Li Loves David

Gluten-Free Beer - or is it?

2012-01-04T10:31:00.000-05:00

I was a little disturbed to read the following article:

Some Gluten-Free Beers Really Aren't

Basically, it says that independent testing showed that some beers labeled gluten-free actually contain gluten. And some beers labeled as low-gluten actually contain as much as regular beer.

(Seriously, no one is really drinking "low-gluten" beers and thinking they are okay for celiacs, right?)

But what was really disturbing is that not only do some gluten-free beers still contain gluten, but that the study didn't name them!

Come on! We need this information!

So basically it comes down to this: trust your gut. If a food product is labeled gluten-free, proceed with caution. If you have a reaction to it, DON'T CONTINUE EATING IT JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS IT'S GLUTEN-FREE. Yeah, companies make mistakes, mislabel things, and (rarely) commit outright fraud. But your gut knows.

If your gut says it's bad... Don't eat it!

Gluten-Free Beer - New Planet Off Grid Pale Ale

2012-01-03T13:23:00.000-05:00

To paraphrase Ben Franklin, "Gluten-free beer is proof my Hubby loves me and wants me to be happy."

David got me 2 four packs of New Planet Gluten-Free Off Grid Pale Ale for Christmas. We polished off the first four right away, and I'm saving these for a special occasion.

If you like a rich, hoppy pale ale, this is the beer for you! It's has a nice citrus and spice flavor, and the hops, while pronounced, don't leave you with a bitter finish. Really, the only thing I don't like is that it contains caramel color. I try to avoid additives like that. Otherwise, it's a great beer.

If it's not carried locally, your favorite liquor store should be able to order it for you. Enjoy!

More gluten-free travel tips

2011-12-20T17:21:00.000-05:00

Busy?

Traveling for the holidays? Need to stay gluten-free?

Like you didn't have enough stress already...

I just read an article from NFCA on gluten-free traveling tips. Since I'm running a little ragged too, I'm just gonna give you the link and let you enjoy it yourself.

Tips for Traveling Gluten-Free by Plane, Train, and Automobile

Safe travels, everyone!

Gluten-Free Party Tips for a Safe Holiday Season

2011-12-15T12:28:00.000-05:00

It’s holiday party season! Everybody rejoice!

Okay, if you’re a person with food intolerances or allergies, or are on a restricted eating regimen for whatever reason, you’re probably not rejoicing at the moment. In fact, if you’re like me, every party invitation brings its own special little package of dread.

“What the hell will I be able to eat there?”

"None for me, thanks!"

Don’t you just love how the winter holidays revolve around food? Yeah, me neither. What ever happened to just getting together because we liked each others company? But that’s a topic for another post…

Over the past several years, I’ve learned how to navigate these holiday gatherings with a bit of class, and generally I don’t have any issues. I do the usual…eat before I go, take something to share that’s safe, and – when there are no safe options – politely explain that while everything looks lovely, I’d rather not take the risk (while encouraging my husband to eat my share).

Generally, those tactics work and everyone stays healthy and happy. The only problem I’ve had with this is when I have to deal with the type of person I’ll call “the Feeder.”

You know the Feeder. That’s the person that is always trying to get you to eat something. They operate out of the goodness of their heart, but they are mostly clueless when it comes to nutrition. And if you’re dealing with intolerances/allergies, well, forget about it. (Just be thankful they aren’t in charge of your grocery shopping.)

The Feeder is not happy unless you’re eating, and they always seem to be trying to feed you something that will kill you. They will offer food to you all night long, won’t take no for an answer, and will be personally offended when you decline, no matter how politely you do it.

This weekend, we are attending a holiday party hosted by a Feeder.

Normally when we visit the Feeder, we just take them out to dinner. Problem solved. This time, however, we’ll be at a party in their home. But that’s okay, because I have a plan. Here are my devious yet effective party hacks to deal with a Feeder, and still have a fun and safe party experience.

1. Arrive fashionably late. This will ensure the Feeder has plenty of other people to feed, and will divert the attention off of you. It also allows the other guests to have completed the first round of their buffet orgy, so you won’t be the only person standing around not eating. People will just assume you’re already done, or simply in between rounds, like they are.

2. Keep a drink in hand at all times. A drink is an ideal prop to fill your hands, and will give you an excuse if the Feeder corners you. “Oh, I’ll get something after I finish,” you say, glass raised. Just be careful to keep that glass full. Also, watch your alcohol intake – or have a designated driver.

3. Mingle away from the food. Stay on the other side of the room and talk to everyone over there. If you’re not right next to the food, people are less likely to offer you some. Plus you’ll get to talk to a different group of people that are there for the same reason you are – the company, not the food.

4. Carry a plate of safe foods. Okay, you ate before you came and you’re really not even hungry. But if the Feeder keeps pushing food on you, create a camouflage plate and keep it with you for the rest of the night. Load it up with plain carrots and celery sticks (no dip!), and find a place to set it within arm’s reach. I only use this as a last resort – I hate hauling a plate around while I’m socializing. But it’s an option.

5. Only go to the parties you want to go to. I saw this tip in an article about how not to overeat during the holidays, and it made sense. Every year we are inundated with invitations. Many of us feel obligated to attend each and every event, to the detriment of our diets as well as our emotional well-being. After a time, every party will become a chore, instead of the fun event it was meant to be. Avoid burnout by only attending a few select events. That way you’ll be social, enjoy yourself, and minimize food catastrophes.

Enjoy the holidays!

Do you have any tricks for managing your eating during the holidays? Please share them in the comments section below.

New gluten-free product from Kinnikinnick

2011-12-07T05:00:00.005-05:00

Kinnikinnick is launching a new gluten-free product in January 2012. Here's the video promo:

What do you think it is? 'Cause I don't know. Write your guess in the comments below.

Seriously, I don't know what it is, either. They just sent me the video, not the answer! But I have a pretty good guess...how about you? And while we're at it, what other products would you like to see from Kinnikinnick? Leave your comments below!

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pie

2011-12-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

Pie!

There. Do I have everyone's attention?

When I went grain-free a few months ago, I also went sugar-free. It made sense. I was kind of a sugar addict. No, wait a minute, let me rephrase that. I was a hard-core sugar addict. And I knew I really didn't need all those simple carbs floating around in my system, driving my insulin levels wild. And for the most part, though I hate to admit it, giving up sugar has been a good thing for me.

However, one thing I've missed is an occasional sickly-sweet dessert. You know, the kind that makes your teeth start to decay when you look at it. But though I crave the taste, my body can no longer tolerate the hit. I know this because I tried... The corn-syrup-free pecan pie I made for Thanksgiving was to die for, but made me so ill, I couldn't bring myself to eat seconds. Me! Turning down seconds! Of pecan pie! That explains the wobble you felt in the Earth's rotation on November 25...

(By the way, I'll post the recipe for the pecan pie later this week. I won't be making it again for myself, but those of you who are more sugar-tolerant should not be made to suffer.)

I've been playing around with more "primal or paleo friendly" desserts. Which is a joke, because early humans did not bake brownies. Seriously. But if Grok had grown up in the early Twenty-First century, he'd be addicted to them, too. So I've been trying to find a compromise. Something to satisfy the sweet tooth, but that isn't too sugary. And after a few attempts, I think I found a pie that will suffice.

This is, without a doubt, the easiest pie I've ever baked. (And I've baked a lot of pies in my day!) If you are cooking your own sweet potatoes, allow a little extra time for them to cool. Otherwise, it's just a few minutes to get it into the oven. It's not low carb, but it is low sugar, relying on a little honey and the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and coconut milk. And it's richly satisfying. Give it a try!

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pie

1 15 oz can sweet potato puree (make sure it's just sweet potato, with nothing added), or 15 ounces of freshly cooked sweet potato, skins removed, cooled, and mashed, about 2 cups packed
1 14 oz can coconut milk (make sure you get the kind that doesn't contain any gums or thickeners)
1-3 Tablespoons honey
2 eggs
Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg to taste
Pecan or almond meal (you can grind nuts yourself in a food processor until they resemble corn meal, but stop before they turn into nut butter)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter or oil a 9 inch, deep dish pie pan. Sprinkle the bottom and sides with the nut meal until coated.

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, coconut milk, and eggs with a whisk until blended. Add the honey 1 Tablespoon at a time, tasting after each addition, until you reach your desired sweetness. (I admit it, I went for the full three Tablespoons of honey. And I would do it again!) Add your favorite pumpkin pie spices. I used about a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and just a scrape of nutmeg. You can also use pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice. Whatever you like. Just keep adding it, little by little, until it tastes right. You can also add some chopped pecans at this point, if desired.

Carefully pour the filling into the prepared pie pan, and bake for 15 minutes at 425. Then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake for another 35-45 minutes.

Cool thoroughly. This is great with homemade ice cream, or some freshly whipped cream.

I love me some pecan pie!

2011-11-21T16:28:00.000-05:00

Finally, I'm excited about Thanksgiving. With 3 1/2 days to spare, I got all worked up about it.

Why?

Pecan pie!

I found an awesome recipe for pecan pie that doesn't use corn syrup. Yay!

As nice as the recipe in the Joy of Cooking is, I just can't use HFCS anymore in my cooking.

Can't wait to try it! Watch this space for details...

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Travel

2011-10-26T12:43:00.000-04:00

For the next 3 1/2 days, I'm going to be at a conference. I'm not going to be away from home, but I might as well be. Basically I have sessions from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm, with a few short breaks for meals. I won't have a car, so there's no running home for lunch or dinner. I'll be at the mercy of the host hotel and the surrounding restaurants.

In the past, I had worked out a system for travelling gluten-free. I just packed some safe snacks and some shelf-stable baked goods, and it all worked out okay.

But now that I've gone grain-free as well, the baked goods are not an option. And neither is going back on grains for half a week. Trust me, my body prefers that I never eat rice or corn again. Plus I've been having some inflammation issue with various foods that I'm trying to work out. So right now, if it's not meat, dairy, or a small selection of vegetables, I'm not eating it.

Great. Now what?

Here's what I've come up with:

Bacon. Lots of it. I cooked up a package, and will have some in a plastic bag in my purse. You know, for bacon emergencies. Seriously, bacon keeps well at room temperature and is filling, so if I run out of food options, it will keep me alive and satiated until I get home for the night.
Cheese sticks. Prepackaged goodness. Okay at room temperature for quite a while, although I'll probably want to eat them by lunch time. Easy.

Nuts. I'm actually experimenting with not eating any nuts right now, but I do have some toasted pecans at home that I can grab. I may resort to them in a few days.

Egg muffins. Or mini crustless quiches, whatever you want to call them. I probably won't take these with me, but they'll be easy to grab from the fridge and eat on my way out the door in the morning.

Beef jerky. Okay, I actually don't have any on hand right now. I wish I had taken the time to make some over the weekend, but I didn't. My loss. But it would have been a good thing to bring.

Any sort of grain-free baked item. Yeah, I don't have this either. It's not that I didn't want to, but right now my body is still out of whack, and I didn't want to burden it with a bunch of experimental coconut flour and nut flour foods. Maybe next time.

So that's how I'm going to survive the next few days. Hopefully the burger joint that's across the street from the conference will be gluten-free friendly, and my planning will just have been a useful exercise. But even if it isn't, and I can't find any other quick, safe food nearby, I know that I'll be able to last through the next few days without passing out from hunger.

Do you have any gluten-free and grain-free tricks for surviving long periods away from your kitchen?

Celiac Disease and Cancer in Women - Some Good News?

2011-10-18T13:18:00.000-04:00

Here's an intriguing article:

Reduced risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers in women with celiac disease.

I am especially interested in this topic, as endometrial cancer runs in my family, as does celiac disease. Go figure...

Sorry about the lack of blog posts. It's been crazy busy here, and probably will stay that way for a while. But I have managed to keep eating, and as a result have several recipes to write up and post. I appreciate your patience!

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Mini Meatloaf

2011-10-12T18:55:00.000-04:00

Best. Meatloaf. Ever.

That's what I thought when I first bit into this.

Meatloaf (the food, not the singer) and I have always had a sort of Like/Meh relationship. I like it, but it takes forever to cook and it can be kind of greasy, so... meh. Not worth the effort.

But now that I discovered the proper way to make it, meatloaf (the food, not the singer) and I are head-over-heels in love.

As for Meatloaf the singer, well, I've never met the man. But I own two copies of the Bat Out of Hell on CD. (Long story...)

Anyhow, back to the food...the key to fast and easy meatloaf, I've discovered, is largely a matter of what size pan you cook it in. Big pan = long time to bake and greasy. Small pan = short baking time and not greasy.

The absolute best pan to cook meatloaf in? Muffin tins.

Seriously. Dust off your favorite meatloaf recipe and follow the directions below for cooking. Thank me later.

Or use this recipe, lovingly referred to as "Meat Muffins" in my house.

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Mini Meatloaf Muffins

makes 20-24 mini meatloaves

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 eggs

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 small to medium zucchini, shredded

garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (plus any extra seasonings you like) and mix well. Grease up two muffin pans (12 muffins each) and fill the compartments 3/4 of the way full, gently tapping down the meat mixture to make it level. Bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

These can be topped with tomato or barbecue sauce before or after baking. They reheat well, and the leftovers would probably freeze well, but they've never lasted long enough for me to test that. You can use the leanest ground beef you want; the onion and zucchini will keep the mini loaves moist.

I've been on a plain meatloaf kick lately, but there are dozens of variations to the basic meatloaf recipe. How do you make yours?

Product Review - Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Donuts by Kinnikinnick

2011-10-03T14:38:00.000-04:00

photo by Kinnikinnick

Note: Kinnikinnick sent me a free sample of their Pumpkin Spice donuts to review, but I am not being paid for the review itself. This is my own opinion.

So what do you do when you are sugar-free and grain-free, and someone offers you a free sample of their rice and sugar containing gluten-free donuts?

You smile and say, "Yes, please, thank you very much!"

At least, that's what I did. Yeah, that's right, sugar is my Kryptonite...

I've tried Kinnikinnick donuts before. You can read my review of the blueberry and vanilla donuts here. They were okay, but personally I felt they weren't nearly as good as the ones I make.

