Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

lpellegr

Advanced Members
  • Posts

    749
  • Joined

  • Last visited

1 Follower

  • wahmof10

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Ewing, NJ

Recent Profile Visitors

16,500 profile views
  • nijobo

    nijobo

lpellegr's Achievements

  1. I finally got around to making this last night and served it today. It was unbelievably good. Everyone who tried it picked up a piece, put it in their mouth, then a look of bliss came over their faces and they all said Oh. My. God. This is sooo good. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave to make it even easier.

  2. Gluten is a protein, so it is possible that it can be denatured by temperature and thus made inactive, but I do not know the exact temp range in which it does occur, but my point is that it is possible. I mean, eggs are mostly protein and look at how quickly they are denatured and thus coagulate (scrambled eggs). Each protein is different, but all have common biochemical baselines.

    Yes, you can denature the gluten protein by heat or other means so it no longer has the ability to perform its natural function, but when it is broken down in your digestive system or by scavenging macrophages and presented by antigen-presenting cells in your immune system those fragments of protein will still be seen by your immune system the same way. It would be lovely if heat was enough to do it, but unless you can break that sucker down into individual amino acids, it ain't gonna be enough. Heat can destroy its activity, but not its antigenicity.

  3. I agree, you're right, I don't have to stew over the unfairness of it all, and most of the time I sigh and just accept it, but sometimes my evil little mind just likes to think of how nice if I could put each of them in my shoes (or my stomach's shoes) for a day. Especially since this "reward" was for something we didn't want to do (or need to do, IMHO). I do diabetes research, so I certainly know I could be much worse off. I'm certainly not underfed, and there are plenty of things I can eat, but I can dream that they bring me my own lobster (or a pint of Ben and Jerry's) when everyone else gets pizza, can't I? Or that they all get hives from eating it, or spend the night nauseous on the bathroom floor, or cramp up all afternoon, etc, etc......

  4. Here's the original recipe from the "More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet" book, without having to make up the french bread mix (makes two loaves, long and thin):

    2c white rice flour

    1c tapioca flour

    3t xanthan gum

    1-1/2t salt

    2t Egg Replacer (optional)

    Mix these together in the bowl of the mixer and set aside.

    Melt 2T butter or margarine.

    Slightly beat 3 egg whites.

    Combine butter and whites with 1t vinegar.

    Dissolve 2T sugar in 1-1/2c warm water and add to it

    2T rapid-rise yeast (which is actually more than 2 packets). Don't do this before you start separating eggs and melting margarine, or you will have yeast foaming over the edge of your cup! :o

    Let this foam slightly, then blend into dry ingredients.

    Blend in egg/butter/vinegar mix. Beat on high speed 3 minutes (Kitchenaid is best for this, doing it by hand is really hard and not very successful).

    Use a spoon to scoop lumps of this into greased and cornmeal-dusted french loaf pans (long and thin like baguettes), mooshing the lumps together into two long loaves. Slash diagonally every few inches. Cover and let rise until doubled, 20-25 minutes. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 40-45 minutes.

    This is best right out of the oven, torn into pieces (it doesn't cut well when warm). When cooled you can slice it or use it for french bread pizzas. It's not that dense, but it seems denser when cool. I think letting the yeast get started in the liquid helps it. You can wrap one loaf in foil and freeze it - it reheats well. I tried slicing it thin and making melba toast, but the toasted slices would have made good body armor (a little hard on the teeth).

  5. I use whatever cornstarch I have around - at the moment I have - well I just realized I have no idea because I took it out of its original box and put it into a canister. I think some brands might actually say "gluten-free" on the box. The Clan Thompson Smartlist says that Argo, Kingsford, Price Chopper, and Safeway brands are all gluten-free. You can also use rice flour (white or sweet) to thicken sauces, but I don't know the proportions - 1 or 2 T per cup of liquid ought to do it. You could try any gluten-free flour substitute before you go out and buy corn starch.

