Gluten-Free and Not

Buckwheat kasha was my absolute favorite when I was a little girl. It was dinner, back then, not a side dish as it might be today. I would fry onions then add butter to this delicious one-bowl meal. I was in meal-time heaven.  ...(It was also the food of choice for our son in utero. A full compliment of proteins found in it made our 13 week preemie a healthy weight of 3 pounds 2 ounce.) ... 

 

A bowl of steamy cornmeal with sour cream was another 'staple' during my 'formative' life. All the hype about the negative effects of dairy did not seem to be a problem then, either. Sour cream was an add-on not the main act, anyway. We purchased our sour cream and cottage cheese from a local dairy. How fortunate we were! Everything was clean, clean, clean. Reading a label was unnecessary, too. We just knew. Food quality was never in question.

I was re-acquainted with gluten-free, a few years ago, when a family member decided to pursue this new direction in her diet. A new world opened up for me when I began to incorporate unheard of grains into our family's diet, along side the organic wheat and other gluten-free favourites I had been using. Today, I use brown rice flour, a staple, now, I will not do without to make incredible crepes and all manner of gravies and thickened sauces. (Gravy as a soup. Oh. My. Why not, I wonder)? My daughter-in-law began using it so I followed suit. (She is so wise). Cornstarch had been used, in many instances, but replacing it with a more nutritious 'grain' made so much sense. (When I want a clear thickener for lemon meringue pies and certain gravies, however, TheMomsey uses cornstarch each and every time).

Organic wheat has been the front runner in my baking game. Now, there is kamut flour, quinoa, tapioca starch, coconut flour, potato starch, resistance starch ( in day-old rice/pasta and bananas) to add to my repertoire of interesting grains/starches. Sometimes, it is simply better not to bother with all these gluten-free changes to replace wheat. Fresh fruit might be the answer at the end of a meal. I adore buckwheat kasha to this day. 

 

My cornmeal combo is still a personal favourite when looking for a simple meal. My dad preferred cabbage rolls filled with buckwheat kasha. Rice was not appealing to him. Did he know something we did not? Sourdough, can act as gluten-free though it is wheat based in its creation. Its method of production, lasting for a few days, helps to make it a 'bread for all reasons'. It is always my go-to-bread for stuffing, in poultry. Indulging in this 'bread pudding' is pure joy, now, a wholesome alternative to other healthy bread I have used to make this timeless side dish. 

 

With leftover stuffing and gluten-free gravy, along side a salad, dessert is no longer required. Gluten-free, by chance, is now so yummy. I am happy. I am content. While almond meal is commonly used to replace the wheat in many cake recipes, its inclusion can be challenging. It is a nut. For individuals with life-threatening allergies to nuts, this costly substitution, almond meal, must not be used.

Gluten-free is not an antidote to wheat. It stands on its own merits and can help a product 'rise' to the occasion when wheat is not desired. Gluten-free grains can help 'fix' a recipe but they are also a reminder that they too were created by Mother Nature who knew what she was doing. Gluten-free grains are in a class all their own, different from wheat and other gluten bearing grains, but stars in their own right. 

 

The gluten in wheat flour has unique properties that cannot be easily duplicated in other flours. In wheat free cakes, Momsey substitutes a mix of different GF (Gluten-Free) flours, starches equaling the total amount of wheat flour requested in recipe. As a thickener, a lesser amount of the GF flour might be used in a cake, pastry or cookie recipe. I still have not figured it all out. Whipped egg whites are used often for the lift that might be missing because wheat gluten is not there in the cake. These white clouds are folded into the batter, at the end, as they deflate quite easily, then baked immediately. Adding lemon juice into the beaten whites helps to strengthen these strands of egg protein.

In the final countdown, eating chocolate or fruit might be the better choice than trying to make or buy a gluten-free dessert. Desserts mark the end of a meal for a reason. Gluten-free need not be second choice or a reaction to wheat. Gluten-free grains are delicious stand-alone foods, with mega benefits in a healthy diet. Though the term - gluten-free - was not a familiar one when I was a little girl, it is now. Though it seems to be the new kid on the block, the gluten-free grain has been here from the beginning. Mother Nature knew what she was doing all along.