Haley Frydrych, 15, who has celiac disease, has a foolproof way of taking part in holiday meals – she eats Passover food.

Joni and Haley Frydrych

Diagnosed about 13 years ago, Haley has a condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, tricale and barley, and often in hidden sources that contain starch fillers of unknown origin such as drugs, spices and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

Eating these substances results in an inability to absorb nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for good health.

Common symptoms of celiac disease include chronic fatigue, anemia, diarrhea and/or constipation, delayed puberty, bloating, abdominal pain, weight loss, bone or joint pain, and dental abnormalities.

Joni Frydrych, Haley’s mother and vice-president of the Canadian Celiac Association, Toronto chapter, said that although there is no cure for celiac disease, treatment is “100 per cent effective, and no drugs or surgery are required. Celiacs must maintain a gluten-free diet for life.”

There is a great variation to gluten sensitivity, she said, and although someone may not have the obvious symptoms, gluten could still cause damage to the intestinal lining.

Frydrych has learned to be vigilant and creative in order to keep Haley healthy, yet not feeling deprived, she said.

“I check companies’ websites, and I always, always read labels, even it is a product I’ve used before. Companies sometimes change their formulas. I often call a company right from the store to check on a product.”

When Haley was diagnosed, Frydrych said, they had to order food by mail order or at a speciality store at the Hospital for Sick Children.

“Now gluten-free food is everywhere. And I stock up on Passover products like honey cake, matzah ball mix, and egg noodles made with potato starch. One of Haley’s staples is noodles and tomato sauce. The kosher sections of supermarkets have lots of gluten-free food.”

In her position in the Celiac Association, she fields calls from members, and she often recommends, even to non-Jewish members, that they check out the kosher food shelves.

She doesn’t buy grain-free cookbooks, she said. “I look through my regular cookbooks and I change ingredients. Its a lot of trial and error. Some things I have to throw away, others are delicious.

“I have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies in which Isubstitute cup for cup, tapioca starch and rice flour for regular flour. I also use one teaspoon of xantham gum – slightly expensive, but necessary for baking – for every cup of flour because that gives it the elasticity found in wheat flour.”

Another favourite is chicken fillets dipped in a mixture of egg and honey, coated with seasoned potato starch, and baked.

“I’ve also dipped chicken or fish in crushed potato chips or instant mashed potato flakes. I fry it lightly to brown it, and then finish it in the oven.”

Frydrych can be reached at [email protected]. To join the Canadian Celiac Association, call 1-800-363-7296 or visit either  www.torontoceliac.org or www.celiac.ca for more information.

3/4 cup softened butter or pareve shortening cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
3 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. milk or water
2 cups gluten-free flour (use either 1 1/2 cups tapioca starch or 1 1/2 cups potato starch and 1/2 cup rice flour mixed together)
2 tsp. xantham gum
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet pareve chips
1/2 cup M & Ms, optional (not Smarties as they may contain wheat)

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl at high speed in a electric mixer for three minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla, egg and milk until thoroughly mixed. Combine flours, xantham gum, salt and baking soda to creamed mixture, slowly beating on low speed for two minutes or just until blended.

Stir in chocolate chips and M & Ms (do not use if there are nut allergies). Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then using a teaspoon, take heaping spoonfuls of dough and drop gently on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about two inches apart. With wet hands, pat down gently to form cookie shape.

Bake at 375 for eight minutes for a soft cookie, and 12 minutes for a crispy cookie. Cookies will harden after they cool. Cool before removing from pan.

Note: Since gluten-free flour is harder to bake with, you may have to add a little more gluten-free flour if cookies spread too much during baking. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time in case you need to add more flour to the next batch. If the first batch spreads too much, they are still delicious, just not as pretty.

1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2 tbsp. butter
1 egg beaten
2 1/2 cups tapioca flour
1 cup white rice flour
3 1/2 tsp. xantham gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. bread machine yeast

Add water, milk, butter and beaten egg to bread machine tin and stir with spoon. Add gluten-free flours, xantham gum, sugar and salt to bread machine tin.

Make a small well/hole in centre of flour mixture and fill the well/hole with the bread machine yeast. Set bread machine to bread, and choose your crust setting to your liking. Let bread fully cool before slicing

You can set bread machine to dough instead of bread, and when dough cycle is finished, you can form dough into bun/bagel shape by dividing the dough and rolling like a snake. Then pinch edges together and place on parchment paper, far enough apart to allow room for rolls to rise, or in a lightly greased bagel/bun/donut pan.

To use for pizza crust, line a pizza pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread dough to cover pan. Turn oven to 100, and  when it is preheated, turn oven off and place buns or pizza crust, covered with clean dish towel, in oven for 1 hour to allow dough to rise.

Remove from oven and preheat oven to 350. When it is preheated, replace dough in oven and bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, depending on size, until golden. (I make 12 bagels or buns from this recipe.)  Once pizza crust is slightly golden, take it out of the oven and add gluten-free tomato sauce, cheese and your favourite toppings and return to oven to bake just until cheese is melted.