Welcome to the Gluten-Free Nosh blog.
In this blog, I share recipes, tips and experiences to help gluten-free families. I also have an emphasis on creating gluten-free versions of traditional Jewish recipes, since I’ve struggled to find suitable gluten-free substitutes on many holidays.
My husband, two daughters, and I live in Chicago, a great city for playing and eating, so I include tidbits about gluten-free dining in Chicago, too (check out my “Restaurants” tab). Our youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease when she turned 2, so we’ve been gluten-free since 2006, when it was a lot harder to do.
My background is in journalism. I’m thrilled to use my writing background to share some of my accumulated gluten-free knowledge. It’s an ongoing process, but I’ve learned how to create gluten-free versions of some of our favorite foods, how to navigate through restaurants and vacations gluten-free and how to deal with issues that come up at schools, birthday parties and playdates.
We keep kosher at home, and I’ve designed these recipes to follow kosher guidelines of not mixing dairy and meat products in the same meal.
This blog is dedicated to our two wonderful daughters: the youngest, who is our reason for being gluten-free, and the oldest, who is the most enthusiastic taste-tester and recipe developer. It’s also dedicated to my husband, who is my biggest supporter (and biggest tech support too).
Feel free to contact me at Eve {at] glutenfreenosh.com
-Eve
Gluten-Free Nosh 
THANK YOU! Made the Pomegranate Chicken and it got raves -especially from my gluten-free friend! Happy 5775! Benita – NC
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So glad to hear that you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
Eve
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Re: GF challa: You can buy a silicone baking pad that is formed to look like a braided challah. We have a big onen tht would make a 1 lb loan and also a set of 6 minis. Without gluten, the flour oozes and can’t be handled enough to braid. Oy !
Linda S.
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Thanks for the suggestions, Linda. I bought one of those challah-shaped baking pans, but I haven’t used it yet!
-Eve
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Hi! I was wondering if you’ve mastered a gf challah yet? I’ve tried several different recipes and they just haven’t been very good. Any suggestions?
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Misty,
Unfortunately, I have not mastered a GF challah yet. It is a goal of mine, though I haven’t tried lately. It’s hard to find a batter that is braidable. But I am sure there is a way!
Eve
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Have you ever used gluten-free cake meal for passover? I bought some by Yehuda in the store while I was buying their matzo and matzo crackers? I’m wondering if it can be used the same as gluten-full cake meal made with wheat matzos.
Thanks.
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Janis,
The gluten-free cake meal is new this year. I haven’t tried it. To be honest, I was a little afraid of using it, since I hate when I spend two hours cooking something and it doesn’t come out right. I bet it can be used in place of matza cake meal in recipes, and it might be worth giving it a try. I should probably try it myself, too, so I know what it’s like. Happy Pesach!
Eve
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I used the cake meal just this morning and it was sort of a disaster. I thought it was going to be like a GF flour mix, but it had a strange consistency — not like a batter at all, but kind of gloppy. I was making a baked apple pancake and the pancake part just didn’t cook properly. My partner said it tasted bad as well, though I thought the flavor was okay. I’m not kosher, but found this through a search and just wanted to share my experience with this product. Am looking for recipes online now…
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I’m sorry that the cake meal was disaster. There is nothing more depressing than a baking project that doesn’t work out. I don’t have a box in front of me, but I think the ingredients are mostly tapioca starch and potato starch, which will leave you with a gummy, gloppy finished product. It’s fine for Passover, which has various dietary restrictions, but not so fine for the rest of the year.
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I can’t speak for the cake meal, but I got the matzoh meal and they made REALLY good matzoh balls that were airy and delicious. I’m stocking up to make them the rest of the year.
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Shoshana,
Thanks for your info on the gluten-free matzah meal. So glad it worked for you. I will have to try it!
Eve
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I just saw this comment and I know Pesach is long past, but in case it would be helpful for next year I am commenting anyway. (Or if you stocked up and have it to use year round) I used the gluten free cake meal quite successfully in both tart crusts and granola bars and it worked great. If you want the recipes let me know. The gluten-free matzah style sheets ground up to matzah meal consistency made great matzah balls too.
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Thanks! People do ask me about the gluten-free cake meal, so I appreciate your input. I’m glad it has worked for you.
If you have the recipes, I would love to link to them.
Best,
Eve
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I used the Yehuda GF cake meal in 2012,2013 and 2014 in lieu of regular cake meal in a non-GF passover apple cake recipe, & everyone loved it. It was even better the next day, so I cut it into small squares to refrigerate & avoid the temptation of “picking” at it!: I couldn’t find the recipe online but it’s very similar to most layered Jewish apple cake recipes. Since the batter in the base of the 13×9 pan had sugar in it, as did the apples layered next, as did the second half of the batter “glopped” onto the apples, as did the nut & cinnamon topping, it would’ve been hard NOT to taste good I think! I did however use Splenda sugar blend, so it had 1/2 the volume of the sugar measurements which may have positively affected the finished product perhaps????-Certainly the cake was FAR better than the GF Passover boxed brownies & choc.chip cookies I made that were “bleh”, as others have mentioned!!
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Your hamentaschen recipe really was great! My daughter was thrilled.
My 17 year old daughter is a cookbook reader. Her favorite recipe, pre-diagnosis, was called “Italian Cream Wedding Cake”, and she has made it for the past few years for her birthday. Now that she has to eat gluten-free, we are looking for a white cake recipe to use as the basis for her favorite cake. Do you have any white cake recipes, or hints as to how we should try modifying the original recipe? It’s the kind of cake that has butter, sugar, egg yolks and whites beaten separately, and buttermilk (pareve substitute)… vanilla, lemon, orange, and almond extracts, and shredded coconut and pecans mixed in. Thank you for your help.
