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Gluten Free Hot Artichoke Dip and Some Important Information about “Gluten Free” Corn and other Grains

 

Looking for a mouthwatering, “I-will-eat-the-entire-thing-myself-if-someone-doesn’t-stop-me” gluten free appetizer to share at a party this holiday season?  I may have just the thing for you, Gluten Free Hot Artichoke DipAnd for my readers who have other allergies and sensitivities, be sure to check out my recommendations on how to make this dip dairy-free, corn-free, grain-free, egg-free and soy-free! 😀

It’s been a long while since I’ve had this dip myself (I made it for my sister), but I used to love it back in the day, served with crispy warm tortilla chips…yum!

Now, before I share the recipe I would like to take a moment and discuss “gluten free” grains for a moment.  This is very important stuff to know, especially if you are new to the gluten free diet (little sister of mine: please pay attention to this) and ESPECIALLY if a gluten free diet is mandatory for your health, whether it be for celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

As it turns out, many naturally “gluten free” grains are in fact often contaminated by the toxic gluten proteins found in wheat, barley and/or rye (see this article and this article from Tricia Thompson, M.S., R.D.).  So how does that happen you ask?  Well, in order to understand how that could possibly happen, one needs to know a little about farming, crop rotation and food processing.  I am not a farmer so I cannot elaborate with any level of expertise on the subject but all you need to know is that if a “gluten free” grain like corn has not been subjected to special handling from the field to the factory – and if the company does not test for the presence of gluten in the corn (or the rice, or the millet, or the sorghum, etc., etc.), then there is a very real chance that you might be getting much more than you bargained for in that bag of corn chips (or cheap rice flour at the Asian market)!

It is very important to buy products that are labeled gluten free (especially if they contain gluten free grains)…but even so, the “gluten free” label does not always guarantee that the product is in fact gluten free!

Yes siree bob, the gluten free diet is anything but boring my friends! 😯

As I shared in this post, I have continued to show elevated gluten antibodies in my annual followup celiac blood tests and have been on a mission for the past couple years to figure out why this was happening.  Of the many possibilities, one could certainly be the presence of gluten in products that are labeled as gluten free.

As Tricia Thompson M.S., R.D. and Suzanne Simpson, a dietitian at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University point out in this article:

Not all manufacturers are appropriately testing for gluten in their labeled gluten free products.

Another possible reason for my continued elevated gluten antibodies were the products I used to buy (and eat) based on the “made in a facility that also processes wheat but good manufacturing processes are used to segregate allergens, blah, blah, blah” statement (and others like it).  Suzanne Simpson, RD talks about this issue in the beginning of the following video:

Tortilla Chips that are Labeled Gluten Free (or have a Gluten Free Statement on their website):

On the Border Tortilla Chips these chips are labeled gluten free and are my husband’s personal favorite (I used to love them too before the discovery of my corn allergy) but they are a rare treat for him because I’ve spoken with the company that manufactures the chips, Truco Enterprises and while they said they do occasionally test for gluten, the company representative could not say how often their products were tested (“maybe once a quarter” was the response I received), nor could she tell me the type of test they use to test for gluten.  The chips are also made in a factory that produces gluten containing ingredients.

Mission Tortilla Chips (you can read the company’s gluten free FAQs here)

Santitas and Tostitos (you can read Frito Lay’s Gluten Free Product List and their FAQs here)

Kettle Tias (you can read the company’s Gluten Free FAQ herethe corn is also non-GMO)

Que Pasa Corn Tortilla Chips (you can read the company’s Gluten Free FAQ herethe corn is also non-GMO)

Xochitl (the corn is also non-GMO)

**Certified Gluten Free Corn Tortilla Chips**

Food Should Taste Good: and they come in a bunch of different flavors too: Cantina, Blue Corn, Lime, Hatch Chile, Hemp, Jalapeno with Cheddar, and Kettle Corn

Learn more about the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO).

Allergic to Corn?

Try the following corn-free tortilla chip substitutes!

Beanitos Corn-Free Tortilla Chips (my family likes the Black Bean flavor best)

Gluten Free, Corn Free Taco Shells from The Celiac Vegan

Brown Rice Tortilla Chips from Gluten Free Goddess

Gluten Free Hot Artichoke Dip

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Gluten Free Hot Artichoke Dip

Please see the notes below for tips on how to make this dip: dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, grain-free and soy-free.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Parsley (or 2 Tbs. Dried Parsley)
  • 1 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 (8-ounce) container of Sour Cream
  • 1 can (14-ounces) Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 jar (12-ounces) Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 clove Garlic, finely minced
  • 2 Tbs. Olive Oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese and parsley in small bowl; set aside.
  3. Combine mayo, sour cream, remaining 3/4 cup cheese, artichokes and garlic in medium bowl. Evenly spread artichoke mixture in 9-inch pie plate; top with gluten free bread crumb mixture, then drizzle with olive oil.
  4. Bake uncovered 35 minutes or until heated through.
  5. Serve with your favorite dippers: gluten free crackers, gluten free tortilla chips or your favorite raw veggies (carrots are great).

Notes

Gluten Free Bread Crumbs: I personally recommend using Kinnikinnick's Gluten Free Panko for a nice, crispy topping (please note that this product is corn-free but it does contain egg).

