Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts


As Thanksgiving approaches I am thinking more along the lines of experimenting with our favorite holiday flavors. So I decided to use pumpkin this time. Usually it takes me several tries to get what I like, but this time it was great on the first try. 


.....keep in mind that I'm pretty sure my overall taste in things has diminished, but moving on...this should be good to everyone since I just used the same recipe as King Arthur's Flour and adjusted for the GF flours.

But here is an example of the results (or better said, what happens when you and the mister eat all the donuts for breakfast!!) I just LOVE a day off with my husband.


Pumpkin Donuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups GF flour mix with xanthan (if it doesn't have xanthan add about 1/2 tsp)

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat wet. Add dry. Beat 3-5 minutes. Scoop into greased donut mold. Bake 12-15 minutes until spongy.

Turn out onto cooling rack. Roll in cinnamon sugar while warm.



*** I just checked my blog list and apparently never posted my sister's wonderful gluten free flour mix. It has the perfect weight and balance so you can use it in just about any normal recipe. Love it!! (I'll post that soon)

Friday, June 20, 2014

Are Ghirardelli chocolate chips gluten free?

So if you've been asking yourself, "Are Ghirardelli chocolate chips gluten free?" the answer at this time is NO.

I decided to post this letter from them since I got glutened today and chocolate chips were the only new thing I had eaten.

                             **********************************************
Dear Consumer,

Thank you for contacting Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.  We appreciate your interest in finding out about the ingredients in our products and your interest in a gluten free product.

At this time we do not offer any "gluten free" products, but appreciate your interest in seeing whether Ghirardelli offers one.  Please reference the ingredient information, on our packaging for any Ghirardelli product that you are interested in, to determine if it is suitable for you.

Please know you are a valued consumer and we do appreciate your interest in our products.

Sincerely,

Consumer Affairs Response Team
Please do not delete the following text:
{ticketno:[5263049]}


                             **********************************************

So as far as I'm concerned the best choice in chips are the Guittard ones. There site clearly states they are gluten free.

Monday, May 19, 2014

gluten free banana white chocolate loaf

I'm finding our favorite recipes are the same we've used all our lives but with a gluten-free flour blend. These were our first wonderful gluten-free breads and we devoured them. It's amazing how much of a comfort food bread is.


Banana White Chocolate Loaf

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup GF flour mix
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup mashed banana
white chocolate for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 6 ½ x 3-inch loaf pan. I like to flour with coconut flour. 

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, banana and vanilla extract. 

Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a plate.


Melt white chocolate and drizzle onto the loaf of bread.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

gluten free chocolate chip cookies

Since going gluten-free I've tried several different cookie recipes. Yesterday Jaden and I decided to make simple chocolate chip cookies. I used the recipe on the Guittard Semi-sweet chocolate chip bag and modified it to be gluten-free. They were the best we've had GF!



A few tips for modifying a regular recipe to be gluten-free are:
  • Add an egg or two depending on the recipe
  • Increase leaving by adding some baking powder (I prefer not to increase baking soda)
  • Add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (helps hold it together- you can also use ground flax or chia seed but opt for the full teaspoon)
  • Use GF rice flour mix *(I use Rebecca's recipe which I will include at the bottom of this post)

Here are the original and modified recipes so you can compare...

Guittard Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Guittard GF Chocolate Chip Cookies 
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups GF rice flour mix (added 1/8-1/4 cup for altitude adjustment)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Beat and Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

               ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't forget to mix up your own batch of rice flours...


Rebecca's Rice Flour Mix
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup white rice flour
1 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tsp xanthan gum

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Embracing Celiac and FAQ

The Story
Many of you know that I started this year on a gluten-free journey with Jaden in hopes of finding a solution to his constant illness. He missed all but 3 days of school in November and I was called to pick him up from school several times in November and December. (His teacher said he was like a limp rag and unable to work.)

After the 3 week trial diet we found that I too was reactive to the gluten. Then we tested Dallin and he joined us on the journey (although his digestive tract was less reactive his moods were violent). Allison, a Celiac dietician, believes that our moods are an outward expression of the war that is raging within our bodies.

In February we went to Guatemala. I got so sick that we decided I should see a Celiac specialist and have an endoscopy/colonoscopy. During which they took a biopsy and found that my small intestine is paralyzed.

