Recipe
2 cups oats
1/3 cup psyllium husk
1/2 cup: chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds
2.5 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Method
Mix all ingredients
Let it set overnight in the fridge
Bake for 15 minutes
Though it may be difficult to find a 100% gluten-free spots in Jordan (apart from 1 which I know of), there are some pretty cool cafes where you can enjoy a young vibrant ambiance and find good food options.
Cuisine: Paleo/ 100% gluten-free
What I like about it: Fully gluten-free, modern cuisine, tasty
My favorites: Primal plantbased burger, tiramisu
Tiramisu
Cuisine: International
What I like about it: Special setting, nice ambiance, smoothies
My favorites: Falafel
Cuisine: Bar food
What I like about it: Nice ambiance
My favorites: Quinoa salad
Cuisine: Modern Arabic cuisine
What I like about it: Great menu, nice setting and ambiance
My favorites: Beet falafels
Ingredients
1 jar vanilla coconut yogurt (100/ 115g)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 scoop vanilla protein or 1 tbsp maple
Method
Mix and shape into balls.
Dip each ball into melted chocolate.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving.
There are so many great options for celiacs in Kuwait! Here are my favorites:
Cuisine: Plantbased wholefoods
What I like about it: 100% gluten-free, wholesome/ nourishing, nicely presented.
The only potential downside is probably the location as it is part of a food court in a mall – I feel it deserves to have a nicer standalone cafe with outdoor seating!
My favorites: Almond butter toast, chocolate smoothie bowl
Cuisine: Plantbased/ 100% gluten-free
What I like about it: Interesting/ unconvenional progressive plantbased cuisine, everything prepared in-house
My favorites: Vegan blue cheese toasts (raw dehydrated toast)
Cuisine: “Flexitarian” cuisine
What I like about it: Nice outdoor seatings, options which suit different dietary/ culinary preferences
My favorites: Chickpea “fries”
My last trip to Bahrain was in March 2020 right before the complete border closure! If you are traveling to Bahrain, you can find both Eastern and Western options to choose from.
Beyond all the classic gluten-free meals which you can find in any restaurant (quinoa salads, grilled salmon etc.), the highlights for me were Plant Cafe which is 100% gluten-free and plantbased and Lumee Street where you can find many options. You can also head to Market Place, an organic store, where you will find a large variety of products.
One of my favorite cuisines with so many gluten-free options to enjoy!
What you can safely enjoy:
Corn-based tacos, tortillas, arepas – be sure to ask if you are eating out as wheat-based tortillas are commonly used in restaurants.
Yucas and tapioca – served as chips or as pancakes.
Citrusy ceviches.
What to avoid: Wheat-based tortillas or chips, soy-based ceviches.
Some of my favorite spots in Dubai: Hotel Cartagena, Tortuga, Mama Zonia.
Ingredients
Oats
2 tbsp oats
1 tbsp chia
1 tbsp coconut yogurt
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp shredded coconut
1 scoop vanilla protein
3/4 cup almond milk
Vanilla drizzle
1/3 cup coconut yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla protein
3 tbsp almond milk
Method
To make the oats, combine the ingredients & refrigerate overnight.
For the vanilla drizzle, blend the ingredients and use as your oatmeal topping.
Ingredients
2 tbsp oat flour
Pinch of baking powder
1 tsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp almond milk
Chocolate chips
Method
Mix and shape into either 1 large cookie or 2 smaller ones.
Bake for 6 minutes
Key hidden gluten sources to watch out for:
I grew up in Lebanon eating wholesome traditional dishes made of natural local ingredients which definitely shaped by culinary preferences! There is a misconception about Arabic cuisine in general: it is not restricted to grills and offers a very broad range of flavorful nourishing meals which suit different tastes!
Overview: I would split Lebanese cuisine into 3 parts
1) Mezze: small dishes with a high number of vegetarian options that are served as entree (which are actually filling enough to be mains!)
2) Vegetable stews: Vegetables or beans served with meat and rice. The most common main dish in Lebanese homes.
3) Grills: traditionally served in Lebanese restaurant as main course; usually meat and chicken.
What to safely enjoy: If cooked traditionally, Lebanese cuisine offers a high number of gluten-free options especially mezze which generally comprise of certain beans or vegetables cooked with natural tomato sauce and sauteed garlic/ onions! You can also enjoy grills if you consume meat – you have to ask the restaurant to serve the grills in Lebanese bread though.
What to watch out for: Restaurants who cook in large volumes can add gluten-containing vegetable/ chicken stock to certain stews especially to flavor meat-containing dishes that are traditionally served with rice. You should always ask – it is preferable to avoid it. Unfortunately, if you have celiac, you cannot experience traditional Lebanese breakfasts which are usually either manakeesh (baked dough filled with Zaatar or cheese or mince meat) or kunafa. Only one restaurant in Lebanese serves gluten-free options of both. You would also need to watch out when ordering salads – Tabbouleh contains burghul (wheat) and Fattouch is normally served with toasted bread.
My favorite dishes: Vegetarian eggplant mousaka, vegetarian okra/ broad beans/ green beans, hummus and baba ghannouj/ moutabal, spicy potatoes, fish tajin which is fish baked in a rich citrusy tomato sauce.
My favorite restaurants: Kitchen Confidential which is 100% organic and offers healthy gluten-free/ sugar-free alternatives to all classics (manakeesh, pizza, pasta, burgers, pastries, cakes, sandwiches)
