Simply Gluten-Free

Raspberry-Glazed Chicken

admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:52:26 +0000

Raspberry-Glazed Chicken is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

Wow, it has been more than a year since I’ve updated this blog! Much has changed in our family. I had another baby (#2) in July last year. Then our family decided it was time to say goodbye to China after 11 years… so we are now back in the U.S. We are delighted to be back where there’s an abundance of gluten-free foods! Cooking and baking has never been so easy! I no longer have to grind and mix my own gluten-free flours from whole grain. I was surprised to find that Costco sells so many gluten-free goodies now. There’s also Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods near where we are. We have been so spoiled by all the options here, and I think my husband gained a few pounds since coming back!

Anyway, I wanted to pick up on blogging by adding a few tips and recipes now and then. With two kids and a full-time job, it’s never easy to find the time, but I guess I am spending less time trying to figure out what or how to cook/eat gluten-free now that we’re back in the U.S. I know the challenges we faced in China are no longer there but I’d still like to continue posting useful information on this blog to help those who struggle with eating gluten-free.

Here’s a simple chicken recipe that is gluten-free and dairy-free.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp minced red onion
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the coconut oil and chicken.

Heat coconut oil in a large skilley over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and brown on both sides.

Turn heat to low and add sauce.

Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Spoon extra suace over chicken breasts to serve.

Organic Milk from Helekang

admin — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:31:18 +0000

Organic Milk from Helekang is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

My daughter is 20 months now and I’m finally weaning her from breastmilk to cow’s milk. I was holding off on introducing cow’s milk for a long time because my husband has dairy allergies, so I was afraid to introduce milk to my daughter, not to mention the unknown amount of plastic, synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and other added chemicals found in Chinese milk. However, the time has come for me to wean and so far, my daughter hasn’t shown signs of food allergies to anything. So I’ve decided it’s time to introduce cow’s milk.

After doing some shopping and research, we’ve decided to give her Organic Valley organic whole milk imported from California! We found an online store called Helekang that sells the milk in cases of 12 x 1L cartons. Each case is 298 RMB, so each carton averages about 25 RMB! If purchased individually, each carton is 28RMB. That’s not bad considering this is imported AND organic! This is also shelf-stable milk, so does not require refrigeration. The milk keeps for a few months, which is nice because you don’t have to run out to get milk everytime they run out!

The Helekang website is available in English and delivery is free if order of over 100RMB. Customer service is great! After I place an order online, a customer service rep calls right away to confirm the order and time of delivery, which is usually the next day. You can pay using a variety of methods — online banking, Alipay, or pay upon delivery.

Gluten-free Pad Thai Noodles

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:12:18 +0000

Gluten-free Pad Thai Noodles is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

I mentioned in an earlier post this year that iHerb ships to China! iHerb is an online store based in California that sells all sorts of natural and health products, including vitamin supplements, bath & beauty, gluten-free food, and more. It’s great because if there’s something I can’t find at import stores here in Shanghai, I can order directly from iHerb.

Shipping isn’t too expensive considering if you average the cost of the items with the shipping cost, the items end up costing about the same (or even less) as what you pay at import stores here. The only difference is that there’s a lot more to choose from on iHerb than at City Shop or Pines.

In any case, I just placed an order for some gluten-free pad thai noodles. My husband loves to eat pad thai noodles. This instant version will be perfect for when we go out to eat with friends or when he goes on business trips. You either add cold water and microwave it or just add boiling water.

Ingredients: Rice noodles (rice flour, starch), wheat free soy sauce powder (fermented soybeans), vegetables* (garlic, shallots, cabbage, cilantro, chili pepper, green onion, chives), peanuts, organic evaporated cane juice, vegan natural flavors (yeast extract, extracts of tamarind, turmeric and paprika), spices, potato starch, lime juice powder, tofu, sea salt. Manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts.

Each packet of the pad thai noodles costs $1.65. I ordered 10 of them and the shipping (to Shanghai) was $10.12. Comes out to a total of $25.79, or $2.58 (16RMB) each! Definitely cheaper than if you were to buy something like this at specialty stores here (not that I’ve ever seen gluten-free instant noodles here).

If you’d like to order stuff from iHerb, you can use the code GEQ947 for $5 off your first order!

Buy Gluten-Free Flours in Shanghai

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:04:53 +0000

Buy Gluten-Free Flours in Shanghai is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

In recent years, I’ve received many emails from people who stumbled upon my blog and wanted to learn more about managing the gluten-free diet in Shanghai/China. These people include people traveling to and/or living in China. I’m glad this blog has served its purpose (reason why I started this blog many years ago), if only I had more time to keep it updated and add more useful information. That’s the challenge of being a full-time working mom.