Grain-Free Alternative for the Bread Crumbs: Try using Blanched Almond Flour or Slivered Almonds as the topping instead!

Parmesan Cheese: you could either omit this altogether try using your favorite vegan Parmesan. You can even try making your own Soy-Free Vegan Parmesan.

Mayonnaise: For Soy-Free and Egg-Free, I recommend Soy-Free Vegenaise.

Sour Cream: For Dairy Free, you can either use Tofutti (soy-based) Sour Cream or try making some Cashew Sour Cream. For a soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free alternative, I would definitely recommend subbing the sour cream with more Soy-Free Vegenaise...I've done this several times for other dairy-free recipes and I've always been pleased with the results.

Artichokes: For corn-free, look for frozen artichoke hearts that don't contain any corn-derived ingredients such as citric acid (most jarred artichokes contain citric acid to maintain color). I like Trader Joe's Frozen Artichoke Hearts because that's all ya get...artichoke hearts!

https://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2011/12/gluten-free-hot-artichoke-dip-and-some-important-information-about-gluten-free-corn/

Giveaway Winners

The winner of the Alouette Cheese and The Adventures of Tintin Giveaway is:

#4: Christine

The 3 winners of the MadeON Hard Lotion Giveaway are:

#81 Moriah

#73 Kristin W.

#32 Karla

Congratulations Ladies!  I will send each of you an email for your shipping information, so be on the lookout for that. 😀

How do you buy your Gluten Free Products? 

Do you feel comfortable buying a product as long as there are no gluten ingredients listed on the label (and if so – and you are a celiac – do you get an annual followup blood test to check your tTG and anti-gliadin antibody levels)?

Do you buy only products that are labeled gluten free?

Do you buy only products that carry the Certified GF Logo?

Or, is it a combination of all of the above?  And if so, which types of products are you most scrupulous over?

 

Comments

  1. I've been reading your blog for quite awhile and I really love all of your helpful information and recipes! Thanks 🙂

  2. Tostito's are made in a factory which also processes wheat according to our gluten grocery guide. Each time we've had them prior, we also had an immediate reaction, we do avoid them. But, we've had great luck with the Mission tortilla chips.

    Thanks for the post! I so love artichoke dip and I can't wait to try out this recipe.

    • Thanks for sharing your experience with Tostitos Christy. As a person who does not experience any immediate or obvious reactions when exposed to gluten, I rely heavily on the reactions of my more sensitive friends to help me make safer choices for me and my family (not that I eat corn or any of the gluten free grains anymore, but you get my point, LOL!).

      I have heard from dozens of people that they also react to Gluten Free Chex cereals and as a result, I no longer by them for my kiddos – just not worth the risk when there are so many other options available! 😀

      Heidi

  3. Thanks for sharing not just the wonderful gluten free recipe but also providing great information on gluten free foods. Is it only because of allergies that gluten foods must be avoided?

    • Hi Lola,

      While the gluten free diet is certainly mandatory for those us us with celiac disease and other forms of gluten intolerance, I think a lot of people try the diet and discover how much better they feel and decide to stick with it (even if they weren't "officially" diagnosed with a gluten-related health condition). The gluten proteins in wheat (as well as rye and barley) are extremely difficult to digest – in fact, humans in general cannot completely digest these proteins…even "healthy" individuals who have not been diagnosed with celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (the human species lacks the enzymes to do so).

  4. I really appreciate all the info on corn & tortilla chips! I’ve realized that I don’t react well to most corn products I’ve had so far, most of the time as far as gluten, corn, & dairy go, I just see how I react afterwards- it seems to give the most accurate results! & making homemade peanut/cashew butter instead of store brand is a must!!

  5. Terrific post, Heidi! Love that dip recipe. The one image doesn't display, darn it, but the others make me drool. 😉

    xoxo,

    Shirley

  6. Hi Heidi

    Was wondering about the brown rice syrup in the soy free vegenaise in your grain free diet. My son is on a grain free diet after going to Healthnow and am having a hard time adhering to the restrictions when there is corn/brown rice syrup and tapioca syrup and even citric acid in everything.

  7. I'm generally comfortable buying products with no gluten (or corn) ingredients listed. The exception is if it's made on the same equipment as wheat products. I still buy if it's made in the same facility, though I watch for reactions. We generally make a lot of items from scratch though, so it's not as much of a concern. I'm also not celiac, and was self-diagnosed (later a wheat allergy was confirmed) so I don't get followup bloodwork. I am much more scrupulous over ingredients that might be derived from corn at this point, since in avoiding corn I generally also end up avoiding the products containing wheat (though also a lot of the certified gluten free products too.)

    I really like the Beanitos chips. I use them for tacos instead of trying to find a tortilla shell I can eat. I actually found them by chance at our local health foods store (I went just to show my mother-in-law around and they ended up being a featured product that day – anything labeled corn-free makes me take notice immediately.) I like all of the flavors I've had so far, with pinto bean/flax seed being my favorite I think.

  8. Heidi, I’ve not had true hot artichoke dip in almost 10 years!! This looks amazing…maybe for Christmas Eve or New Years? Thank you!

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