Cooking For My Fiance

[mistyb5712]

Hello. This is my first time posting in the forum. My fiance has been sick for months and kept refusing to see a doctor. I have been so concerned about him because he was losing so much weight eventhough I was feeding him huge portions of food everyday. I finally convienced him to go see a specialist and I was so surprised how quickly they were able to diagnose him as a celiac.

My fiance is really frustrated by this because he loved eating sandwiches, pizza, cales and pasta. I am trying really hard to help him start a new diet. I, however, am a little clueless where to begin.

We live in Washington DC and luckily have a lot of Whole Foods in the area. I went to the store and bought rice pasta and bread. I also bought some pizza dough which i made tonight and he loved it.

I guess my biggest concern is how to go about making my kitchen a gluten free place to help make him healthy. For instance, should i throw away all our old pans and plates because we cooked products with gluten in them? Also should i buy a new toaster for him as well? Moreover, if I store glutenfree pasta next to a box of regular pasta with flour will it cause cross contamination?

Finally, does anyone have an amazing romantic recipe that is gluten free? I really want to cook him something special to show him he can still eat really good food but without using flour or wheat.

I love this guy so much and will do anything to help get healthy and live a happy life. Thanks.

[cookie22]

Hello. This is my first time posting in the forum. My fiance has been sick for months and kept refusing to see a doctor. I have been so concerned about him because he was losing so much weight eventhough I was feeding him huge portions of food everyday. I finally convienced him to go see a specialist and I was so surprised how quickly they were able to diagnose him as a celiac.

My fiance is really frustrated by this because he loved eating sandwiches, pizza, cales and pasta. I am trying really hard to help him start a new diet. I, however, am a little clueless where to begin.

We live in Washington DC and luckily have a lot of Whole Foods in the area. I went to the store and bought rice pasta and bread. I also bought some pizza dough which i made tonight and he loved it.

I guess my biggest concern is how to go about making my kitchen a gluten free place to help make him healthy. For instance, should i throw away all our old pans and plates because we cooked products with gluten in them? Also should i buy a new toaster for him as well? Moreover, if I store glutenfree pasta next to a box of regular pasta with flour will it cause cross contamination?

Finally, does anyone have an amazing romantic recipe that is gluten free? I really want to cook him something special to show him he can still eat really good food but without using flour or wheat.

I love this guy so much and will do anything to help get healthy and live a happy life. Thanks.

Hi! you seem to be already quite well informed. More people will jump in to help but i'll answer the basics, yes, pans and pots unless the copper/stainless steel really must be replaced. He needs a new toaster. He needs separate condiments, plates can usually be washed (china types), plastic plates with scratches should be replaced. Although gluteny pasta will not jump out of the box into a sealed bag of gluten-free pasta, You really should have a gluten free cabinet/shelf, far away from flour (for ex, near your canned goods). If you are cooking gluten free and gluten food int he same kitchen, alot of people have two sets of pots and pans for that (my mother does). Sort of compared to a kosher kitchen. Eventually, you may just decide to cook all gluten free meals instead of cooking two meals, and just keep gluteny snacks for yourself away from him (it's not realistic that you will never eat another cookie either, just try and keep it far away from his food).

[Karen B.]

Speaking as a Celiac, I think the greatest thing my hubby has ever done for me was deciding to make the entire house gluten-free. In the beginning, when I was still learning, we noticed that sometimes I would start the morning fine but have an upset tummy by 10 AM even though I had a gluten-free breakfast. Hubby thought it might be his raisin bran, I thought that was ridiculous -- it couldn't possibly be that sensitive. The sneaky man charted it out for a couple of weeks (without telling me what he was doing) and showed me the data. He had raisin bran for breakfast and kissed me goodbye (light morning peck), I got sick. He had buckwheat for breakfast and kissed me goodbye, I didn't get sick. He told me we were making the whole house gluten-free so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

Romantic gluten-free dinner...hmmm...shrimp scampi? I guess the romance depends on what his favorite food is. Italian? Indian? Chinese? Or maybe for him, romantic would be fresh gluten-free bread from the oven. Does he have a favorite bread?

Check out Amazon for gluten-free foods, they've got good prices and some of the stuff ships free if over $25. My favorite gluten-free pasta is Tinkyada but I hate that it took me over a year to find out about it. Also, search this website on Chebe bread, one of the best gluten-free breads to start with (IMO) because it's fast and easier than yeast bread. Makes great deli rolls and pizza crust among other things. Just make sure you let it breathe for 12-24 hours after baking (before you put it in an airtight container).

Your fiance is a lucky guy. I think a Celiac's partner makes a world of difference in how well they adapt to the gluten-free lifestyle. I know Celiacs that constantly get sick because their family just doesn't think it's that big a deal.

[Eriella]

Romantic meals (or even non-romantic good food) are easier than what I would have thought. My bf's parents are foodies and have managed to make really good food, normal food everytime I come over. Some of my favorites are:

Surf and Turf (steak and lobster are yummy and gluten-free)

Chicken pasta: boil a bag of Tinkyada penne, while cooking saute an onion, bell pepper, and 3 cloves of garlic in olive oil; add 1 giant pinch of dried hot peppers, 2 big pinches of basil and oregano, 30 oz of diced tomatoes, and 2 cubed chicken breasts (already cooked) and simmer for 25 minutes, add 1/2 a bag of spinach (I normally cut it up first, and cook for 2 more minutes. Combine pasta and sauce. Cover with parmigiana cheese and enjoy

Quick pot roast: 1 box Swanson organic beef broth (should say gluten free on the front of the box in tiny letters in the bottom paragraph) flavored with 1 diced onion and large pinches of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Let simmer while chopping 2 large potatoes, and 4 normal carrots or several baby carrots. Add to pot and cook for about 10 minutes, add leftover steak cut into cubes and 1 T corn starch mixed 3 T of cold water. Continue to cook until potatoes are done

Enchiladas, Fajitas, anything mexican!

