My husband was gluten free for about 6 months a few years ago. Turned out that he was misdiagnosed with Celiac. Which is not uncommon. Were you diagnosed by biopsy?

There is decent gluten-free beer available, one from Anhauser Busch called Redbridge, and several craft-beers. Jim thought they were okay, drinkable.

I gave up on making bread after one too many erratic results, and we started buying good bread at Whole Foods. People with serious CD will tell you buy a new toaster just for gluten-free bread, and don't let anyone use it for anything else. Seems that toasting really does something to spread the gluten around, and ruins a toaster for use by anyone who is sensitive.

You're fortunate that so many more GF products are available these days, and the labeling is greatly improved. Whole Foods (where I do not normally shop) and Trader Joe's were great.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten-free beers

We're not gluten-free, but I make a lot of gluten-free baked goods and have developed recipes for a little sorghum mill just outside of town and many of them are gluten-free. My mother was gluten-intolerant, and that's where I got my start for gluten-free cooking/baking.

You really should be thankful you are contending with this now because there are so many gluten-free foods and mixes readily available and at affordable prices. Not that many years ago it was a whole different story....

Have you tried coconut flour and almond flour? I purchase my coconut flour on-line from Tropical Traditions (http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/organic_coconut_flour.htm) and have used some from Bob's Red Mill and Coconut Secret (coconutsecret.com), and almond flour from Honeyville Grain (although I'm starting to make my own using sprouted and dehydrated almonds). You can find lots of recipes on-line and there are some good cookbooks. These are two of my favorite cookbooks out of a fairly sizable collection for gluten-free cooking/baking.

"Cooking with Coconut Flour" by Bruce Fife, N.D.

"The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook" by Elana Amsterdam and she has a great web site: http://www.elanaspantry.com/about/

I like these books because the ingredient list is pretty straight forward and not a lot of specialty flours needed.

When it comes to other gluten-free flours, I prefer milling my own from whole grains/beans/seeds. By milling your own you are assured the freshest possible, which means the nutrients and oils haven't degraded, and the whole grains/seeds/beans tend to cost less than the processed flours. Many of these flours can be milled in your coffee/spice mill, but I'd suggest a real grain mill, such as a Wonder Mill Jr. Deluxe.

Helpful hint... When it comes to making rice flour, choose short- and medium-grain rice for baked goods. Long-grain rice is fine for a thickener or dredging but not for baked goods, while short- and medium-grain rice are best for baked goods and will work for a thickener or dredging.

King Arthur Flour and Augason Farms carry a wide variety of gluten-free ingredients and mixes including bread mixes. You might like the French Bread Mix from Augason Farms (link below).

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten Free Fremch Bread Mix

Actually, quinoa pasta and brown rice pasta are very good. I am not sensitive to gluten but I enjoy both as I think they are healthier than regular white pasta. You have to be more careful cooking them as they can get mushy pretty quickly but they are good! I like the Trader Joe's brand of brown rice pasta, and Ancient Harvest makes a good quinoa pasta.

Thanks, Sushipup. I agree, there's SO much more out there than there used to be for GF people. I only got the DNA confirmation, not a biopsy, but it is genetic and both my sisters were diagnosed in the past two months by biopsy. I have my biopsy in a couple of weeks.

Luckily I'm more of a wine drinker than beer, so I'm good. I do love me some wine.

I'm planning a big Whole Foods outing soon. I never even thought of the toaster thing...sheeesh...so much to think about

Ooops...I was distracted and missed the other posts. Grainlady, I KNEW you'd have some good info. Thank you. I'm allergic to coconuts, but I will put the almond flour cookbook on my list. So much good information in your post, I am going to print it for future reference. I pride myself in baking from scratch, but milling my own grains...wow. I can do it, though. :)

Chi, thanks. My younger sister likes the quinoa pasta. I am not supposed to go gluten free until after my biopsy (to get more accurate results), but I have tried a few things just to see how bad they are, and really, they aren't terrible. I am finding Bob's Red Mill brand has some stuff that will be of use. The closest TJ is about 40 minutes from me, but there is a Whole Foods less than a mile from work.

