Who doesn’t love some tasty late-night snacks after going out with friends? Canada has many favourite drunk foods, but it seems like most of them, like pizza and kebab, contain gluten.
While it’s perfectly fine to indulge in a good gluten binge every once in a while, gluten can make you feel bloated, especially after a night of drinking, and there are also people who have gluten intolerance and cannot eat any of these favourite Canadian drunk foods.
We are here to remedy this problem. This article will talk about gluten-free foods that provide a healthy alternative to beloved late-night snacks which are just as yummy as their gluten counterparts. Let us know if you’ve tried any of these and whether you prefer them over popular gluten options.
GF Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Canadians seem to love grilled cheese after a long night of partying, but the bread traditionally used for it contains gluten, although it doesn’t have to! Nowadays, there are many gluten-free alternatives to grain bread which could make your grilled cheese sandwich even better.
The options are truly endless, but let us list some of the most popular for you.
The most famous alternative to white bread is cornbread. However, you should check what the label says as many cornbread recipes ask for all-purpose flour; instead, look for bread made with cornmeal (which is gluten-free) or make one yourself! The same applies to potato bread which comes in both gluten and gluten-free options.
Some more innovative gluten-free breads are made with things like coconut flour or squash (sweet potatoes or pumpkin). These alternatives to wheat flour add interesting flavours to everyone’s favourite grilled cheese.
Once you have your bread, pick your favourite melty cheese. While milk is naturally gluten-free, not all cheeses are gluten-free; additional flavours might come from gluten sources, so check the label before you buy it. Even vegan cheese is not always gluten-free because it’s made with ingredients like oats.
Hummus with Dippers
The delicious Middle Eastern snack hummus is perfect for people allergic to gluten. The ingredients of traditional hummus are chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt and garlic, and they are all gluten-free. Still, store-bought hummus might contain gluten, so check the label.
Hummus is a fantastic healthy alternative to gluten snacks that would not only satisfy your hunger, but also make your body feel good. For dipping, we recommend using carrots for the ultimate healthy snack.
Still, if you prefer the more traditional dipping method, using pita bread, you can easily make yourself one using gluten-free flour or buy one from the store which is labeled as gluten-free.
Dates Balls
This has to be our favourite healthy sweet snack. Energy balls with dates provide all the nutrition without any of the negative consequences of refined sugar, because dates are naturally sweet. It takes only a few minutes to prepare this delicious snack that you can then store at the fridge until you need another fix.
Simply get a bunch of dried dates (you can add additional dried fruits like apricots), put them in a food processor and then cover your hands in coconut oil to make it easier to shape them into small balls. Cover the balls with sesame seeds and let them sit in the fridge for an hour.
Fish Cakes
Another popular food on the list of favourite Canadian drunk foods is fish and chips, but it’s naturally not gluten-free because of the batter. You can replace the wheat bread crumbs with gluten-free crumbs, or you can throw the whole thing out and have a healthy meal of fish cakes.
Fish cakes are very versatile as they can be made with many types of protein, including cod, salmon and crab, and they are gluten-free. All you need is some potatoes, your protein of choice, eggs, spices and healthy frying oil (we recommend avocado).
It takes less than an hour to make two dozen of fish cakes, but we know it’s going to take you less than 10 minutes to devour them all.
Lettuce Wraps
Many people who have given up gluten swear by the power of lettuce. Rather than try to find or make gluten-free bread, they instead replace it with lettuce for their sandwiches. This might sound weird to the bread lovers out there, but lettuce wraps are not only healthy, but also very tasty and easy to prepare.
Pick some fresh lettuce from the market and find a sturdy and big leaf to make your wrap with. Fold it in half, allowing for some space for the fillings, and put whatever your heart desires in it.
We recommend grilled chicken and vegetables, toppled with salsa and parsley, but you can be adventurous and try different ingredients every time you make yourself a lettuce wrap.
Halloumi Skewers
Halloumi is one of the healthiest cheeses you can buy and its texture is nothing short of divine. Canadians love their mozzarella sticks for a late-night snack, but they are not gluten-free and mozzarella is generally quite heavy on the body. You can easily replace that snack with halloumi skewers.
You can put halloumi only on your skewers and grill them until they turn golden-brown, but you can also add vegetables like onions, tomatoes and peppers to get some extra vitamins.