QuickStitch

I have used alot of the resources from http://glutenfreesociety.org. It's a fantastic site and you will really learn alot.

noveltyjunkie

I just remembered something else! I once developed a great alternative to tomato sauce when I had lunch guest who could not tolerate tomato. I didn't have a recipe but I started out as if I was making a tomato sauce- fried some chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. I might have put some other flavour in (pinch of cayenne pepper makes everything tastier! Black pepper ditto- does not need salt). Put that to one side.

Take some red peppers/capsicums and remove the skins by grilling them under a hot grill (is this what Americans call broiling? I never know) until the outer skins blacken and blister. Cool in a sealed ziplock bag and rub off skins. The heat will have roasted them and they will be deliciously oozy, sweet and soft, as well as being just the right colour for your "tomato" sauce. I also boiled up a carrot or two. Add herbs as desired.

Tip everything into the bender and whizz until smooth. Simmer until you like the look of it. It is not tomato sauce but it looks like it and it is a healthy veggie sauce with a nice taste. I used it in a lasagna type dish but I think it would be good on just regular gluten free pasta as well. You might have to experment a bit to get the taste and texture as he likes/needs it.

I once made a white sauce with dried mushrooms as well, as an alternative to cheese sauce. Do you get those dried mushrooms in a plastic jar where you are? They are very tasty- not sure if they add salt to them when they dry them though.....

You can buy dairy free pesto- not the same, but better than nothing. Or you can make your own pesto with fresh Basil (or some people use rocket), good olive oil, lightly roasted pinenuts (if he can can have those, or cashews) and heaps of garlic! I would miss the cheese, but hey, its something to try once maybe if you are really bored with the same stuff.

A dish of roast veggies is always nice as an accompaniement to meat- its not a sauce, but it adds flavour and nutrition. I love mine with butternut squash, zuchinni, red onion, capsicum, whole garlic gloves, asparagus spears and whatever else I can find!

Mmmm. I am hungry now.

flhomeschoolmom

The CKF diet stands for "Chronic Kidney Failure". That diet alone can have gluten, but not whole grains like whole wheat, oats, etc. Basically, the whole grains have too much phosphorus and potassium. And when a person's kidney's are not functioning properly, they can not filter these products from the blood which causes an excess build up which will make them ill, and cause them to itch uncontrollably. Sodium increases fluid retention in the body, and creates more "water problems" (including drowning) when the person's kidney's are not removing the excess fluid by the natural elimination process. Most kidney patients have to take pills known as "phosphate binders" every time they eat. Phosphate/phosphorus is in ALL foods, even meats. Too much calcium in the body that isn't properly eliminated starts a calcification of the heart valves, and leads to Congestive Heart Failure. My FIL developed this complication. A CKF diet is extreamly limited and strict. And to add to that that what is needed for the recipes shared in this thread is to also eliminate all gluten, that makes it even harder.

My FIL was a kidney patient for several years and he was a severe diabetic. He underwent dialysis 3 days a week. In January 2007 it was discovered that he had developed liver cancer that could not be treated due to his kidney failure and heart problems. In February 2007 he chose to stop his dialysis and no longer follow his CKF diet. Basically, he decided to end his own life, and once he made that decision he ate and drank whatever he wanted, including a very large can of boiled peanuts after his last dialysis treatment. He went to dialysis on a Friday...that was his last one. The following Thursday (day after Valentine's day) he passed away. He did not want to be embalmed, so his funeral and burial was the day after he died. One Friday he was taking dialysis, the next Friday we were burrying him. What these people eat and drink combined with dialysis, etc. can literally be the diffrence between life and death.

JusticeClan

I also have Celiac Disease and found some cookbooks at Amazon. The websites for those with Celiac are good too.

TanyaL

Thank you all for your advice. We have been doing fine for a couple of years on the gluten free diet, diabetic diet. The new no salt, very low potassium restrictions are very hard to adjust to. I appreciate all the recipes and advice especially from those of you who have cooked for renal patients.

flhomeschoolmom

One quick word of advice on the "no salt", don't use the salt substitues like "no salt" (I think that's the name of it) as it contains a lot of potassium. What my FIL had to use was the Mrs. Dash seasonings because those are simply herbs that flavor foods and not actual salt or potassium. Also, if you must use some salt, use Sea Salt because you can get away with using less of it than regular table salt and it still has a "salt" taste. We would use that when preparing things for special occasions like holiday's, etc. And we would make a note of which items had more sodium, potassium, etc. than others since all of our holiday gatherings are a "pot luck" kind of thing where everyone brings something.

noveltyjunkie

I found my cookbook!
Are you still looking?
I know there are lots of kidney recipes out there (Davita site is an education- they even have a roasted red pepper "tomato sauce" a bit like mine!), so I thought I'd just post what my book says about substituting for wheat flour- "for 6oz/1.25 cups of wheat flour, substitute 4oz/0.75 cup of cornmeal OR 5 oz/0.75 cup of rice flour.

And here is a gluten and dairy free white sauce, which you can flavour up whatever way you like:

2 level tbsp cornstarch
1 level tsp mustard powder
0.5 tsp lemon rind (not sure if this is too much for him?)
0.25 tsp nutmeg
1 bay leaf
black pepper
2 cups rice milk

In a pan, mix cornstarch, mustard and a little rice milk until smooth
Add remaining milk and all other ingredients
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
Simmer 2 minutes
Remove bayleaf

Use this as is, or add whatever herbs or vegetables he can have, and enjoys, to ring the changes. You could also substitute a stock for some of the milk to make a more velvety sauce.

HTH

TanyaL

Thank you for looking these up for me.