Gluten Free the old style way

Little_Vics

I couldn't cope without Doves Farm flour and Genius seeded loaf.

Also don't underestimate corn - corn chips (Doritos or equivalent) are great for mexican food, but watch the coatings on some of them as they'll contain gluten.

We eat a lot of spuds in various forms, rice, risotto, rice noodles (again, watch soy sauce because it's very high in gluten, but you can get gf varieties), home baking for sweet treats....you'll find your way. It's tough to start, but gets easier.

kboss2010

shandyclover wrote: »

As Nuatha said above gram flour (besan) and cornmeal are your friends.

With gram flour you can make bhajis and pakoras, and a kind of chappatti, as well as pancakes - being as it is ground up chick pea flour it is high in protein. Any recipes from SOUTH India would be worth looking up as they have practically no wheat down there or it is extremely expensive so their diet is based on different grains. Obviously with kiddies you'd have to tone down the spices!

Cornmeal is also useful. This is the yellow coarse flour, not the white stuff that is used to thicken or make custard. You can make polenta or use it to make cornbread. Both of these flours are readily available in Asian/ethnic type shops.

I'm not sure if it's any interest to you but Approved foods is currently selling a catering size bag of gluten free bread/pizza dough mix.

Thank you for these tips, I had no idea about gram flour! I've been trying to substitute cornmeal for plain flour in my pastry with zero success - it just crumbles whenever I try to roll it out! :mad: I bought some gram flour today and will try to make a pie with it next week.
:beer:

Anyone looking for a sweet cornbread recipe should try: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmothers-buttermilk-cornbread/

- it's AMAZING! Even my American friend loved it. A word of warning, don't make excessive amounts like I did or you'll end up scoffing the lot in an evening (also like I did lol )

Magpye

Gluten free pasta is only made from corn or corn and rice flour, I'm not sure what's objectionable in there :huh: Barkat do 100% corn pasta and Sainsbury's free from spaghetti is 60% corn and 40% rice flours.

If you object to xanthan gum (and some people legitimately have a bad reaction to it, though it's a lifesaver for me) you can replace it in a lot of recipes with psyllium husk, or ground flax or chia seed. It does give things a speckly appearance though. Genius bread is free from xanthan gum though

Water, Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Vegetable Oil, Sunflower Seeds (4%), Maize Starch, Linseed (2.5%), Psyllium Husk Powder, Millet (2.5g), Humectant: Vegetable Glycerine, Yeast, Caster Sugar, Methyl Cellulose, Dried Egg White, Poppy Seeds (1%), Salt, Maize Flour, Rice Starch, Preservative: Calcium Propionate.

The only thing there I had no idea of was Methyl Cellulose, but cellulose is a organic polymer (plant product) and according to wikipedia, methyl cellulose

Like cellulose, it is not digestible, not toxic, and not an allergen.

-in fact it's used in constipation medicines and as a food additive, as E464.

Re: breadmaking: I've personally found that GF bread dough is too wet for breadmakers! Just invest in a good loaf pan, and remember to add something to compensate for the lack of gluten, you'll do fine without the machine.

Anzac_Biscuit

So many good suggestions! I'm gluten sensitive and not that great with dairy either.

I do use GF bread and pasta as a 'luxury' - but you're right that it's not that great, and is soo expensive!! When I'm feeling the pinch (or if I'm just generally more organised) I tend to steer clear of both.

I eat a lot of rice and often a lot of Asian-style foods. You do need to be careful of sauces but generally I just make a stir fry with veg, meat and spices. Maybe GF soy sauce if I happen to have any. Rice noodles (vermicelli or the flat ones) are great and very cheap. I use them a lot because they keep well and cook very quickly!

Polenta is great, and while the packet usually tells you to make it with milk I don't bother - it's pretty rich as it is. I don't eat potatoes all that much, but I do like quinoa - and it's great for lunches the next day. Filling, versatile, full of protein. Just chuck in some veg and some nuts and you're done (maybe a simple dressing too but I don't always bother). I use (red) lentils a lot too, for a great veg curry that I make from scratch. Also good for soups - and I think it has a similar effect to adding potatoes to a soup.

