Six Food Intolerance Living

Living gluten free does not mean one has to live pasta free. There is a large variety of gluten free pastas on the market, even some from well-known wheat-based pasta makers

• Deboles - With the wide variety of styles and grains, this brand is quickly becoming a favorite.
• Dr. Schar - Their collection contains unique shapes of corn and rice based pasta and they also make a variety of other gluten free products.
• Ener-G Foods - These pastas are made literally with just white rice flour and water, so they accommodate a variety of allergy needs.
• Mrs. Leeper's - In addition to their corn and rice based pastas, Mrs. Leeper's also makes boxed dinners.
• Orgran - All their products are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg free, Yeast Free, GMO Free and Vegan.
• Quinoa - This brand sets itself apart by using the naturally gluten free and nutritious quinoa grain.
• Tinkyada - One of the most well known and well liked gluten free pastas, this past is rice based and comes in a variety of styles.
• Trader Joes - They may skimp on the price, but never on the flavor!
• Another source for gluten free, economical pastas are Asian markets. They have many white rice and mung bean based noodles that are naturally gluten free. Often, there are also buckwheat noodles, however, check carefully as many brands mix wheat flour in with the buckwheat, be sure to choose a brand that is 100% buckwheat. Furthermore, a word of caution to those with Celiac or who are highly sensitive - noodles found in the Asian market are not certified gluten free and are often not produced here in the United States so there is always potential for contamination.

Cooking gluten free pasta is quite different from cooking wheat pasta. While the flavor of gluten free pasta is comparable to wheat pasta, getting the texture right can be tricky. Some helpful hints to ensure delicious, perfect pasta every time are:

• The first tip to making good gluten free pasta is to read the directions. There are many different types of gluten free pasta and all are not created equal. Unlike wheat pasta, the directions are not always the same. Some cook better at a constant, rapid boil like traditional wheat pasta, some (especially the kind found in Asian stores) are best soaked in cool water overnight, while others are directed to be dumped into a pot of boiling water, then to turn the heat off, cover them and let them sit in the cooling water until soft. The directions for your brand should be your guide.
• Wheat pasta tends to be heartier and yields more servings than gluten free pasta so always make a little more than what you are used to.
• Cook only as much gluten free pasta as you need at the moment because it does not freeze or reheat well. It is best eaten immediately after cooking.
• Gluten free pasta is known to be very sticky. To combat this, there are two things you can do - add 2-3 teaspoons of oil to the water before dropping in the pasta and stir often. The oil will help coat each strand of pasta, ensuring they won't stick and stirring will agitate the pasta in case some pieces do begin to attach to one another.
• To add flavor, as with wheat pasta, generously salt the water as you bring it to a boil.
• Do not overcook gluten free pasta. Cooking the pasta too long will cause it to get too soft, mushy and it will disintegrate into very small pieces.
• When you drain pasta from hot water (so not with the kind you soak in cool water overnight), run very cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking and to keep it al dente.
• When adding noodles to a soup, only do so at the very end as the noodles will not hold up to long boiling or simmering.

Remember how I told you that I am writing for Examiner.com now? Well, a few weeks ago I wrote a series of my Top Ten Recommendations for Gluten Free Living. I know that once the decision is made to live gluten free, the lifestyle can be quite daunting. There are so many things to think about - what to eat, how to eat out, cross contamination, etc. In a culture saturated with wheat and gluten, one must learn to cook all over again - or for the first time. I created my top ten list in order to make the transition easier and less expensive. In order, here are my top ten recommendations for gluten free living (these links will take you to the Examiner.com article for each recommendation):

Recommendation #10: De-Gluten Your Kitchen
Recommendation #9: Equip Your Kitchen
Recommendation #8: Don’t Be Afraid to Contact the Company
Recommendation #7: Gather Information
Recommendation #6: Join Support Groups
Recommendation #5: Prepare, Prepare and Premix
Recommendation #4: Check Out Your Local Asian Store
Recommendation #3: Try All the Gluten Free Flours – and Then Try Them Again
Recommendation #2: Eat Naturally Gluten Free Foods
Recommendation #1: Learn to Read Ingredient Labels

I don't know about you, but I have heard nothing more talked about in the Gluten Free Community than the new Gluten Free Betty Crocker Mixes. Blogs, Twitter and forums have just been buzzing with news on these mixes - reviews, speculation, location and more. The one question that I have heard more than any other is what are the ingredients? Unforuntely, that information is not provided on their website nor on any other place on the internet that I have found. Today, however, that changes! I am most excited and happy to share with you screen shots of the packaging, including the ingredients!!! The images are courtesy General Mills.

