Another allergy? *sign*

Nutrinet wrote: The prevalence of allergic sensitivities to specific foods varies from one country to another depending on the frequency with which the food is eaten in that country and the typical age at its introduction into the diet. For example, peanuts are a much more frequent cause of food allergies in the US than in most other countries. Americans eat peanuts more often and introduce peanut butter into the diet of children at an early age. The Japanese probably experience more rice and soybean allergies than some cultures because of the frequency of those two foods in the Japanese diet. Another example would be buckwheat allergy. Buckwheat allergy appears to be rather common among adults in certain Southeast Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea where it is used as a significant dietary component. In contrast, buckwheat allergy is rather uncommon in the US. Scandinavians have a high incidence of codfish allergy for similar reasons. The prevalence of cow's milk allergy among infants under the age of two in Sweden, Denmark and Australia has been studied and found to be approximately 2% in all three counties. Basically, any food that has protein has the potential to elicit an allergic reaction among susceptible individuals. Genetics appears to play an important role in the development of food allergies. Allergies are much more likely (about a 40% chance) to develop in children born to parents who have allergies themselves than amongst children born to parents with no history of allergies. Infants are the most likely to develop food allergies.

and check this info

Edited by busymum

What on earth do you use buckwheat for anyway?

Well I'm no expert but here's some of my most frequently used recipes that may be helpful. I can't imagine how frustrating baking must be in your house, or how expensive the grocery bill!! I have just gone through my pantry and am going to give the food we haven't used in 6mos to my mum - things like malt vinegar (a giant bottle not opened!), soy sauce and worcester sauce, beef stock, cornflour (I can't remember if it was maize or wheaten so I'm being safe), and soup mix with barley or something in it. I guess it has really taken this long (6mos) to truly be okay with being gluten free. I haven't gone back - too much pain - but I do have the odd pity party LOL.


GF flour mix - makes 4 1/2 cups
this is what I generally use in cakes/biscuits

2 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch flour
¾ cup tapioca flour
½ cup bean flour or ground almonds
1 Tablespoon Xanthan gum

Mix thoroughly; store in airtight container.

Bread – Jesse's Corn-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free Bread
Got this one off the net and is the best recipe I have found yet - but really has to be eaten fresh. It's probably the best available for your family though!

2 cups rice flour
½ cup bean flour (or rice flour)
½ cup tapioca flour
2 ½ teaspoons Xanthan gum
1 tablespoon active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¾ cups water
1 teaspoon white/cider/rice vinegar

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in food processor. Process the mixture until it is smooth like a cake.
Spoon it into a greased bread pan or muffin tins. Bake in oven at 170C - 30 min for bread and 15 minutes for the buns. Alternatively, cook on rapid setting, medium crust in the breadmaker. Remember that all ingredients must be mixed before pouring into the breadmaker.

Banana Cake
Gets very dry (stale) quickly but probably not a problem if you have lots of kids!! You'll need to miss the egg and substitute the milk (it's only 1/4 cup - I'd be inclined to try water) but the recipe base is probably a helpful start.

1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
¾ cup rice flour
¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons potato starch flour
2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 bananas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts/almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 175C. Grease a 20cm square pan with vegetable oil spray.
Beat egg, salt, sugars, milk, egg, oil and essence. Add flours, gum and baking powder and mix until combined. Add banana, fold in nuts (optional). Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and keep the cake in the pan. Cut when cold. Freezes well.

Biscuits
This is my general biscuit recipe so you'll need to play with it a bit. I suggest you skip the egg and substitute the butter. As far as fillings go, this works well with marshmallows (chewy and yum!) or dried fruit e.g. chopped apricots/raisins. Or I guess you probably have "safe" chocolate??

125g butter
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
2 cups (320g) gluten free flour mix
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cocoa
¼ cup chocolate chips/dried apricot pieces/ quartered marshallows/or mix (to taste!)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla.Add egg and beat well. Add flour, baking powder, and cocoa and mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and mix well. Place spoonfuls on a greased baking tray and bake 15-25 minutes at 200C until firm and golden brown. Watch the marshmallows, they burn easily.

Pancakes - serves 2
I suggest you miss the egg and put in whatever your usual milk substitute is (almond milk?). Sometimes on Saturday I have pancakes for lunch as I'd rather have nearly anything than GF bread!!
1 egg
½ cup milk or plain lowfat yoghurt
1/3 cup GF bread mix
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 Tablespoon canola/olive oil

Beat eggs and milk (or yoghurt) until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Heat frypan to medium heat, add enough butter or spray oil to coat the bottom. Pour batter into frypan and cook until the top bubbles (3-5 minutes). Turn and cook until golden brown (2-3 minutes). Serve warm with usual toppings.