Is A Gluten Free Diet Bad For You? Experts Talk.
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Gluten Free Diet Includes Chinese Dumplings
Even if you’re on on a gluten free diet, you still love Chinese dumplings…right?
Gluten free Dumplings
These days such dainty treats are easily found not only in local Chinese grocery stores, but also in regular supermarkets as well as in many wholesale distributors.
But with a gluten allergy or celiac disease there is no way to enjoy store-bought dumplings, which are all made with wheat flour.
A dough that can be used to make delicious gluten free dumplings is based on tapioca starch and rice flour. Without gluten, however, this dough is quite fragile, especially when rolled out. Make sure to add extra flour to your cutting board and rolling pin before rolling out the wrappers.
If you find the wrapper breaking apart when you roll it out, you can simply gather up the dough and roll it out again. Alternatively, a well-oiled tortilla press produces a great end result. In any event, don’t stress out about the appearance of the dumplings; they’ll cook up great, have nice chewy texture, and taste delicious.
These dumplings can be frozen so make a large batch. Freeze them individually so they can be pulled them out whenever you need a few gluten free Chinese dumplings. This gluten free dumplings recipe will definitely produce high levels of satisfaction for anyone craving Chinese dumplings.
Ingredients:
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup fine rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons light olive oil
12-14 tablespoons cold water
glutinous or sweet rice flour
Preparation:
Whisk together tapioca starch, rice flour and xanthan gum in a bowl. Add oil and 12 tablespoons of water. Mix well, adding a little bit of water at a time if necessary to form a firm, but not dry, dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap while preparing dumpling filling. The dumpling dough can be left for several hours as long as you cover it with plastic wrap to avoid drying out.
Alternative ingredients:
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup millet flour*
1 cup glutinous (sweet) rice flour
2 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
1 cup just-boiled water plus 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water
(work in the just-boiled water to create a crumbly moist mixture. Then switch to mixing and kneading by hand to work in the extra 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water. Let dough rest in the plastic bag for 10 minutes.)
When ready to make the dumpling wrappers, sprinkle a cutting board or pastry sheet with glutinous rice flour. Form dough into a long log. Cut dough into 24 even pieces.
Flatten each piece into a small round on floured cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll each round into a 2 1/2″- 3″ circle, flipping the dough over, and turning the circle as you roll it out.
The dough is fragile, so roll it out carefully, and be sure to keep both sides floured so it doesn’t stick to the rolling pin or cutting board. As mentioned above, you can use a oiled tortilla press to roll out a perfect round.
Cover rolled dumpling wrappers with plastic wrap until all the wrappers are made. If you need to leave the wrappers to rest for a while, cover with a very slightly damp paper towel and then a piece of plastic wrap.
To complete the dumpling:
Put a spoonful of your favorite dumpling filling in the middle of the wrapper, being careful not to overstuff.
Form pleated dumpling by bringing wrapper ends together over center of filling and pinch. Pinch center of dumpling wrapper together well. Pinch corners of the wrapper together on one end. Pinch one corner of dumpling dough, then carefully pinch wrapper together to enclose filling. Continue pinching both sides of dough together to enclose the dumpling filling. Repeat on other side of wrapper. Pinch dough gently around filling on both sides to form a flat bottomed dumpling.
Alternatively, don’t even try to figure this out, just watch this:
or this:
Fry Dumplings with 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan. Place dumplings in pan and fry until bottom of dumplings are lightly browned. Pour in 3/8 cup water and cover pan. Cook on medium, covered, until water is evaporated, about 6-8 minutes. Watch carefully as oil may sputter. After water is evaporated, continue to cook for a few minutes until bottom of dumplings are golden brown and crunchy.
Eat immediately, or let cool, and freeze. To freeze, line a plate with plastic wrap. Gently place cooked dumplings on plate. Cover dumplings with plastic wrap and place in freezer. After dumplings are frozen, store them in a container or Ziploc bag, and keep in the freezer.
To reheat, steam until hot. Enjoy!
Check out some of my other gluten free recipes that use dough including gluten free pizza, gluten free flour tortillas, and gluten free baklava.
What Are Tonight’s Gluten Free Dinner Recipes? Indian Curries: Yum!
Next time you ask “what is gluten free”, think Indian, think curry as part of a gluten free menu!
My absolute favorite cuisine is Indian, which I learned to love and make, courtesy of a college friend back in the UK. My old friend, Naz, who grew up in London, was a master at re-creating family recipes he learned as a child from his mom. Back in the day, he and I had some some great times sampling the fare at his favorite Indian restaurants and dives throughout London and Southern England. Here are some easy adaptations on the curry theme. Remember: a gluten free diet doesn’t have to be boring.
Vegetable Curry
Vegetable Curry is Delectably Gluten Free
Ingredients:
1 pound of your favorite vegetables (cut up)
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin (or caraway) seeds
2 teaspoon kalonji seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 (depending on how hot you like your curry) dried red chiles, stems and seeds removed if less heat is desired
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper, optional
Preparation:
Cut up vegetables and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes to soften.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt and cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add coriander seeds, kalonji seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds, cover pan with a splatter screen, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to pop. Once they begin to pop, turn the heat down to medium, and add turmeric, onion powder, cinnamon, garlic, and chiles.
Saute until garlic turns golden brown in color, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vegetables, sugar, salt and pepper, if desired, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are heated through.
Remove from heat, pour into bowl with yogurt mixture, and stir to combine. Remove chiles if desired, and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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Here’s another delicious variation on the theme:
And, you might want to serve with a delicious side dish of quinoa vegetable pilaf:
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Vegetable Coconut Curry
A variation on the theme you are sure to like: healthy vegetables simmered in a coconut milk curry. Just about any veggies will do including spinach to get your greens, or baby corn. Serve them over rice or noodles. Yum-bo!
Gluten-Free Coconut Curry is Sweet and Delicious
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 green chili, seeded
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
1/2 cauliflower, chopped
1 cup green beans
1 carrot, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Preparation:
Finely chop onion, garlic, and chili; grate ginger.
In a large skillet, heat the oniona, garlic, ginger, chili with the oil and spices. Allow to cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently.
Add the vegetables and the coconut milk and stir well. Season generously with 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
Cover and allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
Serve; Enjoy!
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Salmon Coconut Curry with Spinach
I recently made this delicious dish to the raves of all of the 16 people attending my holiday gathering. So this is a recipe to serve to a large group. Scale down as needed for your application.
