Check out this awesome article on ABC News about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. Reporter Lindsey Ellerson did a fantastic job talking about the disease, the most recent research from the Mayo Clinic and the personal side of living on a gluten-free diet.
The Canadian Celiac Association has published new guidelines regarding the safety of blue cheese for those on a gluten-free diet. Here's what they say:
Calling all celiac support group leaders! If you're looking for a delicious new snack, check out Bhuja gluten-free snack mixes. The four mixes (original, fruit, nut and cracker) are made using the highest quality ingredients, combining gluten-free multigrain noodles, crunchy garden peas, peanuts, and rice crackers with a savory blend of aromatic spices. The fruit mix adds in apricots and dates for a delicious burst of sweetness.
I just got back from a trip to New York City and it left me craving delicious breakfast pastries. You know what i'm talking about...walking down the street in NYC, you pass hundreds of bakeries with the most delicious looking pastries and cakes in the window. My mouth is always watering, but of course none of them are gluten-free. But never-to-fear, my mom's famous Peach & Blueberry Coffee Cake is so easy to make and will satisfy event the worst sweet tooth! The fresh fruit helps keep the cake extra moist and adds a delicious sweetness.
Vanessa's All Purpose GF Flour Mix
2 cups brown rice Flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together and set aside for use in the topping and cake.
Gluten-Free Peach & Blueberry Coffee Cake
1 ½ cups Vanessa's All Purpose GF Flour Mix
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup fresh blueberries
2 fresh peaches, sliced in thin slices
Topping:
4 Tblsp sugar
2 Tblsp butter at room temperature
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp GF flour
All ingredients and bowls should be at room temperature.
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sour cream. Add vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until smooth. This only takes a short time.
5. Spread the batter in an oiled 9x9 round baking pan. Dot with fruit, by starting with the peaches, placing in a spiral pattern around the pan. Sprinkle blueberries over the top.
6. Mix streusel topping ingredients together until it resembles cornmeal. Sprinkle over the batter. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For those of you who don't know Carolyn Lynch McKinley, she's a celiac superstar. For the last several years she has dedicated her life to helping everyone in Northwest Arkansas with celiac disease improve their lives and enjoy being on a gluten-free diet. She's worked tirelessly to bring more gluten-free options to Arkansas and now holds multiple leadership roles within the celiac community. She's a dynamic lady and I'm honored to know her and call her a close friend. Now....Carolyn needs our help!!
Not only is Carolyn a superstar, but so is her mom and Reader's Digest has nominated her for a major award to help a local school in Arkansas! Carolyn's mom organized a Junior Master Gardner Program and the program is now a finalist in the Reader's Digest "Good Food Gardens Contest." The winner of the contest receives a $10,000 to continue the garden project. So, please take just a moment to vote for West Side Elementary School in Edgemont AR.
To give you a little bit of info about the West Side Elementary Garden Program that Carolyn's mom volunteers with, they teach the kids lessons on soil types, photosynthesis, seed germiantion, the benefits of plans and tons more! Just think of how much valuable information these kids are getting!! So, please, please please, take a moment and vote now!
Cast your vote at: http://www.rd.com/goodFoodGarden/vote.do
General Mills definitely heard our cries! After reformulating the Rice Chex cereal last year, the company kept pushing full steam ahead and has just added five new titles to the gluten-free category! You can now purchase Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex, Cinnamon Chex and Strawberry Chex and rest assured that all are safe for the gluten-free diet!
When I was little girl, my mom and I used to cook with Chex cereal all the time, so now I'm so excited to get back to using the cereal in my recipes! Here's one I found on the Chex website that is fantastic! It's and easy berry cheesecake that uses Chocolate Chex for the crust. Yummy!
Berry Mini Cheesecakes
Crust:
1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chex® cereal, crushed to 1 cup
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
1 package (8 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 containers (6 oz each) strawberry yogurt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Topping:
2 cups fresh berries (such as sliced strawberries, raspberries and/or blueberries)
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation Directions:
1. Heat oven to 300ºF. Line 12 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups.
2. In medium bowl, mix crust ingredients. Press about 1 tablespoon crust mixture into bottom of each lined muffin cup.
3. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 1/3 cup sugar and the egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add yogurt and cornstarch. Beat on low speed until smooth. Spoon about 3 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are firm and center is jiggly. Turn off oven; cool in oven 30 minutes with door closed. Remove from oven to cooling rack; cool at room temperature 30 minutes. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours. Remove from muffin pans.
5. Top cheesecakes with fresh fruit. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over fruit.
My parents are huge breakfast fans, so whenever they come to visit, I have to make sure to plan several delicious gluten-free breakfasts. My dad loves pastries, coffee cakes, pancakes and anything sweet and my mom is obsessed with gluten-free blueberry coconut muffins! So, on their most recent trip, I decided to take on both of their taste buds and whip up a new recipe for gluten-free cinnamon streusel muffins.
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Vanessa's All Purpose GF Flour Mix
2 cups brown rice Flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together and set aside for use in the topping and cake.
