Food & Wine

LOS ANGELES — According to a 2003 study, more than 2 million people in the United States have celiac disease, a genetic disorder whose only treatment is a gluten-free diet. People with celiac disease should avoid foods that contain any amounts of barley, rye, triticale or wheat.

Gluten-free prepared foods and products are in markets for people with this diet challenge. And for those who like to cook, there is a growing gluten-free cookbook niche.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a co-host on "The View" and one who has the disease, has written a family-oriented cookbook that she, her husband and three children enjoy together.

Deliciously G-Free (Ballantine Books, $30) opens with an explanation on setting up a gluten-free kitchen. Hasselbeck admits that she has a 60 percent g-free kitchen — her children and husband do not have the disease — and so gives guidelines on how to store foods and prevent cross-contamination from containers, dishcloths, pots and pans, sponges and utensils. Hasselbeck writes that every crumb of gluten counts in order for her and fellow sufferers to stay healthy.

The recipe sections include breakfast, appetizers, main meals, desserts and healthy choices (shakes and smoothies). Each section offers a selection of familiar family-pleasing menu items. You will find blueberry muffins, chicken fingers, crab cakes, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, turkey meatloaf, pancakes, pizza and short ribs.

Hasselbeck also included a nostalgic dish — her Italian grandmother's spaghetti and meatball recipe that was reworked by her mother to be gluten-free.

Through her own trial-and-error attempts to find the best-tasting flour combinations for brownies, cakes and cookies, Hasselbeck recommends preparing batches of her baking mixes and storing them in airtight jars to be ready when needed.

Gluten-free products including breads, broths, condiments, pastas and spices are used in the recipes.

The book has easy-to-follow recipe instructions, attractive color photographs and Hasselbeck's sincere enthusiasm to provide appealing menu choices for those with celiac disease.