One of the first things I learned after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and went Gluten Free is that I am super sensitive to gluten. If I get even a crumb of gluten, I get sick... really sick, for at least a few days. When I cook for myself, I can carefully control everything I eat and prevent getting sick most of the time. Eating with other people is trickier because it is more likely that my host is unaware of obscure gluten-filled ingredients or possible sources of contamination that occur during food processing. In an effort to make this process easier for hosts and safer for anyone who is Gluten Free, I've compiled a list of what I hope is helpful information.
First... a warning. Please don't be offended when I ask you to show me recipes and packaging, ask you a bunch of seemingly random questions about how you prepared my food, or if I choose not to eat something. I get really, really sick, and I have to do this to protect myself.
What foods are ok?
Please see the page titled "Need to Know Information" for a complete list of foods that are safe and foods to avoid. As a general rule, fruits and vegetables, spices, dairy products, meat/poultry/fish, and rice are GF. Baked goods and breads (foods where wheat flour are a major ingredient) are definitely not ok. Beware of processed foods. The more processed a food, the more likely a food is to contain gluten.
All of the recipes found on this blog are GF but it is important that you read the label in all of the ingredients that you use to prepare the dishes. Sometimes one brand is GF while other brands contain gluten. Manufacturers also change recipes from time to time. I have also created a label "good for groups" which indicates recipes that are, well, good for groups.
Disclaimer: I follow several recipe blogs which are linked on the right hand column of this blog. Not all of these blogs are GF. All of the recipes I post are GF as long as you check ingredients carefully but I do not guarantee that the recipes on the blogs I link to are GF. Please be careful when you follow other recipes to make sure that you or the people you are cooking for don't get sick.
How to avoid contamination
As I mentioned above, I am extremely sensitive to even miniscule amounts of gluten. In my home, I have a completely gluten free kitchen (or at least all of the things I use to cook, serve, and eat my food) that ensures I'm not getting trace amounts of gluten that would make me sick. Since you likely don't have a gluten free kitchen, there are a few things you can do to help prevent any contamination from occuring.
1. Prepare GF and gluten containing foods separately (different times, different locations, etc).
2. Wash (really wash, don't just rinse) all utensils, bowls, pans, etc, before preparing GF food. Try to avoid wooden utensils, cutting boards, etc.
3. Wipe down counters, stovetops, and other food prep surfaces before beginning GF cooking.
4. Be aware of what you are doing and pay attention to the details. For example, if you are making GF noodles and regular noodles side by side on the stove, make sure you stir each pan with different utensils and keep track of which utensil goes with which pan.
5. Wash your hands/aprons/etc carefully and often. You can pass gluten between dishes/foods too.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below. Thanks!
