This 4th of July weekend will officially launch grilling and barbecue season for Eddie & I! I really look forward to this time of year because he'll be in charge of the meat on the grill, and I just have to whip up a couple of side dishes or salads to accompany the main course. I love doing cool side dishes, so they can be made ahead of time and I can sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine while Eddie puts his grill master skills to use.
In addition to dealing with my gluten intolerance, I also have to prepare food for us that does not have any tomato product. Eddie cannot have anything with tomatoes. I have searched high and low for a non-tomato based barbecue sauce, but to no avail. Many bbq sauces also contain gluten, so I decided to make my own. I found a good recipe online, then made some modifications to it and created a really delicious, gluten- and tomato-free bbq sauce.
No Tomato BBQ Sauce
2 cups chili sauce*
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce*
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Tabasco pepper sauce
1 tablespoon barbecue rub
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1 cup root beer (see notes below recipe)
*Be sure to check the labels for these two items. Not all chili sauces are gluten free. I use Chun's Sweet Chili Asian Marinade and Lee & Perrins Worchestershire sauce.
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients (except the root beer) in a nonreactive saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until dark, thick, and richly flavored, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean jar and cool completely before placing in refrigerator.
Slow Cooking Option:
Place a 2 pound pork shoulder roast, 2 or 3 whole chicken breasts (4 or 6 individual breasts), or a 2 pound beef roast in a slow cooker. Add one cup of root beer to marinade and pour over meat. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Meat will be extremely tender and can be shredded with a fork. The meat freezes very well. If freezing, cool meat quickly and completely before freezing. Allow to thaw in refrigerator (never on the countertops at room temperature!) for a night or two, then heat on stovetop or in microwave.
Grilling Option:
Omit the root beer. Place meat in a plastic bag and add desired amounts of the bbq sauce. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Hand marinated meat to your household grill master, pour a glass of wine and let the grill master take over. That's how this chef does bbq on the grill!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
To Cheat or Not to Cheat? That Was the Question.
The last time I purposely cheated on my gluten free lifestyle was January 2, 2010. We were visiting our friends Jim and Tammy. Tammy was going to make brunch for us all. I threw all caution to the wind and said go ahead, make me a BLT sandwich on wheat bread! After all, I had been feeling terrific for so long! What's one sandwich going to hurt? Oh, and I think I'll have a cinnamon roll too. That was the last time I ever purposely glutenized myself. I paid dearly for that lack of judgment and physically suffered the consequences. I have been so diligent in not cheating at all since that date, but I almost threw that all away this past Saturday ........
Eddie and I were running errands Saturday afternoon. It was a really hot and humid day. We stopped at the grocery store for a few items. There was a girl giving out 25 cent samples of malt-based cocktails. (Malt is derived from barley, so it's not a gluten free ingredient.) She had bottles of a few different flavors sitting in a bowl of ice. Oh man, did they sound so cool and refreshing! She asked us if we'd like to taste a sample and at first I said no. Eddie said he'd like to try the lemon-blueberry flavor. I then said to him, "You know, those are just little tastes. It probably wouldn't hurt!" Thank goodness he reminded me of how hard headed I was when I first started this gf journey! That tiny little taste very well could have hurt, and it would have punished me for days! What was I thinking?
I promised Eddie I'd blog about this. I'm just as human as the next person, and temptation can rear its ugly head for any of us. I'm very thankful that I didn't give in to "just a little taste". I was taken by surprise that I was tempted, to be honest. I've watched people eat wheat pizza, cookies, and donuts without the slightest bit of envy. But now I know I can be tempted, and I know that reminding me I'm a hard head will help me to resist! Thank you, Eddie!
Eddie and I were running errands Saturday afternoon. It was a really hot and humid day. We stopped at the grocery store for a few items. There was a girl giving out 25 cent samples of malt-based cocktails. (Malt is derived from barley, so it's not a gluten free ingredient.) She had bottles of a few different flavors sitting in a bowl of ice. Oh man, did they sound so cool and refreshing! She asked us if we'd like to taste a sample and at first I said no. Eddie said he'd like to try the lemon-blueberry flavor. I then said to him, "You know, those are just little tastes. It probably wouldn't hurt!" Thank goodness he reminded me of how hard headed I was when I first started this gf journey! That tiny little taste very well could have hurt, and it would have punished me for days! What was I thinking?
