How To Go Gluten Free!

Gluten Free Graham Crackers

Ahhh.  Chewy, gooey s’mores around the campfire (or made in the toaster oven!), graham cracker crust for cheesecake or other desserts; cinnamon grahams for a tasty snack.  It took me years to find a gluten-free graham cracker recipe and once I did (after a little tweaking), I have a winner that is pretty easy to do, even for a novice.

The batch makes one cookie sheet.  The recipe came from “The Complete Book of Gluten-Free Cooking” by Jennifer Cinquepalmi.  I adjusted the amount of cinnamon she suggested.  If doing cinnamon grahams I would use 1 and 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon (the original amount suggested in the cookbook).  For “regular” graham crackers, I would use1/2 teaspoon or the amount that you and your family like.

Here goes:

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose mix

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 Tablespoons butter or margarine (make sure it is GF), cut into pieces

3-4 Tablespoons water

3 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla (make sure it is GF)

If making cinnamon sugar graham crackers, prepare a bowl of cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle after baking.

Preheat the oven to 325.

Grease standard-large cookie sheet

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well together.

Put dough on cookie sheet and press to flatten.  I use my fingers you may also use a marble rolling pin sprayed with cooking spray or cover a rolling pin with plastic wrap and then spray it with cooking spray.

Make the dough an even thickness.

Prick the graham crackers all over with a fork.

Bake 12-15 minutes (remember they won’t brown)

Cut the graham crackers as soon as you remove them from the oven.  (To make Cinnamon-Sugar Grahams, mix up a batch of sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the crackers as soon as they are removed from the oven.)

Cool six to eight minutes then remove from pan to finish cooling.

These can be frozen.  Use the crumbs to make a gluten-free graham cracker crust.

Enjoy!

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One Woman’s Gluten Free Journey

Julie Rabinovitz was once told by a doctor that he refused to test her for Celiac because it was such a “rare” disease and it was “impossible” that her mother had been diagnosed.  Believe it or not, this was within the last ten years.

Julie was eventually diagnosed as having Celiac (by another doctor) although she admits to putting off the diagnosis.  I think many of us can relate to the “I don’t want to know because if I know then I will need to change how I am living” mentality.  But when that gets weighed against the risk of digestive cancers, not to mention continuing to live with the day-to-day symptoms, it is better to know and change then to not know and suffer.

Julie’s symptoms were not the usual digestive issues.  Her mother had pretty classic symptoms including serious weight loss and it took about a year for her to get diagnosed.  Julie’s symptoms were more around depression, fatigue, and a daily headache.  She just figured that was what she would be living with, “each day I’ll have a headache;” when she went gluten-free her daily headaches went away.

I met Julie because she recently started offering gluten-free baked goods for sale in the Ann Arbor area.  It is such a treat to have a fresh-made cookie that I didn’t need to bake myself!  She is currently working out of her home kitchen (it’s certified) and hoping that she will be able to have an actual bakery location in the future.  Imagine how nice that will be to go someplace and be able to select any number of goodies from the shelves.  For the gluten-free, that is a fantasy 99.99% of the time. 

In the meantime you can try Julie’s lovely peanut butter cookies or summer fruit tarts by finding her at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market in Kerrytown on Wednesdays from 7 AM to 3 PM.  On Thursdays during warm months she is at the Zingerman’s Roadhouse Farmer’s Market (near Jackson and Maple/Miller) from 3 – 7 PM. 

I wanted to share Julie’s story for two reasons:

1. I want everyone to know that we have this wonderful resource now so you can take advantage of getting some home-made goodies without the work (and she does have a lovely assortment of treats including a variety of cookies, fruit tarts, and scones).
2. I want you to hear other examples of people who have been diagnosed with Celiac or gluten-free so if you are hearing about a friend suffering from daily headaches, fatigue, or depression, they may want to get themselves checked.  It could make a world of difference in their lives.

Not only are Julie’s “Tasty Bakery” treats gluten-free, they are also organic.   I really enjoy the peanut butter cookies and the lemon cookies.  Which ones are your favorite?

Technorati Tags: celiac diagnosis, gluten free symptoms

So, Someone Gluten Free is Coming Over for Dinner

I read a statistic that as many as 30% of the population may have a gluten-intolerance.  If that is true than over the next ten years gluten-free will become a household phrase.  Until that happens, I thought you might appreciate some pointers on how to look out for a gluten-free guest.  When I am going to dinner at someone’s home I try to give a brief education without stressing the person out.  Believe it or not you CAN cook gluten-free for people without a ton of education.

