This is the second in a series on “So you have to go gluten free.”  See the first post here.  I’m sorry these posts don’t include any photographs.  The weather is dreary so my house is dark.

Today we’re going to focus on packaged and convenience foods.

As I mentioned before, the newly diagnosed person will go into the grocery for the first time and break down in tears.  It happened to me.  It happened to my neighbor.  It will happen to you.  Knowing that the grab and go things you once were able to… well, grab and go, are no longer edible.  Reading labels is now commonplace.  If you are prepared before that first shopping trip it will go better.

Many of the major grocery stores have a dedicated gluten free section.  I appreciate that.  There is a local store that has their gluten free foods integrated into the rest of the store.  I find that very frustrating.  There is nothing worse than wanting to eat a simple cracker and heading to the cracker aisle only to stare at the same box of crackers knowing that this is the only one you can eat.  Those kinds of things frustrate me to this day.

Anything that contains wheat, rye or barley is a no.  Sometimes manufacturers will label products “gluten-free” when in fact they were manufactured in a facility that uses gluten containing ingredients.  I am lucky.  I don’t believe I have actual celiac disease.  I believe I’m only extremely gluten intolerant.  We still use wheat flour in our home (for the non GF members).  We don’t have a dedicated toaster or grill.  We try to wash cooking tools between gluten and gluten-free cooking.

First know the list of ingredients that are the hidden gluten dangers.  Celiac.com has a complete list of hidden gluten containing ingredients.  A large part of the list is stuff you wouldn’t have to worry about if you simply avoid most processed food.  If it comes in a box or a can (with the exception of dedicated gluten free items) it probably isn’t safe to eat.  Ignore that section of the grocery all together.  I’ve developed blinders in that respect.

Over the years I have eaten my fair share of really crappy gluten free foods.  I’m fairly certain I’ve tried every product the gluten free section of my grocery has to offer.  I’ve found things that wouldn’t even qualify as food.  I’ve been your guinea pig so you can have a decent meal.  You’re welcome.  Here are my favorites.

Bread – Canyon Bakehouse bread is my absolute favorite for sandwich bread.  A turkey sandwich is my desert island food so I know a good sandwich bread when I taste one.  Sadly, Canyon isn’t sold in many markets.  They are supposedly carrying it in my local food co-op, but at last look it wasn’t in yet.  Since I have to order it online (and I hate ordering food online) I have to settle for a lesser bread.  The bread I purchase on a weekly basis is Udi’s.  Those who have never tried Canyon Bakehouse will tell you that Udi’s is the best gluten free sandwich bread out there.  That’s fine.  It’s acceptable.  It’s better if you toast it first.

Hamburger and Hot Dog buns – see the above paragraph.  Summer is upon us so we’ll be grilling out more.  We buy Udi’s buns because they are available.  Kinnikinnick makes a suitable “english muffin” that works as a hamburger bun in a pinch.  Kinnikinnick buns are what you’ll find at Disneyland when you order a burger.

Tortillas – go with corn.  I’m not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but I eat them because I have to.  I’ve yet to find a store purchased gluten free flour tortilla that is worth my time.  Most are made with a strange rice combination that makes them crack apart when you try to roll them up.  That is not a flour tortilla.  I make my flour tortillas from scratch (I’ll provide the recipe later this week).

Crackers – Mary’s Gone Crackers are my favorite.  They have a strange flavor that takes a few days to get used to.  Once you get there you won’t miss your wheat thins.  There are other crackers on the market.  Stay away from the Glutino crackers.  They are mostly tasteless.  That being said, Glutino makes a really good pretzel.

Pasta – Pasta has to be one of the most frustrating ones.  There are so many gluten free pastas on the market.  Most of them cook up to taste like glue.  We use Ancient Harvest Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) pasta.  I make fettucini and linguine by hand, but for shaped pasta this is my go-to brand.  I really can’t tell the difference.

Pizza Crust – This is a tough one.  Our family has pizza night every Friday.  Before my diet change I was a pizza fiend.  I made some of the best pizza around.  In fact, I had just gotten Peter Reinhardt’s American Pie book.  Now it sits on the shelf looking at me with sad face.  I’ve yet to find a gluten free pizza recipe that rivals my Neapolitan style pizza crust.  For the time being we use Bob’s Redmill pizza crust mix.  There is a better mix out there, but I can’t remember the company name and it is difficult to find on the internet so I’m not going to mention it.  Bob’s pizza freezes well, makes a decent sized pie and has actual flavor.

Cake mix & Brownie mix – There are hundreds of recipes out there for gluten free cake.  It requires mixing a bunch of flours together and results in a cake that isn’t the best.  Enter Betty Crocker.  Betty and Bob are my two best friends when it comes to gluten free baking.  Betty Crocker makes a cake mix that is outstanding.  For my son’s birthday I asked him if he wanted a cake or cupcakes for his party.  His response was, “I don’t care mom.  I just want you to be able to eat them.”  I used the Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix and made cup cakes.  At the party I served the cupcakes to the guests and after everyone was served I helped myself to a cupcake.  Everyone at the party was stunned.  All of my friends and family know I eat a gluten free diet.  They were shocked to know the cupcakes were gluten free.  They honestly couldn’t tell.  The same is true for the Betty Crocker brownie mix.  I’ve also tried the chocolate chip cookie mix and I don’t care for that one as much.

