RECIPE: Gluten Free Meals

Eating healthy does not need to be boring or lack flavour. You can enjoy the foods you love without the added guilt by focussing on some easy swaps. Now, we're not saying that you always need to have cauliflower pizza crust or banana ice-cream! While our menu is 100% nutritious, we believe in a balanced lifestyle: eat nutritious food 80% of the time and the other 20% of the time is reserved for the other foods you want to eat. For your 80%, our ingredient substitutions make healthy food delivery easy and delicious. 

Our meals, like this beef bolognese, are all gluten-free and dairy-free. We omit gluten-containing ingredients because gluten is a common allergen and often associated with chronic inflammation. Instead of flour-containing pasta, we use brown rice noodles as a gluten-free option. We doubt you'll even notice the difference! If you're looking for a gluten-free as well as low carbohydrate option, we like using spaghetti squash "noodles" to make this meal keto-friendly. Spaghetti squash is both low calorie and low-carb. For 100g, you're only having 30 calories and 7g of carbohydrate. 

The bolognese is also dairy-free thanks to nutritional powerhouse foods like nutritional yeast and coconut cream. Many people have an intolerance, or allergy, to dairy so adding things like butter, milk or cheese isn't an option. The coconut adds a creamy texture and the nutritional yeast a cheesy flavour. Nutritional yeast also adds some more protein to this meal. A 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast packs 8g of protein for only 60 calories. 

We also add fresh vegetables like carrots & celery for an added nutrient boost. Trust us: kids (or adults!) won't even notice they are eating veggies. Carrots add a boost of beta-carotene and celery contains antioxidants, which aids in digestion.

If you want to make the meal vegan or plant-based, simply omit the beef and use beans instead. We like using red kidney beans for this dish. Please skip steps 1-3 and add the beans once the carrots are cooked through. Easy peasy!

Once you prep your ingredients (chop the veggies, measure the spices & canned ingredients), this meal comes together in about 20 minutes. 

This meal is one of our most popular menu items and now you can make it at home - when it's not on the menu! We hope you, and your family, enjoy it. Be sure to tag us @honeybeemeals so we can see your meal & #spreadthebuzz.

HBM Bangin' Beef Bolognese 

Ingredients

• 1lb extra lean ground beef
• ¾ cup white onion, diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup carrot, diced
• 2 cups tomato puree
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• ¼ cup coconut cream
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• Water *if necessary
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• Olive oil

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add olive oil, then ¼ cup of onion and stir for about 2 minutes - until onion becomes translucent and starts to soften.
2. Add the ground beef, breaking up the pieces until just about cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and onion mixture from skillet to a bowl and set aside. Make sure the juices stay in the skillet.
4. With the cooking juices still in the skillet, add the carrots, celery and rest of the onion. Cook until the carrots are cooked through and add half of the spices - mix until combined.
5. Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, coconut cream, nutritional yeast and water, if necessary. *Only add the water if the sauce is too thick. Start with a 1/4 cup and add up to 1/2 cup total if needed.
6. Add the meat and onion mixture back into the pan as well a s the rest of the spices and stir to incorporate.
7. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
8. We like serving this over brown rice noodles or spaghetti squash noodles & a side of roasted broccoli. Other serving options: brown or white rice, zucchini noodles or quinoa.
9. Enjoy!

Remember: you can eat healthy and enjoy your favourite meals. We like to abide by the "80-20" principle: 80% of the diet is filled with healthy, nutrient-dense foods and 20% is reserved for less-nutritious foods that you enjoy. This principle is helpful in fuelling your body while still enjoying your favourite treats - guilt-free.