I am allergic to wheat - it's easier to go gluten free than read every label for wheat free. I can eat gluten, but gluten free is better labeled. I'll be watching this thread, I've not had any luck with gluten free breads, particularly pizza dough. I would love to make my own, I make my own pizza about twice a month. Unfortunately it is not gluten free!! I like my wine, too, but if you're looking for a gluten free beer, New Grist is pretty good. I like it more than Redbridge. Good luck!!! Christy

Lori, visit the King Arthur website. They have a LOT of gluten-free recipes and they stock a lot of gluten free ingredients. You have a tough road, but with your other issues, there are minefields there too! Be careful!

Lori, buckwheat flour is gluten-free (buckwheat's not really a grain at all). So you could make pancakes with it.

I've posted this gluten-free, low-carb pizza crust recipe I found on-line before. Hubby loves it, it's quick to fix, and you'll never realize what it's made from. I originally used it for a diabetic friend who is very carb sensitive and also lectin-intolerant, so she has all kinds of problems with grains/seeds/beans. There are a lot of low-carb recipes that are also gluten-free, so give those recipes and cookbooks a look.

PORK RIND PIZZA CRUST
(makes one 8-inch crust)

1/4 c. ground/crushed pork rinds (place in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them - or crush a whole package in your food processor - then measure out 1/4 c.)
1/4 c. dry (the stuff in the green can) Parmesan Cheese (I've used fresh Parmesan Cheese, but the crust gets really oily, I also like Romano and Parmesan Cheese mixtures)
1 egg
Italian or Pizza Seasonings (to taste)
[Optional: I add 2 T. hi-maize resistant starch to increase the fiber - you could also add flaxmeal for more fiber.]

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Mix dry ingredients. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Place dough on a prepared (spray with Pam) 8-inch pizza pan (or make 3 or 4 on a cookie sheet and freeze the extras to use later). Cover the dough ball with a sheet of plastic wrap and press to size you'd like your pizza crust and form a ridge on the edge (make them any shape you'd like - round, square...). Carefully remove the plastic wrap. Bake 10-minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Add your favorite toppings and bake until toppings are heated through and cheese is melted.

Tip: Place a sheet of Reynolds Wrap Easy Release Non-Stick Foil on your baking sheet and the crusts will easily peel off. You can also form this crust into a square and after it's baked, cut it with your pizza cutter and use them for "bread" sticks. You might even be able to form it into small 3-inch rounds to use for a sandwich bread that would work grilled or made into a panini - although I haven't tried it.

I've also used bbq flavored pork rinds and topped the pizza with bbq sauce instead of pizza sauce, shredded meat, veggies and cheese for a bbq pizza. Top it with salsa and make a taco pizza....

-Grainlady

Yeah GF you should check in more often LOL. You did come to the right place for the gluten issues!

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here now, Lori!

Our daughter was diagnosed with a biopsy as Celiac. In the process of trying various pasta's she discovered
Le Veneziane.
As for breads there is one gluten free at Whole Foods she said is very good.
She really like this one but like the others careful cooking and it doesn't reheat!

Well, you could go all out and stop eating any wheat and most grains at all, like me! DH and I have been doing this for over a year, with fantastic results. It was easier because he had been doing Atkins-style eating for over ten years already. So getting rid of the last bits was not too hard. Research the Paleo or Ancestral or Hunter-Gatherer diets if you are at all interested.

I haven't been diagnosed with celiac, but I've been gluten free for the last four or five weeks as an experiment. Mostly, I've been sticking to corn, rice, and potatoes as starches. The best solution for pasta has been Asian rice noodles. The big Asian grocery near me (Hmart) has rice pasta- shaped like shells or elbows, but any Asian grocery will have the long rice noodles. They are a little unappealingly pale, but the taste and texture is great. I've found that white rice flour acts exactly like regular flour in a roux, and a nice yellow cheese sauce disguises the paleness of the noodles. I also like long rice noodles with butter, Parmesan, and truffle salt, which is not as expensive as it sounds, if you look on Amazon. I think corn spaghetti is pretty good, too, and I like that better with tomato sauce. I haven't delved much into the dedicated "gluten free" products, but I have found that toasted white Udi's sandwich bread tastes like normal (crappy, grocery store) bread. I tried making banana chocolate chip muffins last weekend, and they were decent, but not awesome. That prompted me to take the plunge and order some xanthan gum, so I'm looking forward to tinkering. I also recently had a sushi roll that used crushed rice crackers in place of panko crumbs, which made me wonder about that as a breading option- they have such a great crunch. Since you're so bummed about the limitations, some comfort food might be reassuring- maybe shepherd's pie, rice and beans, or enchiladas. Asian and Mexican both offer a lot of options.

