Frugal Gluten-Free Cooking: 60 Family Favorite Recipes That Won’t Break the Bank

By Melissa Erdelac

Budget Your Money, Not Your Flavor with Gluten-Free Family Favorites

Gone are the days when gluten-free cooking was costly, confusing and complicated! Thanks to Melissa Erdelac’s fuss-free—and delicious!—recipes, getting an affordable dinner on the table is easy as can be.

Rather than relying on expensive store-bought gluten-free products, Melissa’s recipes are full of economic kitchen staples like beans, grains, veggies and low-cost cuts of meat. Quick and easy weeknight meals like Chicken Tamale Pie and Tuscan Beans with Sausage and Kale are kind to the wallet and sure to make the whole family happy. Want to impress your family and friends? Wow them with culinary masterpieces like Brown Sugar–Garlic Pork Loin with Vegetables, Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole and Gramma’s Sunday Sauce and Meatballs that are so tasty nobody will believe how thrifty they are! And dispel yourself of the belief that gluten-free bread is unsatisfying or too expensive. Recipes like Honey Oatmeal Bread, Lemon-Glazed Zucchini Bread and Sharp Cheddar Herb Bread are every bit as good as their glutenous counterparts and cost a fraction of what pricy store-bought gluten-free breads do.

With super saver tips to stretch already affordable meals further and reduce your grocery bill even more, plus all the know-how you need to master gluten-free cooking, this outstanding collection of recipes is your go-to guide for budget-friendly gluten-free meals that are sure to be your new favorites.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jul 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781645672999

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WEEKNIGHT COMFORT

Adjectives such as easy, fast, 30-minute, quick and simple are a shining beacon of hope for getting dinner on the table because, just like the assurance of death and taxes, you can count on time and energy always being in short supply at dinnertime.

The temptations of convenience—takeout, drive-thrus, grab-and-go and premade meals—are appealing, but they come at an even higher premium with a gluten-free diet.

For weeknight cooking, my number one hack to battle frivolous spending and the pull of splurging is to plan ahead. Once a week, jot down predetermined, affordable recipes and shop with a dedicated list of ingredients. Extraneous and expensive trips to the grocery store will fall to the wayside!

These budget-friendly weeknight recipes rely on affordable cuts of meat and proteins, which will slash your grocery bill. Just because your budget won’t take a hit, doesn’t mean the flavor will. Using pantry staple items, broths and certified gluten-free sauces from your local discount grocery store allows for rich seasonings while keeping the entire recipe reasonable and convenient.

Most importantly, a busy life needs simplicity. Streamlined steps mean you can turn out dinner with ease, maintain sanity and sit down to a deserved moment of delicious salvation.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

What I appreciate most about this recipe, and I wish the same for you, is not assembling 20 enchiladas while hangry. Like Dad says, It’s all going to the same place, so rip up some corn tortillas and dive into a cheesy chicken enchilada experience. Save yourself the effort, but keep the taste!

serves 6

1¾ lbs (795 g) boneless, skinless chicken

8 oz (227 g) cream cheese, softened

½ cup (120 ml) sour cream

2 (4-oz [113-g]) cans diced green chiles

1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice, freshly squeezed

1½ tsp (4 g) ground cumin

1½ tsp (4 g) chili powder

¼ tsp salt

2 cups (226 g) grated Colby jack cheese, divided

10 corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 (10-oz [283-g]) can red enchilada sauce (I like La Victoria®)

Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeños and sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Place the chicken on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, flipping halfway through. Chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Spray a 9 × 13–inch (23 × 33–cm) baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sour cream, green chiles, lime juice, cumin, chili powder and salt. Beat the mixture on low until well blended. Stir in the cooked chicken and 1 cup (113 g) of cheese.

Spread half of the chicken mixture on the bottom of the prepared dish. Layer half of the tortillas over the top of the chicken. Pour half of the can of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Repeat with the remaining chicken, tortillas and enchilada sauce and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese has melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with optional toppings.

tip: You can also boil the chicken or cook it in a pressure cooker.

To boil, cover the chicken with water and simmer it for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked