Office Potluck

What’s one of the scariest things to someone with food allergies or intolerances? A potluck. Every dish has a different chef with a different kitchen and numerous possibilities for a dusting of an allergen to cross an otherwise perfectly fine food. One of the girls at work was arranging a Halloween potluck. Since I’m saying yes to so many things, why not this? Worst case scenario, I would only be able to eat the dish I brought and the meatballs my boss was making (since she and I were already consulting my grocery guides to make sure her ingredients were safe.) In the end, about half of the people participating committed to making a dairy and gluten free dish! I had a plate full of food! I had chicken wings, watermelon, turkey meatballs, corn tortillas and a bean and corn dip, bruschetta (with gf crackers I keep hidden in my desk drawer) and a ham, goat cheese and chive roll. For the first time, I even had a raw dessert made with chocolate and almonds. Everything was very tasty and I was so happy (and extremely humbled) by the number of people who went out of their way to make food that I could also enjoy! The best part – I was not glutenized!

Gluten Hangovers

Hangovers suck. But gluten hangovers? Hundreds of times worse! I have had a few gluten hangovers from being accidentally glutenized. Deli meat. Italian sausage. Oats in hamburgers I had in freezer. Twice.

There's really nothing I can do besides stop eating whatever caused the reaction and wait. The next several hours, I am on the verge of vomiting, so I just stop eating for the rest of the day. The day after I have gluten, I probably have less than 500 calories. It is a very unhealthy practice, but juice and gluten-free crackers are the only things I can stomach during that time. And then I lose two pounds that will take another month to gain back. My appetite usually fully returns by day three and then I make up for lost time.

One of my gluten-free friends was glutenized over the weekend. We were sending e-mails back and forth and I realized that there's nothing I can do or can offer him. Drink plenty of fluids? Eat what your body wants? Rest? Take it easy? Throw some inspirational quotes out there? This too shall pass. Or: If you are going through hell, keep going. I think that advice is identical to a traditional alcohol-induced hangover.

What gluten hangover tricks help you?

Pancakes!

I tried Bob's Red Mill Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pancake Mix this morning - and these were some of the best pancakes I have had in a while! They were nice and fluffy. Growing up, our pancakes were pretty thin, but these gf pancakes had some body to them. I made them with rice milk. The recipe calls for 3/4 of a cup. Since I am slow going through rice milk, I have been buying juice-box size containers, which contain one cup, and are perfect for baking without wasting any milk!

Everyone has their own stylistic way of cooking. In our family, we were only allowed to put five chocolate chips per pancake. I am still in that habit (even though as kids we would "accidentally" dump a handful of chips on the pancake when mom or dad was not looking...) We also pour the mix in the pan from a 1/8 cup or 1/4 cup for uniform pancake size. Perfect pancakes every time!

Not Alone on this Journey: Rose's Wheatfree Bakery

Based on our bus ride down Central Street in Evanston, I think that Evanstonians love their baked goods. We passed bakery after bakery until we arrived at Rose’s Wheatfree Bakery at 2901 Central Street. It was very refreshing to walk into a bakery and have our pick of baked goods. The gentleman who greeted us could probably tell that we were first timers into their shop: we were staring at all of our different options in the display cases and written on the chalkboard. He asked which one of us was gluten-free. Eliot and I simultaneously responded “We both are.” The gentleman gave us small portions of their French bread and their multi-grain bread to sample. There were bagels, loaves of bread, bagged bread crumbs, cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and so much more! Shelves were labeled as dairy free and others were vegan.

I have been gluten free for over four months now. As soon as I went gluten free and was eating with Eliot, I gave him small test portions of my food. (I do the same thing with my mom when I dine with her. I think it helps demystify the gluten free diet and let the people I am close to know that the food I am eating is just as delicious, if not better, than gluten filled foods.) Just over a month ago, Eliot decided to see if a gluten-free diet would work for him and his symptoms. It did. Now when we go out to eat, assuming the food is dairy free or tree nut free, we can sample each other’s selection. Finding food that is gluten, dairy and tree nut free can be difficult. Eliot pointed out to the ingredient lists on the breads to me, “Look!” We found plenty of options to share at Rose’s.

When making my selection, I went with a vegan dessert that I did not think I could easily make at home: a carrot cupcake. It was a little crumbly, but overall, the cupcake was very good and full of fun textures and tastes that were perfect for a fall day. Eliot had a quiche and a piece of cheesecake. And for the first time in months, I could try someone else’s food while eating out. The cheesecake was dairy free and I realized that this was the first time ever I was eating cheesecake, let alone dairy free cheesecake. My palate is expanding one bite at a time.

I thanked Eliot for coming on this journey with me. And not just the Red Line, Purple Line, Central Bus journey to the bakery! When I first went gluten free, I thought it could be very isolating. My best friend has discovered for himself that the amazing healing effect the gluten free diet has. Now the two of us are learning how to eat on a gluten free diet and we are healthier than ever!

Cooking Italian - No Substitutions

One of the great creative challenges of cooking gluten and dairy free is figuring out what to substitute in a mainstream recipe. And one of the greatest joys comes in finding a recipe that requires no substitutions.

