Monday, October 25, 2010

A Gluten Free Holiday Potluck - Saturday November 20th


Our November Meetup Group meeting will be a Gluten Free Holiday Potluck!! 

Now is the time to start signing up for the item you would like to bring! 


WHAT: 
Wilson Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group Holiday Potluck

WHEN: 
Saturday November 20th from 3-5pm

WHERE: 
Winstead United Methodist Church (Fellowship Hall), Wilson NC

CONTACT: 
Carrie Forbes (gingerlemongirl (at) gmail (dot) com for more information to sign up for the potluck -or- to learn more about our Wilson NC Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group



Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Gluten Free Flours and how to use them

photo courtesy of goodygirlred

Here are a few great resources on gluten free flours and how to use them. I think you'll find that everybody has their own opinion on what works best for them and what flours are their favorites.

We'll definitely have a program in the future on what flours to use in your gluten free baking, but for a really quick intro... here's a basic, easy mix that I love:

1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum or millet flour (either is fine)
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
+ 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

I use this basic mix for just about everything I bake. It just works well.

You need the xanthan gum in most flour mixes because it helps create the texture that you're used to with gluten-based breads, cakes, muffins, etc... It's a bit expensive... but a little goes a very long way.

I buy all of my flours (except almond flour), xanthan gum, and active dry yeast from Bob's Red Mill online. I've found they have some of the best shipping available and I trust that their flours are gluten free. (You really have to be careful with some companies!) This works for me because I usually buy in bulk once or twice a year and I'm done. However, if you're not a bulk buyer or don't want to buy online:


  • Wilson: Harris Teeter carries brown rice flour, tapioca starch & cornstarch (which you can use in place of the arrowroot). Walmart may also carry some of these ingredients, but I'm not super familiar with their small selection near the spices.
  • Raleigh: Harmony Farms & Whole Foods carries all of these ingredients and tons more. EarthFare also carries a wide variety of gluten free items.
  • Greenville: Kroger's, Lowe's Foods, The Fresh Market, and Harris Teeter are all good sources, and I think you could get everything you need from them. There is a health food store called Oakmont Health Food... the customer service is awful and honestly I don't shop there, but they do carry Udi's bread in stock if you're not up to driving to Raleigh.
  • Goldsboro: HealthHabit on Spence Avenue has a great selection of gluten free pantry items (you could probably buy all of your baking supplies there), and they also carry Rudi's gluten free bread in their freezer section. Carlie C's IGA on Wayne Memorial Drive has a LOT of gluten free items, both baking items and other things like gluten free pasta. This is the first place I found gluten free bisquick. The items are not in a separate section, you just have to look for them in every "normal" section of the grocery store.


Here are several posts that explain the differences in flours and why each is important:

Gluten Free Flours 101 (I focus on low glycemic baking):
http://gingerlemongirl.blogspot.com/2010/07/gf-baking-101-gluten-free-flours.html

Simply Sugar & Gluten Free's Series on Gluten Free Flours:
Part 1: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-1-density/
Part 2: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-2-mixing-flours/
Part 3: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-3-the-flavors/
Part 4: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-4/

Gluten Free Mommy's GF Flours Introduction (One of my favorite overviews of gf flours):
http://glutenfreemommy.com/gluten-free-grains-101-the-best-flour-blend/

I hope this info is helpful to people who are new to the diet! :-)

Monday, October 11, 2010

October 2010 - Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group Meetup



Our next Wilson Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group meeting 
THIS SATURDAY
October 16th from 3-5pm

Please note that the LOCATION for this meeting has changed to:

1407 Tarboro St SW
Wilson, NC 27893-3557

This is just a temporary change from our regular meeting place of Wilson County Public Library. If you need assistance finding the location for this meeting please email me (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) for help!

ALSO NOTE: THIS TUESDAY night (Oct.12) at 7:30pm is the Dr. Talks series at the Wilson Medical Center Auditorium. 
Dr. Lakshman from Carolina Gastroenterology Specialists here in Wilson will be discussing Celiac Disease and the gluten free diet. If you would like to attend, PLEASE email me and let me know ASAP! I'm going to call later today and pre-register those of us from the Wilson Gluten Free Support Group who are attending!

October 16th Meeting Agenda: 
Our guest speaker for our meeting this Saturday is Mrs. Sarah Overholt, a Registered Dietician and she will be talking about the gluten free diet and proper nutrition. If you have ANY questions that you would like me to send to Mrs. Overholt, please email me ASAP so I can get them to her!

A big thanks to Jeni Lowrance will be providing gluten free refreshments for this meeting!