gluten free

Spring Into Eating Safely…Let Me Rant a Little First!

Okay, call this my spring bitch rant.  Need to freak safely and this blog is my vent place! First, let me say that I am great being gluten free.  But, I am tired of justifying to people I barely know as to why I can’t eat gluten.  I am very tired of friends and even family saying words that clearly imply that I might sometimes choose to eat things that contain gluten, say a slice of birthday cake or a tasty looking donut.  That just makes me nearly crazy.  Because that idea is nuts to someone with celiac; that you can just eat a slice of regular cake because you want it.  That is nuts.  If you have celiac it is a serious, life threatening allergy, not some diet choice.  Eating gluten can give any combination of up to 200 symptoms. None of them are fun or worth having just for a few bites of dessert.

My reactions include burning pain in the area of my small intestine.  I get extremely tired, to the point of being unable to function. My head aches and I can do nothing but lie down for a long time, generally several hours. It is sort of like a stomach flu and generally is unmistakably from accidental consumption of gluten. Other people with celiac may have different symptoms than me, some terrible and some rather mild.  There is a wide range of how severe the symptoms are of someone with celiac.  But even without any noticeable symptoms anyone with celiac who eats gluten (wheat, rye or barley) is damaging their small intestine in a serious and lasting way.  That exposure to gluten can lead to malnutrition, leaky gut, cancer and a few other diseases.  Celiac is serious business, not to be ignored or made light of.  It totally pisses me off when someone makes light of my disease.

It used to annoy me when I went to a function and couldn’t eat anything.  Two years ago I was at a church gathering with a 40 foot long table of desserts and not one single one that I could eat safely.  I had a glass of water.  That was all that was okay for me.  These days there is often something safe I can eat.  Sometimes people serve a vegetable tray or some cubed cheese.  I always hope they will keep the crackers on a separate plate and get a dip that is marked gluten free.  I was at a pastoral installation last week and there were two kinds of gluten free cake and gluten free rolls for sandwiches as well as a ton of fresh fruit and trays of raw veggies that I could enjoy.  What a difference! I asked and discovered that someone in the congregation was celiac so they knew to serve some safe foods for those of us who cannot consume gluten.

It should be known that I really am glad to be eating safe for me.  I feel so much better.  I was amazed at how great my tummy felt about two weeks after I was totally gluten free in my diet.  And that continues to this day.  It’s wonderful to feel healthy.  It was very difficult to be happy with a constantly painful gut.  Now, 2 ¼ years later I have found many good recipes, many tasty ways to eat safely.  There is not huge sacrifice in always eating gluten free.  Getting that gf baking thing down these days feels fantastic. My brownies are crazy good.  I bake muffins far better than my old gluten filled ones.  The fennel and golden raisin bread I recently made was amazing, my sister is still raving about the flavor and aroma.  She eats wheat but she loves my Christmas cookies, said so the other day; that they were the best this past holiday season. fennel italian bread 012turkey meatballs, cranberry blue muffins 004shortbread cookie 001xmas cookies 006

So please, do not pity me. I don’t want or need it.  Quite the opposite: you can envy my perfect brownies or my lovely lemon almond cake or my best ever chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Or all the entrees and sides I now make safely with a variety of starches or flours that don’t include gluten.  I am totally fine.  I don’t have to take any medicines to make me well.  I just need to keep all the gluten away from my body, not in my food, my medicine, my shampoo or my moisturizer.  Not even a pinch of it- anything from 20 parts per million is contamination. 

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Please don’t be offended if I don’t eat food I am not sure is totally gluten free.  I have lost friends that way; they were actually offended that I got sick at their house. If you bake, don’t make me a cake in your pan that baked wheat flour cakes, use a disposable aluminum pan.  And read the freaking labels if you cook for someone with celiac.  It is appalling how many foods have wheat contamination issues due to the equipment a lot of food is processed in/on or by. Don’t trust promises by caterers. I wrote a post on that once.

