Gluten-Free Featured Product: Land o Lakes Butter

GLUTEN FREE FEATURED PRODUCT

A regular postings of gluten-free products that I use myself and are available in my local grocery store.  You can check your local store for these items, order them online, or ask your store to stock them. I do not have any relationship with the companies in question, nor do I receive any form of compensation for these reviews. Gluten-Free status is based on information from the manufacturer, the current Cecelia's Marketplace shopping guide and personal experience, and may change if the company changes formulation or manufacturing processes.

Land-O-Lakes Butter
Land-O-Lakes is a brand that should be available in almost any U.S. grocery store, and it is gluten-free, generally reasonably priced, and comes in options like half-sticks.  The salted and unsalted versions are gluten-free, but note that the light butter contains gluten.  If you have questions about other Land-O-Lakes products, see their website at http://www.landolakes.com and contact their customer service.  Also check the label, as many of their products are labeled gluten-free. 

Custard-Style Rice Pudding (Gluten-Free)

A rich, creamy rice custard perfect for a cold winter day or a holiday dessert.  

Ingredients:

3 cups milk (whole milk will make it richer)
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup raisins (optional, and mix up with dates, almonds, pecans, and/or coconut as it suits you)
1/3 cup butter
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup raw white rice
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp (approx) nutmeg, or one whole nutmeg for grating.


Combine rice with 2 cups of regular milk in the top of a double-boiler or in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook over hot water in double-boiler or in microwave on high until rice is tender (approx 30-45 minutes, could be longer depending on heat).

Add raisins/dates/nuts/etc. and butter, stir until butter melts

Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, 1 cup of regular milk and sweetened condensed milk and whisk until blended.

Stir into hot rice mixture.

Pour into greased cake pan (9" square pan for single batch, 9"x12" rectangle for double batch) or 2-quart casserole dish (uncovered).

Sprinkle or grate nutmeg over top

Bake in 350 F oven for 45 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool/set up for at least 10 minutes, or chill in refrigerator overnight and serve cold.

Gluten Free Tip: Make your House a Safe Zone

When first going gluten-free, there are several issues with having any gluten-containing products in your home that may range from annoying to really serious depending on your level of sensitivity.  Keep in mind that if you have any gluten-containing products in your home, you have what is known as "cross-contamination."  That means that the gluten in your roommate's sub sandwich travels.

*  It travels to the kitchen counter, tabletop, or any other surface it touches directly.

*  It travels to the knife used to cut it and the plate it was eaten from, which may come completely clean in a working dishwasher.  An older, imperfectly working dishwasher can simply re-deposit the crumbs onto all the dishes washed in the same load, including those you eat from.

*  It travels to the rug, couch cushions, chair, and other surfaces over which it is eaten.

*  Because the person making the sandwiches handled the bag, which your roommate then touched, it may have traveled to every doorknob used to enter the house.

*  Unless your roommate immediately washes their hands with hot water and soap after eating the sandwich, it travels to every surface they touch (including the sink taps, chair arms, remote control for the TV, handle for the fridge, the two-liter of soda, etc.).

*  If your roommate washes their hands but then touches their mouth without realizing it, the gluten then travels to all the places listed above.

*  If your roommate stores the sandwich leftovers in the fridge, it can leave gluten from the wrapper on the fridge shelf or drop crumbs onto items below.

*  If your roommate is also your romantic partner, they can spread the gluten by kissing any part of your face or hands, unless you wash that spot immediately afterwards with soap and water (if they kiss your mouth, there's no hope).

If you're not gluten-sensitive, this probably sounds pretty paranoid.  If you are very gluten-sensitive, then this might sound familiar.  I read a blog where a woman figured out that she got sick every weekend and couldn't figure out what she was still eating that had gluten.  It turned out that she became sick every weekend when her grandchildren visited, because they had crumbs on their clothing and gluten traces on their face when they kissed her.