In any case, one popular request I get is where to buy gluten-free flours. Import stores like CityShop and Pines do carry some packaged gluten-free mix but at an exortbitant price (80-100RMB per package!). For lack of alternatives, many people bite the bullet and pay the price. I actually grind my own gluten-free flours from whole grain using a Vitamix. While the Vitamix is an expensive investment (8000+ RMB for both the wet and dry blade), the long-term cost savings of grinding your own flours is worth it for anyone planning to live in China for a few years.

For those who can’t afford to buy a Vitamix or don’t plan to stay in China for a long time, I started grinding gluten-free flours for anyone who requests them. Actually, I ask my ayi to do the grinding. You’ll need to cover the cost of the grain plus the time it takes for my ayi to grind/sift them. It’s about 20RMB per medium-sized ziplock bag. And you’ll need to pick them up from my place. (I live in Pudong in the Zhangjiang neighborhood)

Flours available:

brown rice flour
sorghum flour
millet flour
buckwheat flour

Send me your request via the Contact Me form. Include your email address, what flours and how many bags you want. I’ll get back to you regarding approximate time the flours will be ready for pick up.

Gluten-Free Products and Related Purchases Can Be Tax-Deductible

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:53:45 +0000

Gluten-Free Products and Related Purchases Can Be Tax-Deductible is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

Just came across two articles (link and link) saying that gluten-free products and related purchases can be tax-deductible.

From Celiac.com:

The following guidelines were received from the Oct. 1993 CSA/USA National Conference in Buffalo, NY:

You can claim only the EXTRA COST of the gluten-free product over what you would pay for the similar item at a grocery store. For example, if wheat flour costs $0.89 per 5 lbs. and rice flour is $3.25 per 5 lbs., the DIFFERENCE of $2.36 is tax deductible. You may also claim mileage expense for the extra trip to the health food store and postal costs on gluten-free products ordered by mail.

The cost of xanthan gum (methylcellulose, etc.) used in gluten-free home baked goods is completely different than anything used in an ordinary recipe, so in the opinion of the IRS, the total cost of this item can be claimed.

Save all cash register tapes, receipts, and canceled checks to substantiate your gluten-free purchases. You will need to prepare a list of grocery store prices to arrive at the differences in costs. You need not submit it with your return, but do retain it.

Attach a letter from your doctor to your tax return. This letter should state that you have Celiac Sprue disease and must adhere to a total gluten-free diet for life.

Under MEDICAL DEDUCTIONS list as Extra cost of a gluten-free diet the total amount of your extra expenses. You do not need to itemize these expenses.

Suggestions:

You may want to write the Citations (as given below) on your tax return. Always keep a copy of your doctors letter for your own records.

Your IRS office may refer you to Publication 17 and tell you these deductions are not permissible. IRS representatives have ruled otherwise and this is applicable throughout the US. Refer them to the following Citations:

Revenue Ruling 55-261

Cohen 38 TC 387

Revenue Ruling 76-80, 67 TC 481

Flemming TC MEMO 1980 583

Van Kalb TC MEMO 1978 366

It seems like a lot of work to keep track of all the expenses, receipts, price differences, miles, etc. However, the dollar differences do add up and I would estimate one year’s worth of gluten-free products is AT LEAST $1000 more expensive than non-gluten-free products.

iHerb Ships to China

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:45:53 +0000

iHerb Ships to China is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

Recently, I learned that iHerb ships to China. iHerb is an online store based in California that sells all sorts of natural and health products, including vitamin supplements, bath & beauty, gluten-free food, and more.

Shipping to China is relatively reasonable (under $13) without worrying about import tax or getting stuck at customs because iHerb limits each order/shipment to under 7 pounds. Shipping is delivered via EMS and should arrive within 4-5 days of ordering. If your order is greater than 7 pounds, the website won’t let you check out. You’ll have to split your order.

Last week, I placed my first order on iHerb. I bought two bottles of Organic Blue Agave (44oz) for $19.95. The price was the same as Amazon.com, which is where I usually order a bunch of things prior to visiting the U.S. The two bottles were a little under 7 pounds and the shipping was $11.25. I had a coupon for $5 off first order, so the total came out to about $26 (or about 170RMB). If I were to buy a bottle of agave syrup this size here in Shanghai (which isn’t available), it would have been at least 100RMB per bottle! I bought a tiny bottle of maple syrup once from Metro and it was 98 RMB!

I received my two bottles of agave in 4 days! Wow! I’m glad that I found iHerb! It’s cheaper to order some items from iHerb and having items shipped here than buying from import stores like City Shop and Pines, not to mention the availability. There’s a bunch of things you can’t find here in China!

If you’d like to order stuff from iHerb, you can use the code GEQ947 for $5 off your first order!

