Gluten-Free Foods and Recipes

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Good luck with the transition. The end result of feeling better is so worth any of the hassle and heartache involved. After two years there are still hard days, but hopefully you don't have to go as far as to cut out commercially grown strawberries because they are grown on wheat straw.

The easiest way to go is to just focus on fresh fruits, veggies and proteins. Over simplify everything, it's too easy at first to way over complicate food in general while trying to get your bearings. Keep dried fruits and nuts on hand to avoid the pitfall of finding yourself starving with no options. Larabars are awesome for a quick pick me up.

As far as brands go, the pastas just aren't the same. I have found that Horizon organics makes a boxed macaroni and cheese that is better than the real deal. They use a lentil based pasta instead of rice and it holds up better. It's a luxury item but when you are elbow deep in smoking fish and processing berries, it's worth it to have a quick meal for the kids. Throw in some smoked salmon and garden veggies and you have a complete meal!

I have also come to rely on EnjoyLife foods. They are free of all of the top eight allergens. They have the best gluten free cookies out there. Again the company is doing great by thinking out of the box, their soft cookies are date based instead of grain based. They also manufacture energy bars, fruit and seed pouches and other things for a grab and go need.

Udi's wins hands down for the frozen pizza. They do have dairy, but are free of gluten, soy and eggs. Add in Barney butter individual almond butter packs and stretch island fruit strips and these are my go to GF products.

We have found a recipe for pizza cups that is simply GF deli ham layer into a cupcake pan with a spoonful of marinara sauce and some cheese tossed in a 350 degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until melty and browning.

We do eat a lot of tacos, nachos and salads. Simple quesadillas made with corn tortillas are a quick lunch.
I also just remembered, my ultimate lifesaver has been Pamela's gluten free pancake and baking mix. They also have a bread mix, cake mix, pizza dough mix and an awesome brownie mix. I don't use many baked goods anymore, but when I do I use the baking mix. It makes good biscuits, pancakes and beer batter for the halibut, made with Angry Orchard hard cider instead. Speaking of biscuits, I have found that potato starch is the best for gravies and sauces. I was never a fan of corn starch to begin with.

Again good luck with everything. I'm still not around much for the season, but the end is in sight. After the hunting trip in a couple of weeks life will normalize and I will be available! Please, please fell free to ask anything. Your encouragement during our crazy holiday food issues last year was so much more special than you could know and I would be honored to return that if at all possible.

a reply to: woodsmomI also just remembered, my ultimate lifesaver has been Pamela's gluten free pancake and baking mix. They also have a bread mix, cake mix, pizza dough mix and an awesome brownie mix.
Yup, I just bought one of the big bags of the baking and pancake mix on sale for $13 instead of the normal $15-16 that I pay for it. *happy dance*

Even if I could eat gluten I would still use Pamela's products.

a reply to: Cloudbuster
That cough syrup sounds dangerous...and I'm not sure I could swallow it either...LOL

IN the US was can get garlic granules....and that is what I usually use.

I don't know if this company ships outside the US, but for US folks, a pretty good site located in Calif, many items are organic.
I mostly buy teas from them.
www.herbco.com...

a reply to: calstorm

We love it too! I'm jealous over the $13 though. I spend at least $20 a bag up here, but it's still much cheaper than trying to make my own flour blends from the hundreds of recipes available. I did read through the thread after responding and noticed you enjoyed the Pamela's mixes too. The pizza crust is the best so far too, and that's a meal that my guys like making. So it's a win win for me!

Last winter my son was also diagnosed with soy, egg and peanut allergies on top of my Celiac. This limited things even more, but most of the Pamela's products are still safe for us. That's also why we use Enjoy Life so much too. It is the only brand I can pick up off the shelf and not have to reread the labels every time. I still miss things, usually soy in some form, buried in the ingredients lists.

It's really amazing how much healthier we have all become on a basically fresh food diet. It gets pricey, but our health is well worth the investment. I thought we did good before, but it just gets better and better. I still garden and wild harvest, even more so now. We fill our fish freezer with halibut and salmon every year and his year we get a moose too. So just having to supplement the harvests we have been working on all summer helps to make the food budget drop a lot. I have a bunch of fish to smoke and can still, and other things. We are making bacon this year as well. The loins and shoulders are waiting in the freezer, we found them on a ridiculous sale.

I'm also dehydrating anything that will since it's still getting up to almost 80 degrees and too hot to start much canning. I'm making a super greens powder to sneak in everything this winter. It consists of carrot, broccoli, Brussels sprout, beet, turnip, spinach, chickweed, kale and cabbage. Spike seasoning which is carrots, turnips, peas, spinach turnip and beet greens, onions, garlic, celery, puffball mushrooms, broccoli greens, zucchini, and some herbs and spices mixed in. I also have a quart of veggie soup mix, hopefully more than one by the end of the season, half a gallon of turnips and a quart jar of dried fruit that will also be powdered.
I have gotten some canning done too, a dozen jars of fireweed honey and another approx thirty jars of fruit syrups and butters. Haha, and looking at the list, that's only the beginning of the preserving season.

