by Tiffany on November 6, 2009
Pecan pie is the only kind of pie I ever made before my celiac diagnosis. I used my Grandmothers recipe, which turned out to be the one on the bottle of Karo Syrup. It was written on an index card so I thought it was her secret recipe – who knew?! Every year since I was a teen, for Thanksgiving and Christmas I made Pecan pies. It was the only time of year I cooked for the most part since my husband used to be a chef. He did almost all the cooking for the first 16 years of our marriage.
Once I started eating gluten-free, I started dabbling in the kitchen and found out that I actually loved cooking! All those years I’d avoiding doing much in our kitchen but buying pretty things to put in the cabinets – I’m a dish and glassware freak of sorts. Anyway, once I was gluten-free I even started gluten-free baking. It was like an alien had taken over my body. My husband wondered where his wife had gone, no doubt!
So, back to my beloved Pecan pie. I always used a Pet Ritz pie crust for them. I know now that is not a very good crust but I really didn’t know it at the time. It was not until I had excellent gluten-free crusts that I knew how bad the frozen gluten one really was. Even a relative asked why the gluten-free crust was better than the ones I used to make. Now you know it’s really bad when a glutenoid thinks your gluten crust was bad.
My first gluten-free holiday season I used the pie crust mix from Gluten-Free Pantry and it turned out fine. The taste was good but the texture was just a tiny bit ’sandy’ for me. I use that mix just for savory crusts now and love it for quiche! The next crust I made was from Breads by Anna. That crust contains no rice flour and it is out of this world delicious! It’s super easy to make and you can get two crusts from one bag. I freeze left over dough if I need to and use it up to a month later without issue. The last time I made a pie crust I used the Pamela’s Pancake and Baking Mix. The Pie Crust recipe on the website was easy to make, easy to handle and delicious!
You can make your own pie crust with your own flour blend, of course. But life is short and even though I love cooking and baking, I don’t want to be tied to the kitchen any more than necessary. I use mixes whenever I can and find that doing so is not much more expensive than using a home made flour mix. If you live where prices are sky high, you can probably save a good deal of money making your own flour. Here, it’s almost impossible to do that. Whether you make your own crust or use a mix, you might find this previous post about pie crusts helpful as well. Enjoy your holiday pies this season and make sure to share them with the glutenoids in your life!
Stay tuned for the next Thanksgiving tip, everyone’s favorite, stuffing!
by triumphdining on November 5, 2009
Okay, I’m going to tell you a something that only my husband knows…for the past 4 years, I’ve secretly been feeding my in-laws gluten-free gravy for Thanksgiving. Not only do they love it, but there are never any leftovers. In this post, I’m going to share the recipe to a gluten-free gravy everyone (not just you and the dog) will love.
Sweet Rice Flour. Of course, the problem with traditional gravy is that it’s thickened with wheat flour. I’ve experimented with all sorts of alternatives, from patented gluten-free flour mixes to far out starches from my local health food store. The clear winner in my opinion is the humble sweet rice flour. It’s not only cheap (around $1.29 per pound), but pretty easy to find. Oh, and by the way, it’s not actually sweet. It has a neutral taste. In fact, I actually prefer the rice flour to wheat flour, which can have a “floury” taste. The sweet rice flour is more neutral and the texture is right on.
NOTE: Rice flour is not the same as sweet rice flour. The sweet rice flour is from a different rice variety and has a superior thickening ability, plus it’s more finely milled. If you use a regular rice flour, you may find your gravy a bit grainy. (By the same token, don’t use sweet rice flour for traditional gluten-free baking, it’s much too fine and will render your baked goods super chewy, almost like gum. Stick to plain old rice flour for your baking needs.)
I really like Mochiko brand sweet rice flour. It’s more finely milled than some other brands I’ve tried. It’s also pretty easy to find. Check the Asian aisle in your local supermarket. Or, check out your local Asian grocery store.
Other Thickeners. If you can’t find sweet rice flour, here are some recipes that use alternative flours. Just a quick caveat about one of the starches mentioned, cornstarch… in my experience, if you use even a little too much, the gravy can get an almost gelatinous feel. Gravy gelatin. Yuck, no thanks. You might want to try using 3/4 of the amount of cornstarch the recipe calls for, and then adding the rest only if you really need it. I haven’t had this problem with other starches or flours.
