Eating Gluten-Free And Loving It!

When I first started eating ‘gluten-free’, most of the foods I found to eat were nasty, with a capital ‘N’.

I tried all kinds of products made with gluten-free flours, and almost everything I tried was seriously yucky. The most brutal lesson for me was at Thanksgiving. I planned to make a yummy stuffing with store-bought gluten-free bread. I figured that with enough butter and spices I could create a delicious tongue-exploding wonder that my gluten-eating family members would think was the best tasting experience of their lives… I would surprise them later with the exciting news of how I made this delectable stuffing from gluten-free bread: Surprise!

Well… I am a little sad and embarrassed to report that there was no need to tell anyone about my sneaky surprise. Everyone at the table could tell it was different from the moment the stuffing touched their lips. No accolades of wonderment for mom; no, this was a disaster of biblical proportions: The bread was like saw dust crammed together and forced to hold it’s shape with some sort of adhesive. I do not jest!

All around the table I witnessed elbows bumping elbows as suddenly everyone present was sputtering pulverized wood chips. In the kind of unison you would expect from an Olympic synchronized swimming team, they reached for their drinks in an attempt to slow the choking. Gasping sounds were escaping from between their rosemary-and-thyme glued lips. Buttered sawdust? —No thank you, please pass the potatoes!

Lesson learned: eating gluten-free isn’t easy.

The good news is that it’s getting easier to eat out at restaurants, and to buy gluten-free foods (like breads, cupcakes and cookies) that actually taste good. Gluten-free recipes and baking techniques have come a long way in the last couple of years.

Warning: just because it is gluten free doesn’t mean it is healthy for you; you might find that you are just eating a lot of extra sugar or calories instead.

This was not the last of my failed experiments with gluten-free cooking. It has been one long, drawn out ‘cooking and baking’ class experiment for me and my poor family. My husband and children have been incredibly patient, and I rarely hear them complain. They are usually just hoping for any sort of food or crumb that I will throw their way. Bless their sweet hearts!

However, I will say that after four years of a totally gluten-free diet, it IS possible. Frustrating? -Yes. Hard? -Sometimes. Detestable? -Often! But most definitely possible. …For those of you living with celiacs: -absolutely necessary.

I’ve decided to share with you some of the recipes I have either developed or found that are gluten-free. This one is easy, since the crust has been thrown right out the window. I tried this one on my family last week, and was pleasantly surprised when leftovers were gone by morning (I made a lot). Trust me; it’s delicious…

Crustless Quiche

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped (or chopped roasted red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 big handfuls fresh spinach

1 cup cooked ham, cubed

6 eggs, beaten

2-3 splashes Worcestershire sauce

3 cups shredded Muenster or Cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10-inch pie pan
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, red pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft.
Stir in spinach. Cook until wilted. Add ham and warm through.
In a large bowl combine eggs, Worcestershire sauce, cheese, and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend.
Pour into prepared pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 40 minutes. Done when inserted knife comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before serving.