However, these are pumpkin spice donuts (seasonally available until November 30) and therefore, worth trying. Pumpkin...plus spice...I'm sure you understand my logic.

Long story short, the pumpkin spice donuts are really, really good. They have a hint of pumpkin, a lot of nutmeg, and frankly, taste a lot like my recipe. Not too sweet, with a nice cakey texture. David thought they had a slight aftertaste, but I couldn't detect one.

Taste-wise, I would recommend them. Ingredient-wise, I have the same complaint I always do about Kinnikinnick: the ingredient list looks like it was produced in a science lab and not a kitchen. But otherwise, these are good! Go grab yourself a box, warm them slightly in the microwave, and enjoy with a glass of milk.

Just remember, these are only available until November 30. (Although my opinion is that these are the best donuts Kinnikinnick makes, and should be available all year. I'm just sayin...)

Gluten-Free Preview

2011-09-29T19:59:00.000-04:00

Wow, the week has really flown by...how did it get to be Thursday already?

I haven't been blogging much, but I have been cooking. I'll have two recipes coming out soon. Both are hearty, filling, and extremely easy. Three of my favorite qualities in a recipe!

I'm also getting gluten-free product sample to review. I know it will be here soon because UPS actually tried to deliver it today, but I wasn't home. They were kind enough to leave a sticky note saying they'll try again tomorrow. So thoughtful of them... That means I've got a little less than 24 hours to wait.

All this, and more, coming soon. Stay tuned over the next few days...

Don't you love a little gluten-free anticipation?

Article on Gluten-Free Diet

2011-09-24T06:46:00.000-04:00

It's early here. 6:30 am on a Saturday to be exact. Why am I up?

Wait, it'll come to me...

Oh yeah, I remember. I'm going for a run soon. And I need more coffee.

As part of my early Saturday morning wake-up ritual, I like to read some of the informational emails that pile up throughout the week. One of them is a newsletter from Active.com. This morning's headline:

Create Your Gluten-Free Sports Diet

Not a bad article. I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of information on celiac disease, and how anyone with lingering, unexplained health issues should be tested. They also touch on non-celiac gluten sensitivity, where you need to eat gluten-free in spite of a negative celiac diagnosis.

They had some good dietary advice, as well as a great reminder to always have emergency backup food with you, in case you can't find something safe to eat.

All in all, my not-yet-awake brain was impressed with the article, and happy to see good advice reaching a wide audience.

Now, back to that coffee...

Gluten-Free Meatza - Meat Crust Pizza

2011-09-21T21:02:00.000-04:00

Pizza... is inherently grainy. When you think of pizza, you automatically picture a crust of some sort. It might be wheat (blech!) or it might be gluten-free, but it's still going to be grain-filled. Okay, you can use bean flour, but then it's legume-filled. Any way you slice it, pizza has no place on a grain-free, Primal, or Paleo diet.

Until now.

Now you can make a meat crust pizza.

Oh no I didn't! Oh yes, I did... muwahahaha!!

Yes, I went there. I dove off the mountain into meaty pizza goodness, and I'm never coming back!

Before you freak out and send the men in white coats after me, just let me tell you that I'm not the first person to come up with this idea. Type "meatza" or "meatzza" into your favorite search engine, and you'll see a plethora of recipes out there. The recipe below is inspired by many, but is my own creation.

Gluten-Free Meatza - Meat Crust Pizza
Primal friendly, and Paleo friendly if made without dairy

1 lb ground beef
1 cup drained frozen spinach, or 1 lb fresh
1 egg
Onion and garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasonings (optional)

If you are using raw spinach, heat a skillet to medium and sautee it in coconut oil or bacon fat until cooked. Remove from the pan, allow to cool a bit, and chop with a sharp knife, making sure there are no large chunks.

If using frozen, drained spinach, first give it a good squeeze to make sure all the excess water is out. Chop coarsely with a knife to make sure there are no large chunks.

Combine the ground beef, spinach, egg, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings in a large bowl and mix well.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9x13 (for a thicker crust) or 10x15 (thinner crust) pan with parchment paper or coat it well with coconut oil. I used a well-seasoned stoneware pan with coconut oil, but if I were using any other pan, I'd definitely use parchment paper to keep the crust from sticking. Make sure your pan has a rim to catch any juices that cook off the meat.

Pat the meat mixture evenly into the pan, creating a rim around the edge if you wish (I didn't). Make sure you don't have any cracks or tears in your crust. Put it in the oven and bake it for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take a look at it. If it's starting to pull apart in places, you can use a spatula to gently smoosh it back together. Don't worry about tiny cracks, the crust will hold together fine when all the toppings are on. Bake for another 10 minutes and remove from the oven.

At this point, depending on the fat content of the ground beef you are using, you may need to drain the crust. You can carefully pour off the juices, or tip the pan to one side and use a turkey baster to syphon off the extra liquid (my preferred method).

Raise the temperature of the oven to 425, and top your pizza with your choice of sauce, vegetables, and cheese (if using). Try to stay away from anything that's too wet - the meat crust doesn't absorb liquids the way a bread crust does. We like a combination of tomato sauce, 3 cheeses and pepperoni, as seen in the photo. Also good is zucchini, onion and garlic, sauteed until golden brown, then mixed with just enough cream to make a sauce...topped with cheddar, asiago, and parmesan, of course. Not Paleo, but damn tasty.

When you have your meatza topped to your liking, slip it back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Pull it back out of the oven, wait for it to stop sizzling, and enjoy!

Note: This may be a little over the top for some of you. It's absolutely delicious, and I highly recommend you try it, but...if you've never done something like this, it might be too much to process. So for those of you who are gluten-free, but haven't gone completely grain-free, here are some other alternatives:

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Quick Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (in a cup!)

2011-09-15T15:47:00.000-04:00

Life has been hectic. My days have become filled with marketing endeavors for my freelance writing business, which have left little time for anything else. That includes baking...

Cake? I don't see any cake...

...not that I bake anymore. Baking is definitely not paleo.

Damn!

I have such a sweet tooth, it's not even funny. And it gets worse when I'm under pressure. So imagine me, jonesing for a gluten-free brownie, with no time to bake, and not being able to have one anyhow because it would contain nasty grains like rice flour and corn starch.

It's not pretty.

And before you say, "Oh, come on, just have a gluten-free brownie, one won't kill you," let me tell you this: I recently tested rice and corn products after being off of them for a few weeks. Guess what? I had a reaction. Big time. So yes, one brownie may indeed kill me. Or at least mess me up for a couple of days. Not fun.

Things seemed hopeless until I found the 5 Min Choc Mug Cake at Fast Paleo. Paleo-friendly, takes just 5 minutes, and super easy...all things I love in a chocolate treat!

I've since seen this recipe posted several other places, but I'm going to give credit to Fast Paleo and Flickstarulz, because that's where I first saw it. Of course, I've made a couple of personal touches. Feel free to embellish yours.

Almost cake...

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (in a cup!)

2.5 Tbs coconut oil (or melted butter or ghee, whatever you prefer)
1-2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp - 1.5 Tbs honey (or maple syrup)
1 Tbs finely ground pecans (or almond flour)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla

Melt the coconut oil, butter, or ghee in a cup. Add the dry ingredients, then the egg, honey, and vanilla, and mix well with a fork until smooth.

Microwave on high until cooked through, 1-2 minutes or so. My microwave takes exactly 1 minute and 10 seconds to accomplish this. I've tested it over, and over, and over...just to be sure. Yours may take more or less time. Make sure not to overcook it, or it will burn and you'll have to waste another 5 minutes getting a clean cup out of the cupboard and measuring, mixing and cooking the ingredients before you get to eat your cake.

Cake. In a cup. Awesome!

Note: I usually just eyeball the cocoa, oil, and honey, and it tastes great no matter how much I use. I go light on the honey, using just 1 teaspoon or so, which makes it taste like a dark chocolate truffle. For a sweeter treat, use more. And I've tried both coconut oil and butter with great results. Really, the only way I've found to mess this one up is to overcook it. So try not to do that, okay?

Time to eat cake!

Happy Celiac Awareness Day!

2011-09-13T19:50:00.000-04:00

Have you hugged a celiac today? It's not too late...

13 Ways to Celebrate Celiac Awareness Day, from the NFCA Newsletter

Gorton's Seafood Now Has Gluten-Free Grilled Fish

2011-09-09T15:07:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't seen this, Gorton's Seafood (yes, the fishstick people) has announced that its grilled fish products are now gluten-free. (You can read the press release here.) If you look for these in the store, please note that some of the old packages may still be lurking in the freezer section. Make sure you only buy the ones that say "GLUTEN FREE" on them, like the image below.

Gorton's also giving away 100 subscriptions to Living Without magazine. Click here to register for a chance to win.

I'm not planning on trying these, simply because I already know how to cook fish, and can make it a lot cheaper myself. Plus, did you see all the extra stuff they add to their fish? Sheesh...

I'm curious though, is anyone else going to try these out? Please let me know in the comments below.

Sept. 13, 2011 - "National Celiac Disease Awareness Day"

2011-09-08T14:05:00.002-04:00

Senate Designates Sept. 13, 2011 as "National Celiac Disease Awareness Day" NFCA

Just saw this at NFCA. Spread the word!

Gluten-Free Food at Food Banks and Emergency Shelters

2011-09-06T17:18:00.000-04:00

I ran across an interesting article about the lack of gluten-free food available at food banks.

Food Banks Struggle to Keep Gluten-Free Items in Stock

I've heard this is also a problem for emergency shelters, like the ones set up for hurricane, tornado and flood victims.

Part of me wants to see gluten-free cereals, pastas and breads available at these facilities. After all, it's a medical condition, not a fad diet. It's also widespread, and affecting more and more people each day.

Part of me wants them to cut out all the junky, processed foods and just provide real food. Beans and rice are gluten-free and economical. Vegetables and meats are nutritious and fairly cheap (though highly perishable when fresh). No one should eat highly processed bread or cereal ever, no matter if it's wheat-filled or gluten-free.

ALL of me is grateful every minute of every day that I am not in a position to need to use either a food bank or an emergency shelter, and my heart goes out to everyone that is in need of these services.

What are your thoughts? Please let me know in the comments section below.

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes

2011-09-04T10:38:00.000-04:00

Seriously. Is your mouth watering yet?

Coconut flour is great stuff. It's dense, soft, faintly sweet tasting, and smells like macaroons. What's not to love?

Note: a little goes a long way, and it absorbs moisture like crazy. Don't try to sub this into your favorite recipes one-to-one. Buy a bag at your local health food store, look up some recipes online, and start trying them out. Here's an easy one:

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes

Fluffy, yet dense and filling.

4 eggs
1 cup milk (dairy or coconut milk, or a combination)
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Crack the eggs in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until they are foamy. Add the milk, honey and vanilla (if using) and mix well. Add the coconut flour and baking soda, and mix until all the lumps are gone.

Heat a skillet to medium low and grease with butter or coconut oil. Drop batter onto skillet by spoonfuls, using the back of the spoon to spread it out. There isn't much holding these together, so keep the pancakes small, about 3" in diameter, so you can flip them without your pancakes falling to pieces. Fry the first side until you start to see bubbles and steam on the surface, then carefully flip, and cook the second side. Watch them closely and adjust the heat if necessary, to keep them from burning.

Makes about ten 3" pancakes, which was enough to stuff two hungry adults.

These were great with lots of butter and a light drizzle of honey.

Product Review: Gluten-Free S'moreables by Kinnikinnick

2011-08-30T18:15:00.001-04:00

Note: I received a free sample of this product, but I am not being paid for this review. The opinions expressed below are mine.

This weekend I tried out S’moreables, Kinnikinnick’s gluten-free answer to the graham cracker.

Right off the bat, before I even opened the box, I have to admit I was apprehensive. For one thing, I just don’t eat processed food anymore. I have completely given up grains and sugar, and I like how I feel. Also, like I mentioned in a previous post, S’moreables have some funky ingredients. Here they are:

Sheesh! The ingredients list reads like a chemistry experiment, not a recipe. So I was expecting them to taste very…well, fake.

I was wrong.

When I opened the box, what I noticed first was that they smelled exactly like graham crackers. Exactly! Or at least, what I remember graham crackers smell like. It’s been a while. David agreed with me, the aroma was dead on.

Next came the taste test. They were good. Really good. They don’t quite match the taste (or what I remember of it) of the gluten variety, but these crackers taste close enough, in my opinion, to be called graham crackers. They were a little sweet for me, but I don’t eat sugar anymore, so that might not be the case for everyone else. They were nice and crispy, and had the same whole-grain texture that I remember. And there was absolutely no weird aftertaste.

Here’s a quick rundown:

The Good: Good taste, texture, aroma. Might not fool someone plain, but definitely would when used in a recipe or as a pie crust. Work great for s’mores.

The Bad: Small box, tiny crackers. There were 18 crackers in my box (8 oz total, each is 3.25” by 1.5”), and I’m not sure that would be enough for a 9” pie crust. I would make sure I had some other crackers or cookies on hand to stretch out my crumbs, just in case.

The Ugly: I really wish Kinnikinnick would use more “real” ingredients. I would not normally eat anything that had an ingredient list like the one above. I’m just saying…

All in all, S’moreables are pretty darn good. I didn’t get a chance to price them locally, but they are available at Amazon here.

But what about the S’MORES?

Ooh, I’m glad you asked! Just three ingredients: S’moreables, Nutella, and mini marshmallows. And the taste? Divine! But don’t take my word for it…

Crackers

Nutella and marshmallows

Yum!

Gluten-free at Simply Nooner

2011-08-27T18:41:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't know, I write a post every Friday about gluten-free living at my other blog, Simply Nooner. Click here to check out the latest!

Gluten-Free Pecan Pie Bites - Dairy-Free and Primal Friendly

2011-08-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

My coconut flour has been sitting on the kitchen counter for the past two days, mocking me. It's like I'm a kid with a new toy, but I can't decide how I want to play with it for the first time. So I don't have a coconut flour recipe for you yet.