I'm so sorry for the ramble!!! This is my life at the moment. I only even signed on last night because I saw DTOM had to go GF. Please feel free to contact me about any food questions I miht be able to help with. I would be happy to do so!

a reply to: woodsmom

I love reading posts like yours....i know it's a lot of work....I canned a little in the 80s....but mostly for fun...not survival.

The Pamela's stuff...I'll have to try as it seems everyone in this thread is raving about the products.
I have some Bob's Red Mill pancake mix in the cupboard....we've been craving flapjacks...LOL...if we're not satisfied...Pamela's is next.
And since I'm also LC, I won't be doing that much baking....and the tip to buy the best mix instead of experimenting makes a lot of sense.

I do crave breaded fish and meats from time to time....will the Pamela's baking mix work for that??
Also, does Pamela has a great mix for breads and quickbreads?

Do you have to add anything to the bake mix? A brand I saw at the grocer yesterday suggested the need to add xanthan gum...which is pricey. I mean, how many uses are there for xanthan gum LOL

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Yes Pamela's has a bread mix. No you don't have to add anything besides the normal, milk, eggs, butter or oil depending on the recipe. I don't know why I never thought to look on their website before but wow, they have a ton of recipes. I guess because the packages have several recipes on the back.
www.pamelasproducts.com...

Excellent thread!

Me and m'Darlin' have been avoiding wheat lately. So, some of our favorite things are various sandwitches. We're learning to fly without the bread -- bunless bacon cheeseburgers with rabbit food on the side, etc.

Our current favorite is a breadless Reuben, with a side of slaw, dill pickle and rabbit food. mmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm actually starting to not miss the grilled Pumpernickle.

a reply to: argentus

Forget the reuben....I want this
www.chefsteps.com...
amazingribs.com...

Lettuce makes a grand sleeve for many sandwiches...we had potato crusted cod sandwiches last night.
I can do without bread most of the time.
But, I do have a yen right now for some mac and cheese.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I'm a member of the AmazingRibs website. Meathead ROCKS! It's how I learned to make my own amazing ribs. Still, amazing ribs MUST be accompanied by amazing side dishes. I'll endeavor to list my scintillating cole slaw and potato salad.





It's a process.

a reply to: argentus

Thanks for that site.....I'm interested in looking into the Sous Vide process...although plastic bags in the oven :/

Buy some raw brussel's sprouts, cut the ends off and put them in a pan with lifted edges, then pour extra virgin olive oil and salt on them, and roast in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

a reply to: Mousygretchen

I've had a taste for brussel sprouts lately....and roasting veggies really brings out the flavor well, thanks....

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

My son was diagnosed with celiac 7 years ago and we have found good gf bread and pasta...finally. Udi's brand bread is definitely the best and holds together like regular white bread, and it's delicious as well. When it comes to pasta there are many good brands but the key is to buy corn pasta and not rice pasta. I hope this helps

a reply to: Scully20

Yes, thanks.....there's so many kinds of grains used for pasta.....does the corn have a similar taste and mouthfeel as wheat??

UDI's is widely available...good to know about holding together....I think I'll use what I have for breadcrumbs....and get a loaf of UDI's white for my next BLT

I find the gf corn pasta tastes pretty much the same as the wheat pasta. Oh and I make my own gf breadcrumbs with the crusts of the udis bread ....as well as my own croutons....works perfect.
reply to: DontTreadOnMe

a reply to: Scully20

Is the corn pasta cooking times as critical as that of rice pasta???
I'm pretty lazy cooking pasta....and sometimes lose track of the minutes.....don't want to end with corn mush

Well the directions do stress to not over cook so I'd be careful when cooking it....once it's boiling you could turn off the heat and let it sit in the hot water....it doesn't end up mushy when I use that method. a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

a reply to: Scully20

thanks for that tip!!!!
Corn mush doesn't appeal...at all....

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I'm a sucker for deep fried halibut, and the Pamela's pancake and baking mix is perfect for the batter. Just go by texture and keep in mind gf flours absorb more fluid than wheat flour does. ETA: another tip, because the GF flours absorb more moisture, it helps to let your batters sit for twenty minutes or so after you mix them up. It helps to reduce the gritty texture since everything has moistened.
They do also make a bread mix, I have given up on most breads myself though. GF baking doesn't do well eggless. Nothing extra needs to be added though, just liquid depending on the recipe.

Bobs Redmill is a great company too, just beware of garbanzo bean flour in the mixes. Cookies should not taste like beans...... And the xanthan gum is a chemically processed black rot. I haven't been able to add it myself since I found that out. It is in some of the products I use, but save yourself the expense. I have tried the psyllium husks after a member suggested them to me before and it's a much better substitute binder, flax works too.

I'm glad you enjoy them! I'm sure I'm rambling, haha. I love this time of year, it's fast and furious to put it all up. I'm currently draining my pickle relish of the salt. This is the first year that I grew every veggie in it, even the red sweet peppers. It's work, but so nice to have the safe food during the winter. It dramatically helps the budget as well with the specialized diets.

a reply to: argentus

You give me hope, thanks! I haven't even attempted a Reuben replacement yet.
That sounds tasty though!