Gluten free

Thanksgiving can be the most depressing holiday for a celiac. It’s a whole day that centers around food. And no one wants to feel left out of the festivities. Part of being a celiac isn’t just the food, it’s the psychology of standing out in a crowd. I’ve found that I hate being pegged with the “special meal.” I want to fit in and eat the same food as everyone else. Thus, the most comforting thing for me is being invited to the home of someone who is aware of the simple steps that can be taken to make a gluten-free Thanksgiving that’s delicious for everyone.

It’s not necessarily about making gluten-free alternatives of “regular” food. It’s about finding regular food that happens to be gluten-free. You don’t need to spend a fortune at a specialty grocery store; most of Read More »

We discovered during the past year that my 4-year-old son Ronin and my 21-month-old daughter Ellie are both gluten and dairy intolerant. My husband John is gluten-free too. The good news is that changing Ronin’s diet has helped his anxiety-related sleep issues decrease immensely. He used to have night terrors every night, but now only has them on the rare occasions we miss cutting out the gluten.

Since John has been gluten free for a while, I came up with this stuffing recipe a few years ago for Thanksgiving. And its always been a huge hit. This year I’ve modified it to also remove the dairy for the kiddos.

It. is. SO. Yum. If I do say so myself!

MANGO CASHEW CORNBREAD STUFFING (Modified Gluten & Dairy Free)

Read More »

I loved the idea of gifting my homemade cake stands to friends and families for the holidays. (Thanks everyone!)

Thing is – you can’t really give a cake stand to someone without having treats on it, especially if they know that you love to bake.

So I tried to figure out what seasonal recipe I could make for the stands that I could prepare ahead of time, freeze, would appeal to everyone I know (gluten-free, vegan, egg allergies, potato allergies etc), and will stay on the stand with little concern of things breaking.

Tall order, right? Read More »

It’s about that time of year! I always get so many questions from clients about which brands of what are safe, and so for the past 5 years I’ve put it all together to save you all the work!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving,

Cheryl

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This list was last updated on Nov 3rd, 2011. Please let me know if there are any broken links!

General turkey tips:

• Fresh, plain turkeys that are not stuffed are naturally gluten free
• All regular stuffed turkeys contain gluten, even if you don’t eat the Read More »

Earlier this year this Examiner put together a wish list of gluten-free products we would like to see hit grocery store shelves. Some of the items have been developed and will come out at the end of this year, or early next year.  There are also some items this Examiner didn’t have on her list that have been introduced and some items we are still waiting on.

It seems only appropriate as we are drawing to the end of 2011 to recap some of the first-to-market gluten-free products that have hit or are about to hit store shelves this year.

Here are some of my wish list products that are set to hit store shelves: Read More »

Gluten Free Works brings you everything you need to have a happy and gluten-free safe Halloween! Whether you are planning a Halloween party, want to make gluten-free goodies for the kids or need to know which candies are really gluten-free, this issue of the Gluten Free Gazette has you covered!

Click here to see our Halloween Gazette. If you missed the e-mail on Wednesday, be sure to sign up here. Our Thanksgiving and Holiday issues will be spectacular!

Spooky gluten-free fun!

For me, the hardest time of the year to have food issues is when holidays arrive. It seems that around every corner, I’m reminded of the things I can’t eat that everyone else around me can.

My personal goal is to make holidays and holiday parties more about friends and experiences than about food. One of the many reasons I like Halloween is that there are fewer expectations. Your party can be anything you want it to be. There are many fun suggestions online for various party themes. You can find ideas by typing “Halloween Party Themes” into Google. By keeping in mind your audience, you will be able to find something that works for you. Themes involve decorations, the costumes your guests wear, and the games you play. And yes, it even involves the food you serve.

Decorations can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. I’m not into elaborate decorations myself, and so I find many simple ideas involving real pumpkins very nice. Many appealing (and pretty minimalistic), ideas can be found on Martha Stewart’s website, for example. Halloween decorations are fun because not only do they not have to be perfect, but they shouldn’t be! Spiders, ghosts, pumpkins, zombies, vampires, tombs, blood, witches, all scream Read More »

 
When I heard that Gluten Free Works were encouraging bloggers to contribute recipes for Halloween/Fall it set me to thinking about some apples that I needed to use up.  They had been given to me by a fellow gluten free friend on a recent visit and I wanted to do something with them other than make crumble.

The best kind of gift

 

I have an apple cake recipe that I always use but I wanted to try making smaller cakes, spiced with the flavours that invoke thoughts of Christmas/Thanksgiving and the warm flavours that we love to wrap ourselves in as the weather turns colder.

I have only recently discovered that my pressure cooker is the best thing to use when Read More »

Gluten Free Halloween Table

Maybe you are the host and you are getting ready for a ghoulish party. If you need to plan it around one or more gluten-free eaters, you might need some ideas beyond hummus and rice crackers or tortilla chips with guacamole.

Gluten free pumpkin muffin with pumpkin cream cheese frosting

When you are doing your planning, think about the items that you can’t eat when you are gluten-free: bread, crackers, pretzels, pizza, cookies, cakes and cupcakes, doughnuts. Today, there are many options for all of these items. Of course, if you are the one hosting, you will have much more control. That’s my plan this year; delegation! And, even if you aren’t gluten-free, you can use the ideas below to plan your own party.

If you are the host and not the one with the sensitivity, make sure you understand the needs of your guests. Someone with Celiac disease looks at gluten as seriously as someone with a peanut allergy. Gluten can be in ketchup and bbq sauce and is almost always in Read More »