Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat [Paperback]

Carol Fenster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes without Wheat offers simple, streamlined recipes for those basic foods we all crave. This book is one of the top 100 books sold in health food stores across the nation and was revised and updated in September, 2008. Crusty French bread, chewy Pizza, decadent Brownies, flaky Pie Crust, old-fashioned Biscuits. They're all possible with these recipes that use Carol's new, versatile sorghum-based flour blend. As all gluten-free beginners eventually learn, we can't bake with just one flour the way we did when we ate wheat. Carol's flour blend is more nutritious, with more protein and fiber than most rice-based flour blends---without the usual grittiness of rice flours. And, you can vary the other flours in the blend to suit your personal tastes and dietary needs. Can't eat potato starch? Use the same amount of cornstarch instead. Recognizing that gluten-free beginners need guidance, Carol offers help on what to eat during the first few weeks after diagnosis, deciphers mysterious culinary terms, offers suggestions for your gluten-free pantry, how to choose a bread machine for that perfect loaf, detecting hidden gluten in commercial foods, and dining away from home. Recipes are organized into four categories: 1) breads 2) breakfast 3) dessert, and 4) main dishes and offer nutritional content so you can manage your diet wisely. Extensive information about a wide variety of gluten-free flours helps you choose which ones are best for you. Photos of some recipes can be seen on Carol's web site

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is filled with practical, time saving strategies for managing a nutritious, delicious gluten-free diet." -- Nancy Patin Falini, MA, RD

A feast of easy, classic recipes with a bonus new versatile mix (with more nutrients and fiber). -- Janet Y. Rinehart, Former President CSA/USA, Inc., February 1, 2003

Carol's Gluten-Free 101 is the most descriptive, informative book I've seen yet....and demonstrates her passion for gluten-free living. -- Shannon Bishop, RD, Clinical Dietitian

This book will help you feel confident and in control of your gluten-free kitchen. -- Ann Whalen, Publisher, Gluten-Free Living Magazine, February 1, 2003

Using this book, you can be a successful gluten-free cook your first time in the kitchen. --Cynthia Kupper, RD, Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, February 1, 2003

From the Author

I wrote this book because so many of you asked for a book that catered to gluten-free beginners. I offer expert advice on setting up a gluten-free kitchen, surviving those first few weeks after your diagnosis, how to decipher those mysterious culinary terms like "whisk" or "puree", and how to use bread machines for that perfect loaf.

Being gluten-free myself gives me first-hand knowledge about choosing safe ingredients, the latest culinary techniques, and saving precious time in the kitchen.

Coming soon! Watch for more new gluten-free titles from my publishing house, as well as informational booklets and a new tip sheet called Carol's Culinary Tips via e-mail.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Savory Palate; 5th printing edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889374083
• ISBN-13: 978-1889374086
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I hope you enjoy 1,000 Gluten-Free recipes. Let me know what your favorite recipe is.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cooking without Gluten, July 29, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat (Paperback)

I'm delighted that I could transform my wheat intolerance into a gratifying business that helps people eat the foods they love-without the ingredients they don't want. ~Carol Fenster

Carol Fenster, Ph.D. is one of America's gluten-free experts. Her work appears on the Health Network and she enjoys developing gluten-free products for manufacturers. She also counsels patients who are allergic to gluten. Carol's journey began with a case of chronic sinusitis. When she stayed away from wheat, she finally found relief.

Celiac disease now afflicts 1:133 Americans and is now the nation's most common inherited autoimmune disorder. Celiacs have to avoid gluten because it prevents the absorption of nutrients in food. This causes a cascading problem and can lead to anemia, osteoporosis and other health problems like rashes, stomach aches and general fatigue.

When I went to the store to find a Gluten-Free Flour Blend, I found the GF Garbanzo and Fava Flour blend by Bob's Red Mill. Apparently, Carol developed a gluten-free line for Bob's Red Mill. She also gives the recipe for her Sorghum Flour blend in this book.

