One of the dishes we prepared for the family feast was Cole Slaw. This will be the subject of today’s post.

Background:
Did you know that Coleslaw (or Cole Slaw) is believed to have been consumed since early Roman times? (…..I guess you’d expect as much, seeing that cabbages have been around a long time ).

The version with a creamy dressing, or mayonnaise, would not have been developed till the 18th century, as mayonnaise was not invented till then.

It’s name arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch term “koolsalade” or “cabbage salad”. “Cole” in Latin originates from “colis”, meaning cabbage. Cabbages also have many healing properties some of which particular affect the digestive function, including the colon. Interesting eh!?

Coleslaw Basics:
When you consider that basic cole slaw is not much more than shredded cabbage, you can see that you don’t have to be too imaginative to create something that fits the bill.

Our recipe contains cabbage, carrots and onion enriched with a creamy dressing. Other variations can include such ingredients such as apple, celery, pineapple, dill weed, fennel, beetroot radishes, caraway seed, lemon juice, sultanas, raisins and more.

Uses:
Most occasions call for Cole Slaw as a side dish. It goes great with meat dishes, fish or fried foods. 

Our Recipe:

1/4 large Cabbage Head – grated, shredded or sliced.
Note - Depending on your taste (and chewing ability) process your cabbage fine or coarse. Up to you. Including the purple cabbage also gives a great splash of contrasting color.
2 Carrots – medium size – grated, shredded or sliced
1 Red Onion – small – diced fine

Dressing:
1/2 Cup – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp – Dijon Mustard (Gluten free) – we used the Edan brand, Organic Brown Mustard
3 T – Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T – Celery Seed
1/4 tsp – Celtic Sea Salt
3/4 cup – Cultured Cream, Sour Cream or Yoghurt (thick) – helps to bind the veggies
Vinegar and Salt to taste.
Parsley for garnish

METHOD

1. Mix 2T vinegar, the mustard, celery seeds and sea salt in a bowl
2. Add the Olive Oil to the mix in a thin stream while whisking until the oil is well mixed or emulsified.
3. Add the cream and mix until smooth.
4. Combine with the vegetables and mix well
5. Taste test and add the remainder of the Vinegar, more salt etc. if needed. 

Serving Suggestions:
This dish can be served immediately, but we have found it best to let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge (or overnight). Then give it a quick stir, garnish and serve.

Minor Cautions:
Mustard Paste – Most commercial mustard pastes are usually prepared with vinegar and spices. Sometimes other starch-based ingredients are added to help bind and thicken the mix. So always read the label and be aware.

Cabbage – has some wonderful beneficial properties, including anti-carcinogenic ones. It is good to be aware though, that cabbage (along with other cruciferous vegetables eg kale, broccoli, collards and brussels sprouts)  also contain goitrogens. So if you have any thyroid issues you may want to investigate further.

Here is a great resource to find out more about this magnificent vegetable. (NOTE – there are ways of preparing these vegetables to minimize these goitrogenic properties. We’ll cover that at a later date.).

Our Other Resources:
You may wish to check out our other blog www.SupportForHealthyLiving.com which is steadily growing with information about more general health-related topics. Although not focusing on the gluten free theme, it non-the-less, contains valuable information pertinent to everyone.

Till next year, be safe and enjoy your New Year celebrations.

To your continued Good Health and Gluten Freedom.
Cheers, Sven

Fortunately, I found a way to pull all the gluten free related videos from YouTube.com into one location and incorporate it into a new feature we have just added to this site called the “Gluten Free Video News” page.

It is all set up and can be accessed by clicking the new video graphic in the Right Hand Column of this page. (I’ve included a “click-able” copy of that graphic above, so you know what you are looking for.) Check it out.

Ten Videos On Each Of Ten+ Pages:
Once you open the Video News Page, look to the bottom and you will see a set of numbers 1,2,3,4,5… etc. Each number is “click-able” and each brings up a whole new set of ten videos.

If that’s not enough, consider that there are new videos being submitted everyday. Topics covered include everything from gluten free recipes and cooking demonstrations, through to discussions on celiac, diagnosis, gluten free diet, interviews, etc.

Keywords Feature:
Another feature that is helpful to know about is related to the list of “key” words in the top left hand corner of the video page. You’ll notice that each one of these words is “click-able”.

Once clicked, the videos are rearranged in order to make videos related to that word a priority. You will then see those particular “keyword”-related videos listed first.

Search Feature:
Similarly, you can enter your own gluten-free related “keyword” into the Search Box at top left of the Gluten Free Video News page. New Videos will then be streamed in related to that particular word.

