If you live in Southern California, or plan to visit, and you haven't been to The Sensitive Baker [www.thesensitivebaker.com]** Get your little tush in gear and get to Culver City for some DELISH breads, cupcakes, cookies, etc. The ONLY entirely gluten/casien-free bakery in SoCal. We have to make sure it stays open and in business!!!!

Seriously, they made my fourth of july happy. Hamburger WITH a bun. A really really tasty bun.

Also, I got the suggestion on my last entry to try Bombay Bite in Westwood Village. It's Indian cuisine and they list what is gluten-free. Most of the menu is GF in fact. It was pretty good too. I think it could've used a little bit more spice, more curry or something, but knowing I was eating safely was a big plus. They do give you flat bread, but it's in another basket and you can just push it aside or ask for them to not give it to you.

I made gf pancakes in my (new) house, and I was disappointed. I made them like my dad told me. Buttermilk. Buttermilk is the key. At least that's what he told me. Anyhow I had batter left over, and next time I made them I added vanilla and more honey to the mix. I was able to make two more batches out of it, and the VERY LAST pancake turned out perfect and delicious. whyyyy?!?

















oh, how lovely. When I went to check the brand of the mix i noticed the Best if Used By date: 16 Aug 2006.

I wonder if that has something to do with it...

एले पीटी। 1

First off, I'm terrible at updating this during the summer... I just can't keep up!

I've been in LA now for nearly a month, and I've been trying to find some really splendid places to eat. Splendid AND gluten-free.

I live in Hollywood Hills area and work in Westwood...so it's quite a commute. Quite a long, stressful, and annoying commute. In Westwood there is a place called Native Foods. Native Foods has a restaurant in Costa Mesa (i've mentioned it before), Palm Springs, and sooome where else. Anyhow, on their online menu they denote items that are gluten-free. It's all vegetarian and pretty vegan friendly anyhow.













So on my lunch break last week I mosey on down to Native Foods expecting something yummy and totally safe. I had already talked with a woman who I took to be a manager about what was safe for me to eat, because this particular location didn't denote on their menus what was and wasn't safe. I order the baja tacos (something like that) and ask for the Tempeh to be grilled NOT battered and blackened.

I sit down and wait for my food to arrive. It comes, and looks delicious. I start to dig in and half way through the first taco I realize my taco has a crunch to it that it shouldn't. I think to myself, oh no! I hope these aren't battered. Well I open the taco and dun dun duuuuuun....it is.

splendid.

That just teaches me to LOOK at my food before assuming it's safe and eating.













I want to write more, but i'm tired! and no one likes to read long posts...so i'll just try to be better at keeping up

Gluten in hair products?

oh so it seems in my absence I have found something out. Something strange and rather annoying.

I've just moved up to LA for six weeks to work on my internship with Sony Pictures Entertainment TV under the VP of Media relations and Promotion. (phew! that's a lot to say) I have to find some nice "work" clothes so I went to the Glendale Galleria with my friend. After spending too much money on clothes I decide to walk into the Aveda store because I need some new hair product for my curly side. I stroll in and the sales woman offers me some tea (it was DELICIOUS) and asks how she can help me. I tell her i'm looking for something to help with my curls and she leads me to the correct section. She then begins to tell me about their best selling product




















Be Curly Enhancer.

She tells me how wonderfully it works because of this little extra ingredient.

Oh? "what could that be?" I ponder.

Wheat Protein

the moment she says the words, my face drops. I let her continue her spiel and then politely inform her I am "Allergic" to wheat. i didn't really feel like explaining the whole gluten thing

Her face then drops as she informs me that pretty much everyone of their curly products contains that wheat protein. when I say pretty much, i really mean every product.

Granted, I'm not sure if this means it has gluten in it, but i've trained myself to head for the hills when I see the word wheat.

stupid oats and wheat. they ruin every good beauty product!!

Over it.

I'm so over school. So over essays. So over it!












hahah so i typed in "frustrated" into google image search and this came
up. Why do we throw our hands in the air and make squinty faces when we
are frustrated? Does it make life better, easier? Nope. It's just
something we do out of habit and because we are a species of imitation.
We see someone do something to express an emotion, and we follow in suite.


yea, this has nothing to do with gluten.

attn: Orange County

For some reason, I never thought to google gluten-free restaurants in orange county. I mean, I google everything else. OK! i'll admit it....i've googled people. Is that creepy? maybe.

regardless of my creepiness... I found one restaurant/pub that serves gluten-free food and even a place in Disneyland.

I'll just do a little list for your info. If anyone knows of any others (aside from Outback Steakhouse and PF Changs) let me know!

