If you live with people who eat products containing gluten you should be especially cautious about cross-contaminating. Gluten can often be found on cooking utensils, pots and pans, counter tops and more. Here are some tips to follow in order to avoid gluten cross-contamination in your kitchen.

Read More

Gluten is often used as an additive in processed foods. Gluten serves many roles - it can be a thickener, an emulsifier, or a stabilizer in many packaged foods.

Our guide to finding hidden gluten in prepared foods will get you well on your way to learning what to avoid. Please note, however, than gluten can be found hidden in the most curious of places. So if you are not absolutely certain what is in a particular food, contact the food manufacturer to determine whether it is gluten free.

Fortunately, new food labeling statutes regarding allergens will make detecting gluten in prepared foods much easier for gluten-free cooks.

Beware of the following words on food labels. Any mention of these is an indication the food contains gluten:

Read More

The following foods are considered gluten free and SAFE:

1. Grains free of gluten:
   • Rice flours - all types
   • Quinoa
   • Corn
   • Buckwheat
   • Millet Read More
     

If you are new to the whole gluten free concept and want to learn more about gluten free cooking, there are four basic steps you’ll need to follow in preparing yourself to begin creating gluten free meals.

In my four-part series on getting started on a journey to gluten free living, I’ll share each one of these steps in-depth. Be patient with yourself as you’re learning. A lot of your previous eating habits must be discarded.

Now, if you’re already stressing about how you’ll cope without pizza, pasta, cake and beer, don’t! There are some very creative ways to have your cake gluten free and still enjoy it!

Read More

What are the symptoms of gluten intolerance?

It is believe that some form of gluten sensitivity from mild gluten intolerance to celiac disease affects nearly 15% of Americans. So how can you spot gluten intolerance symptoms?

First and foremost, it’s important to note the differences between gluten intolerance and actual celiac disease. Celiac disease is a severe and rapid allergic reaction (an immune reaction) to the gluten protein. Gluten is found in grains such as rye, oats, wheat, and barley.

Celiac disease is both an auto-immune disorder and a malabsorption disease (essential nutrients are not properly absorbed by the body). A devastating fact is that many long-term suffers of celiac disease are malnourished and don’t even realize it!

Read More

We all know that just about every yummy recipe in the world calls for flour. It’s a shame that people living gluten free can’t just go to the store and pick up any old flour; but that’s just not how a gluten free diet works!

Here is a great gluten free mix flour replacement to use as a substitute in any recipe calling for flour:

• 1 c. tapioca flour
• 2 c. potato starch or potato flour
• 6 c. white or brown rice flour

Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly. This can be used in recipes that call for flour.

Note: If you have never mixed flours, be sure there are no streaks or clumps of the individual flours. When you’re finished it should appear to be only one kind of flour.

Another ingredient you’ll often find in recipes is cream of soup. Of course, most of the store-bought varieties are not gluten free and are loaded with sodium. Here’s a simple gluten free mix cream of soup replacement to add to your gluten free arsenal:

Read More

Here’s a recipe I’ve been meaning to try out. My kids LOVE blueberry muffins and can no longer have the pre-packaged processed kind I used to feed them (unknowingly believing it was healthy).

Let me know what you think!

1/4 c. melted butter
1 1/3 c. rice flour
1 c. sugar
1 whole egg
2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Read More

Here’s one my family tried out this evening and it was a big hit! The adults added some black pepper and hot sauce;but the kids loved it just like this.

5 c. rice, cooked rice
4 whole eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 oz. mushrooms chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped

Read More

As many of you already know, gluten free bread recipes are hard to come by - ESPECIALLY good ones!

If you have spent a great deal of time trying to make good gluten free bread only to be sorely disappointed, give this one a try. As it turns out, the hot and humid environment created inside a crockpot is the perfect place for getting that gluten free dough to rise!

And the BEST part is that it has a light and chewy texture, tastes great, and is SUPER easy to make!

Read More