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Help! My Two-Year-Old Has CD!
------------------------------
by Vicki Lyles
This article was adapted from a letter I wrote to the mother of a
newly-diagnosed toddler, in response to a letter from her. She was
looking for gluten-free (GF) versions of some of his favorite foods,
and wanted to know what some of my favorite recipes were.
For convenience, I'll refer to Bette Hagman's books as follows:
BH-1: _The Gluten-Free Gourmet_ (New York: Henry Holt, 1990)
BH-2: _More From the Gluten-Free Gourmet_ (New York: Henry Holt,
1993)
BH-3: _The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy_ (New York:
Henry Holt, 1996)
Graham Crackers
---------------
Health Valley is now making rice bran graham crackers, which are
labeled "Wheat Free/Gluten Free". I don't think they are in the
stores yet, but if you have a store that sells their products (in the
health food area) you could ask them to order some. We haven't yet
tried them.
Bette Hagman's recipes in BH-2 (pg. 87) and BH-3 (pg. 99) are good,
but not exactly the same taste. They're also a pain to make, but I do
it when we need them. (They are good to take with you when you are
traveling.)
Cookies
-------
BH-1 (pg. 51) has a three-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe that
is great in a pinch and that your family can make without special
ingredients, so long as they start with an unopened jar of peanut
butter and "non-contaminated" sugar. However, I prefer the more
traditional recipe. I have found that my old Betty Crocker recipe<3>
works well if I use 1/2 GF mix (BH-3, pg. 33) and 1/2 bean flour mix
(BH-3, pg. 32) in place of the flour, and add a 1/2 tsp. of xanthan
gum. I took these to a teen mission project and they disappeared in
no time! I might try the same flour substitution with my chocolate
chip recipe next!
The closest replacement I have found to oatmeal cookies is Bette
Hagman's Mock Oatmeal Cookies (BH-2, pg. 127). These are good but
don't keep real well. There is also a recipe in BH-3 (pg. 147) which
I haven't tried yet. When I do try it I'll use raisins instead of the
dried fruit bits that the recipe calls for.
Macaroni Dishes
---------------
Try to find either Mrs. Leepers or Pastariso brand GF macaroni and
other pasta. Both are very good.
For traditional macaroni casseroles that rely on canned soups, you'll
need to see BH-3 (pg. 62) for a creamed soup mix and recipe. I
always make the "thick" soup. It isn't quite the same as canned soup,
but it can come pretty close. I'm sure salt is part of the
difference--canned soups usually are loaded with it! Also, if you
can't find the non-instant dry milk that the recipe calls for, then
use twice as much of an instant dry milk such as Carnation. The
non-instant is a real fine powder, so it packs better and you don't
need as much.
It is easy to adapt traditional cream sauce recipes--just use about
2/3 to 3/4 of sweet rice flour in place of the regular flour called
for in the recipe. For instance, if a cream sauce recipe calls for 1
Tbsp. (3 tsp.) of flour, use 2 to 2-1/4 tsp. of sweet rice flour
instead.
Bette Hagman's Cookbooks
------------------------
I don't know what I would do without this wonderful lady, who has the
time to experiment and come up with good combinations of ingredients
in so many recipes. She's made things a lot better for all of us! Be
sure to read (and occasionally re-read) all of her books--there are
lots of good hints buried throughout in the text.
I've gone through all three books and picked out some of our favorite
recipes. For each one I've listed the page number along with the
recipe name(s) and/or my comments:
BH-1
----
29 Tapioca Bread--This is very similar to the pizza crust recipe
(pg. 163).
42 Zucchini Muffins, Spicy Carrot Muffins.
51 Peanut Butter Drops (mentioned earlier), Forgotten Dreams--can
be made with other kinds of chips, too. NOTE: Nestle's
butterscotch chips are NOT GF!
61 Jam-filled Crunchies--I always make these at Christmas time.
74 Carrot Cake Supreme--Cut the recipe in half for an 8"x8" pan,
and bake for 10 minutes less.
79-81 All cheesecakes, although orange marmalade isn't a kid's
favorite.
84 Pecan Brownie Cupcakes.
89-100 I haven't tried these pie recipes. I usually use my old
recipes with a GF crust.
108 Rice-Soy Waffles.
146 Hillbilly Soup--A toddler is probably 4-5 years away from
liking this.
163 Yeast-Rising Thick Pizza Crust--Bake the pizza crust by itself
for 10 minutes, then add the toppings and finish baking.
176 Mayonnaise Chicken Casserole--I make it without mushrooms and
with GF poultry seasoning.
191 Fruit-Filled Meringues with Strawberries.
196 Berry Cobbler--I make my old recipes, but I use 1/2 a recipe
of this for the biscuit part.