Orange County GF Eateries

1. Skosh Monahans- This is a restaurant by day and pub by night. The owner's child was diagnosed with autism in 2002 and is on a gluten-free diet. They offer a great gluten/casein free menu for kids and adults alike, including pizza.
(949) 548-0099 Location: Costa Mesa














2. Z' Tejas- This is a small chain, but I had no idea it offered a GF menu. The menu is basically TexMex and being from Texas...I know good TexMex. Funny thing is I've always liked Z' Tejas and it's nice to know they offer a GF menu. The menu can be found on their website. ztejas.com
(714) 979-7469 Location: Costa Mesa @ South Cost Plaza

















3. Storyteller's Cafe- Located at Disneyland's Grand California Hotel, this is the perfect place if you are on a vacation at the Happiest Place on earth (aside from Disneyworld...and Eurodisney, of course). They offer gluten-free items such as pizza, hamburger buns (finally a hamburger non-protein style!), and apparently GF breakfast items as well.
714-781-3463 Location:Disneyland i.e. Anahiem

This next one i'm not sure about, but a friend told me they offer gluten-free items along with Vegan items.













4. Native Foods- It's pretty much a vegan restaurant. All natural. GF and Vegan often go hand in hand.
(714) 751-2151 Location: Costa Mesa @ The Camp


I have yet to actually try any of these places. I'm poor. I have no car. I pretty much eat chicken and vegetables with hummus every day. What do you want from me! I'll have a car/kitchen/money soon. Ok I lie, I'll never have money. Eventually I'll test these places out and give relay my utterly brilliant culinary critic. It seems to me that Costa Mesa is on the ball in regards to their GF restaurants. The rest of Orange County is kind of failing. FAILING Orange County, hear that??

Make your request

Since the Ralphs here in Orange located off of Chapman Ave near the CA-22 doesn't offer gluten-free products, I thought I would check out their website to see what they have to offer.

I mosey on down to ralphs.com and work my way through a bunch of nothing to find the Search section under special orders. I type in Gluten-free. Up pops a listing of Bob's Red Mill products, some McCormick's meatloaf/seasonings mix, and my favorite Tumaro's Tortillas.

Ok FIRST of all, three things? I mean really now, a huge supermarket only offers three things that are "gluten free" on their ONLINE purchasing section?

Second of all, McCormicks and Tumaros are NOT gluten free! I went to their websites to check and Tumaros Tortillas are clearly made of wheat flour and McCormicks warns that they cannot declare any of their seasonings as gluten free.

Not Only is Ralphs failing to deliver GF products. They are LYING!
They say you can special request items by listing the product brand and name of product with a description, but they don't guarantee they will get it.

I'm not asking Ralphs to stock shelf after shelf of gluten-free product, that's why there is Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and smaller health food stores. I'm just asking for some basics, and for them to not lie.











for: Ralphs
love: Me


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Todays Recipe

Crépes w/Chicken, Asparagus & Mushrooms











Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Glutenfreeda.com


Ingredients:
For filling:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons gf flour
1/2 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons milk
1/3 cup gf chicken stock
2 Tablespoons shallots, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1-1/2 Tablespoons dry Sherry
1/2 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

For crépes:
1/2 cup gf flour
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Few grates of nutmeg
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

For topping:
1 large egg yolk
5 Tablespoons chilled heavy cream
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter


Directions:
For filling:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons gf flour
1/2 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons milk
1/3 cup gf chicken stock
2 Tablespoons shallots, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1-1/2 Tablespoons dry Sherry
1/2 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

For crépes:
1/2 cup gf flour
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Few grates of nutmeg
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

For topping:
1 large egg yolk
5 Tablespoons chilled heavy cream
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Serves 4

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I think we, the gluten-free community, should work to make our supermarkets cater to us. We need gluten-free items. They need customers

Celiac in the UK

I've decided to spend my Spring Semester of 2008 studyingat Middlesex University in London, England. That is of course if I get into the program. If i don't....I can't be held responsible for what may happen ; )

Like the good little student I am, I did a little research on celiac disease and gluten-free stuff in London. I found this site
http://www.coeliac.co.uk/ (i'm not embedding because my hyperlinks don't seem to be working properly...). Like a true Brit there is an extra letter in celiac and everything. Then again, maybe it's just us Americans who are lazy and took out that little "o". Edit: As it turns out, cOeliac is a completely legitimate way to spell it in both America and England. Apparently I'm just oh so uncouth and uncultured. According to the website, if you have gluten sensitivity in anyway you gotta get a prescription for gluten-free foods.










Basically it seems that England treats gluten sensitivites/Celiac disease like an actual disease. The subheading on the website even says "The charity for people with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. ok I have NO idea what that last thing is but it has the word "herpe(s)" in it. They offer a "fundraising" section, where people can raise money to help those with celiacs. I gotta research this more so I can get the full benefit of a prescription for GF foods while in England.

