Gluten-Free Equals Variety (of Flours)

We have been showing our house to prospective buyers recently, and quite often when we reach the basement portion of the house-tour, the stacks of Gluten-Free Dessert Recipe books on the large commercial-duty shelving gets attention. This leads to a quick discussion along the lines of "what gluten-free is" and so on.

One major misconception that people have about gluten-free / Celiac disease diets is that it is just "flour" (i.e., white wheat flour) that must be avoided. So, I quickly enumerate the wheat, barley, and rye, as well as any derivation thereof. Then comes a discussion along the lines of "what can you eat then?" and so on.

Yesterday, a couple of nice ladies that were really interested in the house for the kitchen (fellow cooking aficionados it seems!) commented something to the effect that I must be limited to just baking with rice flour due to the Celiac Disease, at which point I started listing a whole host of additional gluten-free grains/flours and the like that we bake with (both in our cookbook recipes, and in our day-to-day cooking and baking). After browsing through our Gluten-Free Desserts cookbook, I think they got the idea, and quickly noticed that we (gluten-free types) have all sorts of variety and can bake and consume everything from cookies to cakes to cheesecakes and pies, and so on.

After presenting a "gluten-free grains quick list" to a various people over the past couple weeks, it struck me how much more VARIETY we Celiac and gluten-free diet types have when it comes to our daily flours and grains as compared to the "normal" (i.e., wheat-eating) population. The typical American diet is rather narrowly focused around processed white flour (wheat-based), and some occasional whole-wheat flour, and some corn starch perhaps.

But, here is what we Celiac Disease and gluten-free consumers have at our disposal and use regularly (or, can use regularly if we choose) for our flours of choice:

• Rice
• Corn
• Potato
• Teff
• Sorghum
• Amaranth
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Chia Seed
  
• Various bean-flours
• Squash flours (e.g., pumpkin)
• Cinnamon, Cocoa, and other spices (that I use in large quantities like flour when desired)
  
• and many more...

In addition, it seems that we are more likely (as a group of bakers / dieters) to know about other alternatives like Agave Nectar for sweetener, and whey-protein for binders, and so on.

So, whenever I encounter the theme of "living without" (with regards to living without gluten), I can not help thinking that perhaps it is the rest of the population that is living without -- without the variety of grains, flours, and ingredients that one may otherwise never encounter or experience unless essentially "forced" (by Celiac Disease, gluten-intolerance, autism, what have you...) to try all these great alternatives to "normal" flour.

Happy variety-filled baking everyone! (and, Happy Fourth-of-July too!)

Gluten-Free Breakfast : Teff Grain + Sucanat

Ever since going gluten-free thanks to Celiac Disease, I have been a huge fan of Teff grain for breakfast. This is what takes the place of the old pre-gluten-free days morning cereals (like Cream Of Wheat, e.g.). In fact, though my memory of Cream of Wheat is rather dated now, I would swear that the tiny little Teff grain, once cooked, has a very similar consistency to Cream of Wheat, but with considerable added flavor and the advantage of being Gluten-Free (plus high-fiber too!).

I absolutely love teff for a morning meal - filling, nutritious, and delicous!

I simply use Bob's Red Mill Teff Grain and cook it on the stovetop. Sometimes I will add some molasses into the mix, and/or cinammon, but another more recent variation for me has been the addition of Sucanat to the equation. To borrow from Wikipedia the definition of Sucanat:

Sucanat (a contraction of "Sugar Cane Natural") is non-refined cane sugar. Unlike refined and processed white sugar, Sucanat retains its molasses content; it is essentially pure dried sugar cane juice. The juice is extracted by mechanical processes, heated and cooled at which point the small brown grainy crystals are formed.

I was lucky enough to find Sucanat for the quite-reasonable price of $1.30 per pound at a county store near our new house.