Gluten-Free Cheerios in City’s Super Shanghai

admin — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:35:03 +0000

Gluten-Free Cheerios in City’s Super Shanghai is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

When my baby was starting solids several months ago, I wasn’t sure whether she was going to take after her father with all the food sensitivities and allergies. We were very slow and careful in introducing solids, avoiding all the high-risk allergy food items as well as everything my husband was allergic to (which is a lot stuff), while continuing to breastfeed her for as long as possible.

That meant not giving her any gluten/wheat, dairy, nuts, eggs, soy, among other things. Seemed like a challenging task, but It actually wasn’t too hard to manage. Being married to my husband for almost six years now, I’m used to dealing with food allergies and have come up with plenty of yummy alternatives over the years.

One thing I did look for in particular was a gluten-free version of Cheerios. Cheerios is like the must-have snack for all babies/toddlers. It’s a simple bite-size finger food that babies with or without teeth can snack on. Unfortunately, Cheerios are made of oat which is likely to be contaminated with wheat. So I went online to look for alternatives and found something called Nature’s Path Organic Whole O’s.

INGREDIENTS: Organic brown rice flour, organic corn flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic pomegranate juice concentrate, sea salt. Produced in a facility that uses peanuts, tree nuts or soy.

I ordered them online from Amazon (sold $23 for 6 boxes) because hubby was going to be in the U.S. for a business trip and able to bring stuff back. I didn’t think I’d be able to find them in Shanghai…

… but lo and behold, we were just at City’s Super yesterday (the one inside the IFC in Lujiazui) and saw them! They were sold for about 42 RMB ($6.50) per box, a 45% price mark up from Amazon!! Nevertheless, it’s good to know that you can buy them here in Shanghai! I’ve met moms who’s babies/toddlers are gluten-intolerant and struggle with finding gluten-free foods in Shanghai. The selection of gluten-free cereals in most import stores are quite sparse and not consistently stocked.

Making Homemade Soy Yogurt in China

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:55:40 +0000

Making Homemade Soy Yogurt in China is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

The last few days, I’ve been on a soy yogurt making frenzy! Hubby is allergic to dairy and I’ve been thinking of ways to add non-dairy alternatives (milk, yogurt, ice cream) to his diet. He had some commercial soy yogurt when we were back in the US several weeks ago and mentioned how the yogurt helped with his digestion and skin! Soy yogurt is hard to find in China, not to mention, extremely expensive if you do find them! So I’ve been researching how to make soy yogurt for some time now.

The first step is to find all the ingredients. The next step is to acquire all the equipments/tools. The third step is to experiment, experiment, and experiment! Soy yogurt is a little more difficult to make than regular cow’s milk yogurt. I don’t know why, but from what I’ve read, soy yogurt tends to be more runny and takes longer to incubate. In any case, I’ve made several batches of soy yogurt (using slightly varying methods) just to see the difference in the results.

Below is the basic recipe for making yogurt using all types of milk. Then I’ll include where I acquired a few items and a few tips from my own experiments, what worked and didn’t.

The Basics of Making Yogurt

Ingredients:

milk (cow, soy, rice, oat, coconut, etc…)
sweetener (sugar, honey, agave, stevia, maple syrup, etc…)
yogurt starter*

(*Some yogurt starter has milk powder so if you’re not sensitive to dairy, you can use any yogurt starter. You can also use unsweetened yogurt as a starter. You need about 10g starter or 50ml yogurt per 1000ml milk.)

Equipments/Tools:

yogurt maker
thermometer
measuring cup
spoon

Basic Directions:

Yogurt starter should be at room temperature. If not, place the packet or container in warm water for 30 minutes.
Sterilize all equipments that touch/handle the milk by pouring boiling water over them for a few seconds.
Heat the milk to about 90C, then cool down to 43C. Alternatively, you can heat half the milk to 90C and mix it with the other half of cold milk to save time.
Add yogurt starter and sweetener to the milk and place mixture in the yogurt maker.
Incubate for 6-12 hours.

Where to Buy Yogurt Ingredients / Equipments in China

I bought both the yogurt starter and yogurt maker on Taobao.

This particular yogurt maker model has a small container and makes only about 750ml (3 cups) of yogurt at a time. There are models with bigger containers but I opted for this model because 1) I didn’t want to waste too much precious homemade soy milk in case my experiments failed and 2) it comes with an ice cream maker attachment.

