A New Vocabulary - Gluten

Gluten, what is gluten?!  If you found this word is a new vocabulary to you, here is a little summary from wikipedia:

Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as "dextrin".

More and more of my friends and family are having a gluten-free diet due to Celiac disease.  Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance (or my friend, Rachel and her husband call it a princess disease), is a genetic disorder that affects at least 1 in 133 Americans.

Symptoms of celiac disease can range from the classic features, such as diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to latent symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies but no gastrointestinal symptoms. The disease mostly affects people of European (especially Northern European) descent.

It's not easy to survive in a gluten filled world (majority items of our diet contain gluten, such as bread, oat, pizza dough, pastry, pasta, etc.) with a gluten-free diet.  I am so happy that one of my good friends from college has created a gluten-free blog to help those, who suffer from this princess disease just like herself.  Today, I am going to share her gluten-free French toast recipe with you:

Gluten Free French Toast (Ingredients) -

• Secret ingredients are vanilla and cinnamon! It will revolutionize your taste buds! :-)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2-3/4 cup milk of choice (I prefer whole milk) 
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1/2 t cinnamon 
• 6-8 slices of bread (less bread if not gluten free as those slices are often larger in size)*

*Gluten-free bread could be found at Trader Joe's or Whole Food Market.  Click here
 to find out more about gluten-free brands and where you could find them: 

 

Directions -

1. Heat griddle or pan over medium heat and spray with Pam to coat.
2. Beat eggs, add milk and vanilla and continue to beat. 
3. Pour mixture into a shallow dish, I use a pie pan, and sprinkle the top of the mixture with cinnamon.
4. Place a few slices of bread into dish and allow to sit for about a minute before turning over. 
5. Let sit another 30 sec-1 minute before placing in pan. 
6. Cook on both sides until golden brown.
7. Continue with remaining bread. I prefer to sprinkle more cinnamon into the mixture between each slice of bread. 
8. Top with sliced strawberries, butter and a bit of whipped cream for an extra treat.