198 Lime (or Lemon) Sponge.
211 Seasoned Bread--You can't buy stuffing mix anymore, so make
your own stuffing bread for the holidays with 1) GF chicken
broth instead of water, 2) the herbs/flavorings listed in
the recipe, and 3) 1/2 cup of soy flour in place of 1/2 cup
of rice flour in the recipe.
212 Cherry Cheese Pie.
I didn't mention many breads or cakes from BH-1, because they've been
very much improved upon since it was published in 1990.
BH-2
----
40 Butter-Basted Brown and White Bread--I use 1 cup each of brown
and white rice flour. This is the bread used for communion
at our Presbyterian church.
64 Mock Oatmeal Bread.
75 Crumpets.
79 Cranberry Nut Bread.
80 English Tea Scones--You may want to cut the sugar back some.
83 Fruit and Fiber Muffins.
87 Mock Graham Crackers.
105 Gingerbread.
106 Scandinavian Spice Cake.
111 Double Dutch Treat.
126 Paradise Drops--You can substitute different nuts and chips to
suit your taste.
146 Donna Jo's Dream Pastry--There is also a time-saving mix in
BH-3 (pg. 58).
170 Pam's Pavlova.
194 Beef or Pork Sate.
237 Princess Potatoes.
245 Corn Souffle.
266 Jeanne's Incredible Turkey Casserole.
268 Sausage and Cheese Strata.
269 Chicken Á La King.
333 Buttermilk Pancake Mix (also in BH-3, pg. 57).
335 Creamed Soup Base (also in BH-3, pg. 62).
BH-3
----
53 Basic Cake Mix--We like the Featherlight Yellow Cake and Spice
Cake variation on the next page. We haven't tried the
others yet.
57 Pancake and Waffle Mix--I omit the buttermilk powder, and then
make the recipes using 1-1/8 cups of the mix instead of the
1-1/3 cups called for. Use buttermilk or milk soured with
lemon juice (1 tsp. per cup of milk) instead of water.
58 Dream Pastry Mix--I usually just get a double crust when I
make it, but it is nice and flaky. Sometimes I just pat
the bottom crust in the pan without rolling it, and use a
cookie cutter to cut shapes that I overlap on top of the
filling for the top crust.
62 Creamed Soup Base (mentioned earlier).
70 New Formula Yeast Bread.
75 Fat-Free French Bread--Plan on tearing pieces off instead of
slicing it.
87 Sesame Bean Bread.
94 Heavenly Honey Sourdough.
95 Salem Crumpets.
97 Applesauce Bread.
113 Featherlight Yellow Cake--This is a single-cake version of the
mix on pg. 53. I use regular (not non-dairy) sour cream
and 1 cup of GF mix. This makes wonderful cupcakes!
(Makes one dozen--bake 18-22 minutes.) GF cakes are
better, the smaller they are. I recommend making cupcakes
or a layer cake instead of a 9"x13" cake. You can use the
variations listed on pg. 53 for this recipe also.
117 Yogurt Chocolate Cake.
130 Mocha Cheesecake--I would weigh 250 pounds if I made dessert
every night. I haven't done much with the cookies, pies,
and desserts here. (I have to keep making my favorites and
not always just try new things!)
230 Spinach Quiche--I make it with real bacon and eggs, plus all
cheddar cheese. (Swiss cheese is not a favorite at our
house.)
240 Hot Pockets Ham and Cheese (no relish).
253 Fresh Vegetable Pizza.
Other Recipes
-------------
I'll also highlight a few of my children's favorite recipes from other
sources:
Breadsticks--This recipe is in Carol Fenster's new book, Special
Diet Solutions, on pg. 28. Either brown rice flour or bean
flour can be used; we've only tried it with Authentic Foods'
bean flour. The kids really like them! (This new cookbook is
discussed in more detail elsewhere in this newsletter.)
Rice Pudding--Most rice pudding recipes are GF if you use GF
flavorings.
Orange Sour Cream Loaf--See the Recipe Page in this newsletter.
Rolled Sugar Cookies--This recipe was in the October 1996 issue of
_The Sprue-nik Press_, on pg. 14.
Brownies--Take your favorite recipe and substitute GF flour mix for
the flour. Add 1 tsp. of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
Main Dishes
-----------
For main dishes, I think the best thing is to try and convert the
dishes you are familiar with to be GF, and to try new things
occasionally, just as you would if you found a new recipe that sounded
good.
A toddler may decide one day that he doesn't like casseroles, because
the food is all mixed together. That doesn't mean you never make them
(how will he ever learn to like them if he never sees them?), you just
make sure the other foods for that meal are single items--corn,
carrots, or green beans instead of mixed vegetables, for example. If
your child doesn't like "things" in muffins, then don't use fruit you
can see (such as raisins, cranberries, or apples). Instead you can
chop the nuts real fine and sneak in nutritious items such as
applesauce, canned pumpkin, or bananas. And try to get your child to
eat one bite of the awful-looking food which he is sure will poison
him. (We have a one-bite rule at our house.)