If you're avoiding GF bread etc breakfasts will probably be the trickiest - but frittata works well (and again, it's very versatile!), or potato/rice patties with eggs and anything else you have in the fridge. You could make those ahead and have them cold or heated up. You can get rice flakes and make a porridge - I do this sometimes but you need to jazz it up a bit, and if milk is a problem it might not work for you.

Good luck! Like others have said, it gets easier.

Hollyberry

A quick follow up on breakfasts - I agree that can be tricky. I also make frittata or a breakfast omelette. Otherwise I buy plain puffed rice cereal to have with fruit - that's quick and easy, and a box lasts quite some time. I'm also ok with an occasional porridge made with GF oats.

Anzac_Biscuit

Hollyberry wrote: »

A quick follow up on breakfasts - I agree that can be tricky. I also make frittata or a breakfast omelette. Otherwise I buy plain puffed rice cereal to have with fruit - that's quick and easy, and a box lasts quite some time. I'm also ok with an occasional porridge made with GF oats.

Further breakfast brainstorming - pikelets (can be frozen), quinoa with dried fruit soaked overnight, GF breakfast muffins - could also be frozen.

Mmm, maybe I should be using some of these ideas myself!!

shandyclover

kboss2010 wrote: »

Thank you for these tips, I had no idea about gram flour! I've been trying to substitute cornmeal for plain flour in my pastry with zero success - it just crumbles whenever I try to roll it out! :mad: I bought some gram flour today and will try to make a pie with it next week.
:beer:

Anyone looking for a sweet cornbread recipe should try: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmothers-buttermilk-cornbread/

- it's AMAZING! Even my American friend loved it. A word of warning, don't make excessive amounts like I did or you'll end up scoffing the lot in an evening (also like I did lol )

Wow, I've never tried gram flour for pastry - let me know how it works!

This is a great recipe for making wraps, my kids are not GF, but they are all vegan and this is something they can throw together themselves when they get the teenaged munchies, knowing it's full of protein and iron always consoles me! You can leave out the 'nutritional yeast' if you don't have it - it is just a flavor enhancer supplement the American vegan market seems obsessed by!
http://thevedge.org/2012/10/chickpea-wraps-gluten-free/She has quite a few GF recipes on there.

If you haven't been on pinterest yet might be worth a look, there are oddles of GF recipes collected there with even tips on how to make your own GF flour or what and how much to substitute in a typical wheat flour recipe.

If you are anywhere near a chinese supermarket they have these flours there though the labels may be in chinese. When I wanted to find some odd vegan ingredients I politely asked the young chinese girl for help and she kindly took me around and helped me find all the bits.

Here's the link for pinterest...http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=gluten%20free&rs=ac&len=5

be warned, pinterest can be addictive!:rotfl:

chaliepud

I am on a wheat free diet for 6 weeks to see if I have an intolerance or not, it could potentially be gluten intolerance so I am going to try and avoid both.. I will buy the Coeliac Society safe products book if it looks like I am but would prefer to hold off for the moment.

For someone who eats a lot of bread and pasta and carbs based snacks it is a bit of a shock so was wondering if anyone has any hints and tips as to what to avoid, good carb replacements and where to buy decent, reasonably priced products.

Thanks in advance

Hayley

ragz_2

Avoid processed foods (odd things, like ham even, have wheat added!) and stick to meat, potatoes and veg. Don't think about what you can't have, think about what you can have.
Expensive 'gluten free' pasta etc is rarely worth the money, but if you do want it, Waitrose do a fairly ok one for less than £2 a bag.

If you want baked goods, buy gluten free flour and make your own. It takes some getting used to (add more liquid) but will taste better than bought ones and be a lot cheaper.

Floss

M & S do a range of gluten & wheat free baked goods.

Check the Coeliac Society website out, also Asda & Tesco used to have lists of their own brand stuff that is w/f & g/f.

Be aware of things like baking powder (Doves Farm is g/f).

G/f cereals: rice krispies, Oatibix. Porridge made with rolled oats but check the label, also cornflakes should be ok but check the label.

Baking your own stuff means you know what's jn it - Asda do g/f w/f flours - and try making your own baked vegetable crisps for snacks, and cook your own ham or chicken from fresh for sandwiches & salads.