I promised Eddie I'd blog about this. I'm just as human as the next person, and temptation can rear its ugly head for any of us. I'm very thankful that I didn't give in to "just a little taste". I was taken by surprise that I was tempted, to be honest. I've watched people eat wheat pizza, cookies, and donuts without the slightest bit of envy. But now I know I can be tempted, and I know that reminding me I'm a hard head will help me to resist! Thank you, Eddie!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Pizza Party Time!
Tonight, Eddie & I are picking up our friend Teri, then we're going to visit some friends who had a baby a couple of weeks ago. Other friends of ours are in from North Carolina. Everyone wants to keep things easy, so they want to order in pizza. But as a gf-er, I can't have pizza, right? I can't have wheat pizza, but I'm so happy to report that there's some wonderful gluten free pizza options!
I have attempted a couple of pizza crusts from scratch. I wasn't overly thrilled with the outcome. I think it all goes back to the art of baking, and I'm just not that good at it. I won't give up on trying to make a great tasting, great texture gf crust, but that's for another time and another post. Tonight I'm putting in a good word for one of the local pizza places.
We had the pleasure of meeting with my gf Twitter group last summer at ZPizza on High Street, in the Short North District. There was a group of about 20-some of us. I hadn't had the pleasure of enjoying a piping hot delicious pizza pie, with hot, melty cheese, fresh toppings, fantastic tasting crust in a long time ... until that night.
I never imagined that a gf pizza could be so GOOD! It was absolutely amazing! It was better than ANY other pizza I've ever eaten of the wheat variety, better than all the famous chains. After I took that first bite, I nearly cried tears of joy! It was mind-blowing good! Not only was the crust to die for, the toppings were so fresh and delicious. And what a menu ZPizza has! Eddie can't have any tomato product, so we were thrilled to see they had a variety of sauces, including a roasted garlic sauce and Chipotle pesto. They have many different meat and cheese options, and lots of vegetable options. Their pepperoni is MSG free. Their ingredients are organic. They even have a vegan cheese that they said melts really well. You just can't get better pizza ingredients from a restaurant!
ZPizza also provides wheat and whole wheat pizza crusts. So how do they keep the gf crusts from cross-contamination? They make their wheat crusts in another location so there's no wheat flour flying through the air. They also toss all their crusts in brown rice flour before baking, again ensuring no cross contamination. The gf pizzas have designated pans that they're baked on.
Eddie & I will be stopping by and picking up our gf pizzas to take to our friend's house for tonight's visit. I will always put in a good word for ZPizza. I so appreciate all they do to enable those of us that are gluten intolerant to enjoy a delicious pizza on a Saturday night with friends. If you're fortunate enough to have a ZPizza in your town, you really need to check them out. For my Columbus friends, here's the information:
945 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201
614-299-3289
www.zpizza.com
Now, I'm off to put my order in. Tonight's pizza will have tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, carmelized onions, and mozzarella cheese. Bon Appetit, pizza lovers!
I have attempted a couple of pizza crusts from scratch. I wasn't overly thrilled with the outcome. I think it all goes back to the art of baking, and I'm just not that good at it. I won't give up on trying to make a great tasting, great texture gf crust, but that's for another time and another post. Tonight I'm putting in a good word for one of the local pizza places.
We had the pleasure of meeting with my gf Twitter group last summer at ZPizza on High Street, in the Short North District. There was a group of about 20-some of us. I hadn't had the pleasure of enjoying a piping hot delicious pizza pie, with hot, melty cheese, fresh toppings, fantastic tasting crust in a long time ... until that night.