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Todays Recipe

Avocado, Shrimp & Mango Tostadas









recipe courtesy of Glutenfreeda.com


Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/3 cup chives, finely chopped
4 corn tortillas
1 can black beans
1/4 cup gf chicken broth
2 cups romain lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup gf sour cream


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, roughly mash beans - leave some whole. Add chicken stock, stir to blend. Microwave on high for about a minute or until hot. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and saute for 2 minutes or until pink and opaque. Remove from pan and place in a medium bowl. Let cool for a couple of minutes. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through, or until crisp. Meanwhile, prepare mango, avocado, jalapeño pepper and chives. Add to shrimp. Toss with lime juice. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. To assemble, place tortilla on plate, top with black beans, followed by romaine lettuce, shrimp mixture, and a dollop of sour cream.
Serves 4

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I've slowly become addicted to corn tortilla chips. This is no bueno.

It's a Biggie

Ralphs is a part of the Kroger corporation. Who are they?








That's just a few of the supermarkets associated with the Kroger Company. With so many supermarkets reaching so many people...why can't they reach us? The consumer who needs something a little different. A little less gluten.

How is it that the Kroger company will put gluten free items in the City Market in Winterpark, CO when they can't put any in the Ralphs in Orange, CA?

The View on Celiacs

I know this aired a month or so ago, but it's still a very informative segment the View did on Celiac disease. Watch and Learn my dears.

A little Anecdote

I'm reading this book called Dangerous GrainsWhy Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous to Your Health by James Brady, M.D., and Ron Haoggan, M.A.


















Ook so when I say reading, I really mean skimming. The book basically details all the effects that ingesting gluten might have on a person i.e. bowel disease (what a nice starter ^_^), Autoimmune Disease, Heart Disease, hair abnormalities (early graying), and even flatulence. Doesn't eating gluten sound soo tasty?

Anyhow, there are little anecdotes in the book to break up some of the medical jargon. One I read was/is particularly...effective. I thought I would share.

An Extreme Reaction to Gluten
~ Deni W.
In 1991 I started having digestive symptoms and losing weight. My doctore started testing. Eventually, during a visit to the doctor I mentioned that I seemed to feel better in the morning if I ate Cream of Rice cereal. The doctor mentioned that there was a rare disorder called celiac sprue and urged me to try a gluten-free diet. I did start feeling better for a while -- but not for long. The weight loss continued. I started becoming "clumsy." I'd drop things and seemed to trip over my own feet. My hands and feet began to feel like they were rubber reather than skin. I lost more weight. With more meds and continued testing, I had so much abdominal pain that it was difficult to function. I was exhausted all the time, and I started having panic attacks. I lost 85 of 215 pounds. I am a tall woman -- but I looked like a concentration camp survivor. I also experienced spontateous bruising, I would watch as a spot on my arm or leg would swell, hurt like heck, and then turn vibrant purple.

In January 1992, I was hospitalized. I could barely use my left hand. I was cold all the time. I was all I could to to stay awake. I was having severe head pains and still losing weight after more testing, a psychaitrist was called in. He annoucned I had what was then called a major affective disorder (depression). I was counseled for anorexia. My guts hurt, my bowel movements were foul, and I was tired of trying to stay alive.

Though still on a gluten-free diet, I was worse than when the doctore first suggested celiac disease. My salvation came when a hospital dietitian was monitoring my food intake due to suspicions of anorexia. The dietitian brought me a photocopy of a booklet about celiac disease. On the last page there was a blurb about making sure your medications had been checked to assure they did not contain gluten. A call to the pharmacist confirmed that 9 of 11 medications I was taking contained gluten. As soon as I stopped taking all but my thyroid meds, I started getting better.

I slowly got my energy back. I started feeling human again. My body had deteriorated so much that it had been devouring itself in an attempt to find protein. I was starving to death.




So basically even our medical doctors are poisoning us with gluten in medicine. This is an extreme case, and in fact, most people who have celiac are overweight. Gluten is really a very dangerous protein. Gotta watch out!

Schools shortcomings

I've been having stomach issues all day, and partly I think it has to with the coffee and lack of food i'd eaten. I wasn't hungry and I didn't really have much time/availability of GF options at work. So anyhow, my stomache FINALLY goes away around 7, juuust enough time to eat at my schools cafeteria. I'm walking on in with my friend Kristen to get me some grub, and I see a meal choice of: Fried Calamari (a year ago I would've been down), Breaded Lemon Ginger Chicken with Rice (once again that's a clear no), and Pad Thai with Tofu.














Traditionally Pad Thai is made with Rice Noodles. Therefore, it's typicaaally safe to eat. But you never know, especially with cafeterias. I ask. "What sort of noodle is this? Is it rice?"

I would assume the chef (s) would know the answer to this very simple question. The guy goes to the kitchen to find out, and this is where I find out....they have NO idea. Apparently, this Pad Thai comes from a box. They threw the boxes out. HAH. Oooooh good ol' cafeteria, how I love your "accommodations". I didn't want to take any chances since my stomach had already been acting up. Grilled chicken with cold roasted potatoes it was.

I really really can't wait to have my own kitchen. siigh.

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Todays Recipe!


