Gluten Free Resources And Ideas

[TedE]

After a few months of diagnostic purgatory my wife was recently informed that she most likely has celiac disease. While this has been a blow to her (and me!) on the culinary front (bread! pizza!! beer!!!), we're navigating the gluten-free lifestyle fairly well so far. Whole Foods is actually really good on this front, but we obviously don't want to rely on pre-packaged gluten free replacement products. I'm reaching out to the DR hive mind for ideas from anyone who's made successful adjustments to remove wheat gluten from "normal" recipes. Specifically:

1) Baked goods: I'm already shopping for a bread maker since the frozen gluten-free stuff pretty much sucks. There are various recipes out there for breads, but they involve multiple kinds of nut and/or rice flours (some are 5-6 per recipe in different proportions) and I'm not looking to stock that many varieties on hand. Are any of the pre-mixed flours out there any good?

2) Pastries and dessert-type items: Ditto for other baked goods. I'm collecting recipes for tarts with nut flour shells; they sound like good options. Cookie recipes? We haven't found any that seem worth trying.

3) Pastas: I'm on a mission to perfect gnocchi with flour alternatives.

Perhaps more importantly we're looking for restaurants that do the gluten free thing well (we've already been to Oyamel after hearing that the Andres empire actually has printed gluten free menus). Tried to do Thai or Vietnamese this weekend (rice noodles) but couldn't get an answer over the phone at any place about the lurking hidden ingredients (regular soy sauce in particular, or any popular Asian sauce base for that matter). There don't seem to be many good lists of area restaurants aside from bigger chains, and we definitely don't want to stop going to the smaller places we love. I'm looking to build a database, bigger the better. As you might expect most of the celiac resources out there aren't foodie focused ("I can eat gluten free at The Cracker Barrel? Awesome!")

Feel free to PM with any suggestions. Thanks!!

[Anna Blume]

I've been there, at least the allergy to wheat, if not gluten which requires much more diligence. Upside is the greater number of resources nowadays, including brochure at Whole Foods that guides you to alternatives and products.

It's good to know that potato flour is the same as potato starch. Former costs mega bucks when you buy a package of Old Red Mill at natural food stores and latter, very little at all at Asian markets. I've baked a cake requiring only potato flour, with mixed results, though a four-year old loved it. I tended to prefer flour-less tortes, nut-crusts for pies, etc., though still don't care for meringues.

Potato starch/flour may very well do, for gnocchi, though.

Have you two heard about Gluten-Free Girl? Apparently, she has a book out and there must be fine recipes on her web site. Hubby's a professional cook.

[Scott]

I hate to shamelessly promote my own company here- but at MOM's- My Organic Market, you can find the best selection of gluten free products anywhere. We've had customers brought to tears when they've come across our selection, given how hard it is to find things to eat for kids with celiac.

The best selections will be in either the Rockville, Frederick, or Alexandria locations- where there are designated gluten-free sections, not to mention many other specific gluten free products scattered throughout the store. Ask customer service- they'll help you out.

[TedE]

Have you two heard about Gluten-Free Girl? Apparently, she has a book out and there must be fine recipes on her web site. Hubby's a professional cook.

Yes, her site has been a beacon of hope among a bunch of really uninspired cooking ideas.

Scott,

I heard that MOM is opening on 14th and W-ish soon in the first floor of a new condo building, is that accurate?

[synaesthesia]

Good article on quinoa, which is supposed to be a pretty good substitute. There is also a lot of blog resources on Gluten-Free Girl's website. I'm sure a ton of them have good guides and information. I'm guessing Brasserie Beck is friendly since they have gluten-free beers on the beer list.

[edenman]

[plug]

All of Rustico's pizzas are available with chickpea-crust (gluten free) and we carry several gluten-free "beers" in bottle. I can vouch for the tastiness of the pizza crust. The beers, well...stuff like Redbridge has gotten decidedly "ok" reviews, while the Green's line is supposed to actually be pretty delicious. I haven't tried any of them yet, to be honest.

[/plug]

[TedE]

Good article on quinoa, which is supposed to be a pretty good substitute. There is also a lot of blog resources on Gluten-Free Girl's website. I'm sure a ton of them have good guides and information. I'm guessing Brasserie Beck is friendly since they have gluten-free beers on the beer list.