I never imagined that a gf pizza could be so GOOD! It was absolutely amazing! It was better than ANY other pizza I've ever eaten of the wheat variety, better than all the famous chains. After I took that first bite, I nearly cried tears of joy! It was mind-blowing good! Not only was the crust to die for, the toppings were so fresh and delicious. And what a menu ZPizza has! Eddie can't have any tomato product, so we were thrilled to see they had a variety of sauces, including a roasted garlic sauce and Chipotle pesto. They have many different meat and cheese options, and lots of vegetable options. Their pepperoni is MSG free. Their ingredients are organic. They even have a vegan cheese that they said melts really well. You just can't get better pizza ingredients from a restaurant!
ZPizza also provides wheat and whole wheat pizza crusts. So how do they keep the gf crusts from cross-contamination? They make their wheat crusts in another location so there's no wheat flour flying through the air. They also toss all their crusts in brown rice flour before baking, again ensuring no cross contamination. The gf pizzas have designated pans that they're baked on.
Eddie & I will be stopping by and picking up our gf pizzas to take to our friend's house for tonight's visit. I will always put in a good word for ZPizza. I so appreciate all they do to enable those of us that are gluten intolerant to enjoy a delicious pizza on a Saturday night with friends. If you're fortunate enough to have a ZPizza in your town, you really need to check them out. For my Columbus friends, here's the information:
945 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201
614-299-3289
www.zpizza.com
Now, I'm off to put my order in. Tonight's pizza will have tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, carmelized onions, and mozzarella cheese. Bon Appetit, pizza lovers!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Avoiding Cross Contamination, Part Two
Through the months of converting to a gluten free lifestyle, I've learned to steer clear of one thing. That is airborne wheat flour. I've learned that I don't need to touch it to be affected from it.
Earlier this year, the chef I take cooking classes from (Betty Ann) asked if a few people from the classes would be able to help her do the Monday preparations for her Tuesday and Thursday classes. An incredible amount of work goes into her classes and I jumped at the chance to assist. She is a wealth of knowledge, and I have learned so much from her. I wanted to take advantage of helping her set up the mis en plas for her classes. Both times, she was working with wheat flour. I did not eat anything that had flour in it. I brought my own food to eat at our break. When I handled meat that was dredged in flour, I made sure to thoroughly wash my hands. The second time I assisted with the class, I didn't even touch anything with the flour. I sat at the dining room table and chopped vegetables while Betty Ann worked on mixing a cake. That was all it took. Both times, I found myself wrapped up in a seven-day long brain fog, horrible sleep patterns, naseausness, the whole glutenous nine yards. I might as well have just helped myself to the food!
I have to avoid some restaurants if they make their own breads or desserts. I absolutely love the salads that come from Panera Bread. But they state that even though they can provide food made with all gf ingredients, it can't be guaranteed as 100% due to the airborne flour. I went to brunch with some friends at Panera Bread awhile back and didn't even eat anything, I just had a smoothie. After spending the next seven days in glutenization land, I decided I just can't go in there. (I miss you, Panera Bread!)
Even though I do have a few glutenous items in my otherwise gf kitchen, I will not ever have wheat flour in it. When I first converted to a gf lifestyle, I was the one who threw the flour into the trash from the Gladware container. I got really sick just from that little poof of flour.
I know this probably sounds so extreme. But this is why I say I live a gluten free lifestyle, and it's not just a gluten free diet. I value my health, and love how good I feel.
Earlier this year, the chef I take cooking classes from (Betty Ann) asked if a few people from the classes would be able to help her do the Monday preparations for her Tuesday and Thursday classes. An incredible amount of work goes into her classes and I jumped at the chance to assist. She is a wealth of knowledge, and I have learned so much from her. I wanted to take advantage of helping her set up the mis en plas for her classes. Both times, she was working with wheat flour. I did not eat anything that had flour in it. I brought my own food to eat at our break. When I handled meat that was dredged in flour, I made sure to thoroughly wash my hands. The second time I assisted with the class, I didn't even touch anything with the flour. I sat at the dining room table and chopped vegetables while Betty Ann worked on mixing a cake. That was all it took. Both times, I found myself wrapped up in a seven-day long brain fog, horrible sleep patterns, naseausness, the whole glutenous nine yards. I might as well have just helped myself to the food!
