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Top 5 Gluten-Free Pastas

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 6 Comments

There are so many new products rolling out to the the gluten-free market these days that I can’t keep up with them all. However, I do my best to try new items that are available in our area and those I’ve heard are great that I have to order online. The first consideration for me regarding gluten-free replacement type items has more to do with taste than anything else. The price and convenience factors are secondary considerations. My motto is the same as what I read once on a blog (and I can’t give proper credit here because I don’t remember where I saw it), I’d rather go hungry than eat horrible tasting gluten-free food.

For me, pasta is something I’ve always loved. Like many American kids, I grew up on the mac-n-cheese made from the famous blue box. My tastes grew more sophisticated when I went out into the world and had to buy my own food. For years we scoured the Atlanta dining scene for the hottest new restaurants. Capo’s in the Highlands was a favorite, as was Capo’s ex-wifes place, Lindy’s, in the Peachtree Battle area. We’d drive across town to Scalini’s in Marietta just for the garlic rolls and the fare at Ember’s Grill was hard to beat in Sandy Springs.

The biggest challenge I personally faced when dining out gluten-free was not being able to order pasta. Now we can have pasta at several places around town and hopefully, a smart chef or two will start offering the amazing fresh option from RP’s Pasta when it hits this region via restaurant distributors later this year. Thankfully, we can have amazing pasta at home any time  we want it. My top pasta list has changed a bit since posting this article, as I’ve tasted some new products since then.

The first pasta listed below is without question the best gluten-free pasta I’ve had to date. It is also better than many fresh gluten pastas we’ve had. The rest of pastas listed are not in any particular order.

All of the above brands, and most other gluten-free pastas I’m aware of are MSG free. Some of them contain corn, soy, quinoa, rice and potatoes or a combination of those things. The only one that is made from one grain is Le Venzianne and it’s made from corn grown in a certain part of Italy near Venice. If you’ve tried corn pasta made here or in Canada and didn’t like it, you might give Le Venzianne a try. It is nothing like any of the other corn pastas we’ve tried. In fact, it’s hard to believe that two pastas made with the same basic ingredients could be so vastly different.

As far as I know, Tinkyada pasta (made from rice and rice bran) is the number one selling brand of gluten-free pasta in North America. It was the first gluten-free pasta we tried and we were not impressed. That product line fills the need for many allergen-free consumers since it’s free of corn, soy, dairy, wheat and gluten.  For budget friendly gluten-free pasta, the options from Heartland Pasta are worth checking out. Several online website sell the pasta listed above including, but not limited to, Amazon.com.

Diligence Required when Reading Food Labels

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Those of us that live in the U.S. know how important it is to carefully read food labels. There is no law requiring companies to list when products contain gluten. There is a law covering the eight major allergens, including wheat, but wheat-free does not always equal gluten-free. Some people seem to think that disclaimers such as “Contains Wheat and Soy” are mandatory on product labels, but in fact, they are not.

Wheat and other allergens do have to be listed in the ingredients, but they do not have to be called out in any type of disclaimer. Calling the FDA can confirm that fact. Many people are getting sick because they don’t know how to properly read labels and some of them specifically look for a disclaimer about wheat even though wheat is not the only form of gluten that a product can contain in the first place. Part of the confusion is caused by misinformation about U.S. labeling laws being posted online.

An instructor at a Whole Foods gluten-free cooking class I attended in 2008 stated that all forms of gluten must be listed on labels in the U.S. The law has not changed since then so no, gluten does not have to legally be listed on U.S. products, period. As careful as I try to be, I’ve gotten home with a marinade or dressing that I had to return because wheat was buried in the tiny ingredient text and there was no disclaimer on the label about wheat. It was my own mistake for being guilty of looking for the disclaimer about wheat which doesn’t cover all forms of gluten anyway.

When shopping at Fresh Market recently, I threw a box of Nueva Cocina Mexican Rice Mix into the cart. There are very few such mixes that are gluten and MSG free and I’ve been enjoying that mix for a couple of years now. Imagine my surprise when I went to put up the groceries and noticed the “wheat free” on the front of the box. The lighting at our Fresh Market is a joke and it’s nearly impossible to read the labels even with reading glasses on.  However, I didn’t bother to try and read the label on the box of rice since I’ve bought it so many times before and it’s always been labeled gluten-free.

