Gluten-Free Food for an Everyday Life

By Kate Caldwell

Easy or exotic? With 250 gluten-free recipes from around the world, you'll find something for every occasion!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Caldwell
• Release date: Mar 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301786480

Book preview

Gluten-Free Food for an Everyday Life

by Kate Caldwell

Smashwords Edition |

Copyright 2012 Kate Caldwell

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In my family, everyone cooks. Every Sunday, four generations gather for dinner. Everyone pitches in. Toddlers stand on chairs and help while Gran sits at the table and supervises. If there’s a crisis, we gather in the kitchen. If we’re celebrating, the party ebbs and flows through the kitchen. Cooking is a big part of our family traditions.

Then my daughter, Alice, was diagnosed with a gluten allergy. Suddenly, what had been a seamless, comfortable tradition came crashing down. We struggled with the changes for a while, trying all the recommended gluten-free options. It took months for us to adjust, to find substitutions that we could live with. It took even longer for everyone to settle into our new normal, for everyone to really understand what gluten-free means.

We’ve gotten our groove back. On Sundays my kitchen is chaotic and busy. Although Al knows that she can’t eat certain things, she never doubts that anything she finds here is safe. We’ve converted family recipes, found new ones, and created gluten-free food so good that no one cares that it’s gluten-free.

This book assumes that you have some kitchen experience and a reasonably equipped kitchen. If you know a Dutch oven from a double boiler and possess both, you’ll be fine. Every recipe is gluten-free, and many are dairy-free or can become so by substituting coconut milk and coconut oil for butter and milk. The recipes range from fast, simple dinners to fancy holiday meals, and cover a wide range of world cuisines.

The first step to living gluten-free is to set up your kitchen. In a lot of ways, it’s easier to build a completely gluten-free kitchen than it is to have gluten and non-gluten specific tools. If you’re going completely gluten-free, start with a deep cleaning- being sure to get drawers and cabinets where trace from your flour canisters or other ingredients might lurk. Wash all of your tools. If your cutting boards aren’t dishwasher safe, replace them. Tools like toasters, bread machines, and mixers are difficult to completely de-gluten- I replaced the pan for our bread machine, but ended up replacing my mixer and toaster.

If you’re going to have a side-by-side kitchen, consider separate tools and designated spaces. In my sister’s kitchen, a set of very distinctive, brightly colored cooking tools are designated for gluten-free use. There is a shelf in the refrigerator and a cupboard for all the gluten-free ingredients, which are marked with pink leopard-print duck-tape. The duck-tape is essential- if someone uses the gluten-free mayonnaise on regular bread and dips the knife back in, the mayo is contaminated, and, depending on how sensitive the person in question is, can cause a negative reaction.

In our first rush to make Al’s world gluten-free, we bought a lot of processed, gluten-free food. Processed food contains a lot of chemicals. Gluten-free processed food is likely to contain even more. These processed foods are one of the reasons that this cookbook exists: I could make the same food, make it taste at least as good, and be completely positive that it had never been exposed to gluten.

Gluten-free ingredients can be more expensive- especially flour. The packages available at most grocery stores are very small. I prefer to buy my ingredients in bulk- Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite source for almond flour, brown rice flour, and quinoa. Amazon is another great source.

Flour is one of the hardest ingredients to substitute. There is no actual replacement for wheat flour- it has an elasticity that cannot be found in any other flour. Adding one tablespoon of xanthan gum per cup of flour will give your dough the same texture. Experiment with flours to find a mix that you like- I mix up batches of Brown Rice Flour Blend and use it for most of my flour needs, but you may prefer to adjust quantities or types of flour.

Brown Rice Flour Blend

6 cups stabilized brown rice flour

2 cups potato starch

1 cup tapioca starch

Whisk ingredients together. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

This blend can be used as a flour substitute for most recipes. If you like, you may substitute white rice flour for the brown rice flour, although it leaves a more gritty mouthfeel.

Makes 9 cups.

Since I started revamping our diet, I’ve learned about quinoa. Quinoa is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. It cooks up like rice, and quinoa flour is almost unnoticeable in baked goods. I use it to add a little more protein to our diet, but if you don’t want to go there, quinoa can be replaced with rice for every recipe in this book, and quinoa flour can be replaced with brown rice flour. If you choose to use quinoa: be aware that quinoa has a bitter coating. If your packaging doesn’t say pre-washed or pre-rinsed, toss your quinoa in a colander and give it a good rinse before using. Trust me. Rinse your quinoa.

