With the grain: secrets gluten-free cooking - Recipe

Wheat is known as the staff of life. But for people with wheat allergies and gluten intolerance, the golden grain is nothing but trouble.

Gluten, a combination of complex proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt and some other grains, is normally easy to digest. But, for people with gluten intolerance, or celiac sprue, the body perceives gluten as a foreign substance and responds with a full-blown immune response. Immediate symptoms of celiac disease include bloating, diarrhea, abdominal swelling and pain. Longer-term symptoms include gastrointestinal disturbances, skin disorders, weight loss, anemia, muscle pain, fatigue and behavior changes. Over time, untreated gluten intolerance can substantially increase the risk of serious disease: Some studies have shown that if a person with celiac disease continues to eat gluten, he or she will dramatically increase the chances of developing gastrointestinal cancer (New England Journal of Medicine, 1996; vol. 334).

The main treatment for celiac sprue is strict adherence to a completely gluten-free diet, which means avoiding grains that contains gluten--not as easy as it may sound. Canned soups and sauces, salad dressings, ice cream and some processed meats and cheeses may contain wheat-based thickeners, fillers and stabilizers. Even beer and certain medications can contain wheat derivatives.

If you're avoiding gluten because of celiac disease or are simply sensitive to wheat, take a look across the amber waves of grain to the many alternatives you can enjoy. Corn polenta with spinach and grated Asiago cheese is a great alternative to rice. And hot millet with dried cranberries, pecans and honey makes a tasty breakfast treat. Lentil pasta with chopped tomatoes, basil and black olives is a higher-protein substitute for wheat pasta. Whether you're truly sensitive to gluten or just wary of wheat, read on for a harvest of recipes and resources below.

Banana Cranberry-Walnut Bread *

Makes 1 loaf

1-1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas
      (about two medium bananas)
  3/4 cup brown sugar
    1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla
    2 eggs
1-1/2 cups rice flour
  3/4 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
  1/2 tsp. baking soda
  1/4 tsp. salt
  1/4 cup vegetable oil
  1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 [degrees]F. Spray loaf pan with non-fat
cooking spray. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine bananas, sugar
and vanilla. Using hand mixer, beat at medium
speed for 1 minute. Beat in eggs one at a time
until smooth and creamy.

In large bowl, combine rice flour, baking
powder, baking soda and salt. Add banana mixture
alternately with oil to dry ingredients, mixing
well at Iow speed. Fold in walnuts and cranberries.
Pour batter into prepared pans, and
bake at 350 [degrees]F for 50 to 60 minutes or until
tester inserted into loaf comes out clean. Cool
for 10 minutes before removing from pans.
Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits *

Makes 12 biscuits

  1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
  1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
  1 tsp. xanthan gum
  2 tsp. sugar
  3 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup very cold butter, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 425 [degrees]F. Lightly spray large baking
sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set
aside.

In small bowl, beat together egg and buttermilk.
In large bowl, combine sorghum flour, corn
meal, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking
powder, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to mix
well. Transfer mixture to food processor. Add butter,
and pulse briefly, until dough resembles
coarse meal. Add milk and egg mixture, and
pulse until soft dough is formed. Turn dough onto
lightly floured surface. Roll out 1/2 inch thick, and
cut 12 rounds with 2-1/2-inch cutter dipped in
flour; a drinking glass may be used to cut rounds.
Transfer to prepared baking sheet, and bake at
425 [degrees]F to 15 minutes, or until golden.
Transfer to a serving platter, and serve warm.
Butterscotch Pecan Brownies *

Makes 12 brownies

  1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
    2 eggs
    2 egg whites
    2 tsp. vanilla
  3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/3 cup gluten-free flour
  1/2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
  1/4 tsp. salt
  1/2 cup chopped pecans
  1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 325 [degrees]F. Spray 9 x 13 baking pan
with non-fat cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar.
Using hand mixer, beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and egg whites one at a time until
creamy. Beat in vanilla.