We received the results of the biopsy this week and I learned that I have Celiac Disease. I thought it would be an easy transition to go from gluten-free to gluten-free with Celiac. I was wrong. There was something devastating about being told that not only can I not have gluten, but even the slightest trace will be like swallowing a spoon full of glass. 

I'm not sure why that was so difficult to hear. Maybe because I still have a shelf in the storage room of gluten-filled foods. Or maybe because I wanted my childrens' chances of having it to be lower. Either way, I shed some tears and am now ready to move on.

The Transition
Making our home gluten-free is a challenge that will take time, but there are several obvious items to go (like the toaster and all our plastics).

The hardest thing to get rid of? Yes, our good old Friday-night-friend who we've faithfully made the best sourdough pizza on for many years.

Goodbye dear Pizza Stone…


Eating out is a lot harder but pizza and lettuce wraps are yummy. We just ask them to put new gloves on when fixing our food. It helps to let them know we are not tolerant of gluten rather than just a part of the huge GF fad for weight loss.

And so the easiest thing to embrace? The Jimmy John's Unwich!

Jimmy John's Unwich 

FAQ
I have been asked many questions about Celiac and gluten-intolerance and often the answer has been "I really don't know". So I made lists of questions to ask the *Celiac Specialist, Dr. Ligorria in Guatemala, and the *Celiac Registered Dietician, Allison Morotz in Pocatello (who by the way is amazing!)…she even answers my texts from the grocery store when I don't know what is gluten-free.

*I tried to write their answers as quickly as possible so that I could remember them word for word. However, they aren't exact.

Q. What is the difference between Celiac and gluten intolerance?
A. There are 3 types of gluten reactions. 
  • Celiac Disease- This is an autoimmune response where your body attacks the tissue of the small intestine when there is gluten present and interferes with the absorption of nutrients in the food. This is called Villous Atrophy.
  • Gluten Intolerance or Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is a condition where your body reacts to gluten with diarrhea and bloating but there is no damage to the small intestine (although some studies have found damage to other organs).
  • Gluten Allergy is when your body sends histamines to fight the gluten off. A gluten allergy can cause a life-threatening reaction to gluten.

Q. Is the damage in my intestine permanent?
A. Villi normally stand straight up and grab all the nutrients they can. With celiac they lay flat because they are sick and damaged. They are usually good at rebounding and absorption rates improve. Permanent damage is rare.

Q. Will I be able to eat gluten once I detox or repair my digestive system?
A. No. Regardless of which of the three previously mentioned conditions you have, you should never eat gluten again.

Q. What foods have gluten?
A. Wheat, Barley and Rye (although often oats contain traces because of where they are grown and processed).

Q. What happens if I continue to eat gluten even though I have Celiac Disease?
A. Eating gluten as a Celiac can cause permanent damage to the small intestine, malnutrition, miscarriage in pregnant women, colitis, as well as thyroid disease, osteoporosis, other autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Q. What are the chances of my children having Celiac?
A. First degree relatives (siblings and children) have a 15-30% chance. Some studies have shown that it can be more common among siblings because while it is genetic it can be environmentally triggered.

Q. How do I explain this to others?
A. You can't. Everyday is different because your body is in internal chaos. No one can understand that constant discomfort and many prefer not to believe it is real. What matters the most is that you do what is best for yourself and your family.

Q. Is it unhealthy or unfair to my family to have a gluten-free home?
A. No. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a gluten-free diet.

Q. How do I make sure we are getting the nutrition we need?
A. With Celiac you cannot meet your bodies' needs with just the food you eat. You NEED a multivitamin!
*Allison suggests: Children's chewable multivitamin
  •       1 per Child; 2 per Adult **EVERYDAY**
  •       As you chew it is absorbed by your mouth and stomach before hitting your intestines
  •       Chewable. No Gummy because the gelatin can bind nutrients.

Q. Is it truth or myth that you can develop an intolerance to gluten when you don't eat it regularly?
A. Myth. "Removing gluten won't make you gluten intolerant."

Q. Can I only eat foods labeled "Gluten Free"?
A. No. "FDA law requires any food item containing wheat or gluten must declare it on the label. Usually seen under the ingredient list."

Q. How can you be overweight and have Celiac?
A. Being overweight can go hand in hand with malnutrition. Fat is easily absorbed. Your body will not give up fat stores until it starts getting nutrients.


**My disclaimer…there is so much information out there on the internet so I decided to talk to the specialists. They did tell me that Celiac changes every day, so what I write today, which they told me several days ago, could be changed tomorrow.