Quinoa Tomato & Mozzarella Salad














Recipe Courtesy of Glutenfreeda.com

Ingredients:
2 cups diced tomatoes
3/4 cup diced fresh mozzarella
3 Tablespoons minced shallots
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 cup quinoa***


Directions:
Combine tomato, mozzarella, shallots, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and toss. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Bring 2 cups water and quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Add quinoa and marinated mixture to a large bowl. Add basil, toss to mix and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

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***What the heck is Quinoa? Basically it's another type of grain (Gluten-free of course) that has more nutritional value than wheat. Wikipedia (How much do I love Wikipedia, by the way? Oh sooo much) says that Quinoa is a good source of fiber, protein, and easy to digest. In fact! NASA is considering using Quinoa as a crop to produce the food for longduration manned spaceflights. Yea, I think that means Quinoa just kicked Wheats little toxic behind. sucka!

I'm thankful for...

all things gluten-free! I'm also thankful I'm not lactose intolerant, because if I couldn't eat chocolate I think I might die. It's pretty much the one good thing in my life right now. When I found out I was gluten intolerant the doctor stressed to me that I could have a healthy and GF diet. He said, "just because snickers and m&m's are gluten-free...that doesn't mean you should only eat M&M's."

WELL Mr. Doctor. I could. I could very easily and happily ingest bit after bit of dark chocolate.









mmmm...

Of course I don't only eat chocolate, because that would just be irresponsible of me.
In fact, I eat rather well. There are so many options that are Gluten-free that aren't made especially to be gluten-free.
All meats, veggies, and fruits are naturally GF. On top of those little delights are the starches such as potatoes, corn, and rice!









These things are natures candy



Whenever I explain to people what it means to be gluten-free they feel so sorry for me! When really, I feel sorry for them! They are missing out on so many wonderful natural joys because they are so engulfed in the plain sandwhich or pasta dish. As a result of my diet being limited, my imagination and food creativity have been broadened. I eat better in my schools cafeteria, without any special meals made for me, than I did before I was diagnosed.

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Today's Recipe:

If there is one thing I love more than cake, it's cupcakes

Flourless Chocolate Ancho Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes. Set oven to 350 degrees
















Recipe taken from Vanilla Garlic




Ingredients:

Cupcake
8 oz of semisweet chocolate (60% cacao)
3/4 cup of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 1/2 tablespoons of ancho chili powder
pinch of salt

Icing

3 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/3 – 1/2 cup of powdered sugar





Directions:

Cupcakes
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it with butter over hot water in a double boiler type fashion.
2) Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar until light and creamy.
3) Fold in the melted butter and chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. Fold in the ancho chili.
4) Beat egg whites until frothy by using an electric mixer; gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. 5) Fold in the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture.
6) Spoon into cupcake papers. Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes. The cupcakes will collapse due to no flour.


















7) Let cool for 8 minutes, then use a knife to slowly and carefully work out the cupcakes. They can be fragile but if they break or goosh a bit, whatever. You'll probably need a fork to eat these anyway. Put a mound of whipped cream on and dust with cocoa powder and serve.


Icing
Place together in a mixing bowl until big, billowy and holds very stiff peaks.

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I should just swear off all fast food

Travelin...GF style

So I'm hoping to study abroad the spring of '08. Originally I wanted to go to Paris, France, but through some ration of good luck the paris program for the spring isn't offered anymore at my school. Now I'm not sure where to go. Italy? Spain? Some english speaking country? who knows?!?

However, wherever I end up going I will have to learn how to eat a GF lifestyle there. (and I might need to learn how to say "gluten- free/ NO wheat/etc. in the local dialect of my destination). Traveling with such dietary restrictions is very difficult, but I found this site that should help. Gluten Free Passport initially trys to sell you a book, but it also gives great tips for travelling and flying. That includes ordering GF meals on your longer flights. I wish I would've known how to do that earlier! No more plain iceberg lettuce containers.











yuck

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Recipe time! whoo!

Baked Penne with Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Sausage







Photo and Recipe Courtesy of Glutenfreeda.com


Ingredients
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. gf Italian sausage***, bulk or removed from its casing
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 35 oz. can of whole plum tomatoes, juices reserved
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 lb. gf penne
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella
Salt and freshly ground black pepper



***GF Italian Sausage Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
1-1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 teaspoon paprika
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper


Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish with unsalted butter.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions or until al dente. Drain.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage and sauté until sausage is browned. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If there is a lot of fat in the pan from the sausage, remove most of it, but leave a little to add flavor to the sauce. Add the red wine to the pan and bring to a boil; boil until nearly all of the wine has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, uncovered, at a simmer, for about 10 minutes. Add the oregano and adjust seasonings to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta and half the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the nutmeg and parsley. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the ricotta mixture until well coated. Add the sausage and sauce and mix again. Add the mozzarella and toss gently. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Bake uncovered until lightly browned on top and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve.


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When I get a kitchen, my pictures will come straight from MY camera!

It's been awhile...

That week long break of skiing with my parents threw me off my game. Fear not, however! I'm back, and I have lots
to say.

