Adventures of a Gluten-Free Foodie

A complete gluten-free Thanksgiving meal plan November 16, 2011

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a gluten-free thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  

No need to stress. With the help of a few Star Chefs at Stuffed Pepper ™, I’ve put together a full gluten-free Thanksgiving meal plan for you. So now you can just get on with the business of being thankful.  In case I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, I’m actually the community organizer at Stuffed Pepper™, and I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year. I’m not one of their Star Chef’s, but sometimes they let me mess around in the kitchen a bit.

Its a funny thing about tradition. I love to experiment with food, and I’ll try just about anything once. But when it comes to Thanksgiving, I prepare the same exact meal year after year, based on the same traditional meal that I grew up with. There is a reason traditions exist, and I love every single one of the dishes that I prepare on Thanksgiving, so why change it?

So what about turkey? It’s gluten-free, right? Well it should be. It is, naturally, of course. But depending on what company you buy your turkey from, you might be getting fillers injected into the meat, to make breast meat juicier and more tender. Sometimes these fillers can contain gluten. These same “factory farm” companies also give their turkeys antibiotics and hormones, which are still in the meat when we ingest them. Even more, many factory farms feed their turkeys animal by-products, which makes no sense, since turkeys are obviously vegetarian.

Which is why I urge you to shop for a locally grown, humanely farmed, all natural turkey. Yes, they are more expensive. But as the saying goes – pay the farmer now or pay the doctor later. Whole Foods and other natural foods markets often supply trustworthy turkeys. Or you can also check out localharvest.org to find farmers who are raising turkeys in your area. And now, as in today, is when you should order your Thanksgiving turkey.

From my family to yours, I wish you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving. I give thanks for you, and also all my new gluten-free friends at Stuffed Pepper. I hope you will join us there.

Updated November 17th:

So here’s the menu:

Perfect Roast Turkey

Roasted Butternut Squash

“Buttery”, Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Green Beans Almondine (naturally gluten-free)

Simple, Delicious, Gluten-Free Gravy

Simple, Delicious, Gluten-Free Cranberry Sauce

Gluten-Free Mushroom Cornbread Stuffing Muffins by Jeannette’s Healthy Living

Sweet Potato Pull Apart Dinner Rolls (Gluten-Free) by Free Eats

Gluten-Free Pecan Pie

Hint of Sweet Pumpkin Custard by Stephanie Meyer

 

Andaluca Restaurant. A Culinary gluten-free Experience November 1, 2011

Filed under: restaurants,Seattle WA — hk imagery @ 2:49 pm

Crab Salad at Andaluca

I came across Andaluca restaurant while researching the best gluten-free options in the Seattle area. As you know, when you have multiple food allergies, you cannot just eat out on a whim and hope for the best. Research prior to eating out, is crucial. If I have enough time, I even call/email/tweet ahead, just to be sure I will be able to find adequate, safe options (although I have to say that even doing that, has still left me disappointed at a few restaurants who promised they would be able to feed me). I finally decided on Andaluca, based on its very informative website.

interior of andaluca restaurantThe menu offers seasonal salads, Northwest entrées and Mediterranean specialties like Cabrales crusted beef tenderloin and Chef Wayne’s Spanish paella. Seattle magazine voted the restaurant both ” Seattle’s Best Mediterranean restaurant” and  “Most Romantic Restaurant” and Esquire Magazine ranked Andaluca as one of the 20 best restaurants in America for a solo meal. In addition to their separate gluten-free menu, I was impressed to read that Chef Wayne Johnson was actually on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America! It sounded like I couldn’t go wrong. Its a bit on the pricey side, but Thomas and I don’t go out too often, so we were willing to splurge a little.

Andaluca is located downtown where it is easily accessible to the Seattle tourist. But it also makes a great destination restaurant, if you are a Seattle-ite living in one of the surrounding neighborhoods and visiting the city for an evening of theater. Its a welcoming little restaurant associated with the Mayflower Park Hotel, but it doesn’t have that “hotel restaurant” feel. Cozy booths with black tile tables surround the inviting bar. We were lucky enough to have a bright sunny day the time that we visited, so lighted poured into our booth from the August sky, actually giving it the “sun-baked Mediterranean grotto” feel that the restaurant is striving toward. Of course sunshine in Seattle is not always easy to come by. But I’m sure the place feels just as warm on an overcast day.

Olives at Andaluca

As an appetizer, we started with Mediterranean mixed olives and hummus. The olives were perfectly piquant and the hummus was fluffy and flavorful. I was fine just dipping the olives in the hummus, not missing bread as a vehicle for hummus at all.

Next I got the papas fritas with broken egg. I didn’t read the “broken egg” part. I was just excited about the papas fritas, especially after they told me that they are cooked in a separate fryer to avoid possible gluten contamination. Kudos! This restaurant knows what its doing in the way of gluten-free! So in my mind I was salivating over gluten-free fries like I hadn’t had in so long, and then comes this fried egg, too boot. Not that I’m complaining. I love fried, poached or broken eggs! I just love an oozing yolk. But I was planning on  this being a light lunch! Oh well. I was I sure I could handle it. The shoestring potatoes were fried to a golden crisp, and frankly, they were so good that I felt I didn’t get enough!

Finally came the Crab Salad Tower (pictured at the top of this post). Dungeness crab, avocado, palm hearts, gazpacho and salsa shaped into a beautiful tower. I was told by the waiter that its best to mix the ingredients all together, but  I had a hard time destroying the beautiful presentation. The crab flavor permeated the entire dish, and the avocado lended an extra creaminess to the salad, all nicely balanced with fresh salad greens and juicy, tart, grapefruit slices.

shrimp curry at andaluca

Thomas had the shrimp curry, also from the gluten-free menu. Not only was the color rich in its curry hues, but  he said “the flavor was well-rounded with enough spice to wake up the shrimp, but not too much to overwhelm the curry taste.  The shrimp were very fresh and overall I could have been eating this on the coast of India – pretty good for a meditarreanean/Spanish themed restaurant.”