My Aunt Ellen is celiac, as is Elery's daughter. Aunt Ellen loves the peanut butter cookies that are 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup peanut butter. Bake at 350F, etc....

Trader Joe's has some good gluten free breads, at least according to Nikki, I haven't tried them. I did buy a bread mix, Pamela's. The bread wasn't all that great but it made pretty passable bagels, although it was kind of sweet.

Cornbread is a good substitute, and makes pretty good pancqakes too. Elery also likes cornmeal waffles with cheddar and diced ham better than he likes "regular" white waffles.

Good luck, and glad to see you back here again!

Annie

Our neighbor is GF. Through him and his wife, I learned about Nut Thins. They are GREAT! Even though we are not GF, I keep a box in the pantry. Nice selection of flavors - pecan is my fav. Really good with cheese!

Also you might try Cup 4 Cup flour substitute. It can be bought online at Williams Sonoma. Cup4Cup

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Diamond Nut Thins

Annie, can you tell me how to make gluten free cornbread? I've always done it with part regular flour.

Sure, I use a recipe from Ellie Krieger. She was a presenter at the Grand Rapids Food and Wine show in November and I met her there and bought her "Comfort Food Fix" cookbook. Anyway, it's lovely and moist and delicious, make sure you have cornmeal processed in a gluten free facility. She actually calls this "spoonbread", but it's thick enough to be eaten like cornbread. We had it with breakfast and leftovers later with chili. I think I cooked it a bit longer than she suggests because mine was not jiggly in the middle at all. I make this a lot now, Elery likes it made as "hoecakes".

Corn and Cheddar Spoonbread

2 cups 1% milk
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/4 tsp cream of tarter

Preheat the oven to 375��F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, corn, cornmeal, and salt over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Allow to cool for
10 minutes. Add the egg yolks to the cornmeal mixture and stir until well combined.

In a stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold the egg whites into the corn mixture until just incorporated and pour into the prepared dish. Bake until browned on top and set but still
slightly loose in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.

Serves 6

Per Serving (3/4 cup) Calories 180; Total Fat 7 g (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 2g, Poly Fat 0.8 g); Protein 10 g; Carb 22 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 320 mg

I also use this regular cornbread recipe when Nikki is eating with us. Elery's family likes cornbread with no sugar, but I like mine a little sweeter, you can add a couple of tablespoons of sugar if you like. I've also substituted a cup of homemade yogurt for a cup of the milk, but I see no reason why you couldn't sub yogurt for all of the milk and leave out the vinegar. buttermilk will also work in place of the milk and vinegar mixture.

Susan's Cornbread

Southern Cornbread
(Yield: 8 slices)

1 Tbsp shortening or oil for the pan
1 3/4 c. white cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp cider vinegar AND enough milk to equal two cups (soy milk works here too)
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the shortening or oil to a 10�� cast iron skillet and put the skillet in the oven to heat up.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Measure out 2 Tbsp. of cider vinegar into a 2 cup measuring cup and then add milk until you get to the 2 c. mark. Add eggs and whisk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well-mixed. When the skillet is hot and the oven is heated, pour the cornbread batter into the skillet.

Bake for 20 �C 25 minutes, until done.

Annie

Thank you so much, that's perfect. I especially appreciate the substitutions, since it pains me to go buy ingredients. Was it the spoonbread recipe that's also good for pancakes and waffles? Do you usually use something closer to masa, or closer to grits? Does it really matter whether it's white or yellow?

Here is the recipe I have been using. It is less crumbly than the all cornmeal recipes:

1 c. yellow cornmeal
2/3 c. rice flour (brown or white)
4 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. - 1/4 c. sugar (depending on how sweet you like your cornbread)
pinch salt
1 c. water
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375. Mix dry ingredients, stir in wet ingredients until just blended. Bake in a greased 9" cake pan, 20-25 minutes until top cracks or toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Can also be made without the egg and it tastes just as good. I sometimes triple the recipe and make 3 cake pans or 1 oblong (13 x 9) pan. Can also be used for corn pancakes.

