Our neighbors have several members of their family that have Celiac Disease. I was wondering if any of you amazing moms out there have some meal ideas, recipes or even specialty cookbook suggestions that you could share with me, as I would like to be prepared when we have them over or when I watch their children. I have found several items that are gluten free, like various sausages, but even their mom admits to having a hard time coming up with things to serve-especially at lunch. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions! Our friends are fortunate in that they don't have an extreme sensitivity to things-so using our utensils and whatnot is not an issue. I have spoken with my friend about this and while she doesn't want to put anyone out, she is always thrilled when anyone in the neighborhood makes the effort to provide gluten-free options-especially as we all jump in for each other for last minute childcare help, and as we all know-last minute arrangements don't always allow for advanced snack and meal planning:) She was also quite excited when I mentioned that I could ask on here if anyone had any meal suggestions-so thank you all for taking the time to respond! You've been a great help!
http://www.101cookbooks.com/gluten_free_recipes/
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/gluten-free/
http://glutenfreemommy.com/
http://www.csaceliacs.org/recipes.php
Here are a few sites to help once you discover if contamination is an issue.
There is some wonderful almond flour out there that you can cook with...it is kind of expensive so I'm not sure you're going to want to buy it for the just in case meal but we make bread out of it all the time. A cook book I use is Everyday Grain Free Gourmet, there is another one by the same author that I don't have. Here is a recipe for a lasagne without pasta, it turned out quite good but I'd cook the sauce for a couple of hours to get most of the juice reduced.
Enjoy,
H.
VEGETABLE AND MEAT LASAGNE
1 pound ground beef
cheddar cheese, grated
Parmesan or Romano cheese or a mixture of both, grated
Zucchini Squash, peeled, sliced thin lenghwise, 1 large or 2 small
1/2 cup onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, press
3 grated carrots
20 ounces tomato juice, w/salt
1 fresh tomato, diced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Brown meat Add minced onion, garlic, carrots, tomato juice, tomato and seasonings. Let this cook 'till all vegetables are cooked and the sauce is at the consistency you wouldlike. Put a little sauce on the bottom of pan and then layer squash, sauceand cheese. Then repeat ending with cheese. 2 layers. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
I have Celiac and it is easier if you stick to the meat, potato, vegetable meals example: chicken. baked potato, corn on the cob. For lunch you can use corn taco shells with veggies and cheese. Check the shells first but most of them I have come across are gluten free. I also use hummus with corn chips, carrots, celery, etc. Fruit and Yoplait yogurt (they label their yogurt gluten free) you can also add Chex cereral. I have made mac and cheeseand spaghetti with Quinoa pasta. Rice cakes with peanut butter and bananas,strawberry jam and strawberries etc.. If you are unsure about a product check their websites. Usually you can find it under allergens. As for a great dessert make the Hershey brownies recipe you can find on their website with one of Bob Mills gluten free flour. There are many recipes on the net but be sure to read labels also. You will be amazed everywhere you will find gluten. Be sure to talk to the family. I am sure they will not mind talking to you. It is very nice of you to consider their diet needs.
My friend's husband has celiac disease. There should be a lot of websites with gluten-free recipes.
For lunch they make sandwiches on gluten-free rice or corn cakes. They eat rice crackers and avocado, with tomatoes and fruit on the side.
Not sure if you have Trader Joe's where you are but they have a brochure on all of the products they sell that don't contain gluten. Also, Amy's Kitchen makes A LOT of gluten-free products.
For dinner, my friends eat millet or quinoa in place for their grains. Check online for lots of gluten-free recipes.
One word of caution-depending on how severe their illness is you may not even be able to prepare food for them. For some with the illness they can't even use utensils that have been used on foods with gluten-doesn't matter if it's been washed, bleached, sanitized. So you essentially would need an entire duplicate kitchen. Find out the severity of their illness before proceeding :) But it's really sweet of you to be concerned for them and trying to be a gracious host to them!
Check out Udi's bread, it is gluten free and amazing, slices are a little small. 'My low carb life' in Danvers, MA has it as does Whole foods if you have one. You can also ask your store to start stocking it!
Hey J.!
More and more people are needing to fix Gluten Free meals for one reason or another.
I'm with a company called Homemade Gourmet and we actually sell Gluten Free products. We sell mixes that only require a few ingredients and you have a meal, a dessert, a dip, a soup etc in no time and everything is AMAZING!
You can check out my website for those Gluten free mixes and prepare a meal that your neighbor will think you slaved over for days! You can also email me with any questions you may have!
Best of luck to you and what a GREAT neighbor you are!
one thing you need to be careful of is things like peanut butter and regular butter. If you make a sandwich with your peanut butter, for example, you will probably swipe your knife across the bread, then put it back in the peanut butter. If they're disease is bad enough, this could cause them to have a reaction.
Whenever I have a friend over with a gluten allergy I go to the health food section of the store and they usually have a gluten free section.
Hi J., you are very thoughtful and generous neighbor :-)
My son has had allergies to dairy & wheat since he was a toddler (now 8 1/2) and I find it easier and easier to shop and cook for our family, thank goodness! There are soooo many products out there that specialize in allergies! I don't even need to go to a health food store anymore :-)
Whenever Riley goes to a friend's house I get the question, "What can he eat???" And I usually say, it's no big deal! He can have meat, veggies, fruit & rice in general, which I think is a pretty good selection to start with! It sounds so intimidating at first when you say wheat/gluten allergy, but in general, if you just avoid processed foods and pasta and breads, it's totally doable! The only thing to consider is when adding seasonings and food coatings. So I say, just keep it simple!! Chips and salsa, raw veggies, fruit! It's all good. And if you really want to make the children feel "normal", don't offer everyone else something that they can't have.
Again, you are so very thoughtful to even think about this ahead of time <3
Good luck!
wow! I am impressed with your thoughtfulness! My own family members aren't even that concerned with my food allergies!! Your heart is definately in the right place, but you need to know that some celiacs are so sensitive, that cooking surfaces, cookware, utensils etc. can still have gluten on them even after a good scrub or washing in the highest heat in the dishwasher. Most celiacs have to replace everything in their kitchen or buy a second set of everything to use just for those who have it. That includes your grill too.. every spice, ingredient needs to be investigated too (did you know that shortening can have gluten in it??).. Talk to your neighbor and see what you can do for them, I'm positive that they will be very appreciative.. and maybe their sensitivies aren't that bad that maybe you can do something for them!
I sent you an email with an email address for a friend who suffers from Celiac Disease.