That is a picture of the same cooked gluten-free teff cereal with a bit of sucanat on top. And, Teff is not the only receiving-dish for sucanat in my household... I love the stuff on baked Acorn Squash, Pumkin, and more. Sucanat is quite handy and versatile. I consider it much like molasses or brown sugar, but with the advantage of being able to shake it onto my foods easier and more accurately, and with a different texture.

Moving (in progress)...
Not only is that cooked teff cereal great tasting, it is simple to prepare, and has been saving me a ton of time in the morning lately. I find Teff filling enough to keep me going for many hours, which has been necessary with all the long days of putting fresh paint on the rooms in our house as we prepare for our move which is to commence shortly if all stays on schedule.

Been busy packing, and since I never did come up with any super idea for how to unload my current gluten-free recipes cookbooks inventory in a hurry, I still have to move those. I donated a few cases of books to various charities and Celiac-Disease organizations around the country that promised to donate the proceeds of any sales to charity too, so that helped some... but, the rest of my current Gluten-Free Desserts books are soon going by way of truck to the new house and office [note: I am not looking forward to moving those things! eek!]

Spring has sprung...
In the meantime, I hope all my Gluten-Free Blog readers are enjoying Spring. I snapped some pictures (in our current yard) showing my favorite season at its best. Here's one thing I will miss at the new house: a yard of beautiful large trees - in this case, a large Locust tree - but, trees make gardening on a larger scale a bit rough, so a change is required.


And, our current side flower-garden is starting to take shape for the year...


Now, this next picture may freak out all you spider-haters out there...
My wife discovered this little ball of life huddling together under a lily leaf... it is a mass of baby garden spiders (those yellow and black type that get HUGE when they grow up)...

They sure are neat looking, are they not?! And, just lightly blowing on them causes them to temporarily disperse, and then contract back together again shortly after. Quite a sight to see.

Well, back to packing and preparations for moving. Just figured I'd quickly share some pictures and my love of gluten-free teff (and sucanat) while I had a spare moment during a Spring rain downpour that started a few minutes ago and seems to be concluding already. enjoy!

Gluten-Free Beer : Sprecher Shakparo Review

This Sprecher Shakparo gluten-free beer was a new discovery for me, having just come across it at our local Heinen's supermarket here in the Cleveland area. I only drink been occasionally, but when I do, I like to try out any new gluten-free beers I encounter to see how they compare to my memories of "real beer" (from the pre-gluten-free days).

I must say, I rather enjoyed this Specher Brewery's creation - it goes a bit further than the standard sorghum-only varieties of gluten-free beer I have tried in the past, as the Sprecher beer ingredients (or beer recipe) makes use of both sorghum and millet. Many of the sorghum-only beers are just a bit too sweet for me and rather unremarkable. This beer has a bit more character and depth, and did not strike me as being as sweet as something like AB Redbridge.

Here is a quoted description of this wonderful gluten-free beer from the Sprecher Brewery web site:

"Sprecher's gluten free Shakparo Ale is a West African Shakparo-style beer brewed from sorghum and millet. An unfiltered, light, crisp ale with a cider or fruit profile and a dry vinous aftertaste, it is best characterized as an easy-drinking or session beer perfect for summer gatherings. This beer pairs nicely with lighter fare such as sandwiches, salads, chicken, fish, and spicier foods. [Mike's comments: we have also used this beer when baking some really nice beer-marinated Chipotle chicken and other recipes, and it works quite well, adding a nice flavor to the final product!]

Originally conceived of in an effort to provide a traditional African style beer for Milwaukee's African World Festival, our Mbege and Shakparo have won the hearts of people here at the brewery and have been promoted to year round beer status.

Because barley and wheat are not grown in large quantities in sub-Saharan Africa, traditional Mbeges and Shakparos are brewed with sorghum and millet and are therefore able to be brewed gluten-free since neither sorghum nor millet contain gluten. Being gluten-free make Shakparo and Mbege excellent alternatives for those suffering from celiac disease, a genetic disorder that inhibits the digestion of gluten. Our Shakparo and Mbege offerings have been brewed with celiacs in mind and are carefully crafted to ensure they remain gluten-free.

