Abigail R. Gehring - The Healthy Gluten-Free Diet: Nutritious and Delicious Recipes for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle

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Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gehring, Abigail R., author. The healthy gluten-free diet : nutritious and delicious recipes for a gluten-free lifestyle / Abigail R. Gehring. pages cm ISBN 978-1-62873-755-4 (hardback)
eISBN 978-1-62873-971-8 1. I. Title. Title.

RM237.86.G44 2014 641.563--dc23 2014002892 Printed in China Contents Introduction If theres anything lucky about having celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, its that we have it now, when the availability of gluten-free products is expanding at lightning speed. As few as five years ago, a lot of folks didnt even know what gluten was, and unless you were in a natural foods store or specialty grocery store, you wouldnt be likely to see a single item labeled gluten-free. Now, many mainstream supermarkets have whole gluten-free sections, and many restaurants provide gluten-free menus! (Though, a word of warning: gluten-free menus are not always as exciting as they seem. I once ordered eggs benedict from a gluten-free menu, eagerly awaiting the first English muffin Id had since discovering gluten made me feel lousy. When the plate arrived with just a lonely poached egg and a bit of hollandaise saucesans English muffinI was sorely disappointed.) Going gluten-free is a whole lot easier now than it ever has been before. Unfortunately though, many gluten-free products are not particularly healthy.

Many are comprised mainly of starches and gums that are basically devoid of nutrition and saturated with unhealthy oils and lots of processed sugars. They may be safe, but theyre far from nourishing. My goal in this cookbook is to provide recipes for foods that are safe for those avoiding gluten and nutritious and delicious for anyone. Though some starches and gums are helpful for holding baked goods together in the absence of gluten, the focus of these recipes is on using a variety of whole grains and nut flours. Every gluten-free grain has its own unique flavor and texture that can be complemented with herbs, spices, or natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. These recipes aim to complement the grains unique properties, rather than cover them up.

It takes some time to recognize which ingredients are safe and which are not. Wheat, rye, and barley are the gluten-laden culprits you must avoid. Unfortunately, thats not as simple as it sounds, since those three grains show up in a myriad of forms. Heres a list of common grains to watch out for: Danger List: Ingredients That Contain Gluten Barley, barley malt, barley extract Bran Bread flour Bulgur wheat Cereal Durum Einkorn Farina Farro Gluten Graham flour Kamut Malt extract, malt flavoring, malt syrup Matzo Rye Semolina Spelt * Sprouted wheat Wheat, wheat berry, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat grass, wheat starch, wheat berries * Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat, so it is not safe for individuals with celiac disease and is not used in any recipes in this book. However, some people with gluten-sensitivity or intolerance find that they can tolerate spelt just fine. To further complicate things, these ingredients can show up in some unexpected places.

The below ingredients do not always contain gluten, and when they do, its trace amounts. But, especially if you have celiac disease, you should be careful about what brand of the following items you are buying. Look for ones that are specifically labeled gluten-free. For a longer list, check out www.celiac.com. Maybe List: Ingredients That May Contain Gluten Alcohol Artificial color Baking powder Brewers yeast Chocolate Dextrin Dextrimaltose Dry-roasted nuts Flavoring and flavor extracts Glucose syrup Gravy cubes Ground spices Instant coffee Maltose Miso Modified food starch Non-dairy creamer Oats, oat bran, oat fiber, oat syrup * Rice malt Rice syrup, brown rice syrup ** Seitan Soba noodles Soy sauce Stock cubes Teriyaki sauce Vegetable broth * Oats do not actually contain gluten, but are often processed in facilities that also process wheat. ** Rice syrup is often processed using barley enzymes. ** Rice syrup is often processed using barley enzymes.

Check with the manufacturer to ensure the brand you use is safe. And now for the good news. Here are the exciting grains and starches that are gluten-free! To be sure your grains are not processed in facilities that also process wheat or other unsafe grains, still look for those specifically labeled gluten-free. Safe List: Grains That Dont Contain Gluten Agar-agar Almond flour Amaranth Arrowroot flour or starch Buckwheat flour Cashew flour Chestnut flour Chickpea/garbanzo flour Coconut flour Cornmeal and cornstarch Flaxseeds Gelatin Millet flour Oats (if theyre certified gluten-free) Pecan flour Potato flour Potato starch Quinoa Rice flour, brown rice flour, sweet rice flour Sorghum Soy flour Sweet potato/yam flour Tapioca flour and tapioca starch Teff flour Xanthan gum Tips for Successful Gluten-Free Baking Use a mix of flours and starches. On youll find a basic recipe for all-purpose gluten-free flour. It includes a variety of flours and starches, which helps to ensure a nice texture in your finished dessert.

Using sweet rice flour adds some stickiness to your batter or dough that is sometimes lacking in gluten-free flours. I recommend brown sweet rice flour (rather than white), since its a bit more nutritious. (Note: sweet rice flour is sometimes called sweet rice glutinous flour, but it doesnt contain any gluten.) Go small. Smaller cakes, muffins, and cookies hang together more easily than really big ones. Add moisture. Applesauce, pumpkin pure, and yogurt add moisture and nutrition to gluten-free baked goods.

Using brown sugar instead of white also helps, as does using a little honey, maple syrup, or gluten-free brown rice syrup. Chill your cookie dough. Gluten-free cookie dough tends to spread out a lot. This will happen less if you drop your cookie dough onto the pan and then stick the whole pan in the refrigerator for half an hour or so before baking. Darker baking pans will lead to better browning. Store your baked goods in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them from getting stale.