What do you want to know?

Comment on this post with recipes you want, questions you have etc and my husband and I will do our best to post what you want to know.  Since I am just starting this blog I would love to know what those who read it want to know and learn about most in the gluten free world.

Substitutions

When cooking or baking using a normal recipe, here are some things you can substitute for their gluten containing counterparts.

Angel Hair noodles = Rice Sticks (buy at Asian Marts thinnest they have)

Spaghetti noodles = Brown rice spaghetti (buy at Winco in bulk section)

Macaroni noodles = Brown rice elbow/macaroni (buy at winco in bulk section)

Lasagna noodles = Tinkyada lasagne with rice bran brown rice pasta (walmart)

Linguini noodles = Rice Sticks (thicker version buy at Asian Marts)

Rue (flour and butter together in a recipe) = Make the recipe excluding the rue.  When you are done with the recipe add a cornstarch slurry made with 50/50 cornstarch and cold water mixed together.  Boil for 2 minutes after the slurry is added to remove the cornstarch taste.  (Can use arrowroot or tapioca starch, we prefer cornstarch because it is the cheapest to purchase)

Quick Bread baking recipe (zucchini bread, banana bread etc.) = Replace flour with half rice flour and half cornstarch.  Add ½ tsp of xanthan gum per cup of flour.  If it does not rise the way you would like it increase the leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda are the two most common in quick bread)

Soy Sauce (most contain wheat) = San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce (we found the cheapest place to purchase it is Maceys but it is also available at Winco)

Baking = Baking (other than quick bread) does not allow straight across substitutions because of the missing function of the gluten so a special gluten free recipe is needed.  For our baking projects we take our recipes from this site http://www.eatingglutenfree.com/ or this site http://www.lifetastesgoodagain.blogspot.com/ they are both by the same two ladies they just have different recipes on each site.  All the recipes we have tried taste great!  I particularly recommend their chocolate cake, which is listed on the first site.  It is absolutely amazing and tastes exactly like a delicious moist regular flour cake.

Tempura Batter

Tempura Batter (can be used for chicken nuggets or chicken strips) Cory’s recipe

1/4 C rice flour
1/4 C tapioca starch
1/4 C cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp (or more to taste) garlic powder
dash sesame oil
water or club soda enough to make a thick batter

Coat chicken in batter and deep fry until done.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Cory’s recipe

2 sticks butter

1 c white sugar

1 c brown sugar

3 eggs

1 15oz can pumpkin

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 C rice flour

1 1/3 C cornstarch

1 1/3 C tapioca starch

1 ½ tsp xanthan gum

1 ½ T bk powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ c chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, pumpkin and vanilla.  In separate bowl mix all dry ingredients except for chocolate chips.  Add dry mix to wet mix and stir well.  Add chocolate chips.  Fill greased muffin tin 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes or until tooth pick comes clean when stabbed into the muffin. J

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake  

 http://www.food.com/recipe/gluten-free-strawberry-shortcake-174106#ixzz1J4W46gik

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

1. 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-muffin pan.
2. 2 In a large bowl cream butter and sugar, using electric mixer.
3. 3 Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.
4. 4 In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and baking powder together and add slowly to the creamed mixture. (If added too quickly, it will fly about the kitchen.).
5. 5 Mix until well blended.
6. 6 Fill the greased muffin tins half full.
7. 7 Bake for 15 minutes. (Test with a toothpick, after 15 minutes, even if the top looks shiny).
8. 8 Remove from the pan while still warm. (They will look like little cupcakes.But trust me they will taste just like little shortcakes).
9. 9 Serve topped with strawberries, and whipped cream.

Onion Ring Batter

GF Onion Ring Batter Cory’s recipe

1/8 C Rice Flour

1/8 C Tapioca Flour/starch

1/8 C Cornstarch

1 tsp Bk powder

1 tsp Granulated garlic

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 Tb water  (Will be really thick.  If used for other items, may need increase to 4 Tb)

Dip onion rings in batter and then deep fry until golden turnining once during cooking.

