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Celiac Sufferer Creates Cookbook
Alexa Milan, News and Record, Greensboro, N.C.
Posted Mar 5, 2010
High Point resident Lindy Clark knew she was born to cook at age 10 when she first cracked open "Kitchen Fun," a faded children's cookbook with helpful hints from her mother and grandmother scribbled in the margins.
But she didn't know a common ingredient, wheat flour, could potentially be harming her.
Two years ago, Clark, 51, was diagnosed as allergic to wheat. As a result, her diet cannot contain wheat, barley, rye or spelt. To help others in the same situation, Clark decided to write a cookbook full of gluten-free possibilities.
"A lot of people just say that they feel better on a gluten-free diet," Clark said. "There are a lot of symptoms that people don't realize can be associated with gluten."
Rather than using a gluten-based flour, Clark uses an all-purpose flour made from fava beans, garbanzo beans and potato starch. Now available on Amazon.com, "Lindy's Gluten-Free Goodies" contains recipes for desserts, breads, muffins, soups, salads and entrees.
"I try to cover all the bases," Clark said.
Shortly after Clark received the allergy diagnosis, her husband of 32 years, Don, discovered he is also allergic to wheat. He assisted Lindy by compiling information for their Web site and continually researching the effects of gluten.
"I'm kind of the information guru," said Don. "There are over 300 symptoms associated with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. That's a lot of symptoms to sift through."
Celiac disease, in which gluten damages the small intestine, is the most common reason people switch to a gluten-free diet. About one in 133 Americans have the disease. Symptoms among people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance vary, but some of the most common ones are weight loss, nausea and mood swings.
While awareness of gluten intolerance is higher in the Clarks' native Ohio, Don said it is a relatively prevalent condition in the Triad.
"It's growing fast (in the Triad)," he said. "We've met people at the celiac support group at Earth Fare."
The group meets the third Wednesday of every month at the Battleground Avenue store, and Lindy said they meet new people every time they attend.
When she was creating her cookbook, one of the most important factors to her was that it needed to be easy to follow, a goal that many Amazon.com reviewers say she achieved.
"I made (Don) go through and read every recipe -- coming from the noncook and nonbaker that he is -- and circle every item he didn't understand," Lindy said. "And that's how our glossary was born."
Lindy cooked three to five new items a week when she was writing the cookbook, and each item was taste-tested by at least four people before it was included in the book. She also added ingredients to recipes to enhance flavor and mask the bitter taste of bean flour, such as including fresh minced garlic and Italian seasoning in her pizza crust.
"I always do something besides just change the flour, so it's my recipe," she said.
After the cookbook was completed, Lindy and Don's daughter, Kristen, helped them self-publish it. Lindy insisted the book contain full-color photos of the food, since all of the other gluten-free cookbooks she encountered read like textbooks.
"I'm visual," Lindy said. "I want to see what it's supposed to look like when it's done."
When she's not busy baking, Lindy rides motorcycles and makes almost all of her own clothes. But despite her diverse interests, her first priority is making it simple for people to enjoy a gluten-free diet.
"My goal is to be the gluten-free Rachael Ray," she said.
Don supports his wife's aspirations but disagrees with her chosen role model.
"I don't think she's quite as silly as Rachael Ray," he said.
Contact Alexa Milan at 373-7120 or alexandra. milan@news-record.com
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES
3/4; cup butter
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened baking chocolate
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup GF all-purpose flour
1/2; teaspoon xanthan gum
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2; cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9 baking pan.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate; cool for 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and xanthan gum; add to chocolate mixture and mix well.
Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips and walnuts; bake for 3 to 4 minutes longer or until marshmallows begin to puff.
Cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 2 dozen
PUMPKIN CAKE
2 cups cooked pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, heaping
1 teaspoon salt
1/2; teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Frosting:
1/2; cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 ½ to 4 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9 baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the pumpkin, eggs and oil until well mixed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the next six ingredients. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture; mix well.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on wire rack.
For frosting, in small mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Gradually add powdered sugar until desired frosting consistency and sweetness is achieved.
Note: Light cream cheese may be used for this recipe, but the frosting will stay very soft.
Yield: 18 servings
To see more of the News & Record or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.news-record.com.
Copyright © 2010, News and Record, Greensboro, N.C.
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