lonewolf

Okay, so are they egg-free and soy-free too? I know it's too much to hope for, but...

Liz

I'd barely been sick a day in my life until I got Mono. After that I developed Psoriasis, digestive problems, and had my tonsils taken out a couple of years later. Several years later I was almost crippled with arthritis, found out I have an underactive thyroid and was diagnosed with food allergies. I have been relatively healthy (except for some kidney problems) for the past 10 years since eliminating wheat and several other foods, but just recently discovered it was gluten, not just wheat that was my biggest problem. Still don't know if I have Celiac or not, but will be avoiding ALL gluten forever.

Liz

I felt "normal" today. (Well, almost.)

Breakfast: Apple with almond butter

Lunch: Turkey sandwich on rice bread, Salt and Vinegar chips, Carrot sticks, Envirokids chocolate cereal bar, apple (wow, I must have been hungry!)

Snack: "Think Organic" Cashew/Pecan bar

A few more Salt and Vinegar chips

Dinner: Middle Eastern style meat patties; Coconut, saffron, carrot and raisin rice pilaf; broccoli and salad

It's fun to see what everyone else eats!

Liz

Which egg substitue?

I use 2 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer, sifted in with the flour, and 1 Tbs. ground flaxseed, mixed with 3 Tbs. water, mixed in with the butter and sugar. This seems to work for all my cookies that don't have to look completely white - like, I wouldn't try it for rolled sugar cookies.

Liz

I have great luck with the Tollhouse cookie recipe. I even leave eggs out and it works. (I do use a substitue.) I use the same flour mixture as above, but I always use brown rice flour and about 2 tsp. of xanthan gum for the cookies. If you can handle nuts, they're really yummy with about 1/3 C peanut butter or almond butter mixed in. My kids take these to parties at school and even die-hard junk food junkies love them.

Good luck!

Liz

Did you use a summer program?

I am going to be the Russian adoption blogger on adoption dot com (I'm not sure if I can post a URL here and have it come out). Would you mind if I use your recipe in my blog? It will belaunched after the holidays.

Thanks,

Adrienne/Agee

Our little guy stayed with us for 2 weeks during the summer before we adopted him. It only took 4 months from the time he went home until we travelled to adopt him. Those programs are great - it would be almost impossible to adopt an older child successfully without doing it, at least in my opinion.

We are having him tested for Celiac, along with our bio kids next week. A good friend of my sister-in-law has two kids adopted from Siberia and they both have celiac disease. So I figure it would be a good idea to get him tested just in case. I'll laugh if he's positive and my bio kids aren't.

Good luck with your Kutya! I would love to see someone toss it up to the ceiling!

And feel free to use the pelmini recipe.

Liz

This works great for our Russian Pelmini, which is a lot like ravioli. I make it several times a year and have served it to gluten-eating people and they liked it. You can add an egg and reduce the amount of water.

This is posted in a couple of other places, sorry I don't know how to get a link.

1-1/4 C Brown Rice Flour

1/2 C Potato Starch

1/4 C Tapioca Flour

generous 2-1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 Tbs. oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2+ C Water

Sift dry ingredients 3 times. Add oil and water. You will probably need to add a little more water, but do it slowly. Stir until dough forms a ball. Make sure it is not dry! It should be smooth and almost creamy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out on board dusted with Tapioca flour.

Good luck!

Liz

Thanks for the responses.

How do you make gluten-free pelmini? Do you just use gluten-free flour mix for the dough?

Hi "Agee",

We all love pelmini. A Ukrainian friend gave me a special pelmini maker that has come in really handy. You might be able to find one at a Russian specialty store or maybe even a specialty kitchen shop. I'll try to explain it. It's about 16" in diameter and has lots of little hexagon shaped holes in it. You roll out the dough, lay it on the "mold", put your filling in each little indentation, lay another piece of dough on top and then roll it with a rolling pin several times. This seals the edge of each pelmini and cuts them. Then you turn it upside-down and pop them right out. We went to a Russian restaurant and their pelmini was the same shape. They are small, smaller than the traditional ones that are folded so neatly, but they are so easy to make that we have them much more often than if I have to cut out circles and fold them up.