Instead, I'm posting a recipe I found on Fast Paleo. I've made it a few times, made a couple of variations, and it always turns out fabulous. Here's my version. Yes, they taste like tiny little pecan pies...so good!

Gluten-Free Pecan Pie Bites
adapted from the Caveman Crunch Bar

3/4 cup pecan meal (or grind up raw pecans in your food processor until they are teeny, tiny pieces)
3/4 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup raw honey (or less)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until you have small chunks (not almond butter!). Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Pat into a well-greased 9"x9" pan and bake at 400 degrees until nicely brown on top, about 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a rack. Once the pan is room temperature, put it in the fridge until chilled. Then remove from the fridge and cut into squares or bars. These are rich and surprisingly sweet, so I cut mine into 36 small squares. Store in a tightly covered container or wrap individually in plastic, and enjoy!

Using pecan meal instead of chopped pecans (or macadamias from the original recipe) makes these a little less like granola bars, and a little more like a cookie. These are great as a pre- or post-workout fuel, or as a snack in the afternoon when the munchies hit. I actually cut the honey down to 3 Tbsp, and still thought they were sweet enough. They are a little crumbly, but if you keep them refrigerated, they maintain a fair amount of structural integrity.

It just arrived...

2011-08-23T21:27:00.000-04:00

...coconut flour! I just got my Amazon order, and now I have to figure out what to do with it.

Any ideas?

I'll post a recipe later this week.

Gluten-Free FAIL - Bru's Room in southern Florida

2011-08-21T22:15:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned a few days ago, I had a dining experience that I wanted to share. It’s a little long-winded, and if you just want the outcome, you can skip down to the end of this post. For those of you that want all the gruesome details, here’s the story:

Last week we went to Bru’s Room, a local sports bar, to watch the UFC. It was Sunday at 9pm, so the place was definitely not busy. We normally go to Duffy’s when we want to go out and watch sports, because they have an excellent gluten-free menu. However, we had heard that Bru’s now had a GF menu too, so we decided to try it out.

When we got there we checked out the menu, which seemed to have a good selection. The first thing I noticed was french fries. Cool, I love french fries! And you never see french fries on the gluten-free menu…

Which got me thinking, there’s a reason you never see french fries on a gluten-free menu…because most places use a shared fryer. And frying a gluten-free item in the same fryer as mozzarella wedges, breaded calamari or anything else containing gluten guarantees cross contamination. Seriously, that’s something every restaurant should know.

So I flagged down our server and asked her if they had a dedicated, gluten-free fryer. She shook her head and said no, there was just one fryer for everything.

Really? That meant everything fried on the “gluten-free” menu really wasn’t gluten-free. And in my mind, that meant everything else they cooked there would be suspect, too. There was no way I was going to trust my health to the Bru’s Room kitchen, and I decided not to eat anything at all.

A few days later, I was thinking about what happened. Mainly, I wanted to know what the kitchen practices were at Bru's Room and if the company intended to upgrade them at any point. After all, it wouldn’t have been the first time that I had dealt with a misinformed server, or with a restaurant that had just implemented a gluten-free menu but hadn’t worked out all the kinks yet. So I contacted them and sent the following message through their contact page:

“I was at your Delray Beach location on Sunday. I am gluten-free, and was going to order off your GF menu, but found out from my server that you do not use dedicated fryers for your gluten-free offerings. I'm glad I asked! I could have ended up very sick. As a result, I decided not to eat anything at your restaurant. I wanted to let you know that gluten can be transferred from item to item in a shared fryer, on a shared grill, and by not having dedicated serving utensils or food prep areas. Are you planning to add these precautions to your kitchen so gluten-free diners can eat safely, and if so, when are you planning to do this? Thanks for your assistance!”

Later that day, I received this reply from the Director of Marketing and Advertising:

“Thank you for writing to us about our gluten free menu. While we try to make accommodations for those with food sensitivities and allergies, we do not proclaim to be experts in gluten free menus or to be a gluten free restaurant. We do have a note at the bottom of our gluten free menu, which I have attached, which alerts guests to the risk of cross contamination and that we cannot guarantee that any menu item is completely allergen free.

"We feel that we have taken more steps than most restaurants to be cognizant of food allergies and try to be sensitive to the risks of certain diet restrictions.

"If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.”

(Here’s a link to Bru's gluten-free menu.)

I have to say, I’m rather disappointed in their reply. I understand they aren’t experts, nor are they a gluten-free restaurant. But they went to the trouble of putting out a gluten-free menu. Therefore, there should have been some research into what constituted safe options, and there also should have been some staff training. From what my server said, and from the email above, it doesn’t seem that much of either went on.

It seems that when it comes to safe gluten-free dining, Bru’s Room is either A) ignorant or B) apathetic. I hope it’s not the latter; I would hate to see a business try to capitalize on a market trend in a way that could harm its customers. (Like this!) Wanting to sell more french fries shouldn’t mean making your customers ill in the process. I understand that mistakes can happen, and I don’t expect to be 100% safe when I dine outside of my own home. But if someone tells me they have something that will be gluten-free, I expect reasonable precautions to have been taken. And sorry, but frying your french fries in the same fryer as your mozzarella wedges just doesn’t cut it.

Okay, if you’ve stuck around this far, here’s my opinion: I feel it's not safe for gluten-free diners to eat at Bru’s Room. I will definitely not eat there in the future, and I recommend you avoid them, too. If you are looking for a sports bar experience in southern Florida, I can heartily recommend Duffy’s. They have a great gluten-free menu, and have taken the time to properly train their staff. I have eaten there many times and have never gotten sick.

Remember always, no matter where you’re eating and how much you trust them, your health is your responsibility. Take the time to ask questions, find out what’s going on, and make sure the server understands your needs. It’s worth taking an extra few minutes to preserve your health.

Delay of post

2011-08-16T19:21:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to have a post for you today, sorry.

This time I actually have a good reason. Well, I think so, anyway...

You see, I had an experience at a restaurant recently, and I wanted to write about it. But I decided to contact them first. You know, to find out if there was something I was missing. In the interest of fairness, and all that.

So I won't be writing about it until I have all the information. Maybe tomorrow? We'll see.

Thanks for your patience!

An Exciting Gluten-Free Diet

2011-08-11T05:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a news article I just saw:

A Gluten-Free Diet Doesn't Have to be Boring

If I were writing this one, I think I would have subtitled it: Thank-you, Captain Obvious!

Okay, I'm done snarking now, I promise.

What I liked about this one, after I got over the whole "Duh!" response, was that it painted a very positive picture of being gluten-free. I liked how it emphasized buying real, unprocessed foods and preparing your favorite dishes yourself.

Those of us who have been at this for a while, if we think waaaay back to when we first started, a gluten-free diet was a bit of a scary proposition. I already did most of my own cooking, but I can remember feeling a little overwhelmed. And the first time I made pizza, I was pretty scared. "What if it's horrible?" Well, it wasn't, it was pretty darn good. And with practice it's gotten even better.

So to anyone who is newly gluten-free out there, please take a deep breath, relax, and repeat after me:

"It's going to be okay."

Really, it is!

And if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments below.

Football Player Goes Gluten Free

2011-08-09T15:06:00.000-04:00

Green Bay Packers running back James Starks has gone gluten free, got healthy, and is ready for football season.

Starks hopes gluten-free diet will yield results

From reading the article, I would say it already has.

And I suspect in a few years, carb-loading will be a thing of the past. At least for elite athletes...

What's for dinner?

2011-08-08T18:45:00.000-04:00

Do you plan out your meals in advance? I envy people who do. Any time I try to set a plan for the entire week, something happens. You know, one of those little things come up, like someone has to work late, or oops, I forgot to get the roast out of the oven in time to thaw, or more often than not, "I just don't feel like having that!"

There are are whole groups of gluten-free bloggers that commit to posting what they call Meal Plan Monday, and sticking to it. Not being much of a planner, I am not a member of any such group. But I do like reading their posts, for meal ideas.

I actually do plan a couple of days in advance. Most of the time. So in the interest of sharing, just in case it gives someone else a good idea for dinner, here's what we have going on:

Sunday (yeah, I know, this was last night) we had Boeuf Bourguignon with roasted butternut squash.

Tonight is salad night. We have assorted greens, carrots, hard boiled eggs, a selection of cheeses, leftover salmon, and homemade green goddess dressing.

Tuesday night will be leftover Boeuf with a side of (most likely) sauteed zucchini.

Wednesday, er, um, I don't know yet...

So there's my plan for the next couple of days. What's for dinner at your place?

The cat ate my blog post...

2011-08-04T21:17:00.000-04:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog post for this special announcement:

The weather is great!

You see, we've been stuck in a cycle of endless afternoon thunderstorms here for the past two months. But today was different. There wasn't a cloud in the sky when David got home from work. Do you know what that means?

Picnic at the beach!

And that also means there will be no gluten-free news tonight. Sorry about that!

There will be a make-up post in the next couple of days. Stay tuned...

Gluten-Free Salmon Burgers

2011-08-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

We love us some salmon in the Li Loves David household. We used to eat a lot of farmed Atlantic salmon, then we discovered how outrageously unhealthy it is. So we gave it up. And wild Alaskan salmon doesn't go on sale very often. As a result, our salmon consumption has gone way down.

Then we found out about canned salmon.

Did you know that canned salmon is wild-caught? As in, safe to eat? Neither did I. (There are some fisheries in Alaska that raise the salmon for a few years and release it to the wild to "finish" it, but still, it's far healthier than some poor fishy that lived all its life in captivity.) Unlike tuna, canned salmon doesn't have the toxic build up of mercury so it's safer to eat more often. And I have yet to find a can of salmon that contains added soy, whereas almost all canned tuna has it.

Canned salmon is also economical. I can grab a 14.75 oz can of pink salmon at the local grocery store for under $3.00. There are several other more upscale options, too, if plain old pink salmon isn't your thing. But most of it is cheaper than the $20 a lb that wild Sockeye goes for around here. (Yes, I know, I live as far as one can get from Alaska and still be in the U.S., so it's going to be expensive.)

Anyhow, once I heard about the wonders of canned salmon, I decided we had to try it. And burgers sounded like a good way to start. We made a couple of adjustments so our recipe would be primal-friendly. The results were amazing...

Gluten-Free Salmon Burgers
1 14.75 oz can of salmon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup ground pecans (you can use gluten-free bread crumbs if you are not grain-free)
1/4 cup diced onion, celery, or combination
pepper to taste
salt if necessary (canned salmon is often salted)
dash of lemon juice

Drain and flake the salmon and remove the skin and bones if desired. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands. Divide mixture into 4 equal parts, and form burgers. Place on an oiled skillet heated to medium. Cook until browned on the first side, then carefully flip (they are fragile) and cook the other side.

Since we are grain free, we used ground pecans. You could probably use any other type of nut you like, the salmon should cover all but the strongest flavors.

We served our salmon burgers with broiled asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and a cucumber yogurt salad. Ooh, these were so good!

A great source of gluten-free recipes - Fast Paleo

2011-07-28T20:33:00.000-04:00

Today, I'd like to spread a little link love to a blog I recently discovered: Fast Paleo by Kristin and James.

Fast Paleo is chock-full of paleo-friendly recipes, all of which happen to be gluten free. Awesome! After all, when you give up grains, that means the gluten ones too. Everything is also soy-free. In fact, legumes are not part of the paleo lifestyle, so no beans whatsoever. And that works for me as well, since I can't eat legumes, anyhow. (No wonder I'm drawn to this lifestyle!)

I've spent a lot of time there wandering through the recipes lately. Since adopting the Primal Blueprint lifestyle, I've had to change my eating habits somewhat, and the recipes on the site have been great for inspiration. Fast Paleo has a great selection of dishes, ranging from entrees, side dishes, smoothies, desserts, and many others. Most don't call for exotic ingredients (well, compared to the average gluten-free recipe), are fairly simple and totally delicious.

Okay, if you're vegan, you may not find a lot there. But for the vegetarians, there are quite a few vegetable dishes, and several things (like stuffed bell peppers) that could easily be made veg-friendly. And if you are an omnivore, you'll find a lot to make your mouth water.

Finally, let me leave you with one last thought about Fast Paleo - bacon. That is all.

Happiness is Gluten Free

2011-07-26T17:38:00.000-04:00

I just read an article about a study where people with celiac disease were asked how they felt about being on a gluten-free diet.

How Happy Are You on a Gluten-Free Diet?

The study found that 40% were dissatisfied. That’s nearly half. I have to say, I was astounded!

I am a member of my local CDF support group. A lot of time during our bimonthly meetings is spent socializing and exchanging recipes, as well as a little gossiping… And I always end up talking with someone about the challenges of being gluten free.

From what I’ve seen, most of us who have been at this for a while agree that it takes some work, but it’s better than life with gluten. Some of us (especially me) even feel this is the best thing that ever happened to them.

Yes, I’ve met people who are dissatisfied. Generally they fall into one of three camps: newly diagnosed, parents of a young child with celiac disease, or senior citizens.

The newly diagnosed are still struggling with what they can and can’t eat. Yes, they are frustrated. We all were at first. Young children have issues of peer acceptance that we as adults are better able to deal with, not to mention family issues if only one person in a household is gluten free. Again, makes sense. And the senior population, well…if I was diagnosed at age 75, I might not be happy about changing my diet, either.

But getting back to the study…really, 40% are dissatisfied? I’m amazed. The study above was done on a small population in the UK. I hope they expand their sample size and location – it would be interesting to see if that percentage holds up in other parts of the world.

In light of this news, I’m going to try and spread a little gluten-free happiness. Here are three fun things about being gluten free:

1. Getting to discover new foods. Quinoa! Teff! Sorghum!

2. Getting to speak directly to the chef when I eat out. It makes me feel special.

3. No more stomach aches. Absolutely the best thing, ever!

What are your favorite things about being gluten free? Let me know in the comments section below.

Newsflash: Gluten Sensitivity May Vary

2011-07-21T17:35:00.019-04:00

I know, the title of this post is a little snarky, and I recently promised to be more positive. Sorry!

Are there degrees of gluten sensitivity?

