Why wheat free? It wasn't until the last century that wheat became the main grain in the USA. Wheat, in a way, could be said to be genetically engineered. Though not engineered in the lab, it was the result of cross breeding by farmers. For whatever reason, many people have bad reactions when they eat wheat. I tend to fart a lot if I eat wheat. Needless to say, my friends prefer me better without wheat. My body is also stiff in the mornings if I eat wheat and sugar.
I started following the Blood Type Diet several years ago and my bood type does not do well with wheat. Friends and family members also had problems with wheat. I first tried brown rice flour, and then added about 2 Tablespoons of soy flour per 1 cup total flour. Thisimproves browning and protein content. Recently I have also started using spelt, which was the main grain used in the USA before the switch to wheat.
Brown rice flour makes a great thickener for gravy and sauces as well as for pies. Use it just like wheat flour - about 2 T per cup of liquid. It does not make lumps as much as wheat flour.
Sugar free does not mean artificial sweetners or corn syrup! In baking cakes, I like unsweetened applesauce and banana as substitutes. Concentrated frozen white grape juice works well for ice cream, pumpkin pie and frosting.
For all the recipe ingredients, the right column contains notes about any preferences I have regarding that ingredient.