I started paying close attention, and realized my partner was sick on weekends where we had visitors who ate gluten in the house and then touched surfaces.  When that stopped, the unexplained glutening stopped.

So consider making your house a gluten-free zone, if at all possible.  I know that you have little control over unrelated roommates, but you may be able to claim a section of cupboard and fridge as your own, maintaining your own dishes and tableware and hand-washing them.

If you host parties or have friends over, provide the food yourself and ask them to chip in to cover the cost, or invite a few over early to prepare food from what you have available.  If you can trust your guests to take care, teach them how to shop for gluten-free items.  They may not want to prepare things in their gluten-filled kitchen, but it is entirely possible to grab gluten-free chips and soda to contribute.

If you are in a home with family or partner(s), talk to them about the dangers.  There are so many good substitutes and recipes out there these days that it is easier than ever on the people who must go gluten-free to support a loved one.  There are also so many unsafe spaces for the gluten-sensitive that your own home should not be one of them.

Gluten-Free Featured Product: Nutella

GLUTEN FREE FEATURED PRODUCT

A regular postings of gluten-free products that I use myself and are available in my local grocery store.  You can check your local store for these items, order them online, or ask your store to stock them. I do not have any relationship with the companies in question, nor do I receive any form of compensation for these reviews. Gluten-Free status is based on information from the manufacturer, the current Cecelia's Marketplace shopping guide and personal experience, and may change if the company changes formulation or manufacturing processes.

Nutella

Really.  'nuff said :-)

I have found so many uses for the chocolate hazelnut spread of the gods.  It is fantastic on gluten-free pancakes, as a dip for Glutino pretzels, or any other desert application you can think of.  In Berkeley there's a gelato place that had Nutella gelato while we were there, and I think they deserve a public medal for it.  I found a recipe for Nutella meringues, which I will share as soon as I vet the recipe for myself.  There's a fancy foodie cafe' on the U.S. East Coast somewhere that serves, as their dessert, a petite tasse of black coffee and a teaspoon full of nutella.  They know that it's intensely rich and delicious enough all by itself, and taps into a person's deep need to lick the spoon. 

Gluten-free status comes from Cecelia's Marketplace guide and personal long-term use by someone excruciatingly sensitive to gluten. 

Make Your Own Gluten-Free Lip Balm

Lip balm was a pitfall we missed when going gluten-free.  We spent endless time searching for something that was reasonably priced and didn't try to slip through the gluten-free net by using wheat germ oil.  While I have been assured by businesses that processing the wheat germ oil removes the gluten protein, there is debate as to whether it removes enough for those who are gluten sensitive below 20 ppm. Also, those sensitive to wheat itself in addition to the gluten protein can still react badly to wheat germ oil. As a bonus, most companies don't mention if their vitamin E oil is wheat-derived.

So we finally gave up and made our own.

You can buy your own fillable lip balm tubes online, but I found it cheaper to buy a big pack of cheap lip balm, twist the bottom to get all the balm out of them, and scrub them out with hot water, dishsoap, and cotton swabs.  When they were clean, I turned the base until the inner screw was back down to the bottom so that it could push out the new balm.

For the balm, I used 1/2 beeswax and 1/2 virgin coconut oil.  The former is available in craft shops or at farmers' markets where beekeepers attend.  The latter is in the specialty oils section of many grocery stores (Spectrum brand) as well as health food shops.

I made a batch of about 1/2 cup of each and I still haven't used it up six months later, so keep in mind how much you need.  It keeps for years, so you can always keep a jar of it around for re-fills.  Just heat it up (1 minute in the microwave) whenever you need to pour new tubes. 

Heat the two ingredients together in a double boiler.  Add flavoring, if desired (you can use tiny amounts of baking extracts or candy flavoring).  Mix well until all combined and melted.  Drop a few drops onto a cool surface and test the consistency.  If it is too soft, add more beeswax.  If too hard, add oil. When it is good, use a funnel to fill the lip balm tubes. Each tube takes very little fill; around a teaspoon.  Pour very slowly and expect some overflow the first few times.

