It's Pumpkin Season

Last weekend, I went to Trader Joe's to get my favorite quinoa and brown rice pasta. I have learned to stock up since the closest store is 45 minutes away. I was also on a mission to get the seasonal Pumpkin O's cereal (gluten free, the only "O's" by TJs that are truly gf). The clerk last visit told me I had to try them. So, I got a couple boxes. My boys and I like them.

I saw some other tasty pumpkin treats. I made chocolate chip pumpkin muffins using the Baker Josef's (still technically Trader Joe's brand) pumpkin bread & muffin baking mix. I could smell that it had a lot of pumpkin pie spices in the mix. I added half a bag of milk chocolate chips and it made 12 large muffins.

I suggest putting the muffins or bread in the fridge if you are not going to eat them the same day as baking them. They are so delicious! I'm glad I bought two boxes of this mix.

I also bought a box of Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancake mix. I could see flecks of pumpkin in the mix. Now, I have a confession. I am the worst pancake maker ever. But the mix was a perfect consistency and I was able to make perfect pancakes. They were not only circular, but I was also able to flip them without messing them up (seriously, my husband said that one attempt looked like scrambled eggs). The texture was the same as normal gluten pancakes. But these were so much better with pumpkin flavor and spices. I put syrup on one and Nutella on the other. Yum!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Mexican food has to be my favorite type food. And in "celebration" of Taco Tuesday, we had Mexican last night. This recipe was found at Gimme Some Oven. I did tweek it a little bit. It was really easy to put together. It's layered kind of like a lasagna. Instead of noodles, it uses corn tortillas.

For the chicken, you could use a rotisserie chicken and just shred it. I had a bunch of chicken breasts, so I put a few in the crock pot with some chicken stock. That way I just had to shred it when I came home.  Instead of three cups of enchilada sauce, I used two bags of Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce. This was plenty and not too spicy.

I used 2 cups of a shredded mix of Mexican cheeses from Kraft. For the top, I used Mexican crumbling cheese, aka queso fresco. Of course I'm the only one in my family that likes avocados, so I waited to put those on mine instead of "contaminating" the rest of the casserole. I ate way too much, it was so good!

Recipe

• 2 bags Frontera red chile sauce
• 16 corn tortillas, halved
• 1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 3 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
• 4 cups (about 1.5 pounds) shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese
• 1 cup queso fresco (Mexican crumbling cheese)
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour about a half a bag of enchilada sauce in the baking dish, and spread until the bottom of the dish is coated. Top with a layer of about 8 tortilla halves so that the entire dish is covered. Sprinkle evenly with about  half of the black beans, half the corn and a third of the green onions. Then sprinkle with half of the chicken, and about one cup shredded cheese. Repeat with a second layer of tortillas, then sauce, then beans, corn, green onions, chicken, and cheese. Then conclude with a final layer of tortillas and the second bag of sauce (reserving the queso fresco to add part way through baking). Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes.

Remove pan and remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas evenly with the queso fresco, then return to the oven (uncovered) and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove pan, and sprinkle with avocado, cilantro, and remaining green onions. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Beware... the mustard!

This summer has tested my gluten knowledge and assertiveness. I have done a lot of traveling, so I wasn’t always able to make my own food. I feel so much safer when I make my own food in my own home. But sometimes you don’t have a choice and have to rely on others. And sometimes, I just make stupid mistakes!

I went to a convention in Texas. During the convention, my lunch and dinner was included. I was able to request gluten-free meals and the whole buffet where I got my food was gluten-free. So, there was no chance of cross contamination by people getting their food. The food was really good and my friends with the regular meals were jealous.

Before the convention, I had a couple of meals on my own. I was pleasantly surprised that a Mexican restaurant I went to have a gluten-free menu. The waiter was very knowledgeable and the food was delicious.

Another restaurant I went to claimed to have a gluten-free menu.

The main menu had options listed on both sides. The little white one in the corner is the gluten-free menu: isn’t this the cutest little menu (dripping with sarcasm)?!?! It was more what they could remove from dishes to make it gluten-free, but of course you still had to pay full price.  I was not feeling too confident with their ability to prevent cross contamination. I opted for just some vanilla ice cream covered with strawberries.

As for flying, I brought snacks for the plane. I was traveling extremely early on the way to TX and didn't really need a meal. I ate supper at Dallas, Love Field (which is a beautiful little airport). I had a tasty spread at a cafe. The zebra is one of my boys' toys, which they named Sully. He made several appearances in photos to my boys while I was away from them.

