Come to find out about it, going gluten free is even more complicated than we first thought. Take chicken broth, for instance …
Kevan Bryant of Emory’s on Silver Lake tells us, “I was reading your March 5 Forum about the Glutenfreeda chicken, chorizo and rice skillet recipe.
“At Emory’s on Silver Lake, we also have a gluten-free menu, so we pay very close attention to ingredients for these dishes. I noticed one ingredient in the Glutenfreeda recipe that raised a red flag for the gluten-intolerant group – chicken broth.
“A lot of off-the-supermarket-shelves chicken broths and chicken bases have wheat product in them. Therefore, they are not safe for this group of people to eat. I advise your readers to check the label of the broth or stock to make sure there are no wheat products in them. This is just a heads-up; we want to keep people healthy and safe.”
Concluding, Kevan says, “At Emory’s, we are fortunate enough to have a member of the gluten-intolerant group on our staff who helps a lot with the menu planning and ingredients that are safe.”
And our dear gluten-free gal, Gloria Barton of Monroe, also chimes in today.
“Please forgive my writing again,” she says, “but honestly, my 56-year-old daughter was anemic for 10 years before they figured this out – that she is allergic to wheat. She is improving at last, but she has to have rice for a hot cereal – nothing else in it – instead of her favorite oatmeal.
“I hope no one with celiac disease and gluten intolerance would ever use oatmeal. Maybe everyone already knows oatmeal is a no-no. Their dietician and doctor should have told them!
“Persons with celiac disease who must be gluten free cannot have many things. The list is long. Oats are easily recognized in cereal form, but will cause trouble when mixed in hidden form to lighten ground meats, so do not ever order meatloaf. Gluten is also found in caramel coloring, malto dextrin, barley, rye, bulgar, spelt, soy sauce, modified food starch, beer, graham flour and products made with graham flour, noodles and yogurt, to name a few. You have to read all labels on all ingredients.”
Gloria reminds us that, “I am not an expert, just a researcher of the whole subject, and have finally perfected a pie crust and coffee cakes to please my tea-drinking friends and celiac daughter.”
She recommends this recipe for:
Never-fail peanut butter cookies
1cup peanut butter
1cup brown or granulated sugar
1egg
Chocolate chips to taste
In mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, brown or granulated sugar and egg, mixing thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed and drop mixture from spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 8 minutes.
Note: Although most recipes for gluten-free baked goods must include xanthan gum, Gloria says this ingredient is not necessary when using peanut butter.
The next Forum will appear in Monday’s Time Out section.
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