cook51SoHkxTsKL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_Next week, a new gluten-free cookbook by Vanessa Maltin will be available. Fans of her first book “Beyond Rice Cakes”  will be blown away by this elegant, more sophisticated and perfectly delightful cookbook “The Gloriously Gluten-free Cookbook : Spicing up Life with Italian, Asian and Mexican Recipes“. Vanessa started her gluten-free career working with the NFCA and is now the Food & Lifestyle Editor at Delight gluten-free magazine.

When my review copy of Vanessa’s new book arrived, I immediately noticed that it is quite a different publication than “Beyond Rice Cakes”, which is geared more for young adults on the gluten-free journey. The beautiful new cookbook is definitely for gluten-free cooks of all ages. Heidi Collins, previously of CNN, wrote the forward, which is quite touching. The Doctor’s Note that follows the forward was penned by Dr. Aline Charabaty from Georgetown University Hospital.

The book chapters are divided by different types of cuisines, including Italian, Asian and Mexican, as the title implies. There is also a chapter just for desserts! In each cuisine section, there is a list of ingredients that are most often used in dishes from that region. Additionally, suggestions about what product lines offer gluten-free pasta and soy sauce are mentioned.  Gluten-free flours are covered and oats are explained.

Also, in the different cuisine sections, a “Chef’s Note” is included. Keith Brunel, Executive Chef of Maggiano’s Little  Italy, wrote the Italian note.  Katie Chin of Thai Kitchen wrote the “Chef’s Note” in the Asian section and and Edgar Steele of Cafe Atlantico took care of the same in the Mexican section. Each Chef takes time to truly explain this history of the cuisine. It’s a quite enlightening  part of each cuisine section and gets the reader excited to try some of the book’s fabulous recipes!

Here are just a few recipes in the book, listed in no particular order:

  • Artichoke Parmesan Salad with Dijon Mustard Dressing
  • Grilled Chicken with Asparagus and Cheddar Risotto
  • Crunchy Vietnamese Spring Rolls
  • Gluten-free Potstickers
  • Mango Chicken Quesadillas
  • Carne Asada and Creamy Potato Puree
  • White Chocolate-Mango Cheesecake
  • Apple Fried Ice Cream

Staples like various pasta sauces, enchiladas and egg drop soup recipes are also included in the creative cookbook. While some of the recipes are more involved than others, most of them are really easy to understand and implement. In other words, most of the recipes don’t have 15-20 instructions, but about 6 or so. The easier the better is my motto about cooking of any kind. This book proves you can follow that rule and also enjoy incredible gourmet restaurant quality gluten-free meals!

In addition to the array of interesting recipes in the book, Vanessa also explains what celiac disease is and how she learned to make lemonade out of the sour lemons that many perceive a celiac diagnosis to be. She talks about various celiac testing methods, including the new finger prick test from Biocard – now approved in parts of Europe and Canada. That test, or something similar, might make diagnosing celiac easier than ever one day.

If you are in search of a gluten-free cookbook to spice up your kitchen, please leave a comment below for your chance to win one of three copies being offered to our readers by Wiley, the publisher. Deadline to enter a comment is April 20th. Winners will be posted on April 21st. *Shipping address for books must be in one of the 48 contiguous U.S. states.

UPDATE 4-21-10: Congrats to Katie Hartsell, elicia and Steve Wilbur who won the fab new cookbook from Vanessa Maltin!