By now, I was already feeling more than satisfied, gastronomically speaking. What an unexpectdely rich and fulfilling lunch! I had no room for dessert, but I took a snapshot of their menu. As you can see, there are options.

desert menu at Andaluca

Also, as I write this blog post today, I am drooling over their brunch options on the gluten-free menu. I hope someone reading this post will go to Andaluca for brunch one day and report back to me on the experience. :) Their eggs benedict look fabulous.

Our waiter was very informative about the issues with gluten-intolerance and I was impressed by him and the restaurant. I asked him how long the restaurant was gluten-free. He replied, “since the beginning.”  Since the beginning of the restaurant? No, “since the beginning of gluten-free”!

Huh? I had to laugh to myself about that one. People who are newly diagnosed, or people who don’t have a gluten-intolerance, tend to think that “gluten-free” only started a couple of years ago. Of course, this isn’t true. I’m not being smug about his comments. It was kind of cute. But honestly, “gluten-free” had to originate with the first occurrence of celiac disease, which I can only surmise has been around as long as wheat has been in our diet. The world is just now becoming aware of gluten and its effects on the body.

Somehow, we walked out with paying. How embarrassing! I actually signed a receipt, with a nice tip. But I never handed them my credit card.  I had to call them from Houston to pay over the phone. Oops.

I would definately recommend Andulaca for not just a place where you can eat gluten-free safely, but where you will have a delightful culinary experience in the heart of downtown.

 

Yucatan-inspired ceviche August 9, 2011

Filed under: recipes — hk imagery @ 11:50 am
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I received these peppers in my CSA box last week, but I wasn’t sure what they were. After inquiring with the farmer, I was told that they were “Giant Acongua”, which seems to be synonymous with “Giant Aconcagua”, an Argentinian pepper said to be as sweet as apples, and can grow as large as 12 inches! However, the peppers that I received were not more than 4 inches in length, and while slightly sweet, I wouldn’t call them apple-sweet. So I’m not so sure we are talking about the same pepper.  (This is why using Latin names instead of common names is often better for clearing up confusion among plants – sorry, my closet ethnobotanist is coming out!)

No matter. I still wanted to use the pepper in a dish that made the most of its personality, so I first sought an Argentinian recipe with peppers. But I couldn’t find one using this mild type of pepper. So, I consulted my Great Chile Poster, a reference of some of the more common types of peppers found around the world, and decided that they most closely resembled Chawa peppers from the Yucatan. They are both mild in heat, as well as in flavor, and as my handy poster says: “Best used in salads or pickled (en escabiche)”.

Perfect!, I thought. I’ll make a ceviche like those that I enjoyed on the Yucutan Penninsula, just a few short months ago. Ceviche (also spelled cebiche, seviche, and escaviche) are popular throughout Latin America, with each region putting its own culinary twist on the dish. Before you get turned off by the idea of “raw fish”, the citric acid in the lime actually “cooks” the fish, so by the time of eating, the fish is no longer raw, and any suspect bacteria are killed off. I loved the ceviches that we had in Tulum, because they were fresh, delicate and perfectly satisfying on a hot day at the beach.

Here’s my version of ceviche, inspired by locally grown peppers and my memories of Mexico, accented with locally grown cherry tomatoes.

Yucatan-Inspired Ceviche

Ingredients

1 pound of small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 fillet of sole, cut into 1/2 inch squares (I found that using kitchen scissors was the easiest)

4 Chawa/ Hungarian Wax/ Giant Acongua (Aconcagua) peppers, sliced into strips

1/4 of a red onion, diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

juice from 3 limes, + juice from 1/2 a lime

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

avocado, sliced (optional)

Place the onion, fish and shrimp in bowl and cover with lime juice from 3 limes. Place the bowl in the fridge and let marinate for 30 minutes or until the shrimp and fish are opaque. Discard the marinating liquid.

Gently stir in the peppers, cherry tomatoes, remaining juice from 1/2 a lime, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Place back in the fridge for another 20 minutes for flavors to meld.

You can serve the ceviche as is, or garnished with avocado slices.

 

Authentic Gumbo by Gram Holly (naturally gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free) August 1, 2011

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gumbo

I recently signed up to receive distributions from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which means that I get locally-produced vegetables straight from the farm. This brings me one step closer to becoming a locavore, reducing my carbon footprint a bit. I am very happy about this commitment to support our local farmers instead of Big Ag. I also welcome the challenge of having to make meals around the ingredients that I have on hand.

I was so excited to receive my first distribution, until I found out it was okra! I mean I love just about any food (excepting of course, those that make me sick), and I’m not entirely against okra… But I’m also not that excited about it and its notorious snot-like substance that oozes from it as you slice it.

So I asked the Twitter-verse for a good okra recipe, and I said “if its gumbo, it better be good.”

What I got was a recipe that was not just good. It was outstanding!

The recipe I got was from Holly Postler who writes a beautiful blog about her life as a celiac, called Chronicles of a Celiac. Recently she’s being staying with her grandmother (also named Holly), which as coincidence would have it, lives in the same county as my parents, in rural Virginia. The same place where I got married, spent many a summer and Christmas, and where my own grandmother now lives as well. But apparently, Gram Holly lived in Louisiana for some time after going to LSU, so she should know a thing or two about gumbo!

I feel a little badly about posting this recipe on my blog, because really it should go on Holly’s blog where she has both wonderful recipes and fantastic food photography. After all its her grandmother’s recipe and her inspiration. But I did make it, eat it, and photograph it and I can attest to the fact that this is the only gumbo recipe that you’ll ever need. Its got the perfect balance of piquant and savory, and its both summery and satisfying. Even Thomas said that you can’t taste any “okra-ness.” The only (small) issue that I had, was that the recipe was so full of ingredient-love, that I almost couldn’t fit it all in the pan! Use the biggest one you have!

After  you read Holly’s recipe here, I hope you will take a moment to visit her blog and see pictures of her and her amazing grandmother. Thanks Holly and Holly for the inspiration, and for a recipe that I will keep forever!