We were already quinoa fans before the news, so that has been an easy one. I just need to branch out from the various cold salad options that I normally use it for.

We actually went to Beck a couple weeks ago and didn't realize they had any gluten free beers. The waiter didn't offer them after we mentioned the restriction, and in hindsight that was odd. We'll have to drop in again and talk to the bartender.

[TedE]

[plug]

All of Rustico's pizzas are available with chickpea-crust (gluten free) and we carry several gluten-free "beers" in bottle. I can vouch for the tastiness of the pizza crust. The beers, well...stuff like Redbridge has gotten decidedly "ok" reviews, while the Green's line is supposed to actually be pretty delicious. I haven't tried any of them yet, to be honest.

[/plug]

Good to know about the Rustico pizzas. It's still kind of hard to pull the trigger on things like that because for the next 3 months she needs to be really vigilant about cross-contamination in order to confirm the diagnosis and essentially allow things to heal. That basically applies to all eating out, though ...

I skipped right past Redbridge; we'd rather stick to micros if there are other options, purely from a beer geek point of view. I picked up some LakeFront New Grist (sorghum and rice, gold in the experimental category at GABF). It was decent if a tad sweet, to be expected from a rice brew I guess. Could have used a heavier hand with the hops to balance things out. We'll have to check out the Green's; I haven't found it at retail (but admittedly haven't looked that hard).

[synaesthesia]

We actually went to Beck a couple weeks ago and didn't realize they had any gluten free beers. The waiter didn't offer them after we mentioned the restriction, and in hindsight that was odd. We'll have to drop in again and talk to the bartender.

The last time I went it was hidden pretty far back in the book. I have a coworker who also has celiac disease, so I will ask him about stuff as well.

[edenman]

Good to know about the Rustico pizzas. It's still kind of hard to pull the trigger on things like that because for the next 3 months she needs to be really vigilant about cross-contamination in order to confirm the diagnosis and essentially allow things to heal. That basically applies to all eating out, though ...

I skipped right past Redbridge; we'd rather stick to micros if there are other options, purely from a beer geek point of view. I picked up some LakeFront New Grist (sorghum and rice, gold in the experimental category at GABF). It was decent if a tad sweet, to be expected from a rice brew I guess. Could have used a heavier hand with the hops to balance things out. We'll have to check out the Green's; I haven't found it at retail (but admittedly haven't looked that hard).

Yea, we carry the New Grist, and I also forgot we have the Hambleton Toleration. I haven't seen the Green's at any retail outlets, but I imagine Riley could dig some up for you if you don't see it elsewhere. My guess is that Brasserie Beck has the Green's (they're brewed in Belgium) but I didn't extensively read the beer list last time I was there, so I'm not sure.

[zoramargolis]

I've made flourless chocolate cake numerous times and it has always gotten raves. It's a very simple dessert to make, too. The recipe is in the new Gourmet Cookbook--the one with the yellow cover. Or if you PM me, I'll send it to you.

[TedE]

I've made flourless chocolate cake numerous times and it has always gotten raves. It's a very simple dessert to make, too. The recipe is in the new Gourmet Cookbook--the one with the yellow cover. Or if you PM me, I'll send it to you.

Unfortunately she doesn't like chocolate . Her gastro thought it would be a big deal when that restriction was lifted

[zoramargolis]

Unfortunately she doesn't like chocolate . Her gastro thought it would be a big deal when that restriction was lifted

Doesn't like chocolate? Learn to love flan and panna cotta, friend...

[Anna Blume]

1) Cheesecake recipes are one of the most likely places to find recipes for nut crusts. They simply involve ground nuts, butter and a sweetener. I am sure you can be creative about the latter, for example, substituting pomegranate syrup for maple w walnuts or pine nuts. Combine pistachios w almond meal. I've prepared fruit tarts with nut crusts for Passover.

2) Have you ordered any of the products from Bob's Red Mill that aren't available in local stores? Frankly, I hated all attempts at bread baking that we tried when I was a kid, but choices were much more limited; the company sells a wide range of flours and mixes, some of which it claims can be used to bake gluten-free yeast breads. Lots of recipes on the web site.

3) Cf. Peter Reinhart's new book on baking with whole grains. The man's brilliant and while most of the recipes involve wheat, I thought I saw a few recipes that catered to gluten-free diets when I looked through it at the bookstore.