When it comes to baking, I am totally in love with Ginger Lemon Girl's Master Mix. I love that it is mostly whole grain (brown rice and certified gluten free oat) and that I can use it just like I used to use Bisquick in the days before going gluten free. And, it's easy to make dairy and soy free too. I just replace the powdered milk with Vance's Dari Free or I simply use more tapioca starch. And, I replace the shortening with Spectrum Spread.

Yes, it's an awesome mix if you haven't used it before. But, what I've been lacking is an awesome all-purpose mix. There are tons of recipes out there with lots of different uses, flours and from various sources. I have used several in the past, but have yet to really commit to one as my favorite for one main reason - whole grains. So many of them are based on a lot of white rice flour or on a lot of starches. I really wanted something that had more whole grains and was healthy.

Well, it is with great excitement and extreme pleasure that I present to you my new, very own, Gluten Free Whole Grain Blend. It is just a bit over 1/3 starch - giving you enough lift, but also contains plenty of grains for your health! So far, it has served me well, but if you do decide to try the mix, please leave me a comment with your results. I would really like to know how it is working for everyone.

Clara's Gluten Free Whole Grain Blend
from Clara Ogren, Six Food Intolerance Living
Makes 8.5 cups

2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
2 1/4 cups tapioca starch
2 cups sorghum flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup certified gluten free oat flour (can replace with more sorghum or millet flour)
1/4 cup flaxseed meal


Enjoy!

Hubby and I headed down to San Diego last week. It was his father's 50th birthday and we went to help him celebrate! We mostly ate at home (and his parents were very accommodating to my new lifestyle!), but we did go out a few times.

When we first arrived, Hubby HAD to have In-N-Out (which I have spoken of before). Although it is a fast food joint, they make things with fresh, natural ingredients so it's pretty easy to eat there. The fries are whole potatoes, cut straight in the store and fried in vegetable oil (so while safe for those avoiding only the soy protein, it is not safe for those avoiding all soy products). The burgers are made with 100% all beef with no preservatives, additives or fillers. They are topped with lettuce, tomato, onions (raw, fried or without) and their special spread. To order the burger without a bun you just order it "protein style" and it comes wrapped in lettuce as I have pictured below! YUM!

The other day we ate out, we went down to Little Italy. We started lunch with some DELISH gelato at Pappalecco - so good that I dug in and forgot to take a picture! Life's short, why not start with desert once in a while? ;) Most of the time, with gelato, all the fruit flavors are dairy free. But, I always ask to be sure. Anyway, then we went to a local restaurant called Cafe Zucchero and I ordered ... well, not this:

hahaha!! As much as I wanted to, I resisted the fabulous looking pizza. Hubby didn't help and ordered probably the most GDSYWP-filled thing on the menu! ;) Instead, I ordered this:

A spinach salad topped with carrots, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, avocado and peppercorn-coated ahi tuna. Yum. The dressing was an orange vinaigrette. I just asked for it on the side and removed it. I'm not much for fruity dressings. Instead, I used the oil and vinegar that they brought to the table at the begining of the meal with the bread (which I also of course avoided). The salad was quite large, very satisfying and significantly healthier than what Hubby ordered. Who would have guessed that you could eat safely gluten and dairy free in Little Italy of all places? Just another example that living intolerant free doesn't have to be difficult!

I don't know about you, but I am always on the look-out for new crockpot recipes. I LOVE using my crockpot, but it's hard because between my workday and commute, I am gone from home for a minimum of 10 hours every day! Most crockpot recipes are for much less than that, even if I cook them on low instead of high. So far, I have only found 1 dish and 2 soups that are able to hold up to this timeframe. But then, I came across this recipe and saw that it could go 6-9 hours. I figured, I bet it could hold up a lot longer if it had just a bit more liquid and I tried it! Of course, I also had to tweak it! Here is my version:

Crockpot Salsa Chicken
from Clara Ogren, Six Food Intolerance Living
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts or thighs (can even use frozen)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, NOT drained
1 jar salsa (chose the spiciness level that is right for your family)
2-3 tbsp lime juice
1-2 tsp of adobo powder
Half of a bunch of cilantro, chopped
Tortilla chips or soft corn tortillas

Directions:
Place chicken, salsa, corn, beans, tomatoes (with juice), lime juice and adobo powder into crockpot, mix.
Cook on low for 10-12 hours.
Just before serving, sprinkle in the cilantro, mix in.
To eat, shred chicken (this can be done in the crockpot with a spoon) and serve with tortilla chips, over rice or inside soft corn tortillas.