Jessica, the spoonbread makes good hoecakes but if you use it in the waffle iron be sure to grease it well, the cheese makes it stick a bit.

I don't think it matters if the cornmeal is white or yellow, that's all a matter of taste. The recipe calls for white because it came from Elery's sister who sternly informed me that if it wasn't from white cornmeal it wasn't cornbread. (grin) I just use plain old cornmeal, definitely not masa, it's the same consistency as the Quaker stuff I buy here.

I do find the second recipe to be a bit crumbly, I prefer the first one for the texture but it's really good for cornbread stuffing or salad or crumbling into a bowl of chili. elery likes his crumbled into a glass of buttermilk.

Annie

Forgot to add - I have yet to find a really good, crusty, Italian or French style bread recipe. Udi's is OK for sandwiches, but it just doesn't taste like real bread to me.

Corn tortillas have been a lifesaver. We have made breakfast burritos and baked enchiladas so far.

Cereals have been fairly easy. I just found a new one, Maple Sunrise, that is really good.

The biggest problem with gluten free is lack of fiber. I did not realize how much of the fiber in our diets was from whole grain bread and cereals!

Hi Lori316--
Two years ago I was misdiagnosed with celiac disease. I am a retired RN and I didn't feel that the diagnosis was correct, but I followed the diet to the letter, hoping I would feel better. Long story short, the hepatologist was a jerk, didn't like me, wouldn't listen to me and my regular gastro doc eventually proved the diagnosis wrong.

I am an extremely picky eater and I found gluten free recipes 99 and 44/100s percent horrible. I joined a list and asked for help and constantly researched GF recipes but absolutely NONE of the GF free stuff, that wasn't naturally GF free like meat or fruit, tasted so terrible that I was extremely angry and frustrated. I am so grateful that it was proven that the diagnosis was incorrect (all the labs, upper endo and colonoscopy and biopsies) because I don't think there is another person in the world who is a more picky eater than I am. I have a tremendous respect and sympathy for folks who have an accurate diagnosis and have to follow the GF diet. At least having a correct diagnosis and following the diet 100% improves your health.

If you haven't tried Udi's bread please do so immediately. It is totally decent in flavor and texture. I don't know how Udi's does it, but it was the only commercial or homemade bread that I could actually enjoy. That being said, like all special diet foods, it was expensive. Still, it meant I could actually enjoy a sandwich again.

At first I ordered several loaves direct from Udi’s and then I was successful in convincing a local health food store to carry it. Lately, I have seen it in the GF aisle in my local Wegman’s supermarket.

This is Udi’s web site: http://udisfood.com/

Even Amazon sells Udi’s products. I never tried their rolls and other baked goods but because the bread is so good I am certain their other products will also taste “normal.”

Good luck and stay healthy.

Oasisowner, I'll put that one in my "gluten free" files, too. Thanks, Annie! I think I might have been making cornbread with the wrong grind of cornmeal.

Oh Lori, I feel your pain! I'm not a celiac, but my food intolerances include wheat, soy, yeast and legumes. I'm also sensitive to some potato, corn and almond products so I tread carefully.

If you have a community with a Jewish population nearby, I suggest visiting those markets right awayleading up to and during the Passover holidays. There are manyPassover products this year that are gluten free and may offer additional options.

Sorry, but I don't bake and can't provide recipes, but Trader Joes and Whole Foods have a host of products too! With your sisters also going gluten free and your baking skills, I predict wonderful family meals and loads of new recipes coming our way!

Once you get into and really start to feel the benefits to your health you will love it! At times I miss it but overall, I am pretty used to my restrictive diet. It helps to keep on track to note how I feel compared to the ailments of the past. If it makes you feel any better I also had to eliminate corn, nightshades, dairy and keep caffeine, carbs and alcohol to a bare minimum. The family is doing better than ever with it too. I did ask Grainlady for some books (months ago) and one of my favourites is Nourishing Traditions. It isn't gluten free but there are a lot of great meal ideas and it helped motivate me on healthy eating. Black bean brownies are really good too. Make sure they are super pureed and they taste like the real thing. good luck.