After checking the Nueva Cocina website and seeing that the rice mix was listed as gluten-free there, I had to call the company to find out if the product had actually changed or if only the packaging had. The ingredients are clear and there do not seem to be any gluten ingredients listed, but the package states that the item is made in a facility that processes wheat and that the product is made with “non-wheat” ingredients. The disclaimer has always been there, but it said “non-gluten ingredients” instead of “non-wheat ingredients” up until recently.

Speaking to a representative from Nueva Cocina made me feel comfortable about eating the Mexican Rice Mix with the text change on the box. The company moved into a different facility and wanted to get everything checked out for safety regarding allergens. The change to the packaging was a temporary measure due to the move. Future packages of items that are gluten-free, including the Mexican Rice Mix, will soon have the gluten-free listing on the box again.

Whew – what a relief! It is almost impossible to find a Mexican rice mix that is free of both gluten and MSG. This mix is not made with animal products, is made with all-natural ingredients, and doesn’t contain any preservatives. The Rice Mix for Chicken is also an exceptional product. I look forward to trying more gluten-free products from this line in the future!

Gluten-Free Groceries With Amazon Subscribe & Save

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

Gluten-free grocery shopping used to be a very traumatic experience when I first started on the gluten-free diet 4 years ago. While there are times that I wish that I had known sooner that gluten & I didn’t get along, I am somewhat relieved that I didn’t have to experience gluten-free grocery shopping 10+ years ago. From those I have read about or spoken to about shopping for gluten-free groceries “back then”, it sounds like a lot of stress and frustration. Sure there were always fresh fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, some grains & milk that are naturally gluten-free, but shop for any specialty items and the complication factor went way up.

Not only are gluten-free specialty items on the shelves of mainstream grocery stores these days, but they are also available on many different websites. Amazon is just one of the many websites that sell a multitude of gluten-free groceries but with a twist. Amazon offers a unique “Subscribe & Save” program to help you save money on the products that you use the most. As I was going through my email this morning, I came across one from Amazon that showcased just some of the gluten-free items that are part of the “Subscribe & Save” program. I clicked through and found Amazon’s complete list of gluten-free groceries that are eligible for the program and found that there are 864 items!!

There are several benefits to using the “Subscribe & Save” program. The price is 15% cheaper, even if the item is already on sale! The shipping is free. You choose the frequency at which you receive your shipments and you can change this at any time. For example, I received an email yesterday letting me know that on September 21, 2010, my next shipment of Pamela’s Baking Mix was due to ship out. There was a link in the email for me to go edit that if I wanted to. Since I still have 4 packages, I opted to “skip this shipment” and now my next shipment is due to go out on November 21, 2010. A few days before that shipment I will get that same email again asking me if I am ready or not. You can change the frequency at any time. I have this product set up to ship every 3 months but I may need to change that. I receive a lot of products to sample and review, so I haven’t been going through my mix like I used to. Perhaps every 6 months is a better schedule for me. You can also ask for the shipment to occur sooner than scheduled if you are close to running out. At that time, you are also given the option of staying on schedule for your next shipment or changing it.

I have been using this program now for over 2 years and have really only found one negative to it – sometimes Amazon has a product in their “gluten-free” list that is not gluten-free. Take the same care when ordering from Amazon that you would like when shopping anywhere and read the labels. I choose products that I know my family uses regularly and that I can verify are gluten-free.

Have you shopped using Amazon’s “Subscribe & Save” program? If so, which items are you purchasing?

Bake Exceptional Gluten-Free Pizza at Home

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For what seems like forever, people have been touting the positives of Air Bake pizza pans. The pans are said to mimic the effects of cooking pizzas in a pizza parlor oven. Since we never made pizza at home when I was eating gluten, I never had a reason to find out what all the Air Bake pizza pan fuss was about. We made pizzas at home for two years before getting gluten-free pizza dining options in our area and still, we never had an Air Bake pan. Once we could have pizza out again, we stopped making them at home.