  6. How can you eat Cabot cheese if you're dairy free? Do they make some fake cheese as well as the usual ones?

    When I make gluten-free baked macaroni and cheese, I modify a recipe from a box of regular (not-gluten-free) elbows. Basically, you can make a recipe for 2 cups of white sauce using any kind of "milk" and a thickener such as cornstarch, add to that 1t salt, 1t dry mustard (optional), any other seasonings you want, and I find if I measure out 2 cups of Tinkyada elbows and boil them, that's just right for that amount of sauce (for other pasta shapes that might not work - for Tinkyada small shells it takes more like 3c). Make the sauce while the elbows cook, then turn the heat off under the sauce. Shred and add 2 cups of cheese (or reasonable facsimile) and stir into the sauce until melted, then drain the noodles and stir them in. Pour all into a greased casserole dish and bake for 20-25 min at 375. In my pre-gluten-free days I used to top it with bread crumbs, but gave that up because gluten-free bread crumbs are precious and too good to waste on decoration. This reheats well because the Tinkyada noodles are so good. Don't overcook them - give them about half the time recommended on the package and test them, then adjust the time so they're still a little firm going into the sauce.

    If you need help with the white sauce:

    3T margarine, melted on low heat

    2T cornstarch, mixed into melted margarine.

    Add salt and mustard at this point to avoid lumps.

    Add 2c "milk", turn up heat, and stir constantly until it thickens. Try not to let it boil. This makes a nice thick sauce with dairy milk, but it might take some experimenting with other kinds.

  7. This was in tonight's paper, in the vegetarian cooking column, and it just happens to be gluten-free as well as decadent. It says to use baking chocolate with 70% cocoa. Here's the description: "a crisp, crackling crust over a layer of brownie-like dough that concealed an almost molten chocolate center." Also described as "a tiny bit gooey". Not that we mind that. If you try it, tell me how it turns out!

    1T ground almonds, plus extra to dust the pan

    10-1/2 oz dark chocolate

    1-1/2c sugar

    1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter

    pinch of salt

    5 large eggs

    confectioner's sugar (optional)

    Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray an 8" or 9" springform pan with cooking spray, then dust it with ground almonds, shaking off any excess. Set aside.

    In a double boiler set at a low simmer, melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.

    In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and ground almonds. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate and stir until thickened, several minutes. Pour the cake into the pan, smooth the top and bake 45 minutes, or until the top is set and begins to crack.

    Remove the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired. Makes 10 servings.

  8. Yet again the reward (or occasionally enticement) for the team having accomplished some horrible goal at work is to bring in pizza. Yay, yahoo, my enthusiasm knows no bounds. I will join in the jolly fellowship, drink some Coke, and sit at the far end of the table to avoid getting their crumbs in my lunch from home. I assure them I'm fine, thanks, there's nothing they can get me from the pizza place, it's okay, they don't have to struggle to find something to include poor little me, but inwardly I stew in my bitter celiac juices and wish them all digestive harm. Okay, I'm being overly dramatic, it has been a frustrating couple of months, but don't you just wish there was some appropriate way to balance out the karma of having to watch them scarf down hot, cheesy, doughy triangles of joy while you don't? Does this happen to you and what goes on in YOUR heads? The doughnuts, the birthday cakes, the continental breakfasts at the hotel where your business meeting is (which has no other breakfast option). I did bring in Enjoy Life No-Oats Oatmeal cookies once after giving up on trying to eat them, which was almost like revenge as I watched the look of revulsion on each person's face as they tried one (they still remember the "shellfish-free" cookies with awe). What would be an appropriate way to balance karma? :D

  9. You can get a really big fanny pack (my kids call mine the Fanny Pack 3000) to smuggle in food if necessary, and I have a letter from my doctor on a prescription slip stating that I need a special diet, just in case the food nazis give me a hard time at a place like that. EMS carries some good size packs. Mine has enough pockets for a little can of tuna, a few snack bars, a bag of baby carrots, plastic cutlery, gluten-free crackers - everything but the drink, with a pocket left over for the wallet, cellphone, etc. I don't even trust the popcorn at a ballpark, so I bring in all my own food. I have noticed, however, that a Kraft cheese stick will melt a little if you keep it in your fanny pack on a 90 degree day :P , so your little cooler might be a good idea if allowed....

  10. I've been going there since I was a kid, but last summer was the first time I cared about getting gluten-free food. On their website they list places in the park for people with special diets, including gluten-free. My favorite was the stands that just make french fries in dedicated fryers - it was wonderful. And the rides are awesome, too! There are two parts to the park - Dorney Park is the amusement park, which has some killer roller coasters, and Wildwater Kingdom is the water park side - all the gluten-free stuff seems to be on the Dorney side, so eat there before you go to the water park. Worth a trip if you're in the area this summer.