Everything from here on down, is verbatim from both Hollies (is that how you spell Holly when there is more than one?), except for one little note I made about the scallions.

Gram’s Gumbo
active time: 30 minutes
total time: 1 hr 30 min
serves: 6-8

ingredients.
fat

  • 1/3 c vegetable oil, bacon fat, or butter and olive oil

vegetables

  • 1 large diced onion
  • 1 diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions
  • 2 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 3/4 lb fresh okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2″ pieces

liquids

  • 1 large can of peeled tomatoes
  • 2 bottles of clam juice
  • 1/3 c vermouth or dry white wine

seasonings

  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dry
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, TT)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice*
  • S&P to taste

meats

  • 4-5 slices thick cut bacon, sliced into 1″ long pieces
  • 1 package of sliced andouille sausage (my gram recommends Aidells)
  • 1 lb peeled and de-veined 24-30 ct raw shrimp (fresh or frozen)
  • (optional) 1 cup drained oysters

slurry*

  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • small jar (shake in jar)

directions

  1. Heat up a large, heavy saute pan over medium heat.  Add the bacon, stirring occasionally.  Once the pan has filled with fat rendered from the bacon, add the andouille and cook for 6-8 minutes (you want them to get a little crispy). Remove the sausage and bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
  2. Keeping with the same pan, add the onions and cook over medium-high, until they become limp.  Stir in the green pepper, celery, okra, and garlic.  Add salt and pepper and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the entire can of tomatoes, clam juice, vermouth, bay leaf, spices, thyme, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Stir, and reduce it to simmer (med-low) for 45 minutes (you want to see some bubbles popping up, but nothing rapid).
  4. After 45 minutes, taste and add more or less red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to your likeness. Add the andouille sausage and bacon back into the mixture.
  5. Turn the heat up to medium and add the shrimp. Allow it to cook until the shrimp turn pink. Add the oysters, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and the cornstarch slurry.  Continue to stir until the mixture thickens.

[6. add the fresh scallions, cooking for one minute] (my note)

Serve hot over rice, cornbread or as it is.

*In the spring/summer my gram uses less cornstarch and more lemon juice, in the fall/winter she uses more cornstarch and less lemon juice to create a thicker, heartier gumbo.  It is great both ways.

 

What I’ve learned about soy (hint: its not a pretty picture) July 11, 2011

Filed under: food allergy,soy — hk imagery @ 4:08 pm
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A discussion was initiated on Twitter Friday afternoon about the harmful effects of soy. After more and more people chimed in that they discovered their soy allergy just after being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance, and others were concerned about what soy meant for developing children, I decided to do a little research on the subject of soy. I offer a quick summary of my findings, and list a few articles that back up the notion that soy is just not that good for you.

First, soy is one of the top 8 food allergens in the US (1), and food allergies in general are on the rise (2). Why we have increasing food allergies in this country and throughout the developed world, is probably a discussion for another day. But I believe that over-consumption of any one of these top allergens can lead to an allergy/intolerance if you didn’t already have one (3). And soy is almost as prevalent in everyday food products as gluten, so one could easily be over-consuming soy, without even knowing it. Just like gluten, soy flour is often added to sauces, gravies, dressings and marinades. Soy is also found in MSG, which is used to flavor many, many products. And soy lecithin, an emulsifier, is found in everything from margarine and ice cream to chocolate and herbal tea. According to Wikipedia,

“Soy products… are used as a low-cost substitute in meat and poultry products. Food service, retail and institutional (primarily school lunch and correctional) facilities regularly use such “extended” products… The soy-based meat substitute textured vegetable protein has been used for more than 50 years as a way of inexpensively extending ground beef without reducing its nutritional value.” (4)

In addition, soy milk, soy cheese, and other soy products are widely available for vegetarians/vegans, those who are substituting soy for dairy (because of dairy allergies), and anyone who is under the (incorrect) impression that consuming soy is healthy for you. Finally, soy and soy flour can often be found in gluten-free items as a substitute for wheat/gluten.

So you see, it is quite easy to over-consume soy, and the places in which it is found are just as sneaky as gluten.

Even if you don’t have an allergy, consumption of soy is actually considered bad for you. Let me clarify that by saying, unfermented soy is considered bad for you. Traditional Asian diets use a lot of fermented soy, and research seems to indicate that fermented soy in the form of tempeh, natto, miso and shogu (soy or tamari sauce) is actually fine (5, 6). So you can probably continue to enjoy your sushi and your chinese food, unless you have an allergy to soy. (Please note, that most soy sauce also contains wheat, so if you are reading this post because you are gluten-free, please seek out gluten-free soy sauce, which does exist). But soy in the form of tofu or soy milk (etc.) should be limited, because of a myriad of harmful effects. Barbara Minton at NaturalNews.com states that

In their natural form, soybeans contain phytochemicals with toxic effects on the human body…If they are not removed by extensive preparation such as fermentation or soaking, soybeans are one of the worst foods a person can eat” [emphasis mine]…”Unfermented soy has been linked to digestive distress, immune system breakdown, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems for men and women, allergies, ADD and ADHD, higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition, and loss of libido.”(7)

Perhaps one of the reasons unfermented soy is linked to so many complications is that it is considered an ‘anti-nutrient.’ That is, it actually inhibits the absorption of certain nutrients, particularly calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. (8, 9)  This can result in long-term nutrient deficiencies, especially serious for developing children as well as vegetarians and vegans.

Soy is also a natural source of estrogen, something that pregnant mothers, women trying to get pregnant, and infants should not consume in excess. Some studies have shown that too much estrogen early in a baby’s life might lead to reproductive issues later in life, and estrogen may effect fertility in women trying to get pregnant (10). In addition excess estrogen can wreak havoc on one’s hormones (males and females), which in turn can effect everything from sleep patterns and libido to physical development and psychology (11, 12, 13). There is even evidence that isoflavone (a phytoestrogen usually isolated from soy) blocks thyroid production (14) and can actually encourage the growth of breast cancer cells in the lab (15).