4) Have you tried using potato flour/starch in gnocchi?

[squidsdc]

Good to know about the Rustico pizzas. It's still kind of hard to pull the trigger on things like that because for the next 3 months she needs to be really vigilant about cross-contamination in order to confirm the diagnosis and essentially allow things to heal. That basically applies to all eating out, though ...

(Thankfully gluten is not one of my many allergens.) Are you aware though that celiac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test? It is one of the few allergens where there is a specific blood test to confirm the diagnosis.

[Hannah]

(Thankfully gluten is not one of my many allergens.) Are you aware though that celiac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test? It is one of the few allergens where there is a specific blood test to confirm the diagnosis.

The blood test is also a relatively recent development, so if you haven't been going to a doctor who sees a lot of celiac patients it's worth mentioning (unless of course you have a positive result from the older, far more invasive tests.)

[TedE]

(Thankfully gluten is not one of my many allergens.) Are you aware though that celiac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test? It is one of the few allergens where there is a specific blood test to confirm the diagnosis.

She has had the blood test (and biopsy, etc., etc.). It came back with marginal levels of the gluten antibodies, low enough to preclude a definite diagnosis but they are 95% certain that is what it is. Her doctors believe that they actually caught it early and think it developed as a reaction to abdominal surgery and a subsequent infection earlier this fall (like a lot of adult onset autoimmune disorders, caused by stress to the body, pregnancy, etc.). So, course of action for now is to go on a gluten free diet and see how she reacts; it will take weeks for enough healing to occur to see progress.

[synaesthesia]

Spoke to the coworker. Corn pasta good, rice pasta bad. Restaurant K about half the stuff is fine for people with celiac disease. A site to check out is http://www.glutenfreeonthego.com/ and www.celiac.com

I am going to send him this thread, and maybe he will join and add some of his own comments. He said that a big problem is that it's incredibly insidious and crops up in a bunch of places you wouldn't expect. He did find a wheat-free soy sauce as well.

[TedE]

He did find a wheat-free soy sauce as well.

Wheat free soy sauce was about the first thing we bought! Can't live without the basics. I'm looking for some good udon base now. We eat a lot of it in the winter and can sub the rice noodles, but all of the bottled soup bases have wheat. I might try making some myself if it will keep.

[TedE]

A site to check out is http://www.glutenfreeonthego.com/

Oh, and for 3/4 of these gluten free restaurant finder sites (there are lots!), I get zero hits for Washington, DC. The one that do have hits will give mostly chain locations (Legal Seafood shows up a lot).

[Hannah]

It's usually pretty easy to find gluten-free Indian products - the Patak's and Sharwood's products all have very specific gluten content labeling, and a lot of the food's made with rice, lentil or chickpea flours rather than wheat. In general, foods produced in the EU (like these and others) are going to have really obvious labeling as to whether or not they're gluten-free - they've had strong labeling requirements for a while now.

[TedE]

It's usually pretty easy to find gluten-free Indian products - the Patak's and Sharwood's products all have very specific gluten content labeling, and a lot of the food's made with rice, lentil or chickpea flours rather than wheat. In general, foods produced in the EU (like these and others) are going to have really obvious labeling as to whether or not they're gluten-free - they've had strong labeling requirements for a while now.

We've noticed the EU effect on lots of stuff; maybe we should just move to London! She doesn't eat much Indian (one of those with a nameless aversion to it for whatever reason), but this may be a reason to start. But Indian without naan just seems wrong ...

Speaking of breads, I've read that injera is wheatless. At least the real stuff is only made with teff. I recall reading somewhere that most of the local places actually get their injera from a common source? It's worth investigating to find out it it's cut with wheat at all.

[Hannah]

We've noticed the EU effect on lots of stuff; maybe we should just move to London! She doesn't eat much Indian (one of those with a nameless aversion to it for whatever reason), but this may be a reason to start. But Indian without naan just seems wrong ...

Speaking of breads, I've read that injera is wheatless. At least the real stuff is only made with teff. I recall reading somewhere that most of the local places actually get their injera from a common source? It's worth investigating to find out it it's cut with wheat at all.

London (or the UK in general) is a good place to live if you're celiac - you can get gluten-free bread, crackers, etc. by prescription through the National Health Service for free, all of which is better than the commercially available GF bread products I've tried over here. Worst case, you can eat really well on vacation, since the restaurants seem to be more used to the requests and a lot of them already have the gluten-free stuff listed on their menu.

