Gluten Free Options

So I've decided to post on a bit of a rabbit trail today, partially because I promised a friend I would e-mail her some information about gluten-free diet and I decided to kill two birds with one stone by blogging about it as well!

In today's world, many of our foods are contaminated by common allergens: wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, and corn are just a few examples. Others include nuts, chocolate, tomatoes, certain kinds of fruits, as well as natural and artificial sweeteners. Walk into a fast-food restaurant today and try to find something that does not contain one of these allergens and you will likely be able to find something. Try to find something free of two of these allergens and the task is close to impossible.

Thankfully today's world's food choices are wider than a fast-food restaurant! Most grocery stores (and even places such as Walmart and Target that sell more than just groceries) have a small or large gluten-free section. These selections will oftentimes include crackers, cookies, chips, pastas, cereals, breads, bread-product mixes, waffles and pancakes, and varieties of gluten-free grains. If you have a corn allergy you will need to watch that corn has not simply replaced wheat in some of these products, but you can generally find what you need or want. I could go on and on about the variety of gluten-free products you can find, some ready made, some in kits. Pizza crusts, ready-to-bake pizzas, muffins, frozen burritos, granola bars... you name it, I can help you find it.

The trouble with some of this is that all these foods (even some organic products) are just as processed - if not even more so - as their gooey-gluten-infested counterparts. So, you can eat gluten-free one of two ways:  naturally gluten-free, or processed gluten-free. Examples would be, making a toasted sandwich on gluten-free bread for lunch, or baking a potato and eating that with a side of meat and some other condiments. It all comes down to personal preferences, nutritional convictions and education, and price-range. Eating naturally gluten free (rice, potatoes, and vegetables instead of breads and pastas) is not only cheaper, but also better for you. There are dozens of kinds of potatoes, beans, rice, and lesser-known vegetables that taste great once you find your favorite ways of cooking them. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

• White jasmine long-grain rice (naturally white, not bleached) with Cuban-style black beans
• White jasmine long-grain rice with Jamacian-style red kidney beans
• Cilantro-lime rice with refried beans, tortilla chips, and fresh salsa
• Spanish-style rice with beef and tomatoes

For potatoes, I usually eat them with pan-sauteed chicken breast or pan-sauteed turkey burger. (Aldi has bags of frozen chicken breast, and I found a package of turkey burgers at a local fresh market.)

• Roasted sweet potato with coconut oil and honey
• Diced sweet potatoes and beets, tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and baked
• Salt potatoes (boiled in a salt-water brine)
• Grilled potato fries (you can use a crinkle-cutter blade and do these on a counter-top grille if you like)
• Pan sauteed potatoes (regular or sweet) with onions (yellow, sweet, or red)
• Baked redskin or Idaho potato with coconut oil, honey, salt, and pepper
• Baby or new potatoes, boiled

I'm usually a raw-veggie-dipped-in-ranch sort of person, but when you can't have ranch dressing, you become creative with some new ways of eating vegetables.

• Celery with almond or cashew butter
• Celery, carrots, and peppers with humus
• Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts (chop broccoli heads into bite-sized pieces like you would serve on a veggie tray. Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast on a cookie sheet in the oven at 375* F for 30 minutes until tender-crisp)
• Bake beets in a glass pan, also tossed in olive oil and seasoned. Goes well with sweet potatoes and onions baked in the same way.
• Asparagus or green beans sauteed in oil or water with garlic and onions
• Steamed broccoli seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice (I think this is tastier than the usual Parmesan cheese topping now!!)
• If you can still have dairy, but can't have gluten-containing products such as pastas, try replacing noodles with cauliflower or spaghetti squash. I have tried spaghetti squash, and know someone who has made a modified beef stroganoff recipe and served it over cauliflower instead of egg noodles. I would like to try this some time when I am allowed to have dairy products again. 
• I'm not a fan of spinach as a general rule, but I do like it steamed with salt and pepper, sometimes olive oil or garlic as well

One of the trickiest things about going gluten free is snacks and meals on the go. Here are a few ideas for both of those.

• Gluten-free crackers with your favorite nut butter, cheese, etc.
• Rice cakes dipped in hummus
• Fruit, such as apples, grapes, bananas, oranges, etc. Certain ones are also good with nut butters.
• Sprouted (soaked) almonds, other kinds of nuts
• There are some great gluten-free bars available, such as Larabars, made from just a few ingredients. My favorites are blueberry and cashew cookie. These are my middle-of-the-night life-savers. A few times I've woken up quite early, starving, and having one of these by my bed saves me from having to venture downstairs to get a snack from the refrigerator. They are kind of tricky to find, but I found them at Wegmans in Erie. Whole Foods Coop also sells them (they are more expensive there). Some Sam's Clubs and Costco's also sell them.
• Tortilla chips and fresh salsa
• Roasted, seasoned chick-peas. Best hot.
• Popcorn! I just season mine with tons of salt. And, if you must have a butter substitute, a little melted coconut oil is alright. 