If you want to have a nice crunch to your onion rings, smash a bunch of rice or corn chex and dip the battered rings in the chex before deep frying.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

GF Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies Cory’s recipe

8 oz Butter

¾ C Granulated sugar

¾ C Brown sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

7/8 C Rice flour

7/8 C Cornstarch

7/8 C Tapioca starch

1 tsp. Xanthan gum

¾ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking powder

1 C Chocolate chips, melted

1 C Chocolate chips

Cream butter and both sugars.  Add eggs, melted chocolate and vanilla, mix well.  In separate bowl mix Rice four, Cornstarch, Tapioca starch, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder.  Slowly add dry mix to the wet mix and mix well.  Add chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Rasberry Pancakes

Gluten-Free Raspberry Pancakes Cory’s recipe                                 

Yield: 1 quart batter or about 16 two oz pancakes

1 ½ C Milk

½ C Raspberry jam/jelly

1 C Rice flour

1 C Cornstarch

1 tsp Xanthan gum

4 tsp Baking powder

1 Tb Sugar

½ tsp Salt

2 Eggs

Measure ¾ cup of milk and all the jam into the blender.  Add all dry ingredients.  Pour in remaining ¾ cup of milk and add the two eggs.  Use the “batters” setting.  Scrape down any residual flour and pulse or mix on speed 1 until incorporated (as needed).  Cook over medium heat with small amount of oil.  If desired, add red food coloring for better color on the pancakes.

Can be made without the blender, just mix in a bowl as you would a normal pancake batter.

Great websites for recipies

My all time favorite website for gluten free recipes is http://www.eatingglutenfree.com/ they also have a blog that is done by the same people at http://www.lifetastesgoodagain.blogspot.com/ their recipes are great! The only thing we change is that some of their recipes call for potato starch, which is more expensive, so we substitute cornstarch which is cheaper.  Both of those sites are completely dedicated to gluten free cooking.   When reading their recipes they refer to certain flour mixes which can be found under the flour tab on their recipes list.

Shopping for Gluten Free

Here are just some different places we have found to pick up variouse gluten free items to cook with at the best prices. 

            Winco:  Brown rice spaghetti noodles (in the bulk section)

                          Brown rice elbow/macaroni Noodles (in the bulk section)

                          Gluten Free Granola (in the bulk section)

                          Corn Starch (in the bulk section) (used in gluten free baking)

                          Tapioca Starch (in the bulk section) (used in gluten free baking)

                          White Rice flour (In the bulk section) (used in gluten free baking)

                          Xanthan gum (in the bulk section) (used in gluten free baking)

                         Buckwheat flour (in the bulk section) (used in gluten free baking)

                          Udi’s Bread (in freezer at the bakery section)

                         

Asian Markets: Rice noodles (they come in different thicknesses, I like to buy the ones called rice sticks and use them as I would angle hair pasta)  I have found these noodles to be in most asian sections of stores but they are significantly cheaper if bought at an Asian Market.  I shop at one in Provo.  It is on 500W and something like 50ish north.  It shares a building with a furniture store on the left side of the road if driving south.

Smiths:  Udi’s products (If not sold quickly they go to the discount bread area and although they are a little stale since they are a bit old they taste fresh if heated in the microwave before eating and they are usually half price if you can find any in that discount area and if you are on a limited budget this can be a huge help.  They freeze great so if you find a few packs and the cheap price you can freeze whatever you are not going to use within 2-3 days and thaw as needed.  I generally find some if I go Monday morning or early afternoon and sometimes they are there on other days as well)

Maceys:  Great gluten free section!  A bit pricey to buy pre-made gluten free products but they have a ton if you are interested.  One of my favorite things that they have is gluten free ice cream cones.  They can be found in the regular boxed ice cream cone section, just make sure that you grab the box labeled gluten free. 

