GLUTEN - friend or enemy

“Gluten Free” has become a sort of buzz word these days as gluten intolerance is gaining more recognition. At it’s extreme, we have Celiac disease, which is an auto-immune disease where the immune system has a severe reaction to gluten, the protein component of wheat and many other grains.
In my opinion, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance and other common food allergies are often the symptom of a compromised digestive system. These days our digestive systems are bombarded with a host of substances that can put a lot of stress on a system designed to break down and assimilate whole, natural, unadulterated foods that provide nourishment to our bodies. Digestion begins in the mouth, where the enzymes in the saliva start to break down your foods and prepare it for the next stage of digestion in the stomach and small intestine. Many of us, in our rushed state, gulp down our foods, and this puts a lot of stress on the rest of the digestive system, so our foods do not get properly digested and assimilated.
If your digestive system is weakened, then digesting gluten may prove problematic. Wheat is the most common source of gluten, but it is also a component in other grains such as spelt, barley, rye and oats (although there are a number of companies producing "gluten free" oats these days). It is a sticky substance and not soluble in water. On the positive side, gluten is an excellent vegetarian source of protein. It doesn't have all the amino acids to make it a complete protein, so in order to get the full protein benefits, combine in a meal with a grain like rice or millet. For centuries the Chinese have been making a mock meat from the gluten in wheat by grinding the wheat into flour and making a dough. After thoroughly kneading to activate the gluten in the dough, the starch and fiber is rinsed out, alternating between cold and warm water, until you’re left with a mass of sticky wheat gluten. The gluten can then be simmered in a broth seasoned with soy sauce and ginger and used in place of meat in various recipes. The resulting product is known as seitan.
If you experience symptoms such as bloating and gas, fatigue after eating, headaches or aching joints, poor concentration or “fuzzy brain”, emotional irritability, you may in fact be intolerant to gluten. Wheat and other gluten grains are such a big part of most of our diets, showing up in everything from bread, cakes, crackers, to pastas, cookies, packaged breakfast cereals, soy sauce, beer and the list goes on. When faced with the dilemma of having to omit gluten from the diet, people can end up feeling deprived of some of life’s greatest pleasures. Who doesn’t love to sit down to a comforting pasta dinner, followed by a delicious slice of cake? Eating out can also be problematic as it’s quite difficult to find dishes that contain no trace of gluten. The good news is that you don't have to give up your comfort foods as there is a growing range of 'gluten' free alternatives on the market these days.
I have had several clients who are sensitive to gluten and have had to come up with lots of delicious alternatives to the foods that they enjoy, so they don't feel deprived, especially on special occasions such as birthdays and holidays. The grains that do not contain gluten are rice, corn, millet, amaranth, teff and you can also use flour made from chick peas, lentils, tapioca, coconut or ground nuts or seeds for baking.
My gluten free pear, almond upside down cake is always a big hit. It's made with ground almonds and brown rice flour. When cooking with a non-gluten flour, you will often find that the result is a more crumbly texture as the gluten has a binding action. (I haven't made this cake in a while and even with baking I'm not notorious for weighing and measuring, so you may need to make some little adjustments...and of course your feedback is always welcome!)

Pear Almond Upside-down cake:

Pears:
2 large or 3 smaller pears
1 cup pear or apple juice
1 cup strawberry jam
1 Tbs.kuzu or arrowroot
Cake:
1 ½ cup ground almonds
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
3 level tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. sea salt
¾ cup agave syrup
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup rice or almond milk
1 egg (optional)

Peel pears and cut them into lengthwise into 6 pieces, removing seeds. Put the pears and apple juice into a pan and bring to a boil. Cover pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove pears with a slotted spoon and add strawberry jam to remaining juice. Dissolve kuzu in a little water or juice and add to pan, stirring until thickened. You can add a little more juice if the mixture is too thick – it should be like a sauce. Drizzle about 2 Tbs. of this mixture over pears and toss to coat them. Reserve the rest to serve as a sauce on the cake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the syrup, oil, vanilla extract and milk. If using an egg, whisk it and add to the liquids. If not using an egg, you can use another 2 Tbs. milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix well.
Oil an 8” cake pan or pyrex baking dish. Arrange the pears in the bottom and top with the cake mixture.
Bake for about 30 minutes. You can test to see if it’s done by inserting a toothpick or knife and if it comes out clean it’s done. Remove from oven and drizzle the strawberry juice mixture on top and spread evenly.
Serve with natural yoghurt or vanilla ice cream or if you’re vegan, your favorite non-dairy topping.