If you haven’t gone gluten free, you may be alone.
Okay — that’s an exaggeration, but experts estimate that today, nearly 10 percent of the population has some form of gluten-intolerance. Add to that other anti-gluten diet trends and you’ve got a 16 percent increase in sales of gluten-free products in 2012. And a projected $7 billion dollar in sales this year.
Gluten intolerance seems to be on a sliding scale. If you have Celiac’s disease, you know you have it. But you may have gluten intolerance and not even know it. Many digestive problems, skin problems and other ailments are now being linked to gluten.
To which we say: potatoes!
Potatoes are naturally gluten-free, rather than a food that’s been processed to be gluten-free or taste good without gluten. They’re also fat-free, low in sodium, loaded with potassium and a good source of Vitamin C. Our website is full of gluten-free recipes that highlight potatoes. But in celebration of fall, here are three favorites:
Bacon and Chive Potato Pancakes
Yes. This recipe does call for 2 tablespoons of flour. Even though we’re not gluten-free, we almost always substitute almond flour when we make this. We’ve also made them with PotatOHs, when we needed to shave a little time off the prep. In that case, go ahead and add a little more buttermilk. We love the extra spicy taste of more mature, fall arugula. We also serve these with applesauce, making a huge batch from our trees right about this time every year, so this recipe says fall to use like no other.
Beef and Potato Stroganoff
Stroganoff is a quintessential fall meal. Substituting potatoes for noodles in beef stroganoff adds more flavor and a nutritional boost. This recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup and Dijon mustard. Health Valley and Imagine Foods both make delicious, gluten-free cream of mushroom soup. If your grocery store doesn’t carry them, you can order online. Grey Poupon has always been gluten-free.
Meatloaf-Stuffed Microwave Potato
We love any recipe that does away with bread in favor of a potato. It’s an easy solution to gluten-free living. While this recipe is for a meatloaf stuffed potato, you could also think of it as a meatloaf sandwich, in which you use a potato instead of bread. As always, check your ingredients carefully to make sure everything you’re using is gluten free.
What are some of your favorite gluten-free fall recipes? Let us know in the comments, or on our Facebook page!
‘Tis the season for tempting cookies, cakes and baked goods to be everywhere you look. So, whether you’re one of the estimated 18 million Americans with a gluten sensitivity or you’re steering clear of it for other reasons, it may take some extra will-power to remain gloriously gluten-free all holiday long.