I'll start off with my ski trip.


I met my parents in Denver, CO (the process to get there was hellacious, and i spent a full day in the airport only to go back to my dorm room. that's not the point here though). We were to embark upon a week of skiing in Winterpark, CO. I, along with my two wonderful GF parents, have never been skiing or done any sort of snow sports. I'm from Texas. We don't know what that white cold stuff is. At first I though I would try snowboarding, but after the first day I had twisted my knee and decided to give up. I got food poisoning and was out of commission the next day. Eventually I got on some skis and had a grand ol' time flying uncontrollably down the mountain.













Dad, Me, and Mom...after our first (terrifying) day down the mountain


Winterpark is pretty small. So I figured there wouldn't be very much my family could really eat. My parents felt the same way and brought an abundance of GF things including pancake mix, brownie mix, and corn pasta. It turns out that Winterpark has a little store that advertises all the wonderful gluten-free products it sells! In fact, the grocery store (CityMart) across from our resort/lodge had gluten-free products. They had a variety of GF flours. Ralphs doesn't even do that.

Hear that Ralphs? This little store in this little town in Colorado carries gluten-free products, but YOU! You who are located in BIG metropolitan areas in California have nothing. nada. zilch. rien. I'm ashamed of you Ralphs. Being shown up by small town grocers.


My parents and I ended up feasting on an array of gluten free dinners and with delightful brownies and chocolates. I must say, I will whole-heartedly declare that GF pancakes are so much better than regular pancakes. They are naturally sweet, and my dad knows how to make them light and fluffy. mmmm I could go for a short stack right now actually.

When we went out to restaurants the waiters all seemed to know what gluten was. One of the bar tenders at a restaurant at the bottom of the mountain has Celiacs. Strange how a small town is more educated about gluten than Orange County.

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Today's Plate!



Breakfast:
Fat-Free Strawberry Yogurt with my favorite brand (Bakery on Main)of Gluten-Free Granola with some English Breakfast Tea


Lunch:
Grilled salmon and salad greens sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, Raspberry frozen yogurt w/ sprinkles



Dinner:

How's a picture work for you?











That's Thai Kitchen Noodle Cart. They have a fantastic array of gluten-free microwavables. They are low in calorie and taste AMAZING. I absolutely love asian cuisine! mmmm

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My parents are in NYC right now, and they went to Risotteria. I spoke about Risotteria in a previous entry, and I am insanely jealous of them. I'll find out what they thought and let ya'll know!

Wheat Gluten: pet killer

My dog is my baby, and she will be my puppy till she passes on. Even though I never see her because she is back in Texas, I want the very best for her. That includes food.
From when they are this big









To this big










isn't she cute? that's mybabies, baby.


I bring pets up (in all their adorableness) because there has been a case of pet food poisoning and killing pets, dogs and cats. I was flipping through the channels today and saw it on FoxNews. I don't typically watch any news station, but when it has to do with pets dying...well I tune in.

Anyhow, the connection between the poisoning and my blog topic are very close. According to MSNBC.com there is a huge recall of over 100 brands of the "cuts and gravy" pet food. So what's the culprit that has caused the death of cats and dogs? The FDA thinks it might be Wheat Gluten. The food manufacturing companies, based in New Jersey and Kansas, use wheat to thicken the gravy sauce.


So there we have it! Gluten isn't meant for humans, so it sure as hell isn't made for pets. How are they possibly meant to eat such a thing in nature? Cut down the stalk of wheat with their claws?


I think it's time more places offer gluten-free foods for humans and pets, because frankly whole foods and trader joes type of stores aren't available to everyone. So come on Ralphs, Vons, Publix, Cost-Co, Sam's Club, etc. get with the program and feed your customers and stop denying them their nutrients!!!

Major Slip Up

I just had a wtf moment.












So i bought these cookies thinking they were gluten-free, and i've been eating them over time for about a week now. I was looking at the box and noticed that I didn't see "Gluten Free" anywhere on the box so I check the ingredients. Yep wheat flour. Granted, it's organic unbleached wheat flour....

WOW. This explains why i've not been feeling so great intestine wise and all bloated up. I can't believe I did that. Wow...just wow

I guess I'm going to be extremely careful from now on. I'm angry though, because I spend all this time being careful with what I eat. Here I am just unknowingly destroying my insides, when I know I can prevent it. So frustrating!!!

Beer=Bad ?

I wrote this post already, but in the internet's infinite wisdom, it got erased. So here it is again, nicely rewritten.

So, I called my brother on Sunday to see how he was and how his St. Patrick's Day went. He told me he had been hung over till about an hour before I called him (which was at 4:30pm mind you). He and his roommate had thrown a party, but a small party. Only one keg.

hmmm... keg? meaning beer. beer=wheat=bad.

Oh boy! but no! I asked him about it and he said he had bought sorghum based beer. A six pack for $7. Not too badly priced. I asked him how it was and he said it was pretty tasty. I asked him if he had tried the new Anheuser Busch brand of GF beer.
He had.