Whether you’re avoiding wheat for better health and weight loss or because of wheat allergies, gluten intolerance, or Celiac disease, it’s important to know that wheat and gluten often appear in unexpected places.

Current industrial testing can only test for 5 parts per million (ppm) or more. If a product contains less than 10 ppm, it can receive a Gluten Free Certification. Depending on your level of sensitivity, even 1 ppm can cause a reaction. If you are sensitive to trace amounts, the Gluten Free Certification is a good place to start, but be mindful of your body’s reactions.

Read every label. Every label, every time. Unless something actually says gluten-free, assume otherwise and read the label. Don’t assume, as wheat and gluten can appear in very odd places, like lipstick and pharmaceuticals.

Some foods that don’t actually contain wheat or gluten are exposed to both during manufacturing: in the U.S., many food-grade lubricants contain gluten. Because the exposure is negligible, the list of ingredients won’t contain gluten or wheat, and may not even include a contamination warning. Ground spices, ground coffee, and sugar all fall into this category. An inexpensive coffee grinder will allow you to grind your own spices as well as coffee and lower your risk of exposure. Check sugar and powdered sugar packaging to be sure that it was processed in a wheat free facility- Domino’s and C&H Sugars have the most extensive safe product lines, and if you’re looking for a sugar-substitute, Stevia, Splenda, and Equal are safe.

Another culprit is caramel coloring; although some companies are moving to caramel coloring made with corn, many continue to use wheat in their coloring. Imitation flavorings, including vanilla and almond, frequently contain wheat-based caramel coloring. Although real vanilla is more expensive, it contains no artificial colors. Look for pure vanilla extract, almond extract, maple syrup, etc. Many salad dressings include artificial colors and gluten-based preservatives. Fortunately, salad dressings are easy to make, and more variety is available in homemade dressings than you’ll find on a store shelf!

Be sure to check labels of things that seem safe! Corn tortillas seem like a no-brainer, right? Nope. Some manufacturers use maltodextrin- a wheat based powder- to keep those tortillas from sticking together. Many pre-packaged shredded cheeses and chopped dried fruits also use maltodextrin to prevent clumping. Maltodextrin also appears as a filler in chicken stock, vitamins, and non-dairy creamer. Try to recheck labels periodically- manufactures sometimes change recipes and manufacturing processes without warning.

Educate yourself. Know what products you can expect to be safe. Fresh meat from the butcher counter is probably safe, but prepared, preserved, and frozen meats might not be. Sausage frequently contains breadcrumbs. Fresh frozen turkeys are injected with a brine solution that may contain gluten. The smoking solution for ham can contain gluten. Ask your butcher. If there is a label, read it.

If in doubt, check with the manufacturer. Most U.S. based manufacturers are happy to answer emails regarding allergens and nutrition.

Contents

Breakfast

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa

Apple Pancakes

Apple Puff Pancakes

Bacon and Egg Pie

Bell Pepper Frittata

Blueberry Flaxseed Pancakes

Blueberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast Protein Balls

Cinnamon Vanilla Oatmeal

Coconut Milk Quinoa

Cornmeal Pancakes

Eggs in Peppers

Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bake

Gluten-Free Breakfast Sausage

Gluten-Free Muesli

Green Eggs

Hawaiian Breakfast Quinoa

Japanese Fusion Fried Eggs

Mini Tomato Basil Quiches

Mushroom and Sausage Strata

Oven Omelet

Pumpkin Waffles

Southwestern Potato Omelet

Splendid Broiled Eggs

Toaster Pastries

Turkey Hash

Veggie Scrambler

Salads

Avocado Black Bean Salad

Aztec Salad

Broccoli Salad

California Chicken Salad

Cherry Curry Turkey Salad

Ginger-Lime Shrimp Salad

Greek Salad

Herbed Goat Cheese and Quinoa Salad

Jicama Beet Salad

Mock Potato Salad

Pennsylvania Dutch Spinach Salad

Quinoa Caprese Salad

Spring Salad

Three Greens Salad

Tzatziki

White Bean Tuna Salad

Appetizers

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

Baked Buttermilk Onion Rings

Baked Potato Skins

Buffalo Chicken Blini

Cajun Crab Cakes

Cucumber Chips and Salsa

English Muffin Pizzas

Green Eggs, No Ham

Grilled Chicken Satay

Kale Chips

Mini Corndog Muffins

Parmesan Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Pesto Mozzarella Stuffed Tomatoes

Polenta Crostini

Quinoa Blini

Quinoa Pesto Cakes