorite hot sauce.

Gluten-Free Gnocchi Recipe

Preparation Time: 1 hour roasting/cooling, 40 minutes active, Serves 2-3 For the gnocchi:

• 2 russet potatoes
• 1 egg
• ½ cup gluten free flour mix
• Salt and pepper

For the lox cream sauce (optional):

• ½ cup half and half or whole milk
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 ounces smoked lox, thinly sliced
• Freshly chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the gnocchi: Preheat oven to 375. Wash and dry the potatoes. With a fork poke holes into the potatoes. Place them onto a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes until tender when pierced with fork. Allow to cool enough to handle. Peel the skin and place warm potatoes into a potato ricer/food mill. If you don’t have a food mill, you can use a medium sieve and push the potatoes through with a spoon. With either method you will have a fine, grated potato texture. Place the potato mass into a bowl and make a mound with a hole in the middle. Crack the egg into the hole and dust with half of the gluten-free flour and a bit of salt and pepper. Mix the dough with your hands. Slowly add the other half of the gluten-free flour until you have a nice dough consistency. If need be you can add a little more flour. You don’t want your dough to be too wet or too dry. When you have a nice dough, cut it into four equal parts. One at a time, roll out a quarter into a long thick noodle about an inch wide. Cut the noodle into small ¼ inch wide pieces. These are your gnocchi. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the top, about 2 minutes. Remove immediately because they will get soggy if left in too long. Now you have options: either serve with sauce immediately or bake for a crispy texture. If you want to have a crispy outer edge butter/oil a baking pan and spread out cooked gnocchi on top. Place into a 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. You can stop here and serve with your favorite jarred marinara sauce, or the lox sauce below. To prepare the lox cream sauce: In a small saucepan, heat the half and half or milk over medium. Using a garlic press, press the cloves into the saucepan. Add the rosemary and allow to cook about 5 minutes. Make sure the sauce doesn’t burn by stirring frequently. Slowly mix in the parmesan cheese until the sauce is an even consistency. Reduce heat to low and add the lox. Allow cream sauce to sit on low for 2 minutes. To serve dish: Mix cream sauce with cooked or baked gnocchi. Toss with fresh parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional parmesan cheese. This refreshing summer salad can be a great lunch entrée or a side for an outdoor barbeque. Accompanied by fresh strawberries and sparkling lemon water this sunshine quinoa salad can change from side to main course in no time.

Sunshine Quinoa Salad Recipe

Preparation Time: 35 minutes, Makes 4 large servings