a grilled cheese sandwich

Every time I meet someone who is living a gluten-free lifestyle I feel a commodore.  I ask each of these new friends the same question hoping to get an inspiration for a new blog challenge.  While in a break room at work recently I met Jackie.  Jackie was lamenting a recent belly ache due to a mystery ingredient in her diet that was still a painful memory.  Boy can I relate to that one! 

I introduced myself and asked my repetitive question.  What did Jackie miss since living gluten-free?  Her answer "Grilled Cheese Sandwich".  "Oh that's easy", was my reply.  Jackie continued "I also need to tell you that I'm also allergic to corn and casein" (a protein found in dairy products).  Oh boy!  Okay, so now I have a challenge. 

I first went in search of a meltable tasty cheese alternative that doesn't have gluten, corn or casein.  I had no idea how hard that would be.  I first bought one at Whole Foods that comes under the brand name of  "Tease".  Cute name but in the small print I found it contained corn.  My next shopping trip found me at Sprouts where I found one and only one cheese alternative that met all our expectations.  This product name is Cheddar Vegan Gourmet by Follow Your Heart.  It melts nicely and has a similar texture and taste to American cheese...sort of.  I would love to hear from others who may have had better luck in this category.

My next step in this challenge was the bread.  None of the ready made gluten-free breads I found met all the allergy constraints I needed for Jackie.  This led meant that I would need to bake my own bread.  This is something I have done many times but not lately.  I just find it easier to buy one of the products on the shelf most of the time.  The ready made bread I prefer is Rudy's multi-grain.  The price isn't bad either, especially if I catch one of Sprouts gluten free sales. 

The bread I enjoy making most comes from a mix developed by my friend Arnel.  She has developed a line of baking products that is second to none.  I LOVE them!  To remove as many allergens as possible I baked her Gluten-free bread mix with ground flax seed instead of eggs.  This makes a delightful gluten-free, whole grain, dairy-free, corn-free and soy-free bread.  After making the grilled cheese sandwich for Jackie I gifted her with the remainder of the loaf.  I loved it when she commented "it's so soft".  This bread is bendy unlike most of the other gluten-free breads on the market. 

To make Jackie a grilled cheese sandwich it needed to be fresh.  Who ever heard of a cold grilled cheese...yuck.  I borrowed a panini press from another co-worker and gained permission to use it on site.  Did you know that cheese smokes when it hits a panini press.  Well, I do now!  I was so afraid we'd set off the fire alarm system that I was only able to make one batch of sandwiches.  I fit as many as would fit on the press, baked them and pulled the plug.  I made the sandwiches with taking all of Jackie's allergies in mind for her and three others with dairy cheese for everyone else.  Jackie got two sandwiches.  The other three I cut in quarters so as many people could try them as possible. 

I'd still like to find a better tasting cheese alternative.  If I were making Jackie a sandwich again, I'd probably make it turkey or ham.  There were however about a dozen people who were introduced to a gluten-free sandwich for the first time.  Each of which who declared it yummy.  This is partly what I want the world to know.  Gluten-free food tastes great. 

For more information on the products I mentioned here visit www.ArnelsOriginals.com , www.sprouts.com , http://www.rudisglutenfree.com/ and http://www.followyourheart.com/