A great GF bread substitute are arepas - a South American corn cake made with P.A.N. pre-cooked white cornmeal (I can find it at one grocery store locally in the Hispanic section of the International Foods). I think of them as a cross between cornmeal English Muffin and biscuits, and we love them. You can find lots of arepas recipes on-line and make them plain or dressed-up. Do a search on YouTube - arepas search for inspiration from Bobby Flay, Mark Bittman, etc.

I'm kinda stuck on a Cream Cheese Arepas recipe I found on-line that also includes a how-to video (http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2011/01/cream-cheese-arepas-and-machine.html), but there are many ways from plain to fancy you can make them.
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Almond Meal Pancakes #1

1 c. almond meal flour (I use Honeyville Grain brand and buy it in 5# bags)
3 large eggs
vanilla and cinnamon

Mix together and cook on a griddle. Make the cakes small.

So glad to see this post!

Currently reading "Wheat Belly" by cardiologist William Davis, and know I need to go gluten-free to get my health back and avoid heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, etc. I'm fascinated by his assertion that modern-day wheat is the cause of so much (inflammation-caused) disease in our bodies and mental troubles in our brains, more than fat and sugar. Just a few pages in, he makes such a great case for this.

I just posted on "special diets-looking for recipes" section looking for really good gluten-free bread recipes or products. This is a great help to me, too!

Wow.

Yes, I certainly did come to the right place. But I learned that years ago. You've all eased my concerns a ton. I know I can do this. Thanks for all the tips and recipies. I am generally a very healthy eater, but bread...oh, my bread! When I am really trying to lose those last few pounds, I know to give up the breads and pastas and bang, it's gone so quickly. But a lifetime without it will be tough. And since this is hereditary, I worry about my kids, especially Mackenzie who is an incredibly picky eater. Please say a prayer for her if you're the praying type :)

Seth and I planned a trip to Italy for our second anniversary coming up in the fall. After tomorrow's doctor's appointment, I will see if I will cancel the trip or reschedule to very soon and have one last binge. I know I can work around it. I even found a book called Gluten Free Italy, but I'd love to just enjoy the food out there!

Funny....I thought "hoecakes" was a typo. I'd never heard of that name. Where have I been all my life? Oh yeah, New England. We call them Johnny cakes here and as soon as I googled and realized they're the same thing, I felt relieved. That opens up lots of possibilities I hadn't thought of. Duh.

Know what's funny is how much easier it is to find gluten free junk food (pretzels, cheeseballs) than it is heathly food, other than the obvious fresh fruits and veggies, of course. This is a great opportunity for me to get healthy again. Life has been so busy that I've taken lots of shortcuts when cooking: Jarred salad dressings, always a backup of jarred sauces for use in a pinch. It's time to get back to cooking from scratch. I miss it, but it's hard with so many kids. I don't think I've mentioned it here, but I'm also a grandma now (he lives with us)!!! So dinner for 9 every night is tough and it will be quite expensive and time consuming.

I'm also grateful that there's so much info and so many products out there for people who are GF.

I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes. I bought a ton of acceptable flours over the weekend and I will play all day Saturday with them.

Yes, I agree, gluten free may be an answer to a much healthier body, celiac disease or not.

One more: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/ghirardelli-fudgy-gluten-free-brownies/Detail.aspx

I'm making these for Easter :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten Free in Italy

Lori, if you have a kindle, or kindle for pc downloaded to your pc from Amazon (free) there has been quite a few gluten free cook books available for free lately. I have downloaded some of them, as we are doing an experiment with DGS, not only with dairy, which helped, but now with gluten free also. He's 8. He's had problems "going" since birth, when the dr. put him on diluted apple juice the first week he was born.

I sent DD the link to this thread.

Tami

I wouldn't worry about going to Italy. They are very proactive with the condition there. Children between the age of 2 and 6 are automatically tested and most of the culture is aware of the condition. Have a good time!

I tried gluten free to see if it would help with some of my inflammatory health conditons. Not so much, but I still try to limit wheat. I know there are some exceptions out there, but I just kind of gave up on the bread idea. Luckily, I really like brown rice. I quite like some of the gluten free pastas, and eat a lot of pilafs and cornbreads/tortillas. Just a thought about lasagne--there are great recipes for squash or potatoes layered in with cheese and a tomato sauce. While they are not "lasagne" in the traditional sense, since lasagne I think just means "layered" they are very, very good in their own right. I love potatoes, cauliflower and green pepper layered with a tomato sauce, topped with grated parmesean. Also love butternut squash and spinach, same type prep. You could even add a layer of ricotta and other cheese to this style of dish.

