It is the right of every person to be able to enjoy cookies at holiday-time, no matter the holiday. Even Celiacs and people following a gluten free diet should be able to have yummy treats to celebrate the holidays. Jules Shepard, from Jules Gluten Free Flour Mix, has once again come up with a GF recipe that really, truly is just as good (if not better) than the “regular” (with gluten) recipe. Bake up a batch and offer them to your favorite little kid. I assure you, they will be a hit. (But make sure to save some for yourself!)

Jules’ Holiday Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1⁄4 cup shortening (e.g. Earth Balance® or
Spectrum® Palm Oil Shortening)
1⁄4 cup canola oil
2⁄3 cup granulated cane sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract
1 3⁄4 cup Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour
1⁄2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. water (as needed)
food coloring (optional)
colored sugar or frosting (optional)

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In the world of gluten free flours, there are so many choices that it can be hard to choose which one is best for you and your family. You could literally use a different flour for each recipe and achieve different results every time. After studying the nutritional benefits of a lot of the products out there, I came to the conclusion that to replace the benefits of whole wheat you need to use a whole grain of another kind.

Sorghum, Buckwheat and Quinoa are all good substitutes. They offer the high fiber and protein that our bodies need. Sometimes, depending on the recipe, these flours offer the nutrition at the expense of flavor and texture.

Thanks to Tropical Traditions, I have discovered a new flour that offers the fiber and protein needed, without sacrificing taste. I discovered by trying Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour that it added a whole new flavor dimension and texture to my recipes. It isn’t a whole grain, but it is a whole food, which means that the nutritional standards are still met. Read More »

It is that time of year. The time to bake and get ready for the upcoming holiday season. There are many places to get gluten-free baking products in Columbus, however, some are less expensive than the others.

Most successful gluten-free baking is done with a combination of flours instead of just 1 type of flour. There are many pre-mixed all-purpose gluten-free flour mixes out there, or you can mix your own.

Wal-mart on 23 (Lewis Center) has a nice selection of Bob’s Red Mill flours, including sorghum, as staple in many gluten-free flour mixes. Wal-mart also carries Ener-G flours (rice, tapioca & potato) for under $4. Read More »

General Mills has jumped on the gluten-free band wagon expanding their gluten-free product lines. Just this past year, they provided the community with Betty Crocker cake mixes, Chex cereals and even Halloween candies that were clearly labeled “gluten free” on the box.

Turtle Brownie made with Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mix

Gluten Free Product List

You can see the entire list of gluten-free products offered by General Mills at their new website www.liveglutenfreely.com. Read More »

This just in from CSA Chapter #9 – Voorhees NJ. College Inn is recalling College Inn No MSG Chicken Broth.

From the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm193165.htm

December 4, 2009 – PITTSBURGH – As a precautionary measure, due to mislabeling, College Inn is initiating a voluntary recall of College Inn® No MSG Chicken Broth sold in individual 14 ½ oz cans.

All other sizes and varieties of College Inn® Chicken Broth are correctly labeled and therefore are not affected by this voluntary recall. Read More »

Have you traveled somewhere recently and found great options for gluten free eating? Was it a restaurant, hotel or maybe a bakery? Well, if you have, please submit that location so others will know about it as well.

GlutenFreeTravelSite.com is hosting its second annual contest to find the “World’s Most Celiac-Friendly Destination.” The geographic location that receives the most review submissions on their site by December 31 will be declared the winner. (Last year it was New York; could it be San Francisco this year?!!.) Read More »

There is something magical about combining the taste of a favorite holiday candy with an already perfect dessert. Try this combination of brownies with York Peppermint Patties for the holiday season.

To prepare the brownies, use your favorite brownie mix or try my very easy Cocoa Brownie Recipe. This works well with Bob’s Red Mill Brownie Mix.

Prepare the batter as directed on the package and add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the mix. Read More »

Catholic Potatoes are these amazingly cheesy & creamy potatoes that my Grandmother has been serving for years. The recipe is super simple to prepare in advance & is sure to please any crowd.

Ingredients:

5 lbs potatoes8 oz pkg. light cream cheese, softened

8 oz container light sour cream

1/4 cup butter, melted

8 oz. shredded 2% cheddar cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup skim milk

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Everyone is eating organic these days, and Pizza Fusion is no exception. Pizza Fusion was created in 2006 by Michael Gordon and Vaughan Lazar with the intention of delivering fresh, delicious pizzas made with all natural ingredients. The end result? Delicious pizza, salads, and wraps that taste great and are good for you. Read More »

We are very lucky to have Dr. Cynthia Rudert, MD practicing in Atlanta. She is the only nationally recognized celiac specialist in the Southeast.

Recently I was fortunate enough to interview the very busy Dr. Rudert about celiac and her thoughtful answers were so informative that the interview will be posted in several parts. Unlike many doctors I’ve encountered, Dr. Rudert is always learning as much as she can about celiac so can help her many patients with the condition, as well as those with severe gluten-intolerance. I boldfaced some of the most crucial comments in Dr. Rudert’s reply below.

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Dr. Rudert, you have been treating people with celiac for many years now, but it seems that many doctors still think the condition is rare. Since we now know the condition affects almost 1 out of every 100 Americans, it is far from rare. What do you consider the main problem is, in getting the word out to the medical community about this greatly under diagnosed disease?

“Celiac Disease is the most common autoimmune illness of humankind. If one were to take all the patients with Crohn’s Disease and all the patients with Ulcerative Colitis and add in all those with Cystic Fibrosis and then triple the numbers that would be equal to the number of individuals with Celiac Disease. For my Math friends: 3X (Crohn’s +Ulcerative Colitis +Cystic Fibrosis ) = Celiac Disease. Approximately 98% of those with Celiac are not diagnosed or misdiagnosed. Read More »