None of this paints a pretty picture for (unfermented) soy.

So what does this mean for you?

Let me start with a disclaimer. I am not a medical expert or health practitioner in any way. I am just a decent researcher. Please make your own judgements and decisions based on the articles that I have presented here. That being said, here’s how I would summarize the use of soy in your diet.

If you do not have a soy allergy, I would just take note of how often I eat soy, and make sure not to overdo it. Keep track of what you are eating, daily. If you cook for yourself, soy probably won’t be much of an issue. If you rely heavily on food products from the grocery store, or restaurants (especially fast food) please take note of what you are eating. Read labels (this holds true for anyone, anywhere, regardless of your dietary issues) and ask your restaurant servers and managers what’s in their food. Chain restaurants usually have nutrition pages online with their ingredients listed.

If you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or have a young baby, I would limit my soy intake as much as possible. I would also probably limit the amount of soy eaten by developing children under my care.

If you have a dairy allergy/intolerance or are vegetarian/vegan, I would be very wary of the amount of soymilk, tofu and other unfermented soy that I was eating. I believe I made myself allergic to soy, because I thought I was intolerant to dairy and so started having soymilk with my cereal, and in my coffee, etc. Don’t replace cheese with soy cheese, or sausage with soy sausage (who wants to eat that stuff anyway?). If you have an infant with a dairy allergy, I would definitely consider using a formula other than soy-based. I don’t know what the options are on that front, and would like to encourage breast-feeding, anyway.

If you have a soy allergy, then you obviously need to avoid soy in most forms. Get to know where soy lurks and other names for soy. You should also know that

Some products (for reasons having to do with national regulation of soy products) don’t list soy protein or soy flour on their ingredients labels, yet they still contain soy. There are still many latent issues resolving how soy should be regulated, as well as its long term effects on human health. (16)

As with other food allergies, cooking for yourself is the number one best way to avoid having contact with soy. What about soybean oil (like in most mayonnaise) and soy lecithin (in almost everything!)?  What I’ve read is that neither soybean oil nor soy lecithin contain enough of the protein that is responsible for allergies to be an issue for most people (17, 18). However, some people can still even have reactions to either, so if you have a known soy allergy, please consult your doctor about it.  What about soy sauce? Same thing. Most people with soy allergies can probably tolerate soy sauce, but a small percentage may not (19). This last peice of news is probably the only silver lining in the cloud of soy sadness I’ve been feeling lately. Once my body gets back to normality after months and months of feeling ill, I may give some (gluten-free) soy sauce a try, because I really have been missing sushi and the taste of Southeast Asia.

I hope this clears up some issues and concerns about soy and what it means for your health. Please feel free to comment if you have anything you would like to add to the discussion.

And, by the way, what’s the connection to soy allergies and gluten allergies? I’ve read before and again that the weakened immune system that occurs from ingesting gluten can cause secondary food reactions. (Now that I’m looking for citations to back me up on this, I can’t seem to find any, but I know they exist, and will update this post when I find some.) Does this mean that once our system heals from a gluten attack (which in my case can take months), can we eat soy again? Maybe… but given all this information about (unfermented) soy, I won’t be seeking it out anytime soon.

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CITATIONS

(1) Mayo Clinic. Food allergies: Understanding food labels. Jan 4. 2011. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergies/AA00057

(2) Hadley, Caroline. Food allergies on the rise? Determining the prevalence of food allergies, and how quickly it is increasing, is the first step in tackling the problem. EMBO Rep. 2006 November; 7(11): 1080–1083.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1679775/

(3) Barnes, Lisa (LCPH, MARH, Dip AIT). Food Intolerance Testing (Bath). 2010. http://www.lisabarneshealth.co.uk/food-allergy-bath

(4) Wikipedia. Soybean.  Last updated July 9, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean

(5) White, Stephen Philip. Concerns Regarding Soybeans. http://rheumatic.org/soy.htm. 2006. rheumatic.org

(6) Minton, Barbara. Fermented Soy is Only Soy Food Fit for Human Consumption. NaturalNews.com. February 03, 2009

http://www.naturalnews.com/025513_soy_food_soybeans.html

(7) Ibid

(8) Stephen Philip White.

(9) Hunter, Beatrice Trum. The Downside of Soybean Consumption. NOHA NEWS, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, Fall 2001, page 3.
http://superiorsites3.com/NNF01SoyBeatrice.htm

(10) Konkel, Lindsey. Could Eating Too Much Soy Be Bad for You? Scientific American & Environmental Health News. November 3, 2009.
 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soybean-fertility-hormone-isoflavones-genistein&page=2

(11) Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research. Phytoestrogens. eHormone. 2011. http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/learning/phytoestrogens.html

(12) Konkel, Lindsey.

(13) Phelps, Jim (M.D). Basic Information About Estrogen in Psychiatry.  June 2005. PsychEducation.org.  http://www.psycheducation.org/hormones/estrogenbasics.htm

(14) Minton, Barbara.

(15) Weed, Susun. Phytoestrogens – Friends or Foes? 2002. Feminist Women’s Health Network. http://www.fwhc.org/health/phytoestrogens.htm

(16) Wikipedia. Soy Allergy. Last updated January 12, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_allergy

(17)  Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Soy Allergy. Government of Canada. April, 2010. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/soye.shtml

(18) Groce, Victoria. Soy Allergy. About.com. August 1, 2008.  http://foodallergies.about.com/od/soyallergies/p/soyallergy.htm

(19) Pediatric Education Services. Let’s Talk About…Soy Allergy. Intermountain Primary Children’s Medical Center. 2006. https://kr.ihc.com/ext/Dcmnt?ncid=520408019


 

Margarita Pie (Gluten-free, etc.) July 5, 2011

Filed under: recipes — hk imagery @ 10:00 am
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margarita pie (gluten-free)

When Shauna James Ahern of Gluten-Free Girl fame, announced that she was hosting a pie party, I jumped at the chance to be included. She wanted people to get excited about pie again, not to be intimated by making gluten-free crusts, so she invited anyone who was interested, to make a pie and post the results on July 5th (today).

