Food as medicine: going gluten-free

I know it's trendy but I've done it: I've gone gluten-free. It's all the rage, believe it or not. A couple of months ago, when I was toying with the idea, and article in the Wall Street Journal talked about the gluten-free "diet" that many without celiac disease are going on to lose weight... and it's not effective.

But wheat and gluten sensitivity are real issues. According to WSJ, as many as twenty million Americans have a gluten sensitivity without having full-blown celiac disease. Symptoms often include depression, mental fogginess, and mood swings, to name a few. Those that know me may say that, at times, I might be sensitive to wheat, based on those symptoms alone. And they might be right... and I never knew it.

My journey to a wheat and gluten-free diet was driven less by my mood swings and mental fogginess and more by problematic skin that I've had since I was a kid. I can remember going to a dermatologist in fourth grade and on every birthday I thought, "This is going to be the year my skin clears up." So a few years ago I went to yet another dermatologist after years of having used every possible over-the-counter, prescription and cosmetic treatment out there. It didn't take long before the doctor diagnosed me with two problems: 1) I was a 20-something hormonal woman for which there was no hope and 2) I was sensitive to wheat. Well, number one was no big shock but I was a bit skeptical of number two... There was little formal testing except some sort of questionable "muscle response" test that involved me holding wheat in one hand while the doctor tested my muscle response on the other. And from that she determined a diagnosis.

I quickly asserted that 1) the doctor was a quack and 2) there was NO WAY I could give up wheat - what would happen to pizza night and pancake morning? Late night bowl of cereal? And let us not forget beer!

Wheat/gluten-free just wasn't gonna happen.

Fast forward to three years and one baby later: my skin was still not clear after becoming a thirty-something. So I did a little research. Much to my dismay I found claims that eliminating wheat can be effective treatment for skin problems. So I tried it... and I lasted a few days. But admittedly, it did seem to help a little. Grrr...

After a sun-and-alcohol soaked vacation in August, my skin was wrecked. Now, thirty years old, I was determined to find a cure. First stop: I made a commitment to going gluten-free. For real.

Not knowing if it is the wheat or gluten that affects me, I decided to eliminate sources of gluten and wheat - both of which are often used in processed foods as fillers and preservatives. I invested in pounds of quinoa and made sure I was stocked up on gluten-free oatmeal. I looked up recipes and swapped potatoes for bread. My expectations were low but I was hopeful... and miraculously, it worked!

My skin was noticeably clearer within a few days. I cheated the first weekend with "real" pizza, french toast casserole and soy sauce with my sushi, at which point my face was inflamed again, but went back to being "free" two days later. And you know what? After two weeks it's gotten a lot easier. Sure, I've had to be creative (and today I did eat the crust of my son's grilled cheese sandwich), but for the most part it's not so bad after all.

I'm still exploring foods that work for me and foods that don't - including if non-wheat sources of gluten (i.e. oats) have the same effect as wheat gluten. And the truth is that I'll probably have to cheat a little more this holiday season because I can't fathom going through it without pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and gingerbread cookies - and, sorry folks, gluten-free flours just don't have the same quality and consistency. (Thank God this isn't life or death.)

In the meantime, I'll be sure to share with you my favorite wheat and/or gluten-free concoctions, starting with oatmeal squares (or 'momma's cereal bars' as they are known around here). These are great as a snack, or top them with sauteed apples and a little syrup for a hearty breakfast.


Baked Oatmeal Squares
(adapted from Virginia Bed and Breakfast Cookbook)

4 cups rolled oats (read the labels for gluten-free oats)
1/2 cup flour (I use oat flour that I make by grinding oatmeal in my coffee grinder until very fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 stick melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar or syrup (maple or brown rice pancake syrup)
1 egg
2 cups milk

Cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk to incorporate. Stir in melted butter and mix well. In a small bowl, beat eggs and milk; add to oats mixture and stir well. Pour mixture into a greased 8x11 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until set in center and edges are brown. Cut into 12 squares and serve warm. Freeze leftovers if desired.

Sweet Potato Lentil Stoup

Borrowing a Rachel Ray term, this is more like a "stoup" (soup/stew). Soup is difficult for my two year old to eat and since this cooks up nice and thick, I like to serve it over rice. In our house it's called "orange rice" - and, for whatever reason, the kid loves it! So do the adults.

Sweet Potato Lentil Stoup

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or olive oil

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

3/4 cup red lentils or yellow split peas

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red curry paste or 1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

plain yogurt for garnish

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Sprinkle with salt and stir to cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a minute.

2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, tomato paste, curry paste, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes (or longer if you are using split peas). Adjust seasoning as necessary.

3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot, or just leave as is.

4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish.

*Note: if it gets thick and the lentils are still "al dente", add boiling water a half cup at a time and cook until tender. You may need to adjust the seasoning.

Meat and Vegetable Lasagna

A few things about me and lasagna:

1. I like to hide vegetables. Take your pick, but I like to use mushrooms, eggplant and spinach in this dish.
2. I don't like to spend a lot of time and energy making lasagna, so I cheat with a pre-made, jarred spaghetti sauce. Don't be a hater.
3. I sometimes use a cup of cooked quinoa in place of the lasagna noodles as a gluten-free, super nutritious alternative. Very yummy.
4. I like to prepare two of these and freeze one for a night when I don't feel like cooking - it bakes twice as long when it's frozen but it's very budget-friendly
5. If you like your lasagna a bit saucier like my husband, try adding a can of tomato sauce and Italian seasoning to your meat sauce.

Meat and Vegetable Lasagna


1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce
8 oz mushrooms, small diced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
8 oz frozen spinach
2 cups ricotta
1/4 Parmesan cheese
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzarella
1 egg, lightly beaten
9 no-cook lasagna noodles

1. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine four cups of water, frozen spinach and pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 4-6 minutes. Drain water.
3. While spinach is cooking, heat olive oil in a heavy dutch oven . Add mushrooms, eggplant and garlic - season with kosher salt and cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain fat if necessary. Once beef is browned, add spaghetti sauce and heat through.
4. Combine cooked spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and egg in a bowl.
5. Spread about 1/4 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer 3 noodles on top. Layer with 1/3 cheese mixture, 1/3 meat sauce and 3 noodles and repeat, ending with sauce on top. Top with mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Mission Impossible Week One: Recipes

Week One is over but two of the recipes I made will be here forever:

• Rich and hearty Beef Porter Stew, made with root vegetables, stew meat and Porter (or other dark beer) - great when paired with a spinach salad and toasty bread.
• Not just meaty, it's veggie, too: Meat and Vegetable Lasagna is a well-rounded meal that the whole family will like. How can anything be bad when it's topped with cheese?