The Transitioning to Gluten-Free Blues

This is going to be a simple post.  This is all about my struggle with going gluten-free.  Due to health/breathing issues I pulled gluten out of my diet in mid-March of this year.  I've slowly tried to re-introduce small things and was NOT successful at all.  I'm almost as bad as I was in March.

After reading this LiveStrong article about testing oneself for gluten sensitivity/allergy, I realized that I was ingesting copious amounts of gluten without realizing it.  French fries are coated with a gluten solution!  Who knew??  Pam baking spray has gluten in it!  Twizzlers = gluten.  Cold cuts, processed meats and frozen meats all have gluten (in one form or another) in them!  This is not fun.

I feel like all I can eat is gluten-free crackers and cheese from Murray's!  Or, I have to make everything from scratch for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I was a vegan for 12 1/2 years and this gluten-free diet feels just as restrictive.

Tracy Joy's LiveStrong article makes it very clear:

You can consume nothing made with wheat, rye, barley, bulgur, couscous, dinkle or spelt, durham, semolina, einkorn, emmer, farina, kamut, gluten, malt, matzo, mir, oats (may be added back in later), seitan and triticale. Anything made with these products must be avoided, which means you must get in the habit of reading labels if you eat processed foods. You will need to eliminate most pastas unless they're made with corn or rice four, breads, cereals, gravies, soups, processed sandwich meats and baked goods. Most processed or frozen meats also have been injected with a solution that contains wheat. While potatoes are gluten free, french fries are often coated with a wheat solution. The point is you must read labels. To be safe, stick with fresh produce and meat while you are testing for a gluten allergy, and avoid all processed foods.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/17395-self-test-gluten-allergy/#ixzz2Wj43171d

Disgusted with my lot in food, for dinner today, I made myself some sauteed salt fish with boiled sweet plantains and boiled green bananas.  I tried my hand at gluten-free dumplings with some cornmeal in them.  The dumplings didn't turn out too badly!  I cannot tell you the recipe as I was just upset and threw various flours in: cornmeal, white rice flour, chickpea flour, xantham gum and I think some potato flour along with salt, garlic and onion powder.  I kneaded as usual and plopped some spindles in with the boiling ground food.

However, this type of cooking takes time!  I want quick, tasty and fast.  Okay, okay.  I'm whining and complaining. <sigh>

Any healthy, good tasting, relatively quick gluten-free recipes, tips and tricks would be most helpful!  Please leave your comments, tips and workarounds below!! PLEAAASSSEE!!!  I'm in my 3rd trimester now and am generally too tired to make 3 meals (plus snacks!) each day.  So, any help would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. - Found this great video by The Celia Diva and it made me feel so much better.  Thanks Lauren!


Ta-ta for now,
NB