And dosas and pappadums are a fairly acceptable substitute for naan, at least as a sauce/chutney/ghee vector. Not sure about injera - I know teff's not wheat, but I'm not sure whether it's one of those things that's completely okay, or whether it's on the "genetically similar to wheat/rye and may trigger the immune response so don't eat it" list, like spelt.

[Xochitl10]

Wheat free soy sauce was about the first thing we bought! Can't live without the basics. I'm looking for some good udon base now. We eat a lot of it in the winter and can sub the rice noodles, but all of the bottled soup bases have wheat. I might try making some myself if it will keep.

Udon base (tsuyu) is ridiculously easy to make; it's just dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. I think I usually use a 12:1:1 ratio, based on recommendations. If you've already got the wheat-free soy sauce, the only questionable thing (I think) would be the mirin, which is sake-based.

[brettashley01]

Jaleo, Oyamel, etc. have special allergy-conscious menus; also Austin Grill (chain I know) has a gluten-free menu. Chop't is super-conscious in its preparations but obviously not a gluten-free kitchen. Sites I recommend: glutenfreegirl.com; allergicgirl.blogspot.com

[mktye]

My next-door neighbor does not eat wheat and I recently gave her Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly and Romulo Yanes. Although it does contain recipes which call for a mixture of various flours, it is just one ratio mixture for most of the recipes in the book so you can make up a big batch of the flour mixture at one time. My neighbor said everything she's made from the book has been fantastic so far.

She also suggested that, for non-bread baking uses (savory dishes, quickbreads, cookies and such), quinoa flour is her favorite substitute for wheat flour.

[brettashley01]

Lifted from TheListAreYouOnIT:

D.C.-based restaurant group THINKfoodGROUP has announced new gluten-free and allergy menu options at its popular dining concepts: Café Atlantico, Jaleo, Oyamel, Zaytinya and minibar by josé andrés. THINKfoodGROUP chefs identified dishes at each restaurant that meet the needs of guests suffering from allergies to dairy, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and wheat or gluten foods that account for almost 90% of all food allergic reactions:

Latino Dim Sum brunch menus. Notations indicate choices suitable for allergies to soy, gluten, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, seafood and dairy products. For lunch, the sandwich de salmón con malagueta, an entrée of seared salmon with salmon salad, cucumber and mixed chips sounds like a great choice for those allergic to dairy, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. For dinner, try the jerk chicken "mofongo," an entrée of roasted chicken in jerk spices, served over plantain purée with bacon, garlic and pearl onions is egg, soy, peanut, tree nut-free. A perfect end to either lunch or dinner could be the soy, peanut and tree nut-free bizcocho templado de chocolate con banana, a warm chocolate cake with Venezuelan chocolate flan, banana foam and fresh banana-lime salad. (405 8th Street, NW; 202.393.0812).

At the minibar by josé andrés, diners living with food allergies or gluten intolerance will find that creativity and good taste are not sacrificed for dietary restrictions. Guests are asked to complete a survey in advance of their visit that includes questions about food allergies and sensitivities. The information allows minibar's chefs to tailor the innovative tasting menu to meet diners' dietary requirements. (405 8th Street, NW; 202.393.0812

Special printed menus are available upon request at Jaleo, where the large selection of tapas makes it possible to accommodate guests suffering from allergies to dairy, egg, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and wheat or gluten. For example, diners with soy allergies have nearly fifty tempting tapas from which to choose including traditional favorites such as the tortilla de patatas al momento, the classic Spanish potato and onion omelet or the Gilda, a pintxo of olive, anchovy and piparra pepper named after Rita Hayworth. (480 7th Street, NW, 202.628.7949) (7271 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD; 301.913.0003) (2500-A Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA; 703.413.8181)

Zaytinya offers several mezze menus tailored to meet the needs of guests with an array of food allergies. The tree nut-free menu has a variety of salad options including the horiatiki salata, a combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers, Kalamata olives and feta, with Greek vinaigrette. Those worrying about avoiding seafood have options such as the chicken muhammarah, an entrée of marinated chicken served with a roasted red pepper and garlic sauce. Dairy allergies pose no problem, as highlights on the dairy-free menu include arayes, grilled pita stuffed with ground lamb and tahini sauce. (701 9th Street, NW; 202.638.0800)

