I have had digestive issues for a while now. It's hard to say what tips it off. I have been curious about wheat. All the hoopla about "Gluten-free". And Wholefoods charging astronomical prices for gluten free products. I guess the worst case scenario is Celiac disease. This is when any amount of wheat in any form can make you very sick, and your body is not able to absorb the nutrients of the food you eat. You then become malnourished etc.... I know I do not have anything serious like that. But I do suspect I have a mild problem with wheat. Ever since white bread became the devil... As long as it's wheat or whole grain it's okay. It's good for you even. Do you remember Wonder bread toasted. So good...like manna from heaven. But anyway, we have replaced all of our baked goods with Wheat. Wheat also hides in alot of processed foods with inconspicuous names. Check out this link. So, it figures wheat would be a culprit. Too much of anything is just no good.
So, I went to the library and checked out The Wheat-Free Cook, Gluten-Free recipes for everyone. It is pretty straight forward. Replace your pasta with Rice pasta or one of the many wheat-free pasta's on the market. This is easier said then done. Being an Italian from New Jersey, it was like a dagger to my heart when I made the switch to wheat. But here I go again in the name of healthy digestion. Thank god I love Quinoa. But cous cous, no go.
Then flours. We make waffles and pancakes on occasion. Healthy bars of muffins for on the go. The kids accept this as a snack for now! I use alot of buckwheat and despite the name it is gluten-free. I have dabbled in coconut flour. I just added Brown rice flour to my repertoire.
Thankfully we don't really eat processed foods. Except for Annies mac & cheese. It is my husbands meal of choice for my late night at work. Choose your battles I suppose! I spend a lot of time in the kitchen slaving away. Seriously! Everything fresh and from scratch. There's always something soaking over here, fermenting over there... My kitchen would seem like a science experiment to the common person. But, it's exhausting, expensive and very time consuming. And wildly exciting! I must have missed my calling somewhere down the line. But once your aware...you can't go backwards! I do truly love to create in the kitchen, but throw two kids in the mix and it can be a challenge. But I have to say, it makes my heart sing when my kid is sitting in a sea of juice box junkies and she is drinking Kombucha! My kids are great eaters and will someday appreciate all the slavin' I do. It is truly a labor of love.
So, about my recipe. Today I baked a Walnut-Olive Oil sponge cake with brown rice flour & corn starch. believe me, it tasted a lot better then it sounds. It was delicious! But remember...wheat- free does not mean fat-free. So, we promptly delivered the remaining half of the cake to my husband's Aunt & Uncle next door. Uncle Jon has a wheat allergy. Hope they enjoyed eating it as much as I enjoyed baking it.
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