Also known as gluten intolerance, celiac disease is a genetic disorder that affects 1 in 133 Americans. Symptoms range from diarrhea, weight loss and malnutrition to latent symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies. The disease mostly affects people of European descent, but recent studies show that it also affects Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans. Those affected suffer damage to regions of the intestines when they eat specific food-grain antigens found in wheat, rye and barley, according to the website, www.celiac.com.

The only acceptable treatment for celiac disease is strict adherence to a 100% gluten-free diet for life, which means avoiding all products that contain wheat, rye and barley, or any of their derivatives. This is a difficult task as there are many hidden sources of gluten found in the ingredients of many processed foods.

If a person with the disorder continues to eat gluten, studies have shown that the risk of gastrointestinal cancer is 40 to 100 times higher that of the normal population.

The recipe, which is reprinted with permission of www.celiac.com, would normally use 16 frozen Pepperidge Farms pastry sheets that do contain gluten, so you'll need to find a gluten-free alternative or simply skip this step.

Gluten-free Chicken Spinach Roll Ups

Ingredients:
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chopped fresh spinach (or 1 package frozen spinach, drained)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces cream cheese (same as block)
cup crumbled feta cheese
cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon gluten-free flour or gluten-free baking mix

Directions:
Beat the chicken breasts into thin cutlets and flatten. If chicken breasts are somewhat thick, use a good knife and cut the chicken breast in half, forming a "pocket." Be careful not to cut the chicken breast in half. You will end up being able to open the chicken breast like opening a book... so you'll end up with a very large, but thin chicken breast. Do this for each chicken breast & set aside.

Saute spinach & onion in oil until onions are tender & translucent. Remove from heat. Toss in all cheeses, egg, and gluten-free flour into pan and stir well.

Put about an ice cream scoop size dollop of spinach/chicken/gluten-free flour mixture on each chicken breast and spread somewhat thin. Then roll each chicken breast into a "roll" that resembles a pastry roll.

If you have a gluten-free pastry alternative, you will then wrap each chicken roll up in the pastry, tucking the sides/ends under. Continue to wrap the remaining chicken breasts. Butter your casserole dish & line up the chicken roll ups in the pan, seam side down.

Bake at 350F degrees for 40 minutes. These can be made a day or two ahead of time, then just pop in the oven before your guests arrive. If you skip the step with the pastry sheets, you can try securing the chicken roll ups with toothpicks, and then remove them prior to serving.

Source and Website: www.celiac.com
Posted by: Steve Smith

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