              Gluten Free Soy Sauce (San J Tamari Gluten Free) can be found in their soy sauce section.

            Walmart: Crackers

                              Lasagna noodles

They have other items as well in the gluten free section, same isle as the paper plates.

Sprouts: Many great gluten free options.  They carry a brand called Shär which makes great gluten free baguettes and other breads.  They also carry things like gluten free Oreo (different brand) cookies, animal crackers, regular gluten free crackers, and tons of other things.  Gluten Free Soy Sauce (San J Tamari Gluten Free) can be found in their soy sauce section and this is the cheapest place we have found it so far.

Restaurants

Eating out is something we found to be rather tricky.  With French fries it is important to ask if anything is fried in the same fryer, such as breaded chicken, as that contaminates the oil with flour and puts gluten on your fries.  Every now and then I will get sick after eating out due to cross contamination but most of the time when I do the things below or go to the restaurants listed below I am fine.  Here is a list of our favorite places to eat and any tips on ordering from them or information about what they offer to us gluten free eaters.

It is hard to go wrong at Mexican restaurants.  If you order enchaladas, tacos, or tamales all should be made with corn tortillas and are naturally gluten free without you even having to say anything.  The more traditional the Mexican restaurant the safer you will be.  The chips served with salsa are corn chips and salsa is also gluten free so eat up and enjoy.

I don’t eat at Café Rio due to their using a large hot plate to cook both the corn tortillas and the flour tortillas which causes cross contamination putting flour on the corn tortillas. 

Costa Vida has become extremely gluten free conscious and is willing to make any item on their menu in a gluten free way.   All of their staff is trained and should change their gloves when you mention gluten free so as not to cross contaminate with previously touched gluten.  They are even willing to make burritos gluten free by using multiple corn tortillas instead of the flour. 

In and out is a great place for gluten free.  The staff are trained in how to prepare the food in the safest way and they have a designated counter for preparing food for those with gluten allergies.  When ordering your burger, ask for it protein style due to a gluten allergy.  If you ask for it that way they will prepare it wrapped in lettuce instead of on a bun and it will be prepared away from any gluten.  Sadly, their grilled unions have gluten due to being grilled using the same spatula and area that the buns are toasted with but regular onions and all other toppings are fine.  The spread is gluten free as are their French fries (they fries are the only thing deep friend in the fryers) and milkshakes. 

Zupas has many gluten free options.  I have not eaten there often so I can’t recite them but each time I have gone in I have asked if certain salad dressings are or for advice on which soups are gluten free and if the person serving me does not know they can ask a manager who either knows or will find out for you.

India Palace is a great restaurant in Provo.  Everything on their menu is gluten free except for their breads so you can order what you want without even having to explain your allergy.  This is because Indian cooking naturally doesn’t use flour.  Other Indian restaurants may be completely gluten free as well (other than the breads) I just don’t have experience with them. 

Asian Food can be extremely tricky because most soy sauce contains wheat.  I have found a place that either use gluten free soy sauce or accommodate well and it is mentioned next.

Wild Ginger is a chinese restaurant and sushi bar in provo around 300-400 North University Avenue.  I have eaten sushi here and they have special sauces and soy sauce to use for those with gluten allergies.  They also will help you know which sushi you can order and which are deep fried with gluten.  They did serve us one roll that had a deep fried element but luckily my husband tried it first and realized the mistake so I didn’t eat it. 

