snap peas, picked fresh, eaten immediately.
Even as an informed consumer who very much falls into a specialty market segment, I find a lot (most) gluten-free products to be disappointing. Promising the moon, tasting quite similar to moondust, so many of these overpriced gluten-free products are just….unsavory.
We are lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest, this fertile, wet green land, where things grow. I suppose I might sing a different tune if I lived in the desert, but as climates go, we’re lucky. With that in mind, I’ve begun to have somewhat of a backlash against gluten-free products with more than a handful of ingredients. I want fruits and veggies with nothing added. I don’t want my bread to be made with 35 ingredients I barely understand, all working furiously to try to replicate a different substance and texture. I am impressed by many of the local bakers in town, and they certainly do wonderful work, but I consider most of these items treats, and for the bulk of my diet, simplicity is the key. Especially in summer, why would your salad need more than a simple, beautiful oil, greens and veggies? Why do we need pricey sauces and dressings when we all know how to whip up simple flavors of the season? I am guilty of not being the most inventive cook, sticking to things I know, but when it comes to ingredient, I aim for fresh, local, healthy.
Healthy, fresh, local.
So, with sun and abundance of local veggies and fruits firmly within our sights, I am going to attempt a summer of the simplest meals I can muster. As an added bonus, it takes a lot of the guesswork out of the GF equation. There are literally hundreds of choices of fresh produce that have always and will always be gluten free. Yum.
I completely agree!