Beer Facts

---

Alcohol by Volume: 5.7%
Degrees Plato (Initial Gravity): 14P
Weeks Aged: 5
Bitterness Units: 9 IBU
Year First Brewed: 2006
Recommended Serving Temperature: 50°
Sizes: 16oz Bottles"

That is some rather detailed description -- especially this "bitterness units" and such, since I have no idea what it means, but it sure sounds technically impressive :)

They have another variety of gluten-free beer on the market according to the Sprecher Brewery's web site, but I have yet to find it at a grocery near me -- it is called "Mbege" and adds bananas to the recipe also! That sounds quite intriguing - so long as it is subtle addition.

I need to update my Gluten-Free Beer Comparison blog from back in September 2006 to reflect this new and welcome addition. This Sprecher Shakparo beer compares quite favorably and brings with it a welcome new option for those moments I find myself wanting a beer (which, lately, with all the massive house-painting efforts, has been more frequent than usual. heh).

I am still awaiting a more creative, darker, more robust beer though... please, someone out there, bring forth a gluten-free dark beer or gluten-free stout that uses some gluten-free oats, teff, or a mix of other darker gluten-free grains that could bring new life to GF Beers. In the mean time, this beer will tide me over.

Gluten-Free Farming in our Future

Gluten-Free Garden - Planting Season Near
If you have read our Gluten-Free Blog for the past couple years, you have discovered our love of gardening, and our desire to grow as many of the gluten-free foods that we consume, organically, in our current home garden. We use a no-till, organic, minimal-impact approach to gardening, and it has produced some great results.

We have featured all sorts of vegetables, herbs, and recipes using these home-grown delicious treats in various gluten-free recipes - if interested, see the prior blogs including:

• Fresh Peppermint and Recipe Ideas

• Miniature Watermelon - Tiny but Tasty

• Wonderful White-Squash

• Gluten-Free Breakfast the easy way

• Gluten-Free Recipes : Pumpkin / Tomato Soup

• Gluten-Free Recipes : Eggplant, Asian Style

• Gluten-Free Recipe: Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe

• Gluten-Free Recipes : Squash, Eggplant, and more

Next for us: Gluten-Free FARMING...
With the planting season quickly approaching, we have finally decided to follow through with our desire to expand our gluten-free garden beyond what our current property can support.

Yes, we are (with luck) moving from "gardening" to "farming", as we have decided that there may be no better time to acquire arable farm / agricultural land than the present (while home and land prices are greatly depressed). And, food prices, especially gluten-free items, seem to have skyrocketed in price (if only I could grow Quinoa here!)

This decision to farm is the reason I have not been actively writing entries here on the Gluten-Free Blog for a few weeks, as we have been busy looking at properties, making offers, and finally having one accepted that will give us PLENTY of room to grow enough to not only consume ourselves, but hopefully offer for sale to others as well.

ACRES and ACRES of Gluten-Free Foods...
Perhaps I am jumping ahead a bit, since we need to now prepare the land, plant crops, tend them, and harvest them, but the end goal is to grow a few acres of gluten-free delights. We have plans for fruit trees, berry bushes, and all those garden favorites we have previously featured here.

Ohio still has plenty of farmland available for a reasonable price, and a price that the crops can potentially offset and pay back over time. And, barring any unforeseen complications, we should soon take possession of our new "farm" property (it is zoned agricultural, as compared to the city residential zone we currently live and grow our crops in). My wife and I are excited and hopeful that we can get the seeds and such in the ground in time to take full advantage of the growing season (which is somewhat limited in Ohio compared to more Southern locations).

I hope to sooner or later post pictures of this new "gluten-free farm" once it comes into being. But, this will certainly take some work yet. And, chances are, my gluten-free recipes backlog will only grow further. And, I have all sorts of product reviews to do, some book promotion ideas to try out (more charitable-funds-raising related stuff), and more. Busy, busy. Too busy!

