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Conference turris::cooks

Title:How to Make them Goodies
Notice:Please Don't Start New Notes for Old Topics! Check 5.*
Moderator:FUTURE::DDESMAISONSec.com::winalski
Created:Tue Feb 18 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4127
Total number of notes:31160

3239.0. "Substitutes for Wheat?" by HEAD::HERLIHY () Mon Sep 30 1991 09:34

    I wonder if anyone can help...
    
    I believe I am allergic to wheat (I'm still trying out this theory!)
    
    I eat black rye bread, but it gets a bit heavy with anything other than
    cheese.  Shop bought cakes and biscuits are out - as are most cereals.
    Pasta and pizzas are also no-no's.  Life is getting tough.
    
    Does anyone have any advice/information/ideas on substitutes?
    
    I bought some Rice Flour recently - I also saw Barley Flour, Buckwheat
    Flour, Chick Pea flour and Soy Flour.  How do these all compare?
    
    Thanks for any help, 
    Jane.
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3239.1Wheat-free ideasTNPUBS::STEINHARTMon Sep 30 1991 10:0528
    It sounds like you need new starch/grain foods to fill the gap.
    
    Some ideas include:
    
    - Potatos.  Italian gnocchi, potato pancakes.
    
    - Cornmeal.  Italian polenta.
    
    - Non-wheast pasta.  Health food store:  artichoke flour pasta. 
    Oriental store:  rice noodles, buckwheat noodes (Japanese).
    
    - Filling grains.  Brown rice, barley, rice pilaf.
    
    - Desserts.  Apple "crunch".  Sliced apples baked with a margarine-
    oat-sugar-cinnamon topping.
    
    - Pancakes.  The Indians make "dosa" or "dosai", often called "masala
    dosa".  It's a clever recipe, wherein a chickpea flour batter is left
    at room temperature to leaven.  See Indian cookbooks.  
    
    - Snacks.  Indian food stores carry a wide range of snacks based on
    chickpea flour.
    
    - Sauces.  Thicken with cornstarch.  Can be substituted in all cases
    for flour.
    
    Good luck,
    Laura
3239.2non-wheat flour productsCADSYS::CADSYS::RICHARDSONMon Sep 30 1991 12:1226
    One of my friends who is definitely allergic to wheat makes really good
    pancakes by substituting finely ground oatmeal for the wheat flour (you
    can buy ground oat flour at a premium price at the local "health" food
    store, too).  Barley flour makes great pancakes too - barley has a nice,
    sort of nutty flavor.   I bet barley-flour muffins would be good, but I
    haven't tried this.  I use some wheat flour in oatmeal muffins; I
    expect they would be kind of heavy without it.
    
    I have never tried to make yeast bread that did not contain ANY wheat
    flour, so I can't help you there.  You're going to get really dense
    bread if you don't put in something that contains gluten.  I usually
    make rye bread with about half rye flour and half wheat flour.
    
    I really like rice-flour noodles, and bean threads.  There is a wide
    variety of non-wheat pasta products available, although some of them
    don't work out so well in practice, as it turns out.  For example, corn
    flour macaroni is sort of gluey.  My neighbor's italian mother makes
    GREAT gnocchi, but she doesn't use a recipe, and I think she mixes in
    some wheat flour - must remember to watch next time she is in town;
    she's a GREAT cook!  I don't really like buckwheat noodles, either -
    they taste like buckwheat, which to me has an unpleasantly metallic
    taste - but other people seem to like it, so you might like the noodles
    too.
    
    /Charlotte
        
3239.3SquashTNPUBS::STEINHARTFri Oct 11 1991 12:1729
    Oh, I forgot to mention winter squash, available at farm stands this
    time of year.
    
    I've used butternut a lot (makes 2 neat portions) but I want to try
    buttercup which is supposed to be even better, although much larger.
    It looks like a Turk's turban, but it is dull green.
    
    Cut in half (either direction), scoop out seeds and pulp, and place
    face down in a lightly greased (I use PAM) baking pan.  If you plan to
    cook in a standard oven, add a little water.
    
    I cook it in the microwave.  About 10 minutes per pound.  In the
    conventional oven, it takes 30-60 minutes.
    
    Scoop out the flesh and serve with a little butter and cinnamon.
    You can also puree it.
    
    I read that you can use golden nugget, which looks like a pumpkin, but
    not as deeply ridged, instead of mashed potatos or in gnocchi.
    
    You can roast the seeds and pulp at 325 for 15 minutes.  They'll
    separate and the seeds are tasty.
    
    There are lots of other ways to serve squash - in curries, soups, etc. 
    But that's a topic unto itself.
    
    Hope it's going well for you.
    
    Laura