I have to avoid some restaurants if they make their own breads or desserts. I absolutely love the salads that come from Panera Bread. But they state that even though they can provide food made with all gf ingredients, it can't be guaranteed as 100% due to the airborne flour. I went to brunch with some friends at Panera Bread awhile back and didn't even eat anything, I just had a smoothie. After spending the next seven days in glutenization land, I decided I just can't go in there. (I miss you, Panera Bread!)
Even though I do have a few glutenous items in my otherwise gf kitchen, I will not ever have wheat flour in it. When I first converted to a gf lifestyle, I was the one who threw the flour into the trash from the Gladware container. I got really sick just from that little poof of flour.
I know this probably sounds so extreme. But this is why I say I live a gluten free lifestyle, and it's not just a gluten free diet. I value my health, and love how good I feel.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Avoiding Cross Contamination, Part One
My kitchen is not always 100% gluten free. It is possible for glutenous foods to live with GF foods in the same kitchen, if it's done carefully. Extreme caution is required when combining a GF and non-GF kitchen. I rarely buy anything that isn't gluten free. But my husband has no trouble with eating glutenous food, so occasionally I'll buy something for him that's going to be all his.
For example, there's currently a bag of whole wheat buns in the refrigerator that I bought when we went camping a couple of weeks ago. But these buns are sealed in a safe container, and no gluten free food is touching them. When Eddie makes a sandwich, he takes extreme care when putting on mayonnaise and mustard. He will not spread the mayo on the bun then plunge the knife back into the mayo jar for more. If he were to do that, then the mayo would be contaminated. He usually uses a spoon to plop the mayo on the bun then spreads it with a knife.
It may sound extreme that we're so ubber cautious. Trust me, it doesn't take much to cause cross contamination. If you are storing non-GF foods in your fridge or pantry, be sure they're properly sealed and stored below any GF foods. Don't let the non-GF food touch the GF foods.
If you're blending a GF and non-GF kitchen, you won't be able to share electric cooking appliances. GF bread toasted in a toaster that's housed non-GF bread will be contaminated. You'll need to have two toasters, one for GF and one for non-GF. I still use the same pans to cook with that I used before going GF, but those could be thoroughly washed. I used to use stones to bake non-GF pizza crusts on, but I had to give those to a friend because they can't be washed with soap.
Be sure not to share utensils if you're cooking GF and non-GF foods at the same time. If I'm cooking GF rice pasta for myself and also making whole wheat pasta for Eddie, I don't stir the pasta with the same pasta stirrer. I use two different ones.
Part Two in the subject of Avoiding Cross Contamination is going to be about airborne wheat flour. Stay tuned!
Thank you for joining me on The Ali Way to GF Goodness!
For example, there's currently a bag of whole wheat buns in the refrigerator that I bought when we went camping a couple of weeks ago. But these buns are sealed in a safe container, and no gluten free food is touching them. When Eddie makes a sandwich, he takes extreme care when putting on mayonnaise and mustard. He will not spread the mayo on the bun then plunge the knife back into the mayo jar for more. If he were to do that, then the mayo would be contaminated. He usually uses a spoon to plop the mayo on the bun then spreads it with a knife.
It may sound extreme that we're so ubber cautious. Trust me, it doesn't take much to cause cross contamination. If you are storing non-GF foods in your fridge or pantry, be sure they're properly sealed and stored below any GF foods. Don't let the non-GF food touch the GF foods.
If you're blending a GF and non-GF kitchen, you won't be able to share electric cooking appliances. GF bread toasted in a toaster that's housed non-GF bread will be contaminated. You'll need to have two toasters, one for GF and one for non-GF. I still use the same pans to cook with that I used before going GF, but those could be thoroughly washed. I used to use stones to bake non-GF pizza crusts on, but I had to give those to a friend because they can't be washed with soap.
Be sure not to share utensils if you're cooking GF and non-GF foods at the same time. If I'm cooking GF rice pasta for myself and also making whole wheat pasta for Eddie, I don't stir the pasta with the same pasta stirrer. I use two different ones.
Part Two in the subject of Avoiding Cross Contamination is going to be about airborne wheat flour. Stay tuned!