Savory and Tangy Coconut Curried Salmon
Ingredients:
8 tsp vegetable oil
4 C thinly sliced onion
8 t curry powder
3 C light coconut milk
2 C regular coconut milk
8 T sugar
4 T lime juice
4 T bottled minced ginger
8 T fish sauce
8 t bottled minced garlic
2 t chili paste with garlic
4 x (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
4-6 oz of my orange chipotle sauce (click here).
4 x (1-pound) salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
12 C trimmed watercress or spinach
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except salmon and spinach in cast iron pot.
Bring to boil in covered pot for 5 min, then simmer (uncovered) an additional 15-20 min.
Add salmon, return to low boil for 3-5 minutes; cover and simmer another 5 minutes.
Uncover, add spinach as over-layer, cover and simmer a few more minutes until spinach wilts into the curry.
Serve over coconut rice (jasmine rice cooked in 3:2 ratio of light and regular coconut milk with a smidge of salt).
Like salmon and rice but not big on curry? For a delicious and tangy gluten free meal, top grilled salmon and rice with my delicious tangy orange chipotle sauce.
THE BEST!
Enjoy.
What is Gluten Free Baklava? Delicious Gluten Free Holiday Eating!
Visited a friend a few days ago who bestowed upon me her delectable annual Christmas offering of homemade Greek-style Baklava. I love this stuff. Now I’m thinking… I want to concoct a gluten free version of this. Yes, a gluten free diet doesn’t have to be boring, though one should be aware of the basic gluten free FAQs.
What is gluten free baklava?
What is Gluten-Free Baklava? Fantastico!
It’s right here, and it’s a pretty damned good gluten free dessert. Admittedly, my gluten free dough will never be as flaky as her delicate phyllo-based creation, but it’s a noble attempt and yields a delicious product nonetheless. Practice, practice, practice!
First, make up a batch of gluten free pastry:
1 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
The Filling:
1 Cup of Pistachio Nuts Chopped
1 Cut of Almond Nuts Chopped
1 t Cinnamon for Nut Mix
1/4 Cup of Caster Sugar for Nut Mix
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar for Nut Mix
1 Cup Caster Sugar for Syrup
1 Cup Brown Sugar for Syrup
1/2 Cup Honey for Syrup
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup for Syrup
1-2 Lemons Juiced for Syrup (add according to taste)
The Preparation:
Make the dough by combining and kneading pastry ingredients together until stiff but not sticky.
Let dough rest for two hours, covered in saran wrap.
Make the syrup first so it has time to cool while the Baklava is being made. Pour honey, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup of water into a pan on medium heat. Once boiling, add 1 cup of caster sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar and the juice of 1-2 lemons depending on taste, stir until dissolved. Let the syrup thicken, remove from heat and leave to cool for 40 mins. After cooling the syrup should be golden brown.
Preheat the oven to 360 F. If your oven is fan forced, you can reduce cooking temperature to 320 degrees F.
Put both almond and pistachio chopped nuts in a medium bowl, and mix with 1/4 cup of caster sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Add 2-3 drops of water for slight moisture. Stir until evenly mixed.
Divide dough into 16 sections, cover what is not being worked. Lay down some baking paper for rolling out the pastry. Roll dough into sheets that are paper-thin or as thin as you can get it until you start to see little tears develop if you pick it up. The pastry sheets should look almost a little see-through once rolled out. The sheets should cover roughly the base of the 9 x 13 baking dish. Pre-grease the dish and place 2 sheets of dough in the dish for the base of the baklava brushing a complete coat of butter on each layer when placing in the dish. Here’s a video that might help with this sometimes tricky precess:
Here’s another video, though not using gluten free pastry sheets, focuses on some additionally interesting and helpful techniques for making your baklava.
After creating the base, you can sprinkle on the nut mix. Use approximately half of your nut mix (and no more) to completely cover the base of your baklava.
Continue placing 1 layer of pastry down at a time and with each layer, brush an even coat of oil on top. Sprinkle a very light layer of nut mix on each layer that is just enough to cover the sheet of pastry before proceeding to place another layer down.
Depending on the amount of nut mix left, make sure you have 2-3 sheets of pastry to create a crust. The last layers need not have any nut mix between them, but just continue to coat each layer in oil, including the final surface layer.
Once all the sheets and nut mix are finished, you can proceed to cut your uncooked Baklava into diamond shapes with a sharp knife. Place the dish in the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 mins. Pour the cooled syrup evenly over the Baklava until completely covered. There should only be a thin layer of syrup at the base of the Baklava, so if you’ve made too much syrup, carefully pour some of the excess back into the saucepan.
Note: If you don’t have maple syrup, just substitute in more honey. If you aren’t a fan of lemon try other citrus, like mandarin, lime, or orange.
Eat and enjoy your delicious gluten free baklava.
Happy Holidays!
Seasonal Gluten Free Holiday Menu
I love the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday time for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the pervasive appearance of wonderfully creative, gluten free recipes that recapitulate the excitement, magic and celebratory nature of the season while looking out for gluten intolerance and gluten allergy. What is gluten free in December? It’s great holiday eating.
If I had my way, I’d post in great detail the gluten free recipes and preparation secrets for every one of those culinary miracles of holiday imagination. But, alas, there are “certain” limitations, even on the internet. Mine, today, include the fact that the recipes I choose to feature in this post originate with talented others, on whose websites can be found the in-depth secrets that underlie these divine delicacies. What information I will reveal here is that I’ve indulged myself in these two dishes that follow, and they are indeed delightful, delectable examples of some of the best (gluten free or otherwise) eating you’ll experience this season.
The first recipe I want to highlight is one I feel beautifully captures a “home-&-hearth” essence of holiday warmth and savory delight: Recipe Girl’s mashed sweet potatoes with caramelized onions, brie and sage. Delightfully satisfying with undertones of sweet, salty and savory, this dish skillfully brings together signature seasonal ingredients including sweet potatoes, onions, brie, butter, sugar and sage to form a memorable taste tribute to any holiday gathering of friends and family. Get full details here!
Sweet and savory, mashed sweet potatoes with caramelized onions is a holiday hit.
The absolute sweetness of the holiday season is emphasized by the second of my two recipe picks: Taryn’s melt-in-your-mouth, Gluten-Free Peppermint Chocolate Sandwiches, a truly heavenly holiday dessert that’s “chocolate-lover-delicious”, visually compelling and very quick and easy to put together. The secret to the success of this little beauty is choosing the right chocolate basis, and Taryn’s selection is based on some extensive experience with her local chocolate purveyors.
Sweet and delicious chocolate peppermint sandwiches are nothing short of gluten-free holiday magic.
The cookies are a simple mixture of a select Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix, Egg or Egg Replacer water and oil. The creamy frosting center is a cream cheese base that includes butter, sugar, and peppermint candy canes (surprise, surprise). Get full details here! Thanks, Taryn. Keep up the great work.
Gluten Free Mexican Christmas Latkes with Mexican Christmas Salsa
Here is a great variation on the gluten free holiday theme — guaranteed to capture your holiday imagination on one hand, while dazzling your creative tastebuds with spicy festivity on the other. Top these tangy seasonal beauties with my Mexican Christmas salsa and keep everyone coming back for more.
Mexican Christmas Latkes
Ingredients
3 cups peeled and shredded russet potatoes
2 tablespoons onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, diced
2 corn stocks
1 clove garlic, minced
3 eggs
4 tablespoons of gluten-free potato starch
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
(1) Peel and cook potatoes until tender.
(2) Grate cooked potatoes with a fine tooth grater; then boil up your corn making sure the water covers the corn enough but not so much it will boil over. When the water boils, corn is done.
(3) After all your potatoes are grated, squeeze excess water and all moisture out with cheesecloth. This is very important or your latkes will be mushy and you could dampen Mexican Christmas Hanukkah… 
(4) Mix together with minced garlic and diced jalapeno and onions, corn, gluten-free potato starch, eggs and salt. You can also use red chili peppers for color, but test for heat BEFORE cooking.
(5) Heat up the vegetable oil in a pan, and be sure your oil is super hot- this is essential for crispy latkes.
(6) Drop large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil, and flatten them down to form ½ inch thick patties. Brown on one side, and then flip and brown the other.
(7) Blot latkes off on a paper towel to remove excess oil before serving. Serve with salsa on top for extra color. Check out my Mexican Christmas Salsa….. Yumbo.
Enjoy, and here’s a couple of helpful and informative videos that will definitely put you in the gluten free holiday spirit:
Keep yourself informed on the gluten free basics and have a happy, healthy gluten free holidays.
What is Gluten Free Halloween Food? Delicious, Fun, Easy!
Halloween is a great opportunity for some creative, fun eating, offering many recipes that reflect the holiday spirit, even if you suffer from gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance. These meals, treats and snacks are not only delicious to eat but also easy and quick to make. What is gluten free Halloween food? A cursory look through the “web” (no, not the spider web) reveals some devilishly compelling examples of easy gluten free recipes. No one will boooo these. Check ‘em out…
45-Minute Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or more, to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Preparation:
Rinse seeds well and get as much of the pumpkin pulp off of them as possible. Some of the small pieces are going to adhere, but they won’t hurt the seeds at all, and might even add a little more flavor. Pat dry with paper towels. Don’t let them dry completely on the paper towels, because they might stick. Toss seeds with the butter, sugar, and spices. Heat oven to 300°. Spread coated seeds in a shallow baking sheet (I line a baking sheet with nonstick foil to make cleanup easier), turning from time to time, for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until nicely browned and crunchy. Yum….
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10-Minute Halloween “Severed Finger” Sticks
Severed Finger Treats
These clever “severeds” are so easy to make and are always a huge hit at any Halloween event! Bring a tray of these to the table. and watch the looks on the faces.
Ingredients:
6 string cheese mozzarella sticks
sliced almonds
ketchup or hot sauce
Preparation:
Tear each mozzarella stick in half, trying to get as “mangled” an affect as possible. Round the ends with a small knife to give the shape of a fingertip. Trim a shallow nail bed and place on a large slice of almond. Use the knife to make some indentations for the knuckle. Use ketchup or hot sauce for the blood and you’re ready to terrify your guests.
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5-Minute Bloody Halloween Party Punch
Bloody good halloween punch
Everyone will love this ghoulish, gorey-looking Halloween party punch recipe. It’s really a “bloody” good drink made with all-natural ingredients- a healthy alternative to sugary soda drinks.
Ingredients:
1 quart fresh orange juice, not from concentrate
1 quart canned, unsweetened pineapple juice
1 quart ginger ale (see tips)
1/4 cup cranberry juice concentrate (see tips)
12 thinly sliced cucumber rounds for garnish
Preparation:
Mix orange juice and pineapple juice in a 1/2 gallon pitcher. Chill. When ready to serve, use clear glasses to see the “dripping blood” effect. Put ice cubes in glasses, then fill glasses 2/3rds full with juice. Add enough ginger ale to fill glasses. Garnish each glass will a round of cucumber. Use a small spoon to slowly drizzle 1 teaspoon of cranberry juice concentrate around the inside rim of each glass and watch the red “blood” drip down the inside of the glass.
Look for cranberry concentrate at health food stores. It is very tart so don’t add more than 1 teaspoon to each glass. It will settle in the bottom of the glass. Use straws to stir and watch the juice turn from orange to dark red.
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Spider cookies
Gluten-free spider cookies with sugar cookie bodies and licorice legs are a fun and delightfully scary treat for Halloween.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter softened
1 Egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black decorator sugar
Decorations. Gluten-free red or black licorice laces (string),cut into 192 (1 1/2 to 2 inch) pieces, if desired
Decorator gel or frosting. Decorator candies (candy eyes, red cinnamon candies, mini chocolate-covered candy pieces, candy sprinkles, etc.), if desired
Preparation:
Heat oven to 375°F. Combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Add flour blend, baking powder and salt. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in black sugar to coat entire ball. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately insert 4 licorice pieces into each cookie to form legs. Move cookies to cooling rack. Cool completely. To add eyes, place a tiny dab of decorator gel or frosting onto cookie; gently press on candy. Store between sheets of waxed paper in containers with tight-fitting lid.
Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using. If necessary, poke toothpick or skewer into cookies so licorice pieces can easily be inserted for legs.
Place black decorator sugar in a clean, dry, glass bowl. This prevents sugar from getting too greasy and allows it to stick to the dough. You may need to occasionally start with fresh sugar if sugar isn’t sticking. Do not let the sugar get wet or it will dissolve. Use any color decorator sugar to roll the dough balls to create a variety of bugs. Cute candy eyes can be found at cake decorating stores. They are inexpensive, easy to use and add the perfect touch to these cookies.
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Tarantula Tacos
These tarantula tacos are so much fun and oh, so cute and so easy to make. Your kids and guests will love them.
Ingredients:
1 box (4.7oz) Old El Paso Stand ‘n Stuff taco shells
1lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 package (1oz) Old El Paso taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup sour cream
20 extra large pitted ripe olives
Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°F. Heat taco shells in oven as directed on box. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Reduce heat to medium; cook uncovered about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until water is evaporated. Remove from heat. Spoon beef mixture into heated taco shells. Top with cheese, lettuce and tomato. Spoon sour cream into small resealable food-storage plastic bag. Seal bag; cut tiny hole in corner of bag. Pipe sour cream over top of each taco to resemble spiderweb. For each spider, top taco with 1 olive, pitted end down. Cut second olive lengthwise into 8 pieces; place around whole olive for legs. For eyes, squeeze 2 dots of sour cream onto top of olive.
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40-Minute Scary Eyeballs
Scary eyeball rice balls
Scary Eyeballs are fun to make and delicious to eat. This Halloween recipe is also exceptionally healthy. Black sesame seed is the key ingredient, which is valued for its vitamins and minerals. You can either buy the black sesame seed or purchase some black sesame paste ready-made (both are available at Asian/Chinese food stores). Kids love the tactile sensation of holding these eyeballs, which feel terrifyingly realistic. Fun!
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. black sesame seeds (OR 1 package store-bought prepared black sesame paste – look for it in Asian stores)
1/2 cup brown or white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup of glutinous rice flour (also called ‘sticky rice flour’) – available at Asian stores
1/2 can coconut milk
Preparation: (If you have ready-made black sesame paste, start at step 4).
Place black sesame seeds in a coffee grinder. (To remove residual coffee bean dust, simply wipe with a dry rag). Grind for about 30 seconds, until sesame seeds break down into a thick and glossy powder. Place ground seeds in a sauce-pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 Tbsp. water, 1/2 tsp. salt, plus 1/3 cup sugar. Stir constantly until the sugar melts and a thick, black sauce forms – like melted chocolate in consistency – about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and do a taste-test for sugar, adding up to 1/4 cup more sugar if not sweet enough (white sugar is sweeter than brown). When you’re happy with the sweetness of the paste, place it in the refrigerator to cool. Tips: The paste needs to be quite sweet in order to balance out the savory glutinous rice dough that will surround it. Also, don’t worry if the paste is a little granular – this is desirable. Measure 1 cup glutinous rice flour plus 1/2 tsp. salt into a mixing bowl, stirring to mix. Add up to 1/2 can coconut milk and stir to form a stiff dough. You may need to add slightly more coconut milk, or more flour depending on how thin or thick your coconut milk is. The dough should be pliable – similar to play dough. It shouldn’t stick to your hands too much (if it does, it requires more flour). If the dough doesn’t stick together, it’s too dry – add a little more coconut milk or water. Take a little of the dough in your hands and roll it between your palms to make a ball (like you would do with play dough). Continue until all the dough is used, placing the balls on a clean, dry surface. Remove the black sesame paste from the refrigerator – it should have thickened (almost like taffy in consistency). Taking the first ball in your hand, use your index finger to indent a hole. Spoon some of the paste into the indentation (about 1/2 tsp). Use your thumb and fingers to flatten out the sides, then close the dough over the paste. Now reshape the dough back into a ball, rolling it between your palms as you did before. Place the finished balls on a clean, dry plate. (If you find the balls are sticking, you can lightly oil the plate.) Drop the sticky rice balls into a pot of boiling water. At first they will drop to the bottom of the pot. Allow them to boil for 6-8 minutes, or until they begin to float in the water. Drain and set the sticky rice balls on a clean surface. Using a spoon or your finger, take a little more of the black sesame and press it onto each ball to make pupils. Plate up and serve your Scary Eyeballs…. oooooooooo…..
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60-Minute Barbecued Bat Wings
Barbecued Bat Wings
These gory delights are fun to make and very tasty. The BBQ sauce is a hideously dark and evil looking, a veritable tar like mixture, but it tastes great! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 lbs chicken wings
2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups molasses
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
hot sauce
salt
black pepper
black paste food coloring
blue paste food coloring
green paste food coloring
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the chicken wings for twenty minutes in a large pot. While the wings are cooking, prepare the sauce. Whisk together the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth in a large roasting pan. Add enough black, blue, and green food colorings to the sauce to make a dark black sauce. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once. Drain the wings well and add them to the sauce and toss to coat evenly, poking the wings liberally with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the temperature to 450 degrees. Toss the wings in the sauce again to coat evenly. Bake until the sauce is thickened and slightly blackened, flipping the wings over occasionally, about another 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
HAPPY GLUTEN FREE HALLOWEEN!
Here’s a helpful and informative video on the topic of staying safely gluten free this Halloween.
10 Hidden Sources of Gluten That Threaten Your Gluten Free Diet Plan
For those diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, the transition to a gluten free diet is filled with potential pitfalls. There are dozens of foods and products out there filled with additives and possible hidden sources of gluten, so it can be complicated to get a clear picture of what is gluten free.
Ensure you are never surprised by a sudden bout of illness: Avoid those foods and enjoy the benefits of a gluten free diet. To that end, here are 10 hidden sources of gluten to avoid.
1. Pet Food – Commercial dog food is loaded with fillers and at the top of the list is usually gluten. Cat food can often contain gluten as well, though not as commonly as dog food. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after feeding your pets, or find a gluten free dog food for your canine companion.
Gluten free dog food ensures no exposure to gluten
2. Shared Foods – Say your spouse puts peanut butter on his normal, gluten-filled bread and then wipes the excess peanut butter off on the rim of the jar. Now there is gluten in the peanut butter jar. Cross contamination at home is one of the biggest obstacles for families transitioning one or more members to a gluten free diet.
3. Glue on Envelopes – The glue on stamps and envelopes often contains gluten from the flour used in manufacturing to dry the glue. Use a sponge to wet your envelopes or get the peel and stick kind.
4. Medications – As with skin care products, medications are made on an assembly-line where flour is used as an anti-caking agent. Always check with the manufacturer’s website to make sure your pills are gluten free (increasingly this is the case). Vitamins and over the counter supplements are a risk for this as well.
5. Skin care products - Many skin care products, like sun tan lotion, acne cream and shampoo contain gluten from the manufacturing process. The amount is small and the chances of it getting in your mouth are smaller but if you are very sensitive, it can be enough to make you sick.
Gluten absorption from skin care products remains controversial. Many follow “better safe than sorry” rule.
6. Impure Oats – The gluten status of oats and oatmeal is a big sticking point for many people with gluten intolerances. Technically, pure oats are gluten free, but many oats are cut in a way that exposes them to gluten and can make them dangerous.
7. The Hidden Terms – Various terms may be used to describe gluten containing ingredients on packaging. Malt, graham, spelt, kamut, and natural flavoring are all examples of blanket terms that refer to gluten ingredients. Spices may also contain gluten as flour is used to keep them from clumping.
8. HVP, HPP, TVP – Various vegetable protein mixes almost always contain gluten as it is what gives these meat substitutes their chewy texture. If you are a vegetarian, avoid any “fake-chicken” products
9. Restaurants (cross contamination)- Even if a restaurant offers a gluten free menu, beware that there is no way to ensure the food didn’t come in contact with gluten containing foods. Cross contamination is a major risk in a restaurant environment so be careful where you eat.
Read food labels to avoid hidden sources of gluten
10. Colorings – Some colorings used for drinks and certain foods may contain gluten. Check with manufacturer’s websites before eating anything that has any sort of non-dye coloring in it.
Gluten is present in hundreds of everyday foods and finding it can be a stressful process. Thankfully, awareness is growing for the problems faced by those with gluten intolerance and uncovering hidden gluten sources is becoming easier, but you should remain vigilant to avoid accidental ingestion.
Here is a helpful and informative video on the topic:
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Importance of Gluten Free Recipes for Kids
Convincing a child to eat much of anything is a chore, so how do you handle a child that has been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance or celiac disease? It isn’t easy, but there are ways to convince them that the benefits of a gluten free diet is not only best for their health but an enjoyable way to eat. Here is some inspiration for developing gluten free recipes for kids.
Always Be Educating
Don’t simply tell your child “you can’t have gluten”. Many adults have a hard time understanding gluten and what foods it is in, so it’s unrealistic to expect a child to do any better.
Raising Gluten Free Kids
Teach children the basic facts about the gluten-containing foods they must not eat and how to avoid them by modeling a gluten free diet plan. Explain to them the reason why they need to be careful and what exactly will happen to them when they eat gluten containing foods. Consequences speak volumes for children. Identify and offer gluten free food alternatives. Reward children for appropriate eating behavior. Spend time showing your child how gluten appears on labels and how to avoid it.
Create a notebook that your child can carry with them containing a list of foods they cannot have and a list of foods they can have. This will help when they go to a friend’s house or are in school where boundaries are often broken without your knowledge.
Finding Gluten Free Foods They Like
The real issue with a gluten free diet for children is finding foods the child will like. Especially if they were previously allowed to eat things like cake and bread, changing to gluten free products can be very hard.
It’s important to find and develop gluten free menu variations on kid favorites like macaroni and cheese, pizza, spaghetti, cookies and other sweets. Almost anything you can think of that contains gluten can be made gluten free in some form or another. Don’t allow yourself to think that they need to eat different foods – just different ingredients. At the same time, don’t pour money into processed gluten free foods which can be prohibitively expensive.
Develop habit of always having gluten free products as snacks available wherever kids go: rice crackers, fruit or veggies, homemade snacks and water. It doesn’t matter where they’re going, get them used to carrying a lunch bag.
Make and have specialty, holiday, or go-to gluten free treats that kids can eat or drink when out with family or friends such as gluten free cakes, pies or other gluten free desserts. Make sure these can freeze well so all you need to do is thaw and it’s ready to use or bring anywhere.
Develop good basic recipes for staples like gluten free bread, gluten free pizza, gluten free tortillas and wraps, gluten free cake, gluten free candy and other gluten free desserts. Consider buying a quality mixer, like a KitchenAid, bread making machine and other specialty cooking paraphernalia such as tortilla press, pizza stone, etc. Consequently, you will be able to derive the benefits of a gluten free diet and make much healthier, whole foods at home. You can never have too many recipes.
Host a Gluten free Kids’ Birthday
Develop gluten free plan for road trips, visiting, traveling or other event-related scenarios: Include bringing along your own gluten free products such as almond milk, bread, crackers, and snacks, as well as identifying gluten free friendly restaurants or restaurants that provide gluten free foods list.
Communicating with Other Adults
Once your child is out of sight, it’s very likely they will be presented with gluten-containing foods. While your efforts to educate them on the risks of eating gluten will certainly help, you must also talk to the adults they are with. Teachers, parents of their friends and family members must all understand the extreme health risk of eating gluten. Make sure they understand the severity (comparisons to diabetes or peanut allergies often get the point across) and ensure your child always has gluten free snacks on hand so they don’t get left out of class activities.
With the right level of communication and preparation, you can ensure your child is never left out because of their gluten allergy or gluten intolerance – life can be normal even if it is a little more complicated.
Finding gluten free recipes for kids with gluten allergy is not as difficult as most people think provided you adopt a structured approach to a gluten free diet plan. So, for instance, instead of fretting over the food your child can’t eat, focus on and reward kids for all of the food they can eat. Rather than worrying about how to manage these special restrictions, try focusing on and enjoying how much healthier your children will be.
For more information on gluten free, as well as on delicious gluten free food alternatives, click below:
Gluten-free Eating
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
Health benefits of a gluten-free diet
Problems associated with gluten-filled processed foods
Tempting guilt-free desserts
Delicious whole grain bread mixes,
Gluten-free bread mixes
Fluffy gluten-free pancake mixes
Gluten-free pasta
Also check out this informative and helpful video:
What’s on tonight’s gluten free menu? A delicious gluten free flour tortilla.
Historically, while many ways and methods have been used to make tortillas, there really is no best way, only way, or authentic way. So if you’re thinking that a gluten free menu involves flour tortillas that have to be flat, stretchy monsters sold in grocery stores, think again.
In some cases one can contemplate flour tortillas more as flatbreads: warm, soft, and even a little thick: slightly bendable but not always able to be used as wraps. They can be lightly charred, steaming from the griddle, and eaten in the moment. While gluten free flour tortillas might at first seem like a challenge to our understanding of gluten free foods, even a misnomer, nothing can be further from the truth. On this note, I offer the following four delicious versions of the gluten free flour tortilla. Enjoy!
(1) The first version is a very homemade-style gluten free flour tortilla: good with a little butter on top and used to dipped in to soups or salsa, or make a nice holder for scrambled eggs. And while you might set these aside for a while before eating, they are best consumed the moment they are made, or just after. For this gluten free recipe I use a gluten free flour mix of equal parts sorghum flour, millet flour, sweet rice flour, and potato starch is used, and even tastes a little like whole wheat.
This gluten free tortilla has wonderfully homemade flavor and texture
Ingredients:
280 grams gluten-free flour mix (equal parts sorghum, millet, sweet rice flour, and potato starch)
1 tablespoon psyllium husk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or equivalent
1/2 cup to 1 cup warm water
Preparation:
Combine the flour mix, psyllium, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the vegetable shortening. Work the shortening into the dough with your hands.
Rub the gluten free flour and shortening between your thumb and first finger, picking up a new handful and continuing until the shortening is the size of peas and the flour sort of shaggy.
Add just a bit of water at first, mix the dough with your hands, and check the consistency. You want to add just enough warm water to make the dough cohere but be a bit sticky. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Form tortillas by first cutting the dough into 12-16 equal pieces. Roll each ball of dough between your hands. Because you have let the dough rest, the psyllium will have made the dough stretchy enough to knead it a little. Make each piece into a round ball and set them aside.
Set a cast-iron skillet on high heat.
Serve gluten free flour tortilla straight fro the skillet
Roll out the balls of dough by hand or use a tortilla press with the ball of dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper to flatten the balls of dough into tortillas.
Place each ball of dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to the counter. You might want to flour the paper a bit as well.
Place rolled out/flattened out dough directly onto the hot skillet. Let it sit for a minute, watching the tortilla pucker in places with the steam. When the edges look the first bit crisp, flip the tortilla, and cook the other side. You should have a warm, soft tortilla with a few char marks.
Set it aside and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
Tip: If you find your dough to be still sticky after resting for 30 minutes, let it rest longer. You can also lay the rolled-out dough down into the skillet with the top piece of parchment paper still on. After 30 seconds of cooking, you should be able to peel the parchment paper away and cook the tortilla.
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(2) For those of you who prefer something a bit more flat, chewy, bendable, and a perfect starting point for any fillings, I offer you recipe number two. This gluten free flour tortilla requires a tortilla press for a more perfect flattening. As with the previous recipe, these are best served right away, however can be stored overnight in a sealed plastic bag. Heat to soften before serving.
Gluten free tortillas made with rice flour produce a chewy and bendable product
Variations on this theme include swapping the white rice flour with a gluten free whole grain flour, such as brown rice flour, sorghum flour, or a combination of your favorites if you want whole grain tortillas. While you can tinker with the white rice flour, you’ll want to leave the tapioca starch and xanthan gum alone, as these two ingredients combine to give the tortillas chew and foldability.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) white rice flour, plus additional for kneading and rolling tortillas
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) tapioca starch
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
3/4 cup cold water, plus more as needed
Preparation:
Whisk together white rice flour, tapioca starch, granulated sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Using your hands, cut shortening into flour with a motion that’s similar to snapping. No large pieces of shortening should remain.
Add 1/2 cup water. Stir into dough using a wooden spoon. Dough will be dry. Add additional 1/4 cup water. Stir. If dough begins to hold together, stop. If dough remains dry, add water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it beings to hold together but isn’t wet. It’s a good idea to feel the dough as you add the water. It should feel damp, not wet.
Turn dough onto generously white rice floured countertop. Begin to knead dough until it’s smooth. It should not stick to your hands nor should it be wet. If the dough seems dry, add a tablespoon of water. If the dough is too wet, knead in additional flour. To test the consistency, pinch off a generous tablespoon and roll it between your palms. The dough should form a ball easily and not stick to your hands. Cover dough with plastic wrap.
Heat 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Line a tortilla press with a plastic bag that you’ve cut open on two sides. Flour the plastic bag with white rice flour. Pinch off about two tablespoons of dough. Roll into a ball and place in tortilla press. Flatten dough in the press. Remove. If dough seems thick, peel back the plastic bag from the tortilla, dust with a little additional white rice flour, cover and roll out slightly.
Increase skillet heat to high. Heat until skillet begins to smoke lightly. Remove tortilla from plastic bag. Place in hot skillet. Cook for about three minutes. Tortilla should be lightly brown. (As your first tortilla cooks, begin pressing out the next tortilla.) Flip and cook an additional minute or two. Second side won’t get as brown. Immediately transfer hot tortilla to a plate. Cover with a towel. Repeat process until all dough is used.
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(3) The third of our series of tempting gluten free recipes is thin, flexible, strong, chewy, and generally heavenly. Great for everything from quesadillas to lunch wraps, these tortillas keep well, and though the dough requires some care to work with without tearing, the results are worth the effort. Here’s gluten free cooking at its best:
Gluten-Free Tuna Wrap
Flour Tortillas
Makes 8 tortillas
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour or artisan gluten-free flour blend (see previous post)
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp canola oil
~2/3 cup warm water
Preparation:
1.) Mix all the dry ingredients together.
2.) Add the oil, and mix with your hands to incorporate.
3.) Add enough warm water to make a soft and slightly sticky dough.
4.) Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. The dough will absorb water until it loses its tackiness.
5.) Put a flat pan or skillet over high heat. (We used our pancake griddle.)
6.) Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (each about the size of a golf ball).
7.) Place a ball between two pieces of plastic wrap, flatten with your hand, then roll out with a rolling pin until about 8 inches in diameter and thin.
8.) Remove the top pieces of plastic wrap. Drape the tortilla over a rolling pin, remove the bottom piece of plastic wrap, and transfer to your heated pan. The dough is very tender and rips easily; take care.
9.) Cook for 15 seconds on the first side. Use a metal spatula to separate from the pan, flip, and cook for 10 more seconds on the 2nd side.
10.) Repeat for all remaining dough balls.
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(4) The 4th kind of tortilla in our series of gluten free recipes uses coconut flour to produce tortillas that are versatile and simple to make. Coconut flour is made by drying and finely grinding the meat of a coconut and is packed with dietary fiber and protein. It is naturally gluten free and is a great alternative to those who have nut or wheat allergies, but can be somewhat tricky to bake with. The high fiber content also keeps your body from absorbing sugars into the blood stream. When substituting it for another flour 100%, add additional liquid. Eggs are usually best because coconut flour has no gluten and the eggs take the place of gluten: add up to 1 egg for every ounce of coconut flour, but monitor the high fat and calorie content. Instead add extra egg whites, or even apple sauce or juice if sweeter baked goods are desired. The coconut flour tortillas detailed here can be used in a variety of recipes including enchiladas, lasagna, even crepes for breakfast or dessert. If you use them as crepes, try adding 2 teaspoons of honey to the batter to sweeten them up a bit.
Gluten free flour tortillas use coconut flour for a result that is soft and versatile.
Ingredients: (makes 8-10)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon grain free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cup egg whites (or 16 egg whites)
3/4 cup almond milk
Preparation:
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can soak up some of the moisture, and then whisk again. The batter should be runny: about the same as a crepe batter.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with oil or melt enough butter to coat the bottom and sides of pan. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan, swirling the pan while you pour to ensure the bottom is coated and the tortilla is thin.
Once the bottom looks set (about 1 minute), carefully release the sides of the tortilla with a rubber spatula and turn over.
Alternatively, you could use a frittata pan, or turn the tortilla into another hot and greased pan or greased griddle. This may help the tortilla to stay in one piece. If your first few break, don’t throw them away. Add a little more coconut flour and try again, but keep the broken ones to use as filling if you’re making enchiladas. Spray the pan again, and repeat above steps until all the batter is used. Layer the tortillas on a plate and set aside until ready to be filled or used as wraps.
Additionally, here’s a couple of instructive and interesting video on making gluten free tortillas, one of these uses quinoa flour. Enjoy, and happy gluten free cooking!
What is Gluten Free Pizza? One of My Favorites!
I love pizza; can’t do without it. So when I’m asked what is gluten free pizza, I just laugh and tell people that pizza can easily be a gluten free food.
Some people think that just because gluten can’t be a part of your life, it means you have to live without some basic food choices, including pizza, or even desserts, in this case, gluten free desserts. Well, check out these little beauties that follow: a couple of delicious gluten free recipes on the pizza theme to include as part of your gluten free diet. A great treat, particularly if you’re looking for recipes that gluten free kids will love.
This delicious gluten free pizza crust made from rice flour
(1) The first has a gluten free flour made from rice, and is a yeast-raised gluten free pizza crust that can take on any topping combo without cracking or drying out. Really terrific and the method is simple: Dry ingredients are mixed with the wet, then rolled out, and left to rise until puffy and ready to bake. To ensure a crisp, sturdy crust, bake the dough until lightly golden before adding toppings, then finish baking. This two-part sequence makes a crust that doesn’t collapse under the weight of the toppings.
While this yeast-raised pizza crust stands up to generous amounts and selections of toppings, crisping up nicely in the oven, it won’t have all that tenderness and chew that we like in a pizza crust. But as one of a number of gluten free dinner recipes, it’s a winner.
Ingredients:
2 cups of white rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (120º to 130ºF)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
Preparation:
Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl.
Mix together the wet ingredients (small bowl) with a fork or small whisk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine until a dough forms. The dough will be on the dry side. This is normal.
Generously sprinkle counter with white rice flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter. Knead the dough until it is smooth. If, after kneading for a minute, the dough is still dry and doesn’t hold together, add a tablespoon more water.
On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out into a 14″ circle. Dust the dough generously with white rice flour. Set dough onto a rimmed baking sheet by grabbing the corners of one of the sides of the parchment paper and quickly sliding the crust into the pan.
Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the crust with a pastry brush. Cover the dough completely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until dough is light and slightly puffy.
Bake for 15-18 min at 425 or under golden, then remove from oven to top and return to the oven for 5 min (or until cheese is melted).
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(2) With a gluten free crust, one of the best gluten free, dairy-free pizza crusts I’ve tasted is made with Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour. This product brings superior flavor and a delicious pizza crust texture. Nicely golden crisp at the edge, with a tender, but chewy, flexible middle. Not too thick; not too thin… Easy to hold a slice in your hand and bite.
The easy recipe involves only a handful of ingredients and four steps:
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3/4 cup Warm Water
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 Cups of Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour (contains garbanzo flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, and fava flour).
• 2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
Preparation:
Combine yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl and let stand about 5 minutes.
Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add egg and oil to wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients. Mix with a hand mixer for a minute, adding a teaspoon of water if dough moves up beaters.
Scoop onto greased pizza sheet. Wet your hands with water and spread dough over sheet and smooth. For a thicker crust, let rise for 10 – 15 minutes. Otherwise, continue with the baking directions below.
Top with favorite sauce, choice of fresh vegetables, herbs and other toppings. Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes.
Delicious example shown here uses fresh baby spinach leaves and basil, roasted eggplant slices, sliced fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, Italian herbs (dried oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme) and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil all over the top.
A Variation on Gluten Free Flour
For a change, you may want to try a variation of a gluten free flour blend as a delicious alternative for your gluten free pizza crust.
3/4 cup (88g) sorghum flour
2/3 cup (90g) cornstarch
1/4 cup (37g) potato starch
1 tbsp + 1 tsp (14g) potato flour
1 tsp (3g) xanthan gum
Enjoy gluten free pizza, and stay informed. Here’s a video to help:
What is Gluten Free: Benefits of a Gluten Free Diet
Though some may consider it a “fad”, gluten free cooking has become very popular in the past few years, with a corresponding plethora of gluten free products increasingly lining more and more shelves at grocery stores. But most people are still in the dark with many questions when it comes to the health benefits of a gluten free diet.
Hard to Resist: Gluten Free Mini Nachos
Gluten is basically a special type of protein that is found in foods such as cereals, certain grains, and wheat. One of the main purposes of gluten is to maintain the elasticity in foods during the fermentation phase of food production. Gluten puts the chew in “chewy” bread, and prevents other foods from having a sticky, doughy-like texture.
With recent increases in the prevalence of both gluten sensitivity and celiac disease (an illness that causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the body’s own tissue and can lead to malnutrition, osteoporosis, infertility and other more serious health problems), the idea of a gluten free diet has been increasingly researched from every corner of the nutritional spectrum.
Skin Rash and Celiac Disease
A gluten free diet can have a variety of health benefits, such as improving cholesterol levels, promoting digestive health, and increasing energy levels. If you choose to start a gluten free diet, you can actually be eliminating a variety of foods from your diet that are unhealthy. For instance, fried foods would be off limits, because of the breading, and desserts high in sugar and fat would be removed from your diet completely.
Eliminating gluten, and beginning a gluten free diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and other health-related conditions, like diabetes, if you have a gluten intolerance. A gluten free menu can also help your body ward off viruses and germs, just because many of the foods you eat will be full of antioxidants, and essential vitamins and minerals.
Benefits of Avoiding Processed Foods
Many foods that are processed contain a lot of gluten, which is essentially unhealthy for you.
But be cautious: A gluten free diet plan may or may not always be healthy. Most of the items you consume on a gluten free foods list may help promote healthy weight loss, especially if you eat a well-balanced diet that contains essential protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Many of the gluten free foods available are healthy for you, and can also help you lose weight with the right combinations and proportions of other foods. Just keep portion size in mind, and be sure to choose gluten free starches like rice, potatoes, and pasta.
On the other hand, even though one may be cutting out gluten to “detox, there is nothing inherently healthier about a gluten free diet: It can be very healthy, or it can be junk food, as some of the many gluten free products on the market can be quite unhealthy, increasing sugar and fat to simulate the texture and satisfying fluffiness that gluten imparts.