- Here’s a recipe that uses cornstarch, which is probably the most readily available starch. You can find cornstarch in any supermarket baking aisle. Check out the Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide for a list of gluten-free cornstarch brands. (If you haven’t already, check out the Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide to help make your holiday cooking easier. The guide lists grocery brands and products that are gluten-free.) The most easy to find brand listed in the guide is Argo cornstarch. Bob’s Red Mill is also listed in the guide as making a GF cornstarch.
- One of our favorite food bloggers, Elana, has a gravy recipe using kudzu starch.
- eHow has a recipe calling for tapioca starch.
- And for our vegetarian readers, Rachel’s Recipe Box has an animal-friendly gravy recipe.
But if you do find some sweet rice flour, check out my recipe below and let me know what you think!
Triumph Family’s Gluten-Free Gravy Recipe
Pan Drippings from Turkey
Chicken Stock, amount varies but a 32 oz. carton should do
Butter, 2T
Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour, 2.5-4T
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
- Pour pan drippings into a gravy separator. Or, if you don’t have one, pour drippings into a large measuring cup and let it sit for 2 minutes, or until the fat rises to the top. Use a baster or spoon to separate the juices from the fat.
- Reserve just 2T of fat in a separate container and discard the rest of the fat. Now you should be left with just the juices that separated from the fat.
- Pour juices into a measuring cup and add enough chicken stock so that the total amount of liquids (juices + stock) equals 4 cups. I prefer Kitchen Basics chicken stock, but any gluten-free stock or broth will do.
- Over medium-low, melt 2T butter in a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to hold 4 cups of liquid.
- Add 2T of the turkey fat you reserved and slowly sprinkle in 2.5T of the Mochiko rice flour. (You’ll probably need to add more later, but it’s always to start with less and add more later.) Stir the “roux” until it starts to clump together. Do NOT brown the flour like you would a wheat flour roux.
- While whisking vigorously, slowly add in the 4 cups of liquid.
- Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, all the while whisking to dissolve any lumps.
- Allow it to boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat slightly until it’s simmering at a brisk pace.
- Cook about 15 minutes until it’s reduced to the texture you want, whisking frequently to keep the gravy smooth. You may need to add up more Mochiko during the reducing process. In general, I find that 4T is about right for my family (they like gravy on the thinner side), but you may find you need up to 6T, and not just because it’s a matter of taste. Thickening sauces is not an exact science – some crops of flour have more moisture, and some less. So sometimes you’ll need to use lots of flour, and sometimes less. You’ll have to eyeball the amount of flour that’s right for you. Just remember, the gravy will continue to thicken a little after you take it off the heat, so it’s perfect when it’s just a shade thinner than what you’d normally serve. And don’t worry, if you add too much flour, just add a little more chicken stock.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 10…well, if they really love gravy like my family does!
Variations
Depending on your family’s taste, you may want to add some dry rosemary, thyme or a bay leaf while the gravy is reducing. Or, cook some shallots or garlic in the fat, before you add the flour, until fragrant, for an even more savory gravy.
(By the way, you may be wondering why I don’t just tell my family that the gravy is gluten-free. Well, probably like a lot of you out there, people who are not GF have very, very low expectations of GF foods. I once made the mistake of announcing a casserole was GF, and before anyone even tried it, everyone at the table made a face and insisted we go out for dinner. They didn’t even want to try it because it was GF. Isn’t that crazy? So, I just don’t tell them when something’s GF anymore. It’s been working pretty great so far!)
I’m sure I’m not the only one out there with a gluten-free turkey recipe. What about you? What works for you and what doesn’t – please do share. And stay tuned for our next tip on Gluten-Free Pie Crusts!
by triumphdining on November 5, 2009
Dreading Thanksgiving? Skeptical about whether gluten-free gravy and stuffing can really measure up to the “real” thing? Worried about negotiating a “mixed” Thanksgiving with GF and non-GF family members? Well, it’s time to stop worrying. (And don’t even think about eating some sad, dry turkey with no gravy, while everyone else chows down on all the fixings!)
You CAN make delicious gluten-free gravy, stuffing and desserts that everyone will love. In fact, I’ve been making Thanksgiving gluten-free since 2004…for nine people members who are not gluten-free. Now, these people are all family – close, outspoken and super-critical. But guess what? No one misses the gluten.
Besides, in a lot of cases, there is no gluten to miss! Let’s start this series of tips off on a positive note and go over what IS most likely gluten-free.