I went on a vacation to visit family in CT. Since I flew from my convention in TX, I didn’t have to deal with restaurants on the road. While in CT, my in-laws bought one of everything Live G Free at Aldi. Yes, it was a little overboard, but it was nice to have those options available. ;) An Italian restaurant said they could make everything gluten free except for the pasta. So, when the soup came, I asked if there was pasta in it. Of course there was, so I went without. When the salad came, I had ordered oil and vinegar for salad dressing, so I knew that was safe. I ate a third of my salad and found croutons hiding at the bottom of the bowl. I figure the salad was premade and they must have just taken them off my salad, without realizing there were more there. I was not happy! I also learned to ask how drinks are being made instead of assuming they will be okay.

Driving home from CT, I had a bunch of snacks. I did find a good meal at Applebee’s.

Then came our camping trip. I had all our meals planned out, but apparently failed to check the label on the mustard. After eating it for three days, and swallowing that last bite of my wrap on the third day, I noticed the words, “wheat flour” on the back of my husband’s favorite mustard. Ahh! I had been getting heartburn every night and on that day, had it all day. My whole body hurt on day two. These are the same symptoms I noticed from my gluten encounter in CT. But it was so much worse this time, most likely because I had multiple gluten encounters. Dun, dun, dunnnnn….! I still have heartburn every time I swallow. Today, my husband asked when I’m going to a doctor. I suppose after a week of it not going away. Any fellow Celiacs or people with gluten intolerance have similar symptoms?

I’ve learned a lot of lessons this summer. I hope I can avoid future gluten encounters (cue the horror music!).

Gluten-Free Lasagna and Biscuits Experience

I have not made lasagna from pre-cook lasagna noodles in many years. Since the noodles I used to use that did not have to be cooked before putting the lasagna together contain gluten, I tried some brown rice noodles. Well, you can see my frustration in the picture. Not only did they fall apart, they also stuck to each other. It was completely ridiculous! But they still tasted fine.

I had also picked up a box of Bisquick's Gluten Free version of the original. It cost between $4 and $5 for this little 16 oz box at Publix. I have heard that Walmart also carries it, but I don't know how much they charge.

My husband likes to have bread with his pasta. Since sourdough is no longer being brought into my house (his decision), I thought I'd make some biscuits. I was afraid they weren't done, and thought it strange that they looked more like cookies. I'm not much of a biscuit fan, but they were pretty good. They weren't gritty and still had the nooks and crannies when you opened them up.

I followed the recipe on the box and it used up 2/3 of the mix (mix says they make 10, but I made them into a baker's dozen). So, they were a bit expensive for biscuits, but at least they tasted good.

Mongolian Beef & Ramen

I have been asked by several people to show more of what we are eating, what we like and what we don't like. To answer those requests, I took pictures of what we had for dinner. I made Mongolian Beef and Ramen.

We had a party this weekend and had leftover steak. So, I cut up about two cups into little strips. And WALLA! The meat is cooked! I coated it in about 2 tablespoons of corn starch and set aside. Then I put water, soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, and garlic in a little sauce pan. I added ground ginger since I was out of fresh ginger. This simmered for 10 minutes.

While the sauce was simmering, I cooked the Ramen. I used Lotus Foods millet and brown rice Raman. It's a little thinner than the regular old Ramen. As long as you rinse it with cold water to prevent it from continuing to cook, it tastes great. If you don't rinse it, then it will become gummy.

When the Ramen and sauce were about done, I heated up the steak for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Then I poured the sauce over the beef and stirred it constantly for a few minutes. Lastly, I added the noodles, green onion, and a few shakes of the sesame oil before tossing.

I used Tamari reduced sodium gluten free soy sauce. It tastes just like the regular soy sauce. Adding sesame oil adds a little nutty flavor. 

The outcome was pretty good. But we all found it slightly too sweet. So, I reduced the amount of brown sugar in the recipe below. 

Mongolian Beef & Ramen

Ingredients

2 cups cooked beef cut into strips

2 T corn starch

1/2 cup water

2 T olive or vegetable oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp ground ginger

one green onion chopped

sesame oil to taste

Package Ramen cooked

Cook Ramen according to package directions. Add the brown sugar, oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Coat beef in the corn starch and heat over medium for 2 minutes. Add the cooked sauce and stir over the heat for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. 

