289664 Tue Jun 25 10:43:34 -0700 2002 7 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1569247 A fellow I work with was recently diagnosed with Celiac. He's done all the requisite research--finding associations, conferences, going to health food stores for breads, cakes, cereals, etc. What he needs are tasty recipes that he can cook at home using wheat free products. Any and all will be a boon to this poor chowhound kinda guy. Thanks in advance. Tue Jun 25 10:43:34 -0700 2002 0 micki 1 1569252 Your friend will fare best if he regards this not as an opportunity to explore realms of food that are not so wheat dependent as ours. Google, the public library, and bookstores will bring him more alternatives than he will be able to eat in his lifetime, a different dish each day. Your friend's challenge is our culture's dependence on wheat as our prop-starch. Look to the cuisines of other cultures that have many dishes that based on corn, rice, beans as well. (from Mexican to the Middle and Far Eastern. Cooking at home will prove no serious challenge as there are many alternatives and he will have control. His major challenge will be twofold: processed foods may contain wheat and he will have to read EVERY lable and when eating out he will have to find out what the sauce is thickened with, etc. (A friend of mine who was alergic to wheat had no difficulty as long as she was vigilant.) Cooking at home give total control over what goes on the table. Sauces usually thickened with flour can often use cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot. Eastern cuisines, for example, rarely use flour as a thickener. Turn him on to Rice: risotto, puddings, pilafs, etc. Turn him on to Beans and other legumes: soups, cassoulet, etc. Even within the European culinary traditions they are commonplace. There is also a whole host of other, less well known grains to explore: barley, quinoa, wild rice. Instead of sandwiches of wheat bread, he can use Mexican corn tortillas or Asian rice wrappers to make his "sandwiches." For baking there are now numberless recipes for flourless cakes. Many of them to be found in the books of upscale chefs. Tue Jun 25 11:55:10 -0700 2002 1569247 0 saucyknave 2 4205443 I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to make sure it was pointed out that barley has gluten and is thus forbidden. Sniff. I was just learning to enjoy beer. Thu Nov 27 07:58:50 -0800 2008 1569252 64882 Vetter 1 1569258 King Arthur Flour has products for your friend: http://www.bakerscatalogue.com http://www.kingarthurflour.com and their recipe exchange can probably offer him help, too: Link: http://www.bakingcircle.com Tue Jun 25 13:02:32 -0700 2002 1569247 0 CTer 1 1569266 My sympathies to your friend. My mother has it, and no matter how good a face you put on it, it still sucks. Saucyknave's advice is good overall, though. My sweetheart has been experimenting with gluten-free baking for a while now, and the bottom line is: cakes are easy, pastries are doable but not great, and bread is the most difficult. Tue Jun 25 13:53:20 -0700 2002 1569247 0 Tom Hilton 1 1569305 My significant other has recently been told he is allergic to wheat. It does suck, and there are alternatives which we are constantly exploring. For now, spelt seems to be OK and I have made decent pitas and pizzas with it (actually, they were great!) Our local markets carry several kinds of wheat and gluten free breads so haven't had to attempt that which is good since he's a sandwich kind of guy. We also serve a polenta pizza at the restaurant which is good. Make your favorite polenta recipe and put it into a well oiled round container to cool (tomato juice can, large yogurt). Slice off rounds and proceed as for pizza. There's always the convenient baked potato and it's many topping options, and you can cut a cold one in half and flatten gently and stuff it and grill it like a sandwich. And of course, there's rice which can be prepared thousands of ways. The hardest part is watching what is in prepared foods. A good friend of ours can't even have mayonnaise because it has grain vinegar in it! She has to be vigilant on the most minute level. Good luck! One thing that both these people have said is that once you know what the problem is and begin to deal with it, there is no going back - you feel so much better! Tue Jun 25 20:22:13 -0700 2002 1569247 0 suzannapilaf 2 4205446 Spelt is a kind of wheat. And it has gluten, so it's not OK for celiacs. But what a good friend! Thu Nov 27 07:59:50 -0800 2008 1569305 64882 Vetter 1 1569376 There are a number of cookbooks for celiacs. My particular favorites are by Bette Hagman and may be out of print, but are readily available used. "The Gluten-Free Gourmet", "More From the Gluten-Free Gourmet", and "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" are among the books I use regularly when cooking for my celiac son-in-law. The homemade noodles are easy (if your friend has a pasta machine) and fabulous. Wed Jun 26 20:39:22 -0700 2002 1569247 0 Jeremy newel