Hello dear friends! Do you get tired of cooking the same old meals over and over? I think I already know the answer to that question! I mean, don’t we all? After many years of dealing with multiple food intolerances and stomach issues, I have been forced to rotate a limited number of meals. While they are delicious, my family and I have become so bored from eating the same “safe” recipes all the time. My teenage son is always watching cooking shows, and the other day he asked me if I had considered cooking with wine. He specifically wondered if it would be safe for our family (three of us with food allergies) so I decided to do a little research. As it turns out, wine is a great way to add different flavors to meals and most all wine is gluten free. With that in mind, I searched on Pinterest for some gluten free recipes (also dairy free) which call for wine. I am hoping these new recipes will add some “flavor” to our monthly meal choices.
Years ago I gave up on wine due to Lyme disease and I am also allergic to sulfites, so I just didn’t think about using it for cooking. Nevertheless, I have just found that there are some sulfite free, organic, non-gmo, vegan wines that I might be able to use for cooking after all. Currently I am dealing with a serious stomach condition (SIBO) so I cannot have any fermentable foods, and wine is generally not on the “Lyme friendly” diet, either. As I heal however, I should be able to cook with wine every now and again.
While “cooking wine” has a longer shelf life, it is often made with very cheap wine and may have toxic additives and preservatives or hidden allergens. The same goes for many other wines as well so it pays to do some homework. Choosing a high quality, organic, gluten free wine is best.
Depending on the amount of time a meal is cooked, a lot of the alcohol will be cooked out (but the flavor will remain) so you cannot become intoxicated from meals cooked with wine as long as the meal has cooked or simmered for a while. Fifteen minutes will remove about 50% of the alcohol and two hours of baking or simmering with remove 80-90% (bourbon balls are a different story!)
Here are five nutritious gluten free and dairy free recipes that I am interested in trying:
Gluten Free Cooking With Wine
Zucchini Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Lemon Basil Dressing
Black Rice and Pea Salad with Red Wine Vinegrette
Crispy Skillet Chicken In White Wine Sauce
Gluten Free Chili-Lime Mango Marinated Chicken Bowls (How To Cook With Wine)
Homestyle Nightshade Free Chili
All of these recipes look and sound so good and I am not sure why I didn’t think of cooking with wine to add a bit of variety and flavor to our meals! Years ago I was able to drink wine with my meals and I truly miss the delicious flavors. I do not endorse drinking wine to excessiveness due to my personal spiritual beliefs, Ephesians 5:18 but I do believe wine is okay in moderation with meals.
Prior to food allergies I used to enjoy trying out different wines and pairing them with foods and desserts, especially with cheese and chocolate or with with ethnic foods (for example, most sweet wine goes well with spicy food.) I also used to enjoy collecting different wine glasses and goblets for various wines. I have always found it so interesting that there are certain glasses designed for certain types of wine and the shape of the glass can affect the flavor. I also love the traditional elegance of a tablescape set with flowers, wine goblets and a beautiful bottle of wine.
Visiting wineries is a great experience too! From the Napa Valley in California to the HermannWineTrail.com in Missouri, nearly every region in the United States has a winery to explore on vacation or maybe close enough for a day trip or a weekend trip.
I recently found out about The Talon Winery In Lexington, Kentucky, which is about a two hour and fifteen minute drive from our home. My husband and I love supporting our fellow Kentucky artisans and small businesses, and we love visiting Lexington. Perhaps we will take a day trip in the fall and pick up a couple of bottles for cooking or for gifting. Bottles of wine make such nice gifts! Even non-drinkers appreciate the beauty of the bottles and may keep a bottle on hand to serve during holidays to guests who enjoy wine. If you would like to learn more about gifting wine, checking out Forbes.com.
Thank you so much for visiting today! I hope you are inspired to try out a few of these recipes. If you have any gluten free and dairy free (and egg free) recipes which call for wine as an ingredient that you would like to recommend, I would love to hear from you. I also would be very interested in feedback if you try any of the recipes I have shared here today. I will be posting a follow-up to this post with my own feedback and review of these recipes.
Happy cooking friends!
Amber
No Comments