Monday, October 26, 2009

JOIN MY FACEBOOK GROUP!




I've created a Facebook group for
glutenfreelovelee. It will be for members to share information on anything gluten free. So come and join, and tell your friends!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE COELIAC DISEASE IF...




I found this hilarious list on the Facebook group
'You know you have Celiac Disease if...' Enjoy!

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE CELIAC DISEASE...

- If you dont remember what crackers are supposed to taste like.

- If you bring "special" beer to the party, and don't share.

- If you actually have nightmares about reading labels.
- If you compare all of your food to "normal-people-food."

- If you call all your relatives when you get sick. It MUST be because something you ate has been cross-contaminated.

- If you cry when you discover a new way to make gluten-free bread. And call all your relatives.
- If you know that Xantham Gum is not for chewing.
- If you don't lick stamps.

- If your mother is afraid to do the cooking

- If you sit on the phone with a pharmacy for an hour to find out what type of starch they use just so that you can take a generic Tylenol and be-rid of your headache.
- If you know that spelt is a distant cousin of wheat, but buckwheat is not related to wheat at all.

- If the construction workers working on the house next door to you can EASILY substitute your bread for one of their bricks.

- If your grandmother INSISTS that you don't have celiac, you're just “suffering from malabsorption”

- If you burst into tears of relief at the sight of the words "gluten free" stamped on the corner of the Nestle hot cocoa mix.

- If you actually KNOW what an anti-TTG and an IGA blood test are.

- If you forget to buy bun, rolls, bread, ect. at the store for all the gluten eaters of you family.

- If you sold your house to buy groceries
- If you sold your first child to buy groceries (even if you did not have one at the time)

- If you can find "hidden gluten" in food labels in the blink of an eye - if your family couldn't find them if they had a magnifying glass, dictionary, and Ph.D.
- If you've actually suggested cardboard for dinner.

- If you've actually eaten cardboard for dinner.

- If you wept the first time you tried to make gluten free sugar cookies
- If you accept that fact that cardboard probably taste better than gluten free sugar cookies anyway.

- If you have ever made a list of everything you would eat if a magical genie could cure you.
- If you keep this list with you at all times just incase you should come across a magical genie.

- If you have searched for a magical genie.

- If you now have a large collection of old lamps.

- If you get a medical exemption out of cooking class because they are baking bread.
- If you've had to give a doctor a crash course in Celiac 101.
- If you weep at picnics, parties, receptions and fast food joints.
- If you weep at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

- If you've "brown bagged it" to an elegant dinner engagement.

- If a 7 Course Meal is a 1 Course Meal for you. Lettuce.

- If you've installed floor-to-ceiling bookcases in your bathroom.

- If you've ever driven more than 40 miles to buy flour or a cookie.

- If it takes you 4 hours to grocery shop and your eyesight is
ruined.
- If you hyperventilate when passing by the bakery counter.

- If you've ever deliberately rammed your cart into a Shredded Wheat
display in a fit of rage.
- If you've ever had to take out a loan to pay the grocery bill.
- If you'd gladly pay any price for a pretzel that doesn't taste like
sawdust, or bread that doesn't taste like an old shoe.
- If the centerpiece on your dining room table is a bread machine with memorial candles.

- If your bread looks like a moon rock and tastes like dried out Play
Doh.
- If your bread weighs more than any moon rock could possibly weigh.

- If one of your primary goals in life is to create "Fake Oreo Cookies".
- If you've disinherited loved ones for putting their knife in your
mayo.
- If you've brought a suitcase full of food with you on a cruise.
- If you pace and circle the store three or four times when deciding on a new product, pick it up look at the ingredients, each time. Only to leave without it, figuring why bother.

- If your family thinks you're crazy for not tasting their new chocolate chip cookie recipe, because surely a little nibble couldn't hurt right?

- If your financial portfolio consists of stock in two major toilet paper companies.

- If you are up late at night trying to develop a recipe for pizza without flour, cheese, yeast, tomatoes, beef, garlic and oregano.
- If you can spell transglutaminase and dermatitis herpetiformis.

- If you just discovered how to make flour out of turnips.

- If you show up at the annual church pancake breakfast with a mask and sardine lettuce rollups

- If having solid poop is the highlight of your day.

- If you have actually doodled a new cartoon dog on your notes named "Sprue"

- If you have a sign in your kitchen saying "Gluten free environment"

- If you have actually considered using a gluten-free bagel for a hockey puck

- If you've mastered saying "I actually enjoy MY food" without your face twitching

- If you know all about xanthan gum and its uses.
- If you have ever dreamt about Wonder Bread.
- If you hide the gluten-free cookies when guests come over, so they dont eat them.
- If you read the ingredient label on green tea - plain green tea.
- If you know exactly when Post added barley flavoring back to the Fruity Pebbles and you're ticked.

- If you pay relatives back east exorbitant shipping rates to send you a $12 six pack of Gluten-free beer.
- If you cried when you saw your usually careful husband brushing the crumbs off his hands (from making a gluten-containing sandwich) RIGHT OVER the open utensil drawer

- If you talk about your disease (not the unpleasant parts) so much to your friends and acquaintances that your husband tells you you need to get another hobby
- If you take a list of safe drinks to the bar with you. And actually consult it before you order a drink.

- If you see someone buying rice flour in the bulk section and you just have to ask them if they are gluten intolerant too!

