Following The Gluten Free Diet - Part 2 Foods You CAN Eat

As the title implies, this post is part two of "Following The Gluten Free Diet" with foods that you can eat.  I don't know about you but I don't want to know about what I can't do, I want to know what can do. 

Although this has been a much researched and blogged about topic (after all we are a GF blog) it never hurts to remind the pros and inform the new people who may have just been diagnosed.


We touched on diagnosis last week but I would like to visit that topic again.  I feel that Celiac Disease is vastly under-diagnosed in our society because it is so misunderstood.  I am all for growing foods to feed ourselves whether it be in your garden in the back yard or on a large commercial farm that can literally feed the world. 

However, I think it is only natural to have problems in one's diet whenever you modify the grains used in  everyday life.  There are a number of articles from countries that do not use genetically modified wheat and because of that fact, have very few intestinal problems with their population.  I completely understand the struggles of farmers battling disease, pests and other things in an effort to maximize their crop and make a good living.  I grew up in the country raising cattle for beef and selling them to support the family.  But at the same time, we didn't use growth hormones and other unnatural things in the beef.  It seems to make sense to expect problems when you modify something so much from what nature intended. 

These are just my thoughts on the subject.  However I am glad to see there is a resurgence among the producers to bring products that people want, need, and desire, i.e. natural grains, organics and Gluten Free products.  On that note, lets take a look at some of the foods that Celiacs / Gluten Intolerants CAN eat. 

This list comes from our friends at The Wise Alternative.  You can check out their site and find tons of good information about Celiac, Diabetes and more.

Foods you CAN eat:

Brown rice
Buckwheat
Kasha (not Kashi cereal)
Rice Flour (good for Frying)
Quinoa (flour, pasta, flake cereal)
Amaranth
Soba Noodles
Rice Pasta
Spaghetti Squash
Raw Dairy
Sour Cream
Cream Cheese
Cheese
Yogurt (watch your sweeteners)
Tapioca
Garbanzo Beans
Great Northern Beans
Navy Beans
Red Lentils
Black Eyed Peas
Olives
Corn (not good for people with inflammation)
Veggies
Meats (unless you have cancer)
Fruits
Great Value Brands at Wal-Mart say Gluten free
Red and Brown Sea salt (unrefined)
Miso
Xylitol ( NSP is the best)
Soy Lecithin
Budweiser (Gluten-free Brew)
Tsingtao Beer
Red Wine

Gluten free Products are fine for the most part, but we have found several that still contain soy, peanuts, pinto beans, and maltodextrin. You must be careful when reading ingredients.

You can also check out some of our posts on Gluten Free recipes such as Breakfast Casserole, Chocolate Eclairs, Potato Pancakes and more.  Look at the archives and click the link for Gluten Free Recipes.  Feel free to add foods in the comments section that you may not see here.

Happy Eating!!

Tasty Tuesdays! (errr Wednesdays) GF Breakfast Casserole

Wow what a wild and crazy week it has been already and its not even halfway over!  My most sincere, heartfelt apologies for not posting Tasty Tuesdays on Tuesday this week.  I was working on the recipe and getting ready to add some pictures when my internet service crashed and did not reappear until this morning.  Apparently it was a problem with my local provider and w/o the ability to add pictures, and nary a Starbucks in sight, Tasty Tuesdays, has for this week become Tasty Wednesdays.

Summer is officially here in Oklahoma and yesterday reached a balmy 90 degrees.  This weather always gets me in the mood to go camping with the kids, which will soon take place, and cook outdoors in my Dutch ovens.  Many people know what Dutch ovens are and many more do not.  You may have heard about them as a child and have a vague understanding but you just don't really remember what they are all about.  Dutch ovens are a thick walled cooking pot, often cast iron, in my case aluminum, ovens with a tight fitting lid.  You can use them in your oven, or outdoors with coals from your campfire to cook your food.  I use mine year round and cook with charcoal briquettes.  Ok, enough about explanations, lets get to the recipe! 