I was excited by the idea, because I love pie! I know. Who doesn’t?  But I don’t really make it often, because there aren’t enough of us in the house to eat the whole thing. I do make the requisite pecan and pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving, and I usually use the Whole Foods gluten-free pie crust, because as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a very good from-scratch gluten-free baker. Their pie crust, by the way, is incredible. Really. Its buttery, flaky and delicious. I once found myself eating just the shell of the baked crust straight out of the oven (with no innards yet) because I had been so deprived of satisfying, tasty pie crust (or any gluten-free bread product) for so long. I didn’t feel one ounce of guilt about eating plain old pie crust, because it was an indulgence us gluten-free-ers rarely got back then.

So I started thinking about what kind of pie I wanted to make. I thought about my favorites (strawberry rhubarb, savory pot pies), and thought about what was in season in Houston (cherries, figs, maybe peaches, maybe blueberries). And my head started spinning with so many options. I wanted to bake them all! How to decide?

Well, what about a pie that represents Texas? Now, I’m not a native Texan, and despite the famous bumper sticker, I didn’t “get here as fast as I could,” either. It took me 35 years to get here (that was 3 years ago). But the anthropologist in me has taken to the culture of Texas wholeheartedly. I have embraced the perfect mix of polite southern genteel meets rugged cowboy honesty, and of course, have loved every experience with real Tex Mex cuisine. Its true, Mexican food outside Texas and Mexico just does not compare to the real thing.

Then it hit me. What says hot, humid Texas in summer, better than margaritas? I just had to make a margarita pie! I consulted my cookbook,  peace meals. A book of Recipes for Cooking and Connecting by the Junior League of Houston, and to my luck, they had a margarita pie recipe! This cookbook is sensational, by the way. It was a house warming gift for my first home in Houston (my first home anywhere, for that matter) and it is a perfect representation of Houston cuisine. Its gourmet and comfort at the same time, and the photography is stunning. It makes you want to plan a dinner party every day!

The only problem with the recipe, however, was that is was very heavily cream-based, which unfortunately is a problem for me these days. So I did some research on other margarita pie recipes. They run the gamut from frozen limeade, to lime curd to lime Jell-o and Cool-whip, with everything in between.

Being a margarita-on-the-rocks kind of girl, I chose not to go with the frozen margarita type pie. Plus, it would melt in a New York minute in Houston’s climate. So I looked further. The curd type pie, which is essentially lightly cooked egg yolks with lime flavoring, was a little closer to what I was looking for, but can be very heavy, especially when temperatures are nearing 100°. And a pie with Jell-o and Cool-Whip? Well, what can I say. Easy as pie…. but not very exciting (at least to me). My research also included key lime pies and lemon meringue pies, because I had in my mind an idea close to an intersection between these.

I finally decided on an adaptation from an old Better and Homes Garden recipe for lemon meringue pie, which I adapted again. Its a curd type pie, but the use of cornstarch lightens it up a bit. Not being a huge fan of meringue, I thought I would whip some coconut cream for a topping. Well, I had three different attempts at the whipped cream, and by the time of this posting, I did not succeed. :(  This isn’t to say, its not possible. Luck was just against me. In the end, however, the pie stood by itself without whipped cream (coconut or otherwise). Still, I aim to perfect the whipped coconut cream, because it is really a simple recipe. If I would just read it correctly!

For the crust, almost every margarita pie recipe that I came across called for crushed pretzels. But the two brands of gluten-free pretzels that I found had soy in them, also an issue for me recently. But then I thought, tortilla chips traditionally go with margaritas anyway, not pretzels. So why not make a crust with them? Its the perfect use for all those chips at the bottom of the bag that are too small to dip in guacamole or salsa. And if they aren’t salty enough, I can just sprinkle some rock salt around the edge of the pie, presumably the reason pretzels are used to begin with.

The pie turned out just as I had hoped: light, cool and delicate, with a great lime flavor. I wish the color were a little more green, but the yellow of the yolks was stronger than the green of the lime. I thought about adding green food coloring, but was afraid the outcome would look a little fluorescent! The crust was tasty and complementary to the filling. But it didn’t really hold together that well. So if you have an idea of how to bind it together better, I would love to hear it. I thought about adding cornmeal (might add too much flavor), or almond flour (good flavor, but does it bind?) or chia seeds (I’ve never tasted them or experimented with them), but didn’t get a chance to re-try the crust by the time of this posting. Anyway, no one seemed to mind the crust flaking off a bit.

By the way, I titled this Margarita Pie (Gluten-free, etc.) because I used dairy-free, soy-free margarine, which worked just fine. But I bet real butter would taste better, if you can handle it. Also, you don’t have to use alcohol. Its only slightly noticeable, but if you have a problem with it, leave it out, and it will still taste fine. If you can take dairy, by all means, top it off with some whipped cream! If you can’t, try whipping coconut cream. I’m going to next time! And if you have problems with corn, but not soy, you can use the gluten-free pretzels for the crust, and probably gelatin instead of cornstarch in the filling (you might have to experiment a little with that one).

So here’s the recipe. I hope you like it!:

Margarita Pie (Gluten-free, etc.)

Ingredients

enough white tortilla chips to make 1½ cups when crushed

¾ cup sugar, plus 1 cup sugar

½ cup butter/margarine melted

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

3 Tablespoons gluten-free flour (I used 1½ Tablespoons almond flour plus 1½ Tablespoons tapioca flour)

dash of salt

1 ½ cups water

3 egg yolks, beaten

½ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

2 Tablespoons of your favorite tequila (we like Silver Patron) – optional

2 Tablespoons Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur, or orange juice, if you don’t want the alcohol

pinch of rock salt

½ teaspoon lime zest

a couple of thin slices of lime

Directions

Crush tortilla chips in a bowl with a pestle if you have one, or place in a freezer bag and roll with a rolling pin until crumb-sized. Crush enough to make 1 and ½ cups. Grease a 9 -inch pie plate. Combine tortilla chips, ¾ cup sugar, and  margarine. Pour into pie pan, piling more around the edges. Pat tortilla chip mixture along the bottom of the pan and up the sides, forming the crust. Chill one hour.

