Awesome Recipes for a Gluten Free Diet

by DoItYourself Staff

A gluten free diet is prescribed for individuals with sensitivities to wheat products. This is caused by a gastrointestinal reaction to gluten, a protein found in both wheat and barley. The root cause is often celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder. Doctors agree that a gluten-free diet is so far the only effective treatment. Individuals with this condition can lead full, healthy lives; there is now a variety of recipes available that, with some planning, can allow them to enjoy all of the same foods.

Flour Alternatives

There is a misconception that following a gluten-free diet means giving up starches. In reality, physicians heavily advise against this idea. With the improvements in gluten-free baking, there is no need. Instead of wheat-based flour, gluten-free choices include potato, white rice, tapioca, and soy flours.

You can easily mix batches of your own gluten-free flour to use for any recipe from pancakes to scones. One example is to mix 1/2 cup brown rice flour with 1/4 cup each of soy flour and tapioca flour.

Baking Ideas

Gluten-free dieters can make their own bread with a bread machine, using this example recipe for thick sandwich bread:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix (your choice)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil

Combine yeast and sugar in a small bowl and slowly stir in water. Set this aside to let the yeast activate. In a larger bowl, mix the xanthan gum, salt and flour mix. Then whisk together the eggs, oil, and vinegar in a third bowl. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, combine the two liquid mixtures with your flour mixture and blend well with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes.

Scoop the bread dough into your bread machine according to its normal instructions. An 80 minute bake setting is recommended for this recipe, with approximately 40 minutes of bake time and 20 minutes of rise time. If not using a bread machine, scoop bread dough into a greased pan and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes at 375 degrees.

Gluten Substitution

Baked goods are held together with gluten, which keeps them from crumbling apart. The gluten-free cook needs to become familiar with the gluten substitutes that are used as a work-around. The most common is xanthan gum, which is an additive that acts as a binding agent without affecting the taste.

Main Dish Ideas

Gluten-free recipes are not limited to breads and desserts. There are gluten-free recipes for roast turkey with stuffing, lasagna, and pasta sauce, just to name a few. When selecting the pasta for lasagna, there are gluten-free types available at health food stores. Here is an example of easy gluten-free lasagna:

Ingredients

One box of your favorite gluten-free lasagna pasta
One 16 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
12 ounces ricotta cheese
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
6 ounces shredded provolone cheese
1 package pre-sliced mushrooms

Boil pasta for about 1 minute, or until flexible. Immediately drain and let it cool in collander. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly coat a 13 by 19 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the bottom with pasta, followed by a layer each of ricotta, mozzarella, and provolone. Add mushrooms to the top of the cheese, and spoon spaghetti sauce evenly over the top. Repeat these layers top the dish with the last of the mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lasagna is heated all the way through.