- If it drives you crazy when someone says they completely understand your diet, they did Atkins.
- If people roll their eyes at you when you say "no thank you" to someone's gluten filled dessert

- If you've refused things as "simple" as gum or sucking candies because you don't know if they're safe.
- If you talk about endoscopy's and colonoscopy's like these are normal everyday occurences that everyone gets nearly every year.
- If you've ever watched your own -scopy, and asked the doc to point out anything cool.

IKEA DOES GLUTEN FREE!




I was in IKEA recently and had my obligatory stop in the food section (just after the main checkouts) to stock up on some IKEA chocolate - if you haven't tried them, you really should! I thought I'd have a look at what other products they have, and was very happy when I found some gluten free salty licorice, yum! And then even more surprised when I looked in the freezer section and found a gluten free cheesecake and a chocolate torte! IKEA does gluten free! Not usually one to buy pre-made cakes, I thought I'd better bend a rules the bit, purely in the name of research of course. The cheesecake was a bit of a let down. It was quite flat, and the cheese section wasn't very 'cheesy'. The chocolate torte however was quite rich and tasty. Both weren't the prettiest things to look at, so if you were planning on serving them up to guests you would want to have some things to decorate them with to make them a bit more special, such as a pile of berries on top or some cream or ice cream to serve with the torte.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

RICOTTA, BUTTERMILK AND RICE FLOUR PANCAKE



I woke up early this morning (so much for my sleep in!), so decided to walk down to the shops to grab a coffee, the Sunday papers and some salt to have on my avocado on toast. On my way to the shops the idea of pancakes popped into my head - I have no idea why! Then I remembered making ricotta pancakes as a kid (I've always loved being in the kitchen), that were fluffy and moist. So many gluten free pancakes that I have had have been dry or rubbery and left me feeling like I had swallowed a brick! As I walked around the isles of Franklins I thought about how I could try and create a gluten free ricotta pancake, and must say I was pretty impressed with myself when it worked first go! So here's the recipe for you to try for yourself...

INGREDIENTS

1/3C rice flour
pinch salt
1 tsp caster sugar
1 egg
1/4C ricotta
1/4C buttermilk
extra ricotta,
frozen raspberries and maple syrup to serve

METHOD
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a fork until a smooth batter forms.
2. Heat a small, non-stick frypan over low/medium heat with a small piece of butter (you could use a vegetable oil). Once butter has melted, pour batter into frypan.
3. When bubbles form on the top side of the batter, flip the pancake over and keep on heat until cooked through - it should still be a bit moist inside though.
4. Serve with a dollop of ricotta, some thawed frozen raspberries and lashings of maple syrup.

Makes one pancake - which is enough to fill me up for breakfast. Multiply the mix by however many pancakes you want to make!

DELIKATESY



My dear friend, Viktor, from Slovakia produces an online food magazine, Delikatesy, and featured an article on my blog. For any of my Slovak readers it's definitely worth checking out this online magazine!

GRAIN FREE PASTA




Back a couple of months ago at the Gluten Free Expo I picked up a pack of pasta from the Pasta @ Home stand. I'm not usually a fan of trying other brands of gluten free pasta, as unfortunately so many of them are horrible, but I thought I would give this one a go because it sounded interesting - not only is it gluten free, it's also grain free - and cooks in under 2 minutes! It's made from a mix of potato, tapioca, quinoa and amaranth flours. The cooking instructions said to place in boiling water for one minute then drain well and stand for 30 seconds - I found that mine wasn't cooked enough after this time, so extended the boiling time by a couple of minutes. I then mixed it up with some tuna, lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley. It was really quite delicious, the pasta has a nice flavour and the texture was good - not the same as 'regular' pasta, but still good. And quite a quick way to whip up a healthy meal.

Their range includes spirals, shells and macaroni. You can order on their website and they also have a range of stockists.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

BAGUETTE HEAVEN!

About a month ago I was shopping in Harris Farm Markets and I came across a bigger range of gluten free breads than they used to stock. One in particular caught my eye - a baguette! There were two in a pack, and they were a decent size (especially for something that is gluten free!) and were just under $10. Having had so many bad-bread experiences in the past I am always hesitant about forking out the money to try a new brand. I put a pack in my trolley, walked around for a bit, then returned the pack to the shelf. The thought of the anticipation of biting through the crunchy crust of French baguette and it being an utter disappointment was too much to handle! The idea of the baguette however was hard to erase from my memory, and over the next few weeks it kept making an appearance in my mind. That initial crunch, then the soft, warm, fluffy bread inside... would I ever be able to experience this sensation in my gluten-free existence?!

I was driving home tonight with a container full of sliced ham left over from a Christmas photo shoot at work, trying to dream up a dinner I could make from it. The baguette popped back into my thoughts. I caved. I took a quick detour via Harris Farm Markets, picked up a pack of baguettes, an avocado and some vine ripened tomatoes. As soon as I got home I heated the oven to 200ÂșC, cut one of the baguettes in half, put it (impatiently) in the oven for 10 minutes while the house filled with the that wonderful bread aroma. Once my timer sounded I cautiously opened the oven and re
moved the baguette, nervous to touch it and it not feel crunchy. 'Tap, tap'... ooh, that is a good sound! I then cut into it with my bread knife, little flecks of crust flew off and the sound was just divine. I filled it with my ham, avocado and tomato and finished it off with a generous dose of ground pepper, took a quick snap of it, and then apprehensively bit in. YUM!! I don't know if it's because I have been deprived of gluten for so long that it tasted just like a 'normal' baguette, or if it was just really darn good! I will have to try it out on a non-GF soon and give you the verdict. In the mean time, if you are a baguette lover like me, find where your nearest Schar stockist is ASAP!!