You can still enjoy favorite foods
About a year ago there was a major shift in our household; after a year of testing, Johanne was diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. “How hard can that lifestyle change be?” we foolishly asked ourselves. We quickly discovered that gluten hides in the oddest places; bread is obvious, but cola? Possibly it’s not the soft drink itself but the caramel colouring that can be a factor; it’s usually made with corn but in some instances made with barley, and therein lies the problem.
We also found that there can be a huge prejudice when eating out. When asked if an option is gluten-free we are often asked if it is a celiac issue and when we say no we’re more often than not dismissed. I asked a waitress, who said she also has NCGS, why this is and she explained that a lot of people come in asking to have food items modified, which means kitchen staff has to stop and change gloves, cutting boards, utensils and so on. Kitchen staff will gladly do it to protect their clientele, she said, but often go through this process only to notice the guest trying a bite of their friend’s sandwich. Many people use gluten-free options as a supposed path to weight loss. It’s made things difficult for those who must rely on the safety measures that restaurants are happy to provide when it’s truly warranted.
Then there is the issue of flavour. There are really tasty gluten-free foods available but you need to look. We’ve discovered that the best gluten-free foods are made in small batches, by companies like Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet, which has its products available throughout NS. We have tried experimenting at home as well since Johanne loves to bake. We started by buying all the varieties of gluten-free flour, the xanthan gum, starches and copious amounts of other ingredients that many gluten-free recipes call for. We found it a bit overwhelming and we also found that many of the products tended to go rancid before we could use them all.
After months of trial and error, we came up with a blend that works really well for us. It consists of white rice flour, brown rice flour, corn starch, tapioca flour and oat flour. I make the oat flours myself by simply grinding gluten-free oats as I need them. I also keep a bag of commercial gluten-free flour on hand and it works quite well in a pinch!
The one thing that we quickly discovered is that recipes with gluten can never be exactly replicated. The elasticity of gluten simply isn’t found in any other flour substitute, and hoping for gluten-free bread that tastes like grandma’s sadly isn’t going to happen. Happily, there are lots of amazing flavours to be discovered if you look. We’ve always had dinner rolls on the table but now regularly make a delicious dense bread with almond flour, black olives and sundried tomatoes. It is far better than any dinner roll I’ve ever had but the recipe was found after trying many that were unsuccessful before discovering this one. After a while you develop a sense for what is going to work and what will probably yield mediocre results.
When you think of foods that contain gluten your mind automatically goes to breads and pastries, but other recipes, like our favorite tabbouleh, also created a problem because it contains bulgur (which is made of wheat). However, these recipes present less of a challenge as we simply substitute cooked quinoa for the bulgur with little to no difference in the end result. Sometimes reveling in the small victories gives you the strength to continue with the big challenges!