Cross Contamination

Cross contamination of gluten containing foods with those that are gluten free is a problem for all people with gluten sensitivities, but especially people with Celiac disease. Just a little bit of gluten is all it takes to get the whole horrible cycle going again. There are three areas of possible contamination that need to be considered: food preparation at home, at restaurants and manufacture prepared foods.

We are trying to keep all new foods that come into our house gluten-free. But when I learned of my diagnosis, I had just gone shopping, buying bagels and cereal. We decided not to throw them out or give them away and have the boys (husband included) finish them up. When putting butter or Nutella on bagels, crumbs can stick to the knife and contaminate the containers. My husband marked a new container of butter with GF so that he and the boys knew not to use it when buttering their bagels. I did the same to a container of Nutella (don't mess with Mom's Nutella!). We used the toaster for those glutenous bagels, but threw it away once they were gone. Just think of all those crumbs inside! Since we were getting a new toaster, I had fun shopping and bought one in my favorite color: green!

If your house is not completely gluten-free (GF), you want to make sure that you do not put GF foods on surfaces that you had regular food. Crumbs could contaminate your GF food there. Make sure to use separate utensils on your GF food when preparing both gluten and GF food at the same time. If you use canisters or other containers to store food, either have certain containers for GF food or wash them out thoroughly between uses. Do you have a standing mixer? I found that there was still some flower around the top of my mixer (because I am a messy baker). So, I used a wet cloth to clean it off so that none of it would contaminate what I am mixing. And our flatware drawer is just below the counter where the toaster sits. My kids didn't always get the door shut, so there were plenty of crumbs in there. To be safe, I cleaned the drawer and the flatware organizer.

Many of these above tips would apply to food preparation in restaurants. There must always be at least one certified food handler present any time a restaurant's kitchen is in use. To become certified, they have to learn about proper food handling to prevent illness. One concept they really understand is preventing cross-contamination. Think about raw meat. You can't have the same utensils or surfaces touch raw and cooked meat because any contaminates, such as bacteria, could be transferred to the cooked meat and make patrons ill. The same concept applies to gluten for people with Celiac. You cannot even use a pizza cutter on a pizza with a gluten crust and then on a pizza with a GF crust, because the gluten can be transferred between the crusts on that pizza cutter. So, when you talk to your server at a restaurant about your dietary requirements, use the words cross contamination; this will help ensure that your meal remains GF.

When buying food in the grocery store, the ideal is to find food labeled gluten-free certified. In August of 2014, a new FDA regulation went into effect stating that any food with this certification meets criteria set by the FDA.

"The Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP) offers consumer protection and guidance by requiring rigorous, annual audits to ensure the products it certifies are the result of good manufacturing practices and appropriate gluten-free protocols. This reduces the risk of recalls, ensures consistent gluten-free safety throughout the manufacturing process, and provides additional assurance to consumers." (Gluten-Free Certification Program)

A food that says it is naturally gluten-free does not undergo the certification, but does not contain gluten. However, there is still the possibility for cross contamination through the manufacturing process, although this risk is minimal. Look under the ingredient list for something like, "manufactured in a facility that processes wheat. " If it says something like this, it is best to avoid this product. 

With a little research or proper preparation, you will reduce the risk of gluten cross contamination.

What is this?!?!

It has been two weeks since I have been eating gluten-free. I have read that some people start to notice feeling better at the two week mark. That's not quite how it has been here. I have had all over body pain, especially in my hands. It has been present for three days with today being the worst.

I have a friend that sent me a link about gluten or wheat withdrawal. But it looks like if that were the case, the withdrawal symptoms would have started sooner. What about you? Have you experience what might be gluten or wheat withdrawal? Comment below. As for me, I think it's just because my body hasn't healed, yet. I've had these symptoms for years, so I think it's just more of the same.

My family has mostly gone gluten free, especially my son with disorders. None of them seem to be going through any withdrawal. I'd like to hear your experiences. We can all learn from each other.

liveGfree Double Chocolate Cookies

Shortly after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I took a trip to Aldi. I was told about their line of liveGfree products. They range from pasta and breaded chicken nuggets to snacks and mixes. I was a little skeptical because I have heard that gluten-free products don't necessarily taste like their gluten-full counterparts.

My son picked out the Double Chocolate cookie mix. I made them last night and they are very chocolaty! They remained soft after cooling. If you like dark chocolate like I do, you will like these cookies. They taste like brownies in the shape of a cookie. The real test is my husband, who is very particular about his cookies. He loved them!

