Learning substitutions for foods and ingredients containing gluten is an important step in learning to cook and bake gluten free.  It can take time and a little trial and error to figure out what works best for you.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Pasta – Of course there are a variety of gluten free pastas available, but these are a few things I use.

• Spaghetti Squash

• “Noodles” cut from other veggies including carrots and zucchini

• Gluten free grains such as amaranth, quinoa, rice, millet.

Bread — There are gluten free breads  available but never being a big bread lover these are a few of my favorite gluten free ways to use favorite sandwich fillings.

• Lettuce Wraps.
• Salads
• Waffles — easier to make than yeast bread they work for everything from sausage gravy, to Sloppy Joes.  I have even used waffle rafts for ice cream sundaes.
• Baked Potatoes

Flour (for baking) – I suggest starting out with a good gluten free flour blend.  Feel free to experiment with several different blends until you find your favorite. These are a few other flours I use, either alone or in a blend.

• Brown Rice (alone or in a blend)

• Sorghum (in a blend)

• Buckwheat (alone or in a blend)

• Quinoa (in a blend)

• Amaranth (in a blend)

• Teff (in a blend)

Flour as a thickening agent

• Corn starch

• Arrowroot

• Tapioca starch

• Potato starch

You will discover your own preferences as you go.  Finding you favorite substitutions and learning how they work takes time.  Enjoy yourself and have fun.

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Rogene Robbins is the author of The Gluten Free Good Life and other books available at Amazon.com’s Kindle Store. Please visit her Healthy and Gluten Free page to learn about Rogene’s own gluten free good life.