Also try some kugels, vegetable and gluten-free noodle style. Rice crackers and rice cakes not too bad with spreads.

I posted this on the "eggless egg salad" thread but I'll reiterate it here. Best to embrace new foods and dishes, rather than try to recreate dishes that really rely on gluten for their essence. Oh, that reminds me, I make stuffed baked portabella mushrooms, and I have a note on the recipe that says, "Kinda like pizza without the crust." They are very good! I baste them with olive oil, grill them, then stuff with the chopped up stems, onions, tomatoes, basil, spinach, whatever you like, and top with mozz cheese that I melt under the broiler.

Lori, I know that this doesn't answer your question, but Udi's just posted 5 recipes for a Gluten Free Passover.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten Free Passover

I tried bread the other day with rice flour and xanthan. It was not quite right. I wondered if I could add eggs (maybe whip the whites?) for a little extra lift and better color. Every recipe I see uses a bazillion flours, and I'm trying to keep it simple for now.

I just bought a gluten free bread cookbook. When I have time (definitely not this weekend!), I will post some things that look good, or things I recommend/don't recommend.

Best to embrace new foods and dishes, rather than try to recreate dishes that really rely on gluten for their essence Lpink, I definitely need to remember that. I will enjoy playing around with things I like, but really, this is about eating healthier and I need to start having more fruits/veggies and fresh things in general. That whole "if it doesn't come in a box, you shouldn't eat it" theory is a good one. I'm not eating hamburger helper, but I can definitely do better than I am lately. Time management!

I'm glad this has gotten some following on here. I hope it helps others. It's definitely helped me so far.

Or as Jack Lalanne used to say, "If man made it, don't eat it."

On my Paleo lifestyle we don't eat breads but people try to bake using almond flour, coconut flour etc. I tried to use coconut flour - the stuff turns out gross. I don't like the smell or consistency. Better to not try to recreate those recipes like Lpink said.

DH has been anti-breads for a long time, but since we cut most grains out altogether a year ago (cut out 100% of wheat products), all his life-long digestive issues disappeared, among other things.

Mark my words, Gina, I am going to come up with something edible :-)

Lori I thought of you tonight when we had this kick butt dinner that was gluten free. You have to like veggies though!

Kale, White bean and Vegetable stew over Polenta

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I think I used about double that)
2 (4-ounce) links Italian style chicken sausage, cut into (1/2-inch) slices. You could also use turkey sausage, and I recommend getting the spicy kind for this dish.
1 zucchini, quartered and cut into (1/2-inch) slices (about 2 cups)
I added half a green pepper, but it is optional and did add a little more oomph to the flavor (again, if you like green peppers)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 cups chopped trimmed kale (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup water (I used vegetable broth, could also use chicken broth)
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained. (I used butter beans, I love them!) I only used one can
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. italian seasoning and a healthy dash of Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning

Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saut� onion and sausage 4 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add kale and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
(I added about 1 TBLSP tomato paste to thicken the stew)
Serve immediately over polenta.

Polenta (Get it from Bob's Red Mill, their stuff is usually very fresh)

2 cups water and 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth, or all water
1/4 tsp. salt (use 1/2 if you're using all water)
1 cup polenta
1/4 cup parmesean or romano cheese or fontina cheese
1 1/2 TBLSP butter for frying (that's optional, you can use olive oil or broil polenta instead of frying, or just serve the stew over soft polenta.)

Bring the water/broth mix to a boil. Add the salt and stir in the polenta. Stir it as you add it to the pot to keep it from clumping. Turn the pot down to low. Simmer the polenta for at least 15 min., until it is very thick. Add the cheese. Pour the polenta into a large flat pan, well oiled. Let the polenta cool and coagulate in the pan. This will take about 15 min. Can make ahead. Then, cut the polenta into squares and fry in butter until browned on both sides, which should take about 10 min. Can also brush with olive oil and broil the polenta.

Serve in flat bowls topped with the stew and a shaving of parmesean cheese.

Yummo!

The gravy thickened with a dark rice flour roux was indistinguishable (it actually dissolves really quickly!), and people inhaled the gluten free caramel brownies. Success! :-)