I call this recipe "Breakfast Casserole" because that's just what it is.  It is super easy to make and is also Gluten Free!  The ingredients are as follows:

2 large potatos grated

Shredded cheese

8 oz of Sausage (or your favorite breakfast meat)

8 - 10 eggs

Salt & Pepper

1 Small bag of charcoal briquettes

1 Aluminum Dutch oven 10" or your favorite casserole dish

If using your kitchen oven, preheat to 375 - 400 degrees.  If using charcoal, light the briquettes and let them just ash over.  You will need approximately 20 - 25 for the correct temperature.  If you let them burn too long, they will not last long enough to cook your dish.  When I cook with them, I usually have a pan of briquettes burning on the side so I can add to them if I run low or need to add heat to my dish.

In a medium pan, brown your sausage, or other breakfast meat, drain, and set aside. 

If you haven't done so already, grate your potatos and set aside. 

Use a very light coat of oil on the interior of the Dutch oven so you won't have any sticking.

Place a generous layer of shredded potatos on the bottom of Dutch oven.

Follow with a generous layer of sausage and another layer of potatos.

Top off with a generous layer of shredded cheese.  To make this correctly, you will want the cheese to form a barrier when melted.

If cooking in your kitchen oven, your temperature will approximately 375 - 400 degrees.  If making outdoors as I prefer, you will need 12 - 13 briquettes on the bottom of your oven and 8 - 9 on the top.  You will want to cook in a sheltered area away from the wind.

Let cook approximately 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and just starting to get crispy with a touch of brown on the edge

When the cheese is melted and ready, crack your eggs in a large bowl and whip until blended.

Pour eggs on top of melted cheese and cover, adding heat for approximately 20 minutes until eggs are firm.  When I say adding heat, you will need to have a total of 13 -14 briquettes on top of your Dutch Oven to cook the eggs.

When done correctly with plenty of cheese (I didn't take my own advice here because I was low on cheese and didn't want to go to the store) the eggs will cook on top of the casserole and be a top layer.

Take inside and serve immediately.  It serves 4 - 6 hungry people.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

I love my Dutch ovens and actually get excited about cooking with them.  I don't know what it is about cooking in them but your food will taste immeasurably different than the exact same dish cooked indoors.  This is one of our absolute favorites and we make it probably once a month. My kids love it and it's great left over.  Enjoy!!

This post is part of the following blog carnivals........Go check out these great sites!!

Mouthwatering Mondays

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesday Twister

Gluten Free Wednesdays

Real Food Wedesday

Pennywise Platter Thursday

Following The Gluten Free Diet

As Celiacs know, its a daily struggle to find delicious, not to mention nutritious food that you can eat.  A vast majority of people in the world eat three meals a day with no other thought than what sounds good this morning or how much they'd love to try out the new restaurant on Main street.  As Celiacs / Gluten Intolerants experience on a daily basis, you don't eat just to satisfy your craving of the moment, you are literally eating for your life! 

How many of you suffered for years before finally coming to terms with what you can / cannot eat?  Did you diagnose yourself or was your physician able to find the problem for you?  I personally LOVE food of every kind and flavor and struggled for years to find what foods agreed with me.  Many of you know these foods and many more may not.  This list was compiled from our friends at The Wise Alternative.  They have many good articles to read on Celiac Disease as well as Diabetes and more.

Take a look at these foods that you cannot eat with Celiac Disease / Gluten Intolerance.  Next week, we'll post a list of foods that you CAN eat.  You can also find recipes for GF Chocolate Eclairs, Potato Pancakes, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo and Belgian Waffles by clicking on the links.

Happy Eating!!


Foods You Cannot Eat


Any Grains
Pastas
Breads
Cereals
Oats
Black Beans
Red Beans
Pinto Beans
Green Peas or Legumes
Peanuts/ Peanut Butters
Pasteurized Milk
Green Lentils
Maltodextrin (in every processed food)
Lima Beans
White Sea Salt (Bleached)
Salt (Bleached)
Soy (sauce, milk)
Artificial sweeteners (except Sweet N' Low)
MSG
Beer

Many of you may see things on here that you'll say "Hey! I eat those things!"  These are foods that we have researched and found to make a large difference in peoples lives when they omit them from their diet.  Its not intended to be a comprehensive list, only short and informative.  Many vendors have come forth with wonderful gluten free alternatives such as flour for our baking needs, cereals, binders, etc. and bless them for that!  They are filling a true need for people everywhere and it is growing more every day.  Feel free to add some more foods in the comment section.  We look forward to it!