My brother is just so on top of things! Recently Anheiser Busch came up with a line of gluten-free beer called Redbridge.









photo courtesy of celiacchicks.com


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I assume everyone knows the texture and taste difference between corn tortillas and flour tortillas. Frankly, flour tortillas are way better (in my opinion anyhow). However, flour tortillas are derived from wheat. So why should we have to suffer?! No longer, today's recipe is:

Flour Tortillas









Ingredients:
2 cups gf flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup warm milk
2-1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil


Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the gf flour with salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the warm milk with the oil. Using an electric mixer, beat the flour mixture low speed. Gradually add the warm milk and oil mixture until all the liquid is absorbed. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to beat for about 1 minute.

Gather the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl; cover and let sit for 45 minutes.

Cut the dough into 8 equal portions. (Keep remaining dough covered while working with each piece.) Roll out one piece of dough on a gf floured surface until it is about 6-8" in diameter. Place a plate on top of the dough and cut around the outer edges. This will give you a nice round tortilla shape. Continue with the remaining pieces of dough until you have 8 tortillas. Cover the tortillas with a clean dishcloth.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the pan with vegetable oil. Place one tortilla on the hot skillet and cook for 1 minute. When the tortilla begins to bubble in places, flip and continue to cook for 1 additional minute or until it slightly bubbles and browns in places. Place finished tortilla’s under a clean, damp dishcloth.

mmmmm

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The mold used for blue cheese is grown on bread.
Blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, etc. is not gluten-free.

Crazy Delicious

So i'm not really an avid fan of licorice (in fact, black licorice makes me wanna throw up a little), but every now and then a little red twist every now and then is nice. Say, at the movies...

Well I was in my Universities little pit stop (ya know the convenience store type of place that pumps us college kids with late night soda, candy, hot pockets, etc.) and I was looking around at the candy just curious about the nutrition facts. Naively I glance down at the allergen info.












Ingredients go as follows: Corn Syrup, Wheat flour, Citric Acid, Articfial Flavor, Red 40


ooooooook. WHAT the HELL?!?! Now, i thought soy sauce was random as hell to have wheat in it, but LICORICE?!?

That's absurd, reeaaaallly absurd. This means last weekend when I had a few twists of Red Vines, I poisoned myself. wow.

WOW.

All this work for nothing. I wasted my eating of wheat on something I really don't even like. I'm a little angry. At myself. At red vine. I should've been more careful, but I never ever thought licorice would have wheat.


siiiigh


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On Another Note.
I made Gluten-Free brownies today









Bob's Red Mill GF Brownies.

My friend Molly and I went into the only kitchen available for students use, and since they had no pans I made brownie cupcakes. If I had camera, there would be delictable pictures of the whole process. However, I have camera phone pictures. Beautiful, stunning quality I must say.














Mmmm....Brownies with Walnuts.












This was my first experience in GF cooking, and it was pretty successful I'd say. Soy milk + GF Brownie= Crazy Delicious!
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Thank Jesus for my Wii. It's the only thing keeping me entertained right now

Every Cause Needs One

CNN Anchor Heidi Collins

Such a beautiful PSA funded by CNN to help the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness. PSAs are meant to go on air, so all one has to do is contact their local television. To learn more about it, visit NFCA right here.

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it's pretty cool to stand in line at Whole Foods and the woman's basket next to you is full of GF foods

Big Help

I just want to say how encouraging it is to see that other people are reading my blog. Other people I don't know (and those I do).

For my work, I have to set up these dinners that hollywood insiders (i.e. producers, screenwriters, visual effects supervisors, etc.) go to and meet with various students. Sometimes I have to sit in on the dinners. Last week, being one of those weeks. The dinner planned was a penne pasta with shrimp.






WOAH now! That is a huge No-No. So I spoke with the waiter, Frederico, and asked him if there was any way the kitchen could cook me up something that I could eat. (By the way, I work for my Universities Film school and the dinners are catered by the same company who runs the cafeteria here. Sodexho.) I had to explain several times to my hard to understand latino friend what gluten was and what I could not have. Eventually I just asked if I could have a chicken dish with no pasta. He obliges and I receive a (not so great) chicken breast over mexican rice. It was not the best combination of flavors or fantastic tasting, but it was GF.

Tonight I thought I'd have to sit in on the dinner again, and I ran into Frederico in the cafeteria at lunch. He introduced me to the chef who would be cooking the dinner for tonight, and he, Louis, asked me what I would like. Isn't that nice? It ends up that tonights dinner is GF anyhow, and that we have enough students to sit in on the dinners. It's still nice to know they are happy to help me out.