Thank you for joining me on The Ali Way to GF Goodness!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Natural Foods and Label Reading
The most overwhelming part of going gluten free is trying to figure out what to do first. There's gluten in an awful lot of products, the obvious ones being pasta, bread, pizza crusts, and cereal. There's also gluten most soy sauces and other Asian sauces, condensed soups, boullion and off-the-shelf gravies just to name a few. It's staggering to think about going gluten free and realizing that most everything in your pantry can no longer be used in meal making.
When people ask me about what to do first when converting to the GF lifestyle, I tell them that the best advice I ever read was to first focus on foods that are naturally gluten free. This includes meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, fruits, potatoes, vegetables, rice and dairy. (Some people with Celiac disease also have trouble with dairy, but I'm concentrating on eliminating gluten.) I mainly shop the outsides of the grocery store. Sounds easy enough, but we all need seasonings and flavorings too, right? And won't we prefer some salad dressing on our salads? This is where you'll need to become your own detective and read food labels like you're searching for hidden treasure.
This label reading is tricky business sometimes. If the label lists wheat, then that's obvious. But if one of the ingredients is soy sauce, then isn't that safe? Well, probably not. Most soy sauces contain wheat. (There is a wheat-free soy sauce available at the grocery stores and it's easy to find.) Some manufacturers really help us out and will list any possible allergens, such as wheat. But often gluten may be cleverly disguised as "artificial flavors". That's where it's really tricky. I had a bag of frozen cauliflower with cheese sauce in my freezer. I typically don't buy stuff like that, but I had it in there for an emergency side dish. I checked the label and there was no mention of wheat or gluten, so we had it with dinner. I was not a happy camper the next day when the glutenization hit. (You'll find I will make up a lot of words that you won't find in dictionaries.)
If you see something on a label that seems suspicious and you're just not sure, I would suggest calling the manufacturer or checking online. Of course when you're at the grocery store, trying to get home to make dinner, you may not have time at that particular moment to whip out your cell phone and make some calls. That's where pre-planning comes in but that's a subject for another post.
So in summary, focus on naturally gluten free foods first, and check labels carefully. The label checking will get easier as you find tasty GF alternative products. And if you do get accidentally glutenized by a disguised incredient, you'll know to take that off the list of foods in your house. I guarantee, there will never be another bag of frozen cauliflower with cheese sauce in my freezer again!
Thanks for joining me on The Ali Way to GF Goodness!
When people ask me about what to do first when converting to the GF lifestyle, I tell them that the best advice I ever read was to first focus on foods that are naturally gluten free. This includes meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, fruits, potatoes, vegetables, rice and dairy. (Some people with Celiac disease also have trouble with dairy, but I'm concentrating on eliminating gluten.) I mainly shop the outsides of the grocery store. Sounds easy enough, but we all need seasonings and flavorings too, right? And won't we prefer some salad dressing on our salads? This is where you'll need to become your own detective and read food labels like you're searching for hidden treasure.
This label reading is tricky business sometimes. If the label lists wheat, then that's obvious. But if one of the ingredients is soy sauce, then isn't that safe? Well, probably not. Most soy sauces contain wheat. (There is a wheat-free soy sauce available at the grocery stores and it's easy to find.) Some manufacturers really help us out and will list any possible allergens, such as wheat. But often gluten may be cleverly disguised as "artificial flavors". That's where it's really tricky. I had a bag of frozen cauliflower with cheese sauce in my freezer. I typically don't buy stuff like that, but I had it in there for an emergency side dish. I checked the label and there was no mention of wheat or gluten, so we had it with dinner. I was not a happy camper the next day when the glutenization hit. (You'll find I will make up a lot of words that you won't find in dictionaries.)
If you see something on a label that seems suspicious and you're just not sure, I would suggest calling the manufacturer or checking online. Of course when you're at the grocery store, trying to get home to make dinner, you may not have time at that particular moment to whip out your cell phone and make some calls. That's where pre-planning comes in but that's a subject for another post.
