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A Special Diet Challanged Mom

post #1 of 11
8/30/10 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 

Hello my name is Kimi.  I have four children, two of them have gluten and casien intorlerence and on top of that they are super picky eaters.  I am experimenting baking with gluten free flours and I am experiencing more faliures than success! My chef friend recommended this site for me to get advice from the pros.  I look forward to receiving tips from you experienced chefs!!

Thank you!!

Kimi

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post #2 of 11
8/31/10 at 6:51am

if you could give me a little  more info on what they do like i'd be happy to help. do they like pasta? trader joe's has an excellent brown rice pasta at a reasonable price. fresh fruits and veg? king arthur, betty crocker and bob's red mill make some decent mixes. depends on how far you want to go with baking from scratch. and check your local library, there are some pretty decnt books out on gluten-free baking. also try www.celiac.com

feel free to ask any questions - been gluten free for 5 years now.

kathee

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post #3 of 11
9/1/10 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks Kathee!  My main concern is how to make the texture of cakes and breads using GFCF ingredients better.  I just don't like the mushy texture I get when I use rice flour and such.  Maybe I will post a question in the main forum.  I am also looking for a good mac & cheese recipe (GFCF version of course).  I am interested in cooking up a good tasting baking goods and some of the popular kid foods.

 

Thank you for your reply!

 

Kimi

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post #4 of 11
9/1/10 at 5:10pm

What a great discussion! I've recommended to Nicko that we start a forum for food allergies like gluten-intolerance, etc.

 

In the meantime, I'll move this to a food-oriented forum so more people can participate.

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post #5 of 11
9/2/10 at 5:07am

how long have the kids been gluten-free? sometimes after 6 mos. or so , when the villi heal the casien intolerance ends and items can be slowly re-introduced to the diet.

i woould recommend using sweet rice flour for making your roux in the mac and cheese, only need to cook it for a couple of minutes and then add  hot liquid, and stir until thickened. i also prefer to use a corn based elbow in this. and with any of the alternative pastas, rinsing is a must after cooking  - the starch content is extremely high and the pastas tend to stick together and get mushy.

 as to the baking i use a mix that includes some sorghum flour in it. my mix is similar to one by Carol Fenster(she has a goood cookbook out, 1,000 Gluten free Recipes - borrow library copy if you can) or look  for books by Betty Hagman. much of it is trial and error, adjusting to your own taste.

belle and evans makes some tasty frozen chicken nuggets that your kids might enjoy, just have to cook them longer than recommended on package. they're handy in a pinch and look just like "normal" nuggets. a lot of gluten free meals are just going back to basic "home style" cooking. meat, veggies, starch. better for every one, not so much added fats and salts as convenience foods. more time consuming in some cases, but well worth it.

kathee

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post #6 of 11
9/2/10 at 8:17am

A good friend and client has severe celiac...I've catered total events that are glutin free.

Amaretti cookies (almond paste, egg white, sugar, pinenuts)

flourless chocolate cake, cheese cake

shrimp chips from Asian stores, corn tortillas

dolmas, hummos, caponata, baba ganoush, romesco

cornbread, corn flour for frying....

marshmallows, rice crispy treats....

 

I've not made glutin free cakes as there are good bakeries in town that have super products....

my youngest son had food allergies so I kept "his" cupcakes stocked in the freezer for him to take to birthday parties or events where treats were served.

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post #7 of 11
9/2/10 at 10:45pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you, Mezzaluna, for moving this topic.  That saved me some time!

 

Kathee, what do you recommend using as a sauce for Mac & Cheese?  I happend to make a sauce that has carrots and celeries in it (smothered them and cooked in the oven with chicken at low temp for hours and then pureed and put them through the strainer) and maybe I could do something with this as the "cheese" sauce?  I have sorghum flour, but I haven't opened the package yet.  Maybe I will use more of sorghum than tapioca or rice flour.  Would too much xanthum gum cause the mushiness, too?  I also use the tapioca flour and I am starting to think that it may be the guilty party.  Sorry to throw you a bunch of questions!

 

Shroomgirl,  thank you for the suggestions sounds like you can make pretty much anything without using wheat flour.  How do you make corn bread without flour?  My son also takes a cupcake and snacks on a paper plate to birthday parties.  My boys are two and four so controlling their diet isn't too hard yet.  I am sure it will get much harder when they become more independent and would want to do what their friends do... 

 

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post #8 of 11
9/3/10 at 7:16am

can you use an alternative milk. like almond or soy? soy cheese? you shouldn't need xanthum gum in a basic white sauce, you pretty much use it just in baking. which is about 1/2 teaspoon to a cup of flour mix.

as to the sorghum flour you need to mix it with the other flours it can be a little strong on it's own. i use white rice flour as a base, adding sorghum, tapioca and potato starches. in my breads or pizza dough ialways add  some flax seed, too.

as to the cornbread substitute your flour mix for the amt. of flour called for in the recipe. betty crocker mixes are now available pretty much all over for the cupcakes and cookies, they also have a gluten free bisquik mix out now. the cakes are decent, but can be pricy for the mix around $4 in most areas and they only make one layer.

when the boys go to school you can do a plan with the school for their dietary needs. 

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post #9 of 11
9/3/10 at 2:28pm

I can't give any help on this subject but...

 

I'd just like to express again my admiration and affection for the members of this site.

 

Mike

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post #10 of 11
9/4/10 at 1:11pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks, Kathee.  I will try making the mac & cheese with soymilk. 

Mike, it's a great site.  Glad my friend recommended it to me.

 

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post #11 of 11
2/28/11 at 2:34pm

Trader Joe's also has gluten free mac and cheese in a box.  The cheese is a powder.  You can add your own milk, so in your case soy or almond milk.  Its quick, easy and only $1.99.

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