Lean and lovin’ it: Putting g-free foods to the test

Fill-in-the-blank: Without ______ you would not be able to make wheat or rye bread.

If you’re on a _____-free diet you’ve stopped eating most gravy, pizza, some ice creams, some candies, macaroni and cheese, many breakfast cereals and bologna.

If you filled in “gluten” for both, give yourself an A.

Gluten is a protein specific to wheat (with variations in rye and barley), that makes it possible for bread dough to hold the carbon dioxide-inflated bubbles produced by yeast. Without gluten, that dough would not have the elasticity to rise and maintain its structure.

My brother Robert’s concern that he may be gluten-sensitive piqued my curiosity about gluten and the products in which it’s found.

Gluten can be found in any product made from or with wheat, like doughnuts, pasta, bread and cookies. But it’s also in some unlikely places, such as soy sauce (check the ingredients, wheat might be listed before soybeans) or beer (barley’s the issue here).

Wondering what gluten-sensitive folks can do, I headed to the supermarket where I saw “gluten-free” labels on products throughout the store. I spied gluten-free cookies, muffins, a few breads and even new gluten-free Bisquick. In the pasta aisle I spotted several gluten-free versions (made from rice or corn). Next, I swung by my health food store and found all sorts of gluten-free baked goods including bagels and pizza crust in the freezer section. Gluten-free products were even pricier than at the supermarket; where one loaf of one gluten-free bread hovered near $6.

I found gluten-free cake mixes (almost $7 a box) that required adding vegetable oil and thought they might be excellent candidates for gluten-sensitive folks to cut calories and fat by substituting drained, unsweetened applesauce for half the oil.

I tossed frozen packages of Udi’s gluten-free whole-grain bread ($4.99) and Food for Life’s wheat and gluten free brown rice English muffins ($5.99) into my cart and headed home for taste tests.

Udi’s bread (2 slices, 150 calories, 4.5 fat grams) worked better toasted for sandwiches. Toasted, it had a very wheat bread-like texture and density and decent flavor.

The Food for Life English muffin (220 calories and 1 fat gram) came very close to a standard English muffin taste, but with a denser texture. One big plus; no added fat.

My journey into the gluten-free world taught me it’s 1) most g-free products aren’t cheap; 2) if a product isn’t labeled “gluten-free” you have to read the label closely and 3) it’s difficult to find g-free products that taste good (my brother tried a gluten- and dairy-free pizza that didn’t make it past the second bite).

Have you gone gluten-free and found places, such as a bakery or restaurant that have good-tasting, reasonably-priced gluten-free foods? Have you had to rework your meal plans in unique but satisfying gluten-free ways? If so, let me know.

Try this recipe: Here’s a gluten-free main course that uniquely flavors chicken thighs and produces a delicious sauce that the rice soaks up. The light crunch of the shallots makes this main course sing. Give this a try.

Ÿ Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write him at don@theleanwizard.com.