In separate bowl, combine cocoa powder,
flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to mix well. Add
wet ingredients to dry, stirring just until combined.
Fold in pecans and butterscotch chips. Transfer
batter to prepared pan, and bake at 325 [degrees]F for 25
to 30 minutes, or until tester inserted into center
comes out clean with moist crumbs attached.
Cool completely, and cut into 12 squares.
Chai-Spiced Gingerbread Men *

Makes 20 cookies

  1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 egg
  1/2 tsp. gluten-free molasses
    1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla
1-3/4 cups rice flour
  1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
  1/2 tsp. baking soda
  1/8 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
  1/8 tsp. cloves
  1/2 tsp. cardamom
  1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  3/4 tsp. ground ginger
  1/2 cup very cold butter, cut into chunks
  3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 [degrees]F. Spray large baking with
non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In small bowl, beat together brown sugar,
egg, molasses and vanilla. In large bowl, combine
rice flour, cream of tartar, baking soda,
salt, xanthan gum and spices. Transfer to food
processor. Add butter, pulsing briefly until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Transfer to large
bowl, and add sugar and egg mixture, stirring
until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Fold
in crystallized ginger. Form dough into large
ball and flatten slightly. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Dust wax paper with confectioner's sugar.
Place chilled dough onto freezer paper, and
sprinkle top with confectioner's sugar. Roll
dough to 1/4-inch thick, and cut into gingerbread
men. Bake at 3500 F for 12 minutes.
Remove from pan, and coot on a wire rack.

* Adapted with permission from the recipes page at www.celiac.com.

RELATED ARTICLE: Strictly speaking.

A strict gluten-free diet involves more than just avoiding bread, pasta, cookies and cake. Many foods--including hard liquor, soy products, ice cream and vinegar--may contain gluten or wheat derivatives. Artificial colors and flavors, baking powder and ground spices--even accepted grains like oats and buckwheat--can all be suspect, since they be processed with wheat and, thus, contaminated with gluten. "Safe" grains include: buckwheat, corn, rice, amaranth, quinoa and teff.

In general, if you're aiming for a gluten-free diet, avoid processed foods, stick to accepted gluten-free grains and focus on a whole foods diets made up of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, and nuts and seeds.

RELATED ARTICLE: News about ancient grains.

After years of hybridization, today's wheat just isn't the same grain our ancestors enjoyed. Over the decades, ambitious farmers found ways to hybridize wheat to make the crop more abundant, and easier to grow, harvest and contain. Increased gluten content allows cheaper production of commercial baked goods. So-called ancient grains have substantially less gluten, more protein and distinctive flavor. Two are ideal for even the strictest gluten-free diets:

QUINOA. Pronounced "keen-wa," this grain is gluten-free and protein-rich. The tiny, beadshaped disks have a delicate flavor that closely resembles couscous. Quinoa can be used in place of rice or millet in soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes and cereals--and it cooks in a fraction of the time. It can also be ground into flour for use in breads, crackers, cereals, pasta and chips. Because the uncooked grains are coated with saponins-- sticky, bitter-tasting compounds that act as a natural insect repellent-- quinoa must be rinsed thoroughly in cool water before cooking.

Use: Cook the whole grain, and add dried cherries, slivered almonds and a tittle honey, or stir in chopped fresh basil, minced sun-dried tomatoes and a line olive oil.

AMARANTH. Originating in South America and Central America, amaranth was a staple food for the 15th-century Aztec civilization in Mexico and was reportedly used in worship rituals. The tiny, bead-like amaranth grains have a hearty, nut-like flavor. They're ground into flour and used in place of wheat in breads, pasta, pancakes, cereals and cookies.

Use: Pop the grains like popcorn. Or boil the whole grains, and add maple syrup, vanilla and finely chopped pecans.

TEFF. In spite of its diminutive size--150 teff grains weigh as much as a kernel of wheat--this tiny grain has a distinctive flavor. Native to northern Africa, teff has been a staple of Ethiopian cooking for thousands of years. It is most notably used in injera, a traditional fermented bread with a spongy texture and yeasty taste.

Use: Add teff flour to gingerbread, or use it instead of wheat flour in pancakes. Cook the whole grain, and serve with sliced peaches and toasted almonds.

COPYRIGHT 2002 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group