My MIL (the sweetest MIL ever) has been buying me all sorts of gluten free stuff ever since my diagnosis...once a week or so hubs comes home with a bag of goodies from her. See, I said she was the sweetest!
This week she found a whole gluten free section at a health food store she was at...so she bought gluten free flour and pizza crust mix, and some xantham gum (a binding ingredient that many GF recipes call for). She also bought me a book "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" by Bette Hagman.
Even though it's a cookbook, it has a large introduction - and that's where I'm at in the book! I must tell you, a line in there made me feel so *normal*. Hagman writes "There are other foods that cause some celiacs to feel many of the same symptoms they had before diagnosis. Soy, eggs, citrus fruits, chocolate and MSG are just a few of the common offenders. Other include shellfish, nuts, legumes, apples and yeast" (pg.3).
Why did this make me feel normal?!? Because chocolate and apples and nuts are SO HARD on my tummy that I don't eat any of them any more, but I thought maybe I was just going crazy. Reading that this is common - WOW. The best part?!? These things MAY cause the same symptoms as gluten, but they do not cause the same *distress* - basically, if I'm willing to put up with the pain, I can have any of these things because they aren't doing my insides any further damage!!! YAY. I'm still going to stay away from this stuff for a while - I want to get my tummy used to this gluten free life, and then I may try reintroducing these!
SO - my culinary adventure. Phew. Went for an awesome trail run this morning with my running group - we went on trails I never even knew existed, which I always think is so bizarre considering how long I've lived in this area. ANYWAYS. I started thinking that today would be a good day to make cookies.
Since I've never baked with gluten free flour before, I was prepared for this experiment to be an absolute flop - but it wasn't!!! These cookies turned out really tasty!! Probably too tasty for a girl on a diet. HA. But hey, we watch what we eat and workout a bunch for a reason, right?!?! RIGHT.
In case you're interested, here's my recipe -
Gluten Free Butterscotch Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/5 tsp vanilla
Just less than 2 cups All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1/2 tsp Xantham Gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Package Hershey's Chipits Butterscotch Chips
Nutritional Info (per cookies)
Fat: 3.9g
Carbohydrates: 9.9g
Calories:74.1
Protein: 0.4g
Preheat oven to 375.
I used a stand mixer to make these cookies - it whipped them up like magic!
1. Cream together butter, brown sugar and sugar.
2. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
3. Add flour, xantham gum, baking soda and salt. Blend until mixed.
4. Add the butterscotch chips.
5. Drop by tablespoon full onto a pan.
6. Bake for 7 - 9 minutes - watch them closely as gluten free flour cooks much faster than regular flour.
7. Let cool shortly on pan after removing from the oven (otherwise they will crumble).
Enjoy!
Number of Servings: 52
(I can't get the picture to load...but they look like cookies! HA)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Gluten Free Dining Out: My first three experiences
(Written on Wednesday, November 05, 2008)
What a two weeks it has been! Got a wisdom tooth out, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and came on vacation to Palm Springs.
The first week of my diagnosis was relatively easy in terms of food choices because all I was able to eat was yogurt, pudding, applesauce and ice cream. Kind of like a forced gluten free diet to ease me into this!
Well, this week has been a little bit different. I'm slowly reintroducing solid foods into my diet (yay!) and we've eaten out a few times in the Palm Springs area. I thought I'd share those experiences with you...
Dining Out Experience #1: Bruch at Las Casuelas Nuevas
This brunch is AMAZING. So amazing I was NOT going to miss out on it. I thought that this would probably be a good brunch for me since it is a Mexican restaurant, and they often use corn tortillas, and other GF (gluten free) items.
I emailed the restaurant ahead of time. I explained what I was unable to eat, and asked what I could eat off the brunch.
The manager wrote back within a day, and told me that he spoke with the head chef - he gave me a list of items that I could not eat (like Chile Relenos, and the sauce for the enchiladas). He did not list the obvious things like the waffles or the breads and cookies, hahaha - he knew I was smart enough not to go near those things. HA.
Anyways, I felt AMAZING going into this meal. I knew what was safe for me to eat - how empowering.