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This ones good for St. Patrick's Day. Being that it's green and all.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip









recipe found here

Ingredients
2 cups shredded gf mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup gf sour cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated & divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 roasted garlic cloves
One 14 ounce can gf artichoke hearts (in water), drained & chopped
16 ounces gf cream cheese
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, drained & chopped
gf tortilla chips (most are)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, pepper, garlic, artichoke hearts, cream cheese and spinach. Stir until thoroughly blended.

Spoon mixture into a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.
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Fruit is naturally gluten-free.
It's also naturally fantastic.

Gluten a Different Sort of Drug.

Autism. I have family friends whose children are anywhere from slightly autistic to severely autistic. Austism basically makes them a little off beat. They have trouble communicating with others and communicating their feelings and emotions. They can be socially awkward or appear to have no social skills. Often times they are amazing musicians or artists but not so good conversationalists.

So where does Autism and Gluten meet? Well they have a nice little rendez-vous in the treatment quad. According to autism.org, a popular treatment method for Autistic children is to put them on gluten free/casien free diets. (casein is a protein found in all dairy products). According to the thousands of parents that have put their kids on a strict gluten/casein free diet, they have seen dramatic differences. One site, glutensolutions.com, goes so far as to state that gluten and casein are pretty much poison to most autistic children. These proteins leak into their guts (remember my last post about leaky gut syndrome?) completely undigested and attach to what is called the opiate receptors of the child's brain.

That kind of sounds to me like these wheat and milk products are acting like a drug such as morphine, cocaine, or heroine.

If you know any one who's child is autistic, talk to them about trying out a gluten/casein free diet.

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www.bakeryonmain.com


I went to Whole Foods today (I love that store, always have) and bought my parents a bag of gluten-free granola. Yes, that's correct. I bought them something. I was talking to my mom on Sunday when she was in the Whole Foods in Houston, I was telling her about this FantTASTic granola. Apparently they didn't have it at their whole foods, so I bought them some and plan on sending it out tomorrow. I've never had any granola this good, never.





Available in five amazing flavors. My personal favorite?
Apple Raisin Walnut


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What makes Glacéau Smart Water smart? It's not all that shocking...

mean little protein

Oh? So you want to know another side effect that occurs when someone who is sensitive to Gluten ingests the protein? I'm glad you asked!!

Well, my dear, according to enzymestuff.com it causes our cells to inflame, to swell, to get bigger. BAD NEWS! It can also lead to what some refer to as a Leaky Gut Syndrome. Sounds delightful, does it not? And what exactly is this leaky gut thing? As the bodies white blood cells go into kamikaze full attack mode on the body, they attack the lining of the gut and essentially destroy the blockers that keep food out of the blood supply and let nutrients in. yuck.


So with all this bad that happens as a result of eating gluten how come so many people STILL don't know about it?! Why is it that my brother is only going gluten-free for four months and if he doesn't see any changes then he won't stay on the diet? (this may be because he loves his beer). The fact that this is an issue that causes so many health problems later on in life and still so many people or completely unaware of the proteins existance even is astounding. The medical community has a job to do, and that is to ensure the over all health of the citizens they serve. Right now, they are totally sucking at it.


I feel like a recipe today. A recipe for some comfort food. Soup.
surprisingly most soups have flour in them. it's used as a thickening agent.
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Baked Potato Soup
recipe found on www.glutenfreeda.com











Ingredients
1-1/4 pounds baking potatoes
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour
3 cups milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, divided
3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Directions
reheat oven to 400°F.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool.
When cool, peel potatoes and coarsely mash; discarding skins.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; whisk in gf flour and cook until combined. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until blended. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly, about 8-10 minutes. Add mashed potatoes and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sour cream and half the green onions. Return saucepan to low heat and cook for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not let boil).

To serve, sprinkle each serving with crumbled bacon and remaining cheese and green onions.
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don't lay out in the sun in southern california for 2 1/2 hours with out sunscreen.

Not so super market

Living in Southern California, there is an abundance of the same stores within a few miles of each other i.e. Ralphs, Starbucks, Del Taco, Rite Aid, etc

In fact there are two Ralphs on one street near my school. The difference for me is that one Ralphs carries gluten-free cereal and the other doesn't. But that's just it. Cereal. Nothing else gluten-free. Shouldn't a big, chain, supermarket carried food for everyone?

Grocery stores back home in Sugar Land, TX carry gluten-free foods.

I'd always thought of California as more health aware and food forward, especially orange county.

So come one Ralphs!!! Stop disappointing me and feed me!!

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Today's Plate!

Brunch: Omelet with sausage, mushroom, onion, and cheese. Hashbrowns and tea.

Dinner: Crispy Brown Rice Cereal with Mixed Berries***and a Non-Fat, Sugar-Free Vanilla Steamer froms Starbucks. Followed later by a dark chocolate caramel from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.


***

















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Somedays your meals just aren't balanced

I'm Hungry

It's 1 am and I'm very hungry. Looking at food websites and recipes isn't really helping me either.

If I were Hiro (yea, from NBC's Heroes) I would teleport myself either to Greenwich Village or Seattle. Why? Because they have gluten-free restaurants.