I came across this article recently, and I have to admit, my first thought was a little disparaging toward the medical community. I mean, come on, most of us reading this either have gluten sensitivity of some sort, and/or know a lot of people who have it, and yes, people present differently. We've seen it for ourselves.

But then I thought about it for a bit, and I got a little excited. This article is one of many that come out every week on the topic of gluten. It quoted a major medical expert. It acknowledged what I have come to believe to be true - even if you don't test positive for celiac disease, gluten can make you sick. And it even went so far as to say that if gluten makes you feel bad, don't eat it. This is a vast improvement over the old party line of, "Don't go gluten free unless you need to, or you won't get proper nutrition."

Most importantly, it is getting the word out. The more people know, the less they will have to suffer. Knowledge is power, baby!

Before I leave for the day, I have to share the results of Tuesday's experiment with roasted eggplant substituting for pasta. If I do say so myself, it was brilliant! So full of yum. Here's a photo. Please excuse the quality - it looked and smelled so good, and I was starving...and well, you know...

Gluten-Free Meatballs in Marinara Sauce, over Roasted Eggplant

Extemporaneous cooking, gluten-free style

2011-07-19T13:13:00.002-04:00

I feel bad.

I promised to test out my new toaster bags , but I did not. A funny thing happened on the way to the toaster...

David and I have decided to follow the Primal Blueprint lifestyle. Okay, I've decided to follow the Primal Blueprint lifestyle, and my poor hubby is just along for the ride. Don't feel too sorry for him, though. He gets to eat all the bacon and butter he could possibly want...

And just what does this have to do with toaster bags, you ask?

Well, we've been slowly curtailing our intake of all grains, not just the gluten ones, for a while. That includes rice, corn, teff, and sorghum, which are the main fixtures in our home, as well as millet, amaranth, buckwheat, and everything else out there. And as of this weekend, we went cold turkey on grains. (For a while.)

So that means that for a while, bread-like substances are out of the picture. At least until we settle into our new way of eating, and get our insulin levels under control. At that point we can experiment with adding back small amounts of rice, corn and such, to see what works for our metabolisms. There still will be gluten-free breads and pastas in our future.

But at the moment, we aren't toasting any bready things. I do have plans to cook some bacon in one of the bags, however, mainly because the directions say I can. I'll report on that later.

Mmm, bacon!

In the meantime, I thought I would share an experience I had just this morning. I felt it was a great example of turning my food limitations into food opportunities.

I was trying to figure out what we would have for dinner. Now, this can be a daunting task any day. And being gluten free adds a new wrinkle. But when you put grain free in the mix as well, it gets really interesting.

I've been craving some sort of tomato sauce, and David had the great idea of spaghetti with meatballs. Always a favorite, except... yeah, you know what's coming. You remember the first time you wanted pasta after going gluten-free, and realized that you were never eating wheat-based pasta again, right? Well, this was kind of similar, because after he said "spaghetti," I remembered we can't eat my favorite Heartland gluten-free pasta right now. (It contains corn and rice.)

And what exactly do you substitute for pasta when you aren't eating any grains?

My first idea was obvious (to me): spaghetti squash. Problem solved. Except...David vetoed it. He just wasn't in the mood for spaghetti squash.

Great, now what?

After some more ideas thrown back and forth, we finally came up with roasted eggplant. I'm a little touchy with nightshades still - tomatoes seem to be okay, as are peppers, while potatoes cause a reaction. But I haven't had eggplant in a long time, and I do love the stuff, so there you go. Tonight's dinner is roasted eggplant, with marinara and meatballs.

A little creativity (and spontaneity) turned a grain-based headache into a meal fit for Grok.

Now I just need to work some butter and bacon into it...

Gluten-Free Sunflower Seed Butter

2011-07-14T16:16:00.000-04:00

The other day I ordered toaster bags from Amazon. I was so excited that I blogged about them on my other site, Simply Nooner. And guess what? Today...

...they're still not here. Bummer. Okay, so that topic is shelved until another day.

But there is something else I got pretty excited about. I learned how to make nut butter out of sunflower seeds. There's no need to applaud. You see, I can't eat legumes of any sort, so peanut butter is out. And I don't do well ingesting a lot of almonds, so I don't buy almond butter. What's a gluten-free gal to do when she wants some nutty goodness on toast?

Enter sunflower seed butter. There is a commercial product available, SunButter, which is gluten free. But alas, it contains soy-based (according to the website) tocopherols, which is enough soy to trigger a reaction for me. So I don't buy it either.

But I just discovered that sunflower seed butter is ridiculously easy to make. Here's how:

Gluten-Free Sunflower Seed Butter

Take 1 cup of shelled, roasted sunflower kernals. If they aren't roasted, it will never really process into "butter." Put them in a food processor with 1 Tablespoon of oil (corn, canola, coconut, etc.; use something that won't compete with the nutty taste). Process until almost smooth. Then add more oil a drop at a time, and process until integrated. Stop the processeor and check in between each addition of oil, until you get your desired consistency. I accidently added too much oil too soon, and ended up with some soupy sunflower seed butter. Oh well. At this point, I added a generous pinch of kosher flake salt and mixed it in, but that's optional. You can also add a smidge of honey, if you prefer your nut butter a little sweet.

After everything is smooth and integrated, place in a container and store in the fridge. Try not to eat it all in one sitting (like I almost did). It's incredibly good, but has something like a gazillion calories per teaspoon. I'm just saying...

Gluten-Free House? Or not?

2011-07-12T22:03:00.000-04:00

Is your home gluten free? Or do you have a segregated kitchen? A dedicated gluten-free spot?

How do you make it work?

Our house is a gluten-free haven. We tried to have a dual household when I was first diagnosed, but it didn't work. I got cross-contaminated one too many times, and that was it. I couldn't live that way. So no more gluten. Even the cats eat gluten-free food. Of course, cats shouldn't be eating gluten anyhow, but that's another article...

Our system is extreme. But it works for us. I think what helped was I do almost all of the shopping and cooking, so I was able to control what we eat. And I like good food, so I buy good quality ingredients and spend a lot of time practicing my cooking skills. At this point, I'm sure both of us feel we made the right decision. But I have to admit, at first, there was definitely an adjustment period.

This is what works for us. But I know that there are other ways to handle this whole gluten issue.

How about you? What's your system? Please leave a comment and let me know how you handle keeping yourself and your loved ones safe from gluten contamination.

Celiac Disease and Cataract Risk

2011-07-07T22:20:00.002-04:00

Great, something else to worry about, right? Well, maybe, or maybe not.

Study Links Celiac Disease to Cataract Risk

(You may have to register for free to read the article.)

This article was of great interest to me, since there I have a strong family history of cataracts. According to the study, celiac disease doesn't seem to cause cataracts, but the two conditions may share risk factors. Not really surprising, considering cataracts are already linked to many autoimmune disorders, as is celiac disease.

Just something to be aware of.

Key Lime Pie with Gluten-Free Nut Crust

2011-07-05T16:53:00.000-04:00

Smoke a pork shoulder for at least 8 hours. Add gluten-free cornbread, sweet potato fries, and Key lime pie, and you've got a seriously good summer holiday meal!
Key lime pie is an amazingly simple, yet sophisticated dessert. I used a nut crust because I didn't want to spend a fortune on pre-made gluten-free graham crackers, nor did I want to futz around the kitchen on a hot day, baking gluten-free graham crackers, just so I could run them through the food processor and line a pie pan.

You can use this nut crust any time you would normally use a graham cracker crumb crust. I'm thinking this would be great for lemon meringue, french silk, ice cream pie, cheesecake, or any kind of fruit tart. Depending on the type of nuts you use, you can vary the taste. (If you are bringing a pie to my house, please do not use walnuts, because I think they are nasty. You may like them, though.) I used a combination of pecans and sunflower seeds. Almonds would be another nice choice.

Gluten-Free Nut Crust
1 1/2 cups pecans or almonds (or other nuts)
4 dried dates (or 3 Tablespoons sugar, if you'd rather)
4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Process the nuts and the dates (or sugar) in a food processor until finely chopped, but stop before you end up with nut butter. Add the melted butter and pulse to mix. Butter a 9 inch pie pan, and press the crust evenly into it, taking care to cover the sides. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the crust is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Note - Key lime pies are traditionally unbaked, and just chilled to set. I don't personally have anything against raw eggs, but I do abhor runny pies, and most of the unbaked recipes I found said they might result in runny filling. So I opted for a slightly less authentic, but oh, so solid version here. You can find Key lime juice in many larger grocery stores, but regular lime juice will work, too.

Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie
Whisk together one can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk with 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup strained Key lime juice and 3 to 4 teaspoons grated lime zest (optional). Pour into the prepared pie crust (recipe above, it's okay if it's still hot from the oven). Place in a 325 degree oven and bake until the center looks set but is still quivery, like gelatin. This will take about 15-17 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and cool on a rack. When it's room temperature, put it in the fridge and chill thoroughly.

When you're ready to serve, whip 1 cup of heavy cream with 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, until thickened and stiff peaks form. Spread over the pie and enjoy.

"I can haz Key lime pie?"

I know, gratuitous cat photo. But isn't he cute?

Gluten-Free during a disaster

2011-06-30T22:01:00.002-04:00

Um, yeah. Disaster planning is a little bit of a downer.

Okay, it's kind of a big downer.

But it's a fact of life. Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes...bad things can happen no matter where you live. Even if you live in a beautiful meadow where the sun always shines and butterflies float by, there's still a chance of plague, locusts, or the occasional meteorite. It's always something.

It's just best to be ready for the worst case scenario.

I was reminded this morning how true this is. The first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season hit Mexico. Yup, it's that time of year again. And while I like to think our odds of a hurricane are low, I also know that sometimes those odds become a sure thing. I had lived in Florida less than a year when Hurricane Wilma passed directly over my home, and the aftermath of that storm is an experience I will never forget.

So, let's talk disaster planning. You can Google your local area and your most likely event, and come up with all sorts of advice of what you should have on hand. I won't get into that.

I'm just here to provide a friendly public service reminder. Be prepared! If it looks like you might need to evacuate, pack a bag with gluten-free goodies that you can grab. Should you get flooded out of your home (heaven forbid), don't count on the emergency shelter having gluten-free food available for you. I don't know what the official recommendation is, but I would plan on having at least a few days' worth of calories, just in case. (I know, shame on me, I haven't looked it up yet this year. Gotta do that...)

My disaster kit is going to have Larabars, pumpkin seeds and pecans in it, for sure. Gluten-free energy bars, as long as they can survive a lack of air conditioning, are always a good choice. Don't forget to have some comfort food on hand. A little chocolate can go a long way toward lifting your mood after a few days without Internet or warm showers. Mini-marshmallows can survive all sorts of conditions, and have been known to bring forth smiles during times of stress.

What are some of your favorite provisions to have on hand when the weather is nasty and the power goes out?

Gluten-Free Kellogg's Rice Krispies

2011-06-28T13:57:00.000-04:00

I mentioned a few days ago that my local neighborhood grocery store didn't yet carry the new GF Rice Krispies. Since then I read that they were appearing in other parts of the country. In fact, another gluten-free blogger actually offered to send me a box if they weren't available here yet. (Awww...that's so sweet!)

So I made it my mission over the weekend to find me some GF Rice Krispies here in southern Florida. Being the good inter-web researcher that I am, I of course went to the Kellogg website and used their product finder, to tell me where I should start looking.

Well, according to their site, they are not distributing them anywhere in the area yet. Crud! Now what?

Enter Plan B. Time to contact the company directly. After all, I'm a gluten-free blogger, and I would like to spread the word about a new gluten-free product. So why not ask for a sample? I had intended to do this a while back, but just never got around to it. I guess crispy rice cereal just isn't a huge priority in my life right now...

Anyhow, I sent off an email, politely explaining that I wrote about gluten-free food, and that according to their own website, I was unable to buy the product locally, so would they please consider sending me a sample?

In short order, I received a polite reply, telling me to just wait for them to appear on the shelves of my local store in the next few months.

How's that for customer service?

Seriously, Kellogg? When Betty Crocker released their new Gluten-Free cake and cookie mixes, they gave me (and anyone else who wanted one) a coupon for a free box. By the way, note that I said mixes, not mix. As in plural. As in more than one option available. As in, Kellogg, why are you so high and mighty about one stinkin' box of one stinkin' cereal that never should have been made with gluten to begin with?

I mean, hello, it's RICE krispies, not GLUTEN krispies...

And while I'm at it, you can...

um...I uh...oh...wait a minute...

ah...sorry. Please excuse the rant. I didn't get to run this morning, and I'm having endorphin withdrawal.

So, um, where was I? Oh, yeah...

GF Rice Krispies. I went out and found them all by myself (no thanks to the Kellogg corporation). They taste like, well, Rice Krispies. It's been many years since I've purchased the original product, and even then it was just to slather them with melted butter and marshmallows and call them cookies, but...to me, these tasted like Rice Krispies. I tried them plain, and I tried them with milk, and they are definitely Rice Krispies.

And yes, they still snap, crackle and pop. So much so that they nearly drove one of my cats bonkers. Evidently he didn't believe that food should make that much noise, unless it was still alive. And if it was alive, he wanted a chance to bring it down...

The one difference that both the hubby and I noticed was that these are heartier than the original product. They are made out of brown rice, and are just a tad bit more substantial than the others. And when they are saturated with milk, as Rice Krispies are wont to become, they have a slightly chewier texture than what I remember. But I like it. I always found the original Rice Krispies to be too airy and insubstantial for my taste.

Basically, both David and I agreed that they taste just like Rice Krispies for all intents and purposes, and would be awesome smothered with melted butter and marshmallows. We will buy them again, but not as a regular cereal staple in our pantry. These will be an occasional visitor in our house, and mainly used to make sticky, sugary, crunchy, cookie-like treats.

As for the administrative details, I found my box at a Super Walmart, of course. I haven't checked to see if some of the other large stores in the area have them yet, but they may. I paid $3.12 for a 12 oz box, and I have no idea if that is more or less than the original product, because they were on the bottom shelf and there were no prices marked there (as is typical in my local store). Amazon sells GF Rice Krispies for $15.90 for a 4 pack or $13.52 if you sign up for subscribe and save. So Walmart's price per box was better, but Amazon will ship them right to your door and let you skip the trip to Walmart. That alone is usually worth the money...