My gluten eating kids have all assured me that my gluten-free pelmini tastes just as good as the restaurant stuff. Here's the dough recipe. It keeps well in the refrigerator for several days too. I have made buttered noodles with the same dough. The original recipe calls for egg, but I am allergic to eggs, so I leave it out. You could add an egg and reduce the amount of water.

For a large batch:

1-1/4 C Brown Rice Flour

1/2 C Potato Starch

1/4 C Tapioca Flour

generous 2-1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 Tbs. oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4+ C Water

Sift dry ingredients 3 times. Add oil and water. You will probably need to add a little more water, but do it slowly. Stir until dough forms a ball. Make sure it is not dry! It should be smooth and almost creamy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out on board dusted with Tapioca flour.

Hope you have luck with it! Which region is your son from? Ours is from Tomsk, in Siberia. He came to us at age 7 and he actually knew how to help make pelmini - he's the best "folder" of the bunch, so I always leave a little dough out to make a few the "old-fashioned" way.

Liz

Does anyone have a recipe for mexican wedding cookies? I had a gluten free recipe but lost it.

Thanks!

Steph

As far as I know, Mexican Wedding Cakes are the same as Russian Tea Cakes. Light little balls rolled in powdered sugar? If so, I posted the recipe in two places here - look for threads about Christmas cookies. If you can't find it, I'll email you the recipe. (If it's the right one.)

Liz

How cool! I have an adopted son from Russia too! I haven't made Kutya, but we make Pelmini for lots of special occasions. No one even notices it's gluten-free. I figure that if I spend that much time making it, I'm going to eat it too! Sorry I can't help you with the Kutya - I'd try buckwheat or millet if I were you.

Good luck!

Liz

Thanks Tiffany! This will keep me busy for a while! I'm new to all the research and Celiac lingo, but am wanting to learn more. I don't have the time to look all this up, so I appreciate you posting it.

Liz

He has never been on regular milk, only soy, and has never had a formed bowel movement.

Are you sure he's not reacting to soy? It is a very common allergan. I am horribly allergic to it and have much bigger reactions to it than to gluten. It can be very hard to digest. It's also very high in phytoestrogens, which may be good for women who need to balance their hormones, but not the best choice for little boys. There is some interesting information about soy here: Open Original Shared Link

Liz

I called the company about this a couple months ago. The rep. told me Rice and Shine was gluten free. I thought it was ok, but I like Cream of Rice better.

Thanks JerseyAngel! I guess we all have different tastes in food. When I was in college my roomate and I always had toast for breakfast. I got the grainy whole wheat with crunchy peanut butter and she had white bread with creamy PB. I think that Rice and Shine vs. Cream of Rice is about the same.

My cousin and I are both interested in a group in the Tacoma/Federal Way area. Please let us know if it happens.

I like Arrowhead Mills "Rice and Shine" cereal. I don't have immediate symptoms of being "glutened" though and I haven't had it since I started avoiding all those nasty hidden glutens that I was unaware of until a few weeks ago. So I don't know if it's truly safe. Does anyone know? The box says it's made with "non-gluten ingredients" and to contact the company. I haven't had a chance to call or email them. If this is safe I think it's really yummy! It's a lot better than Cream of Rice.

Liz

Wow! This topic hits home for me for sure! About 10 years ago I was almost crippled, with arthritis in almost every joint of my body. I even had a handicapped parking permit. The doctors called it Psoriatic arthritis, since I also have Psoriasis. Everything was the same as Rheumatoid Arthritis except for my bloodwork. To make a long story short, I refused the horrible medications, got food allergy testing, eliminated wheat/gluten, eggs, soy and dairy, beans and a couple other things from my diet and started getting better almost immediately. Today I teach PE, keep up with 4 active kids (I couldn't take care of the 3 I had then by myself) and run triathlons in the summer.