In a MSNBC article from 2005, the restaurant Risotteria is featured as a Celiac friendly, restaurant. An Italian restuarant at that. Half the menu is for all you wheat eaters and the other half is for us sensitive to the grain. They offer risotto, Neapolitan style pizza, huge salads, panini (grilled & pressed sandwiches), cookies, cakes and their signature "fudgies". So this may not sound like any big thing to you non-gluten sensitives. When EVERY item listed above is something completely and utterly off limits to you, and then you find a place you can walk in and order it all? With a beer to chase? It's like heaven on earth.

Bigger chain restaurants such as Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, PF Chang's, and Pei Wei offer a gluten-free menu, but they do not offer gluten-free pasta and garlic breadsticks.

Today, no recipe.
Today, no list of what I ate.
Today, I want to go here.

Risotteria













photo: Gregory Bull/ AP File


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If Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Florida can have gluten-free restaurants then California needs to get on the ball!

The Truth Is...

Amen!

There is NO reason for wheat to be used in fake crab meat or soy sauce! That limits my sushi choices sooooo much! Like my friend Kei said, you can tell the quality of a sushi restaurant by how good the California Roll tastes. Well, I guess someone else will have to tell me since they have fake crab meat in them.


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Who wants to hear that I ate cottage cheese, peanut butter, and a banana for brunch? Not me...
If I had an oven, this is what I would have made...

Banana Chocolate Chip Scones
recipe taken from notjustdinner.blogspot.com




3 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
4 extremely ripe bananas
1/2 of a 10-oz package of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the baking mix, 1/3 cup sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles crumbs. Beat the egg and milk together, then mash the bananas and add them to the egg and milk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry. Mix together and then add the chocolate chips.

Drop by 1/2 cupfuls on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar. Bake for 16 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a scone comes out clean.

Makes 10 scones.


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If gluten went to middle school, he'd be a bully

A Heart Full of Love and Fistfull of Change

I was sitting in my friend's dorm room tonight after a rehearsal for a friends directing class (my face and eyes are all red, watery, and itchy, because aside from being gluten intolerant I am also cat intolerant.) and I wasn't particularly hungry, but as I watched her eat those chips ahoy cookies, I just wanted to grab them from her and shovel them in my mouth.

Lately, I find I want the things I can't have more and more. I almost say, "what the hell?! a little gluten now and then can't hurt, right?" Of course I know that is a horrible idea. I feel that if more gluten-free options were easily available I wouldn't be creepily staring at my friends bag of dry and not so tasty chip's ahoy. It's really quite difficult being gluten intolerant and living in the dorms. While the cafeteria does offer gluten-free, white rice bread, the bread is unfortunately somehow not as good as the bread I have in my fridge. Even though it's the same brand, Food for Life, my brown rice pecan bread holds up so much better. My cafeteria needs to try harder.

Today I went in to the restaurant services office with recipes and demands in hand. I was all ready to declare war on wheat and the SodexHo representive for my school with much to say about how little they have done to help me when they promised me so much, but then the representative, Mr. Nargi, wasn't there. Figures. So I left him the recipes and a note. If there are warnings on our entrees that list "May Contain Pork" and "May Contain Peanuts", then there needs to be labels declaring what is safe and gluten-free. really now is this symbol so difficult to place?





I think not. I plan on e-mailing Mr. Nargi tomorrow to ensure that he received my note. None of the recipes I gave him included ingredients that the cafeteria does not already have. These came from the book Living Gluten-Free for Dummies.
So I'm hoping to see these meals integrated into mass servings. Not just for me. How cool and educational would it be for a meal to be made en mass that glowed with the gluten free logo that all my school would see? They'd be wondering what it meant as they devoured the delicious and nutritious meal.

Until I have a home of my own I can't cook things like Pineapple Salsa Chicken Enchiladas




I got this recipe from a fellow gluten-free blogger at glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com


2 cups of your favorite salsa
3 cups cooked chicken, torn or shredded pieces
Juice from one fresh lime
sea salt and ground pepper, or Lemon Pepper
olive oil, as needed
8 corn tortillas
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
hot red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour about a half cup of salsa into the bottom a lightly oiled 9x12" baking dish.

Squeeze lime juice all over the cooked chicken; season with sea salt and pepper and toss well to coat.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and heat one corn tortilla until softened, turning it over once to coat with oil. Place the tortilla into the sauced baking dish; fill with 1/8 of the chicken, and roll up seam side down, placing it at the far end of the dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, adding more oil, if needed.

Pour the remaining salsa all over the rolled tortillas. Top with the pineapple, then the chiles. Sprinkle with cheddar and red pepper flakes.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven until the enchiladas are bubbling and heated through, about 30 minutes.

This recipe is easily doubled [with a larger pan, or use two pans].

Serves 3 to 4, depending upon appetites.


I'd say that beat whatever I ate today...
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Stop eating gluten and you may no longer need that Adderral.