One of the first things I was taught as a Celiac patient was to be wary of food starch as, though it is commonly derived from corn in the US, it can come from wheat and cannot be guaranteed to be gluten free.  As a result, unless the starch, which can include modified food starch, on a product is clearly listed as coming from corn, potato, arrowroot, or some other gluten free source I avoid it or try to find out more about it.
That was the case this morning when I was browsing the ingredient list on a bottle of Powerade ION4 Fruit Punch.  There stood out the generic listing “Modified Food Starch”.   Just below this was Coca-Cola’s customer service number phone number.  A quick call put me in contact with Candice who was able to look up the product information, which included the source of all the ingredients.  I was glad to hear the words “the modified food starch is sourced from corn”.  Yet another product identified as safe for Celiac and Gluten Intolerant patients!

Remember to be safe, check your labels, and contact the manufacturer whenever you have a question.

I recently saw that the new Cantina Tacos are made with corn tortillas and was wondering if they would be safe to eat for a Celiac or someone with Gluten Intolerance.  Previous to my Celiac diagnosis, an afternoon spent at Taco Bell was a relaxing, inexpensive date for my wife and I.  It was something that we deeply missed.  Thankfully, with a quick search Taco Bell’s Allergen and Sensitivities page came up showed they are indeed gluten free.  We can have our date afternoon back.

http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/allergens

Remember, however, that there is always a risk for cross contamination.  Be safe and eat well.

It’s been over a year since I became gluten free and this was one of the first cookie recipes I successfully tried.  They are light, crispy, and melt in your mouth delicious. I have no idea what makes these German, but that is how this recipe was passed along to me.

2 3/4c toasted coconut
4 egg whites
1c white sugar
1t ground cinnamon
1/2t almond extract

1,  Toast coconut for 5 to 7 minutes on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven.
2.  Lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3.  In a large bowl whip the egg whites until they for soft peaks.
4.  At low speed,  gradually add the sugar, cinnamon, and extract to the egg whites.
5.  Fold in the coconut by hand.
6.  Drop by the tablespoonful onto the parchment, spacing 2 inches apart.
7.  Bake until dry and able to peel off easily, about 20-25 minutes.
8. Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool before eating.

You can find out more information about their campaign in general here:

http://www.liveglutenfreely.com

With a full list of the products here:

http://www.liveglutenfreely.com/products/default.aspx?WT.ac=HomeTab_Products_GetList

From what I saw of the list the most exciting item is going to be the Gluten Free Bisquik.  This was a go to item for quick wholesome meals and has been sorely missed as part of our pantry.  Once we find it in a local store I will post a review for you.

Carrot cake is a favorite in our house and finding a gluten-free recipe has been challenging.  The moistness of the carrots seems to do bad things to the gluten-free flour mixes so when I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website I just had to share.  For the gluten free carrot cake recipe (and lots of others) go to their website here.

Of all the gluten free baking mixes on the market that we’ve tried, the Betty Crocker mixes are hands down the best.  Not only do they create a taste-of-home kind of baked good, but their ingredients lists are amazing – no weird things we can’t pronounce!

If you want to take their mixes to another level, check out the video on the Betty Crocker website here showing how to make brownie bars and marble cake.  The brownie bars are a mix of their brownie mix and the chocolate chip cookie mix and they definitely look worth making (freeze the extras.)  The marble cake, well, it looks like the chocolate sinks a lot – there is a lot more of it in the bowl in the video than the yellow cake – not sure why.

One thing mentioned in the video is that all Betty Crocker Frostings are now labeled gluten-free.  Good deal.

If you visit the Kemps website, www.kemps.com (home of both Kemps and Greens) you will find a very detailed answer delivered by a most attractive cow.  You see on the Kemps website you can “ask a cow” a question.

I was going to ask the cow if their products were gluten free but someone beat me to it.  You can read the cow’s answer here.  Spumoni lovers I am saddened to report that the color used in Kemps Spumoni is not gluten free.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, in any flavor, is my wife’s favorite brand of barbecue sauce.  With the summer grilling season upon us we hit the pantry and were ready to slather it all over some slow cooked ribs only to see “Modified Foodstarch” with no qualifiers.  Heartbroken, it was back to the cabinet to see what else we could find.  Thankfully there was a bottle of a lesser brand waiting in the wings and dinner was not ruined, simply not as tasty.  So this didn’t happen again I left a message with SBR’s customer service folks to see if they could expand on what exactly that food starch was.

The next day, earlier in the morning than I expected, I received a call back.  What sweet words they were to hear that they use modified cornstarch and those of us with gluten issues are safe to eat it.  The representative also followed up by saying that they use cornstarch in all of their products and at the moment all are gluten free.  When asked when they would update their labeling to say so, she didn’t know but wished they would do so soon.

Another mysterious modified foodstarch mystery solved.  Enjoy Sweet Baby Ray’s products with your next cookout.

I was preparing dinner for the family the other day using a few slices of Berks Ham Steak.  Setting them into a sinkful of cold water to defrost I noticed the ingredient list.  There at the bottom of list was the ambiguous “Natural Flavor”.  After the flap over McDonald’s fries containing a wheat based natural flavoring, my curiosity was peaked over whether or not the ham was OK to eat.  A quick call to the company, which was answered by a pleasant, knowledgeable customer service rep, revealed that their products are gluten free.

You can check it for yourself on their FAQ:

http://www.berksfoods.com/Faq.aspx

While on a family trip to check out Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum, I was surprised to see a sign out front offering the best gluten free cookies I’d find anywhere.  This was an offer that seemed too good to be true so I knew then that I would have to take some home with me.  That lead me to buy a package ominously named Kali, a robust ginger cookie.

Made by the Goddess Cookie Company and baker Caryn Sheckler, they are made with only the finest ingredients, with no junk or fillers.  They are free of a number of common allergens including peanuts, oats, wheat, dairy, casein, soy, and trans-fats.  They are, however, almond based, so if you have a nut allergy they should be avoided.  For those of us without one, the almonds give a wonderful texture with a thick outer crust surrounding a moist chewy center.  If the label had not listed almonds as the main ingredient I would have had no reason to suspect it.

In the case of Kali, she had a hearty ginger taste with chunks of ginger.  This is what we should expect from every gingersnap.  It is rich, mouth filling, with a spicy warm taste that lingers comfortably long after every bite.

Besides Kali, there is also Venus (Double Chocolate), Freya (Currants and Spices), Tara (Coconut), and Arasy (Apricot and Cinnamon).  And, for those Vegans out there, Kali, Freya, Tara, and Arasy are all safe.

In the end, the pack of cookies I bought never made it home.  Instead, I ate them on the ride back. As for Mister Ed’s pronouncement, I agree:  They were the best gluten free cookies I’ve had so far.