Good News- Your Nonwheat Alternatives are Endless

For those of you new to gluten free here are the flours to avoid that contain wheat derivatives– spelt, kamut, emmer, einkorn, wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed wheat protein, barley, rye and triticale (which is a cross between wheat and rye). Also avoid bromated flour, durum flour, enriched flour, farina, graham flour, self rising flour, semolina, white and plain flour. In general, it is also a good rule to avoid processed foods as they may contain hidden wheat such as products with soy sauce which can sometimes contain wheat in fermenting. Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food” suggests as a general rule to avoid any product with more than 5 ingredients. A good idea.

So what can you use? Well here is the great news – your repertoire of possibilities has now grown from the mundane to the exotic. Some flours I have used successfully in combination are flours made with amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat (no, this is not wheat and one of my favorite flours), cassava, corn, flax, legume flours (fava, garbanzo etc.), millet, potatoes, nuts, quinoa, rice (brown, white and sweet rice), sago, sorghum, soy, tapioca, teff and yucca. Quite impressive a selection!

Oh, don’t forget the nut based flours like pecan, almond, soy, sesame, walnut,etc. All these range in crumb from the thickness of meal fours to the powdery quality of fine coursed nut flours. You will be amazed at how many options there are, just try browsing any of your local ethnic food stores.

What this means is that we have a world to explore and until the rest of the industrial world catches up In the meantime, enjoy the discovery of new foods!

Fish and Chips (England)

Once in awhile you have a craving for good old fish and chips. Delicate crispy pieces of fried batter dipped cod that melts in your mouth. This GF recipe is so crunchy and perfect that no one even guessed it was GF. The trick is to keep the cod crispy in the oven after frying it. In this recipe, I used soy milk versus the beer to avoid any possibility of wheat fermentation although you can use rice or almond milk as well.

1.5 lbs cod
1¼ cup brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
¾ cup soy milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 250 F. Cut, fish into chunks, wash in cold water and pat dry.
Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Mix soy milk and eggs together then stir into dry ingredients mixing till smooth.
Dip fish in batter mix and let sit for 15 minutes.
Heat oil to 350F. Place small batches of fish at a time into oil to keep temperature hot. Turn fillets to cook both sides, leave in till golden brown (6-8 minutes),
Place on paper towels to drain. Remove paper towels and place in oven until ready to serve. Serve with vinegar for a true English experience.

Millenium, San Francisco

For 15 years Millenium has served up some very special foods to appeal to the vegetarian in all of us. Located a few blocks up from Union Square in The Hotel California on Geary Street, this restaurant will not disappoint. Under the direction of Eric Tucker, his team uses the produce of the season to impress and astound his patrons with the scrumptious ever changing menu. Even the most die hard carnivore will reconsider. From the Merguez Grilled Portabello Mushroon to the Teff Crepes to non dairy mousses and puddings, almond cashew crust filled with mocha chocolate filling, dinner was divine. Best of all, the staff is accommodating and knowledgeable about any food allergies one might have offering gluten, lactose free suggestions. Enjoy!