This brand/packet of yogurt starter contains 5 strains of bacteria — Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus (两歧双歧杆菌、青春双歧杆菌、嗜酸乳杆菌、嗜热链球菌、保加利亚乳杆菌)

My Experiments / Tips & Tricks

My very first attempt at making soy yogurt, the result was runny because I didn’t add any sweetener. The starter needs something sweet to feed on. Later batches, I used agave as a sweetener and the result was fine.
For even firmer yogurt, you can use agar agar powder or gelatin. Mix a tiny amount (you can experiment how much) of gelatin with cold milk first, let sit for a minute, then pour hot milk over it. Stir until dissolved.
I used homemade soy milk made using the Vitamix. One batch failed completely and I suspect it was the way I made the soy milk. I usually make the soy milk by blending boiling water with soaked soy beans for 3 minutes, then strain the milk with a cheesecloth and cook the milk for another 20 minutes. However, I tried making the milk by cooking the soy bean in water first for 20 minutes, then blend and strain the milk. Not only was this method of making the soy milk more difficult to strain, the result was mostly liquid with specks of yogurt. FAIL.
I tried using coconut milk/juice (the popular Chinese drink from Hainan) to make coconut yogurt. The result was also mostly liquid with specks of yogurt. FAIL.
In all my attempts, I incubated the yogurt for 12 hours. Soy yogurt takes much longer to incubate than regular cow’s milk.

For my next experiment, I will use commercial soy milk. I read that many people tried making soy yogurt and the result was runny. I suspect that it might have something to do with the soy milk and how it is made/processed because all my attempts with homemade soy milk (minus the one time I cooked the beans first then blend) were successful and the yogurt was quite firm, even without the gelatin.

Aroy-D Thai Products that are Gluten-Free

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Aroy-D Thai Products that are Gluten-Free is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

As frustrating as it is to shop for gluten/wheat-free food China, I never stop looking for things that I can add to our gluten-free pantry. Looking for seasonings is probably the most frustrating as most Chinese seasonings contain soy sauce, wheat, MSG, ‘spices’, and ‘seasonings’. However, without a variety of ingredients and seasonings in the kitchen, it’s hard to make food tasty. That is why I’m always on the lookout for gluten-free seasonings in both the local and import sections of supermarkets here.

Lately, I’ve found quite a number of Aroy-D brand Thai products that appear to be gluten-free. You can find a few items in the import section of Carrefour (JinQiao) or you can order them on Taobao.

Here’s a few items that I’ve added to our gluten-free pantry.

Sweet Chilli Sauce for Chicken
(甜辣酱)

Ingredients: sugar, water, chilli, salt, garlic, modified corn starch, acetic acid as acidity regulators, xanthan gum

Coconut Milk
(椰奶)

Ingredients: coconut extract, water

Red Curry Paste
(红咖喱酱)

Ingredients: dried red chilli, garlic, lemon grass, shallot, salt, galangal, kaffir lime peel, spices (coriander seed, cumin powder)

Fish Sauce
(鱼露)

Ingredients: anchovy extract, salt, sugar

Rice Paper
(春卷皮)

Ingredient: Rice, water

(Note: The ingredients do not contain gluten/wheat items, but that does not mean the manufacturing equipments are gluten/wheat-free. If you are highly sensitive to gluten/wheat, try them at your discretion.)

There are many other Aroy-D items that I have yet to try. Carrefour has a limited selection, but if you search Aroy-D (安来利) online, you’ll find quite a selection of products that are gluten-free. You can also search Taobao.com (China) or Amazon.com (U.S.).

My husband loves Thai food, so I was quite happy to find these items. The sweet chilli sauce makes great dipping sauce to eat with anything (meat, eggrolls, potstickers, etc…). Fish sauce and coconut milk are key ingredients for many Thai dishes. I also use coconut milk as cream substitutes for cooking/baking. I use coconut milk to make dairy free homemade ice cream. The rice paper makes AMAZING eggrolls (both deep fried and fresh/raw) that are both crunchy and chewy. The eggrolls turned out to be a 10/10 and is blog-worthy, so I will be writing a post on that soon.

Gluten-Free Selections at Carrefour Supermarket

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Gluten-Free Selections at Carrefour Supermarket is a post from: Simply Gluten-Free

I never got around to posting this, but I noticed that Carrefour supermarket started carrying gluten-free items in the import section two years ago! I brought my camera one day, took a picture, and was meaning to write a post about it but forgot. Today, I was sorting through some pictures on my computer and saw that picture, so decided to post it on the blog, finally!

Check out the prices!

Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free Brownie Mix — 60RMB ($8USD)
Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix — 72RMB ($11USD)
Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix – 62RMB ($9USD)

Wow! Limited and expensive!! Those were the only three gluten-free items I saw. I’m sure City Shop and Pines have a lot more gluten-free selections, but I was actually quite surprised to see that the local Carrefour supermarket had them too! I wondered if it was because foreigners had requested for gluten-free items.

Well… that picture was taken at the JinQiao Carrefour back in November 2008. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any gluten-free items when I shopped there last week. The same shelf had a bunch of baking mixes, but there weren’t any gluten-free items. For whatever reason that made them stop selling gluten-free things, I doubt it’s because there isn’t enough demand. Matter of fact, I think the demand for gluten-free items should be higher as more and more foreigners are moving to China, but also, food allergies are on the rise in the local population.