What is gluten anyway? And a recipe for gluten free cake!

My sister and I were out running errands a couple months ago, and we stopped by a local restaurant to grab lunch.  I had an ahi tuna wrap and one beer.  We wrapped up lunch and on the way to our next stop (bridal store for bridesmaid shopping) my fingers were so swollen I couldn’t get my rings off and my stomach started to hurt.  I said something along the lines of “stupid gluten” and she looked at me and said “what is gluten anyways?”  I paused for a moment and thought…”I really don’t know.”  Is it a powder, a liquid, a protein, a fat, carb?  Does some little gluten fairy go around sprinkling gluten dust on bread??  I knew why it was bad, what it was in, why people are intolerant to it, etc., but didn’t know what the correct definition of it was.  

Definition: Gluten is a protein composite in wheat and related grains in the triticeae family of grassy grains or cereal grains.  

• It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture 
• Often used as a food additive, a protein supplement or even as a food by itself.  Meat substitutes, also known as imitation meat or wheat meat, are often composed of concentrated gluten  
• Provides thickness and is commonly used in flavorings and sauces
• Commonly found in baked goods and grains, i.e. cakes, bread, cereal, couscous, etc

Foods Containing Hidden Gluten:

Sausages

Luncheon meat

Blue cheese

Gravy powder and browning

Matzo flour/meal

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)

Baked beans

Farina Meat and fish pastes Paté

Self basting turkeys Sauces

Soups

Mustards

Instant coffee

Brown rice

Syrup

Potato chips

Soy sauce

Salad dressings

Malt vinegar

Imitation crab meat

OXO cubes

Oatmeal

for more information on gluten, continue reading from these pages:

gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com

Mark’s Daily Apple

Robb Wolf

Cake Recipe – I’ve not made yet but might try out on my birthday!  Looks good 🙂 

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/11/15/paleo-pumpkin-gingerbread-cake-with-maple-vanilla-frosting/