I have recently discovered that gluten is the biggest "trigger" for me - causes joint pain and possibly a kidney condition I've struggled with too. I am fine if I eat my "safe" foods. I had recently started experimenting with adding foods back into my diet, since I was supposed to heal and get over the "allergies". I think that I have had undiagnosed celiac disease for my whole life. Anyway, when I tried to add Spelt back in I started getting joint pain again, my psoriasis flared up terribly and my kidneys started acting up. Needless to say, no more gluten for me and all my kids are being tested later this month.

Liz

Oh yikes! My 12 year old daughter has a patch of vitiligo on her forehead and signs that it might be starting by her eyebrow. She has not even been tested yet for celiac disease, but now I'm even more concerned. The doc said it was autoimmune and we would have no way of finding out what caused it, but I think a gluten-free diet might be something to try.

Liz

I posted this earlier, but it seems to fit well here. I took these to our church's women's Christmas party last night (along with a tray of gingerbread) and put a little sign saying "Gluten-Free, Egg-Free" for the few of us who have allergies/celiac disease and they ALL disappeared. There weren't that many women there who needed to eat gluten-free, but apparently no one noticed that they were "different".

Russian Tea Cakes (Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook)

1 C Butter or margarine, softened (but not melted)

1/2 C Powdered sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 C + 2 Tbs. gluten-free flour

1 Tbs. xanthan gum

1 tsp. Ener-G egg replacer

1/4 tsp. salt ONLY if using unsalted butter

3/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400. Mix butter, 1/2 C powdered sugar and vanilla. Sift flour, xanthan gum, egg replacer and salt (if using) together 3 times. Stir flour mixture and nuts into butter mixture until dough holds together. Shape into 1" balls and place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly, roll in powdered sugar. DO THIS VERY CAREFULLY! Cool completely and then roll again in powdered sugar. Makes about 4 dozen.

My sister bought me a package of gluten-free biscuit mix, thinking that it would be a treat. I don't usually buy much prepackaged stuff, but I thought I'd try. It's from a big-name company, but I don't think they make this anymore. Anyway, I made up a batch of "biscuits" and the kitchen started smelling really funny while they were baking. My kids started in with the comments about gluten-free experiments going bad again. When they came out they looked okay, but still smelled funny and had a slightly disturbing yellow tinge. I took one bite and spit it out. We decided to let the dog try them, since he actually looked excited. He gulped one down in about 2 seconds and then THREW IT UP! So now, whenever I try a new experiment, the kids will say something like, "at least it's not bad as the stuff that made Spotty throw up."

Liz

I use the Ener-G Egg Replacer in a lot of recipes. I often sift it in with the dry ingredients for extra leavening and then use some other type of "wet" egg replacement.

Other things that have worked:

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in 3 Tbs boiling water. Let cool until it starts to thicken (5 minutes in the fridge should do it) and then beat like a regular egg. This adds egg-like texture. You will need something like Ener-G for leavening also if it's in a recipe that should puff or rise.

2 tsp. Agar flakes instead of gelatin prepared the same way will work too.

1 Tbs ground flaxseed, mixed with 3 Tbs water. This works well for things like meatloaf and some kinds of cookies, since the flaxseed acts as a binder.

1 heaping Tbs. Baking Powder, 1 heaping Tbs. oil, 1 Tbs. warm water

If you are making a recipe that uses 2 or more eggs, you need to use at least 2 types of egg replacement. For example, when I make Apple Cake, I sift in about 2 tsp. of Ener-G with the flour, use 2 tsp. of gelatin and 6 Tbs. water (about 1/3 Cup) AND put in the flax seed mixture. This way the cake rises, sticks together and has a good texture.

Good luck!

