Gluten Free Recipes
Have you noticed how many people these days require a gluten free diet?
If you are on a gluten free diet…you will already know the information I have gathered below.
But if you are wondering just what gluten free is or you would like to try a few recipes that are gluten free, please keep reading. 🙂
A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).
According to the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition
“A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Eating a gluten-free diet helps people with celiac disease control their signs and symptoms and prevent complications.”
“Initially, following a gluten-free diet may be frustrating. But with time, patience and creativity, you’ll find there are many foods that you already eat that are gluten-free and you will find substitutes for gluten-containing foods that you can enjoy.”
I have found in my research that most gluten free recipes contain Xanthum Gum. This can be found in most WalMart stores or on line.
*Xanthan gum: Pronounced: ZAN-thuhn
A natural thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer produced from the fermentation of corn sugar. Xanthan gum is used to thicken dairy products and salad dressings.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition
All the gluten free foods information (in blue text color) is from the Mayo Clinic and just an FYI: Of course you should check with your doctor for more information.
Allowed foods
Many healthy and delicious foods are naturally gluten-free:
- Beans, seeds, nuts in their natural, unprocessed form
- Fresh eggs
- Fresh meats, fish and poultry (not breaded, batter-coated or marinated)
- Fruits and vegetables
- Most dairy products
It’s important to make sure that they are not processed or mixed with gluten-containing grains, additives or preservatives. Many grains and starches can be part of a gluten-free diet:
- Amaranth
- Arrowroot
- Buckwheat
- Corn and cornmeal
- Flax
- Gluten-free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato, bean)
- Hominy (corn)
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sorghum
- Soy
- Tapioca
- Teff
Always avoid
Avoid all food and drinks containing:
- Barley (malt, malt flavoring and malt vinegar are usually made from barley)
- Rye
- Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
- Wheat
Avoiding wheat can be challenging because wheat products go by numerous names. Consider the many types of wheat flour on supermarket shelves — bromated, enriched, phosphated, plain and self-rising. Here are other wheat products to avoid:
- Bulgur
- Durum flour
- Farina
- Graham flour
- Kamut
- Semolina
- Spelt
Avoid unless labeled ‘gluten-free’
In general, avoid the following foods unless they’re labeled as gluten-free or made with corn, rice, soy or other gluten-free grain:
- Beer
- Breads
- Cakes and pies
- Candies
- Cereals
- Cookies and crackers
- Croutons
- French fries
- Gravies
- Imitation meat or seafood
- Matzo
- Pastas
- Processed luncheon meats
- Salad dressings
- Sauces, including soy sauce
- Seasoned rice mixes
- Seasoned snack foods, such as potato and tortilla chips
- Self-basting poultry
- Soups and soup bases
- Vegetables in sauce
Certain grains, such as oats, can be contaminated with wheat during growing and processing stages of production. For this reason, doctors and dietitians generally recommend avoiding oats unless they are specifically labeled gluten-free.
You should also be alert for other products that you eat or that could come in contact with your mouth that may contain gluten. These include:
- Food additives, such as malt flavoring, modified food starch and others
- Medications and vitamins that use gluten as a binding agent
- Play dough
Watch for cross-contamination
Cross-contamination occurs when gluten-free foods come into contact with foods that contain gluten. It can happen during the manufacturing process, for example, if the same equipment is used to make a variety of products. Some food labels include a “may contain” statement if this is the case. But be aware that this type of statement is voluntary. You still need to check the actual ingredient list. If you’re not sure whether a food contains gluten, don’t buy it or check with the manufacturer first to ask what it contains.
Cross-contamination can also occur at home if foods are prepared on common surfaces or with utensils that weren’t thoroughly cleaned after being used to prepare gluten-containing foods. Using a common toaster for gluten-free bread and regular bread is a major source of contamination, for example. Consider what steps you need to take to prevent cross-contamination at home, school or work.
Below are a few gluten free recipes that I found while doing my research.
If you try them, let me know how they worked for you.
Me
- 1 cup rice flour
- 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 4 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
- 1 packet sugar substitute (I like Truvia)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cups water
- In a bowl, mix or sift together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, dry buttermilk powder, sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
- Stir in eggs, water, and oil until well blended and few lumps remain.
- Heat a large, well-oiled skillet or griddle over medium high heat.
- Spoon batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form.
- Flip, and continue cooking until golden brown on bottom.
- Serve immediately with condiments of your choice.
- 1 cup freshly ground long grain brown rice flour in place of the rice flour.
- If you would rather not use artificial sweetener, substitute 1/2 tbsp maple syrup added to the liquid ingredients.
- Substitute 2 c. buttermilk rather than milk/powder mixture
- Substitute 3 tbsp melted butter for the oil, (mixing it into the liquid mixture with a hand blender)
- 1 cup unsweetened rice milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- *1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon gluten free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup raw honey
- 2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla
- 2 organic eggs
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or safflower)
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- In a measuring cup, measure out the rice milk and add the vinegar. Stir, and set aside (This solution needs to sit for at least 10 minutes. You are making a dairy free "buttermilk" alternative.).
- 2
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- 3
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients.
- 4
- In a separate bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients together, including the "buttermilk" solution. Add your wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until the batter is smooth.
- 5
- Fold in the frozen blueberries.
- 6
- Spoon batter in to greased or paper lined muffin tins. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
- *Xanthan gum: Pronounced: ZAN-thuhn
- A natural thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer produced from the fermentation of corn sugar. Xanthan gum is used to thicken dairy products and salad dressings.
- 2 sticks (225 g) unsalted butter
- 3-1/2 cups (400 g) blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (60 g) coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon (7 g) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) sea salt
- 2 teaspoons (7s g) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) nutmeg
- 3/4 cup (165 g) raw honey
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (235 ml / 8 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
- 3/4 cup (175 ml / 6 oz) fresh pressed apple cider or juice
- 1 cup (130 g) grated carrot
- 1 cup (130 g) grated zucchini
- ~~ For the Nutty Vanilla Creme ~~
- 1-1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- 3/4 cup fresh apple cider or juice
- 3 Medjool dates, pit removed
- 1-1/2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- To make the cake, first make the brown butter. Put your butter in a saucepan over medium heat and melt until golden brown or dark amber, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease two 6-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the dry ingredients (almond and coconut flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, honey, vanilla extract, eggs, coconut milk, and apple cider or juice.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low to combine. You can also mix this by hand.
- Fold in grated carrot and zucchini.
- Pour the batter in the cake pans and cook 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
- To make the nutty vanilla creme “icing”, combine all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- This can be made ahead of time, stored in an airtight container for 1 week in the refrigerator.
- To assemble the cake, after the cakes are done, let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
- Very gently turn over to a cooling rack and remove parchment paper, letting it sit for another 20 minutes or until cakes are cool.
- When they are cool enough, place the bottom layer of the cake on a plate or stand, with the flat bottom on facing up.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the vanilla creme on the cake. This will be your middle filling.
- Gently place the second cake on top and spread more vanilla creme.