Oyamel also offers specially developed menus based on its award-winning Mexican cuisine. The dairy-free menu has a wide array of choices, such as the tamale verde, tamales with green sauce of tomatillo, shredded chicken breast, chili, garlic and cilantro, and Oyamel's ceviches, such as ceviche de huachinango, red snapper ceviche with avocado in salsa mexicana of tomato, sweet onion, cilantro and lime juice. Oyamel's tortillas are made with corn, the ideal choice for guests avoiding wheat or gluten. (401 7th Street, NW; 202.628.1005)

[TedE]

Lifted from TheListAreYouOnIT:

We knew about Andres' places (Oyamel was the first restaurant we went out to post-diagnosis). We were hoping to do Minibar for my birthday next month, but spaced and forgot to call on the 30-day-in-advance date. We're going to Komi instead and were delighted that one of the first questions they asked was if there were any allergies or dietary restrictions to know about. High end places are more flexible and seem to do really well with this stuff, but our waistlines and wallets can't support that kind of dining out very often!

We're keeping to cooking for ourselves for the next few weeks probably. Groundwork to find local cheap eats places will be an ongoing task.

[brettashley01]

We're going to Komi instead and were delighted that one of the first questions they asked was if there were any allergies or dietary restrictions to know about... Groundwork to find local cheap eats places will be an ongoing task.

Komi did an excellent job of accomodating allergies when I dined there. I again put forth Chop't and Juice Joint Cafe as allergen-aware "cheap eats" places... my advice is to go toward the "natural" places. Java Green, for example, carries wheat-free soy sauce. Au Bon Pain does list allergens on its website; however I have seen an allergic reaction due to cross-contamination preparations (nuts).

[Ilaine]

Groundwork to find local cheap eats places will be an ongoing task.

It's actually easy to eat gluten free at inexpensive local restaurants once you accept that pizza, pasta and sandwiches are not for you.

Chinese and other Asian cuisines depend heavily on rice, as do Middle Eastern cuisines. Latin American cuisines depend heavily on corn. And most American restaurants already cater to the low-carb/Atkins crowd so you can have meat, fish, vegetables, and salads.

Examples: steak and baked potato. Grilled fish and salad. Fried rice. Pad thai and drunken noodles (both made with rice noodles). Persian kebabs with rice, spinach and chickpeas. The list goes on and on.

Today was a bad day for eating lunch due to the weather, so I caved and went to McDonalds drive-thru, got an Asian salad and some french fries. There is controversy over McDonald's fries, apparently the fat they are fried in is flavored with a beef base which does contain wheat but this doesn't appear to bother me. Wish they had baked potatoes, though. (McDonald's is right across the street from my office.)

(I adapted fairly well to gluten free having been on Atkins. No bread, no pizza, no sandwiches, no cakes, no cookies, no pastries on Atkins, either.)

[synaesthesia]

Unfortunately us Asian folks happen to love the soy sauce, and most places do use the stuff with wheat in it. Obviously very few of us take the Washington Times very seriously, but there were a few helpful sounding recipes in an article they did about celiac disease. Strangely aside from a few blog posts by Kim O'Donnel they haven't done any celiac, gluten-free posts. Hmm... funny that it seems like Washington Times' food section is more progressive.

[TedE]

It's actually easy to eat gluten free at inexpensive local restaurants once you accept that pizza, pasta and sandwiches are not for you.

Chinese and other Asian cuisines depend heavily on rice, as do Middle Eastern cuisines. Latin American cuisines depend heavily on corn. And most American restaurants already cater to the low-carb/Atkins crowd so you can have meat, fish, vegetables, and salads.

Examples: steak and baked potato. Grilled fish and salad. Fried rice. Pad thai and drunken noodles (both made with rice noodles). Persian kebabs with rice, spinach and chickpeas. The list goes on and on.

Today was a bad day for eating lunch due to the weather, so I caved and went to McDonalds drive-thru, got an Asian salad and some french fries. There is controversy over McDonald's fries, apparently the fat they are fried in is flavored with a beef base which does contain wheat but this doesn't appear to bother me. Wish they had baked potatoes, though. (McDonald's is right across the street from my office.)

(I adapted fairly well to gluten free having been on Atkins. No bread, no pizza, no sandwiches, no cakes, no cookies, no pastries on Atkins, either.)