I've learned that my kids are not fond of orange or lemon as an added
flavor. As the main flavor they like it (such as in lemon pudding
cake); but if I try a cranberry-orange or blueberry-lemon recipe they
hate it. So, I substitute vanilla instead of orange or lemon flavor,
and they usually like it just fine.
It takes time for children to acquire an "adult palate". If you try a
new kind of recipe, such as a stir-fry, pick one with vegetables your
child is familiar with. Over time, as he learns to like them prepared
that way, you can gradually introduce more exotic things.
Bread Machines
--------------
When making GF bread, you need to use the method recommended by the
owner's manual. For example: For some bread machines, the yeast goes
in first; in others it goes in last. All ingredients, including the
water, should be at room temperature. I usually figure that cooler
eggs from the refrigerator combined with the warmer temperature of
melted butter average out.
Besides the recipes in Bette Hagman's cookbooks, you can get more GF
bread recipes from Red Star Yeast just for the asking. Call them at
1-800-4-CELIAC (1-800-423-5422). They have done some testing with
different bread machines and may be able to help you out with your
particular machine.
Bread machines really are a help, since you don't have to watch them
real closely. However, since our recipes use eggs, I'd never use a
timer to start the machine up in the middle of the night!
It can be even more time-saving, once you find a bread recipe you
like, to mix up several batches of the dry ingredients and store them
in Ziploc bags or plastic containers in the refrigerator. This saves
you time measuring out all the ingredients every few days.
Restaurants
-----------
McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's are possibilities, but the
selection is limited:
McDonald's--You can order a burger with cheese and/or vegetables
(tomato, lettuce, etc.) in a box. You need to tell them the
burger cannot touch a bun, because even a small amount of wheat
can cause problems. If you go to the same local restaurant
often enough, they'll learn and you won't even have to ask. You
can also order a big breakfast or a breakfast sandwich with no
bread.
Their french fries and hash browns should also be GF. According
to the policy of the national company, these are supposed to be
cooked in a separate fryer from all the other deep-fried foods.
If the local restaurant follows this policy there would be no
cross-contamination so the fries and hash browns would be safe
for celiacs.
These items are also GF at McDonald's:
shakes, except for chocolate milk, juice
garden salad bacon
soft drinks and Hi-C sausage
ice cream sundaes eggs
Burger King--You can order burgers with cheese (and lettuce/tomato,
if you like), just as you can at McDonald's. French fries
should be okay also, unless they are testing their new "stealth"
fries at your restaurant. Once again, you'll need to ask about
that and also check and make sure the fries are cooked in a
dedicated fryer. Their soft drinks and milk are also GF. I'm
not sure about their shakes; Burger King is not as helpful at
their headquarters.
Wendy's--You can also order burgers with cheese, lettuce, and
tomato, without the bun. Their french fries are safe if they
are made in a dedicated fryer; you'll need to check this.
The salad bar is another option. Watch for spilled, unsafe
items like croutons. Also, don't use the dressings they have
sitting out; instead you should ask for the carryout ranch
dressing (which is made by Hidden Valley and should be safe for
celiacs). You'll need to ask about things like cottage cheese
and taco chips to be sure the ingredients are okay, since the
suppliers for these items can vary from one local Wendy's to
another.
According to Wendy's web page <www.wendys.com/gluten.htm> these
items are also GF:
grilled chicken fillet (without the bun)
baked potato (with all toppings) grilled chicken salad
Frostie chili
taco salad soft drinks, milk
The days of buying cookies at the mall are gone forever. But you can
either take your own and buy a drink, or get a fruit cup at one of the
"food mall" deli-type places for a treat.
We don't eat out at Italian restaurants; the menu is too limited for
celiacs.
What your child will have to learn is that he can have whatever kind
of food he wants at home, but when you eat out, he'll get plain
food--the real basics. My celiac kids have two standard orders:
1) meat patty with cheese, baked potato (or sometimes REAL mashed
potatoes without gravy), and a fruit or vegetable; or 2) an omelet or
fried/scrambled eggs with hash browns and bacon. You need to always
tell the waitress NO bread can touch the food and NO pickles (they
usually garnish a burger plate with them). Some restaurants will
substitute a bowl of applesauce in place of the bread--it never hurts
to ask. At most sit-down restaurants the fries are NOT safe; onion
rings and breaded fish are usually cooked in the same oil. And never
order a hot dog unless you are sure they don't come already
prepackaged in the bun--we learned that one the hard way! You'll
develop an eagle's eye in looking for signs that buns were pulled off
of the meat because the kitchen staff forgot.
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