Mix 1 cup of sugar with cornstarch, flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Add water, while stirring, until ingredients are well combined. Cook over medium high heat until thick and bubbling, stirring constantly. Then cook and stir for another 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Gradually pour 1 cup of the cooked mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly stir in lime juice, tequila and cointreau until well combined. Pour into pie shell. Cool and refrigerate until set. Before serving, sprinkle rock salt around the rim of the pie crust, and garnish with lime zest and lime slices. Serve topped with whipped cream or coconut cream (if desired).

 

Forbes “journalist” makes a mockery of gluten-free and anorexia May 23, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — hk imagery @ 10:03 pm

I don’t usually get very wordy, or even very personal on this blog. My goal with this blog has always been to help people eat well, and have fun doing it, while adhering to their gluten-free diet. We all know its not exactly “fun” to be on this diet. We do it because we have to.

But today there was an article in Forbes magazine that has the gluten-free community up in arms. Meghan Casserly’s article is unfactual and poorly written at best, rude and even dangerous, at worst. Its basic notion is that people on a gluten-free diet might be masking anorexia. While there is one anecdotal case that Meghan points to as the reason for publishing this statement, there is no empirical data to back this up. And trying to make this linkage is dangerous.

She says that its a “scant” 1% of the population affected by celiac disease (so its not important?). She says that the gluten-free lifestyle is on the rise, and says this is surprising because its highly restrictive, and that there is nothing to eat on the gluten-free diet. This is absolutely wrong. The only thing you can’t eat on a gluten-free diet is gluten. Of course gluten can find its way into many things. But once you know how to work around this, there is so much to eat. People should not be led to believe otherwise.

She drops the names of several celebrities who either have celiac disease, gluten-intolerance, or a child with autism, and alludes to the idea that because these celebrities support the gluten-free diet, that “gluten-free” must be a fad. She does not dig deep into the reasons why the gluten-free lifestyle is on the rise. It is not a fad. Four times as many people today have celiac disease than did 50 years ago. This is not an increase in diagnoses. This comes from comparing DNA to a control population today, vs. frozen DNA from a population in the same geographic area, 50 years ago. The prevalence of the disease has increased. Moreover, there is another group of gluten-intolerant people, Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerants (NCGI) who do not have the DNA markers of celiac disease but exhibit many of the same symptoms and who react severely to gluten. Doctors estimate that between 6% and 15% of the world’s population have NCGI. This is not a “scant” number.

I don’t know what the true story of those three teenage cheerleaders was. But it could be probable that at least one of them has a problem with gluten, and because teenagers fall easily into peer dynamics (there’s safety in numbers), then its not all that surprising that the others could have felt issues with gluten, whether real, or imagined.

It is a well known fact that many teenagers suffer from low self-esteem and bouts of depression. Many are afraid to ask for help that they may need, for fear of being ridiculed. It is also well known that diagnosing celiac disease is very difficult, and people have gone as much as 20 years or more before being properly diagnosed. Gone undiagnosed, celiac disease has life-threatening consequences. Making an un-tested link between anorexia and a gluten-free diet, and sensationalizing it with an inflammatory headline is the real danger. How many young teenagers experiencing real issues with gluten, will now have their peers, teachers and even parents believe that they are just crying out for attention, or trying to mask an eating disorder?

Already, teenagers with celiac disease are meeting with ridicule because of their condition. I met one mother on Twitter whose daughter was mocked for needing to stop for a (gluten-free) salad after the team had a pizza party. The other girls on the school bus teased her and called her “special”, making her cry. When I was in high school, I tried “dieting” because I always had a bloated abdomen, and thought dieting would make the bulge go away. I once got reprimanded by the school nurse for only eating a grapefruit before school. She alerted my parents to my “diet” and forever my parents thought my food intolerances were “all in my head.” For 20 years, my issues went unresolved, and undiagnosed.

The general public should not be told of possible dangers of the gluten-free lifestyle. They should be told of the dangers of not diagnosing it. And teenagers should not be given another reason to ridicule their peers. Or worse, teenagers experiencing real problems should not be given another reason not to seek help for them.

Meghan claims that she was trying to “shed light–and raise eyebrows–on another potentially dangerous and possibly overlooked possibility” (e.g., anorexia). But if she were truly trying to do this, she might have highlighted some of the underlying issues that surround anorexia, including its signs and symptoms, its dangers and what people are doing to try to cure it. I believe this article was written as a sensationalistic stunt, in the hopes of getting a lot of attention, but not in the hopes of actually helping people with anorexia, a disease with a 20% fatality rate. (I’m no reporter or blogger working for a big name company, but I can google pretty well, and that’s how I know this fact).

She also goes on to make fun of someone because of her weight and her diet, and insinuates that because this person is gluten- and lactose-intolerant, that she probably doesn’t have anything interesting to say. How tacky! (By the way, I’m gluten- and lactose- intolerant, and my friends think I have plenty of interesting things to say!). If she were concerned about anorexia, she would realize that self-esteem and body image are attached the disease, and would not be passing judgement on her “friend of a friend” because she is 100 lbs (did she know her weight for a fact?).

Meghan’s article is full of holes, its smug & its insulting. Its also dangerous to girls with anorexia, and girls with gluten-intolerance alike. The article has done nothing to help shed light on either of the two diseases, but instead makes a mockery of all people suffering from either disease.

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If you would like to know more about my personal history with gluten, keep reading.