More gluten-free goodies in the local grocery store

2011-06-23T16:26:00.001-04:00

At the grocery store today, I was marveling at how much easier this whole gluten-free thing has become since I was diagnosed five years ago.

First, a little about my local grocery store. I just needed a few staples, so I went to the dinky chain Publix market near my house. It's a little ghetto, but not that bad, the prices are reasonable, and it's about a mile away, so it's an easy place to go when you realize you're out of milk. But it's tiny...square footage wise, it's about a fourth of the size of other stores around the area. And the selection matches the size. For example, it's great if you need milk, but if you're looking for organic white truffle oil, you're better off going elsewhere.

While I was at the store, after I got the milk, I had the urge to wander the aisles. In case you're wondering, yes, this is something I do. My husband will vouch for that. Never go to the grocery store with me if you're pressed for time...more often than not, I'll be lolly-gagging in the aisles, looking to see what kind of rice they have, what are the seafood specials this week, or trying to remember if we're out of Asiago and maybe I should pick up some while I'm here.

So...there I am wandering, without anything in particular to look for. So I headed up the cereal aisle to see if the new Gluten-Free Rice Krispies were in stock. Um, no, they only had the regular Rice Krispies, but they did have three different kind of gluten-free Chex. While still on the cereal aisle, I checked for Cream of Rice, since they are now a sponsor of the Celiac Disease Foundation. Yes, they had it. Surrounded by every type of Cream of Wheat you could imagine, but it was there.

By now I had remembered I was running low on rice flour, so I picked up a bag on the baking aisle. Still no Gluten-Free Betty Crocker cake mixes or Gluten-Free Bisquick, but hey, it's a small store. I'm happy they have rice flour.

On the way to the checkout, I wandered past a shelf where they have a selection of organic, specialty, and "healthy" foods. There are quite a few gluten-free products there, mixed in with everything else. Gotta love that! Your store may have one of those too. Beware, because the Annie's Whole Wheat mac 'n cheese looks an awful lot like the Annie's Gluten-Free mac 'n cheese. But if you are careful, you can find quite a selection. My store had Erewhon Gluten Free Brown Rice cereal, Gorilla Munch cereal, Tinkyada pasta, Pamela's cookies, Ener-G Tapioca Bread, and a healthy assortment of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free products, just to name a few.

If you haven't done so recently, take the time to wander around your own local grocery store. You might find that they carry a lot of things that you assumed you had to go to a specialty market for. And if they don't, talk to the manager. You can probably get them to stock some of your favorite items, saving you time, and possibly money.

Gluten-Free Coconut Ice Cream

2011-06-21T11:19:00.000-04:00

So I've been dabbling in the paleo lifestyle lately. It makes sense to me, because the paleo diet is naturally gluten free, and it also matches up to most (but not all) of my food intolerances. I enjoy rice a little too much to ever go 100% paleo, but oh well. No one is perfect.

I also differ a bit from traditional paleo thinking. It goes something like this: from an evolutionary standpoint, humans stopped evolving millions of years ago, before we domesticated grains and started eating dairy. I think there's a certain truth to that; however, it doesn't account for natural selection, which can take only a few generations to occur. Since humans have been farming and domesticating animals for some 10,000 years or so, I think it's possible that my system has already adjusted and a little rice or buckwheat here and a little milk there isn't going to kill me. And frankly, any food that doesn't cause a reaction is fair game in my book.

One place I spend a lot of time these days is Mark's Daily Apple. Mark's approach, which he calls the Primal Blueprint, allows for an 80%/20% mix. For instance, if I eat Primal (paleo) 80% of the time, the other 20% can be a little looser. I'll take my 20% in cheese and rice, please...

Below is a recipe from Mark Sisson's book, The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, which is an excellent source of ideas for a more paleo friendly diet. I have to admit, I mainly went looking for paleo dessert ideas. There's an oxymoron for you: paleo dessert! Cavemen evidently didn't eat much refined sugar... Anyhow, I'm trying to cut way back on my sugar intake, while occasionally indulging my sweet tooth. This ice cream fits the bill. Creamy, sweet to the point of decadence, and totally sinful. Love it! For the record, David thought it was too creamy. He preferred the lighter, ice-milk style ice cream that we normally make. But if you love a good premium frozen dessert, you'll like this.

Gluten-Free Coconut Ice Cream

1 can coconut milk (I used Goya)
1 egg
1/4 cup (or less) honey or maple syrup - I used the full 1/4 cup of honey, but next time I'll cut it back

In a bowl, beat the egg until light and frothy. Add the coconut milk and honey, and mix well. Pour into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manurfacturer's directions.

Makes approx. 1 pint. It has just a hint of coconut flavor, and when topped with toasted pecans, it's so good you'll wish you'd made more.

Wait a minute...don't you cook the egg????? Um, no, you don't. It's okay. I've been eating raw eggs since Nixon was in office, and haven't had any problems yet. But if you are really grossed out by this, here are some options:

Use pasturized eggs. No risk of salmonella there.
Use something like Egg Beaters, which will also be pasturized.
Leave it out! We make ice cream all the time with skim milk, half & half, sugar and vanilla. It tastes fine.

And now for something completely different...

2011-06-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

For the past several years, I've been blogging about gluten-free life as the mood hit me. For the most part, it's all worked out okay. But there are going to be some changes around here.
Don't worry, this blog will remain gluten free. I mean, really, why wouldn't it?

No, what I'm talking about is a schedule. I know, I know...what a novel idea...planning ahead, and all...

In May, I participated in the Word Count Blogathon. You can read more about it at my other blog, Simply Nooner. During the month, I wrote articles daily. I thought it would end up being a chore, but it wasn't. It was actually pretty fun. So I'm going to keep it up.

Starting this week, Li Loves David will publish articles about gluten-free life on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And maybe occasionally on the weekends...if something interesting comes up that just can't wait. You can expect to see more restaurant reviews, product reviews, pertinent news articles, and the occasional recipe.

Also starting this week, I'll be publishing articles three days a week on Simply Nooner. Mondays will be about writing or other creative endeavors; Wednesdays will showcase running or fitness topics, and Fridays will be about gluten-free life. Feel free to check it out!

Poor people have celiac disease, too...

2011-06-10T10:10:00.001-04:00

...but you are more likely to be diagnosed if you are rich.

The results of a new study correlating income levels and celiac disease diagnosis will come as no surprise to those of us who have been "lucky" enough to be ~~victims~~ beneficiaries of the catastrophe known as the American health care system.

Do Income Levels Influence Celiac Disease Diagnosis?

Study about celiac disease

2011-06-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

I really wanted to title this post "One more reason why doctors are idiots." Of course, not all of them are. But the ones in the article below certainly deserve that description.

More Resistance to the Large Prevalence of Celiac Disease

No wonder we have trouble getting diagnosed...

Another athlete goes gluten free

2011-06-02T17:01:00.000-04:00

Here's an article about another tennis player who has discovered she is gluten intolerant and has gone gluten free.

Sabine Lisicki Goes Gluten Free

Score one for gluten-free pasta!

2011-06-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

I was just reading an interesting article over at the Triumph Dining Gluten Free Blog. It seems that Heinz, who owns BiAglut, a popular brand of gluten-free pasta made in Italy, has just convinced the US Government to overturn the import tax on gluten-free Italian pasta.

I've heard of BiAglut, but have rarely seen it and never tried it. But I imagine that now, both of those things will soon change. I bet we'll be seeing it and maybe other Italian gluten-free pastas on more grocery shelves in the near future. And maybe with a more reasonable price.

Dare we hope?

Celiac Disease Foundation PSA

2011-05-30T14:10:00.000-04:00

A new public service announcement from the CDF.

Spread the word!

Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips - Gluten Free

2011-05-25T15:49:00.001-04:00

I received a free sample of Blue Corn Tortilla Chips from Garden of Eatin'. Just so you know, besides the chips, I did not receive any compensation for this review.

(For the record, as I have said before, anyone that wants to send me complimentary gluten-free food to sample and blog about, please feel free to do so. In fact, if you want to send more Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, I will happily accept them.)

To start off, for full disclosure here, I like most tortilla chips. Really, what's not to love? The mixture of fried corn, salt, and crunch appeals to me. And I like blue corn chips. So this was a little bit of a no-brainer.

But in this case, I didn't just like them - I loved them! These things are good. Really good. Dig-into-the-bag-until-they're-all-gone good.

Go-out-and-buy-them-with-my-own-money good.

The chips are the perfect size for dipping, and go extremely well with salsa. We went through about half a jar testing this. Though the chips themselves aren't a huge size, they are thick and substantial, like homemade corn tortillas. They have a great texture, nice crispness, and just the right amount of salt - enough to taste, but not enough to make your mouth burn.

We tried them straight, and they were very good. With salsa, they were great! Other dips (think guacamole) should go well, too. They also worked well for nachos, although the abundant toppings did subdue the taste of the blue corn a bit.

Basically, we really enjoyed sampling these Blue Corn Tortilla chips. As far as price, they are on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to corn chips. But they are organic and non-GMO, and contain no soy whatsoever, unlike most other brands. I definitely think these are a worthwhile investment, and will buy them in the future. And as of this writing, there is a $1.00 off coupon on their website.

One thing to look forward to - the company says that this summer, they are coming out with a blue corn tortilla chip that has sprouted brown rice, lentils and quinoa in it, called Sprouted Blues, and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips. I'm going to keep an eye out for those, and will let you know when I find them.

More gluten-free dining choices

2011-05-23T17:28:00.000-04:00

Eating out when gluten free just keeps getting better and better...

Eating Out Gets Easier For Celiac Patients

Gluten-Free Drugs

2011-05-20T16:56:00.000-04:00

Image: nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sounds a little nefarious, doesn't it? Pssst! Gluten-free drugs...

No, this post isn't about anything illegal. I promise.

You see, I have a cold. A mild little summer cold, but definitely a cold.

When I'm sick, especially with something so minor, my treatment of choice is a large dose of hot liquid, followed by copious amounts of rest.

But what about for those times that tea and a nap just won't cut it?

If you need to take over-the-counter or prescription meds of any sort, be sure to check them out on GlutenFreeDrugs.com first. It's just about the best source out there to find out what is safe and what is not. Don't expect either your doctor or your pharmacist to have any clue about the ingredients in your meds. I've had lots of experience with this - any time I ask, I'm met with a blank stare, usually followed by, "Medications can contain gluten? I had no idea."

Remember also that manufacturers change ingredients all the time, so be sure to do your due diligence. Start with Gluten Free Drugs, then follow up with a quick web search. Your health is your own responsibility.

Gluten-Free Mall Coupon

2011-05-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

Good news for Gluten-Free Mall shoppers: there is another coupon code out. This one is for 10% off of your order if you order by 5/21/11, and use coupon code c5cb3d.

I get these notices because subscribed to the free email alerts at Celiac.com. If you shop online for gluten-free products, this can be a useful service. Plus, you'll get updates on news related to celiac disease, and lots of recipes.

Going gluten free for better athletic performance

2011-05-17T11:20:00.001-04:00

Yet another article about an athlete going gluten free (because he has a gluten allergy) and performing better as a result. I think as awareness grows and testing gets more accurate, we're going to see more of these stories.

Tennis Star Novak Djokovic (Reuters Photo)

The Diet That Shook Up Tennis?

A Link Between Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis

2011-05-16T14:29:00.000-04:00

Yet another autoimmune disorder connected with celiac disease.

Higher Rates of Celiac Disease in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Udi's Gluten-Free Bread

2011-05-15T18:11:00.000-04:00

Grilled cheese sammiches on Udi's Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread!

There is a coupon for $1.00 off at their website, here.

Honestly, just about the best gluten-free bread I've ever tasted. In a blind taste test, I would swear it had gluten in it.

Gluten-free diet is good for people who don't have celiac disease

2011-05-11T13:11:00.000-04:00

A study of people at risk of celiac disease, but without any symptoms, showed that those that went on a gluten-free diet reported improved gastrointestinal health as well as an overall improvement in their health-related quality of life.

More People May Benefit From Going Gluten-Free

I'm not at all surprised. Don't we all know someone who wasn't gluten intolerant but went gluten free for an unrelated reason, and felt better? At least the medical community is starting to catch on to what we've been hearing anecdotally for some time.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Donuts by Kinnikinnick

2011-05-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

Donuts.

There, now that I have your attention...

I got another freebie, a package of Kinnikinnick's gluten-free donuts in their new summer flavor, blueberry. I was very interested to try these. I'd never had Kinnikinnick donuts, but had heard people rave about them since I went gluten free several years ago. And hey, who doesn't want free donuts?

Once the package arrived, I went out and purchased a box of their regular vanilla glazed donuts for comparison. You know, for the sake of science and what-not. I also enlisted David's help, to get a second opinion. Like the trooper that he is, he agreed to help me eat donuts for research.

First, let me explain that I am not used to eating commercial baked goods. Even when I ate gluten, I never bought cookies or cakes. They tasted too artificial to me. I did eat the occasional donut, but I was a little picky about those, too. No Hostess brand for me. I wouldn't touch Krispy Kreme, either. If I ate donuts at all, I preferred them to be from a locally owned shop (not a chain) or homemade. Dunkin' was okay, but not very often, and only if I was really hungry...

And since going gluten free, I have made and eaten lots of donuts (here's my recipe) but this was my first time eating any commercial, pre-packaged ones.

Okay, we've got that out of the way. Here are my observations about the gluten-free blueberry donuts from Kinnikinnick:

-They are sweet. Really sweet. Krispy Kreme sweet. No wonder, they contain a designer sugar, fructooligosaccharide. Frankly, they are too sweet for me, and I have been known to snack on sugar straight out of the container. David thought they were too sweet, too. Well, at least for breakfast. We did discover that they were not bad as an after-dinner dessert treat. But if you like sweet, and I mean really sweet, well, here you go.

-They taste commercially made. They have a similar texture to what I remember of the Hostess powdered sugar donuts. David thought they tasted like the packaged donuts you might buy at a 7-11. Not that that's bad, it's just not what I'm used to.