Here is what I like to tell people to help a gluten free guest have a good meal:

• Keep it simple.  Adding lots of sauces and spices complicates matters for someone living gluten-free.  Every ingredient potentially has gluten in it so the more ingredients, the greater the possibility of contamination.
• Leave sauces and salad dressings on the side.
• Avoid casseroles.  Again you have the “keep it simple” going on here.  A gluten-free person will be better off if instead of doing that chicken and broccoli casserole if you serve all the ingredients separately.  That way they can skip the ingredients that have gluten in them and eat the ones that don’t.
• Keep ALL ingredients handy for the gluten free person to reference.  We become expert at reading packaging ingredients.
• Watch out for pre-prepared foods.  Marinades, spices, and food starch are just a few places that gluten likes to hide in and that means less food for the gluten free.
• Thicken with cornstarch instead of flour.
• Put croutons on the side of the salad.  I find that people are so particular about their salads that ALL guests tend to prefer the option of putting ALL of their own toppings on.  It takes a few more bowls on the table but everyone is happy.
• Try to call the gluten free guest and run down the menu with them.  Some people are less sensitive (those with celiac can’t have any exposure to gluten) so allow the guest to let you know what will and won’t work for them.
• Keep the buns and meat separate.  If the hotdogs or hamburgers aren’t already put on buns, the gluten free person will have a much easier time eating.
• Keep dessert simple.  Most ice cream, especially the higher quality brands, is gluten free.  Do a container of vanilla (some of the additions can have gluten) and a container of a soy cream option (there are some really tasty ones out there) so people who are dairy free can indulge too.  Include some cut up fresh fruit and maybe other fun toppings so everyone can create their own dessert.  There are also some really good gluten free packaged foods available like brownie or cake mixes.  I have found these to be about as easy as other traditional mixes and quite tasty for both the gluten free and regular folks.
• Make sure you avoid cross-contamination.  Wash all pans, knives, measuring utensils, containers, or cutting boards that had something with gluten on them (like bread, soy sauce, flour, etc.) before using for something else.
• Don’t feel bad that you are serving a few things that contain gluten.  Most gluten free folks understand that the world enjoys gluten-containing products.  As long as there is enough to fill out bellies, we are happy.  If the meal is actually balanced where we can enjoy an appetizer, veggie, carb, protein, and dessert…it is our lucky day!
• Know that the gluten free person may have other food issues too so it is helpful to consult with them (and really with all guests) so you don’t inadvertently avoid gluten but put in something else that can be equally harmful or that they plain don’t like or don’t eat for religious reasons.  Many people have allergies to particular tree nuts, dairy, preservatives, artificial colorings, or tropical fruits.

Here are a few things to make sure you avoid, keep completely separate, or ask the gluten free guest if they have a gluten free version they can bring along for the meal.

• ALL wheat flour and products containing wheat flour (enriched, whole wheat, cracked wheat, white flour, all of it)
• soy sauce (this one surprises most people)
• multi-grain chips or packaged, pre-seasoned rice dishes
• pastas
• spelt, barley, rye, graham, kamut, semolina, durum, triticale grains or flours
• licorice (another surprise)
• oats (some gluten free folks can tolerate them)
• beer (there are gluten-free options, some taste horrible; I like “Red Bridge”)
• breadings/coatings
• cereals
• vegetarian meat substitutes
• self-basting poultry

Know that “wheat free” does not mean gluten free.  Here is a simple menu you can see as an example of what to serve:

Appetizer: Veggies and dip (keep the container handy), hummus with corn chips (keep the container handy), guacamole with corn chips

Beverages: Wine, sparkling water, and fruit juice

Main meal: Baked chicken with fresh herbs, salt, and olive oil; mashed potatoes and gravy (thickened with cornstarch); steamed broccoli with butter, salt and pepper; spinach salad with toppings and dressings on the side.

Main meal #2: Mexican feast with plain refried beans, non-seasoned chicken strips, and seasoned ground beef (keep the seasoning ingredients handy), corn tortillas, taco shells, and all your favorite toppings on the side so folks can build their own.

Dessert: Poached pears or baked apples.

Dessert #2: Fresh fruit with real whipped cream.

You likely already serve gluten-free meals and don’t even know it!  If you like to experiment, ask your guest for recipes or try converting some of your own.  Have fun and go easy on yourself.  Having guests for dinner is about enjoying time with you or guests, not stressing over the meal!

Technorati Tags: cooking gluten-free, gluten free guest

Gluten-Free Lemon and White Chocolate Cookies

I found this recipe several weeks ago on a blog called  www.daringtothrive.blogspot.comby Laura Dennison and it looked really good.  What isn’t totally yummy about lemon and white chocolate?  I didn’t have a reason to bake them so I waited for an occasion and in the meantime bookmarked the page.  My opportunity to bake them came when I was invited to a tea and there was another gluten-free friend attending.  She also has a sensitivity to sugar so I knew I needed to modify the recipe.

