Having A Hard Time Coping

[Diosa]

Hi all.

I'm really having a hard time coping with being gluten-free. It's not so much the the actual diet as it is my lack of alternatives. It seems like most people can substitute rice flour or soy flour and have breads or pasta. Same with milk: replace with soy, rice or even almond/hazzelnut. What do you do when you're allergic to all those things. Im allergic to soy (get really bloated and feel harrible), rice reacts as bad as gluten in my body and nuts cause aphylactic (sp?) shock. I know I should think of it as a new way to eat, and just cut out the stuff, but I'm so used to breads/pastas/baked goods etc, that I don't know if I can.

Any advice?

[Carriefaith]

Here are some suggestions:

Enchiladas

Bean Flour Tortillas

These are great and can be frozen, I would suggest doubling it

1/3 cup light bean flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs or 3 egg whites

1 1/2 cups water

oil for brushing the pan or skillet

Mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Heat a skillet or pan at medium-high heat and cook them like pancakes, just keep turing them to avoid buring. Store in wax paper in a plastic bag in the freezer or fridge.

Sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 cup chicken broth or water

1 teaspoon garlic salt or to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 can tomato sauce

Just heat this all up in the microwave or the stove

Mix the sauce with your favorite filling. I buy mexican frozen veggies and thaw them in the microwave and mix it with the sauce. This could also be frozen. Very yummy!

I got this recipe idea from Tiffany (Tarnalberry) and it is very good:

-your favorite veggies (I use a bag of green giant mixed veggies, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrotes)

-1 teaspoon of each of the following:

rosemary, thyme, summer savory, oregano, sage

-1/2 cup of Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette if this has soy try Tiffany's recipe

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (get the best stuff you can afford)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon

1 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp ground sage

1/4 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

Combine vinegar, oil, oregano, thyme, mustard, sage, and salt in a container for salad dressing. Zest the lemon, and add zest to vinagrette. Juice the lemon, removing the seeds, and add 2 tbsp of the juice to the vinagrette. Crush the rosemary as much as possible and add it in. Crush the garlic and add it as well. Shake well to combine, and for best results, refrigerate overnight before serving. Note: Vinagrette will separate over time, and in the refrigerater, the oil may congeal. Simply let it come to room temperature and shake to combine.

Cook it all together until the veggies are done

chili

1 pound hamburger

2 cans of Heinz beans in tomato sauce

2 cans of Heniz chili style Kidney Beans

2 cans tomato sauce (or whatever you want as a base)

1 can of tomatoes

2-3 tablespoons of Mc Cormick Curry Powder

1 cup of corn

1 red pepper in small pieces

1 onion minced

optional (mushrooms, green pepper)

Cook the hambuger, onions, red pepper, mushrooms, and green pepper, in a frying pan/ skillet until the meat is done. Then throw everything into a big pot and cook for about 20 mintues - 30 mintues

Done!

[plantime]

Have some {{{hugs}}}!! I'm allergic to rice and tree nuts, and soy messes with my hormone levels! I use a flour blend of one cup each of garbanzo bean flour, potato flour, corn starch, and tapioca flour. I haven't found a decent bread yet, and I am not sure I ever will, so I just do without it.

[frenchiemama]

Are you ok with dairy? I say this all the time, but the best gluten-free bread and baked goods I have found are from Grandma Ferdons (www.grandmaferdons.com). She uses corn and potato for almost everything. The egg bread is my favorite, but it does have milk.

[Diosa]

Thanks guys!!

Having folks like you around is really making this more bearable. No one I know has this (or has even heard of it) so it's comforting to have folks round that really understand. My fiance Paul has been wonderful, even offering to go gluten-free with me, but he's been the only support I have besides this group.

Thanks again for putting a smile of my face.

[Merika]

Hi,

Just hopping in to say you're not the only one i am celiac, my ds (age 3) eats gluten-free AND he's allergic to soy. Ridiculously allergic, none of the lecithin, vitamin E, etc. Soy is I think more pervasive than wheat in our country But we do it, everyday, follow the diet. Oh, and we're vegetarian (rolleyes...)

Merika

[Guest nini]

Have you tried Quinoa pasta? Quinoa is a great gluten free grain for those allergic to rice and soy. As far as dairy or soy replacements, sometimes it's best to go without. Might I suggest a diet consisting of "clean' organic meats, organic fruits and vegetables, spring water, and organic spices... you can create a virtual smorgasbord of delicious allergen free meals this way. I've actually gone to this more "pure" diet in the past few weeks after several allergic reactions to processed foods. (no cross contamination and positive they were gluten free)... I haven't given up dairy, but I'm sticking with organic minimally processed cheeses and organic milk.

[Guest Zmom]

My son is allergic to dairy,soy,citrus,peas,navy beans,almonds,chicken +(all poultry) and until two weeks ago rice gave him a tummyache although all allergy tests were neg. for rice. it was beef,green beans,broccoli, potatoes,gluten-free apple sauce,egg yolks for months.(+ liquid calcium/vitamins). lamb,chebe cinnamon sticks and a few other things have been added succesfully but it took time.

I was looking for an alternitive for milk for my self when I discovered that westsoy had comeout with a gluten-free rice milk. I let my son try a little. No tummyache. The next day I let him have some more. He has not had any problems with it. I then tried some delta brand jasmine rice.-overcooked it. No problems. Maybe you need time to heal. Some brands of rice may be packaged in non-gluten-free facilites.

www.chebe.com-yummy they use tapioca flour

[tarnalberry]

You can get used to a new way of eating (the way you're eating now was once new to you), but it can be tough - mentally in particular. But with so many food intolerances, there isn't a big choice. Looking for some of the old favorites is fine (it looks like corn tortillas, for instance, should still be fine for you), and minor substitutions for some things (millet or quinoa for rice, for instance), and other specialty substitutions (like DariFree for milk - made from potaties, or corn pasta). But you've got to meet those substitutions half way with some new things to fill in the spaces that the things you can't replace leave behind. But that's what the cookbook section of your local library/book store is for! That, and your imagination. :-)