Domestic Destination: I’ll take a brownie on the rocks, hold the wheat
Food allergies are as varied as the people who have them. Common allergies are to nuts, eggs, dairy, tree nuts and gluten. Wait, gluten?
What is an allergy to gluten? People who are allergic to gluten can’t eat wheat, rye or barely. That means no couscous, artisan bread, ice cream cones, eating pizza on the fly or eating at the Olive Garden, which they aren’t missing out on. Those who have a gluten intolerance have one of two things, celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
According to digestive.niddk.nih.gov, when people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi — the tiny, finger like protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream.
Wide spread and commonly untreated, people who have celiac disease have a hard time eating out or enjoying some of food we “normal” people take for granted if they don’t learn how to cook gluten free. Don’t take to much pity on them, though – they get support groups, really good rice pasta, entire bakeries in New York City dedicated to them and brownies that are way better than wheat brownies will ever be, I kid you not.
My sister has celiac disease and having spent the summer living with her I became the ultimate gluten-free chef, in her eyes, and discovered the deliciousness of gluten-free brownies after much experimentation. Rich, mouth watering and chocolaty, a brownie has never played such a jig on my palate as these did and the best part was I didn’t have to do the chemistry mixing of different gluten-free flours to get the right amount so they would taste “normal.” I just bought a mix and went to town.
I know what you are thinking, but using a mix is really the best way to do it. A lot of the recipes out there for gluten-free brownies use bean paste and a strange combination of flours which result in brownies that taste like a bean burrito from Beto’s mixed with chocolate. So the mix it is, until I have time to play chemist.
Even though the brownie mix tastes good as a plain Jane brownie, I like my brownies to be more than just a sugary, gooey square of chocolate. I like my brownie to say “Hey, I may be kind of bad for you but I’ll make it up to you by adding a little flax seed and some nuts so you don’t feel so guilty.” So I add nuts, normally almonds because of protein content, more chocolate chips and flax seed so I am getting something a little bit healthier than just a spike in my blood sugar. Try it out. Make your brownie more of a granola bar and not five more pounds on your bum-bum.
There are two mixes that I enjoy using for my gluten-free wants and needs, Bob’s Red Mill Brownie Mix and Pamela’s Products Chocolate Brownie Mix. I love both equally but Pamela’s does make a little bit less than Bob’s.
If you do eat gluten, still try these brownies out. You have nothing to loose by eating gluten free. Or if there is someone you work with who has celiac disease bring these to the next work party. Don’t want to live without the wheat? Make your brownies speak the language of health with flax seed and nuts and add some oats in there to for a little fiber boost.
What you will need:
- Gluten free or glutenous brownie mix
- 1/4 cup or more nuts, chopped (almonds, cashews and macadamias all are good choices)
- 4 tablespoons flax seed
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
– If you are using flax seed, blend it up and then add it to the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients.
– After combining the wet and dry ingredients, add the nuts and chocolate chips. Fold them into the batter instead of mixing them in. This keeps the batter from getting tough.
– Following normal baking directions and dominate.
C. Ann Jensen is a senior majoring in print journalism, for questions on what is good gluten free or what is good to eat period, send her an e-mail at ch.jensen@aggiemail.usu.edu