Finding gluten free lunch ideas can often be a challenge, with portable and healthy meal recipes generally hard to come by. Ditching bread in particular is notoriously tough, with many of us relying on sandwiches and wraps for lunchtime staples.
With a little bit of preparation, however, and the right products at hand, there are plenty of quick and easy options for those looking to leave the bread at home and take gluten free on the go.
Whether you’re cooking for the family or taking something into the office, gluten free oats can be used as a great replacement for bread and a base ingredient for a huge variety of tasty treats. More importantly, oats provide you with a host of health benefits, including improved gut and bowel health, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant bonuses.
To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of our favourite gluten free and oat-based lunch recipes for you to try.
Bean spread with homemade slaw
With a prep time of only 10 to 15 minutes, it doesn’t get much easier than this. Slather our range of gluten free flatbreads in a delicious white bean spread for a quick and fibre-rich lunchtime treat.
Nairns Gluten Free Flatbreads
1 cup canned white beans, rinsed
1 cup shredded raw vegetables, e.g. red peppers, carrots, onions and cabbage
230g crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons vinaigrette
Simply mash the white beans with the feta and vinaigrette, before spreading the resulting mix over the flatbread.
To make the slaw, toss your chosen selection of vegetables with lemon juice, and pile on top. Easy!
Banana oat cupcakes with a salted caramel crunch
Who said lunch has to be savoury? Satisfy your sweet tooth with this gluten free take on a muffin classic.
For the muffins:
50g Nairn’s Gluten Free Porridge Oats
2 large eggs
100g coconut sugar or xylitol
100g coconut butter or vegan spread
1 large banana
100g coconut butter or vegan spread
100g gluten free plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
For the oat crunch:
50g Nairn’s Gluten Free Porridge Oats, roughly ground
30g coconut sugar or xylitol
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or vegan spread
1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the salted caramel:
75g vegan spread
100g coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons thick coconut milk
Start off by preheating your oven to 180°C (or gas mark 4) and line a muffin tin with suitably sized cupcake cases.
Next, prepare the oat crunch topping by combining the sugar, oats and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the oil to the mix to form crumbs and set it to one side.
Use a food processor to combine the eggs, sugar, oil and banana, before adding the dry ingredients and lightly beating the mix to make a batter.
Spoon the batter into your cupcake cases until they are approximately ¾ full, and sprinkle over a pinch of the oat topping.
Bake the cupcakes for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown, and set them aside to cool.
Lastly, prepare the caramel by adding the vegan spread, coconut milk, and your chosen sugar into a pan and bringing it to a boil. Allow it to simmer for about 2-3 minutes, before leaving it to cool and thicken.
When it’s complete, drizzle the caramel over the cupcakes for a sweet and ready-to-serve finish.
Pumpkin spice overnight oats smoothie
Nothing says lunch on the go like a smoothie, and with Autumn around the corner it’s time to get back into pumpkin spice. This recipe involves overnight oats, so leave yourself plenty of time to prepare it the night before!
½ cup Nairn’s Gluten Free Porridge Oats
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup vanilla almond milk
Set some time aside in the evening to mix all the ingredients together in a blender. After making sure it’s properly combined, cover the mix in cling-film and leave it in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, blend the mix again until it has a smooth and creamy consistency. If you think it’s too thick, try adding in more milk.
Finally, pour it into a glass or shaker and sprinkle some toasted oats and spices over the top for an extra bit of crunch!
Edamame hummus dip
Shake up traditional hummus by incorporating protein-rich edamame! Pair it with Nairn’s Gluten Free Oatcakes for a fresh and nutritious take on an old classic.
Nairn’s Gluten Free Oat Cakes
500g frozen shelled edamame
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons of water (to thin the mixture to your taste)
¼ cup tahini
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Smoked paprika, ground black pepper, olive oil and edamame to garnish
First of all, make sure you have properly rinsed and drained your thawed edamame and set some aside for garnish at the end.
Mince 2 garlic cloves in a blender, gradually adding edamame until you’re left with a somewhat smooth mixture.
Add in the lemon juice, tahini and water, and continue processing until your dip is smooth. Throw in a pinch of salt for seasoning, along with cayenne pepper and ground coriander to your taste.
Finish up by scooping your spread into a serving bowl and garnishing with smoked paprika, a healthy drizzle of olive oil, and your leftover edamame. Now your dip is ready to serve with Nairn’s Gluten Free Oatcakes!
Don’t forget to check out our other gluten free recipes for even more lunch and meal-time inspiration! Share your own creations with us on Facebook and Instagram.