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I am good these days.  I really am. No pity…maybe you can have some dessert envy as I’m still a great baker! Gluten free is no death sentence. For those of us with celiac it is more a release from pain, undiagnosed suffering and a way to live healthier and happier. I blog so you can eat safely too, or cook safely for someone you love. Be happy, enjoy good food and live with joy.  I know I do!

The High Cost of Gluten Free = DIY Baking!

Everyone knows gluten free foods cost more.  They cost more partially due to higher costs for some ingredients and partially the extra cost in the process to avoid cross contamination.  The rest of the increased cost is the greed of manufacturers who know they have us gf types over the proverbial barrel.

I, myself, find that baking my own treats and desserts is much more fun than buying expensive stuff that can taste like cardboard.  It is an adventure to bake gluten free.  Sometimes the desserts can be even tastier than they were with all purpose flour.  It is so rewarding when that happens!  Some recipes are easier than others.

This post was inspired by my friend Cortney who is gluten free but says she isn’t much of a baker.  My goal is to encourage her and others in the same boat to get baking.  Begin with something easy and build your baking confidence.

brownies

A good starting point would be brownies.  The recipe I use; see post recipe from March 28, 2014, is very easy to put together and they are crazy good.  The method is actually identical to how I made my classic version when I used all purpose flour years ago.

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Another fairly easy thing to make – muffins. I have posted a number of excellent muffin recipes over this past year.  The recipes are very similar to each other. Basically, you mix the dry ingredients and keep dumping in the rest of the ingredients in the order listed.  Stir briefly to combine and spoon into greased muffin tins and bake.  One point: don’t use more than two kinds of fruit or the flavor will be confused. Muffins are tasty, useful and easy peasey.

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Once you get comfortable with brownies and muffins then you can upgrade to making cookies.  I have found a few great ones and some of them aren’t too difficult. Russian teacakes are very similar in technique to the wheat flour based version but are actually better in texture and flavor.  Another great cookie is the cowboy cookie; see my post last fall. Please try cookie baking, they are much yummier than ones you can buy and frankly cheaper.

rolls

When you get more confident you can try making rolls. I have posted a recipe or two I use often.  The puffy ones I make in muffin pans are so so easy and everyone loves them.  I guarantee it!

Once you get rolls down you can think about that bread thing.  I like making gf french bread.  You do need that special pan with the tiny holes and the rolling shape for cradling the dough/loaves.  The recipe I love is from food.com. Easy peasy and great for family dinners.

blueberry peach pie slice

Then there is pie; I really love the crusts I use for regular pie and the cookie crust for gf tarts.  Both are made in the mixer and the texture and flavor is very good. The crumb crust is so easy and I dump together the crust ingredients in my stand mixer to stir it up.  Chill briefly and roll out between wax paper, parchment paper or in a pie bag (my choice!) Check some of the recipes I have posted for pies or tarts.

These suggestions should get you started in the right direction to conquer gluten free baking. I will give you a few months to get down those six suggested baking areas for beginners.  Then we can revisit and go for trickier stuff!

You CAN do gf baking even if you are not much of a baker.  There isn’t any kneading and not as much shaping or forming as with white wheat based flours.  Don’t be psyched out by your fears of the freaky gluten free flours.  Don’t buy every flour under the sun like I did! I use that brown rice blend for a lot of my recipes. Two very good choices for a ready made mix are Better Batter or Cup 4 Cup.

PS: I read an article recently that is full of great advice; if you are new to gluten free or struggling with it; read this twice! I did…. http://www.moneytalksnews.com/21-delicious-ways-eat-gluten-free-budget/?all=1

Bake on my friends, bake on!

Italian Sausage and Pepper Spaghetti: Perfetto!

Sometimes necessity is the mother of tasty invention in my kitchen! This is a “what’s in the fridge” post.  I had some nice looking organic Italian pork sausage in long sandwich links.  I had a red pepper and some onions and a can of crushed tomatoes.  I wanted to make a pasta dish but was craving sausage with peppers and onions.  This is my invention: sausage and pepper spaghetti.  Sounds basic but I never thought of combining the concepts of that old favorite: sausage with onions and peppers with a fairly traditional red spaghetti sauce.  This recipe marriage turned out just delicious. Plus it was relatively quick and easy too. My kind of recipe…

I made sure to not overcook the sauce so it was rather fresh flavored and I cooked the pasta for a couple minutes in the sauce and sausage mixture.  I cut my onions and peppers into two sizes to give variety in the chunky sauce.