C-Sections May Raise Celiac Disease Risk in Offspring

C-section babies statistically are more prone to failure to thrive.  Physicians have unofficially concluded that it was due to anesthesia used in performing the delivery which caused sleepier and less energetic babies than traditional vaginal births. 

With the recent studies conclusions, isn't it possible that the failure to thrive wasn't due to anesthesia, but complications due to Celiac Disease?  This is entirely likely since cesarean births are also linked to an increase of Celiac Disease.

Read the article below from Health Day News.

TUESDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Children born by cesarean section may be more likely to develop celiac disease, a chronic digestive disorder, than children born vaginally, new research finds.

Researchers analyzed data on almost 2,000 children seen at gastrointestinal outpatient clinics for celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases, and compared their rates of C-section vs. vaginal delivery to children who had not been diagnosed with any gastrointestinal conditions.

Compared to children born vaginally, children delivered by C-section were 80 percent more likely to develop celiac disease.

"We did not find any association with the inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis," said lead study author Dr. Mathias Hornef of Hannover Medical School in Germany. "We did see a moderate but significant association with celiac disease."

People with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, have an abnormal immune reaction to gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. This leads to inflammation and damage to the lining of the small intestine.

The study is published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers aren't sure why there could be a link between the mode of delivery and celiac disease, but one possible explanation is that children born via C-section don't pick up the same microbes from their mothers as babies that pass through the vaginal canal, Hornef said. This alters the infant's colonization with gut microflora, or "good" microbes, that aid in digestion and fending off pathogens.

Previous research suggests there are differences in the intestinal bacterial flora between children born vaginally or by C-section.

"We are only beginning to understand the complexity of the host-microbial interaction at the intestinal mucosa, and it is difficult to make firm conclusions at this stage," Hornef said.

Among children and adults, rates of celiac are on the rise, noted Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical School in New York City.

Though no one knows why, some believe a contributing factor is the "hygiene hypothesis," or the idea that an overly sanitized, microbe-free world means babies today are no longer exposed to as many infectious agents and microorganisms as their ancestors. This may have altered the human immune system and might explain the increase in allergies, such as hay fever and eczema, and possibly autoimmune diseases, such as celiac and inflammatory bowel disease, Green said.

"We are being born in hospitals, not on kitchen tables anymore. We take antibiotics," Green said. "It's possible our intestinal flora is very different from people in the past."

Does any of this suggest that women with a personal or family history of celiac disease avoid C-sections? According to both Green and Hornef, it's too early to make firm recommendations.

"I think our data are not evidence enough to already make a medical recommendation, but rather they shed light on a possibly ill-studied issue," Hornef said. "The data first need to be confirmed."

Green agreed, adding that, "the message to patients would be that the C-section, if it cannot be avoided, should make them more aware that there is an increased risk for celiac disease in the C-section-delivered children and it should make them more alert to look for signs and test earlier (and maybe more frequently)."

Genes and environmental factors are thought to play a role in the development of celiac disease, Green said. Symptoms of the condition include diarrhea, cramping and failure to thrive in babies, though not everyone experiences the disease the same way.

Over time, dietary gluten can cause small intestine villi (tiny hair-like intestinal protrusions) to atrophy, leading to disruptions in the absorption of vitamins and iron, as well as anemia, osteoporosis and even an increased chance of death.

The treatment for celiac is to stop eating gluten.

The treatment for Celiac is to stop eating gluten.  However that has become extremely difficult if not impossible with today's culture of pre-packaged convenience foods, drive thru's, ill equipped restaurants and busy lives.

Diet is the key contributing factor that effects a person's health.  People with Celiac Disease, or Gluten Sensitivity are aware of this truth from experience.  It is almost impossible to never eat gluten, unless you carry food with you everywhere you go.  Imagine going to a wedding and carrying a lunch.  This is how people with Celiac must live their lives.  Until now......

