Gluten: the storage protein found in grains of wheat. But other similar proteins are also called gluten in a general sense and are widely found in grains such as rye, barley and wheat.
Gluten Intolerance: Gluten sensitivity is a collection of diseases in which wheat prolamins and glutelins are the sensitizing factor. In the case of allergic responses, symptoms may appear as dermatitis but could also present as difficulty breathing during exercise...gastrointestinal symptoms may occur. Other symptoms may include bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhoea; or it may present with a variety of extraintestinal symptoms including headaches and migraines, lethargy and tiredness, attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity, autism and schizophrenia, muscular disturbances as well as bone and joint pain. In the case of idiopathic gluten sensitivity all known symptoms are confined to the nervous system.
When I first heard about people living "gluten free" a few years ago, I was concerned for them and their health. Life without refined carbs?! I think I'd rather die. Then, as more of my friends developed an intolerance and gluten free menus started popping up at all the trendy places, I laughed. Gluten free? puh-lease I said. Just another fad. I knew about celiac disease and totally believed those people, but everybody else? get a life...and a slice of pizza. And then I had my second child.
Chunks was a screamer. Oh man, this kid could clear a room in 20 seconds once he got going. He screamed every waking moment until he was 8 weeks old. No, I'm not exagerating. He even screamed while eating, until eventually, he stopped eating altogether. Not sure how many of you are mothers and have breastfed, but when it's YOU they are refusing-something YOUR BODY created for them to eat and it causes them pain-it really gets to you emotionally. Our family Dr. suggested an elimination diet including no products containing gluten. Got to tell you, I really dragged my feet on this one. I. LOVE. BREAD. I consider bread the most perfect food on the planet other than cheese (and I was already dairy free). In the end though, I wanted to see my son pain free so I gave it a shot. And guess what? The kid stopped screaming. So, here we are. I mocked all those gluten free freaks and what am I? I'm one of them.
Going gluten free was in no way going to keep me from eating bread. So, I began my quest to find amazing gluten free, dairy free cookies, cake, muffins, bread etc. Let me tell you, there isn't much out there. So after modifying a few recipes, I was ready to start inventing a few of my own. Yesterday I got a hankering for pancakes and decided to come up with something. Thank goodness I decided to write the ingredients down as I baked because these are delish!
Apple Pie Pancakes
Gluten Intolerance: Gluten sensitivity is a collection of diseases in which wheat prolamins and glutelins are the sensitizing factor. In the case of allergic responses, symptoms may appear as dermatitis but could also present as difficulty breathing during exercise...gastrointestinal symptoms may occur. Other symptoms may include bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhoea; or it may present with a variety of extraintestinal symptoms including headaches and migraines, lethargy and tiredness, attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity, autism and schizophrenia, muscular disturbances as well as bone and joint pain. In the case of idiopathic gluten sensitivity all known symptoms are confined to the nervous system.
When I first heard about people living "gluten free" a few years ago, I was concerned for them and their health. Life without refined carbs?! I think I'd rather die. Then, as more of my friends developed an intolerance and gluten free menus started popping up at all the trendy places, I laughed. Gluten free? puh-lease I said. Just another fad. I knew about celiac disease and totally believed those people, but everybody else? get a life...and a slice of pizza. And then I had my second child.
Chunks was a screamer. Oh man, this kid could clear a room in 20 seconds once he got going. He screamed every waking moment until he was 8 weeks old. No, I'm not exagerating. He even screamed while eating, until eventually, he stopped eating altogether. Not sure how many of you are mothers and have breastfed, but when it's YOU they are refusing-something YOUR BODY created for them to eat and it causes them pain-it really gets to you emotionally. Our family Dr. suggested an elimination diet including no products containing gluten. Got to tell you, I really dragged my feet on this one. I. LOVE. BREAD. I consider bread the most perfect food on the planet other than cheese (and I was already dairy free). In the end though, I wanted to see my son pain free so I gave it a shot. And guess what? The kid stopped screaming. So, here we are. I mocked all those gluten free freaks and what am I? I'm one of them.
Apple Pie Pancakes
Flour Mix (Combine well):
1 cup gf oat flour
1 cup gf oat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 white rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
Then add:1/4 white rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp gf baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
mix well. Add:
1/4 cup organic apple suace
1/2 tsp gf vanilla
1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
stir until most of the lumps are out
Cook like regular pancakes and top with maple syrup, agave, or powdered sugar. Enjoy!
P.S. The pictures disappeared, so I borrowed this from google images. They look just like regular pancakes though :)
Very informative post! Thank you!
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