My digestive issues started probably as far back as I can remember. They probably started before high school (but my memory doesn’t go back that far so much anymore)! I do remember in high school thinking and feeling that “I am fat”, all the time. Of course many a high school girl has been known to think this or say this, so its not anything new. But I thought I was fat, because my tummy was always bloated. I went on a diet to try to lose that tummy bulge, and one day went to school having only eaten a grapefruit for breakfast. First bell was PE (gym) and as we were running around the track, I passed out. I was sent to the school nurse, who found out that the cause of my low blood sugar was that I ate nothing for breakfast. See, grapefruit actually has negative calories in it – it takes more calories to consume it, than there are in it – which is why its such a popular diet food. Anyway, I was given some saltines, and sent on my way. But the nurse called my parents to alert them of my “diet” and this opened the door to suspicion and skepticism about my food issues, for the next ten or more years.

I was not anorexic, and I did not even have a strict diet. I wouldn’t even say that I had a poor self-image. I was just a young high school girl with constant bloating in my stomach, and often real pain, trying to figure out how to heal myself. My parents didn’t believe that I had any issues. In addition, I was often the brunt of cruel “dumb blonde” jokes, because I was “airheaded” – a side effect (“brain fog”), that I only recently learned, of gluten intolerance.

In college one evening I was studying for a final exam but the pains in my lower gut were so terribly bad, that I was not able to concentrate on my studies. I’ve always been very disciplined and would never find an excuse for not studying. But the pain was unbearable, and I had to put the book away. I don’t remember what happened with that exam. But I do remember those pains.

My father believed it to be from stress. But I told him this was no ordinary stress. Something was wrong. So I went to one of the best medical doctors at the University of Virginia (where I was studying). He was an apparent expert on gastrointestinal diseases, and he performed a colonoscopy on me. This was about 20 years ago, now. His diagnosis? I was fine. There was nothing wrong. The secret conversation that took place between him and my father (who was footing the bill) was that “it was all in my head.”

I have been plagued with this diagnosis for nearly 20 years. I spent the rest of my college life in a constant “brain fog”, as well as continual “psychosomatic” (not!) gastro-intesiiinal pain and bloating.

Another ten years passed between the time that I saw that GI expert, and the time I visited another GI doctor. I finally learned that gluten was the cause of all my trouble. How I figured that out is a story for another time. But I went to this new GI doctor, in the hopes that in 10 years, doctors had more advanced ways of determining the mysterious bloating and pain in my gut. And just in case they didn’t, I offered to the doctor my  gut feeling, that “I think that I have a problem with gluten.”

The doctor looked at me squarely, waved her hand (waiving my self-diagnosis ridiculous) and said: “You don’t have a problem with gluten. Why do you think this?” And I explained the very obvious, that when I eat it, I get sick! She laughed, did not order any tests, and asked me if I wanted an antibiotic. I left the doctor’s office in tears, thinking once again, that I must be crazy. I went out for a beer and some pizza with my (now) husband. And I got sick. Very very sick. And I knew I was right. In the end, we know our bodies, better than any doctor. And so I went with my “gut” feeling, and have been much happier ever since.

 

Gluten-free at Houston’s Food Truck festival May 18, 2011

Filed under: Houston, TX,restaurants — hk imagery @ 5:48 pm
Tags: , ,

On Sunday we went to the first annual Houston Food Truck Festival (Haute Wheels).

Luke is 4 years old and loves anything that has to do with vehicles, especially trucks. His two-year-old sister shares his enthusiasm for cars and trucks (and everything else that he enjoys). So when I told Luke that we were going to a festival of trucks that serve food, he was floored.

“They have trucks for food???” He asked, wide-eyed.

“Yaaaay!” was all Ava could think to add.

Yes, the whole family was excited for the festival. Food trucks are not new, of course. In Miami, there was a food truck that came to the botanical garden where I worked, every day around 11:30, horning the cliché ”la curaccha” song, and the 100% Latin-American mainteance team would go running off to meet it. I always pined for one of those pupusas or Cuban sandwiches. But alas, traditional food truck fare, often goes hand-in-hand with my enemy, gluten. When I was young and blissfully ignorant about gluten and its effect on me, I loved stopping for a “dirty water” hot dog, or soft pretzel with mustard on trips to New York City. And I’ve always wished I could stop at a burger truck, when in a bind. But I don’t usually travel around town with extra gluten-free buns on me.

Recently, however there has been an evolution in food trucks. Not only the trucks themselves, but the foods that they offer. These days food truck fare can be made up of the latest hot and trendy haute cuisine. And given that “gluten-free” has recently made many a list of the latest in food trends, I thought, maybe there’s hope. What are my chances that there is a least one truck with gluten-free options? If I find one, I’ll be elated. If I don’t find any, well, I always have good food at home (right around the corner).

Unfortunately, as this was the first food truck festival in Houston, it needed to work out a few kinks. The lines at each food truck were prohibitively long. Luckily, the price of admission included vouchers for one beer or one glass of wine. That one beer kept my husband from growing too impatient while we figured out what to eat.

I went from menu to menu at the first several food trucks that I saw (before standing in the long lines). I eagerly checked out Eatsie Boys because I had heard a lot about them. Indeed, their sandwiches looked gourmet and creative. But they were sandwiches. Too bad for me.

There was a Korean/Tex Mex fusion which sounded awesome. But no doubt had soy in its sauces (why, oh why, do I have to be so difficult!). And their quesadillas were undoubtedly made of wheat tortillas. I checked out a vegan truck which might be a possibility. But the names of their dishes had such obscure names, I couldn’t figure out what was in them, and did not want to wait in line for 45 minutes just to find out that I couldn’t eat anything there.

Finally, I saw a barbecue truck that had recently opened shop, and whose line did not seem too long. I had Thomas and the kids stand in line, while I went to find out what I could eat. I walked to the back window where you receive your order, and spoke to who was probably the chef/owner.

“Do you have anything that is gluten-free?” I asked.

“Ha ha ha ha ha.” Came this rolling, jovial laughter. “Do we have anything gluten-free? Yes. We do. Because all we have is meat and meat is gluten-free!” I smiled, gave him a double thumbs up, and resumed my place in line.