Liz

The leg swelling could be a sign of some type of kidney problem. When you push on the side of your ankle, does it leave a little "pit" for a few seconds? If so, this could be related to your kidneys. I had a similar experience a few years ago and was diagnosed with a kidney disease.

Ask your doctor to do a simple urine test to check for protein. Swelling can be a sign that your body is losing protein through your kidneys. If the doctor won't do that simple test, go to a pharmacy and ask for "Uristix" "Reagent Strips for Urinalysis" from Bayer. It should say "Glucose" and "Protein" on the label. If the pharmacy doesn't carry them they can special order them for about $30. If you are spilling protein you need to see a Nephrologist (Kidney specialist).

My doctor told me that my kidney disease was not related to diet in any way, but when I eat gluten-free I stay in remission. The last time I relapsed was when my husband and I travelled to Russia and I couldn't find anything to eat and gave up (this was before I suspected I had Celiac and just thought I was allergic to wheat). I ate more wheat than I had in 7-1/2 years and relapsed right after returning home. Leg swelling with "pitting" and having lots of foam in your urine are clues that something is wrong. (Sorry to be so graphic.)

Don't give up on the doctors to get an accurate diagnosis, but you might have to help them a little bit. Look up "Nephrotic Syndrome" and see if some of the information fits. But go with your feeling that it could be Celiac and avoid gluten.

Good luck and let us know how you are.

Liz

I use Barbara's Brown Rice Crisps. According to their website they are gluten-free.

My family likes this alternative to Rice Crispy treats.

Crispy Clusters

1 C +3 Tbs. Almond Butter

1/2 C Honey

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Stir together well. I sometimes float the mixing bowl in a larger bowl of warm water to soften the honey and almond butter. When well mixed, stir in:

4 C Brown Rice Crisps

Stir cereal in with spoon at first and then by hand. Form into 1" balls or press into 8 x 8 greased pan. Chill before cutting and serving. I usually double this.

Liz

Please let me know how the Chebe bread exp. goes. I would love to make some for my dd.

Okay, round one didn't go too well with the homemade "Chebe" type bread. Of course, I'm not sure how it's supposed to taste, so that's a problem. I followed the recipe, even using eggs, so I would have an idea of how it was supposed to feel/taste before I started using egg substitutes. It tastes like I would imagine white (wheat) flour bread would taste if you took it out of the oven when it was half done. Very chewy. If anyone reading this has a child who is about to lose a tooth I would recommend this recipe - I'm sure it would help any loose tooth pop right out! My youngest has interesting taste. He ate one and just asked for a second. Go figure!

But if I think about it, I might have used mixed tapioca flour and potato starch - I premix them to add to rice flour in recipes. Oh, then I also could have used just potato starch. I sometimes get the tags mixed up when I'm baking. I'll have to mix it all together now for sure. I see another trip to the store for new tapioca flour in my future.

Someone who has made Chebe please help. What is the texture supposed to be like?

Liz

I tried "French toast" once with Ener-G Brown rice loaf, rice milk and a gelatin/oil mixture. Don't bother trying. It was among my worst "flops". I make french toast for my family and have gotten to the point where it doesn't bother me.

Liz

Thanks Michelle,

I've been using egg substitutes for about 10 years. I was really hoping that someone else had already tried Chebe with a substitute so I don't have to try several times before getting something that works. I have found that eggs are the hardest ingredient to replace in baking. Gluten-free isn't so bad, but no eggs can be a bit of a challenge. It usually takes me 2 or 3 tries with a new recipe to either find something that works or find that it just won't work without eggs.

I've also found that using 2 or more substitutes, works great. I use Egg Replacer and ground flaxseed (I just use cold water) together a lot and also gelatin or agar. I am horribly allergic to soy, so that isn't an option. I'm thinking that for this type of bread the egg is needed to get volume, so lots of Egg Replacer might work, with a little gelatin or agar. That might be my weekend project.

Thanks,

Liz