To get back to this main blog page just click on the link at the top “BACK TO BLOG”

Have a play around with it till you feel comfortable, and then check back often. It’s a great resource. Write a comment about what you think of it.

To Your Health and Gluten Freedom,
Sven

Of the buckwheat that is produced for human consumption, most of it is milled into flour. The whole buckwheat kernels themselves, unfortunately are not commonly available in regular stores or supermarkets.  More often they are quite easily found in most Health Food or Natural Foods Stores.

What you will be looking for is the RAW, HULLED seeds of the BUCKWHEAT plant. Depending on where you live it may be referred to as:

- Hulled raw buckwheat
- Buckwheat groats
- Buckwheat grouts
- Un-roasted buckwheat groats
- Raw buckwheat groats
- Whole white buckwheat groats

The product is available either as a pre-packed item or from the bulk food bins. Make sure that the store has a good product turnover and that the bulk bins are well covered.

Buckwheat has a fairly high fat content and so must be used as fresh as possible to avoid rancidity.

The photos below show the difference between RAW, HULLED BUCKWHEAT and the Un-hulled BUCKWHEAT. it is triangular in shape, and cream to light beige in color, tending to a light, pale green at times.  

 RAW HULLED BUCKWHEAT                         UN-HULLED BUCKWHEAT

As seen in the photo on the right the UN-hulled Buckwheat has a hard, indigestible, black covering over the kernel (this is the husk that is used to make the popular buckwheat pillows).

For USA shoppers, if local stores do not carry raw buckwheat groats. then a convenient option is Amazon.com. Just click on this link Shop at Amazon.com and do a search for “Buckwheat Groats”.

REMEMBER – that BUCKWHEAT is also GLUTEN FREE

Some stores also sell a Roasted Buckwheat often called Kasha. This is a dark red/brown color. The name Kasha also refers to a porridge (made from other grains as well) commonly consumed in Eastern Europe, but in the West it generally refers to the roasted buckwheat kernels.

Till next time, Happy shopping.

To Your Health and Gluten Freedom,
Sven

Guess what!
I’m tired Of Eating Oats. 

Yep, I’ve gotten tired of eating the plain oat breakfast I wrote about in one of my August’07 posts. (CLICK HERE to refer to it) 

Actually, I DO really still love it, it’s just that you want a CHANGE every now and then. You know what I mean?

We’ve been doing some exciting things with buckwheat lately. (NOT the buckwheat flour, but WHOLE RAW BUCKWHEAT), so this gave me a bit of an idea.

Why not use the same procedure used in that whole Oat Recipe but instead ….. make a ….

MIX of 50% whole oat groats + 50% whole raw buckwheat?  

YES!! That sounds great. I’ve never made that mix before. So I got excited, immediately raced to the kitchen, and got the ingredients together to start the process. …….. And you know what?

It’s wonderful !! I absolutely loved it!!
(Why don’t you give it a go?)

Just follow the recipe for the oats in that post, but use the 50-50 (whole oats to raw buckwheat) mix instead (or just try the same method using all raw buckwheat if oats don’t work for you). Remember, Buckwheat is gluten free.

Once it’s cooked, just add a nice “dobble” of good butter or coconut oil, a little honey  topped with a sprinkling of your personal “magic ingredient”.

You’ll be in HEAVEN!

But before you enjoy that delicious breakfast, check out the following and see some of the goodness you’ll be ingesting:

WHOLE BUCKWHEAT (Important Facts) - Even though Buckwheat has the word “wheat” in it, it has NO relationship to wheat what-so-ever. It is not even a grain. It is actually a broad-leaf plant related to the rhubarb and sorrel family. - Great alternative to rice and can be made into porridge. It is much higher in protein quality and availability than regular grains. - It is ideal for those struggling with wheat allergies, celiac or gluten intolerance, - Diets containing buckwheat have been linked to a lower risk of developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The high presence of magnesium in buckwheat is thought to contribute positively to a healthy cardio-vascular system, relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow and delivery of nutrients. - Magnesium is also a co-factor in over 300 enzymes, many of these linked to glucose and insulin secretion. - Buckwheat contains rutin, a medicinal chemical that strengthens capillary walls. - Buckwheat consumption is associated with lower total serum cholesterol, lower LDL (linked to cardio-vascular disease) and higher (health promoting) HDL . - Has a low glycemic index, therefore less likely to create spikes in blood sugar levels. - Buckwheat contains d-chiro-inositol, the cofactor missing in Type II diabetes. - Buckwheat is a good source of insoluble fiber which studies have shown can help women avoid gallstones. - Cleans and strengthens the intestines and improves appetite. - Buckwheat is noted as a possible pre-biotic, which is a carbohydrate promoting the growth of friendly bacteria in the digestive tract. - Buckwheat also has been found to contain a high content of cancer-preventing nitrilosides.