Turkey. If you buy an all-natural turkey with no additives, it is gluten-free. But be aware that some turkeys, especially the “self-basting” varieties are injected with flavors. (For the culinary curious among you, some companies inject the turkey to make it juicier and more flavorful.) Check with the manufacturer to make sure that your turkey is gluten-free. It probably is, but a quick phone takes just a couple minutes.
And for all of you with family members who like to stuff the turkey with non-GF stuffing, tell them to cut it out! It’s not safe for you, and if not done properly, it can be unsafe, period. Plus, unstuffed turkeys cook more quickly and are just as yummy. Check out this neat article on the topic, and scroll down to the question: “Does stuffing cooked inside the turkey taste better?”
Cranberry Sauce. Page 100 of our Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide lists cranberry sauce brands that are GF. For those of you who don’t own the guide, consider getting a copy. It’s a fabulous resource on what brands are and are not gluten-free. The most popular brand of cranberry sauce listed is Ocean Spray. And it is gluten-free. Or, if you want to make your own, it’s as easy as buying a bag of cranberries and cooking it down with some sugar and water, or orange juice (if you really want to get creative). We made our own sauce one year, but frankly, we found the canned version is just as good and a lot less work. After all, you’ve got a turkey to tend to!
Mashed Potatoes. Potatoes, milk, cream, salt and butter. All these ingredients are very unlikely to contain gluten. Just be sure to use a fresh stick of butter, especially if you have non-GF family members who might be using a contaminated butter knife.
Next in the Series. Feeling better? Remember, you don’t have to change EVERYTHING around to make a fabulous GF Thanksgiving. Next in the series we’ll tackle what’s likely NOT gluten-free…the gravy…and how to make a GF version everyone (not just you and the dog) will love!
Meanwhile, check out Tiffany’s awesome article on the more inter-personal aspects of navigating the gluten-free diet.
by Tiffany on November 4, 2009
Campbell’s now has a new website, Campbell’s Without Gluten, which lists all their gluten-free products. The site has been up for a while but I kept thinking they were going to add some soups to the list. They used to have about five or so, that did not contain gluten at one time. The new gluten-free product list does not have any soups listed, just in case you have the old list that listed a few of those as gluten-free. The company representative I spoke to said it is possible that some soups might be added to the gluten-free list eventually, as they are under evaulation.
The good news is that all the products listed as gluten-free are now confirmed to be gluten-free. There is no guessing or assuming going on by Campbell’s regarding what is and is not gluten-free in their product lines. We posted an update from Campbell’s about this issue earlier this year.
Some of you might remember that there was a lot of controversy a while back about products from this company. Items in question at the time were certain Pace and Prego products. In fact, quite a ruckus ensued in the gluten-free community over this issue, but it turns out that Campbell’s just wanted to make sure they relayed the most accurate information to consumers. It seems that the company did not know exactly what was gluten-free for a while, so they removed items from their gluten-free listing until they could figure things out. The company chose to make sure what was and was not gluten-free before sharing the information with consumers. The last thing any company needs to do is guess whether or not something contains gluten – or any other allergen for that matter.
There are gluten-free items in the following categories:
Campbell’s Tomato Juice / VS Splash Drinks / VS Diet Splash Drinks / V8 Vegetable Juice / V8 V Fusion Drinks / V8 Fusion Smoothies / Swanson Broths and Stocks / Prego Sauces
Here is an excerpt from new website, explaining new company procedures for gluten-free items:
We analyze gluten-free products to ensure compliance with our strict gluten-free standards at the time of initial production. We perform ongoing testing on finished products on a frequency of at least once every six months to assure continued compliance with our gluten-free policy.
We should applaud Campbell’s efforts to take the time to get things right, even though the process took a while. But I’m still waiting for a gluten-free line of soups to be introduced from this company. I just feel sure that gluten-free soups in the red and white cans are on the way!
by Tiffany on November 2, 2009
Treats at Gluten-Free Goodie Swap
The holidays at the end of the year can be quite stressful for anyone. Add a food intolerance to the mix and things can go either way. Things might go perfectly smoothly or they might be horrible during your first gluten-free holiday season. Keep in mind that your attitude about following the gluten-free diet will affect how those around you react to it.
Try to be positive even when you don’t feel that way, at least in the beginning. If family members get the feeling, based on your actions, that being gluten-free is a death sentence, they are much less likely to ever get tested for celiac themselves. Remember, if someone is related to you, they are more at risk of having or developing celiac than the general population.
