When I requested to receive the Gluten-Free Cooking For Dummies book I had no clue what Gluten-Free even meant. I went online to find out and found myself more confused. Once I received the book I have to say that once again For Dummies did not let me down. The simple explanation was a breath of fresh air.
What is Gluten? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Why should you consider going Gluten-Free? If you have any of the symptoms listed below, it may be a good decision to think about going Gluten-Free. I fall under four categories and decided I could benefit from at least trying to eliminate Gluten from my diet.
- Headaches or migraines
- Fatigue
- Gastrointestinal distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, reflux)
- Depression and anxiety
- Joint Pain
- Infertility
- Autistic behaviours
- ADD/ADHD behaviours
The first section of this book defines being gluten free and how to prepare to start cooking gluten free. It points out how to recognize different types of gluten related problems like allergies and gives gluten free alternatives. It also covers how to get started with shopping and meal planning to make the transition to gluten free easier.
Section Two and Three offer great recipes from main courses to snacks and soups. Each recipe emphasises nutrition as well as unique ingredients. All recipes are easy to follow and are delicious one of which I have shared below.
And as expected Part Four finishes off with Part of Tens which gives you ten tips and idea about Gluten-Free Cooking.
Raise your hand if your family love sloppy joes! We love them and up until now I usually buy a can of premade sloppy joe sauce. I was excited to find a sloppy joe recipe that is Gluten-Free so this was the first recipe I started with. It is a once a week menu item now!
Best-Ever Sloppy Joes
Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1/4 green pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Directions:
- Dice the onion and green pepper.
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper in oil, breaking the meat up with a fork.
- Stir in the chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Find out more about Gluten-Free Diet For Dummies here. Also available for purchase on Amazon.com.