Tips:
A nice lettuce side salad is the perfect accompaniment to this meal or instead top the salad with the chicken mixture for a fiesta salad
Top with sliced avocado or with a dollop of guacamole
If you are able to have dairy, this dish would be great topped with sour cream and/or shredded cheese


And wouldn't you know it, it held up beautifully for 12 hours. I mixed it around a bit to evenly distribute the liquids and it was perfect as it stayed nice and moist! I took my lid off and on a lot the last 2 hours or so doing a lot of mixing. If yours is too liquidy, just take the lid off, turn the crockpot on high, watch it and mix occasionally. That'll help boil out the liquid. I don't know about you, but I'd rather it be too liquidy and moist than dry and hard! ;)

I ate this rolled up in soft corn tortillas with a side salad. Hubby ate it with tortilla chips and was plenty happy without the cheese (though I'm sure he would have prefered it!).

This dish was super easy - effortless, really and was quite tasty. And, it's pantry-friendly! What more could you ask for? :D

I have a big announcement to make!

You ready?

No, we aren't moving.

No, I didn't win the lottery.

No, I don't have a book deal (yet! anyone wanna give me one? ;) )

No, I'm not pregnant! Why does everyone always ask me that when I say I have an announcement? You trying to tell me I'm fat? ;)


I am the new Baltimore Gluten Free Examiner!

Woo hoo! I'm seriously excited about this. I will be posting 3-4 articles a week dealing not only with gluten intolerance, but other intolerances/allergies too! There will be some subject overlap in posts here and articles there, but the content will be different. I was actually accepted for the position a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to get the page all set up and a few articles published before sending you all over there. It's all set up now so feel free to head over there and check out some nice GDSYWP-free information! Also, be sure to subscribe so you will get an email notification when I upload new articles! :D

Five Guys has always been known for their simple menu, good food and their fresh, never frozen philosophy. They have received several awards and are even Zagat rated. Because of their dedication to fresh, natural foods, they are very understanding of and willing to cater to food intolerances.

In the FAQ section of their website, they specifically address several food allergies. Because of all the information that they provide, I can easily to see how to eat there GDSYWP-free! According to their website, their buns contain gluten, dairy and soy and of course, their cheese contains dairy. Therefore, if I simply avoids the bun, cheese and pork bacon, I can easily to dine there safely! (If you have intolerances to egg, also avoid the bun and if you have intolerances to peanuts - stay out of the restaurant!! Not only is peanut oil the only oil to be found in this restaurant, but shell-on peanuts are also served openly as an appetizer.)

But don't think because I can't have the spongy bun or the melty cheese that I'm missing out! I have the choice of an all-beef hot dog or a burger with one or two patties. And, there are plenty of delicious toppings to choose from to flavor my humble burger. I can chose from: mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, relish, tomato, lettuce, pickles, raw or grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, green bell peppers, fresh jalapeños, and three sauces - A-1, hot and barbeque. The food is served wrapped in a piece of foil and is placed on a plastic tray or in a signature grease-stained brown paper bag.

As a side, they offer fresh french fries - cut in the store from real potatoes. There is even a white-board in every store telling you from where the potatoes being served that day came! The fries are available in regular or large size - though either is more than enough for two people to share. The styrofoam cup that they are served in is often overflowing with those crisp-outside yet soft-inside potatoy goodness. There is also an option to have the fries Cajun style where they come sprinkled in a delightful mixture of spices. Yum! I complete my meal with a cold Coca-Cola brand fountain soda, iced tea or bottled water.

While there is always a risk of cross contamination, the staff there is very willing to accommodate when given clear instructions. When I order, I let the cashier know that I have a wheat and a dairy allergy and that I would like my hamburger or hot dog served with no bun and no cheese. I also request that the assembler of my meal put on new plastic gloves. What I receive is a foil-wrapped burger or hot dog, then the toppings and sauces will be in separate foil or plastic cups, ready for me to assemble to my liking. They do have plastic forks and knives there, though I have yet to find one that has plates, but the unwrapped piece of foil works well enough (Five Guys - if you're reading, some nice sturdy cardboard plates would be greatly appreciated!! :D).