-They definitely taste better when warmed. Of course, we all knew that, right? The blueberry donuts got softer and moister when heated, and the icing melted and got gooey, just like a fresh Dunkin'. The vanilla donuts also improved in flavor and texture when warm, but I nuked the heck out of one, and the icing on it still didn't melt. Crazy...

-The blueberry taste is very subtle. If you want in-your-face blueberry flavor, this isn't it. But even though I'm not a big blueberry fan, I thought they had a nice flavor.

-They are expensive and not widely available. (What a surprise! Gluten-free food is expensive!) Whole Foods in my area has vanilla and two kinds of chocolate donuts available at $5.99 for a 6 pack. They don't carry the blueberry ones yet.

The final verdict? I thought they were okay, but pricey for what you get. (I mean, it's been a while since I bought a dozen donuts at Dunkin', but I don't remember them costing a $1.00 for one donut.) Basically, if someone wants to send me a package of these donuts once a year for free, I'll eat them. Otherwise, I'm going to make my own instead. I asked David what he thought, and he said he would eat them to make room in the freezer, but otherwise wasn't interested.

For more information, products, and availability, go to Kinnikinnick.

Gluten-Free Easy Shortbread Squares

2011-05-08T14:00:00.000-04:00

I honestly had no idea it was so hard to photograph a shortbread cookie. Now, I admit I'm not a great photographer by any stretch of the imagination. So the fact that I couldn't take a good photo is not too surprising. But David is a great photographer, and has a camera that equals his skills, and he couldn't get the darn things to look appetizing, either.

And it just wasn't worth it to me to spend precious weekend time futzing around in Photoshop, trying to make this drab little cookie look as good as it tastes.

But trust me, these things are good. They taste uncannily like the ones the Girl Scouts sell. Only these aren't filled with gluten, and are available any time of the year.

This is a bar cookie, so it's super easy to assemble and get into the oven. You can be enjoying them in no time flat. They aren't as sweet as a lot of other cookies, so if you're trying to cut back on your sugar intake (like I am), these are a nice compromise. I've also substituted sorghum, millet, and/or teff flour for some of the gluten-free flour mix, with great results.

Make sure you don't over bake these. They should just barely be browning on the edges when you take them out of the oven. They get very crumbly when fully cool, so cut them when they are still a little warm, if you can.

Gluten-Free Easy Shortbread Squares

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and creamy. Add vanilla and mix well.

Add remaining ingredients and mix until a soft dough is formed.

Spread the dough evenly in a well buttered 9"x13" pan.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the edges just start to turn brown. Cool, and cut into squares while still barely warm. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Rudi's Gluten-Free Bread

2011-05-06T15:09:00.000-04:00

Just tried Rudi's Gluten-Free Multigrain bread. Yum! It's in the freezer section at Whole Foods, among other places. You can eat it toasted, like all gluten-free bread, but this one actually tastes great straight out of the bag (thawed, of course). Definitely a nice treat!

By the way, this was not a free sample. I forked over my own money for this item. I had a $1.00 off coupon, which helped. I got it from BeFreeForMe.com. If you sign up there, you can get coupons for great gluten-free products, too.

Three things you should NEVER believe...

2011-05-04T10:21:00.000-04:00

The check is in the mail.
I'm here from the FDA - to help you.
Yes, I'll respect you in the morning.

Three Years After Deadline, FDA Still Hasn't Defined 'Gluten-Free'

It's a Big Deal!

Gluten Free with Organic Bistro

2011-05-02T05:00:00.001-04:00

Recently I got a coupon for a free Organic Bistro product, with the request that I try one of the new Bowls, and then write about it on my blog. Free food? No problem!

So I trotted over to Whole Paycheck er, I mean Foods, to pick up my free Organic Bistro Bowl. As well as about 5 other items on my list that only WF carries, which came to about $37. Which explains why I hardly ever go there. But I digress…

Anyhow, I was excited about the Bowls, because I had checked them out online and the flavors sounded great. Thai style Red Curry with Beef! Sesame Ginger Wild Salmon! To my delight, the store had all four versions. All gluten free. So it was just a matter of a quick check of the ingredients to see if there was anything else I couldn’t eat, and…

Oh…crap.

I quickly discovered that all four of the Bowls contain soy. Which is just as bad as gluten for me. So I’m not able to try them. Very disappointing, but I managed to find the silver lining in this cloud.

You see, WF also carries several of the Organic Bistro Meals. These are also frozen entrees, and available in many interesting varieties. After more careful label examination, I found one that didn’t have soy (or mushrooms, because David is allergic). So some Wild Salmon came home with me, free of charge, and David and I tried it.

Here are the pros and cons of the Organic Bistro Meals:

Pros
-Fast and easy to make – 5 minutes in the microwave, or about 45 in the oven (we chose microwave)
-Gourmet flavor combinations
-Many flavors available
-Carried by Whole Foods
-No artificial ingredients
-Low sodium
-Sensible portion size
-I particularly loved the orange sauce and the rice

Cons
-Pricey – one meal was $5.99
-Several entrees contain soy – yeah, I know, not everyone is sensitive to soy, but some of us are
-Salmon doesn’t hold up well to microwaving, it became rubbery and would have been better if cooked in the oven
-Bad packaging design – due to the shape of the microwavable dish and food distribution, when the package was heated according to the directions (without cutting a vent in the outer wrapping), the outer wrapper inflated with steam and became a huge sphere, causing the inner container to tip while cooking and spill sauce into the wrapper. Not a tragedy, but messy.

The final verdict from the Li Loves David team is that Organic Bistro Meals are a high quality, healthy, and reasonably tasty option. However, we didn’t enjoy the one we had well enough to justify the expense. And we make a damn tasty salmon already. But if you are more interested in “heat and eat” food, then these would be worth a try.

For more information, or to locate a store that carries Organic Bistro products, go to http://www.theorganicbistro.com/.

Baking for Gluten-Free Awareness

2011-04-29T08:51:00.000-04:00

Here's a great example of channeling one's love of baking toward the greater good:

Towering Ambition

If I were able to be in Washington, D.C. on May 4, I would totally be there.

A fitting punishment

2011-04-19T17:19:00.000-04:00

Paul Seelig, owner of the Great Specialty Bread Co., was sentenced to 9 to 11 years in prison for 23 counts of fraud, from selling gluteny baked goods as gluten free products.

News Article

I guess I'm not surprised that this happened, and I think it could easily happen again. This situation does make me glad that I rarely eat anything that wasn't made by my own little hands. Now that gluten free has become such a dietary fad, it's entirely possible some more unscrupulous people will try to do something like this.

At the same time, however, this guy seems to be, well, somewhat of a crackpot. I found a blog post written by someone who attended every day of the trial, and it seems that if Mr. Seelig hadn't stumbled on the idea of cashing in the gluten free craze, he would have found another way to scam people. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'...

Blog Post

So anyhow, I will still trust the companies that I have been dealing with for years. And as for new companies that come along, well, as always, caveat emptor. Remember that you alone are responsible for your health and well being.

Happy eating!

Organic Bistro - Gluten-Free Entrees

2011-04-06T16:24:00.000-04:00

I just received a press release about Organic Bistro and their new line of gluten-free Bowls. You can see the text of it below.

Haven't actually tried them yet, but it looks like Whole Foods carries them in my area, and I plan on checking them out. Normally I don't eat a lot of "prepared" food. But there are so many new gluten-free products coming out, and these look great. Variety is good, right? So I'll give them a try, and report back when I do.

Organic Bistro Introduces New Line Of Bowls

New Meals Combine Sustainable Seafood, Lean Protein & Organic Vegetables

IRVINE, CA. – Organic Bistro®, responsible for a wide array of wholesome frozen meals featuring nutrient-rich ingredients, is introducing a new line of gluten-free Bowls ideal for health conscious consumers seeking a delicious, nutritious and convenient meal at home, at work or on the go.

Organic Bistro’s new Bowls are being introduced in four varieties:

Thai Style Red Curry with Beef, made with organic brown basmati rice and vegetables
Thai Style Yellow Curry with Chicken, made with organic brown basmati rice, quinoa and vegetables
Asian Style Coconut Lemongrass with Chicken, made with organic red quinoa, brown basmati rice and vegetables
Sesame Ginger Wild Salmon, made with sustainably caught seafood, organic quinoa, brown rice and vegetables

Balanced with the very finest sources of lean protein, fiber-rich whole grains, organically-grown vegetables and healthy fats, Organic Bistro’s single-serving Bowls are gluten free, dairy free, GMO free, made with organic ingredients, free of artificial flavorings, and easy to prepare.

“Organic Bistro’s devotion to quality, sustainability, great flavor and product diversity has earned the brand an extremely loyal following of dietitians and health-conscious consumers over the years,” said Stephen Moore, CEO of The Food Collective, parent company of Organic Bistro. “We’re confident our new line of Bowl products will quickly become a favorite in the frozen aisle.”

Organic Bistro’s new Bowls will be available this March in specialty and natural food stores across the U.S. and Canada for an SRP of $4.99 per 10oz package.

Coming soon: Gluten-Free Rice Krispies!

2011-03-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

I just heard that Kellogg's is planning to launch Rice Krispies Gluten Free in May 2011. Here is the source. It looks like it will be a different product than the regular, gluteny Rice Krispies, so you'll have to (as always) be careful and read the label.

Kind of cool, though. Can Corn Flakes be far behind?

As I keep saying, the gluten-free shall inherit the Earth. The Revolution has begun!

Gluten-Free Scalloped Potatoes

2011-02-24T16:52:00.000-05:00

Very basic recipe here. You can leave it as is, add more spices, or cheese it up. There are only two important things to remember: leave it in the oven long enough to cook the potatoes, and let it sit as long as possible when you bring it out. There are no shortcuts here; this recipe is meant to be made when you have a lot of time.

Gluten-Free Scalloped Potatoes

1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half and half
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Butter
2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus cheddar or gruyere (or other) if desired

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, heat up the cream with the thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.

While cream is heating up, butter a 2 quart casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper, and dot with butter. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. If necessary, add more cream or half and half until the dish is just over half full. Bake, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes. Sprinkle some more cheese if desired and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Coupon for Gluten Free Mall

2011-02-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

Here's another coupon for Gluten Free Mall:

10% Off Everything - Order by 2/25/11 & Use Coupon: 99dba8

(10% off product total, offer not valid with other specials or promotions. Limit 1 use per customer.)

http://www.glutenfreemall.com/

BTW, I am not affiliated with this company in any way. I just got an email about the sale, and am passing it along.

Gluten-Free Expo, West Palm Beach, FL

2011-02-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

The South Florida Gluten-Free Expo will be held Saturday, February 19, 2011, from 11:00am to 4:00pm at the South Florida Fairgrounds, Expo East Building, 9067 Southern Blvd, in West Palm Beach.

There will be over 100 vendors selling their products, giving out samples, and offering information on gluten-free living.

See you there!

Gluten-Free Diet "Fad"

2011-02-12T14:49:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting article: Gluten-free has gone mainstream, but how long will it last?

The article predicts the interest in gluten-free products will wane in 2012. Yet another reason not to rely on pre-made gluten-free products available in stores now - they might not be around forever. I have definitely noticed an increase in gluten-free offerings in stores in the last 4 years since I went gluten free. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.

Coupon for Gluten Free Mall - expires February 11, 2011

2011-02-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

I just got this info and wanted to pass it on:

http://www.glutenfreemall.com/

10% Off Everything - Order by 2/11/11 & Use Coupon: 7492e7

(10% off product total, offer not valid with other specials or promotions. Limit 1 use per customer)

Happy shopping!

Gluten-Free Dining in Miami, FL - Rosa Mexicana

2011-02-04T17:36:00.000-05:00

Type “gluten free dining Miami FL” into your favorite search engine and you’re likely to come up with a whole lotta nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but not a lot of choices. Amazing, since Miami is kind of known for its restaurants. But a general search like the one above leads you to the usual suspects, like Carrabba’s, Outback, PF Chang's, etc. Which would have been fine last weekend, except none of them were in the area we were.

My beloved and I were in Miami last weekend for the ING Miami Half Marathon. We had to come into town the day before to pick up my race packet, and Miami is just far enough away from home to warrant spending the night rather than driving home, and then back again for the race. Besides, I had to be at the starting line at 5:55 am the next morning. Seriously, who picked that time?! So rather than get up at 2:30 am to drive down, we got a hotel room within walking distance of the starting line, picked up my packet, and then wanted to have dinner before retiring early.

Like I mentioned, I was running a half marathon the next day. That’s 13.1 miles. In other words, it’s a loooong run. And those 13.1 miles would have been a lot longer with gastro-intestinal distress. So I was only willing to eat someplace that had a gluten free menu already. No chances being taken here.

Two days before we went, I dusted off my trusty Google-Fu and went to work. I tried every combination of gluten free, Miami, and dining/restaurants I could think of. I went to some of my favorite restaurant lists, such as the Gluten Free Registry and Urbanspoon. I tried celiac forums and travel forums. All I got were the same old, tired responses. Only one was in our part of town, PF Chang's, and since I can’t have soy either, the menu there is extremely limited for me. I even tried my trusty Triumph Dining Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, which I found doesn’t even have a city listing for Miami (seriously?).

But I kept at it, and after an hour of intense searching, I found Rosa Mexicana. It wasn’t in any of the directories or dining guides – it had been written up in an Examiner article about gluten-free dining options in Miami. Back to the internet, I pulled up the Rosa Mexicana website, and (cue angel voices) it had a gluten-free menu! A 3 page gluten-free menu, to be exact. A gluten-free menu that contained almost everything on the regular menu. (More angel voices.) And it was located in Mary Brickell Village, about a mile from where we were staying.

So we went, and it was good. We both ended up with the Chicken Tortilla Pie, which was to die for. I’m going to have to try and recreate it, it was so good. It was so good, I was sad when I was finished. I was so stuffed I couldn’t eat another bite, yet I was sad there was no more. I was happy, however, that we had passed on the guacamole, prepared fresh tableside. Because though I love me some fresh guacamole, I would have hated to have turned away any of the Chicken Tortilla Pie.

