I’ve put it off as long as I can, but this week I am biting the bullet and going to talk about gluten. There are entire sections dedicated to gluten-free products in several of the supermarkets I haunt on a regular basis and I’ve received several requests for some “gluten-free recipes that taste good.”
OK, buckle up because here we go with some answers. The most important question: Just what is gluten? (And a big shout out to my friend Leslie Girmscheid, MD, LMT, NCTMB who helped me through the maze of information.)
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. If you are allergic to gluten, it can cause some pretty nasty intestinal symptoms. Gluten intolerance is thought to be an inflammatory process, and, until recently, was pretty rare, but is now becoming diagnosed by physicians at a rate of 1 out of every 10-15 people.
The dietary treatment for gluten or wheat intolerance (and Celiac disease) is to strictly avoid any foods that contain (obviously) gluten or wheat. But here’s the challenge: It’s pretty obvious you should avoid things like bread, some cereals, pasta, cakes, cookies, pizza dough, etc., but there are additives used in processed foods (such as modified food starch, emulsifiers, thickeners, stabilizers) that need to be avoided as well.
These additives are often listed in very tiny print so you must be diligent in reading those labels. These bad boys show up in unlikely foods like deli meats, hot dogs and sausage. Even beer, whiskey and vodka (unless it is vodka made from potatoes) can contain grain residues. Anecdotally, a chef friend who has Celiac disease told me he took his kids to the movies recently and bought some Twizzlers to munch on. He found himself in big trouble not long after eating them. Apparently, the candy contained stabilizers (probably for the texture) that had gluten in them. One of those “Who knew?” kinds of moments.
So what is safe to choose? Oats could be safe, but they may be contaminated with wheat, rye or barley in the storage or manufacturing processes. Go for rice and corn; they are easy to find in any market and considered safe, and you can also find somewhat lesser known products like quinoa, buckwheat, millet and amaranth more and more frequently.
Product labeling can still be a problem to those who must be vigilant about avoiding gluten or wheat because many of the products labeled “gluten-free” that are on our supermarket shelves are not regulated in either the United States or Canada. Currently, labels are only required to disclose the most common eight allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy beans and wheat — but not rye, barley or oats.
Bottom line: Start first with your physician or other healthcare provider. Gather all the info you can from him/her if you are diagnosed with this allergy/intolerance. You can also find lots of info and recipes online, but be aware there may be some sites where “snake oil salesmen” are charging a fee or membership for information or “cures.”
I’ve spoken with several friends who have experience in cooking gluten-free, and one company is always mentioned as the very best source: King Arthur Flour in Vermont. Go to their website, www.kingarthurflour.com, for a full listing of their mail order gluten-free products. If you have other sources, please feel free to send them along to me and I’ll print them to help everyone out. Contact info is at the end of today’s column.
Gluten-free pumpkin cream cheese muffins
These delicious (and I mean delicious) muffins were my introduction to gluten-free foods and the recipe is from my down the street neighbor in Maine, M-J Risbara, RN.)
For the filling:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins

• 3 cups all purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1-1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp. gluten-free flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

To prepare the filling: Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl; mix well until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of parchment paper and shape into a log about 1/2 inch in diameter. Wrap tightly and place in freezer for 2 hours or until slightly firm.
To prepare the muffins: Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil in another large bowl and with electric mixer on medium-low speed, mix until blended. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
To prepare the topping: Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
To assemble: Fill each of 24 paper lined muffin wells with a small amount of batter (about 1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp.) or enough to cover the bottom of the liner. Slice the chilled log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces; place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, covering the cream cheese completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Yield: 24 muffins.
Chunky vegetarian chili (gluten-free)
Beans are naturally gluten-free, but some brands may have additives that contain gluten. I used Goya brand beans (dark blue label) in this recipe as they are totally gluten-free. I also used McCormick brand chili powder as it doesn’t contain any wheat products. Read those labels!

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (16-oz. each) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-oz. each) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Add onion, yellow and green bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until just tender, stirring often. Add brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and all the beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Yield: 8-10 servings.
Gluten-free Toll House cookies

• 1-1/8 cups light buckwheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 oz.) gluten-free chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. Add butter and vanilla; beat on high until combined. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are crisp on edges and slightly soft in the middle. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheet; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 2 dozen cookies.