People who start a gluten-free diet in March are likely to have a smoother time during the holidays than people diagnosed in October for instance. The learning curve for the diet is 6-12 months, depending on the person. That means that a month or two after beginning it, you won’t really have a handle of all the intricacies of the diet. It’s second nature once you learn it, but learning everything you need to know is extremely daunting in the beginning of your gluten-free journey.
Most people fear when they start eating gluten-free, that they will never fully understand what they need to do to remain safe on a daily basis. The chaos that can accompany the holiday season only adds to those insecurities. You can either make all your own food to assure your safety, or trust others to cook for you.
If you don’t want to ask family members about every single ingredient that went into their dishes, you might want to pass on their offerings for your first gluten-free holiday get together. Doing so will enable you to relax and know that your food is safe, making for a less anxious meal all around. You’ll then have have a
whole year to train those interested in learning, how to cook for you next holiday season.
Hopefully some of the recipes and recipe sites we’ve included here can be of help to you this year. Everyone deserves to enjoy the holidays, even if they can’t eat gluten. When it comes to gluten-free holiday recipes and websites where they can be found, the possibilities seem endless. At least this list can get your started.
Karina over at Gluten-Free Goddess is always coming up with something interesting and delicious, as she does here with this pumpkin pie bread recipe. The recipes on this site never disappoint!
About.com has a whole bunch of gluten-free cookie and candy recipesto make your goodie swaps a little more fun. Your glutenoid friends will never know the gluten is missing!
These rum balls looks pretty tasty, and seem fairly simple to make. As always, Recipe Zaar has more gluten-free recipes than you could ever read through!
Glutenfreeda has many terrific gluten-free recipes which range from sweets to savory treats. What I like about their site is that they have a rating system explaining the degree of difficulty for each recipe. This is nice for novice cooks like myself. If something is not marked “easy”, I move right along!
Finally, Alison over at Sure Living Foods has a collection of some great holiday recipes from various locals on the net. Many are for people with multiple allergens as well!
Even though it takes extra planning on your part, this time of year can be as delicious and fun as you make it. You can’t control the world full of gluten that we all live in, but you can control your own attitude. Eat gluten-free - enjoy - repeat!
by Tiffany on October 30, 2009
A Gluten Free Guide dining out
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago I struggled to find a gluten-free blogger writing about eating out and traveling. There were plenty of great sites offering incredible recipes and tips on which products were good and which ones should be avoided – but gluten-free dining posts were almost non existent. And those that I did find talked about boring chains with gluten-free menus. Since I’d done a pretty good job of avoiding chains when I ate gluten, I was not thrilled to find out that those were the best places for me to eat out at.
I simply did not believe all the people on online message boards that told me my life of eating out and traveling were over, now that I was gluten-free. One evening, shortly after my diagnosis, I did a Google search for “gluten-free dining Atlanta” and three comforting links came up – the Triumph Dining site, The Atlanta Gluten-Free Dinner Club site and A Gluten-Free Guide’s blog. As it turns out, back then, Catherine who writes that blog, actually worked for a company that had business in Atlanta on occasion. Therefore, Catherine had to find out where to eat gluten-free when in town for work.
For the first time since my diagnosis, I felt like there was a tasty and adventurous gluten-free journey in my future. Catherine’s blog was a large part of making me feel that way. You see, she is kind of a “foodie” and like me, is not content to order plain chicken, rice and veggies when dining out for the rest of her days. When you read Catherine’s restaurant reviews, you feel as though you sat next to her and enjoyed the incredible food yourself!
It was Catherine who turned me on to a French gluten-free bakery, Valpi-Form (rarely found on Amazon) that makes croissants, though they are all but impossible to buy in the U.S. at present. I didn’t love the croissants that much anyway, but the Madelienes from the line are not to be believed! Catherine also posted a killer recipe for garlic bread, using Everybody Eats French baguettes.
Catherine doesn’t have to visit Atlanta as often as she used to, and I miss reading about her adventures here. In the past, I’d always go directly to the places she wrote about, after reading her Atlanta posts. But I still love reading about her adventures in NYC, Italy and anywhere else she goes. She travels a lot for work these days and has gluten-free travel planning down to a science!
Catherine is an inspiration to all of us to remember that gluten-free does not mean taste free, period. If you believe people that tell you to order a boring meal when dining out to be “safe”, you’re drinking some toxic Kool-Aid. And even if it’s gluten-free - it’s definitely not good for you!
