As of the beginning of September 2011, I recently learned that I have a gluten sensitivity/gluten intolerance. Omitting gluten from my diet was the answer to the various health issues I’ve been experiencing for over the past 10 years. Who knew that all along it was gluten causing me such physical and emotional grief?! It’s been quite a learning experience needless to say but it has forced me to adapt my culinary view for the sake of my health. As I move forward with a gluten free lifestyle and approach to food, I’ll specifically be including gluten free recipes* and resources here.
PANTRY STAPLES
Having a go-to gluten free flour blend to use in place of all purpose flour is a necessity in my kitchen. After trying a few prepared store-bought GF brands, I realized how much it was costing me and how much I was using! I needed to find a better and more economical way about this. That’s when I came across Shauna’s All Purpose GF Flour Mix. This is the best combination for my personal uses and has never failed me. I purchased a majority of the ingredients at an Asian market (at less than $.99/lb) and the other ingredients marked were Bob Red Mill brand. Cornstarch was Argo brand.
300 grams superfine brown rice flour
250 grams sweet rice flour
150 grams tapioca flour
100 grams sorghum flour
100 grams potato starch
100 grams cornstarch
Whisk together the above flours and store in an air tight container. To use, measure out 140 grams for every cup called for in your favorite baking recipe (NOT yeast bread recipes.) Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum for every cup used in the recipe as well to help with texture and binding. Voila! You can bake gluten free with confidence!
RECIPES
- 5 Gluten Free Breakfasts
- GF Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
- GF Apple Cake
- GF Bananas Foster Pancakes
- GF Blueberry Swirl Muffins
- GF Brioche Breakfast Rolls
- GF Buttermilk Blueberry Belgium Waffles
- GF Buttermilk Donut Holes
- GF Caramel Apple Crostada
- GF Chicago Deep Dish Sausage Pepperoni Pizza
- GF Chicken Pot Pie
- GF Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
- GF Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Parfait
- GF Creole Fried Chicken
- GF French Toast Casserole
- GF Four Cheese Ravioli & Meatballs
- GF Garlicky Cornmeal Crust Pizza
- GF Green Chile & Bacon Cheddar Cornbread
- GF Homemade Flour Tortillas
- GF Italian Potato Breaded Pork Chops
- GF Key Lime Cheesecake Tarts
- GF Pizza Dough
- GF Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
- GF Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake
- GF Sausage Gravy & Cornbread Biscuits
- GF Shrimp Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo
- GF Southern Biscuits & Gravy
- GF White Sandwich Bread
*Note: I’ll be including gluten free adaptations/substitutions for all recipes going forward from September 2011, so the recipes reflected on this page are not the only ones that are gluten free.
DINING OUT
It’s been quite helpful knowing what ingredients and preparations go into cooking various dishes. This knowledge has made the transition to gluten free living much easier for me. Often times, friends and family will think I’m extremely limited to what I can eat on a gluten free diet. In my opinion, it’s much harder and more challenging to have a ‘South Beach’ diet, ‘Atkins’ diet or even a ‘Weight Watchers’ diet. Living gluten free simply means avoiding gluten/wheat products. There are so many gluten-rich alternatives these days that I haven’t really felt ‘deprived’ of any specific food. Here’s some tips that have helped me when dining out at various restaurants…
- Asian – avoid dishes that involve soy sauce. Ask if tamari is available and if they can use it in place of soy sauce in dishes. If it’s a fried dish, note that they may coat items in flour and see if they can coat items in cornstarch instead. Also, note that items fried may lead to cross contamination if flour coated/battered items are fried in the same oil.
- Italian – ask if they offer gf pasta such as those made with rice, corn, or quinoa.