I normally make cookies from scratch. I don't mind measuring out ingredients, which you still have to do to some degree with a mix. But I'd buy the mix again.

Quinoa & Basmati Salad

I went to a potluck this evening. I needed to bring something I knew I could eat and would be kind of filling. I found a recipe in Simply Gluten Free magazine, but didn't have all the ingredients. So, I worked with what I had. This salad came out so great: sweet mixed with spicy and a bit of crunch.

I started off cooking the quinoa and basmati while making the dressing. Don't forget to rinse the quinoa before cooking or it will taste bitter. I mixed the EVOO, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg with a whisk.

Then I went out to my garden to pick some parsley and chives. I would have put in more parsley, but only had about 1/8 cup in my garden. After the grains were cooked, I mixed them with the salad dressing. Then I added the greens and Mommy's mix (yes, it was really labeled this. Don't we all save some favorites for ourselves? Or is that only me?). This mix of dried fruit and seeds added more sweetness and crunch to the salad. My mix has dried blueberries, cranberries and raisins, with sunflower seeds and pepitas.

After folding those in, I stuck it in the freezer, because I made it right before we were supposed to leave. (Why do I always do that?!?!) But truth be told, it was really good at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Quinoa & Basmati Salad

Salad:
3 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup basmati rice
2/3 cup dried fruit and seeds
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/8 cup chives

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 T honey
2 T lemon juice
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground nutmeg

Bring water or broth to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and basmati. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and remove from the heat to cool. Once cool, add dried fruit, seeds, parsley and chives to the grains.

In a separate bowl, combine all the of the dressing ingredients and whisk well. Combine with salad.

Chill if not eating immediately.

New Pasta of the House

Did I hear my husband right? Did he really say, "This tastes better than regular pasta!" He did and I agree with him. The Brown Rice and Quinoa pasta by Trader Joe's was so good, it was better than plain old boring GLUTEN pasta. I made it tonight and rinsed it after it was done cooking, as my neighbor had suggested. Otherwise, it would have been very gummy. 

To the pasta, I added pasta sauce and Aldi's Simply Nature brand of Chicken sausage. Aldi touts that this brand is free of over 125 not so healthy ingredients. It also happens to be gluten-free. It was a good meal and we now have a new pasta of the house!

Do your medications contain gluten?

A crumb of gluten bread can make a person with Celiac disease ill. A crumb! Do you know how small that is? Make your sandwich, pick it up and what is on the plate will be crumbs. Just one little crumb can get in my body; my body will make antibodies, which will start attacking my intestines. Avoiding "crumbs" is a topic for another time. What about your medications? Do your medications contain gluten?

While researching sources of gluten, I came across this question in several places. My first thought was, "Great! What's supposed to help me can be making me sick!" We know that the active ingredients in medications can have their side-effects. But some of those inactive ingredients can also adversely affect your health.

My first course of action was to ask my pharmacist how I can find out if my medications contain gluten. She suggested calling the manufacturers. Celiac disease is not the first autoimmune disease I have been diagnosed with, so I am on a lot of medications for conditions caused by my other disease. The thought of calling all the manufacturers and waiting on hold for who knows how long did not sound like my idea of time well spent.

So, I went to the Celiac Disease Foundation website. Right on their home page was a headline regarding gluten in medications. Steve Plogshead, who has earned his PharmD, as well as other credentials, did some research into this subject. He found that even if you call the manufacturers, you may not get all the information you request. The most likely ingredient in a pill that could contain gluten is starch. In foods, plain starch comes from corn; but this does not hold true in pharmaceuticals. Dr. Plogshead wrote, "With all things considered, the true chances of getting a drug that contains gluten is extremely small, but as a protector of your health, you should eliminate all risks by evaluating the ingredients in your medications."

Since I'd rather try to find out the ingredients of a medication online rather than calling several manufactures, I looked for a search engine for this type of information. In books, magazines and websites, the same to websites come up as resources for determining gluten containing medications. One is Gluten Free Drugs, which is actually a blog by Dr. Plogshead. The other is Pillbox, created by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Since I feel the National Institutes of Health to be a more reliable source (and also used by Dr. Plogshead), I chose to plug my medications into it's search feature. When looking at the ingredients, I was looking for mainly starch, maltodextrin (can sometimes be made from wheat), and of course wheat.