Streusel Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 Vanessa's All Purpose GF Flour Mix
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl until a crumbly mixture forms. Set aside.
Cake
1.5 cups Vanessa's All Purpose GF Flour Mix
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup melted butter
1/2 cup skim milk
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together and set aside.
2. In a standing mixer, combine egg, sugar and melted butter and mix on low speed until well combined. Add in milk and vanilla and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Slowly add in flour mixture on low speed and mix well, about 3 minutes.
4. Pour batter into greased muffin tray and sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over each muffin.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Since I was diagnosed with celiac disease about five years ago, I have grown to love foods that have bold flavors. I love Mexican food because of the fabulous spices like cumin, cilantro and garlic. And Italian food is incredible with its combination of tomatoes, basil, oregano and cheeses. I was lucky enough to sample several incredible restaurants during a recent trip to Chicago.
I have always heard that Chicago has some pretty good gluten-free food, but after this trip, I'm willing to brave the extreme weather again just to have another slice of pizza and a bowl of guacamole!!
The first piece of gluten-free pizza I had in Chicago was from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. Lou Malnati's is the
one of the oldest family pizza restaurants in Chicago, dating back to
the 1940s. Lou Malnati's if famous for its deep-dish pizza that is
handmade and each pizza is prepared to the customer's specification. In
my case, I needed a gluten-free pizza, which I thought might be a
problem for a pizza place, but not Lou Malnati's! There is a Crustless
Deep Dish Pizza available that is certified gluten-free on the menu and
is delicious! The crustless pizza is made from a large round sausage
base and can be topped with all of the same toppings as any regular
pizza! Lous Malnati's came highly reccommended to me before I left on
my trip and I have to say that I definitely agree...it is delicious!
The second gluten-free pizza I had in Chicago came from Marcello's: A Father and Son Restaurant. The
restaurant is fabulous about preparing the gluten-free pizzas in a safe
envioronment and even hands out a flyer to customers that explains the
handling procedures and lists all of the ingredients! They prepare
their gluten-free pizza crusts in a sterile environment and cook the
crust on parchment paper so it never touches the oven. All of the
toppings are handled with caution to ensure there is no
cross-contamination. I ordered a gluten-free pizza with
tomatoes,spinach, mushrooms and basil and topped with mozzarella &
romano cheese that was absolutely incredible! My mouth is watering for
more!!
My last gluten-free dining expereince in Chicago was at the Adobo Grill.
I was immediatly excited when I learned that not only did they have a
gluten-free menu, but also a Tequila Bar! There were tons of
gluten-free options including grilled flank steak in chile morita adobo sauce, roasted butternut squash & wild mushroom enchiladas, quesadillas
stuffed with huitlacoche, cheese, fresh corn and ancho salsa and even a
chocoalte tamale for dessert! This is just a brief glimpse at the
gluten-free menu. There are tons of delicious options! And, don't
forget the guacamole bar! Instead of chips, Adobo Grill serves jicama
chips to those on a gluten-free diet!
So
next time you're in Chicago, have no fear! There are tons of options to
more than satisfy even the largest of gluten-free appetites!
I've lived in Washington, DC for the past eight years of my life and thought I had found every restaurant in the metro area that offers a specialty gluten-free menu. But just yesterday, I stumbled upon a hidden gem: Java Green Cafe.
The cafe is located on 19th and K, right in the heart of downtown Washington, DC. I've walked past Java Green probably a thousand times since I've lived here, but never ventured in because it looked like nothing more than a small cafe with very few choices for meals. But after so many times walking right past it, I decided yesterday to go inside just to check it out.
My eyes were immediately drawn to several bold and colorful mentions of "gluten-free" on the cafe's large, wall-mounted menus. There were gluten-free specifications for nearly every section of the menu! And, right on the top shelf of the food-prep area were several bags of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free products, including the Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix.
Java Green considers itself a "green business" and serves only organic varieties of fruits, vegetables, breads, beans, rice, wheat-free soy sauce and noodles. The menu offers sandwiches, wraps, noodle and rice bowls, as well as juices, smoothies, coffees and tea.
Of course, I had to order a gluten-free sandwich, and I'm so glad I did! It was incredible. I ordered the gluten-free version of the Java California Sandwich, which featured gluten-free bread filled with avocado, fresh spinach, cheddar, Swiss and provolone cheeses and an avocado spread. Once the sandwich was made, it went into a Panini press to heat it up. Honestly, it was one of the most delicious lunches I've had since being diagnosed with celiac disease.
The best part of the meal was when I actually placed my order. The gentleman taking orders was incredibly well-versed about gluten-free and knew exactly how to enter the special order into the computer. He talked me through my options and made me feel very safe about eating the food. So, I guess I have to go back and try every other gluten-free item on the menu!
JAVA GREEN ECO CAFE
1020 19th Street N.W.
Washington D.C. 20036
Phone: (202) 775-8899
Fax: (202) 315-3485
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