We headed to the buffet...I got an omellete, and mexican potatoes - YUM! While I was standing in the omellete line, one of the chefs brought out this huge plate of bananas covered in coconut with chocolate sauce. My chin hit the floor. I asked him "Is there any flour on that?" - he told me "NO! Just bananas, coconut and chocolate!!". WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! What an amazing dessert! I had it TWICE, hehehe.
I was also able to eat beans, shrimp fajita filling, and then I put some strawberry waffle topping into a bowl and put some whipped cream on top of it - just like having a waffle!!
This meal was AMAZING. I did not feel left out - there was no way I could have tried everything on the brunch anyways, so it's not like I would have had room for all of the stuff I now can't eat anyways.
I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant to anyone!!
AND, I also highly recommend emailing the restaurant before going - you're more likely to get in touch with a manager...and they are the ones who are accountable to what goes in the food.
Dining Out Experience #2: Dinner at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza
This is another one of our favorites! Delicious pizza...but what was I going to eat?!?
I went onto their website before our trip - and was able to check out the menu. I found that many of the wraps listed that you could have flour or corn tortillas. I thought this would work out...I could just have the corn tortillas!
We got to the restaurant and on the menu they listed that you could get a Gluten Free Pizza Crust for an extra $5, but that it would be prepared in a non-Gluten Free facility (of course, it's a pizza place....duh). Hubs suggested I get that and not worry about the extra cost, but I usually get the BBQ Chicken pizza, and I doubted that the bbq sauc was GF, so I leaned towards a wrap.
I said to the waiter "I can not have any gluten - I was looking at this Chipotle Cheese Chicken Taco. Would you be able to confirm for me that there is no flour in it - that the chicken isn't breaded or anything, please?". He snarkily said to me "Well, I don't know if that is gluten free, but I do know it will be prepared in a non-gluten free facility". Yes, thank you, I read the menu already too.
Anyways. He came back and told me that there was no flour on the chicken. Alrighty - hook me up!
The tacos were great...I'm a little suspicious of the sauce that was on them though. My stomach hurt the next day - it could have been because the meal was spicy though...
Learnings: waiter's may not know ANYTHING about the menu. Don't trust them blindly. I should have started off with "I have Celiac Disease, I can not have any gluten - would this meal be safe for me?" or something along those lines. I can NOT be shy about telling people what I can't have.
And another learning.... this could be a fun experience. I NEVER would have tried the tacos had it not been for my diagnosis...and they were excellent!
p.s. if you CAN eat gluten, go to Sammy's!!! It's soooo good!
Dining Out Experience #3: Dinner at the Yardhouse
The trusty Internet served me well again! On a whim I checked out their website before we came down here...we sometimes go to the Yardhouse when we're here, but it's not a MUST VISIT like the other two restaurants I've already mentioned.
Well, much to my surprise, they had a Gluten Free MENU posted on their website!
So, I printed it out, and brought it along to the restaurant.
When the server came to the table, I pulled out my menu: "I have Celiac Disease, and I can't have any gluten. I printed out your gluten free menu - can I order from it? (he nods yes) I would like to ask you about this shrimp rice bowl..." It was THAT easy!
The meal was just ok. But an awesome restaurant to go to if you like beer - they have a ridiculous selection.
*****
So that has been my experience with dining out and being a celiac.
The biggest lesson: the onus is on you as an individual to be prepared. Don't expect your server to bend over backwards to accomodate you - that's YOUR job!
I will be emailing restaurants more - I think that is the way to do it!
I don't want this diagnosis to be a "house arrest sentence". It's nice to eat out. I think I'll still be able to...it will just take a little work. But really, no more work than figuring out how many calories your meal will be ahead of time.
It's all in the planning...
What a two weeks it has been! Got a wisdom tooth out, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and came on vacation to Palm Springs.
The first week of my diagnosis was relatively easy in terms of food choices because all I was able to eat was yogurt, pudding, applesauce and ice cream. Kind of like a forced gluten free diet to ease me into this!
Well, this week has been a little bit different. I'm slowly reintroducing solid foods into my diet (yay!) and we've eaten out a few times in the Palm Springs area. I thought I'd share those experiences with you...
Dining Out Experience #1: Bruch at Las Casuelas Nuevas
This brunch is AMAZING. So amazing I was NOT going to miss out on it. I thought that this would probably be a good brunch for me since it is a Mexican restaurant, and they often use corn tortillas, and other GF (gluten free) items.