And the only pain I had in the race the next day was from my aching legs and feet.

Rosa Mexicana is a chain, so check out their website for other locations. Definitely worth a visit!

Job's Tears, a Gluten-Free Substitute for Barley

2011-01-31T16:49:00.000-05:00

With winter here, even in the southern states, there’s nothing like a hearty soup to warm you up. Remember adding barley to your long cooking soups, to give them a little extra meatiness? Well, for the gluten free, barley is a thing of the past. But there is a grain out there that gives a similar texture and flavor, without all the nasty gluten.

Job’s Tears, Coix lacryma-jobi, is a grass native to Asia, and is often sold under the name Chinese Pearl Barley, even though it is gluten free and in no way related to barley. It has to be boiled for about an hour, and swells up beautifully, just like the gluteny barley. I have added Job’s Tears to a couple of beef based soups, and the results were amazing. Now, the taste is not 100% identical, but it’s still good, and the chewy heartiness that I missed so much is there. And really, when it comes to comfort food, texture is as important as flavor.

Dried Job's Tears

Italian Job’s Tears Soup
based on a recipe by Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet

1 ½ quarts stock – beef, chicken, or vegetable
Water, as necessary
1 lb lean ground beef (optional)
¾ cup Job’s Tears
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 or 2 carrots, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 6 oz can tomato paste
salt to taste
splash of lemon juice
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a large stock pot, saute the celery, carrot and onion in some olive oil until they start to brown. Add the garlic and beef. Add the stock, Job’s Tears, and pepper, bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to a simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the herbs and tomato paste, and water if necessary, and simmer for another hour. Salt to taste. Serve with fresh cracked pepper and a splash of lemon juice in each bowl. Trust me, the citrus really opens up the flavor! Top with cheese if desired.

Gluten Sniffing Dog

2011-01-22T10:42:00.000-05:00

...or, a celiac's best friend!

Show dog knows his business, and his gluten.

Okay, it's not the most practical solution. But it is pretty cool. If only I could train one of my cats to do this...

Subway Restaurant testing gluten-free products

2011-01-14T15:40:00.001-05:00

I read about this a couple of days ago on a couple of online sites devoted specifically to celiac disease and gluten free living. But I was thrilled today to see a story about this on CNN. Gluten-free and mainstream!

Coming soon (maybe) to a Subway near you: Gluten-free options! Lucky people in east Texas can sample the new gluten-free roll and brownie at participating Subway locations. Be sure to check with your local restaurant first, before cruising on over and expecting to order a gluten-free sandwich.

The story at CNN

Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers

2011-01-09T17:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I miss Cheez-It crackers. I really enjoyed those crispy, cheesy little squares. Alas, since I am gluten free, there are no actual Cheez-Its in my future. But I did find a recipe that makes me not mind that fact.

I adapted this from a gluteny recipe I found online, and made them to go along with the black bean chili that simmered in the crock pot all day. However, when they came out of the oven, the general consensus (among the two of us) was that though the chili was awesome, these crackers were way too good to be sacrificed in it. So we noshed on these as appetizers and nibbled on them for dessert. Next time I’m definitely making a double batch.

Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers

¼ cup butter, softened
¼ t. sea salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup corn starch
½ t. xanthan gum
¼ t. baking powder
¼ t. onion powder
1 T. cold water (or more, as needed)

Use a mixer to mix butter and salt until creamy. Add cheese and mix well. Gradually add flour, corn starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, onion powder and water, mixing until dough begins to clump into pea sized chunks. Add just enough water so that when you pinch together some clumps of dough, they hold together easily. I ended up using about 3 T. of water. Form dough into a ball with hands.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper, and cover with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough into a rectangle the size of your cookie sheet, about 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment and transfer the dough, still on the other sheet of parchment paper, to the cookie sheet. Cut the rolled out dough into 1 ½ inch squares. Prick with a fork of desired.

Bake 15 minutes at 350° or until lightly browned on the edges (it took almost 25 minutes in my oven). Turn off the oven and leave the crackers inside to crisp up. (They will brown a little more.) Gently break crackers apart with a knife. Try not to eat all of them at once. If any make it past the first hour or so, store in a tightly covered container.

Celiac Disease and Alopecia Areata

2011-01-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

Finally, confirmation of something I have suspected for a long time:

Living and Studying Alopecia, from the New York Times.

Here's my story.

Gluten-Free Homemade Pasta

2010-12-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's hard to believe another year is over. Where did it go? I didn't even come close to accomplishing everything I wanted to. Case in point: the Great Gluten-Free Recipe Challenge of 2010 is way behind. I enjoyed doing it, though, so I'm going to continue it into 2011. I should be able to finish it over the next year. Maybe...

Here's one last recipe before I shut off the computer for the night (and year). We have been experimenting with making our own pasta, and I think we've got a good recipe going. Homemade pasta is a very personal thing, however, and depending on how you approach this, you may need to make some adjustments to your recipe, based on humidity, your method of forming pasta, moon phase, and whether (or not) Venus is aligned with Mars. But we're finding it to be worthwhile to experiment with this, and we're getting some good results. You should taste the mac & cheese we made with this last batch - my mouth is watering at the thought of it!

Gluten-Free Homemade Pasta

Dry Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free rice flour blend (2 parts rice flour to 1 part starch)
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp salt
2 tsp xanthan gum

If you are using a pasta maker that mixes dough, put the dry ingredients into it. We have a manual pasta extruder, so we assembled the dry ingredients in the bowl of our stand mixer.

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs
1Tbsp oil

Mix the wet ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients. If you are using a pasta maker, follow the manufacturer's directions; otherwise, turn on your mixer and dribble water in until it is the right consistency. You may have to play with this. We found that anywhere from pea-sized pieces to just starting to clump worked well. Make sure you don't add too much water - this should be dry.

Follow the instructions of your pasta extruder, or roll as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface and cut noodles with a sharp knife. Cook in boiling, salted water until done (this will happen sooner than you think). Or you can freeze your uncooked pasta for later use.

The photo above is of the macaroni we made the other night, prior to cooking. We actually overcooked our macaroni a bit, but it held up well and made some excellent mac & cheese. And the leftovers have been great!

A source for Gluten Free and Kosher foods

2010-12-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for a good source for gluten-free and kosher food, I just heard about the Gluten Free Shoppe in Brooklyn.

Here's the info:
Steven & Jerome
The Gluten Free Shoppe
3918 - 16 avenue.
Brooklyn N.Y. 11218

718-633-3200
thegfshoppe@yahoo.com
"where G.F. is not an afterthought - it's our entire focus"

Top Runner with Celiac Disease

2010-12-22T10:52:00.001-05:00

My beloved gave me a subscription to Running Times for my birthday this year, and in the December issue was an article about elite runner Amy Begley, who has celiac disease and is one of the top female runners in the world. Interesting, and a more than a little inspiring (though I'll never run anywhere near that fast, gluten free or not!).
Here's the article.

What's for dinner?

2010-12-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

Boeuf Bourguignon
Fudge
Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry
Not necessarily in that order...

Gluten-Free No Bake Energy Bars

2010-12-13T13:07:00.001-05:00

I'm still looking for pre and post running fuels. Before taking up long distance running, I never realized just how important it was to eat both before and after a workout. (Especially after a workout. We're talking "teenage boy hungry" here!) And proper fueling is easier when you have something tasty to grab.

The recipe I based these on is low carb, but my adaptations are a little higher in carbs. Partly because I was using what I have on hand, I wanted something a smidge sweeter, and I'm really just not that concerned with counting carbs. I could probably stand to lower daily carb count, considering I do love me some sugar. But that's not my immediate concern today. Here's the original low carb energy bar recipe, if that's the direction in which you want to go.

Gluten-Free No Bake Energy Bars

1/4 Cup sunflower seed butter
1/4 Cup coconut oil
1/2 Cup almonds (whole, chopped, or slivered)
1/2 Cup pecans
1/2 Cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
1/4 Cup sunflower seeds
1/2 Cup raisins (or other dried fruit in raisin sized chunks)
1-2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Combine the sunflower seed butter and coconut oil, and heat in the microwave until all melty and smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the honey, vanilla and salt, stir, and set aside.

On the stovetop in a skillet or in an oven on a cookie sheet, toast the pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds and coconut until the coconut is golden brown, stirring often. I like to do this on the stovetop because I can keep a closer eye on it and am less likely to burn them. I also added the coconut after I had toasted the nuts a bit, so it wouldn't burn. If you are using pre-toasted pecans, almonds or sunflower seeds, you can skip this step for that item.

Toss the toasted nuts and coconut into a food processor and whirl until they are finely chopped and just starting to clump.

Add the oil and sunbutter mixture to the food processor and pulse until well mixed. Add the raisins, and stir just until blended. You can pulse in the food processor 2 or 3 times to accomplish this if you don't mind your raisins getting a little mangled, otherwise use a spoon to keep them intact.

Press the mixture into a loaf pan lined with wax paper (for easy clean-up). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cut into 6 or 12 bars. These freeze well.

These bars will not be brittle and will require refrigeration to hold their shape. Don't be fooled by the tiny amount of honey - they are surprisingly sweet.

They are great eaten out of the fridge, but probably won't survive well in your pockets on a long run or bike ride. If you try it, make sure you wrap them well, or you'll have a mess on your hands (and elsewhere). I personally don't like to eat anything solid during my long runs, though, so these work out fine for me. I just grab one out of the fridge and scarf it down before heading out the door, and I'm good to go.

Heartland Gluten Free Pasta

2010-10-25T20:40:00.001-04:00

Just had to share:

The other day I found Heartland Gluten Free Spaghetti while cruising the aisles at my local WalMart. Normally I stick with Tinkyada or DeBoles gluten free pasta, and I stay away from spaghetti, no matter what the brand. It just doesn't seem to hold together. But on a whim, I decided to pick up a package.

This stuff is good. Really good! Both David and I agreed that if served this spaghetti someplace else, we might think it wasn't gluten free. And it cooked up well, too. My experience with gluten-free spaghetti is that it starts to fall to pieces just about when it's done cooking. Not this stuff.

According to the Heartland website, they currently make 3 different gluten-free pastas: spaghetti, fusilli, and penne. I recommend picking up a package if you see them in your local grocery store. I will definitely be buying more.

Gluten-Free Coconut Rice

2010-10-24T17:35:00.004-04:00

This one is so easy that I feel a little guilty posting it as a recipe. But I'm so far behind on my GGFRC2010 goal that, hey, I'm gonna do it!

Gluten-Free Coconut Rice

1 cup water
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup Jasmine rice
Salt to taste

Combine the water and coconut milk in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, watching carefully. This boils over easily. When boiling, turn down the heat to low and add the rice. Don't stir. Put the lid back on the pot and let simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Turn off the heat and let the rice continue to steam for a few minutes. Fluff with a fork, add salt if desired, and serve.

See? I told you it was easy. This has a subtle yet distinct coconut flavor that goes well with seafood or chicken. For a really special treat, sprinkle with some freshly toasted shredded coconut.

A new test for celiac disease on the horizon

2010-10-03T10:31:00.000-04:00

The FDA has approved a new test for celiac disease. You can read about it here (you will have to register with the site first). Basically, it's a much more sensitive test, so if used, it should be able to diagnose more people and should reduce the need for biopsies. Finally!

Gluten-Free Chipotle Brownies

2010-09-26T16:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read that right. Chipotle brownies. No, I'm not kidding.

I crave three things when stressed: sugar, chocolate, and spicy food. One day recently I was particularly stressed, and I decided to combine them all. Sweet, chocalaty, with a zing of smoky spice. I thought I had just invented something new and wonderful.

Um, no. Afraid not. Type "chipotle brownie" into your favorite search engine and see just how many recipes for chipotle brownies come up. Seriously, this is some good stuff.

When you make these, and you know you want to, just be a little careful with the amount of chili powder you add. My brownies had quite the kick. So much so, that David had one and declared them to be all mine. Yes!! More brownies for me! But if you want just a hint of spice, add less chili powder. Or leave it out entirely, and just make a damn good brownie. I mean, can you really have too many brownie recipes? The answer, of course, is "no".

Gluten-Free Chipotle Brownies
adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used my rice flour blend)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped, or 3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper (or less!)
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a 9 X 13 baking pan with parchment paper. Heat the butter and the unsweetened chocolate or cocoa in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ground chipotle. Add sugar mixture to melted chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Add eggs, mixing until smooth. If desired, stir in chopped chocolate or chocolate morsels if desired.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan or dish. Bake until the center is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into small squares.

More Gluten Free in the News

2010-09-26T11:16:00.000-04:00

I stumbled across this article on Active.com. It seems more athletes are eating gluten free, at least while training.

Okay, so, that's nice, but they get to go back to eating whatever they want when they are done. Those of us that are truly gluten intolerant can't do that. And maybe this trend will lead to a perception that gluten free is a choice, not a medically necessary, permanent condition.

But don't people already think that? I must get asked about cheating at least once a week. And it hasn't made me cheat, ever. So I don't think the perception out there is going to do too much damage to my lifestyle.

Also, I think as more people do gluten free, even if only part time, there will be more affordable gluten-free options for the rest of us. And that's a good thing.

Just my opinion here...

Gluten-Free Mango Salsa

2010-09-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

Mango season is over for another year. We're down to our last two mangoes in the fridge, and soon the sticky fingers and chins will be but a memory. Until next August...

In the meantime, this would be really good with peaches or nectarines in place of the mangoes. Serve with grilled chicken or pork and rice.

Mango Salsa

Gluten-Free Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Gluten-Free Carrot and Apple Salad

2010-08-31T19:00:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I know, it’s been a while. Again. Let’s just say that I’m happy August is over!

This refreshing salad is really good, really easy, and keeps well. Well, I think it does, anyhow. The first batch we made was gone within 36 hours, so I know it will keep at least that long. If you make it without apples and substitute golden raisins instead (about 1/2 cup or so) it will keep for several days. That fact was discovered purely by accident, by the way. Somehow some leftover salad got moved to the back of the fridge and was forgotten for a few days. It was a nice surprise when I discovered the container, and realized that not only was it still edible, but the flavor had intensified.

