freefrom: waste

Don't throw out your glass jars, don't even recycle them- reuse them!

Another UK find!

Breakfast is the least enjoyable meal for me. I don't know why it is, but I will often actually eat lunch food for breakfast. Anywho, I recently found a great freefrom yogurt here in London that is currently proving to be the cure to my anti-breakfastness.

Yogurt is great because it has probiotics, is rich in protein, and low in carbs, but unfortunately, most freefrom yogurts are full of sugar. Alpro Soya; however, makes a plain yogurt that only has 2g of sugar per serving and still has a fantastic tangy flavor.

My only gripe is that it isn't organic. I typically try to stay away from non-organic soy products as it is one of the most heavily genetically-modified crops, but I would like to think that the UK has stricter regulations on that sort of thing. Here's to hoping!

snacks- oatcakes

Since moving to the UK I have been hard pressed to find freefrom snacks that are both affordable and healthy. You can find lots of chips (french fries) and crisps (chips)- but healthy freefrom snacks are harder to come by. So imagine my excitement when I discovered Nairn's oatcakes. Imagine thin flaky Scottish oat crackers that aren't too heavy but are perfectly filling.

I like to enjoy my Nairn's with hummus & olives, or pb & honey.

 

Now, oats in and of themselves don't have gluten, but because of growing practices oats can become contaminated with wheat gluten. So if you have celiacs or a severe wheat allergy then you should opt for their gluten-free line.



 

Eating Out- Thai

Thai is another cuisine that almost always uses rice over wheat, thus making it a great option for gluten-freers. On top of that, you can usually sub tofu for meat. And if that's not an option on the menu, the curries are just as flavorful sans meat or tofu. One thing to note however, is many "vegetarian" dishes may still contain fish sauce, so either ask if it can be made without it or ask for something that isn't made with fish sauce.


My favorite dishes include:

Appetizers
Som Tam: green papaya salad
Tom Kha: coconut soup
Spring Rolls: raw veggies in rice paper and dipping sauce

Entrees
Pad Ke Mao: a wide rice noodle in a brown sauce
Pad Se Ew: similar to Pad Ke Mao, but different flavor
Green Curry
Red Curry
Panang Curry
'Fancy Eggplant'

Dessert
Mango & Sticky Rice
Thai Iced Tea sub coconut milk

Eating Out- Japanese

Japanese is a great option when dining out with non-free-fromers, frankly it's great even if it's just you. Given that the main starch is rice almost everything is gluten-free (careful though, soy-sauce contains wheat so ask if they have tamari), and you can get a variety of vegetarian rolls. Some restaurants will have a large selection of vegetarian sushi on the menu, but if they don't you can always request one from the sushi chef. My favorites are the simple cucumber & avocado roll or at more authentic places, natto sushi (natto is fermented soybean).

Aside from veggie sushi, most Japanese restaurants serve miso soup and a variety of freefrom salads.

eating out- Chipotle

Chipotle is my go-to restaurant when traveling. I'm not big on chain restaurants, but Chipotle is a great option when you aren't familiar with local eateries. One thing that makes Chipotle so nice is the menu is designed to be make-it-yourself. So you eliminate the annoying, I'll order a #2 but hold the ___, ___, ___, and sub ____. You get the picture. And as a bonus, the vegetarian options come with free guacamole, so you actually leave full.

Here's my typical order.

Vegetarian salad with black beans (pinto aren't veggie); rice; grilled vegetables; corn salsa; pico de gallo; medium salsa (hold the dressing), and guacamole.

And, as a bonus-bonus Chipotle touts being eco-conscious and farmer friendly as evidenced by this cute video found on their website.

Little Diagram

I love this diagram because it is so true! Vegans or anyone living free-from can actually enjoy a wide variety of foods and flavors. You just have to get creative.

via vegan.com