Dr. Wise's Gluten Senitivity Formula has helped many thousands of people in the short time it has been on the market.  Gluten Sensitivity Formula is a combination of homeopathic and natural products that include Kombu, L-Carnosine, Vitamin D, and Aryonia Berry.  It has shown amazing results in people with verified Celiac Disease that can now eat gluten rich foods again after using this proprietary product. There is a double-blind medical study that shows remarkable statistics to support this fact.   You can read about how our product came to be as well as our guarantee here or by clicking the link above

Even if a Celiac chooses to continue eating the Gluten Free diet that they've become so accustomed to, taking the product would be great peace of mind for those accidental exposures and moments in life where there "just isn't anything I can eat."  After trying the product and gaining confidence about your exposure risks to gluten, many people have found that they enjoy splurging with gluten-containing food every now and then.

Fruits, vegetables, solid sources of protein and whole foods will always be the best diet a person can live on.  But now, that healthy diet may contain gluten if you want it to. 

Tasty Tuesdays! GF Chocolate Eclair

Last week was so crazy that I didn't have much of an opportunity to post anything other than the Tuesday recipe.  Spending time with the kids, checking homework, birthday parties and more all made the week jam packed!  There is a Q&A from a young lady taken from "Ask The Teen" (Celiac Questions) from childrenshospital.org, Marina Keegan that you can read by clicking here.  I plan to have some more content this week so stay tuned....  Now for the final installment of the Gluten Free cooking class I took at Michael Fusco's Riverside Grill in Tulsa, OK.  As many of you know, he is a 5 star chef and good guy who is letting me post his recipes for all to enjoy.

This weeks post is a Gluten Free Eclair and wow was it ever good.  You can check out my previous posts such as Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Potato Pancakes, and Belgian Waffles all Gluten Free.  It is difficult to find or make good GF bread as most of you know but in this case it couldn't have been easier, or tasted better!  In making this GF eclair the first step is to obviously make the bread.  The ingredients area as follows:

Bread

2 cups whole milk
1 cup butter
2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend
1 tsp Xanthan gum powder
8 eggs

Combine xanthan gum with flour blend. 
Bring butter and milk to a boil. 
Stir in the flour blend, continue to stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the side of the pan.  Remove from heat and add to a mixing bowl, mix until dough cools. 
Gradually beat in one egg at a time until egg is completely absorbed.  Note: check dough with finger, looking for a stiff but wilting peak.
 Pipe dough (roll into pipe shapes) on wax paper into 4 inch strips and bake at 375* for 25 - 30 minutes.  Let cool.

Now to make the pastry cream you will need:

Pastry Cream

2 lg eggs
3 tbsp corn starch
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Whisk together eggs and cornstarch in a small bowl; gradually add 1/4 cup of half and half, whisking until smooth and corn starch is dissolved.
Place sugar and vanilla bean in medium sized nonreactive sauce pan; stir in remaining half and half and salt; bring to boil over medium heat
Whisk 2 tbsp hot mixture into eggs; to temper eggs.  Return to medium heat, slowly stream the rest of the milk to eggs and bring to a boil, whisking rapidly (mixture will become very thick).
Remove from heat; remove vanilla bean, and add butter.
Pour mixture into a bowl; placing a piece of greased plastic wrap atop pastry cream to prevent skin from forming. 
Refrigerate until cold.


Now for the last step.....Cut your bread lengthwise and fill with pastry cream.  Dip the bread tops in chocolate and place back on your pastry filled bottoms.

I honestly don't think anything could make this better unless it would be two or three of them setting in front of me.  A little known trick (at least I didn't know it) to make that wonderful, crusty on the outside, soft on the inside bread that we all love so much is to steam the bread at 4-5 minutes in the oven and then one more time before its done.  You squirt the bread gently with water in a hot oven and it instantly makes steam to form that great crust!

Many thanks to Michael Fusco and I can't wait to see what is in store for the next class.........

This post is part of the following blog carnivals.......Go check out these great sites!

