Gluten Free Tips

I make everything. And unfortunately, I make up all the recipes so I can't share any with you! But I make pancakes, muffins, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and biscuits that no one can guess are gluten free. My best friend is my coffee grinder. I grind oatmeal, quinoa, and any other grain I can. Much cheaper that way! And I use potato starch, xanthan gum, and cornstarch more now than ever before.

Also, we've found that it's less expensive to look into Asian sections of the grocery store for noodles, sauces, etc. Many of the products are naturally GF. There are great rice noodles and mung bean noodles that have great texture and taste. If you have an Asian or international market near you, check it out!

here's my GF blog, and there are some great links on the right side that I love, including recipe blogs, shopping guides and forums for celiacs etc. my blog touches on celiac, gluten intolerance and other autoimmune diseases, but since me and my daughter both have Celiac, I focus more on that end.

http://bowelsofceliac.blogspot.com/

Better Batter has a great mix for just about anything, and you can get it on amazon but here's the link: http://shop.betterbatter.org/

also, one of my favorite recipe sites is: http://comfybelly.com/

I have a food blog as well- mine is geared specifically toward people (especially children) who must eat a certain way for autoimmune disease. I have a great chicken nuggets recipe, as well as some ideas for skillet bread, etc. www.chickiepea.wordpress.com

Udi's brand bread is the best, hands down. They have bagels, hotdog buns, and granola too-- all are great.

When going out to eat, you can check www.glutenfreeregistry.com to see if a restaurant has a gluten-free menu. Upscale restaurants are usually a bit easier since they have chefs using whole food and can tell you if something is contaminated vs. Wendy's or Denny's who buy already made food and may not know.

I often order a sandwich, like a Reuben, without bread- and have them make it over mashed potatoes or rice for me. Watch out for pre-made anything and fried things. French fries themselves, for example are safe, but if they are fried in oil that breaded things were fried in, then you have cross-contamination. For gluten sensitivity this MIGHT not be an issue, but for Celiac's it definitely is.

Trader Joe's, Meijer, Woodman's, and Dominick's all sell gluten-free items now too. These processed items often have a lot of corn and soy, so watch that you aren't sensitive to those things as well, as you might start unintentionally consuming more. Oatmeal is safe, but it is often processed w/other grains, so Bob's Red Mill gluten-free certified oats are worth it to make sure they're safe.

The quinoa/corn pasta is the best, and then the Trader Joe's rice pasta is next, in my opinion. Asian rice noodles and wrappers are fun too. Make sure you watch soy sauce for gluten- there is a gluten-free version called Tamari, but most restaurants use regular soy sauce w/wheat.

The bottom line is to read every single label, try not to eat out (and if you do ask ask ask ask questions and don't just trust- speak to the cook/chef if possible!!!) and make as much from scratch as you can (and make things ahead and freeze too!)

When serving family/friends who aren't gluten-free, I don't make "fake" things- Serve meat w/rice or potatoes or quinoa, a nice salad w/homemade dressing, some steamed, roasted or grilled veggies, and for dessert fruit, ice-cream, flourless chocolate cake, etc. It's going to take you awhile to learn the ins and outs of how all the flours react- it took me about a year and I feel like I am still improving, but I can now make cookies that my mother-in-law says are just like the real thing!

Also, beware of gums. I know a lot of recipes throw in xantham gum and guar gum, etc. to thicken and fake gluten reaction in baked goods. Xantham gum is a form of mold, so many people (especially w/asthma) react to this gum. I would avoid it if possible. Guar gum is from the root of a tree and safer, but some people still get tummy upset from it. I have used Knox gelatin with great success.

Also, check out the book Cooking With Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife- it's incredible and will give you great recipes and ideas. There are tons of great books and resources too- sometimes I get ideas from other diets- paleo/Atkins/raw vegan, etc. that are naturally gluten-free without coming out and calling themselves that!

If you need any local resources or help, let me know. I'm in Wheaton and happy to help.

M.

My niece has to eat gluten free. I don't have a lot of experience with it other than the pasta sucks. I am going to try to make fresh pasta out of rice flower and see if it is an improvement. If it is then I will have to figure out how to ship it or just send them a pasta maker and the recipe. :) Oh she really likes pasta but they can't find any that aren't gross.

One of my favorite tips is to use crushed cereal, usually either rice chez or corn chex, in place of breadcrumbs. You can then make homemade chicken strips and fish sticks.
It's not that hard to eat out. Besides the obvious items be sure to avoid gravy and cream based soups since they are often thickened with flour.
Good luck!

I have just gone gluten free. The best thing I did was purchase my own bread machine, and a gluten free breadmachine cookbook, so that I could make my own bread. The gluten free bread at the store does not look appealing to me and it is very expensive.
I have made 2 loafs of bread so far and I cannot believe how good it is. I keep hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator so if I am starving I will have a quick snack available. I also keep a can of gluten free nuts in the house for quick snack.
I think that it is better to make things from scratch and it always taste better. It is easy to cook whole foods without gluten. I bought a few gluten free prepared meals for an emergency.

As far as eating out and going on vacation - I am not sure how I will deal with that, I will be reading the responses to your post to get more ideas and info about GF.

I am reading The G Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, just started the book and so far pretty good.

I have Celiac so I eat completely GF. I love Glutino pretzels! My favorite bread is Udi's and Betty Crockers gluten free cake mix is pretty good. I use the GF cake mixes when I want to make a quick sweet bread like banana bread. I like the Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta. I really cannot tell the difference. To replace bread crumbs in recipes you can either smash up potato chips or General Mills rice chex or corn chex cereal. The cereal is healthier then the chips but I love using the chips when I make meatloaf. I prepare most my meals from scratch but I keep a few prepared meals in the house for quick dinner or lunches. Most regular recipes can be made into GF without to much trouble. I use almond flour for most of my baking. Elana's pantry has some great recipes. When eating out I try to go on the resturant website before going so I know what is available for me to eat. When ordering I order no spices or sauces. If I am not sure what to order I will just order a salad without dressing or a baked potato.Larabars are a great snack/breakfast. I live on them when I am on vacation. GF prepared food is expensive so when you see something on sale make sure you stock up!! and use coupons when ever possible. The book Gluten Free for Dummies is great for people just starting out. if you are going completely GF you will need to read labels. Gluten can be found in soups, salad dressing, soy sauce, pretty much anywhere. Many companies have a list of GF foods on there websites which may be helpful when shopping. Some of the bigger grocery stores have list on their websites also. Good luck it does take time to adjust but overall I did not find it too hard except for giving up my beer. Of course now I drink hard cider instead and it is pretty darn good. :)