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Hi Eve,
Can I substitue Teff Flour for another flour in your Raspberry Oat Swuares
which appears in the Living WithoutThanksgiving issue?
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Sure. Teff flour is healthy, which is why I included it. But it is hard to find, and it is expensive to have many different GF flours in the house. You will need a total of 1 cup of gluten-free flour, so you can use 1 cup of your favorite GF blend, or you could try 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup sorghum flour, 1/4 cup tapioca starch. Or if you don’t have sorghum, you could use 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup potato starch, 1/4 cup tapioca starch.
Hope it works out for you. The squares are good, but gooey, so you might want to keep them refrigerated. Here’s the original recipe: http://www.livingwithout.com/recipes/gluten_free_raspberry_oat_squares-2661-1.html
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A and B Famous Frozen Gefilte Fish uses only fresh fish. All our Passover items, including sweet, sugar free, less sugar, salmon, white&pike and carb free, are produced without matzah meal and are gluten free.
During the year, we produce a gluten free gf, as well.
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Hi Eve –
just read your article in Living Without on EoE. I was jsut diagnosed with EoE in the last year. It’s been a long strang journey that has included a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia as well. I really appreciate the information and depth and breadth over your article. I feel like I got a much better understanding of what I am dealing with than I did from my doctor! I too am in Chicago, and LOVE that I’ve found your blog as a local resource!
thanks again!
-pamela
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Pamela,
Thanks for your note. I am so glad that the article on EoE was helpful! For other readers, let me explain that eosinophilic esophagitis (EE or EoE) is an allergic inflamatory disorder that has only gained recognition in the last decade. EE is an abnormal immunological reaction to food that can cause chronic inflammation and scarring of the esophagus. Many kids and adults struggle with mysterious symptoms — such as vomiting and poor weight gain for kids, and heartburn, difficulty swallowing and food impaction for adults — without realizing the cause. Trigger foods often are milk, eggs, wheat, soy, corn, chicken or beef (the list varies for each individual) and symptoms go away when the food is removed from the diet. For more information on eosinophilic esophagitis, please see my story in Living Without magazine, http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_13/Life_Without_Food-2400-1.html.
Best,
Eve
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Just found your blog and as a fellow MOT and Celiac – I love it! Shana Tova to you and your family!
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Shana Tova to you too! Have a happy and sweet new year,
Eve
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This is a great blog Eve! Good luck!
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Hi. I am happy to see another kosher/gluten free blog. It seems our celiac daughters are about the same age.
I look forward to looking at your blog in the future.
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I’m so happy to have come across this blog! Sounds like we have very similar histories with celiac disease and learning to prepare gluten-free meals for our families. My 4.5 year old was also diagnosed with celiac at a very young age (and I was diagnosed almost 3 years later). I look forward to more of your recipes and product recommendations. I’ll also look forward to your reviews of gluten-free dining in the Chicago area–we lived there for 8 years.
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Hi Eve —
Love your blog. I don’t have this issue but I’m always on the lookout for new recipes.
It turns out, though, that my dad’s wife’s sister has this problem. So I’m going to let them know about this blog.
Hope you’re well.
Keep up the great work.
Doug
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Dear Eve,
Your mom sent me to your blog. ( My husband, Arnie, teaches with your dad.) My youngest daughter has celiac and I love your recipes.
Your mom says the matzo balls work.
Keep up the research. I am always on the look out for new gluten free options.
Rona Cohen
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Hi Rona,
Thanks for your note, and I exchanged emails with Allison, too. So good to hear from you. We send our prayers and wishes for good health for Arnie. We hope he’s doing OK despite any recent setbacks.
The matzo balls are good … My mother felt awfully sick after all the work of preparing the Passover seder. We brought her some chicken soup in bed with gluten-free matzo balls (she had made regular and GF matzo balls), and Mom swore up and down that she was eating regular matzo balls.
All the best,
Eve
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How can I register so I can print the shopping list.
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To access the printable files, I believe that you need a free gmail account. You’d need to register through Google, not through this blog. If you’re in a bind, let me know and I can email you a copy.
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Great website. Thanks so much for the helpful information about Passover.
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Enjoy! Happy Passover!
Eve
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Thanks for this great website. My cousin Elyce Goldstein sent it to me. My 15 year old daughter Maddy has celiac and was diagnosed about 2 years ago. She was extremely malnourished, anemic and her thyroid tests were off the chart. Since going gluten free she has grown 6 inches and is now 5’2″ and participates in danceline at school. She does seem to take “it” out on me which is a bit disconcerting but I guess you hurt the ones you love. We live in Rochester, Minnesota home of the Mayo Clinic so we have an unbelievable array of restaurants to choose from and most everyone has heard of celiac so on that front we are lucky. I understand that there are trials in the works for a pill kind of like the lactaid pill that would enable celiac patients to consume gluten with no ill effects but that is probably 5 years down the road. Thanks for the great website. I’ll be sure to have Maddy look at it too for good recipes.
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Vicki,
Thanks for the reading the blog and sharing it with your daughter! It sounds like your daughter is thriving on a gluten-free diet. I am sure it is hard to be gluten-free as a teen, when everyone else is concerned about fitting in. But hopefully she recognizes how beneficial going gluten-free has been for her.
Yes, researchers are developing a pill, like a Lactaid pill, for gluten. They are also developing a pill to address the “leaky gut syndrome” that may affect celiac. It will be curious to see what gluten-free life is like then. In the meantime, I’m glad that we can treat celiac simply by going gluten-free and we don’t have to take expensive drugs to do it.
Thanks for your comments, and tell Elyce I said hi!
Eve
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