Mouthwatering Monday

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Gluten Free Wednesdays

Real Food Wednesdays

Pennywise Platter Thursday

Tasty Tuesdays! GF Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

It's time again for another installment of a delicious Gluten Free recipe from the cooking class that I took at Michael Fusco's Riverside Grill in Tulsa, OK.  Michael is a 5 star chef who has agreed to let me post his recipes on my blog for all to enjoy. He offers 90% of his menu Gluten Free and he is adamant about quality control.  He cooks his GF offerings in a completely separate environment with dedicated cooking utensils so there is no cross contamination.  This week's recipe is Chicken & Sausage Gumbo (Gluten Free!) and was it ever delicious!! You can find GF recipes for Belgian Waffles and Potato Pancakes by clicking on these links from my previous posts.

This Chicken & Sausage Gumbo was incredible.  The concern for celiacs with this recipe is the flour used in making the roux.  As we all know, flour is the bane of Celiacs and Gluten sensitive folks everywhere so we can alleviate this problem by using rice flour.  Here is the list of ingredients:  Serves 4 hungry people...

1/2 cup Margarine
1/2 cup Rice Flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup chopped Yellow Onion
1/2 cup chopped Celery
1/2 cup chopped Bell Peppers
4 cups Chicken Stock (Minors - if you don't make your own)
1 1/2 pounds of your Favorite Sausage sliced on the bias
3 pounds Boneless Chicken cut into pieces
1 Bay Leaf
Cajun Seasoning (Tones or your favorite)
1 tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley
Tri-Herb (2 parts Basil for sweetness, 1 part Oregano for bitterness, 1 part Thyme to make it savory)

In a large heavy gauged pot over medium heat, melt margarine.  Stir in the rice flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is the color of chocolate, about 15 - 20 minutes.  Add onions, celery, and hold for a bit and add peppers and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in the chicken stock and let simmer. 
In a separate pan brown the sausage on medium - high heat, then add to gumbo pot.
Sear the chicken in the same pan used for cooking sausage and add to gumbo.  Add Tri-Herb or your favorite to taste.
Cover your gumbo pot and let cook, stirring every 15 minutes for 1 hour.
Stir in Parsley before serving.

In case you make more than one dish calling for a roux, or you're cooking for a large group. You can make your roux ahead of time and then freeze it and use as needed.  I didn't know that but it's great to know.  That's why you take a class, to learn something.  Money well spent!! 

The picture here doesn't do justice but it is the only one I had.  I took several pics of the finished product but they seem to have vanished forever into that mysterious place all of our files, pics, and videos go the moment we need them the most!  Enjoy!!

This post is part of the following blog carnivals.  Go check out these great sites!

Mouthwatering Monday
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays
Gluten Free Wednesdays
Real Food Wednesdays
Pennywise Platter Thursday
Fight Back Friday

You've Got Celiac Disease? (Backing Away) What Is That??

Taken from "Ask the Teen" (Celiac Questions) from childrenshospital.org, Marina Keegan, 17
How to Respond to Hilarious Celiac Questions

Q: Dear Marina,
I'm always being asked questions about celiac disease and it's driving me crazy! Some people are just so ignorant. Do you ever get asked questions and how do you respond to them?

Sincerely,

Juliette


A: All the time! Here are my Top 10 Hilarious Celiac Questions:

1. Going on a field trip
Teacher: "Wait, Marina! We can't leave without your Epi-pen!"
Me: "Oh, actually, I don't need an epi-pen, celiac disease isn't anaphylactic."

2. Practically every day
Friend: "Marina, What are you doing? You can't eat potato chips!!!" (Snatches them away)
Me: "Yeah, I know, I'm actually so upset about the test we just got back that I'm committing suicide by eating only gluten from now on."
Friend: "What!?
Me: "Ha ha. I know what I can eat."

3. Friend: "Do you want a sandwich?"
Me: "No thanks, I can't eat flour."
Friend: "Oh, okay, cool, do you want a cookie?"
4. Friend: "Wouldn't it be funny if you like kissed a boy who had just eaten pizza or something and then got really sick, like that girl who died from kissing that boy who was eating peanuts?"
Me: "Yeah, that would be absolutely hilarious (cough, cough)."