Worried about not being able to eat out? Here are a few recommendations and websites to help.

• Gluten Free Registry.
• Gluten Free On the Go.
• Chick-fil-A - some restaurants advertise the grilled chicken nuggets, others do not. You can also request chicken strips grilled, or order just a char-grilled fillet. Obviously fruit cups are gluten free, and I don't remember if the fries are, but they have a fantastic nutrition guide with all that information that should be available at the restaurant. 
• Five Guys - you can order your burger without a bun, but I recommend bringing your own bowl to eat it out of, and I also recommend ordering messy condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and relish on the side. Getting all of that mess inside foil just requires too many napkins.
• Moes, Chipotle, or Qdoba - I love a good burrito, but I've had to give up having it in the tortilla. Most places will just give you the burrito ingredients in a bowl. I think it's called a naked burrito. 
• Olive Garden - I hate going here with my family because I always want the bread sticks and the pasta looks soooo good! However, some of the soups (the zuppa tuscona is my favorite) are gluten-free, so you can always fill up on soup and salad.

I was specifically asked about brand recommendations by my friends, so here are some. 

• Gluten-free oats: I buy in bulk from the Whole Foods Coop in Erie. They have both organic and non-organic available.
• Gluten-free bread: I buy Glutino Fiber Bread from Wegmans and keep it in the freezer and toast slices as I need them. I have tried a white rice bread from Udi's, which is commonly available wherever gluten-free products are found. I was trying to make gluten-free, dairy-free grilled cheese (riiiiight). So I used this bread, a soy-based cheese replacement, and grilled it in a pan in coconut oil. I was NOT a fan of the cheese, and the bread seemed to get soggy quickly. The texture is smoother than the fiber bread, but I still prefer the fiber bread anyway. 
• Gluten-free crackers: I found Mary's Gone on my most recent trip to the Coop. The are made primarily from seeds and have a strong flavor, but they are good with almond butter or goat cheese on top. 
• Gluten-free pasta: I recently tried a quinoa/corn pasta that I found at Giant Eagle. I have tried Tinkyada brown rice pasta (elbows as well as penne). I was not a fan of the gummy-texture. The skinnier the noodles, the better they taste, it seems. 
• Gluten-free cereals: probably the easiest and cheapest cereal is rice chex, corn chex, or plain cheerios made from oats. I have tried some gluten-free cereals from Glutino, but I didn't like them and didn't think it was worth it to pay that much. 
• Gluten-free flour alternatives - a brand I would recommend is Bob's Red Mill. I have tried their rice flour before, but I know they have many, many mixes, flours, and other items. 
• Nut butters: Justine's, Maranatha, or in bulk from Whole Foods

Just a few assorted tips, some gluten free, some for other allegies...

• Adding xantham gum to a recipie with your gluten free flour can help the taste and texture
• Don't try using egg-replacer to make egg-free brownies. I'm not sure how it can be done. I'm sure it can, but egg-replacer is NOT the way to do it! =)
• You can find coconut and almond yogurt in some places (I found it at Whole Foods Coop, and I'm sure Wegmans carries something similar). The brand I tried for almond yogurt was Amande, and I have heard the So Delicious makes a pretty good coconut yogurt. Amande was not organic or anything. 
• Of soy, rice, flax, and almond milk, my favorite by far is flax milk. However, it is difficult to find, so I usually end up getting rice milk (Rice Dream brand). It tastes similar to skim milk in cereal, but it's still difficult for me to drink a glass or have some with cookies. It's just not quite the same. 
• Coconut oil makes a great substitute for butter, and it is very healthy for you. Depending on which brand you get, it doesn't really smell or even taste like coconut! Usually we by Spectrum, which is an Organic brand, but if there is a sale on something else, we will sometimes change to a different brand. These come in glass jars or bottles, which is a blessing, because coconut oil will often harden, but can be melted again. I usually boil some water and pour it into a glass bowl, set the coconut oil in the hot water, and wait for it to melt so I can use it easier or pour it into recipes or dishes.

Finally, a few ideas of where to find gluten-free foods.

• Health food stores (such as Whole Foods Coop in Erie)
• Whole Foods (an actual grocery store, not to be confused with the coop mentioned above)
• Giant Eagle
• Krogers
• Meijer
• Trader Joe's
• Online (Paleo bread, Larabars)
• Farmer's Markets

I hope this has been helpful to someone out there!! :)