The first medication I entered had starch in the ingredients, but specified that it was potato in origin. Yay! I can keep that one!! The second, a generic, could not be found in the database. I was warned by a couple sources that this could occur. So, I set it aside for later. The next medication also contained potato starch. Okay, I know you don't really want to know about each and every medication. In a nut shell, I found ingredients for all but one medication and if they contained a starch, it was potato starch. None of them contained maltodextrin. The one I could not find was also not in other databases. But I did see that in other tablets, that manufacturer used potato starch. My iron supplement actually stated that it was gluten free.

Now I can feel better about taking my medications. If you find that a medication may or does contain glucose, talk to your pharmacist about alternatives from another manufacturer.

Resources

Celiac Disease Foundation. (2015). http://www.celiac.org

National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. (2013). Pillbox. http://pillbox.nlm.nih.gov/pillimage/search.php

Plogshead, S. (2015). Gluten in Medication. http://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/gluten-medication/

Plogshead, S. (2015). Gluten Free Drugs. http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com

Note: This blog does not provide medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are uncertain about your medications.

Simply Gluten Free Virtual Expo

I'm sure you've heard of Simply Gluten Free magazine (if you have't, you should click on the link; it's an excellent resource). The magazine has been advertising it's own online expo. I have seen many gluten free expos advertised around the nation. But some are very expensive on top of travel costs. This expo is virtual = online = right wherever you are with your electronic device.

Their magazine ad touts it as, "A one-of-a-kind gluten-free and top 8 allergen-free website." It is coming this summer. You can get free samples, coupons and products, "delivered right to your door with the click of a mouse." You can register here, and if you register before May 30, 2015, you will receive "extra goodies!"

Some of the expo's sponsors are Sam Mills, DeLand Bakery, SAN-J, Sun Butter, and Kinnikinnick Foods.

I've already registered. Who doesn't like free samples? And we owe it to ourselves to learn more about where our food is coming from.

Start of the Journey

I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I have felt symptoms that may be attributed to this disease for years, and am thankful for a diagnosis. Starting a new diet, such as the gluten free (GF) diet, is quite a lifestyle change. I have been researching like mad, reading information online, books, reports and talking to my gluten free friends.

I am lucky to have a friend right next door who runs a gluten free kitchen for the health of her family. She allowed me to peer inside her pantry. Her daughter even told me what tastes delicious and what to avoid. I sampled some of the new-to-me GF snacks, bread, and her homemade GF chocolate chip cookies (which must be the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted). Girl, you need to give me that recipe (I'll post it as soon as I get it)!

After finding out what I like, and armed with a list, my husband and I spent the afternoon getting our house ready for our new GF life. We purged the pantry and refrigerator of all foods I could no longer eat. We then set out to the Fresh Market in The Villages. My neighbor, who made those awesome cookies, recommended Cup 4 Cup flour for baking. So, I bought myself a big old bag of that (my husband couldn't live without his baked treats, a.k.a., tasty treats)! After buying some GF ramen, crackers, cereal, and wine (because "wine" not?), we moved on to Trader Joe's. A gluten free Facebook support group in Gainesville, FL suggested the Trader Joe's bagels (something I really missed as a part of my breakfast routine). I was also told to get the Trader Joe's mac & cheese (because it's, "the best GF mac & cheese"). The last stop on our pantry replenishment was Lucky's Market (also in Gainesville). We found several other items to add to our trunk and headed home.

As it was time for dinner, and we really didn't feel like cooking after driving all over Central Florida, we decided on eating out. This can be very scary, particularly for someone with Celiac disease. Not only do you need to be sure the ingredients used in your meal are GF, but you need to make sure the food prep prevents cross contamination. I had read that Crazy Flats in Ocala offers GF dough for all their flats.

When we walked in, I told Jessica, the manager, that I have Celiac Disease and can't have any gluten cross contamination. I asked if they prepared the GF flats separately. She said they did and went into detail about how they change gloves before starting the flat, cut and prepare it in the back room, and use clean cutter once it's removed from the oven. She made me feel very comfortable about safely eating there. I have to admit, I was nervous about being that neurotic customer who nit picks how her food is prepared. I knew I had to talk to the management about it for my health. She was so assuring and happy to answer our questions. This gave me confidence about asking these types of questions for future restaurant encounters.

All in all, it was a great start to our GF journey. The next test will be introducing these foods to our boys!!!