Most Vitamins Also Have Gluten in Them
Another thing to watch out for is that gluten free products are less routinely fortified with iron and vitamins B and D than regular (bread) products: Vitamins B and D are the ones particularly at risk of being deficient in (gluten-sensitive) people. If you plan to go gluten free, select more fruits, vegetables, and lean meat, and more naturally gluten free grains like brown rice, quinoa, and buckwheat, rather than just buying prepackaged products labeled “gluten free”. However, gluten free foods are evolving and expected to become healthier overall as manufacturers develop ways to fortify them.
Be cautious when it comes to reading labels. There can be a lot of confusion about the gluten free world because many packages are now stating that their product is gluten free; the reality is, they may not be. Pay attention to the label and beware of replacements. There are always going to be replacements for unhealthy foods that contain gluten with other unhealthy gluten-free varieties. Specifically, a lot of high-carb products, like bread, that contain gluten. Just make sure you know the facts.
A Taste of Today’s Gluten Free Menu Experience
Today there is a burgeoning population who has become knowledgeable on what gluten does to the body. While not too many years ago, having a gluten free diet was looked upon as just another fad diet, today’s grocery stores are lining an increasing number of their shelves with gluten free products you will love. You can happily choose from a variety of tasty gluten free food alternatives without sacrificing your taste buds: There are amazing breads, buns, bagels, muffins, cookies and granolas, tempting gluten free desserts, several delicious whole grain bread mixes, pizza crust mixes, oat bran hot cereal mixes and various types of flour. Today’s high quality gluten-free bread mixes are quick, versatile, bake up golden brown, and are easy to make. There are delicious gluten-free cereals, crispy rice bars, frozen waffles and pancake mixes with textures that only can be called exquisite.
Love pasta? Finding the right type of gluten-free pasta used to be one of the most challenging of food forays. But not anymore: there are several delicious types and brands that you will come to crave, readily available at your local grocery store.
Again, remember when dealing with foods allergies, be sure always to read labels.
Is it Really Gluten Free? Read the Labels
The gluten free grains and seeds are: quinoa, rice, corn, amaranth, buckwheat, flaxseeds, and millet. In addition, there are many other ingredients used in gluten free products such as potato, arrowroot, sago, sorghum and tapioca. It is important to know what you can and cannot eat. Happily there are many great food manufacturers out there that make a tasty, high-quality product so that we can continue to enjoy the foods we like, ultimately leading us to better health.
For more information about what is gluten free, click below:
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
Health benefits of a gluten free diet
Problems associated with gluten-filled processed foods
Delicious whole grain bread mixes,
Gluten free bread mixes
Fluffy gluten free pancake mixes
Gluten free pasta
Happy gluten free eating.
Why The Question “What Is Gluten Free” Is Important.
One might ask why the question “what is gluten free” should be an important one.
The answer comes straight out of clinical observation: More and more these days, it seems almost everywhere we turn we hear something about gluten and “gluten free”: a friend or even a celebrity has gone gluten free; a new revealing study or diet on the topic has hit the news media; we even see the term more and more on food labels. And further, when we do, the information often seems to be communicated and/or associated with an underlying sense of urgency, as if the question adopting a gluten free diet may have some significance pertinent to our biology, even perhaps to our ultimate survival.
So, why is the idea of contemplating a gluten free diet plan important? Simple: because gluten intolerance and wheat gluten disorder (celiac disease) - a debilitating digestive condition - is on an alarming rise… four times more common today than it was in the 1950‘s.
Celiac disease is a disease in the digestive organs, especially the small intestine.
Further, this finding is not an epiphenomenon born out of greater awareness and detection, but rather likely due to dramatic changes in the American diet, which consists in large part of grain carbohydrates. Modern wheat is very different from the wheat your ancestors ate. The proportion of gluten protein in wheat has increased enormously as a result of hybridization. Until the 19th century, wheat was also usually mixed with other grains, beans and nuts; pure wheat flour has been milled into refined white flour only during the last 200 years. The resulting high-gluten, refined grain diet most of you have eaten since infancy was simply not part of the diet of previous generations.
The rising prevalence of celiac disease is clear evidence that we’re simply not designed to consume such vast amounts of starch- and sugar-rich foods so many now indulge in. In short, most people are consuming far too much bread, cereal, pasta, corn (a grain, not a vegetable), rice, potatoes and processed snack cakes, with very grave health consequences. Yes, this even includes organic stone ground whole grains. Obviously these are healthier for you for a large number of reasons, but ultimately they cause the same problems.
(Gluten intolerance) disease occurs in people whose bodies cannot digest gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Undigested gluten can trigger an immune system response, attacking the lining of your small intestine, in turn causing symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. In more recent years it’s been shown that the condition can also cause a much wider array of symptoms that are not gastrointestinal in nature, further complicating proper diagnosis. Over time, your small intestine becomes increasingly damaged and less able to absorb nutrients such as iron and calcium. This in turn can lead to anemia, osteoporosis, tooth enamel defects, vitamin K deficiency, central and peripheral nervous system disease, impairments in mental functioning, infertility, earlier menopause, organ disorders, weight loss or gain and other health problems. In one particular study, subjects who had the undiagnosed digestive disorder had a four-fold increase in their risk of death.
People with more money are more likely to be diagnosed with gluten intolerance & celiac disease.
Gluten is almost everywhere. Statistical estimates on the prevalence of gluten allergy among otherwise healthy people in the United States vary from about two-thirds of one percent to almost three percent in at-risk populations. Unfortunately, despite its rapidly increasing prevalence, it still takes an average of four years to reach a diagnosis if you’re symptomatic. This delay in proper diagnosis can dramatically increase your risk of developing other diseases such as autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis, and even cancer.
Gluten Intolerance and What Foods are Gluten Free.
The treatment for celiac disease or gluten intolerance is a gluten free diet. Your best approach to a gluten free menu is to stick to a diet of fresh, whole foods (preferably organic whenever possible). Not only will you keep your gluten intolerance under control, but you will also experience numerous other benefits such as increased energy, enhanced mood, and a lower risk of chronic illness.
In my next blog post I will talk more about the benefits of eating gluten free, as well as some of the delicious gluten free products and gluten free recipes becoming increasingly available.
For more information about gluten intolerance, gluten free food, gluten free recipes and the benefits of a gluten free diet, click below:
Problems associated with gluten-filled processed foods
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease
Gluten-free eating
Health benefits of a gluten-free diet
And check out this helpful and informative video:
Stay tuned.
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