Thanks Catherine – for always reminding us that living gluten-free can be as delicious as we venture to make it!
by Tiffany on October 28, 2009
There is a new waffle on the gluten-free scene. Island Gluten Free Bakery in Sarasota, FL recently began making gluten-free waffles and they are ‘out of this world’ delicious! My order arrived in two days, for UPS ground service. I left one waffle on the counter to have the following day and the others went into the freezer for later.
The bakery uses healthier flours than some companies that make gluten-free baked goods. The owners feel that offering nutritious products is very important. As someone who eats too many things that aren’t that nutritious, I appreciate their efforts greatly!
Waffle Ingredients:
Filtered Water, Millet Flour, Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Flour, Egg, Arrowroot Flour, Canola Oil, Brown Rice Flour, Organic Coconut Flour, Potato Starch Flour, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Dehydrated Cane Juice, Xanthan Gum, Sea Salt
We defrosted some waffles to enjoy last weekend. They take about six minutes in a 350 degree toaster oven to heat up and toast perfectly! Like many other products at this fabulous bakery, the waffles are “free” of more than just gluten. They do not contain dairy or nuts either. I tend to be wary of foods that are ‘free’ of so many things but I’m getting used to accepting that you can make great food, without things you think are needed for it. Island Gluten Fee Bakery continues to prove this point over and over again!
We visited a gluten-free/dairy-free bakery in Austin once and the cookies, bread, brownies and breakfast breads were what I expected from products made without dairy or gluten. Almost everything we bought was dry and not good in any way. My husband had to pick the blueberries out of the breakfast bread – I mean it was bad. Luckily, of the five things we bought, the pumpkin muffins were outstanding and that’s what I’d picked for a quick breakfast at the hotel. Thank goodness I didn’t let that less than optimal experience keep me from trying gluten-free, dairy-free products from this wonderful bakery in FL!
If the new Island Gluten Free Bakery creation was comparable to any other gluten-free waffle, I’d do a comparison review. However, these waffles are unlike any I’ve had before, with or without gluten. They are what you’d expect to be served in a restaurant actually. Now I have a waffle that is both incredible tasting and ‘good for me’ – at least as good as a waffle with butter and maple syrup on it can be!
Island Gluten Free Bakery will ship UPS ground, 2-day and overnight service. Atlanta is a 2-day service for ground usually. If you decide to place an order, consider trying the cinnamon raisin bread, buns and French bread in addition to the amazing waffles. If you are so inclined and have a waffle maker, the bakery also sells their mixes online. I bet pancakes made with their mix are fabulous too!
Thanks to the gang at Island Gluten Free Bakery for rocking my gluten-free world yet again!
by Tiffany on October 26, 2009
When my new custom made cereal arrived from Custom Choice Cereal, I had to open it right away to taste it. The company contacted me to offer me a discount bag of cereal to create my own custom blend and review it.
Cinnamon Granola
Whoever thought the concept up is a genius. You pick your cereal base and choose from a long list of add-ins to come up with your own unique blend of gluten-free cereal! The add-in item categories include nuts/seeds and dried fruits. Beside each add-in on the website, there is a tidbit of information about the nut, fruit or seed.
The price is directly related to what you choose to add to the base, and there are two prices for the three bases as well. The Cinnamon Granola is the most expensive and the Corn Flakes and Good Morning Flakes (highest nutritional value) are priced the same and are slightly less than the granola.
Tiffany’s Raisin Nut Delight cereal (you even get to name your creation!) is a blend of cinnamon granola, coconut, pecans and raisins. When I tried the cereal dry I thought it was very good but when I had it the next morning with milk, I thought it was incredible! I’m assuming the fact that the cereal was made with my choice of ingredients, is directly related to the fact that I love it!
Gluten-free cereals are generally expensive, excluding the five Chex cereals that are gluten-free. Making your own cereal at Custom Choice Cereal is really quite reasonable, but paying to ship it is a little expensive. The good news is that once you get your perfect ‘custom choice’ down, you can order a lot of it and get a discount on the shipping of every bag after the first one.
Cranberries
If your budget allows for a splurge, think about creating your own perfect gluten-free cereal. The products are made in a gluten-free facility and the number of tasty combinations one can create are almost limitless. The allergen statement on my bag states “Mixed in a facility that contains traces of soy, tree nuts and/or peanuts”.
Almonds
My personal blend of cereal turned out to be fairly healthy, though I was not thinking about nutrition when I chose my cereal base and add-ins. I just chose things I like, that I assumed would go well together. There are 108 calories in a 2/3 cup serving of the dry cereal and 5% of the RDA of fiber. Even though my blend contains both pecans and coconut, the fat content was only 5% of the RDA per serving.