5. Out for lunch
Friend: "Marina, do you want to try some of this cake?"
Other friend: "Don't be stupid! Marina's allergic to glucose, she can't eat that."
Me: "Good thing there's no glucose in this ice cream I'm eating right now."

6. Later, on the field trip
A different teacher: "Oh! Don't forget to bring your epi-pen on the tour section."
Me: "For the last time! I don't need an Epi-pen!"

7. In the cafeteria while I'm eating rice
Friend: "Wait, Marina, isn't there flour in rice?"
Me: "Umm, no... Actually rice is its own thing."

8. Out to dinner
Friend: "Wait, if I take a sip of your coke will I like, get your 'no bread' thing?"
Me: "Well, there's only a 10 percent chance that you might, but I wouldn't risk it."

9. Girl: "Wait, so why can't you eat bread again?"
Me: "Well, its called celiac disease and..."
Boy: "Woah, is that like a STD?"
Me: (Oh man)

10. With my best friend
Me: "Hey, can I have a piece of your candy?"
Friend: "Umm, no you're allergic."
Me: "No, actually, I can eat those."
Friend: "Well, this is a new flour-filled version of that same candy."
Me: "Righttt... now stop being stingy and give me a piece!"

One more... On the bus returning form the field trip
A third teacher: "Marina, you have your Epi- pen right?"
Me: "Yeah, I have it, don't worry."



I thought this was a good representation of some of the daily things Celiacs go through.   How many blank stares have you gotten from the wait staff in restaurants and grocery stores?


Let's hear some of your stories...............

The Answer for Gluten Sensitivity

J.E. Block, M.D. F.A.C.P.

Celiac Disease is vastly underdiagnosed. It takes an average 11 years between the first appearances of bowel symptoms to it's diagnosis. To add insult to injury, many times it is silent in the intestine and extra intestinal problems occur. The most common significant "allergen" known to civilized man is a protein found in wheat, gluten. As many as 10% of us are sensitive to it. Gluten is also in rye, spelt, triticale and kamut. Although not all Docs agree, it is found in beans (dark), oats, and peanuts. Non-Gluten cereals are rice, millet, tapioca, buckwheat, flaxseed, teff and quinoa (KEEN-WA). It is not in vegetables and meat. Gluten is used in 90% of all protein-fortified products. When this foreign protein is ingested, it attacks the intestine, causing inflammation and poor absorption of nutrients, but also the gluten antibodies destroy some of our other tissue. This genetic malady is termed CELIAC DISEASE, when it involves the intestine so that malabsorption occurs. But that is only part of the problem. Partially digested protein is also absorbed. These peptides play havoc on many of our already stressed systems as noted below. The age of onset is from infancy to senility. In children neurological symptoms, short stature and anemia happen. In adults skin rashes particularly dermatitis herpetiformis, osteoporosis, anemia, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, neurological symptoms and autoimmune diseases such as low thyroid (Hashimotos Disease), arthritis and vitiligo are noted. Lymphoma and other Cancers are more common in folks who have sensitivity and still consume gluten.

Gluten Intolerance is frequently caused by some preceding damage to the lining of the intestines from toxic exposures, infections and medications. Gluten intolerance like true Celiac Disease is treated by avoiding gluten. I tell these poor people to stay away from BROWS where B stands for Barley and Beans (green), R is for Rye, O for Oats, W for Wheat and S for Spelt. The three criteria for true Celiac Disease are genetic predisposition, the consumption of gluten and a triggering event, which could be physical or emotional. With the loss of the integrity of the intestinal lining, the small intestine fails to absorb he micronutrients, which affects all tissues of the body. Rare, are the typical symptoms related to just the gastrointestinal tract with abdominal pain and distention, diarrhea and weight loss.

We have evolved as cereal-less Homo Sapiens for almost 500,000 years. The first wheat was accidently noted and occassionally gathered wa 8,000 BC and in England 5,500 years ago were the first wheat farmers. So we as a species went from great hunters to canaries in only 10,000 years. Science knows it takes much longer to change our genes to adapt to this gluten protein from being a foreigner to what our body recognizes as a "non-intruder". There was no wheat in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve with their myriad of decendents were not supposed to eat this "food".