I emailed the restaurant ahead of time. I explained what I was unable to eat, and asked what I could eat off the brunch.
The manager wrote back within a day, and told me that he spoke with the head chef - he gave me a list of items that I could not eat (like Chile Relenos, and the sauce for the enchiladas). He did not list the obvious things like the waffles or the breads and cookies, hahaha - he knew I was smart enough not to go near those things. HA.
Anyways, I felt AMAZING going into this meal. I knew what was safe for me to eat - how empowering.
We headed to the buffet...I got an omellete, and mexican potatoes - YUM! While I was standing in the omellete line, one of the chefs brought out this huge plate of bananas covered in coconut with chocolate sauce. My chin hit the floor. I asked him "Is there any flour on that?" - he told me "NO! Just bananas, coconut and chocolate!!". WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! What an amazing dessert! I had it TWICE, hehehe.
I was also able to eat beans, shrimp fajita filling, and then I put some strawberry waffle topping into a bowl and put some whipped cream on top of it - just like having a waffle!!
This meal was AMAZING. I did not feel left out - there was no way I could have tried everything on the brunch anyways, so it's not like I would have had room for all of the stuff I now can't eat anyways.
I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant to anyone!!
AND, I also highly recommend emailing the restaurant before going - you're more likely to get in touch with a manager...and they are the ones who are accountable to what goes in the food.
Dining Out Experience #2: Dinner at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza
This is another one of our favorites! Delicious pizza...but what was I going to eat?!?
I went onto their website before our trip - and was able to check out the menu. I found that many of the wraps listed that you could have flour or corn tortillas. I thought this would work out...I could just have the corn tortillas!
We got to the restaurant and on the menu they listed that you could get a Gluten Free Pizza Crust for an extra $5, but that it would be prepared in a non-Gluten Free facility (of course, it's a pizza place....duh). Hubs suggested I get that and not worry about the extra cost, but I usually get the BBQ Chicken pizza, and I doubted that the bbq sauc was GF, so I leaned towards a wrap.
I said to the waiter "I can not have any gluten - I was looking at this Chipotle Cheese Chicken Taco. Would you be able to confirm for me that there is no flour in it - that the chicken isn't breaded or anything, please?". He snarkily said to me "Well, I don't know if that is gluten free, but I do know it will be prepared in a non-gluten free facility". Yes, thank you, I read the menu already too.
Anyways. He came back and told me that there was no flour on the chicken. Alrighty - hook me up!
The tacos were great...I'm a little suspicious of the sauce that was on them though. My stomach hurt the next day - it could have been because the meal was spicy though...
Learnings: waiter's may not know ANYTHING about the menu. Don't trust them blindly. I should have started off with "I have Celiac Disease, I can not have any gluten - would this meal be safe for me?" or something along those lines. I can NOT be shy about telling people what I can't have.
And another learning.... this could be a fun experience. I NEVER would have tried the tacos had it not been for my diagnosis...and they were excellent!
p.s. if you CAN eat gluten, go to Sammy's!!! It's soooo good!
Dining Out Experience #3: Dinner at the Yardhouse
The trusty Internet served me well again! On a whim I checked out their website before we came down here...we sometimes go to the Yardhouse when we're here, but it's not a MUST VISIT like the other two restaurants I've already mentioned.
Well, much to my surprise, they had a Gluten Free MENU posted on their website!
So, I printed it out, and brought it along to the restaurant.
When the server came to the table, I pulled out my menu: "I have Celiac Disease, and I can't have any gluten. I printed out your gluten free menu - can I order from it? (he nods yes) I would like to ask you about this shrimp rice bowl..." It was THAT easy!
The meal was just ok. But an awesome restaurant to go to if you like beer - they have a ridiculous selection.
*****
So that has been my experience with dining out and being a celiac.
The biggest lesson: the onus is on you as an individual to be prepared. Don't expect your server to bend over backwards to accomodate you - that's YOUR job!
I will be emailing restaurants more - I think that is the way to do it!
I don't want this diagnosis to be a "house arrest sentence". It's nice to eat out. I think I'll still be able to...it will just take a little work. But really, no more work than figuring out how many calories your meal will be ahead of time.
It's all in the planning...
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