Moving...
Oh, and did I mention we were moving!? That is the one part I was not fully prepared for, but the property we found has a nice home on it already, and it seemed to make sense to move to where the new "farm" would be to minimize the need to drive to and fro. The new location is not too terribly far from where we live now, and still in Ohio.

Needless to say, we are going to be VERY busy for a while... first there is all the boxing of everything... then, we have all sorts of painting to do to make our current home reflect an up-to-date color-scheme and such, as styles have changed a fair amount since we moved here nearly 20 years ago. Anybody want to wield a paintbrush? :)

And, before I forget, this physical move to a new location has me seriously considering some inventive promotions for our Gluten-Free Desserts Recipe Book, since we have, quite literally, over a TON of books in stock from the most recent printing that I will otherwise need to move (not fun!) So, if you have any great ideas for promoting a quick sale of this current inventory, beyond just our current donation of all proceeds to Food Banks, feel free to suggest. Thanks!

Gluten-Free Indian Cuisine - fast and simple

I recently decided to try some Gluten-Free Indian Cuisine that is about as fast and simple as it gets : it comes in a can, just like Campbell's Soup or Progresso, or any other mainstream soup, and can be cooked (stovetop or microwave) on a whim. I generally avoid canned soups and the like, but this Jyoti Natural Foods Madras Sambar (Lentils with Fresh Vegetables) was quite pleasing and clearly labeled Gluten-Free.

I may not be an "expert" on Indian Food, but I really thought the product tasted like what good Indian lentils and vegetables should, and I really enjoyed the flavors from the onion, bell pepper, eggplant, carrots, tomato, tamarind, coconut, and spices that Jyoti has blended with the lentils. I found it to be a robust flavor, but not overpowering, and just spicy enough to not be overwhelming either. The soup was as good as some I have had served at some Indian restaurants, and for a much lower price.

This "soup" is actually designed to serve dual purposes: you can add just 1/2 can of water for a thicker, somewhat Indian-dal style dish, or add a full can of water for a nice flavorful gluten-free Indian lentil soup. You can definitely serve this over rice if you want, as it will make for an easy more filling extension if you want to add some carbs :)

My photo is not the best, but I was putting the soup to good use for a quick lunch the other day, and the photo was a last minute item. I think the picture at least shows what the soup-version looks like when mixed up and microwaved in just a couple minutes total. There are a few other varieties available that are also wheat-free and gluten-free (and vegan / meat-free / dairy-free too), and now that this one has passed my taste-test, I plan to try some others. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Chex Cereals coming June 1st, 2009

For all you fans of the famous General Mills Chex cereals products that have not been able to eat these cereals since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, it appears we will soon (June 1st supposedly - though I presume inventory will take some time to get into the distribution channel and hit shelves everywhere) have the fortune of newly reformulated Gluten-Free Chex varieties including:

• Gluten-Free Corn Chex,
• Gluten-Free Cinnamon Chex,
  
• Gluten-Free Strawberry Chex,
  
• Gluten-Free Honey Nut Chex

Perhaps you have noticed that, for a while now, Rice Chex has been gluten-free (look for the clearly "Gluten-Free" label on front of boxes). Here is General Mills' statement about their existing Gluten-Free Rice Chex on their current Chex-based Gluten-Free Recipes page or their Chex Product Page:

Without changing the crunchy, oven-toasted flavor of Rice Chex, General Mills has replaced barley malt with molasses resulting in a Gluten Free Cereal. General Mills has taken the requisite steps to prevent cross contamination and has tested the formula based on the proposed FDA standards. Questions & comments are welcome at 1-800-328-1144.

I expect that General Mills has taken similar re-formulation steps for these other Chex varieties. And, they are to label any Gluten-Free Chex cereals clearly on the front of the box (just like Rice Chex are now) once the new formulas are out... so keep your eyes open for those labels.