Tomorrow I’ll give you some of my foundation recipes.  I’ve relied on true gluten free bakers to get these right.  I spent too much time taste testing all of the packaged foods.  There was no time to come up with my own recipes.

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It should be noted that I do not have a huge allergy restricted diet.  I eat a gluten-free, dairy-free diet (with the exception of butter).  My dairy-free diet is complicated.  I understand that many people are allergic to eggs, soy, corn, nuts and other things.  I am not so I cannot speak to those allergies.  These posts are for those newly diagnosed with wheat/gluten intolerances.  I am not an expert.  Please consult your healthcare provider about the severity of your allergies.

I decided that I’m going to make a sympathy card where the front says, “So you have to go gluten free.”  Hey!  My cousin is a card designer for Hallmark.  I should totally pitch the idea to him.  Then it will be a great seller and my hipster cousin will totally be famous and then I’ll get sad because he’s famous and I totally thought of it.  On second thought I’d better not pitch it to him.  I’ll post it here and then the whole world can rightfully steal it from me.  Man I’m an idiot.

Last week a dear friend of mine (neighbor girl’s mom, which makes her neighbor mom?) went to the doctor.  The doctor told her that she wants her to try a gluten free diet for a month.  When I found out I laughed and secretly thought, karma’s a bitch.  Then I realized that was mean and karma really is a bitch and that will come back around and bite me in the ass.  You see, lots of people make fun of me because of my gluten free diet.  I can’t dine on KFC.  My once beloved sandwich is a big fat no.  People think it’s funny.  That is until they can’t eat gluten either.

When someone is first diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance the first trip into the grocery store, or even their own pantry, is utter panic.  Food that was once previously grab and go is now off limits.  My friend sat down in her food storage room and cried.  She has her “breakfast” at 1:30 in the morning because she leaves for work by 2:00 a.m.  Sunday morning all she could find in her home was peanut butter and celery.  I said, “well that’s a good snack.”  Her response was, “It wasn’t a snack.  It was a meal.”  I wept for her.  Last night I took her to the grocery store to do some shopping so she could eat.

I’ve spent the last 4 years trying to make gluten free eating taste good.  I’ve eaten my fair share of crappy gluten free foods.  I’ve been overwhelmed and disappointed.  I’ve stood in the grocery store and cried because I was so hungry and I couldn’t find anything to eat.

The first thing newly diagnosed GF* people face is what to eat.  Once they realize there are a few pre-made things available they have a severe case of sticker shock.  A decent loaf of gluten free bread can cost $4-5.  It’s a puny loaf that will net you 3-4 sandwiches.  A box of crackers, $5.  It’s robbery if you ask me.  When I first had to switch our pantry to gluten free I complained about the cost to my husband.  He said if it cost more money for me to feel better then it was worth it.  The price of my gluten free diet is now a part of our food budget.  I keep staples on hand and make a good amount of my food from scratch.

I hope to provide a little bit of insight for those who are newly diagnosed.  It isn’t the end of the world and it doesn’t have to break the bank.  I can’t solve all of your gluten free woes in one post.  I’m going to break it up.  However, I will start with your pantry.

The two biggest evils are “modified food starch” and “malt powder.”  These are hidden glutens in your food.  Look at the ingredients list of anything and you’ll find modified food starch.  Throw out anything that lists this ingredient, malt powder too (that includes most of your breakfast cereals).

Here are the must have gluten free flours to replace your all purpose wheat flour:

Superfine brown rice flour
Superfine white rice flour
tapioca starch
potato starch
potato flour
xanthan gum
pure powdered pectin
cornstarch
chickpea flour
sweet rice flour (michiko)
Bob’s Redmill All-purpose flour
Masa harina (corn tortilla flour)

The other flours that are nice to have on hand, but aren’t essential:

Garfava flour (a combo of garbanzo bean and fava bean)
Garbanzo Bean flour
Millet flour
Sorghum flour
Quinoa flour
Arrowroot flour
Almond meal (flour)
Buckwheat flour
Oat flour (gluten free of course)
Amaranth flour
Flaxseed meal

When starting out I suggest going out and purchasing the first list. Those are the most used flours out there. With that list you can create a great all purpose blend. I use Bob’s Redmill for many things, but if I have to roll it or shape it Nicole Hunn’s all-purpose blend is my go-to mix. There are other brands out there of all-purpose gluten free flour such as Better Batter, Cup4Cup, Jules and Tom Sawyer (none of which are available in my local grocery or any store in my town) but I would have to order all of those online, wait for the UPS guy to show up. By then my craving for pie would totally be gone. With the Shoestring blend I make 2 quick trips, 1 to the asian market and one to our natural food store. I can have pie same day.

I am aware that this is a huge list of flours.  Don’t worry.  Don’t purchase the non-essential list unless you run into a recipe that you absolutely must try and it calls for that flour.  Some of them are rather difficult to find and can be rather expensive.  Most everything you’ll make to start (or at least the one’s I’m going to tell you about) aren’t that ingredient heavy.

That’s my primer on flours.  There is so much more to gluten free eating that I think I might dedicate this week to my friend, neighbor mom, and share with you what I’ve been teaching her this week.

Don’t worry, you can still have brownies.  Everything is going to be ok.

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*GF- gluten free