Recipes

Heal Your Gut

Celiac Disease (CD) is not curable, but it is manageable by eating a strict gluten free diet.  That may not be enough.

Many suffering from CD still feel ill even after being faithful to a gluten free diet.  Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease which causes your body to attack and destroy the microvilli and villi in your small intestines.  These are key to the absorption of nutrients from food and are also where many enzymes used in digestion are made.  When these are destroyed, the ability to absorb nutrients decreases and can lead to malnutrition.

This is not all that happens in a damaged intestine.  Gluten can cause the tight junctions, spaces between cells lining the intestines, to be damaged or destroyed allowing larger molecules such as proteins and even microorganisms to pass into the blood stream.

Under normal circumstances, the intestinal wall only permits small particles to pass through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream. When these larger molecules make it through into the blood stream our bodies do not recognize these  larger molecules and an autoimmune response begins.  It is these autoimmune responses that may be the cause of you still feeling ill.  What needs to happen to feel well again, is to heal the gut.

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“Add What You Like” Turkey Burgers

Yummy turkey burgers! Healthy AND delicious!

Being sick at a young age and having to go to numerous doctors has made me more aware of my body. I know when I feel great and I know when something’s “off”. When I realized food was the culprit of my illness I was persistent until we got answers. There were times I wanted to back down and settle because I was tired of fighting, but thank god I didn’t.

Although I have an amazing team of doctors supporting me, I have learned I’m my own body’s expert. I know what foods make my stomach hurt and I know what Read More »

Four Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Snack Recipes

Everyone knows home cooked foods are better for you than processed, but who has the time???

Here are four quick and easy snack recipes to enjoy this weekend!

Gluten Free Rice Crispie Square Recipe

Gluten-free rice crispie squares are fast, easy and oh, so familiar- a gluten-free kid’s favorite recipe.

Make a batch to take along to sporting events, for sleep-overs or pack a bag for road trips.

Total Time: 10 minutes Read More »

Gluten Free Crab Cake Recipe

gluten free crab cakes

Gluten Free Crab Cakes © 2011 Teri Lee Gruss

Gluten-free crab cakes are delicious and easy to make using ready-made gluten-free crackers. Make large crab cakes as an entree or mini-crab cakes for out-of-the-ordinary appetizers.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 large crab cakes / 18 small

Ingredients: Read More »

Cooking with Coconut Oil – Includes Bonus Sweet Surprise Cherry Pie Recipe

gluten free coconut oilI first became introduced to coconut oil when I purchased the BabycakesNYC cookbook. Not only does coconut have a great flavor, but it’s a great substitute to make egg-free french toast and easily substitutes in exchange for canola oil when baking.

While I am no nutrition expert, I’m a nutrition guru, who loves to learn about the health benefits of different foods.  After all, you are what you eat, right?

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Gluten-free Homemade Ranch Dip or Dressing Recipe

Copyright (c) 2011 Amy Fothergill

I was sitting at the table, reviewing one of my recipes which had not been tested yet for my cookbook. Ranch dressing is one of those items you would assume would be gluten-free until you look at the label. Then you also might see all of the other ingredients that aren’t so appealing.

My kids are big fans of ranch dressing so I thought, why not try it right now?  I normally don’t make everything from scratch but I was curious to see if it was worth it to make my own.

Assuming you have the ingredients in your kitchen (which I usually do), this can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes. It’s always better if it sets but if you can’t wait, don’t worry, it’s still great.

When I made it, I called the kids over for a taste test. They grabbed some carrots from the fridge and dug in. My son then announced Read More »

3 Reasons Being Gluten-Free is NOT The End of the World

So you’re diagnosed with Celiac Disease or a Gluten Sensitivity and you’re all like, “It’s the end of the world,” and you proceed to rant about how a life without gluten is not a life worth living. Even though you might want to listen to R.E.M. on repeat and binge over your last plate of fried chicken wings, you just need to get over it.

This all might sound a bit harsh to the newbie, but you need to cope, and once you do, you’re going to realize that eating gluten-free is quite possibly the best thing that could have happened to you. Here are three reasons why eating gluten-free doesn’t ruin your life:ryan-gosling-e1362972367527-224x300

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Gluten Free Gnocchi Recipe

Recipes shouldn’t just be a list of ingredients with obscure directions. A recipe needs to teach the recipient how to recreate the dish the writer has made.

Gnocchi can be intimidating to many people but with a good set of instructions and the consistency of dough, you’ll want to make it all of the time.

Although the base for gnocchi (pronounced nywak-ee) is potato, regular all-purpose flour is usually also added. When eating gluten free, you may feel like you’ll never be able to enjoy these tender dumplings again. But, there is hope. Read More »

Gluten-Free Hamburger Bun Recipe with Hot Dog Bun Tips

gluten free hamburger bun recipe

Gluten-Free Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns Photo 2010 © Teri Lee Gruss

Tired of eating juicy grilled burgers on a heavy, dry, flavorless gluten-free buns? This gluten-free hand-shaped bun recipe makes soft, yeasty authentic looking hamburger buns. It’s adapted from a recipe by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt which appears in their cookbook 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Makes 6 Buns Read More »