A food processor will speed up the carrot and apple shredding, but a grater works, too.

Gluten-Free Carrot and Apple Salad

4 carrots, shredded
1 apple - cored and shredded
freshly grated ginger to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

In a bowl, combine the carrots, apple, ginger, lemon juice, and honey. Toss and chill before serving. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds over just before serving.

Gluten-Free dining: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Sarasota, FL

2010-08-20T13:01:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely time last weekend at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Did you know they have a gluten free menu? Neither did I. Not even after I checked their website. It seems to vary by location, so call ahead. But the one in Sarasota definitely does gluten free, and has for years, according to our server.

I was impressed that most of what was on the regular menu was available gluten free, as well. Which only makes sense. I mean, if your steak contains gluten, you're doing something wrong. I'm jus' sayin'.

Not a lot to write here, just that if you are in the mood for a high-end steak, call ahead to verify, then go out out and enjoy yourself at Ruth's Chris. And definitely have the creme caramel for dessert - it's to die for!

Gluten-Free Dining: Jason's Deli

2010-08-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

Have a Jason's Deli near you? You might be able to get a great gluten-free sammich, um, sandwich. According to this post at Triumph Dining, many of the Jason's Deli locations are now carrying Udi's gluten free whole grain bread.

Call your local Jason's Deli and find out if they carry the gluten free bread. I did, and the one in Boynton Beach does have it. David and I toodled out there this weekend to try it out, and were pleased with the results. Udi's makes a mean bread, and Jason's makes a mean sandwich with it. Jason's also offers a number of gluten-free salads and sides, if you're not in the mood for a sandwich. After all, we all know it's just fun to go out to a restaurant occasionally.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

2010-07-31T10:41:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I've never posted this recipe. I make this all the time! I guess I should stop hoarding it now. This makes a thick crust on a large pizza stone or in a 10X15 pan. If you prefer a thinner crust, you can cut the recipe in half. You can also make a nice focaccia style bread with this, just shape it into a rounded loaf on an oiled pan, and bake until nicely browned. This is based on a recipe from Carol Fenster.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

1 Tablespoon gluten-free dry yeast
2 1/3 cup rice flour blend
4 Tablespoons dry milk powder
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
1 1/3 cup warm water (105 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in a large mixer bowl. (If you have one, a stand mixer is awesome for this.) Add the wet ingredients and beat on low until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium for 3 minutes. If the mixer bounces around the bowl, the dough is too stiff. Add water if necessary, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough resembles soft bread dough or thick cake batter. If you are not using a stand mixer, the dough has a tendency to climb the beater, keep an eye out for this and scrape it down as necessary.

Using a well seasoned pizza stone or a 10X15 pan coated with cooking spray, pour the dough onto the pan. Using a spatula dipped in ice water, smooth the dough out, making the edges a little thicker to contain your toppings. Don't worry about adding extra water to the dough, it won't hurt it. Keep dipping the spatula in water to keep the dough from sticking.

Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and top as you normally would. Bake for another 10-20 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.

Gluten-Free Dining: Pizza at Mellow Mushroom

2010-07-27T21:52:00.002-04:00

OMG, knitters and crocheters are smart!

I was hanging out in the forums on Ravelry, my favorite place for yarn porn, when I spied a post about gluten-free pizza. I know, right? Who knew yarnies were so into food, and gluten-free food, at that? Anyhow, I didn't pay much attention at first, since David and I make a killer gluten-free pizza at home. But then I noticed a name: Mellow Mushroom. And I thought, "Isn't that the funky place just down the road that we've always wanted to try, but thought we couldn't?"

A bit of Google-Fu later, and I had verified that yes, it was the place we drive by all the time, and yes, they have gluten-free pizza. Hey, wait a minute. They have gluten-free pizza! We decided to check it out. Even though we are blessed with a couple of great gluten-free pizza crust recipes, I have to admit that it was a lot of fun to go out to a pizzeria.

Now, they don't have the largest selection. You can order a medium only, and the crust is made by Still Riding Pizza, who supplies a lot of restaurants, so it may taste vaguely familiar, if you've eaten gluten-free pizza at a restaurant recently. The list of toppings available wasn't super extensive. You don't get to try any of the funky creations on the menu, like the Kosmic Karma or the Magical Mystery Tour.

But you know what? It was fun. They had Redbridge, and they had pepperoni, and I didn't have to clean up after. The atmosphere of the restaurant is trippy, and definitely worth a visit. And you can thank my yarn friends for the tip!

Gluten free for athletic performance?

2010-07-23T13:05:00.000-04:00

Lately I've become a runner. Not a particularly fast runner, nor can I last for long distances, yet. But I do run a minimum of 3 times a week, and I cross train (walk, elliptical machine, yoga, or some combo) 1 or 2 times a week. I need to add some strength training in there, too, but not just yet. I'm still new to all of this.

When I became more concerned with my fitness level, I discovered I was much more interested in reading about fitness and diet as related to athletic performance. Now, I know I'll probably never be competitive. Well, maybe when I reach my 80s. But I do want to do the best that I can. So I am reading more about blood sugar levels while training, proper fit of shoes, the best pace and training techniques for fast recovery, and whether or not I should be concerned, as a new runner, about speed training. (I shouldn't, and I'm not.) I'm also looking at my diet more, trying to figure out what to eat before and after runs to make me feel better, run longer, and recover faster.

So I was very interested when I stumbled across this article about the Garmin-Transitions pro cycling team going gluten free to enhance their racing performance. You can read the entire article from the March 2010 Men's Journal here. Basically, they are eating gluten free as part of an anti-inflammatory diet, designed to help the athletes recover better from the grueling stages of the Tour de France.

The article states that this is a training tool, not a permanent lifestyle change for the athletes, but who knows? It might be a new trend among athletes to eliminate gluten during training and competition, and limit consumption during the off season. I can see this leading to more gluten-free options available out there, as more people start saying, "Why does gluten have to be in everything?" It might just be the nudge needed to get gluten out of things that don't need it, like Rice Krispies. And some of those athletes might like the way they feel and go gluten free for good.

For funsies, make sure you go to the end of the article and see what these guys eat. 8000 calories a day? In my dreams!

Gluten-Free Fudge Nuggets

2010-07-18T13:48:00.000-04:00

(Cough) Hello... (cough)

Anyone there?

I know, me either.

So, how've you been?

I'm still doing some cooking, in spite of the heat and all the stuff that's going on. I just wrapped up a couple of projects, so that should help my time a little. But I have another one starting... Is it just me, or are summers crazy now? I remember them being so much more relaxed.

I found this recipe while trying to come up with some sort of energy food to go with my new-found running addiction. After trying it out, I realized it could also take over some of my Gluten-Free Fudge addiction. (Maybe.) They are just as calorically dense, but should be a little healthier.

The original recipe for these came from Chocolate Covered Katie. She begins her post about her famous Fudge Babies with the directive: "Make. These. Now." I'm a good girl and do what I'm told, so I did. Wow. Just, wow.
These are naturally gluten free. You can follow Katie's recipes at the link above. Here are my 2 variations. I decided to call them nuggets, because, well, it made me a little uncomfortable to think about eating babies. I'm jus' sayin'. These are very versatile. I'm using pecans in mine, but I tried the cashew ones too, both chocolate and plain, and damn! They're good! You could even use almonds, peanuts, or walnuts (gag), if you are so inclined. The possibilities are almost endless. These are a lot like Larabars, only a little stickier.

Gluten-Free Fudge Nuggets

80 grams pitted dates (about 1/2 cup, packed)
30 grams shelled pecans (about 1/4 cup, halves or pieces are fine)

Combine dates and pecans in a food processor with the knife blade. Process until coarsely chopped. Add:

1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 splash vanilla (about 1/8 teaspoon, I think)

If your dates are a little on the dry side, like the ones I find here, you can add:

1 teaspoon water

Process until the mixture clumps together and forms a ball.

Here's another variation:

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Nuggets

Same as above, only omit the cocoa and add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

You can form little truffle-like balls with the mixture (use a plastic bag or wax paper to combat the stickiness) or you can just eat it with a spoon, which is my method of choice. Store in the fridge.

Gluten-Free Bakery - Mrs. Madewell

2010-06-25T06:38:00.002-04:00

I received this information in an email from the CDF South Florida support group. I haven't tried Mrs. Madewell's products yet, but plan to the next time I'm in the Tampa area. They also ship all over the US. Please check them out when you get a chance.

Mrs. Madewell is a newly formed business, owned and co-founded by Sheryl and Stacey.They are providing the community with freshly baked gluten free, casein free, dairy free, soy free, and egg free yummy moist baked cookies and muffins, nutritiously made with love.

They pride themselves on healthy eating and happy living. Mrs. Madewell’s products are not only for people with celiac disease, but also for those with other diet restrictions and allergies. Research shows, people with ADHD, fibromyalgia, arthritis and autism benefit from a gluten free diet. Mrs. Madewell’s products are beneficial for those who want to eat pure, healthy foods.

Sheryl and Stacy are currently selling at the retail level in Tampa, but are still selling their “yummies” to individuals via the internet. Mrs. Madewell is trying to expand their retail market base, so if you know of any store in your area that would benefit from Mrs. Madewell, please contact them or forward this email.Please visit the website at www.mrsmadewell.com.

Please contact them via email or phone at mrsmadewell@yahoo.com or 813-454-8138

Thank you for all the continued support.

Sheryl Bobo and Stacy Leeds

Mrs. Madewell, LLC.

Gluten-Free Zesty Rice Salad

2010-06-21T18:02:00.000-04:00

OMG! OMG! OMG!

How did it get to be summer already?

(Happy Solstice, everyone!)

I've been cooking, but not writing. There have been a few other things on my mind. But I do have a few recipes to share, and I'll try to get them posted soon.

In honor of summer, and because it's very warm and humid here, I've been concentrating more on salads and side dishes. Something easy, cool, and tasty after a frustrating day at work. The recipe below fits the bill.

I found it at BetterRecipes, and hardly changed a thing. It's an intensely flavored dish. Your taste buds will be dazzled. I know, some of the ingredients look a little, well... odd. But it works. And it has bacon. Gotta love that...

Gluten-Free Zesty Rice Salad

1/2 cup frozen peas
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup cooked bacon, diced
1/4 cup gf soy sauce (or Coconut Aminos)
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise or sour cream
1 Tablespoon ground allspice (yes, that's Tablespoon!)
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
3 cups cooked Jasmine rice, cooled

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, except rice. Add rice and toss to combine.

Note: Definitely use Jasmine rice in this dish. It doesn't get hard when it's chilled, and the flavor is out of this world.

Gluten-Free Southwestern Potato Salad

2010-05-30T18:14:00.001-04:00

In honor of the holiday weekend, I give you potato salad. Not your grandmother's potato salad, but one with a zing that will leave you craving more. Honestly, we were fighting over this one. And the leftovers...oh my! Let me tell you, it definitely gets better with age. Enjoy this at your next picnic or pot-luck. This recipe can be easily doubled.

Gluten-Free Southwestern Potato Salad

2 large baking potatoes, cooked, cooled, skinned, and cubed
2 sweet potatoes (same size as the others), cooked, cooled, skinned, and cubed
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T lime (or lemon) juice
1 T honey
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Dash of chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the mayo, lime juice, honey, cumin, chili powder and garlic powder until blended into a sauce. Put the potatoes and chopped veggies in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over and mix gently to coat all pieces. Add salt and/or pepper to taste. Refrigerate before serving, best if made ahead of time.

Gluten-Free Fudge

2010-05-24T19:05:00.005-04:00

Had a bad day. Needed to make fudge.

I've had a lot of those lately - "bad-day-must-make-fudge" kind of days. So many, in fact, that I have this recipe memorized. Okay, yeah, it's not very complex, but still. I'm just sayin'.

Thank you to Nonni at Nonni's Table for turning me on to quick fudge! This is her 5-Minute Fudge. I had to tweak it slightly for my purposes. Nonni claims it's never-fail, but obviously she never met anyone quite as talented at candy-making-failure as I. I have tried this recipe many, many times, and after arduous testing, I came up with a way to make it withstand even my ability to ruin fudge. But I'm continuing to test it, just to be sure.

This is pretty basic, and can be made using canned coconut milk. Oh, that was a good batch...

Gluten-Free Fudge

In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, large enough to hold all of your ingredients, measure out 5 cups of powdered sugar and 2/3 cup of good quality cocoa powder. Use a wire whisk to blend them until smooth, sifting if your powdered sugar is a little clumpy (I've discovered I don't mind a few tiny lumps and usually skip this step). Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, if desired.

In a microwave-safe measuring cup, cut up 1 stick of butter and pour in 1/4 cup milk (whole, skim, coconut, it all seems to work). Microwave on high for up to one minute, until butter has melted significantly but not all the way. Remove the measuring cup and stir the contents until the butter is melted.

Pour the liquid over the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture, resist the urge to stir, and stick the bowl in the microwave. Cook on high for about a minute. The liquid will start to foam up from boiling, but it won't get out of hand.

Carefully remove the bowl, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla (optional), stir the contents until well blended and most or all of the lumps are gone (the whisk works well for this) and press the contents into a loaf pan lined with wax paper. Let sit until firm, cut into squares, and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

If you are a talented candy maker, unlike me, I also highly recommend Alton Brown's Chocolate Fudge. More traditional, complex and time consuming, but oh, so good.

Authenticus Gluten-Free Baked Goods

2010-05-20T15:41:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sampling the offerings of Authenticus Gluten-Free Baked Goods, a local gluten-free bakery, at the local Celiac Disease Foundation of South Florida meeting. I apologize for taking so long to write about it, because, oh my, what wonderful treats! The world needs to know about this bakery!

Authenticus bakes entirely gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and egg-free. They use only real ingredients (no "partially hydrogenated" anything) and their cakes and cookies are divine. My personal fave was the chocolate cake, naturally. They were a big hit at the meeting. If you have a chance, check out their website and make your way to one of the stores in the area that carries their products. Even better, talk to your grocery store manager and request that they start carrying Authenticus Gluten-Free Baked Goods in your local store.