We eventually started making pizza at home again because I received some crust samples and mixes to review. Over the last year, I’ve made quite a few pizzas at home. Many of our pies tasted great and none were baked in an Air Bake pizza pan. The one negative thing I can say about the best tasting gluten-free crusts is that they don’t get crispy enough for me. Many crusts get crisp around the edges – some too much so – but the middle tends to sag a bit regardless of the crust used.

That all changed when Target put the nonstick Air Bake pizza pan on sale last month. The price of less than $10 was just too good to pass up. Finally, I’d get to see if all the hype about this magic pizza pan was actually true. The pan is huge compared to the personal sized Udi’s crust I put on it, but I’m glad to report that the pan definitely lived up to its reputation. The crust was browned evenly on the bottom – unlike any other gluten-free pizza we’ve ever made. Because two Udi’s crusts won’t fit on the pan well, I’m now looking into ordering two smaller Air Bake pans made by T-Fal.

It seems like making the best gluten-free dishes require not only specialty ingredients and products, they often call for specialty kitchen gadgets. The best breads are generally made in bread machines – or so I’ve been told. I never got around to getting that pricey gadget and now I’m so glad I didn’t since I’d rather buy Udi’s bread than bake my own any day. In the case of making gluten-free pizza crusts taste as good as possible, the Air Bake pizza pan is well worth the investment. If I’d been paying better attention, I would have bought this pan long ago!

For my first Air Bake pizza pan experiment, I baked the Udi’s pizza in a 425 degree oven. First, I cooked the crust for ten minutes with nothing on it. I removed the pan from the oven, added pesto sauce, turkey, black olives and cheese and baked the pie for another fifteen minutes.  I also cooked the same crust on a plain pizza pan to see what the difference would be and was shocked that the difference in the crust texture was so drastic.  Obviously, it helps if the crust itself tastes very good, but without question, the Udi’s pizza cooked with the Air Bake pan was the best gluten-free pizza I’ve ever made. I’ll be using the pan with the crust from Mozzarelli’s next time.

I still prefer going out for pizza to making my own, but with the fantastic Air Bake pan, we can have pizza parlor quality pies at home when we feel staying in for dinner. In fact, I might actually go to the trouble of making my own crust just so I can have a large 15” pizza for a change!

*Check out my Top 10 crust list if you’re still looking for the perfect gluten-free crust to suit your needs.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 5 Comments

I have been taking full advantage of all of the summer produce this year. One of my favorite vegetables to eat is spaghetti squash because it is so versatile. It can be used in place of spaghetti, completely eliminating the need to purchase gluten-free pasta to replace regular pasta. It can be used in soups in place of noodles. I love to use it in a veggie stir fry with whatever vegetables I have on hand that are just waiting to be prepared.

First, I want to quickly go over how to cook a spaghetti squash. The squash can be cooked in the oven or the microwave. I tend to use the microwave to cook it on most occasions. Simply cut the squash in half. Take care to not hurt yourself, this can be hard. I use a kitchen towel to help brace the squash and protect my hand. Scoop out the seeds. Place squash cut side down in a Pyrex dish and add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the microwave for 10 minutes. Allow squash to cool and then remove the “spaghetti strands” using a fork. The strands or squash may be stored in the refrigerator for later use if desired.

Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry

  • 1-2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 red or orange bell pepper
  • Frank’s Red Hot
  • Sea salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Pam

Directions:

  1. Spray a saute pan with Pam and heat to medium.
  2. Add zucchini and pepper to pan and cook for 5-7 minutes (you do not want them to be soggy)
  3. Turn up the heat and add spaghetti squash. Continue stirring until cooked & browning.
  4. Season with Red Hot, salt & pepper and serve.

What I love about stir fry is that you can make it your own. You can choose to add whatever ingredients you want. Leftover meat & veggies work great in a stir fry. Use as a side dish or serve in a gluten-free wrap, on a salad or over rice. The possibilities are endless.

Some other add-ins that I like to use:

  • chickpeas
  • black beans
  • okra
  • mushrooms
  • broccoli
  • snap peas
  • snow peas
  • sriracha
  • carrots
  • sesame oil

Now that fall is here, another way I like to serve the spaghetti squash is with Honey Baked Lentils on top. This meal makes me feel warm & cozy. The lentils provide protein & fiber, so pair with a salad or some gluten-free toast and you have a nice meal.