At least a third of Gluten Intolerants have a lactose problem. The consumption of pizza, of which the dough is an extremely potent reactant, along with the cheese, can cause acute symptoms within 20 minutes. Discovered in Poland in 1953, but not known to the Western World until popularized by the English expert James Braly MD, Celiacs have a foreshortened 5th finger (Braly's sign). This is to say that the end of the pinky is shorter than the last joint of the ring finger. To document the diagnosis, many doctors do a few blood studies that are only positive if the patient has terrible bowel disease when the blood is drawn and still is consuming gluten. A STOOL study for less than $100 can be ordered online from www.enterolab.com or your doctor can contact the special laboratory, whose address is Intestinal Health Institute, PO Box 570744, Dallas, TX., 75357. This test is called an antigliadin antibody. It is only positive if the individual is still eating gluten. Also from the stool genetic studies can be done for another $50 even if the patient is gluten-free. Ninety eight percent who have celiac disease have HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 haplotype. So if a person has both of these negative, they are unlikely to have celiac disese. An even better test is the Celiac Plus® from Prometheus (888-53-0896) which does all the antibodies and the genetic haplotype test. It will also identify the more aggressive disease variant by identifying the dreaded DQB1*)0201 gene. Costing $500, it might be the best money spent to pin down this disease and preventing disability and even death secondary to cancer! Also many insurances pay for it. St Francis Hospital Lab is the only official laboratory in Tulsa that deals with insurance issues.
 

For now most doctors feel there is no cure for Gluten Intolerance and the best way is to stay away from gluten containing food. Very soon there will be a good enzyme product (Glutenase) available that will break down gluten much the same way lactase granules or powder will allow Lactose Intolerants to consume dairy products. My colleague Dr Jack Wise has a combination of homeopathic and natural products to include Kombu, L-Carnosine, Vitamin D, and Aryonya Berry which should soon be FDA approved. I have seen amazing healing of folks with Gluten Intolerance that can now eat bread again after using his proprietary product.

Tasty Tuesdays! GF Potato Pancakes

It's Tuesday already and time for another Gluten Free recipe.  Had a wild and crazy weekend with the family and had to take it easy yesterday just to unwind!  I'm finally getting into blogging and starting to enjoy it the more I see the end results.... 

Last week I went to a Gluten Free cooking class  that I took at Michael Fusco's Riverside Grill in Tulsa, OK.   He has cooking classes every Monday and a G-Free class once a month.  He's a 5 star chef and a good guy who has given me permission to post his recipe's for all to enjoy.   As before, there were three entrees and a dessert so this is the second recipe and wow was it good! The last post was Belgian Waffles and this post is Potato Pancakes.  

You want to get all your ingredients laid out and ready to go.  The good thing about this recipe is there are no major substitutions, only a small one with your flour to make this a great gluten free meal.  They are as follows:

2 large potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
1 small onion, grated
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
Oil - (inexpensive Salad oil was used in this case)
1 1/2 tbsp. rice flour
Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion, lemon juice, eggs and 1 tablespoon oil.  Mix well.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes. 
Blend in rice flour.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix thoroughly.

In a large heavy skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil to 375 degrees.  By tablespoonfuls, spoon potato mixture into hot oil and flatten with the back of your spoon.

Brown on both sides, turning only once, about 3 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towels. Yields about 12.

I cut into this with my fork so I could get a good picture to post here.  Michael cut the potato pancakes in half and put ham and pecorino cheese in the center before folding them up and serving to everyone.  Its could be a great stand-in for a breakfast dish but here, with a side salad, it made lunch unbelievable!  I had never had pecorino cheese before but after this, I'll be having it again soon.  You can always substitute your favorite meat in there if ham isn't your favorite or go with none at all if that's your preference.  I have a lot of great stuff to try the next time life slows down for a little bit. 

Many thanks to Michael for letting me put his picture and recipes up for all the world to see.   Be sure to come back for more great recipes!  Next Tuesday will be Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (Gluten Free)


This post is part of the following blog carnivals.  Go check out these great sites!

 Mouthwatering Monday

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday 
Real Food Wednesdays
Gluten Free Wednesdays

Fight Back Friday