If you haven’t seen or used raw buckwheat before, my next post will give you a few tips on sourcing it and what to look out for.

Till then,

To Your Health and Gluten freedom,
Sven

Additional Interest and Information Resource Links:
1. Annual Buckwheat Festival in West Virginia.
2. Wikipedia Buckwheat Information
3. Detailed Nutritional information for Buckwheat.

As is the case with all kinds of flours, the only difference between the “plain” and the “self-raising” flour, is that the self-raising has had chemical leavening agents (baking powder) added to it that causes it to rise (this process was first invented back in the mid-1800’s B.T.W.).

What You Need To Know About Baking Powder:

Typical quantities of baking powder used in a recipe would be as follows:
100grams of flour,
3 grams of baking powder
and just a pinch of salt (up to 1 gram).

The basic formulation for baking powder itself, varies, but it commonly contains sodium bicarbonate (an alkali) combined with a starch (to keep it dry) and some form of acid salts such as cream of tartar or certain aluminum salts. (Here is a LINK to ingredients used in common baking powders plus more fascinating info) 

It’s the body’s excessive exposure to aluminum salts that are of BIG concern. These are usually found in what are called “double-acting” baking powders and should be avoided. Studies have presented compelling evidence of aluminum being directly linked with senility and Alzheimer’s, just to name a few. (Other aluminum-containing formulations are found quite commonly in underarm deodorants as well).

Because baking powder has become such a normal part of modern cooking, it is not really thought of much as a “chemical”. Still, a food it is not, so we prefer to minimize, or eliminate its use, entirely. When you do use it though, be selective as to which one you use as there are many different formulations.

You can, however, make your own.
(at least this way you can make an informed choice as to what you put in there).

How Are Gluten Free Products Made Lighter?
To de-mystify the whole process, the basic method of making any cooked dish lighter and fluffier, is by causing little bubbles to form within the mixture that you are going to bake. We can do this ..

How To Make Your Own Baking Powder:
When we mix together an “acid” substance with a “base” substance we always get some kind of volatile reaction between the two. It is this that creates the desired effect (formation of bubbles). Remember from high school chemistry days?

This chemical reaction can be achieved with many different ingredients (producing mild to explosive results). The acid-alkaline combination, most common to cooking applications, are cream of tartar and baking soda in the ratio of about 2 : 1.  There are other food acids that can be used as well, but we’ll leave that for another time.

What If I Don’t Have Self-Raising Flour?
Of course, if a recipe calls for self-raising flour, and all you have is Plain Flour, remember that you don’t need to go running out to the store to get some. Just make your own.

Follow the recipe instructions as stated, with the one addition of adding your home-made baking powder in the proportions suggested towards the beginning of this article. Alternatively, follow Luci Luck’s formula, as suggested in the short video below:

                         1 tsp of Baking Powder + 1/4 tsp Salt for every 1 Cup of Flour Used.

 The Challenge Lies In Holding The Bubbles:
With gluten-containing flours like wheat, rye and barley, it is the chewing-gum-like gluten which forms during the kneading process that very efficiently traps the bubbles and thus the whole mass begins to expand and rise. It is a whole other story with gluten free flours, however.

Because of the absence of this elastic gluten, in flours such as rice, buckwheat, potato, soy, etc., we have to employ other creative methods to maximize the “bubble carrying capacity” and elasticity of the mixture.

Each flour has its own unique taste and properties when cooked. It is how to blend these to enhance and compliment one another to a specific goal that has been the center of so much attention from manufacturers and home cooks alike. 

Many Advances in Gluten Free Products:
To the delight of celiac and others choosing to eat gluten free, this experimentation has come a long way in the past few years. Companies such as Orgran – Natural Gluten Free Foods for example (now in over 50 countries), have an amazing selection of gluten free, packaged goods and mixes suitable for most applications.

As convenient and handy as any commercial, processed food may be, however, it is still important to keep things in perspective and to continue to find ways to develop ones own cooking skills at home, using whole, natural ingredients. The rewards of continuing to move in this direction return so much more than becoming dependent on the other.

Providing continued support in rising to the challenge of living healthy and gluten free.
Warmly,
Sven