I decided to use honey which changed the moisture content of the recipe so I adjusted the amount of flour.  Then, when I was mid-recipe, I realized my pantry was bare of coconut flour (oops!) so I substituted shredded coconut (after asking my food processor to do the impossible…make coconut flour out of shredded coconut).  So what you have here is a rather different version of Laura’s original “Lemon-Scented and White Chocolate Cookies” although still tasty and popular with the gluten-free and gluten-eating alike.

Combine together and set aside:

• 1 and 1/4 cup quinoa flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Mix together:

• 1 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup honey (heated)

Add in to butter mixture and blend well:

• ½ tsp baking soda

Add to butter mixture:

• 2 eggs (warmed to room temperature)

Then combine butter mixture with:

• Zest of one lemon (zest the lemon first then juice it second, it’s easier and less messy)
• Juice of one lemon

Combine butter mixture with dry mixture (some folks prefer to do this in two or three parts, I am more of a “dumper” mixing it all in at once).

Then add:

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 6-15 oz white chocolate chips or chunks

Use a tablespoon and knife to portion out the cookies.  Staggering rows of three my large stoneware cookie sheet held 15 cookies (5 rows).

Bake in a 350F oven for 18-20 minutes.  I remove them when the edges are beginning to brown then let them sit in the pan for another few minutes to finish cooking through before removing to the cooling rack.

The recipe made about a little over 4 dozen cookies.  The lemon and white chocolate cookies were so popular at the tea party I made them again for a recent holiday gathering and I took home an empty dish!

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Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

I was looking for a simpler good chocolate cake recipe.  I had found one but it called for yogurt and cola (which I don’t always have in the house) .  This more simplified recipe comes from “Living Without”, a magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities, especially gluten-free.  It is from the April/May 2009 issue.  They have a website as well: http://LivingWithout.com  They give substitutions for common allergens like dairy, egg, peanut, soy, and tree nuts as well.

See “Gluten Free Cooking and Baking Tips” page to improve the texture of your gluten-free baking.

The magazine article suggested making it into a three-layer (8 or 9 inch) cake but most of my cake pans were in Tennessee so I found it fit nicely in one 9 x 13 pan.  You can also use them for cupcakes.

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup brewed hot coffee (you can’t taste it when it is done…my husband dislikes the flavor of coffee and he couldn’t tell it was in there)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup hot water
• 3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour blend (Gluten Free Flour Blends” page)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup softened/room temperature butter, margarine, or Spectrum Organic Shortening (I used butter)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs (room temp)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and dust cake pan(s) (if doing round do three 8 or 9 inch pans).
2. Whisk together coffee and cocoa powder.  Add hot water and whisk until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT sugar (they suggest to sift the dry ingredients but I didn’t and the cake was fine).
4. Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).
5. Add eggs (one at a time or be a daredevil like me and do all four at once) to the butter/sugar mix.
6. Add vanilla to the butter/sugar mix and cream well.  (Scrape the sides if you have ‘t already)
7. Add half the dry ingredients to the butter/cream mix and blend until well-combined.
8. Add half the coffee/cocoa mix to the main bowl and blend until well-combined.
9. If you are like me, you will now combine in one final mixing step BOTH the dry and the wet ingredients, which I did.  If you are more cautious, follow their directions of first blending the remaining dry ingredients and then blending in the remaining wet.
10. Mix on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes)
11. Spoon batter equally into the cake pan(s).
12. Place in oven and bake for about  40 minutes for a layer cake.  I think it was closer to an hour for the 9 x 13.  Keep a watch on it and check for doneness using a toothpick or clean knife.
13. Cool the cake in the pans for 20 minutes before removing (if you are going to remove them).
14. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For egg-free version: replace the four large eggs with 6 tablespoons of applesauce mixed with 2 teaspoons baking powder + 4 teaspoons warm water mixed with 1 tablespon gluten-free egg replacer.  (I used eggs.)

One final note on frostings…after putting all this work into making a gluten-free cake I beg you to not use one of those horrid (maybe tasty, but horrid for you) canned frostings.  They are so packed full of preservatives (think Twinkies) and sometimes hidden gluten, do yourself a favor and serve the cake naked (or dust with confectioners sugar or powdered cocoa).  You can also try making your own frosting or there are some higher-end packages you can purchase.  Just try to avoid all those preservatives.  They may preserve our foods but I don’t think they much help us preserve our health.

I have more recipes to share.  I would be interested in knowing what recipes you would like to have.  Here’s to your health!

Please note that Donna is not paid to endorse Living Without Magazine.  She is a happy subscriber.

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