Let us know if you’re made your own custom choice cereal before and how your creation turned out!
by Tiffany on October 23, 2009
One of our readers (who was diagnosed with celiac earlier this year) is participating in the Ironman Florida Triathlon (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, run 26.2) in less than three weeks. Kendra is raising funds for the NFCA, an organization committed to raising awareness about celiac disease and helping people with it, live full and delicious lives!
Kendra’s efforts are truly inspiring! Here is the information she shared with us about her goals related to this big event.
“Sponsored by Janus, the Janus Charity Challenge was designed to motivate Ironman athletes to use participation in any of the U.S. full distance Ironman races to increase awareness and raise money for charity. The program is unique in that there is no designated beneficiary and athletes can choose to raise funds for the charity that they are most passionate about.
To inspire athletes to participate, Janus makes additional contributions to the beneficiaries of the top fundraisers at each of the seven U.S. Ironman races, up $10,000. Every dollar counts. The time cut off for Ironman Florida is 17 hours (I’m hoping I can finish in time!), so I’m asking for donations of $17, but even $5 would really help.”
Though we are very familiar with the wonderful work of the NFCA, Kendra does a great job explaining why she personally chose that organization to raise funds for.
“The NFCA’s Gluten-free Resource Education and Training program (GREAT) is helping educate food service professionals in a way that I think will make it easier for celiacs to enjoy a meal at a restaurant and feel like a normal person. The Gluten-Free Cooking Sprees hosted by NFCA furthers those goals. Similarly, the GREAT program geared towards health care professionals is shortening the length of time for a diagnosis. Because celiac disease can cause so many other problems when left untreated, it’s important for people to get diagnosed as soon as possible. I believe the NFCA’s work is helping with quicker diagnosis’. I’m hoping that by raising money for the NFCA through my Ironman race, I can help NFCA continue to increase awareness.”
Thank you so much Kendra. I couldn’t have said it better myself! As someone who personally attended a Gluten-Free Cooking Spree hosted by the NFCA, I know first hand the power of us all working together to promote change in our community!
Though the economy is tight these days and everyone is watching their pennies, I hope those that have a few dollars (or more) to spare will join Kendra’s campaign and donate to this great cause. You can follow Kendra’s training blog here, and read more about her story here. I’m betting that together, we can help Kendra’s exceed her fundraising goals!
by Tiffany on October 21, 2009
While browsing through my new copy of The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide, I was shocked to find out that one of my old favorite soups is now gluten-free. I remember reading the package of “Darn Good” Chili mix from Bear Creek shortly after my celiac diagnosis. It clearly listed wheat right in the ingredients. So, we haven’t had that chili in almost four years.
People without any food intolerances can’t understand why we get so excited when we find out we can once again eat something we used to enjoy, but had to give up when we started the gluten-free diet. Remember when gluten-free Rice Chex first became available? People (including me) were dancing in the supermarket aisles when they first saw the bold GLUTEN-FREE on the front of the reformulated Chex cereal.
There is no way to explain why we get so excited about foods we can eat, especially when we were never that attached to food when we ate gluten. I really don’t understand my own reactions regarding food some times. Something just happens when you have to give up most everything you grew up eating and learn to stay gluten-free. Shortly after my celiac diagnosis, I remember feeling like an alien had invaded my body.
It was such a shock that everything I knew about food was turned upside down on a dime. The alien feeling passed after a couple of months, but still today I occasionally get the two headed alien look from people who never heard of gluten. If you’ve mentioned gluten or gluten-free to glutenoids who don’t know what those terms mean, you know the look I’m talking about.
This weekend we’ll be making “Darn Good” (turkey) Chili from Bear Creek, along with some gluten-free cornbread. I’m so excited to have one of my old favorite things again! It seems like every time we turn around these days that gluten is being replaced in countless mainstream products and that is a very good thing indeed. OK – maybe it’s not so good for glutenoids, but they might not realize what’s happening anyway!
The following soups from by Bear Creek are gluten-free:
- “Darn Good” Chili
- Creamy Wild Rice
- Cheddar Broccoli
- Cheddar Potato
- Clam Chowder
- Creamy Potato
- Navy Bean
- Split Pea
- Tortilla
Please let us know if one of your old favorite foods that used to contain gluten is now gluten-free.
