The Gluten-Free Thread!

[CheekyMonkey]

So you are eating gluten free, or thinking about?

If you are doing it because you think you might be gluten-intolerant or have celiac: GET TESTED FOR CELIAC FIRST!

If you go gluten free and then try to get tested, it will not work. In my opinion, doing a simple blood test to check for celiac before you start is a wise choice. There is a BIG difference in how you eat and other medical issues depending upon if you are just intolerant vs. celiac.


Feel free to post your favorite products and/or recipes. Ask questions, or vent about no more tasty gluten in your life!

I'll start with one of my favorites:

Shrimp and Fish Tacos

For tacos:
6 Tablespoons ground dried New Mexico or California peppers, or 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons salad oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 whole cloves
1 dried bay leaf, broken into pieces
3/4 pound boned, fresh skinned firm-flesh fish, such as halibut or mahi-mahi
1/2 pound medium size prawns, peeled and deveined
1/4 cabbage, sliced thin
12 gf corn tortillas


In a large bowl, mix together ground dried peppers, oil, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, cloves, and bay leaf.

Rinse fish and shrimp; pat dry. Add to bowl and turn to coat with marinade. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 1 day, mixing several times.

In a heavy skillet heat tortillas, one at a time, over medium- high heat. Keep warm by wrapping in foil. (Or wrap them in wet paper towel and microwave like me )

Lift fish from marinade, and arrange pieces in a single layer in a 9"x13 pan. Discard marinade.

Broil fish 4-5" from heat until opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 5 minutes for 1/2" thick pieces.

With a slotted spatula, transfer fish to towels to blot oil, then set on a platter. Cut fish along grain into 1/2" slices and shrimp into 1/2" pieces; season to taste with salt.


***I usually only do shrimp OR fish to make it easier***

***I also serve with avocado and cabbage***

[anonymouslyadd]

I eat gluten free for breakfast, sometimes. I have these breakfast bars, which don't bother me. I do have to make an appointment to get my blood work done so I know if I have Celiac's disease.

I just made a note in my planner. Thanks for the reminder CM.

[Twiggy]

What main foods can't Celiac's eat? (What gluten foods?)

To make things easier.

[tudorose]

I'm not celiac but wheat is an inflammatory like dairy for me so I avoid it.

I use quinoa, rice and sweet potatoes for carbs. I don't know if they have any gluten in them though.

[CheekyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Twiggy

What main foods can't Celiac's eat? (What gluten foods?)

To make things easier.

Wheat, Barley, Rye.

Also, you have to find certified gluten free oats since most oats are cross contaminated with wheat.

There are many "hidden" sources of gluten that you have to be wary of.

[CheekyMonkey]

Originally Posted by tudorose

I'm not celiac but wheat is an inflammatory like dairy for me so I avoid it.

I use quinoa, rice and sweet potatoes for carbs. I don't know if they have any gluten in them though.

Those are all gluten free...and I eat a lot of them.

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by CheekyMonkey

Also, you have to find certified gluten free oats since most oats are cross contaminated with wheat.

For the uninitiated:
Many producers of processed foods use wheat-flour on their equipment in order to keep dough (even "gluten free" dough) from sticking to conveyers, pans, etc.
So... pretty much any processed bake good is a risk unless specifically gluten free.

I know it must seem implausible, but just having a bread crumb from an onion ring in the fry grease can contaminate a french fry. Likewise, for a restaurant to be truly gluten free, they would need to use separate pans.

It's not as big a deal for someone who is simply gluten intolerant, but for a true celiac danger lurks everywhere.

***btw, I finally got an endoscopy scheduled!!! It's primarily to check for damage to the esophagus caused by reflux, but I'm going to make sure that the doctor knows about my possible gluten issue so that they check everything while I'm in for the procedure.

[CheekyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

For the uninitiated:
Many producers of processed foods use wheat-flour on their equipment in order to keep dough (even "gluten free" dough) from sticking to conveyers, pans, etc.
So... pretty much any processed bake good is a risk unless specifically gluten free.

I know it must seem implausible, but just having a bread crumb from an onion ring in the fry grease can contaminate a french fry. Likewise, for a restaurant to be truly gluten free, they would need to use separate pans.

It's not as big a deal for someone who is simply gluten intolerant, but for a true celiac danger lurks everywhere.

***btw, I finally got an endoscopy scheduled!!! It's primarily to check for damage to the esophagus caused by reflux, but I'm going to make sure that the doctor knows about my possible gluten issue so that they check everything while I'm in for the procedure.

Yay! It will be nice for you to have a better idea of what the heck is going on!