I definitely applaud General Mills' action in making these cereals gluten-free, and I sure hope other breakfast cereals produced by them, and by Kellogg's Cereals and other cereal manufacturers, are reformulated to be gluten-free when such formulation seems so simple (to those of us that do gluten-free baking and food creation). I always find myself in the store looking longingly at those cereals that *should* be gluten-free, but for some reason always feel the need to add barley-malt for flavoring, or some other traces of wheat or gluten.

Now, I understand that the cereal makers are incuring additional cost and/or steps to prevent cross-contamination in their production facilities in addition to just altering a recipe a little bit... and I am guessing that is the larger issue for them. But, as more cereal recipes are engineered to be gluten-free, it would seem that the likelihood of cross-contamination will drop considerably also, and make it easier to produce even more Celiac-friendly breakfast cereals.

On a side note: I also find myself always looking at boxed cereals that, aside from OATS, would be gluten-free... but, "aside" is the wrong word perhaps, since all it would take is using CERTIFIED GLUTEN-FREE OATS in place of just run of the mill OATS to make the cereals gluten-free (in theory). But, given the price of such "certified gluten-free oats", I doubt we will see a wholesale shift to gluten-free mainstream oat-containing cereals any time soon, unless large commercial oat producers start doing a much better job at crop-segregation (farms, processing plants, trucks, etc. etc). But, I can dream :)

For now, I eagerly await the tast of some Gluten-Free Corn Chex come June of 2009. It has been so long...

Best Cheese Puffs Ever : Gluten-Free too!

I just have to rave about how awesome these Michael Season's brand Baked Cheese Curls taste: they are simply AWESOME. I am in cheese-puff heaven :)

Note: these are not your ordinary cheese-curls, but instead are "Hot Chili Pepper baked cheese curls", and if you like HEAT, and like nice crunchy and crispy cheesy poofs, you are going to be joining me in my cheese puff Shangri-la. When Michael Season's labels them "Hot Chili Pepper", they mean it... these things have some warmth to them. Awesome!

(if you click on the above at the top of this Gluten-Free Blog entry, you should see a larger, very detailed view that will make the chili pepper powder quite visible on the cheese curls).



Examining the gluten-free ingredients label reveals the secret to their heat and robust flavor... ingredients including: Chili Peppers (including Habanero peppers!), extractives of capsicum (i.e., pepper extracts!), turmeric, paprika, onion, garlic, and cheddar cheese. It all adds up to one incredibly tasty and tangy cheese puff treat. Oh, if not obvious, they are corn-based puffs, like most cheese puffs.

These are definitely my current favorite snack food of choice. And, because they are baked, they are much lower fat than other varieties. They have no preservatives, no MSF, nothing artificial. And, because they are HOT, they make a great "diet cheesepuff" since you can only eat so many before your tongue is burning to the point your brain tells you to stop, even though they taste so good :)

I found these at Whole Foods Market recently. I tried their regular variety too (which was quite nice, but minus the heat), but I am most certainly drawn first to these hot chili type cheese puffs since I really like nice spicy foods, and this is a great way to get some zip in a readily available snack.

And, these cheese curls are by far and away the best I have had, even compared to mainstream brands like Dan-Dee (i.e., Troyer Farms - big in the MidWest), or Cheetos (from Frito Lay brand), and a few others which, I have not eaten any of lately unless marked gluten-free or indicated on their web sites as such.

Another quick note: they call the crispier type "curls" and the more poofy cheese-snacks "puffs". I prefer the "curls" that are crispier and crunchier than puffs. So, my review should have been titled: "Best cheese CURLS ever, and gluten-free too!" to be 100% correct. Whether you are gluten-free / wheat-free / Celiac or just part of the population at large that enjoys cheese curls, and likes heat, these are simply wonderful. Time to go... I have some cheese curls to eat (can't let those ones I pictured above go to waste).