Make a disposable funnel out of aluminum foil wrapped around a pencil, if you want to simplify cleanup!  Use masking or freezer tape so that it won't be affected by the heat.  

When the tubes are full, leave them out to cool for a few hours or overnight, then cap.  Store in a dry, cool place.  Keep the used tubes for washing and re-filling.

Gluten-Free Tip: Make a Shopping Guide

With gluten free product lists scattered here and there, you may find yourself piling up bookmarks, clippings and notes on the back of receipts as you figure out how to live gluten-free.  You can help yourself put it all together by starting your own guidebook for shopping.

For a pen and paper version, pick up a phone and address book with alphabetized tabs from an office supply store.  Try to get one without the entry labels that say "phone, e-mail" etc., but you can ignore them if that's the only kind available.

You can use the alphabetized tabs to sort items.  I prefer to sort by item type (i.e. C for Cheese) but think about what makes sense to you.  If you'd rather look under S for Sargento instead, go with your own system! Write down the brand, specific type or flavor if not all are gluten-free, where it is available (name of store or website) and where you found the gluten-free information (online, package label, phone number).  Re-verify products when the packaging changes or at least once per year.

Now this system can quickly get out of hand if you try to include every gluten-free product ever made.  Since this is a personal guide, try to restrict it to items you personally buy or use, with maybe one backup brand in case your favorite is out of stock.  It will make for much faster reference in the store.  You can even use it while making your shopping list, specifying brand and flavor on the list itself for a quicker trip to the store.

You can, of course, organize this electronically if you prefer.  A spreadsheet program like Excel or Open Office's Calc program allows you to create multiple categories to search for items.  I would recommend starting with the following layout:

Column A is where the product is available to you.  This can be "online", or the name of a store.  Some items will only be in specialty health food stores, others will be available at your favorite grocery store.

Column B is for the area of the store (e.g. frozen, deli, produce, baking, dairy, etc.)

Column C is the general type of item (cheese, oil, dressing, veggie)

Column D is the specific item (Pepperoni, Mozzerella)

Column E is the brand and specific type, if not all types are gluten-free (i.e. Edy's: Chocolate, pistachio, mint chip flavors)

Column F is where you found the information.  If the item is labeled gluten-free, enter "labeled".  Otherwise list a website or phone number you used to verify the gluten-free status.  This is important, because every time the packaging changes (a possible sign of reformulation) or at least once per year, you should re-verify the gluten status of items.  Companies will not announce that they suddenly introduced cross contamination in their manufacturing; your first clue is when you get sick.  So keep your information current! 

So now you have your own gluten-free shopping guide.  Make sure you make an entry when you buy something new (or see something you want to buy) in order to keep it useful. 

Gluten-Free Featured Product: Tom's of Maine Soap

GLUTEN FREE FEATURED PRODUCT

A regular postings of gluten-free products that I use myself and are available in my local grocery store.  You can check your local store for these items, order them online, or ask your store to stock them. I do not have any relationship with the companies in question, nor do I receive any form of compensation for these reviews. Gluten-Free status is based on information from the manufacturer, the current Cecelia's Marketplace shopping guide and personal experience, and may change if the company changes formulation or manufacturing processes.

Tom's of Maine Bar Soap

One thing that slips through the cracks when most people avoid gluten is skin-care products.  Gluten can be used as an emollient in lotions, soaps, shampoos, shaving creams, etc.  Any of these can enter the mouth or be left on the hands after use, putting you at risk.  

Tom's of Maine bar soaps are gluten-free, and reasonably priced compared to small-market gluten-free natural soaps.  They're also generally available in the health and beauty section of both grocery and big box stores like Target.  There is an unscented sensitive skin version, as well as various others (I like the citrus energizing scent). 

The soap is gluten-free per the Tom's of Maine website.  Note that this applies to the bar soap only; the liquid hand soap and body wash contain wheat.