I found this recipe for gluten free skillet Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas on a can of Rosarita Enchilada Sauce. The word “skillet” in the title means is that you are not concerned with serving something that looks like the enchiladas you’d expect to find in a fancy Mexican restaurant — you are interested in enjoying a great combination of tastes.

You’ll need about 12 6 inch corn tortillas torn into bite sized pieces, about 3 cups of shredded chicken (or some other kind of meat), a 20 ounce can of gluten free enchilada sauce (if possible, use the Rosarita brand as a way of thanking them for this great recipe), and roughly 4 ounces of shredded cheese. Some corn or mushrooms would be a nice touch.

Put everything into a large skillet coated with non-stick spray until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Published 8/20/10

Here are links to two quizzes that are labeled “gluten free trivia”. Actually, I don’t think they are trivial at all — this is the information that keeps us healthy. Anyway, this is a pleasant way to review some essential information.

The first quiz is titled “Where’s the Gluten Hiding?”. It involves a newly-diagnosed celiac walking through his kitchen and attempting to make it gluten free. Obviously, he has lots of questions and we are challenged to give him answers.

The second quiz was prepared by a person living in Canada. I think his questions and answers are OK by American standards but you may need to be a bit cautious. Definitions differ from country to country.

Published 8/17/10

My last article, “Defining Gluten Free” contained an error. I have corrected this mistake which came from using out-of-date information. Unfortunately, information remains on google and the other search engines until a human deletes  or changes the obsolete  information.

How did I catch this mistake? Actually, I didn’t. An alert member of America’s gluten free community sent me a message advising me of the problem. I rely on your help with these matters. I deeply appreciate your input. You are responsible for at least 95% of the proofreading done on this site. My e-mail address is gfceliac@gmail.com.

Published 8/16/10

There are at least three different ways to define “gluten free”. That’s one of the reasons why there is so much controversy.

♦ The traditional approach states that any product that contains any amount of a product made using wheat, barley, rye, or oats is unsafe. If this definition is used, most soy sauce and vinegar is taboo. Many people who use this definition believe that a product made in a facility that processes wheat, barley, rye, or oats is unacceptable.

♦ A modern approach is to measure the gluten in a product and define any item that meets the criteria as “gluten free”. There are many different criteria.

◊ The Codex Alimentarius, a document which provides European countries with their definition of gluten free, states that 20 parts-per -million is acceptable, even in a situation where gluten toxic items have been processed to removed the toxic elements and meet the test standards.

NOTE: This sentence was rewritten to correct an error in the original text. Read the comment below for more information.

◊ America’s Food and Drug Administration has not officially adopted standards for gluten free food in the United States will probably any product with less than 20 parts per million is acceptable.

◊ The Gluten Intolerance Group certifies food that contains less than 10 parts-per-million.

◊ The Celiac Sprue Association limits its certification to products with less than 5 parts per million.

Read my article on this subject for more information. This article also gives examples to help our understanding of the term “parts-per-million”. FYI, even the finest laboratory equipment can’t detect the complete absence of gluten.

♦ A third alternative is to contact the producer of the product and consider their answer to your questions about the gluten free status of a product.

Here is a copy of an e-mail I received from a member of America’s gluten free community telling how she uses a combination of the second and third alternative to make her decisions.

“The Codex Alimentarius standard for gluten free foods specifies that most celiacs can tolerate below 200ppm of gluten. Some foods are prepared in such a way that the gluten protein in the wheat can no longer be recognized by the immune system; (I believe that the protein becomes denatured during the manufacturing process?). Often manufacturers will list food as gluten free if it cannot be detected by their equipment, even though some may still be present. You’d be surprised what you are able to tolerate – if I suspect that I may be able to tolerate a product I usually just give them a ring and ask what data they have on their gluten content. I rang Kikkoman who said that the gluten was altered in the manufacturing process and therefore it is highly unlikely I would experience any symptoms. Being a highly symptomatic celiac, I put this to the test, as if I even if something has been fried with a gluten-containing food or a pan is reused I will be up all night and ill for around 24 hours. True to their word, I was absolutely fine.”

Published 8/14/10   Updated 8/16/10

I can’t wait to try gluten free bisquick if for no other reason than to thank General Mills for one of the first major companies to acknowledge the importance of the gluten free community.

I wrote about gluten free bisquick last month. I was pleased that recipes using the new mix were becoming available and that the company acknowledged that — because we’d be using rice flour rather than wheat flour — that the new and standard versions of bisquick were not interchangeable.

But where is the product? I’m still waiting. From looking at our store shelves, you would suspect that General Mills regarded Portland, Oregon, as a poor market for gluten free products. I suspect that mostost of the nation seems to feel the same way at this moment.

I recently discovered two bloggers who have not only found gluten free bisquick, but have used it and written about their experience. Click here to read what The Gluten Free Mom reported on her blog. This link will take you to the blog Food, Living, and Everything Else. I hope I’ll be able to write about gluten free bisquick soon.

Published 8/13/10