For Everyone

Don’t be scared of a gluten-free blog. If you don’t know what celiac it is, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t affect you.  Find the foods you like and make them the way you want. Look for favorite ingredients or try something new. Go wild. You’re free. You don’t have to worry about all things that us celiacs do. You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, even in airports. Ah, sigh. What I wouldn’t give to have a meal before a flight instead of gnawing on granola bars.

 Well, anyway, back you–a free eater. Don’t take your freedom for granted. Enjoy all you can. So ignore all the labels and just eat.

But just in case you’re curious. Celiac disease (according to WEB MD)—also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy — is a digestive and autoimmune disorder that results in damage to the lining of the small intestine (and brain) when foods with gluten are eaten. Glutens are a form of protein found in some grains. The damage to the intestine makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients, especially fat, calcium, iron, and folate.  Here is a list of some illnesses/symptoms caused by celiac disease that I know I want to avoid: ataxia (ataxia article), cancer, diabetes, seizures, brain damage (especially motor skills), Alzheimer’s, poor immune function, poor nutrient absorption.

There also seem to be lots of comments and articles in the media about people who are confused why so  many people have started to eat gluten-free, so I found two pages that will help clarify the differences between all the labels and gossip about gluten-free eating you may have heard:

Gluten Intolerance Versus Celiac and the Trend of Gluten-Free

Celiac.com–Celiac Disease Vs. Gluten Sensitivity or Gluten Intolerance

 With that out of the way, I welcome everyone and anyone to try my recipes and gluten-free cookies. Yes, you heard me (or rather read me) right. Gluten-free cookies are good. If you heard about or tasted some poor market bought cookies, then I’m very sorry. It’s probably true what they say–they taste like a mix of saw shavings rolled in sugar wrapped in cardboard. You’ve just been ripped off or totally conned. The truth is gluten-free baked recipes taste far better than anything with wheat flour IF you know how to make them. Believe me or not, you won’t know till you try an amazing gluten-free bakery cupcake. The secret is using sweet rice or sticky rice flour. If you have ever had Mochi at a Japanese restaurant, you may recall that almost jelly-like soft dough surrounding the iced cream. Sticky rice flour has this incredibly soft, moist and gooey texture and when combined with other flours in a gluten-free cupcake, it’s just ooey goodness.

My husband had a habit of stealing all my cookies when I first went gluten-free. Bit by bit I saw him sneak to the pantry and eat some of my stash. He could eat whatever he wanted, yet he always went back to the gluten-free cookies. Now he buys gluten-free bread because he says it tastes better. At the same time I have moved away from eating grains on a daily basis, so a funny swap has happened–we buy gluten-free bread, but not for me, rather for him. Now, his favorite treat is Glutino’s chocolate covered wafers…I just went to the pantry to double check the correct name of the wafers–but, I see he has eaten them all already.

No, really. Come to the dark side. We have gluten-free cookies.