Great Resource To See If Products Are Gluten Free

What do you do if you see a recipe that sounds good but you're not sure if the ingredients are gluten free?

Kraft has made it really easy. They have a list online where each of their products is listed as gluten free or not. They also include whether it is lactose free or Kosher.

I find this is a big help.

Check out some of your Kraft favorites here:

Other companies may also have their product lists rated by whether or not they are gluten free. As I find others I'll pass them on.

Time Versus Money (When You Eat Gluten Free)

Starting and staying on a special diet can be a challenge for many reasons.

I remember hearing a shopper in the specialty foods grocery aisle saying to her companion, "The more they take out, the higher the price!"

I can relate to that.

It seems that prepackaged gluten free foods are very expensive. Well, that's often true. On the other hand, so are prepackaged regular foods, although maybe not quite so high. On a gluten free diet you don't get the advantage of generic brands to keep prices down either. Convenience costs. Specialty costs. Like it or not, that's the way it is.

Some people simply can't afford the high priced options.

Many more people resent having to pay high prices for food that they see as medicine. After all, diet is THE treatment for celiac disease and other food sensitivity illnesses and why should you have to pay extra? It's not fair. Why does this happen to me?

Are you feeling hot under the collar yet? I have to tell you, this type of negative, hostile thinking will waste a lot of effort on your part.

But, cheer up, you do have a choice.

That's where the time comes in!

You can make your own gluten free products from scratch in order to eat well at a more reasonable cost. The key is whether you are willing and able to put in the time to learn how to make good tasting gluten free foods. Of course you are. :0)

As you learn as much as you can about gluten free foods, you will discover there are all kinds of gluten free foods on the shelves with the regular grocery offerings and there are lots of gluten free recipes inside the cookbooks you already have.

You just need to know what to look for to figure out if recipes are already gluten free. If they aren't, what can you easily substitute to turn them into tasty gluten free recipes?

What do you think? Are you willing to do what it takes?

I enjoy the challenge of finding and adapting foods and recipes so, for the next while, I'll tell you about the easiest recipes I've discovered that you can make yourself with readily available ingredients.

Eventually, I'll show you how I put together the gluten free flour mix that is the staple of much of my baking. It's not so difficult.

Next post look for the world's simplest recipe for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.

Gluten Free Bread Pudding

I created this recipe years ago when I was experimenting with new gluten free bread recipes and I really wanted a way to make good use of all the failed experiments. In those days I ate a lot of bread pudding :0)

You will notice it has no bread in anymore! That's for two reasons. First, I created a gluten free bread that I like and I use it as my staple (more about that in another post). Second, I really enjoyed the bread pudding but didn't want to waste good gluten free bread so I came up with the substitution of cornflakes instead. So easy. So tasty. A great comfort food.


Gluten Free Bread Pudding Recipe

Ingredients
4-5 cups gluten free cornflakes
½ cup raisins, or more depending on taste
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup white sugar
¾ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Method
1. Grease a 1.5-quart casserole dish
2. Place half the cornflakes in casserole dish
3. Spread all the raisins over the layer of cornflakes
4. Place rest of cornflakes over raisin layer
5. Mix beaten eggs, milk, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and salt together in a separate bowl
6. Pour over cornflakes
7. Cut butter into small bits and spread over top
8. Let sit, covered, for 1-2 hours. Occasionally press cornflakes down into egg/milk mixture
9. Preheat oven to 325°F
10. Bake 1¼ hours
11. Cool on wire rack
12. Serve warm

Comments

• I use the 5 cups of cereal but this makes a very thick pudding, so adjust for how you like it.
• I like this plain, but you could top with whipped topping.
• For variety, try chopped apricots, dates or other dried fruit such as cranberries instead of the raisins.
• This is what I call a very forgiving recipe - feel free to play around with the cereal and spice ingredients as well.
• As with most of my recipes, I freeze in single portions and just microwave when I want some.

My Favourite Cheesecake Recipe

I promised to give you the cheesecake recipe I use with the Cornflake Pie Crust and here it is.

CAUTION: this is so good I have to either invite lots of people over to share or freeze it right away to keep from eating the whole thing at one go. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration but it's not far from the truth.

Thank goodness it is a pretty healthy dessert, especially with the light cream cheese.

To keep temptation at bay I usually cut the cheesecake into nine generous portions and freeze each one individually. By freezing it I can keep it down to only one piece per day, every day, until it's all gone! I mentioned that I have a sweet tooth, didn't I?


Sandra's Gluten Free Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients
One cornflake piecrust. Prepare according to recipe directions in February 23 post

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, light or regular. Warm to room temperature.
1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice

Method
1. Prepare crust according to recipe instructions and press onto bottom of 9-inch baking pan
2. Preheat oven to 300°F. for glass pan, 325°F. for metal pan
3. Beat cheese until fluffy
4. Add milk, eggs, and salt. Beat until smooth
5. Stir in lemon juice
6. Pour cheese mixture over crust
7. Bake 50-55 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched
8. Cool on wire rack

Comments
Serve with favourite topping. I especially like cherry pie fill. Not only is it delicious, it's a fruit serving, for those aiming for a well balanced diet.

Osteoporosis and a Gluten Free Diet

I often feel the need to rationalize satisfying my sweet tooth so I was delighted to read yesterday that the Archives of Internal Medicine, a very reputable medical journal, reported on a new study that showed people with osteoporosis may also have a higher risk of celiac disease, one of the main reasons people eat a gluten free diet.

"Why would that be good news?" you might ask. Well, they go on to say, "After one year on a gluten-free diet, BMD (bone mineral density) improved."

I read that to mean that I can eat all the gluten free cheesecake I want guilt-free!

Stay tuned for my favourite cheesecake recipe, gluten free and packed with calcium. What a combination.