Approximately 3.5% of the American population suffers from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine.

Celiac patients are unable to digest gluten, a protein found in wheat, spelt, rye, barley and oats.

Visit your local natural and organic food store, and you’re likely to find a section or entire aisle devoted to gluten-free foods.  Some of the available products may surprise you, as gluten can be “an invisible ingredient” in foods like chicken broth, mayonnaise and pie fillings, says Dana Jacobi, author of The Essential Best Foods Cookbook: 225 Irresistible Recipes Featuring the Healthiest and Most Delicious Foods and a contributor to the New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

With clever substitutions, and without sacrificing taste, celiac sufferers can create dishes that everyone will enjoy. Jacobi’s cornbread recipe, for example, starts with a gluten-free mix.

In my next post, we’ll use this cornbread recipe to make a gluten-free holiday stuffing. Tune in tomorrow!

Gluten-Free Cornbread

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 1 bag (20 oz.) gluten-free cornbread mix (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/3 cup (5-1/3 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter
• 1¾ cups fat-free or low-fat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-inch square, light-colored baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a small mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and egg white. In a large mixing bowl, combine cornbread mix, eggs, butter and buttermilk, using a hand mixer on medium speed. When the batter is blended, increase speed to high, and beat the batter for 30 seconds. Transfer it to prepared pan.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cornbread is browned around the edges. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool.

Recipe courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research. Photo: