When I look at the seasonal veggies in my fridge this week, eggplant and zuchinni included, I knew there was only one savory gluten free dish that I wanted to make: Ratatouille.

I made my ratatouille with the modern presentation twist (inspired by the ratatouille made in Disney’s Ratatouille)! It’s such a fun and colorful dish to serve to family and friends–healthy too! (Just remember to go easy on the cheese…)

This Gluten Free Fall Ratatouille recipe goes great with chicken, rice, couscous, pasta or even steak!

Ingredients for Ratatouille

• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium green pepper (optional)
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Small can tomato sauce
• 1 small eggplant.
• 1 medium-large zucchini.
• 4 vine tomatoes

*Try to find eggplant, squash and tomatoes in roughly the same diameter if available*

• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• Mozzarella cheese

How to make Cheesy Gluten Free Ratatouille 

1. Preheat your oven to 400° and heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet
2. Cut onion (and optional green pepper) into slivers. Sautee in oil with ½ of your garlic for a few minutes and add pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Once onions are translucent, add your tomato sauce to the pan and lower heat.
3. To prepare the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, cut off stems and slide each vegetable about ¼ inch thick.
4. Once your vegetables are prepped, transfer the onions and sauce into the bottom of a glass pan.
5. Arrange your sliced vegetables in rows on top of the sauce. Drizzling with olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
6. Sprinkle the remaining garlic on top of the rows of vegetables and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
7. Cook 40 min to 1 hour. Remove the disk when vegetables are tender and sprinkle cheese on top. Return to the oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Check out these Celiac Disease “Fun Facts,” from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

• Celiac disease is a genetically based autoimmune disease that is triggered by the ingestion of gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
• An estimated 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease, yet 83% are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
• 6-10 years is the average time a person waits to be diagnosed.
• Celiac disease is a hereditary condition, meaning that it runs in families.
• 5-22% of people with celiac disease have an immediate family member who also has the autoimmune disease.
• When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, it sets off an immune reaction that damages the villi (fingerlike projections) in the intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients.
• There is no pharmaceutical cure for celiac disease. The only treatment is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet.

**Bonus**

• There is a topical form of Celiac Disease known as Dermatitis Herpetiformis DH, which can cause an itchy rash.

(Alternative Eating post coming soon with reviews of two lines of gluten-free personal care products!)

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Roasted vegetables are not only a great compliment to any gluten free meal, but also a healthy side choice, packed with natural nutrients! Making roasted vegetables at home provides fun chance to explore flavor combinations on a small scale.

One of my favorite things about roasted veggies is that you can select and season them to perfectly pair with whatever dish you are serving. Below I have included ingredients and “how to make” directions for this naturally gluten-free side dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Roasted Vegetables:

• Select a mix of roast-able veggies that you like. Options include, onions, carrots, zucchini, eggplant, potato, tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms.
• Olive or coconut oil
• The flavor-enhancers of your choice: fresh garlic, sea salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme, rosemary, wild fennel… All depends on your mood and what you decide to serve the roast vegetables with! 

How to Make Roasted Vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Chop up your favorites vegetables in even pieces.

3. Toss or drizzle vegetables with olive oil and arrange on a cookie sheet.

4. Add any other seasoning you may desire, like salt, pepper or red pepper flakes.

5) Roast your vegetables at the top of the oven. After 15 minutes, check and turn your veggies over. Once they are brown and tender, they are ready to eat!

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Alternative Eating | Lo Martinez
exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

Quinoa Stuffed Red Pepper

Who doesn’t love a good stuffed pepper?! This recipe is healthy, gluten-free and packed with protein. Other perks? The ingredients are all inexpensive and making multiple servings is a breeze! Hope you enjoy making it as much as I enjoyed eating it.

Ingredients:

• 1 bell pepper
• fresh garlic
• ½ cup of diced onions
• ½ quinoa
• salt
• pepper
• cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
• 2 eggs

How to Make Quinoa Stuffed Red Pepper:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Boil ½ cup of water (always prep 1:1 for quinoa).

3. Dice garlic and onion. Sauté in olive oil over medium heat.

4. Add quinoa to boiling water, cover, and reduce to medium-low heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Add garlic and onion to quinoa. (You can also add salt and pepper for additional flavor.)

5. Place bell pepper halves on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove bell peppers from the oven, drain any moisture from the inside, and stuff each bell pepper half with a large scoop of the quinoa mix.

6. Place the stuffed bells in a large casserole dish with the cherry tomato halves. Crack an egg over each pepper.

7. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (or until the egg whites are set). Check after 25 minutes.