Of course, if you would like to use another protein like chicken sausage, go for it. This is not one of those recipes where you have to follow the instructions and ingredient list perfectly.  Be creative and use what you have on hand. Go with the freshest and best quality ingredients available, don’t stray too far from the concept and it will be hard to go wrong with this entrée.

I honestly don’t think gluten free spaghetti could have been any better than this tasted. To put it another way, I didn’t miss wheat based pasta when I chowed down on this homey meal.  I would serve it without hesitation to my wheat loving family knowing they would enjoy every bite just like me.

Here are all my cooking pictures; sometimes it is annoying when they are all spaced out in the recipe; clumping them together for your convenience!

 

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Angie’s Spaghetti with Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

1 lb fresh Italian sausage

1-2 tbsp. of EVOL

1 large yellow onion, sliced in long strips, half diced

1 large red pepper, sliced into long strips and half diced

2 garlic cloves, one minced and one sliced

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp. white wine

Directions

I used a large cast iron frying pan; I know what you are thinking! Cast iron and tomatoes…not a great choice….well it fries stuff so well and I didn’t cook the sauce really long – so I think it was okay to use cast iron. But, in any case, use a large pan; 12 to 14 inch with at least three inch sides to hold all that sauce.  Heat the pan; add the olive oil, when it is hot put in the sausage links.  Brown on two opposite sides; about 4 minutes a side.  Add the onions, stir it up and put the links on top of the onions.  Cook 3 minutes, add the sliced/chopped pepper and stir well.  Cook a minute or two, add the garlic, cook one minute, stir it up and add the canned crushed tomato and the herbs and stir again. I rinsed the tomato can out with the white wine and poured it in.  Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

Make the pasta, I used GF Barilla, salt the water well and stir it almost constantly while it boils. I undercooked it a minute.  Drain quickly, return to the pasta pot, pour in the sauce and sausage and cook 2 minutes.  Be sure to stir it several times as the sauce blends into the pasta so it doesn’t stick on the bottom.  Taste to be sure the pasta is done and adjust the seasoning; salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve with some freshly shredded real parmesan cheese on top; much better than that canned pre-grated cheese. Perfection!

Red Lentil and Orange Soup for Spring Snow Supper

I hear we are in for one last snow on Friday, the first day of spring. Well, I sure hope it is the last storm!  That’s my excuse for why I can’t resist posting another soup.  I made this batch last week; I’ve wanted to try it for a few weeks.  It did not disappoint me with its unusual flavors and I enjoyed every naturally gluten free spoonful.

I did modify it somewhat, of course!  I changed the cilantro for parsley as I am not fond of cilantro and there is a reduced amount of garlic and of orange juice.  I love the bright flavors in this potage and as a bonus it is very healthy with the fresh orange juice, lentil beans, garlic and onions. If you love cilantro, sub it in for the parsley by all means.

Note, the red lentils, which you can get at the health food store, turn a soft maize color when cooked.  I think some brands are more orange in color but mine usually turns that soft yellow. red lentils

This recipe is a bit spicy but light as there isn’t any dairy or meat in this soup.  You will find this a great spring soup for this chilly spring week. 

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These are the sauted onions resting in a bowl before going back into the soup.

 

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Broth in the soup, lentils are low in the pot!

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Red Lentil and Orange Soup

Ingredients

  • ½ a bunch (1-inch-diameter bouquet at stems) fresh parsley
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3medium onions, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
  • Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
  • 2large garlic cloves, fine chopped
  • One1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and fine chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
  • Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
  • One 14-ounce can chicken broth
  • 2-1/2 cups water
  • 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
  • Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon

Instructions

Wash and dry the bunch of parsley. Cut off the bottom 2 to 3 inches of the stems and chop them fine. Set them aside. Coarse-chop half of the remaining parsley leaves, refrigerating the rest for another dish.