Outback Steakhouse has a great gluten free menu.  Just ask for the menu and when ordering make sure to tell your waiter that you need it prepared gluten free.  The menu also has instructions as to certain things you may need to tell the waiter but if you follow them you will be fine.  They have a lot of gluten free options.  I would also recommend their dessert called something like The Thunder from Down Under.  It is a warm brownie topped with ice cream, fudge, and whipped cream.  The brownie that is used is gluten free.  I especially enjoy this dish because they use gluten free brownies for everyone who orders it weather they are gluten free or not and it is delicious!  One thing I would like to mention, when dining here with gluten eaters I found I was getting sick 75% of the time.  This last time I paid special attention to trying to figure out how I was getting gluten.  I noticed that when the bread they provide is cut the crumbs distribute all over the table, much further than I would have thought they could.  Someone eating bread on the opposite corner caused crumbs from the bread to appear on my menu right where my plate would have been.  I washed my hands and the table before my meal came and had no problems.  My advice would be either have no bread served at the table or make sure it is not eaten once the meals arrive and wash your hands and table as well just to get all crumbs off before you eat.

Tucanos, although a bit expensive, is a great place to go for the gluten free eater.  The only meats on the regular menu that have gluten are the breaded fish and anything with the teriyaki sauce.  Generally they have a few meats that are special for that time of year or season and those you have to ask the waiter to see if they are gluten free.  Their salad bar is great in that every item’s label says not only what it is but also weather it is gluten free with a small GF on the label.  They have a ton of salad bar items that you can enjoy.

Olive Garden has gluten free noodles but I have not eaten there, I have only heard that it is an option.

Pizza Pie Café has a gluten free menu that includes what items on the salad bar are gluten free.  When you go you have to pay $2 more but they will make you your own gluten free pizza with whatever toppings you want and bring it out to your table.  The pizza is pretty good and my husband even liked the gluten free crust better than the regular crust they serve.  They also have gluten free noodles you can ask for at the noodle buffet area and at least one sauce for the noodles will be gluten free and listed on the menu.  (I can’t remember the name of the sauce and I don’t want to tell you wrong)  The different cheeses are gluten free as well.

Thai Evergreen is a restaurant in Orem by walmart but these rules apply to most Thai restauarants.  Pad Thai and Curry are both often gluten free as they are soy sauce free and Pad Thai uses rice noodles.  However, check with your waiter if at a Thai restaurant other than Evergreen to make sure that their isn’t soy sauce or flour in the curry or pad thai and that they are rice noodles used not wheat.  Other dishes may be safe as well, I just usually stick to those two.

Learning I have Celiacs Disease

Since I was a teenager I have been plagued with migraine headaches.  Thankfully they were only about once every other month and I dealt with them best I could.  When I left for college they lessened greatly.  However, my senior year they came back with a vengeance.  I had a migraine at least once a month and sometimes 2.  Nothing seemed to help and my immune system was becoming non-existent.  I would catch a cold from a roommate and get bronchitis every time leaving me sick for 3 months with something they got over in 3 days.  Then I would catch the next thing and the cycle would continue.  I was having all sorts of stomach aches and by a year later I had been sent to the hospital by doctors who were sure I had appendicitis (twice) to be sent home a few hours later being told I was perfectly healthy.  I had a ton of other health issues going on as well.  I was going insane!  In the mean time I met my husband and we were married.  He entered culinary school and his baking semester was what helped us finally figure out what was going on.  I have always loved bread, especially freshly baked and Cory came home from work every day with a new bread for me to try that he had made in class.  As I wasn't feeling to good I ate it gratefully!  Then I got worse.  This continued for most of the semester until I was extremely sick, having migraines every week, and the doctors kept saying it was anything from the flu to stress to sending me home without any idea what it was.  That is when Cory came to the conclusion that we had tried everything but food allergies so it must be food related.  I thought he was crazy.  We talked with his mom about it and she mentioned how she had heard of a lot of people recently discovering they were allergic to gluten.  I went completely off gluten 2 days later after getting extremely sick once I ate a bunch of hot fresh rolls and within days I felt better than I had in months!  We returned to the doctor after I had been off gluten for a while and explained what we had done.  He said that from our information he could pretty much guarantee I had Celiacs Disease but to confirm it I would have to eat gluten again for 3 months so that the test would come back positive.  He recommended avoiding that because of how much better I felt and just not eating it ever again.  I have not intentionally eaten anything containing gluten since that day.