  11. Agreed, the best bread recipes I've tried have both xanthan gum and gelatin, but I haven't seen any with just gelatin. You can also substitute guar gum for the xanthan, and I think there are one or two other alternatives. Xanthan gum is shockingly expensive when you first buy it, but if you're going to bake a lot it's worth it.

  12. Why limit yourself to traditional breakfast foods? Heck, take a hot dog, a bologna sandwich, a turkey leg. Make a crustless quiche and take a slice in to warm up in the microwave. Have a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, leftover shepherd's pie, stuffed cabbage. Eat a can of tuna or a bowl of Bush's Baked Beans. Throw in some fruit and it's starting to sound nutritious. Mmmmm.

  13. I read on some website ages ago that some doctors had noticed that many children with celiac disease had large abdomens and flat rears (like me). I was hoping this diet would reduce the large belly (it's not from fat - I think I'm just put together like that, like my mom), but I think I'm just stuck this way. I did notice after a year of gluten-free eating that I was putting on a few pounds and having a very hard time getting it off, so lately I gave up all the gluten-free substitutes and went on a South Beach-like diet - no breakfast cereal, muffins, rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas - and it seems to help keep the weight down. But the belly still bulges even without the 5 pounds of fat so I think it's just my permanent shape. It wasn't always this bad, but birthin' two babies didn't help. And maybe all those years (45 before diagnosis) of eating gluten caused my intestines to enlarge to compensate for all the non-absorbed nutrients. Darn. Just try finding pants to fit this shape..... :angry:

  14. Okay, here's a weird one to make one pause...for me, the worst symptom of all this is the fact that I get no symptoms...I cannot tell if I've accidently been glutened, because nothing happens. The only symptom I had before I was diagnosed was low iron...that's it. I know you guys who suffer so terribly must be thinking, "Why the @!#!*!* are you complaining?" Well, you guys are highly motivated to be diligent and avoid gluten...less chance of horrible intestinal damage. Hell, I'd LIKE to know when I've consumed gluten unknowingly!........I think........

    You have my sympathy and understanding - my symptoms (anemia that I wasn't even aware of without a blood test, the world's foulest and most abundant gas, occasional abdominal pain and occasional nighttime nausea, plus cold urticaria where my skin turned red and itchy when cold) have stopped thanks to the gluten-free diet, but I don't get them back immediately when I eat something contaminated, so I'm never sure where to place the blame. Was it something today? Yesterday? Days ago? I really sympathize with all the people on this forum with nasty immediate symptoms, but it's also hard convincing people you have to seriously stick to this crappy diet when you can't demonstrate to them that it will make you sick. You get a lot of "so what will happen if you eat it?" and feel stupid not having anything dramatic and sick-sounding to tell them. So I lie. Instead of telling them I'll have gas that would revolt a Hell's Angel in a few days I tell them something lurid like projectile vomiting right after dinner. And then I tell myself again, "Gluten will hurt you, gluten will hurt you, even if it's years down the line, gluten will hurt you." And remind myself how happy I am not to be stinky and itchy.

  15. I got a subscription, but I won't renew it because for me it's not worth it. There are lots of gluten-free recipes, but if they use gluten-free flour it's based on a specific brand, and I prefer to make my own from the Bette Hagman mixes, so I don't know if they will turn out without tinkering. If you want meal recipes there are lots of them, but nothing so special you couldn't find it for free somewhere else. I didn't find anything that was any better than in the Gluten-free Gourmet cookbooks I already have. So there's another opinion, and now you're probably no better off than when you first asked! ;) You could do what I did and try it for a year and see whether it works for you - it's a minor investment.

  16. Gluten-free breads get stale very fast. They won't get moldy any faster, but they will end up as crumbs sooner. Might want to plan to use up the breads in the first 2-3 days and then do bread-free meals after that to avoid disappointment. You can use corn tortillas to wrap sandwich fillings, or scoop them up with gluten-free crackers like Nut Thins. But don't expect the bread products to be like normal wheat breads.

×
×
  • Create New...