Generously film the bottom of a 3 quart saucepan with olive oil – like two or  three tablespoons and heat it over high heat. Stir in two-thirds of the onions, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onions just begin to brown. Blend in the parsley stems, half the parsley leaves which you chopped, garlic, ginger, ground coriander seed, and the orange zest. Sauté all of that for about 20 seconds over high heat, until the pan smells fragrant. Scrape out into a bowl and set aside.

Pour the broth, water, lentils, and remaining onions into the same saucepan. Bring to a gentle bubble, partially cover, and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the lentils are nearly tender. Add the sautéed onions and seasonings and additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot tightly and simmer for another 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Stir in the juice from half a lemon, the juice of the zested orange, and additional water, broth or orange juice to taste, starting with 2/3 cup. Then warm and sample the soup for salt, pepper, and lemon juice, adjust them as needed.

Scatter the remaining parsley tops over the soup, and ladle it into deep bowls.

The original recipe before modifications came from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift, Clarkson Potter, 2008.

Bellissimo at Bella’s

Dinner out as a celiac is often fraught, cross contamination makes it so easy to ingest gluten and it is so hard to find memorably good  gluten free food.  This weekend we went to a restaurant where I have eaten safely four times in the past two years plus it is close by, no need to travel a distance for a decent meal.  Where you ask? Bella’s, right here on Main Street in Hellertown.  I have written about them before but they don’t know my face so I get the same good service as any other patron. This meal was definitely worth writing about.

bella sign

I usually get their ziti and once I tried the ravioli, both on the special gluten free menu I always ask for.  All were excellent. This time I did the unthinkable; I ordered off the nightly special!  Our very friendly and incredibly accommodating waitress went and asked the chef if he could make it with gluten free pasta and flour free as to the sauce.  Chef was willing and I waited with much anticipation.  Eating off the nightly special menu is something I haven’t been able to do in over two years.

I enjoyed a tasty house salad full of baby spinach leaves while we waited for our entrees.  Joe had a cup of soup with spinach and tortellini.  He said it was very good.  I sat dreaming of the day when I can buy gf tortellini in the pasta aisle and make my own version.

The atmosphere at Bella’s was enjoyable: their decorations were pleasing to my eyes, agreeable soft lighting, tables not too close and the Sinatra was quite soothing.  It was not loud in the dining room but I experienced a good buzz of laughter and talk; the vocal music of a restaurant full of happy customers!

salmon with shrimp

I confess I forgot myself and ate some salmon and pasta before this picture was snapped.

 

Our entrees came.  Mine was glorious looking.  A salmon fillet covered with sautéed red onions, fresh tomato and smoked mozzarella cheese.  It was resting in a sea of ziti with a light wine sauce with large and small shrimp swimming around (well, maybe the shrimp were just laying in it but I like to have fun with words!)  The menu didn’t mention them. Bonus!!

I dove in and the flavors were fantastic, the buttery wine sauce played oh so well with the salmon and its toppings.  But wait; I couldn’t find any avocado on my plate.  That was what had attracted me to this dish in the first place.  If you expect something that was mentioned in the menu then I feel you have the right to speak up and politely ask for it.  So I did and shortly a young man in an apron with a bowl of avocado slices showed up. He introduced himself as the chef; he was full of apologies for forgetting avocado on my dish and placed several slices on my salmon. How cool is that? A chef that cares enough to personally fix an issue right at table, Wow!

With the avocado it was even more amazing in the flavor department.  I declined to finish the large serving; saved some pasta and shrimp for lunch the next day.  Joe enjoyed his eggplant rolled and served in vodka sauce but I was just blown away by the complex flavors in my entree and that it was gluten free and whipped up that way especially for me.

Chalk up another safe meal for me at Bella’s.  I can’t wait to go back and try something else.   If you are celiac like me and dread meals out; this is the place to go.  Five times and never disappointed or glutened.  Perfect Italian and perfectly safe.