Several weeks ago, as we were searching for a good resource to help us with our celiac challenges, we found an amazing cookbook,
Life Tastes Good Again, by Kirsti Kirkland and Betsy Thomas. We couldn’t get over how thorough and truly helpful the book was. AND, we couldn’t get over how wonderful the recipes were (the food actually tastes GOOD!). So we shared the book with Dan and all the Cook’n family, and it was unanimous, this book needed to be the next Cook’n CD!
Thus we thought we’d give you a little sneak peak at this new Cook’n CD—some of the authors’ advice on how to get started eating gluten free, and a couple of their superb recipes:
“In the United States, the words ‘You’ve got Celiac’ usually come years after the appearance of symptoms. But getting a diagnosis of celiac is just the first step…There is no medication…that will alleviate the problem, no corrective surgery that will stop the body’s autoimmune response. The only prescription…a gluten-free diet…SO…What do I do now?
“Be aware that you will go through the grief process... a perfectly natural process and the way we all deal with bad news…make friends with someone who is successfully living life gluten free. They will understand what you are going through and help you see that life exists after Twinkies!
“Make a list of all the things you CAN eat... When you [focus] on all the things you
can eat, your whole perspective changes. [The authors include a list to help get us started, which was a godsend for us.]... Your list of Allowed Foods is almost certain to include some of the things you eat regularly…[They were right, and this was comforting.]
“Decide to cook. [While the fast-food routine is fairly over], that’s okay! Look at this as an opportunity to start feeding yourself (and your family) the healthier, fruit and vegetable-filled diet you’ve always dreamed [and have been talking about doing for some time now]... it’s also a chance to learn a new skill. Cooking is an art form that has fallen out of fashion in many circles. But when your 3-year-old looks at you and says, ‘This is delicious! You’re a great cook!’, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that going through a drive-thru could never match.
“Find a friend to bake with... and be sure to leave plenty of time for trial and error. There’s nothing worse than making your own gluten-free birthday cake, only to have it explode or collapse on you 30 minutes before party time…with a buddy at least you’ve got someone to laugh with [if things do go wrong].
“Buy some gluten free baking supplies... non-wheat flours have differing amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fivers, etc., [so] a mixture of different gluten free flours and starches works best to replace wheat flour in recipes. You
could use plain white rice flour, but we don’t think you’d usually be happy with the result! The basic ingredients you’ll need are:
white rice flour
potato flour
tapioca starch/flour
corn starch
potato starch
xanthan gum
“Choose a gluten free recipe and make it!... start with something easy like Migas or Taco Soup. [As you gain experience] choose something you’ve been missing (like our Soft Batch Cookies or Chocolate Cake). Or [try] to make our White Sandwich Bread recipe, which can fill many different food needs (bread, toast, pizza crust, stuffing, sandwiches, hamburger buns, French toast, etc.).
[And of course,] “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!
Finally, “Share with someone else. Once you’ve learned your way around gluten free foods, help someone else. If you see someone wandering forlornly around the gluten-free section of your health food store, start a conversation. Pass on some of the things you have learned that have made your [gluten-free] life easier. [Sharing these insights helps you see] how far you’ve come!”
We want to publicly thank Kirsti and Betsy for sharing with us, and are so excited for all our celiac readers…life really WILL taste good again, thanks to this wonderful upcoming CD. Now for a couple recipes:
Migas
Serves 2
4 eggs, beaten
2 corn tortillas
2-4 Tbsp oil
¼ C cooked bacon or chopped ham
¼ C shredded cheese
salt and pepper
Crumble bacon and set aside. Cut tortillas into 1 inch pieces. In medium skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add tortilla pieces and fry until crisp. Add eggs, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until eggs are done. Remove from heat. Add meat and cheese. [We found the addition of diced tomato, green pepper, chopped green onion was really yummy as well!]
Download this recipe.
Gluten-Free Cereal (Granola)
3 C brown rice puffs
3 C white rice puffs
½ C slivered almonds
1 C sunflower seeds
2-3 C Gluten-Free puffed corn (unsweetened)
1 ½ C sweetened coconut
raisins (or other dried fruit)
¼ C oil
½ C honey
¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 225°. Mix rice puffs, almonds, sunflower seeds, puffed corn, and coconut together in a roaster pan. On stove, melt honey, oil, and cinnamon together just until it boils. Pour on top of the dry mix. Mix well. Bake in oven 2 ½ hours—stirring every 30-40 min. Add raisins.
Let cereal sit out overnight to finish the drying process. Store in plastic bags [or airtight container]. Use as cereal or anytime snacks.
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