Well the countdown begins…to Christmas & The New Year that is!! Is it me or did 2009 go by in a blink of an eye? WOW did this year go by fast! 

To help with the frenzy of the holidays I thought I’d start a series of posts to relieve stress, enjoy the season and step in to 2010 ready to go!

So to start…I’m helping out my fellow wheat & gluten free sisters & brothers.  I’m allergic to wheat so from Thanksgiving on …eating during the holidays is a challenge. No, bread, pies, stuffing, cookies, green bean casserole …basically nothing good!

 For those of you who aren’t familiar with wheat free or g-free eating…Wheat is in everything! Toothpaste, some dips, beer, canned soups, most liquor (rum is your friend), detergents, shampoos, mascara, etc. Read the labels, you’d be surprised…

Gluten is an elastic protein which is in wheat, rye, barley & oats. So if you are on a g-free diet adjust your recipes to remove all of these grains. Thankfully, I only have to be concerned with the wheat.

By removing wheat you are also removing the wheat gluten or binding agent for your recipes. So you must add “glue” to hold the recipe together. That is where Xantan Gum comes in. (Pronounced Zanthun Gum)  It replaces the “glue” power from the missing gluten.

After much trial and error with rice, tapioca, potato flour & specialized recipes…I have come to a solution that is the more cost effective than having several specialized ingredients AND most importantly….actually tastes good too!

My Secret???

Use your family’s recipes, your favorite recipes or one’s you find in magazines. It’s ok! Just use the following substitution…

For regular Flour use the same amount of Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose, Gluten Free Flour.  So in place of 1 Cup of Flour use 1 Cup of Bob’s Red Mill. TIP: Sift the flour through a strainer to prevent clumps in your recipes.

Then add Xanthan Gum as follows:

1 teaspoon for cakes

2 teaspoons for breads or pizza

1 teaspoon or none for most cookies (so far most all my cookies need at least 1 tsp.)

 The above substitution works for replacing regular all purpose flour or whole wheat flour in recipes. I haven’t had it work too well in recipes calling for cake flour….still working that one out. So stay tuned.

 You can find Bob’s Red Mill in the specialty aisle of Kroger, Tom Thumb & Safeway. Sprouts & Whole Foods are also great options.  Click here for details on Bob’s Red Mill Flour & to order online

 

 

 

 

Typically you’ll find Xanthan Gum next to Bob’s Red Mill Flour in the stores. Click Here for details

 

 

 

The only catch is that the flour is more expensive than regular flour and the Xanthan Gum is pricey too. However, this substitution is far less expensive than having to use multiple special ingredients. Especially when cooking for family & large groups. Now you can cook for yourself, share & no one will know the difference!!  Bob’s Red Mill flour is the perfect blend of a variety of flours that I cannot seem to duplicate. You may notice a nuttier flavor to your recipes but good luck really detecting it.  

For thickening gravies, use corn starch instead of flour. You can also add Bob’s Red Mill flour to gravies for taste.

ATTENTION Bob’s Red Mill: If you’re reading this…THANK YOU for FINALLY offering your flour in a double sized bag!! WHOHOO!

So off I go to make my holiday cookies…sugar cookies…Reese’s Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies  & Butter Cookies!!  And my new favorite no flour recipes…Monster Cookies & Lace Cookies! YUMMY!

If you need more tips, feel free to contact me as I LOVE TO HELP!! Not being able to eat wheat shouldn’t keep you from participating in the holiday fun with friends & family!  So read your labels when you cook & enjoy your favorite holiday recipes!

Stay tuned for Part II of my Stress Free Holiday Blog Series!!

Laura Morlando ~ The Stress Commando