You would think it would be easy to eat gluten free, but as I mentioned earlier it's not the major ingredients on the menu that are the issue. What's in the dressing on that salad? What went into that fried rice? Soy sauce? Pad thai have any sauces with adjuncts (gluten is use a lot as a thickener, and/or stabilizer). That's not to mention general cross-contamination problem. The list goes on and on

[Ilaine]

You would think it would be easy to eat gluten free, but as I mentioned earlier it's not the major ingredients on the menu that are the issue. What's in the dressing on that salad? What went into that fried rice? Soy sauce? Pad thai have any sauces with adjuncts (gluten is use a lot as a thickener, and/or stabilizer). That's not to mention general cross-contamination problem. The list goes on and on

You're absolutely correct, and I should qualify my statements by saying that in my observation, reactions to gluten run a huge gamut, and in my opinion there is a huge difference between people for whom gluten triggers mere gastric uncomfortableness, and people for whom it triggers severe reactions, even something as extreme as anaphylactic shock.

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is one sleeper substance that is likely to contain wheat, which means that almost any meat flavoring is going to be a trigger if you are very sensitive to gluten.

[TedE]

You're absolutely correct, and I should qualify my statements by saying that in my observation, reactions to gluten run a huge gamut, and in my opinion there is a huge difference between people for whom gluten triggers mere gastric uncomfortableness, and people for whom it triggers severe reactions, even something as extreme as anaphylactic shock.

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is one sleeper substance that is likely to contain wheat, which means that almost any meat flavoring is going to be a trigger if you are very sensitive to gluten.

You are right, for most celiacs it just causes stomach discomfort (or other less pleasant gastrointestinal responses ...), but in the initial phases after diagnosis her doctor has said it's more critical to be vigilant. For one, it's a good way to get used to being a celiac in a gluten-soaked world; the best way to learn what is and is not good for you is to ask all the questions and be skeptical about what is on your plate. Jumping in with both feet is tough, but you learn the lessons pretty quickly.

Perhaps more importantly is that her intestinal tract is damaged and needs to heal. In a nutshell (as I understand it) the gluten anitbodies have the annoying side effect of destroying the villi in the small intestine which greatly reduces its ability to absorb nutrients of any kind. Going completely gluten free will allow it to rebuild. The quicker that happens the better she'll feel; going gluten cold turkey is only the first step.

Today: buying a bread maker!

[brettashley01]

You are right, for most celiacs it just causes stomach discomfort (or other less pleasant gastrointestinal responses ...) Perhaps more importantly is that her intestinal tract is damaged and needs to heal. In a nutshell (as I understand it) the gluten anitbodies have the annoying side effect of destroying the villi in the small intestine which greatly reduces its ability to absorb nutrients of any kind. Going completely gluten free will allow it to rebuild. The quicker that happens the better she'll feel; going gluten cold turkey is only the first step.

Before I (and various doctors) verified my food allergies, I was almost positive I was celiac. It is very important to allow your intestinal tract to heal- from any sort of allergy that you have been constantly inflicting upon yourself. Going cold turkey is tough, but important. (My soy allergy reduced my ability to absorb nutrients and produced similar side effects.) I highly recommend research and books, such as Wheat Free, Worry Free. And while you may feel like you're imposing an annoyance by quizzing servers and/or kitchens on each and every ingredient, it is a much better feeling than clutching your stomach and wondering where oh where did that allergen sneak in.

We are lucky to live in a time and place where food allergy awareness is a crucial point in most kitchens. And, if it's not, we can take our money and walk out the door.

[danfishe]

Unfortunately us Asian folks happen to love the soy sauce, and most places do use the stuff with wheat in it. Obviously very few of us take the Washington Times very seriously, but there were a few helpful sounding recipes in an article they did about celiac disease. Strangely aside from a few blog posts by Kim O'Donnel they haven't done any celiac, gluten-free posts. Hmm... funny that it seems like Washington Times' food section is more progressive.

Not clear why you would make assumptions about people's political leanings on a food board...is good food "progressive" and bad food "reactionary"?

[synaesthesia]

Not clear why you would make assumptions about people's political leanings on a food board...is good food "progressive" and bad food "reactionary"?

did not notice this before. Perhaps you misunderstood me. It has nothing to do with good food being politically progressive. I meant progressive as in "in style" or "fashionable." And as to my comment about the Washington Times, my feelings have nothing to do with its political leanings. I just have friends in the media who do not take the publication very seriously.