So in summary, focus on naturally gluten free foods first, and check labels carefully. The label checking will get easier as you find tasty GF alternative products. And if you do get accidentally glutenized by a disguised incredient, you'll know to take that off the list of foods in your house. I guarantee, there will never be another bag of frozen cauliflower with cheese sauce in my freezer again!
Thanks for joining me on The Ali Way to GF Goodness!
Introductions
I have been on an incredible journey the past several months. My gluten free (GF) journey has led me to a healthier and happier life. It didn't happen overnight, and it took a very long time for me to get over a bad case of being a hard head, and accepting that I truly needed to live gluten free if I wanted to be healthy.
Gluten is a complex protein that's found in wheat, barley and rye, and some oats due to cross contamination. With this blog, I will not be diving into the medical and technical facts behind Celiac disease, gluten allergies, or gluten intolerance. It took me a long time to figure out that gluten was causing me a lot of physical trouble. I don't have an official medical diagnosis of gluten intolerance, mainly because it's really hard to test for. The best test was to go gluten free and see if I felt better and see if the physical ailments disappeared. I have never felt better in years, and I love the GF lifestyle. So I simply want to share my experiences in starting and living the GF lifestyle so I can help others who are embarking on this same journey.
I've done a lot of reading, learning, and testing and I know I'll be doing a lot more reading, learning, and testing. I've changed my personal chef service to be a complete GF service. My husband Eddie & I worked very closely with the GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group of North America), the group that inspects manufacturers and gives them the official GF accredidation. My personal chef business is the first personal chef service in the nation that has been GF certified.
I am asked constantly how to switch to a GF lifestyle. This blog is created to help answer that question. There's a lot of GF supermarket finds, pre-made frozen dinners, breads, packaged dinners, cookies, crackers, etc. But I'm not focusing on supermarket GF meals, rather I'll be concentrating on homemade GF meals and baked goods. I will be talking about how I cook GF meals, what replacement ingredients I use, and you'll learn with me as I attempt to become a good GF baker. I'll share my experiences and lessons learned. I'll share recipes. I'll be honest and tell you about the successes as well as the failures. Even a personal chef likes to eat out at a restaurant from time to time, so I'll share with you which local restaurants provides really good GF fare, and places I have to avoid. I'll do all I can to help anyone who wants or needs to convert to a gluten free lifestyle.
So come with me and take The Ali Way to GF Goodness!
Gluten is a complex protein that's found in wheat, barley and rye, and some oats due to cross contamination. With this blog, I will not be diving into the medical and technical facts behind Celiac disease, gluten allergies, or gluten intolerance. It took me a long time to figure out that gluten was causing me a lot of physical trouble. I don't have an official medical diagnosis of gluten intolerance, mainly because it's really hard to test for. The best test was to go gluten free and see if I felt better and see if the physical ailments disappeared. I have never felt better in years, and I love the GF lifestyle. So I simply want to share my experiences in starting and living the GF lifestyle so I can help others who are embarking on this same journey.
I've done a lot of reading, learning, and testing and I know I'll be doing a lot more reading, learning, and testing. I've changed my personal chef service to be a complete GF service. My husband Eddie & I worked very closely with the GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group of North America), the group that inspects manufacturers and gives them the official GF accredidation. My personal chef business is the first personal chef service in the nation that has been GF certified.
I am asked constantly how to switch to a GF lifestyle. This blog is created to help answer that question. There's a lot of GF supermarket finds, pre-made frozen dinners, breads, packaged dinners, cookies, crackers, etc. But I'm not focusing on supermarket GF meals, rather I'll be concentrating on homemade GF meals and baked goods. I will be talking about how I cook GF meals, what replacement ingredients I use, and you'll learn with me as I attempt to become a good GF baker. I'll share my experiences and lessons learned. I'll share recipes. I'll be honest and tell you about the successes as well as the failures. Even a personal chef likes to eat out at a restaurant from time to time, so I'll share with you which local restaurants provides really good GF fare, and places I have to avoid. I'll do all I can to help anyone who wants or needs to convert to a gluten free lifestyle.
So come with me and take The Ali Way to GF Goodness!
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