For people concerned about taking healthy diets, it is important to avoid taking complex proteins like Gluten. Most commonly, these complex proteins like Gluten are found in whole grains like rye, barley, and wheat. Such complex protein is often hard to digest and irritates guts causing allergic reactions. However, there are other gluten-free food options that you can try to include in your diet.
We all know how hard it can be to find gluten-free options on campus, so making lunch at home should be a breeze. However, we’ve got you covered if you’re new to the gluten-free lifestyle and don’t quite know what you’re doing as far as recipes go. Check out these easy and delicious recipes that will allow you to prepare fresh lunches no matter where your day takes you. These recipes are specifically tailored to avoid taking Gluten in your diets without sacrificing taste.
Also Try: List Of 13 Best Protein-Rich Indian Veg Food Prescribed By Dietitian
Finding Best Gluten-Free Recipes For Lunch? Try These Options
1. Amaranth Tikkis
For preparing gluten-free diets, Amaranth is a great option. It contains higher mineral content and more iron, calcium, phosphorus, and manganese. It makes for a better alternative than vegetables with a higher quantity of easily digestible proteins. Here’s how you can make this delicious tikkis at home.
Ingredients
- Amaranth (chaulai) seeds – 1 cup
- 1 Tbsp oil for mixing & 2 Tbsp oil to pan-fry
- Garlic – 3 cloves (finely minced)
- Red bell pepper – half cup (finely chopped)
- One onion & Zucchini – finely chopped
- Amaranth flour or breadcrumbs for dusting
- Garam masala – 1 Tbsp
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder & half tsp lemon zest
How To Make Amaranth Tikkis?
- Boil Amaranth seeds in 2 cups of water. After a few minutes of a quick boil, close the bowl’s lid and cook at low flame for 20 minutes.
- Once all Amaranth is cooked, use sea salt and ground pepper for seasoning. Then, let it rest aside while you prepare a small pan for preparing the masala.
- Heat a pan and add oil, onion, and ginger cloves. Next, add all the spices and stir fry everything for around two to three minutes.
- Now pour lemon zest, coriander powder, amchoor powder, red chili, and all the spices for frying. Once cooked, remove this pan from heat and leave it aside to cool off.
- Add this mixture with Amaranth boiled in the previous step. Mix it well to ensure that every piece is well coated with the masala. Now make small-size patties of this batter and coat them with breadcrumbs or Amaranth flour.
Now fry them in a pan and serve hot with any sauce or dip. Of course, if you want to avoid using oil for cooking, you can always air fry these Amaranth Tikkies.
2. Ragi Roti
Ragi is one type of gram flour, a low-carb and high fiber food, which may help with blood sugar control in people with diabetes. It also contains iron, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus. It has a great taste and is a good dietary fiber and protein source. Here’s how you can prepare this delicious roti at home:
Ingredients
- Ragi flour – 3 cup
- One big onion – finely chopped
- One finely grated carrot
- Coriander/cilantro leaves – finely chopped
- Red chili powder – 1/4 tablespoon
- Cumin Seeds – 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
How To Make Ragi Roti
- Mix all the ingredients well in the large bowl except for water. Now start preparing the dough by adding water slowly. Do not rush and add lots of water as it will spoil the consistency of the dough.
- Take a clean cotton cloth and dip it in clean water. Use this cloth to make give this dough shape of a roti.
- Once you have made enough rotis, heat the grill and place it on it. Cook this roti from both sides until it’s done.
3. Sabudane Ki Khichdi
Sabudana is a great option for avoiding complex proteins in their diet. It has higher amounts of dietary fiber, manganese, and calcium. It is one of the ideal gluten-free food options. Here’s how you can make this savory kichdi at home:
Ingredients
- Sabudana – 1 cup
- Desiccated coconut – half cup
- Boiled rice – half cup
- Cinnamon stick – 1 stick (short)
- Cardamom – 1 piece (crushed)
- Cloves/garlic cloves – 4 (crushed)
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste(i.e. dainikai)
How To Make Sabudana Ki Kichdi?
- Take a bowl of hot water and add ginger paste. Leave it aside for soaking sabudana. Next, in a large pan, add desiccated coconut to it. Heat them until the coconut changes its color and gets roasted completely.
- Once this is done, add half a cup of water to it and bring everything to a boil to make a coconut milk+water mixture.
- Add drained sabudana, broken rice, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves/garlic, and ginger paste. Mix everything well so that there are no lumps in the mixture.
- Close the lid for around 12-15 minutes and heat the pan on low flame. After a few minutes, take the lid off, add the sabudana mixture and cook it from both sides until it is cooked completely.
4. Mushroom Brown Rice
Your search for tasty gluten-free foods is about to end. Rice is a staple food easily available on almost every college campus. However, it can be quite an expensive option if your campus does not have a rice shop or you are buying it from outside the campus. Here’s how you can prepare this mushroom rice in your house:
Ingredients
- Brown rice – 1 cup
- Fresh mushrooms – 1 cup
- A handful of spinach leaves (preferably organic)
- A pinch of salt – to taste (adjust according to the saltiness level in the mushroom)
How To Make Mushroom Brown Rice?
- Heat a pan and add mushrooms and spinach leaves to it. You can also use veg broth or vegetable stock if you do not have fresh spinach leaves.
- Lower the flame and cover the pan for two to three minutes to complete the steaming process.
- Once it is done, open the pan, add cooked brown rice, and salt to taste. Mix everything well, and then close the lid for a few more minutes.
- Next, take out your rice from the pan into a bowl and serve hot with any sauce or gravy of your choice [serve it with ketchup]. You can also sprinkle some nuts on top of your rice for added taste if you want to avoid butter on top of this rice dish.
5. Chicken Quinoa Biryani
This is a very common dish that most college students prepare at home. However, this recipe can easily be made instantly without much effort if you have quinoa in your pantry. This is one of the best Gluten-free foods that are super easy to make and are very healthy for your body.
Ingredients
- Quinoa – 1 full cup
- Fresh chicken – 180 gm
- Ghee or oil – 2 tbsp (optional)
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp (optional) & 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (to add extra flavor to your dish)
- Turmeric powder – a pinch & a pinch of red chili powder (add this if you wish to add that spice taste to your rice)
- Yogurt – one cup
How To Make Chicken Quinoa Biryani?
- Heat oil in a pan and add a pinch of turmeric and red chili powder. Fry it for one minute. Now add chicken pieces along to it and mix well. Keep the flame low so that the chicken does not get burned.
- Add 1 tbsp of mustard seeds to this mixture and 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds. Now fry everything together for around 5 minutes on medium flame till the quinoa starts changing its color and becomes crispy from both sides.
- Add cooked quinoa to this mixture and mix well. Now add yogurt to this mixture and stir well. Cover the pan for five minutes.
- After five minutes, add marinated chicken pieces to this mixture and close the lid. Once it starts boiling, turn off the flame and let it cool for some minutes.
- Now, garnish this Chicken Quinoa Biryani and serve happiness and health with this delicious Biryani. You can pair up this amazing Biryani with raita for better taste.
So these are the five best Gluten-free foods that you can make at your home for lunch. You can now enjoy healthy eating with these delicious and simple without worrying about your gut health. These recipes have almost zero levels of Gluten and the most basic ingredients available in every kitchen.