[CheekyMonkey]

These are some of the tricky things that may have gluten in them:

Hidden Sources of Gluten
Baked beans (the tomato sauce may contain gluten)
Baking powder
Binders
Blue cheeses (may be made with bread)
Brown rice syrup
Caramel colorings or flavorings
Cereal fillers, protein or starch
Chutneys
Chocolate, cheap brands, drinking chocolate
Citric acid
Coatings
Colorings
Communion wafers
Corn starch
Curry powder and other spices (may contain flour)
Dextrins
Dispersing agents
Emulsifiers
Excipients (in prescription medications)
Farina
Fillers
Flavorings in grain alcohol
Flours made from wheat, barley, oats, and rye
Grain alcohol (beer, ale, rye, scotch, bourbon, grain vodka)
Gravy powders and stock cubes such as OXO cubes
Gum base
Homeopathic remedies
Hydrolyzed proteins: hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Imitation crabmeat
Instant coffee (may contain flour)
Licorice
Lunch meat (may contain fillers)
Malt or malt flavoring (barley malt, malt vinegar)
Maltodextrin
Matzo flour or meal
Meat and fish pastes
Modified starch, modified food starch (made from wheat)
Mono- and di-glycerides (made using a wheat starch carrier)
Mustard (dry mustard contains gluten)
Natural flavorings
Oils (wheat germ oil or ones with gluten additives)
Pâtés
Pickles
Potato chips
Play Dough
Preservatives
Sauces (may be thickened with flour)
Sausages (may contain rusk and pick up gluten from machines which are cleaned out with bread)
Seitan (this IS gluten)
Shredded suet in packs (may contain flour)
Soups (may contain roux, made with flour)
Soy sauce (may be fermented with wheat)
Spices (with anti-caking agents)
Starch (modified food starch or edible starch)
Supplements
Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
Turkeys, pre-basted
Vegetable gum
Vegetable protein or starch
Vinegars (white or malt)
Vital wheat gluten (found in soy products)
Vitamin E oil
White pepper
Some toothpastes and lipsticks

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by CheekyMonkey

Yay! It will be nice for you to have a better idea of what the heck is going on!

Yes, indeed! Progress is slow, but progressing.

I also took eight hours worth of neuropsych testing a couple of weeks ago and I'm awaiting the results from that.

I'm also scheduled to see an allergist and I'm still trying to get a sleep study set up. Answers come slowly to the person patiently waiting, but in the grand scheme of things... I've figured more out in the last two years than the last two decades.

[CheekyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

Yes, indeed! Progress is slow, but progressing.

I also took eight hours worth of neuropsych testing a couple of weeks ago and I'm awaiting the results from that.

I'm also scheduled to see an allergist and I'm still trying to get a sleep study set up. Answers come slowly to the person patiently waiting, but in the grand scheme of things... I've figured more out in the last two years than the last two decades.

It takes a lot of time and costs a small fortune, but it will be worth it to feel better!

[CheekyMonkey]

Heads up!


The costco by me has gluten free bread! 2 loaves for like $6! Crazy good deal.

Check out your costco!



Tonight we had turkey black bean chili. *drool*

Let me know if you want the recipe!

[LynneC]

Originally Posted by CheekyMonkey

Heads up!


The costco by me has gluten free bread! 2 loaves for like $6! Crazy good deal.

Check out your costco!



Tonight we had turkey black bean chili. *drool*

Let me know if you want the recipe!

I'd love the recipe!

[Nifferka]

Serious eats has a feature called Gluten-free Tuesdays. Those recipes are amazing replicas of normally glutenous foods. Her lemon pound cake is better than a regular one, and doesn't require any whipping of egg whites to get the lift.

Keep your xantham gum in the freezer, or else it will go off. And any nut flours or any other oil-rich flours also need to go in the freezer so they don't turn rancid on you.

I have a coffee grinder I use for making GF flours, since they're not exactly widely available here. My friend whose two children have celiac's (one of them is extremely sensitive) has simply bought her own kitchen mill--which makes larger batches of finer flours than a coffee grinder.

You can make most anything with rice flour and corn starch.

Oh, and buy a kitchen scale. You can substitute almost any flour in a recipe with any other flour if you do it BY WEIGHT, not volume.


(I don't have a problem with gluten. But my best friend does, and I love cooking. I keep one shelf of GF-dedicated cookware for her and my other friend's two kids.....I always have something on hand for my friend to eat when she stops by....The last two Thanksgivings I've made completely GF....I've learned a lot.)

[CheekyMonkey]

Originally Posted by LynneC

I'd love the recipe!

I will type it up when I get home tonight!