Cookbook Review: Quick Fix Gluten Free by Robert M. Landolphi

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (August 23, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449402933
• ISBN-13: 978-1449402938

Product Description

 

Gluten-free professional chef Robert M. Landolphi proves that a gluten-free lifestyle doesn't have to be bland and boring, labor-intensive, or time consuming inside Quick-Fix Gluten Free. In preparation for his follow-up to Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook, Landolphi queried fans about their biggest gluten-free challenges and created Quick-Fix Gluten Free in response to the dishes.

 

Divided into nine sections delving into everything from appetizers and breakfast to hearty, internationally inspired dishes, fan favorite comfort foods and decadent sweets and treats, Quick-Fix Gluten Free offers 100 fast and easily prepared recipes for crave-worthy dishes like Cinnamon Dusted French Toast, Kickin' Paella, Gnocchi with Roasted Garlic Butter and Parmesan Cheese, and Aunt Lil's Rich and Creamy Cheesecake. With a focus on fast, fresh and flavorful, these contemporary dishes are simple enough for everyday meals and delicious enough to serve to anyone--whether they are on a gluten-free diet or not.

Whether your choice to live gluten free is driven by the desire to lose weight, comply with a celiac diet, the need to avoid wheat because of mild allergies or the suspected link between gluten and autism, Quick-Fix Gluten Free proves that once-taboo foods like crusty breads, creamy pastas and indulgent cakes are no longer off-limits.

About the Author

 

Robert M. Landolphi is a professional gluten-free chef and graduate of the prestigious Johnson & Wales Culinary School. He is currently a Certified Culinary Arts Instructor and Culinary Operations Manager at the University of Connecticut. Robert also writes for a variety of print media and conducts regular radio and TV interviews across the country when he's not developing innovative, gluten-free recipes.

My Review


From Wikipedia: 
A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. 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". A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease,^[1] the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis,^[2] and wheat allergy.^[1]
Additionally, a gluten-free diet may exclude oats. Medical practitioners are divided on whether oats are an allergen to celiac disease sufferers^[3] or if they are cross-contaminated in milling facilities by other allergens.<sup>[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet

I've been thinking a lot about eliminating wheat from my diet so this cookbook is very timely.  I had not really thought about flour being made from materials other than wheat.  In this cookbook wheat made from grains such as rice and tapioca are utilized.  I guess the main question is - will dishes taste the same using flours made with grains other than wheat?

For breakfast, the maple glazed fruit skewers sound really good!  Hmmm....and I love the Dijon Cream Sauce recipe.  Creamy chicken marsala...sounds to die for.  Pasta that come gluten free...interesting concept.

There is a chapter near the end on a gluten free pantry that is very helpful.  The author also discusses how he has experimented at great length to find flour mixtures that work with each type of cooking or baking.  I'm glad that someone else has already done the experimenting required to discover which flour blends work. 

As you can tell, I am still wavering on whether to become gluten free or not.  This book is a great resource for those who have made the decision either by choice or necessity to become gluten free.</sup>