I found the recipe for Sweet and Sticky Chicken Drumsticks in Giada De Laurentiis’s Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites. What an easy recipe! The chicken legs are marinated in the refrigerator in a bag prior to cooking in the oven. The marinade is super simple and uses balsamic vinegar, honey, light brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary, and garlic. I loved her pictures of the plating, so I toasted some sesame seeds and chopped fresh parsley from my windowsill to garnish. As soon as the chicken went in the oven, I started my rice cooker. I tried to flavor it with some balsamic vinegar, but I did not use enough, so the rice was pretty standard. This was a winning marinade and tasted delicious!

Chipotle

Why do I love Chipotle?

Let me count the ways:

1.Flour Tortillas
2.Cheese
3.Sour Cream

That is EVERY single item on their menu that is forbidden on a gluten and dairy free diet. If you have only one intolerance, I bet you can guess which food is still good for you! And I bet you can still create thousands of different satisfying meal combinations with those small restrictions!

Stolen from their website:
http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/menu/special_diet_information/special_diet_information.aspx

Gluten Intolerance/Celiac Disease
Most people wanting to avoid gluten can eat anything we serve except for our large and small flour tortillas, and possibly our red tomatillo salsa (there is a small amount of distilled vinegar in it which some gluten-oriented websites still say might be problematic, although most don’t).
Everything else is fine to eat for most people wanting to avoid gluten, including our crispy corn tacos and our corn chips.

However, you should know that it’s possible our corn may have a small amount of gluten from potentially co-mingling with gluten-containing grains in the field. If you are highly sensitive and would like us to change our gloves, we would be happy to do that at your request. Additionally, because our folks work with wheat tortillas all day long, there may be the possibility of cross-contact in our restaurants. We encourage you to carefully consider your dining choices.

Chipotle holds a special place in my heart and stomach. A year ago when my stomach was on the mend from going dairy free, I was able to eat three tacos, chips and a small drink. Around January, I was only able to have one and a half or two tacos as my appetite disappeared. Forget about those chips! And now, I can once again have three (crispy) tacos (with a bag of chips and guac when I am especially hungry). Soon after going gluten free, I wrote Chipotle an e-mail saying how much I love their food and how I appreciate their variety of full meals on an allergen restricted diet. At the time, I was accidentally glutenized, so I was nearly crying when I wrote my e-mail because I thought it was so beautiful that their menu naturally was so accommodating. Now, I’m just happy to go in and have safe food. I have never left a Chipotle hungry! (Except for when I take my food to go on nice summer days…)

My preferred way to order at Chipotle is to use their online ordering. It is pretty amazing to completely skip the fast-moving line during the lunch rush and just walking up to the counter to get your food. Now, I know both of the guys who work the fax and web orders at Chipotle, so at this point, all I have to do is add a note in the comment section to “change gloves” and they make sure that my food is safely prepared with fresh gloves! (If your Chipotle food makers do not know your order by heart, I recommend adding a note WHY you want them to change their gloves for a higher level of comfort.) I have also gone through the line and have had no issues when asking people to change their gloves – they are more than happy to do so!

The food there is pretty amazing. Their fan base is insane! In college, people drove over half an hour to get to Chipotle. On their facebook page, people are constantly suggesting that they open a Chipotle in their home town. I’m lucky that now I just need to walk to the other side of my block at work to eat healthy, naturally raised meats and super fresh vegetables in overflowing portions. Since I eat there once a week, my current challenge to myself is to keep trying new foods at Chipotle. As a picky eater, my first Chipotle order was flour tortillas with chicken and cheese. Nothing else. Clearly, that was years ago, but my loyalty to their chicken has stayed fairly constant. A standard order for me now is the crispy tacos with chicken, rice, fajita vegetables and salsa. Sometimes I’ll add beans or even go veggie for an order and have their freshly made guac on my tacos! I have yet to be disappointed with a meal from Chipotle.

And as if I didn’t love Chipotle enough, this Halloween, their promotion is for a $2.00 burrito, bowl, salad, or tacos if you come dressed as a horrifying processed food product. The proceeds go to help Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. The catch is that you have to go to Chipotle after 6pm on Halloween (and come in a costume). (Check store hours!) Both Chipotle and Jamie are committed to fresh ingredients and moving away from our society’s heavy consumption of horribly processed foods. I strongly believe in both of their missions. Now I just need to find a costume…
http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fan-antics/boorito/boorito.aspx

Sunday Spaghetti

Sunday lunches are the worst for me. By the time I get home from church, it is two o’clock and I am starving. My lunches tend to be small and uninspired, leaving me room to play and cook an amazing dinner or a loaf of bread. So here is proof that one can eat quickly with food allergies. My final time? Twenty minutes from walking in the door to sitting down with my camera in one hand and a fork in the other.

Boil water with Kosher salt and extra virgin olive oil. Turn the heat as high as it goes and add the lid to make it boil faster. Once boiling, add a box of De Boles Gluten Free Multi Grain Spaghetti Style Pasta made with Rice, Quinoa and Amaranth ($2.00 a box on sale at Whole Foods.)

Wait a little while after adding the pasta before opening a can of grocery store brand Italian Style diced tomatoes. Add to a pan and heat over medium for a few minutes.

The pasta should be done after 12-15 minutes. Then drain and rinse the pasta. Combine the pasta and tomatoes. Optional: add soft cheese (I used a goat cheese with sundried tomatoes and other herbs already added) and stir. Enjoy!

I was able to cheat and use tomatoes and goat cheese that were already flavored. Times like this are when I appreciate life’s little conveniences. I really need to start using my slow cooker more – I could have lunch ready to eat by the time church is over if I plan it well! (And wake up early enough to have lunch in the cooker before 8:45am…)