[Ilaine]

Gluten-free, lactose-free, sucrose free recipes.

Not entirely sure about "lactose-free" as some use dry curd cottage cheese or dripped yogurt, which would make them at least low on whey. Whey is not my friend, just a gluten is not my friend.

Haven't made any of them yet but I am intrigued by the use of ground nuts instead of flour for baked goods. They look good.

In the meantime, I can confirm that pecan meal does make a nice pie crust, and brown rice flour will make a decent roux.

And I continue to lose weight, primarily belly fat (although the chest went first ).

[Joe Riley]

For what it's worth, I understand that Cirrus vodka, because it's made from potatoes not wheat or rye, is gluten-free. You can contact them and inquire.

Perhaps all potato vodkas are gluten-free, but Cirrus is less-expensive than most, and very high quality IMHO.

[Ilaine]

Cirrus is indeed tasty, and has added cachet of being manufactured in Virginia -- at least for us Virginia residents that's cachet .

Luksusowa is also potato vodka, made in Poland, and much less expensive. Blander than Cirrus, but very pure tasting.

[Joe Riley]

Cirrus is indeed tasty, and has added cachet of being manufactured in Virginia -- at least for us Virginia residents that's cachet .

Luksusowa is also potato vodka, made in Poland, and much less expensive. Blander than Cirrus, but very pure tasting.

Oh, sure, Luksusowa is the least-expensive one that I've seen, but I was comparing Cirrus to the likes of Chopin, Christiania and Cold Creek. Cirrus is MUCH less expensive than those others.

[synaesthesia]

According to a press release I received Cafe Trope has a dedicated gluten-free menu because the chef's niece is lactose-intolerant and he realized he needed to take care of ppl with certain requirements. Nice.

[Bakerman]

In about a week or two The Grape and Bean in Old Town will be offering a gluten free bread. I know there is no good source for it and they have had a lot of demand for it so.... check with them soon.

[Ilaine]

In about a week or two The Grape and Bean in Old Town will be offering a gluten free bread. I know there is no good source for it and they have had a lot of demand for it so.... check with them soon.

Great Harvest Bread will make gluten free bread if you special order it. I am sure that they don't make it on premises where zero gluten is on the equipment, so not for people who can't touch a molecule of gluten.

Never tried it. I just gave up on bread completely, at least for now. Their other breads are pretty good.

[nashman1975]

All

Looking for cakes or cupcakes that are made in the area that are gluten-free. Any ideas? NOVA or DC is preferable.

Thanks

Nashman

[Pat]

All

Looking for cakes or cupcakes that are made in the area that are gluten-free. Any ideas? NOVA or DC is preferable.

Thanks

Nashman

Sticky Fingers bakery says they have some gluten free products; however, we are not a nut- and wheat-free facility, so trace amounts of these ingredients may be present.

[Anna Phor]

Hello Cupcake at Dupont Circle has a gluten-free selection. I have a good friend who is allergic to gluten and she speaks highly of them.

[nashman1975]

Thanks all. Ended up at Hello Cupcake. They have one selection a day.

[ScotteeM]

I ventured out to Harris-Teeter in Annandale this past weekend, where I found Betty Crocker's new GF mixes: chocolate chip cookie, brownie, yellow cake and chocolate cake. I tried the cookie mix, and while it was a lot sweeter than I expected, it was tasty and even my non-gluten-sensitive spouse and friends liked them. It makes more of a crisp cookie, which is fine with me.

I've also found recipes on line for flourless peanutbutter cookies, but haven't tried those yet. I'm not much of a baker and I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but it's nice to have cookies or brownies occasionally.

[goodeats]

I've also found recipes on line for flourless peanutbutter cookies, but haven't tried those yet. I'm not much of a baker and I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but it's nice to have cookies or brownies occasionally.

I recently tried a box of the Cherrybrook Kitchen brownie mix, purchased at WF. It was fudgey and nice, a bit sweet and gluten-free. I also had fun reading through Babycakes, the gluten-free cookbook that received a lot of media attention, since many celebrities visit her bakery in NYC. I have not tried any of her recipes, but they seem pretty sound. It might be available at your library, which is how I browsed through it.