Today I made the most delicious Banana Muffins using Carol's recipe from page 73. It is a quick bread recipe and you can make a Banana Bread variation. I did use ¾ cup milk instead of the recommended ¼-1/3. So, if you choose to buy a premixed flour blend, you might need to slightly adapt the liquid quantities. Overall, I was very impressed with the recipe and made 24 delicious and healthy banana muffins for breakfast. I'll freeze the leftover muffins for future banana muffin cravings.

Last week, I decided to try the Basic Bread recipe in my bread machine and then sliced the bread thinly and dried it out in the oven for 20 minutes to make crackers. They are the best crackers I've ever tasted. So far, I've only found rice-based crackers at the store, so this was a wonderful solution. You will need to look for items like potato starch, Xanthan gum, guar gum, soy lecithin and cider vinegar. I used rice wine vinegar and another flour in place of the potato starch. So, these recipes can also be adapted to taste. Most of the ingredients are now readily available at your grocery store on the natural foods isle. If you can't locate these in your town, Carol gives plenty of online sources.

This book is simply fascinating because the author is so knowledgeable and even suggests that you stay away from some flours you would never suspect. Her alternative list of flours for Gluten-Free baking will also be useful when you are shopping and reading labels. If you normally use wheat as a thickener, you might want to try Agar, Arrowroot, Cornstarch or Guar Gum. There is a handy substitute list on page 23.

If you decide you are serious about the gluten-free lifestyle, you might want to go through this book and make a list of the special ingredients. Once you have rounded up about 5 main ingredients, you can easily put together a number of healthy recipes. Xanthan gum, gelatin powder, tapioca flour, potato starch, soy lecithin, guar gum, sorgum flour, tapioca flour and a choice of corn flour, almond flour or bean flour are needed for this cookbook. It is nice to know that if you are allergic to nuts, you can also use bean flour or corn flour.

Recipes I'm dreaming about trying:

Breakfast Pizza
Granola with Rice Flakes
Peanut Butter Cookies - I'll use Soy Butter
Chicken Fried Steak
Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Personally, I have a ton more energy when I stay away from wheat products, so this recipe book is helping me to adapt my lifestyle. I'm also excited about trying the Bob's Red Mill flours in my own recipes.

You may also enjoy:

Living Without - A magazine, Carol is the food editor
Wheat-Free Recipes and Menus
Special Diet Solutions
Food Allergy Field Guide
Gluten-Free Celebrations

~The Rebecca Review

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible resource for those needing gluten-free foods, July 16, 2003

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat (Paperback)

This isn't only a cookbook, it's a complete resource for anyone who requires a gluten-free cookbook. If you are one of the millions of people with celiac sprue or other sensitivity to grains, this book will serve you well. The author has a very good understanding of the problems of avoiding wheat and gluten. She lists the commercial ingredients such as modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein that may be wheat in origin. She tells you how to read labels, and gives advice such as avoiding oatmeal which, though it has no gluten, may be processed in wheat facilities or have been grown with wheat and thus somewhat contaminated. The section on alternative grains like amaranth, quinoa, rice, wild rice, milo and sorghum is comprehensive.

The recipes are for everything from pizza, breadsticks, foccacia to cakes, cookies, and other foods. The breadstick recipe tells you how to extrude the breadsticks from a hole in a plastic bag--a novel method easier than rolling dough for those tasty, crunchy snacks. The recipes frequently call for a flour mix recipe included in the book that substitutes for wheat flour. Even bread machines are covered.

The book is well-written and an excellent resource for people with wheat and grain dietary restrictions. Highly recommended.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No One Will Ever Know!, March 12, 2003

By 

Iris C. Mcneer (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat (Paperback)

With this great cookbook, no one will ever guess that there's anything "missing" in the food. These recipes have great taste, great texture, great everything. The introductory material provides detailed information for using "new" ingredients. Many of the recipes provide alternative ingredients to help those who have multiple food sensitivities. In addition to the terrific recipes and lots of helpful hints, there are appendices with contacts, resources, and substitution information. This would be the first book I would give a newly diagnosed celiac.