[mistyb5712]

Thank you all for your replies. It iss very helpful. I know I will be using this message board as a resource from now on

[GeoffCJ]

Thank you all for your replies. It iss very helpful. I know I will be using this message board as a resource from now on

Speaking as a Celiac with a very supportive wife, your effort is awesome and I hope he appreciates it.

there are tons and tons and tons of good, fun, romantic things to eat. I used to be addicted to bread/pasta, etc, and have found some good substitutes, but have mostly found I just don't eat them as much anymore. He'll get used to the differences.

And Redbridge beer is good if he misses beer.

Geoff

[Dandelion]

Here's a link to one of my favorite dishes from Fine Cooking magazine. It's salmon over cannellini beans, kale and bacon. So good. Tastes like you got it from a restaurant.

Open Original Shared Link

I get most of my recipes from either their magazines or the Fine Cooking cookbooks. With a Whole Foods close by it's really easy to find gluten free ingredients or substitutions so you can make any recipe that you want to.

[Daxin]

Speaking as a Celiac with a very supportive wife, your effort is awesome and I hope he appreciates it.

there are tons and tons and tons of good, fun, romantic things to eat. I used to be addicted to bread/pasta, etc, and have found some good substitutes, but have mostly found I just don't eat them as much anymore. He'll get used to the differences.

And Redbridge beer is good if he misses beer.

Geoff

I would like to echo what Geoff said. My wife is VERY suppoertive and for the most part our house has gone Gluen Free. When we all sit down to eat together (which is quite often) she only makes one gluten-free meal for everyone. I find this diet is not as hard as I first thought, and your fiance will get used to it.

Thank you on behalf of all of us, and especially those who may not have such good support from their loved ones. Please let him know we are here, and we will help both of you as much as we can.

There are several good books out there with a ton of good things to eat, and a whole host of recipes here on the forum. Good luck.

[suepooh4]

Hello. This is my first time posting in the forum. My fiance has been sick for months and kept refusing to see a doctor. I have been so concerned about him because he was losing so much weight eventhough I was feeding him huge portions of food everyday. I finally convienced him to go see a specialist and I was so surprised how quickly they were able to diagnose him as a celiac.

My fiance is really frustrated by this because he loved eating sandwiches, pizza, cales and pasta. I am trying really hard to help him start a new diet. I, however, am a little clueless where to begin.

We live in Washington DC and luckily have a lot of Whole Foods in the area. I went to the store and bought rice pasta and bread. I also bought some pizza dough which i made tonight and he loved it.

I guess my biggest concern is how to go about making my kitchen a gluten free place to help make him healthy. For instance, should i throw away all our old pans and plates because we cooked products with gluten in them? Also should i buy a new toaster for him as well? Moreover, if I store glutenfree pasta next to a box of regular pasta with flour will it cause cross contamination?

Finally, does anyone have an amazing romantic recipe that is gluten free? I really want to cook him something special to show him he can still eat really good food but without using flour or wheat.

I love this guy so much and will do anything to help get healthy and live a happy life. Thanks.

Hi,

My husband was diagnosed last April (06) with celiac, he too lost a ton of weight and we had no idea why he was so sick (and at the time I was due with our 4th child the next month). But as soon as we found out what he had, I just started cooking gluten free for him and now he has gained back the weight and is feeling so much better. I have a lot of recipes for cookies, cakes, whoopie pies, muffins and the regular food too, especially ribs (they are WONDERFUL) if you would like any just let me know I would be happy to share them with you.

By the way if you have a Walmart by you a lot of their store brand items list on the back Gluten free, like their bacon, spagetti sauce, alfredo sauce (etc.) just check the back of the item.

Good luck

Sue

[JNBunnie1]

As for romantic gluten-free dinners, I recently discovered that if you put 1 1/2 pounds of london broil in a crockpot and pour one can of tomato soup and one can of cream of anything soup in, add whatever spices you like, you get the MOST fabulous meat ever. You can't even get it out with a fork, you have to use a ladle because the meat falls apart. Great way to use up chep cuts of meat, the tomato tenderizes it. I'm trying it with stewed tomatoes instead of soup, we'll see how that goes! Just serve with mashed potatoes and the gravy from the pot and peas, if your guys a 'home-cookin' guy that will qualify as romantic.

[pmrowley]

My wife is gluten-free to support my Celiac diet, and she hasn't looked back! I started her off by just cooking what I normally do; she decided that gluten-free pasta was tastier than wheat pasta, and over the years has come to realize that a gluten-free diet really is superior to a "standard" diet in a lot of ways. She has more energy than she ever did before, and is generally healthier and happier. We suspect that she might actually be a latent Celiac herself, as she has become Gluten Sensitive as a result of being off gluten for severak years. We don't have the urge to diagnose her, as we're already both gluten-free for life.

It's easy to have a gluten-free romantic meal, as others have pointed out. A nice steak, asparagus, baked potato, and you're set! Start off with a Caesar salad with gluten-free dressing (Newman's own and Trader Joe's are great) Top it off with a good wine, and who's going to even notice that your entire dinner is gluten-free? (For an added treat, I like putting McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning on the steak as a rub. gluten-free and SOOOOO good...) Dessert: Ener-G gluten-free pound cake, heated for 45 seconds, with a scoop of Breyer's vanilla ice cream on top. Decadent!

-Pat