When I finally got through the line, I ordered a couple of meat platters. As it turns out, luckily, the coleslaw and potato salad were oil and vinegar based (yay! dairy free!). So I could eat more than just meat! They didn’t have any of the pulled pork (boo, that’s always my favorite). So I got a half chicken platter, and a “Bullbutter Ball” platter. It turns out the name of the food truck is Bullbutter Bros. Barbecue, and their specialty is this spicy meatball wrapped with bacon. A little spicy for the kids, but Thomas and I enjoyed them. I double-checked that their barbecue sauces for dipping are also gluten-free. I was only able to try the Beauregard sauce, because I took the last little sauce cup they had out. It didn’t matter. That one sauce was delicious! Tangy, with just a hint of sweetness and not spicy, so even the kids could enjoy it.

The platter came with beans as well, a favorite staple in our house. They were quickly devoured. While Thomas and I worked feverishly to feed the starving kids and ourselves, picnic style, the brother of truck chef/owner came to greet us. I guess as family of the vendor, he gets free beer. So he offered his to Thomas, knowing he could get another. I’m not sure why he chose Thomas, over anyone else in the crowd, but Thomas was happy! With that second beer in hand, and a fully satisfied belly, he didn’t have a complaint left in him! And I was happy that the whole family was happy, even my little gluten-free belly.

 

Even though I was really hoping for some innovative haute cuisine, I know that I can’t be too picky when I have to eat gluten-free. And really, you can never go wrong with good Texas barbecue. There’s a reason some traditions stick around. I highly recommend the Bullbutter Brothers Barbecue truck, whether you are gluten-free or not. Their food is hearty, delectable and totally satisfying. Look. Not even one scrap left for the birds…

I hope you find Bullbutter Bros. when running around town. You won’t be let down. I also hope that the second annual food truck festival will be better organized. Now I have a whole year to research whether there are other food trucks with gluten-free options out there. If you come across anymore, I’d love to hear about them.

 

Mother’s Day Brunch. Homemade, Gluten-free, Dairy Free, Soy-Free May 8, 2011

Filed under: bread products,products,recipes,spreads condiments etc. — hk imagery @ 1:18 pm

Look at this beautiful brunch my husband prepared for me this morning!

Its difficult cooking for someone with multiple allergies. Luckily my husband has suffered with me over the past decade as I figured out how to lead a happy, gluten-free lifestyle. But its been only a few months since I’ve realized that dairy and soy are also now causing me problems. While I have been able to navigate somewhat successfully through this food-puzzle of what I can and cannot eat, I wouldn’t expect my husband to be able to figure it out as easily. I usually do all the shopping, and buying allergy-free items is an acquired skill, in which I am still on the learning curve of.

Last night, my husband offered to do the shopping for last night’s dinner and today’s brunch. On the list (which I wrote) was olive oil spray, which he could use for the grill and the roasted veggies last night, as well as for the poached egg cooker this morning. Well to my (almost surprise) after I sprayed the olive oil on a full roasting pan of veggies that I had just cut up, I decided to read the ingredients. As I feared, olive oil spray has soy lecithin in it!

Oh man! I had just sprayed all the vegetables!  My husband felt terrible and apologized over and over. But why would he think that olive oil spray would have soy in it? Actually, I understand the reasoning. Soy lecithin is used as an adhesive in many foods, and in this case it is used to make sprayed olive oil stick to the foods you spray it on. Its just too bad it has to be so. (Not to mention that Thomas went shopping at Whole Foods and the spray cost about $7!).

Luckily, I had a few vegetables left over. I cut them up and put them in my own seperate roasting pan, with plain old extra virgin olive oil (not sprayed). And luckily, we caught this before he grilled the chicken with the spray.

While I sometimes lament the loss of dairy in my diet (especially cheese), and I get frustrated over all the sneaky places that soy lurks, essentially cutting off a lot of other foods in my diet, on a day like to day, I remind myself that despite my food difficulties, I am a very lucky person.

This morning, I woke to a beautiful breakfast created by my husband, in honor of the role that I now play as a mother. I have two beautiful, happy and healthy children who fill my every day with joy. And I have a very caring and supportive husband who has always been there to help me through the rough patches in life (e.g. my dietary woes).

Here he made poached eggs over smoked salmon, on top of Udi’s (gluten-free, soy-free, dairy free) bread, spread with Earth Balance’s (dairy-free, soy-free) margarine. On the side he fried up the crispiest, golden hash browns, and served me the rest of my leftover (soy-free) roasted vegetables from last night. He even took a moment to garnish the plate with some fresh parsley! It was a wholly satisfying, very delicious brunch and I couldn’t be more delighted. Even a jazz brunch at a fancy restaurant would not be as special as this meal that came from the heart and is confidently allergy-free.

Happy (allergy-free) Mother’s Day to all you mother’s out there.

 

How to eat gluten-free (and allergy free) on vacation April 27, 2011

Filed under: Dreams Resorts Tulum Mexico,food allergy,soy — hk imagery @ 4:12 pm

Vacation, or not, it can be daunting leaving your comfort radius of known kitchens and restaurants, when you have food allergies. Especially when leaving that radius also means leaving the country.

A few weeks ago, my family and I went on our first real vacation in five years. Its been since BC (Before Children)! That’s not to say that we haven’t left our comfort zone in all that time. In fact, we’ve moved five times in those five years, and we’ve taken several trips to visit relatives. We even had a mini-vacation in Colorado, en route to a wedding. Although Colorado is probably the best state in the union to visit if you have food allergies, so maybe that’s not saying much!

But now we were heading for Mexico, and I would not be doing any cooking, nor was I certain that I could explain my food issues to the locals. Of course I have to premise this by saying, its not like we were backpacking, staying in hostels, or entering areas where my limited Spanish would meet no English. Although going über-local is my preferred method of travel. I have travelled this way for most of my life, and frankly, as far as food is concerned, I am more confident in some ways of the food that I eat at small stands and local eateries, because the owner is also the chef and his wife may be the waitress, and they can tell me exactly what’s in their food.

My favorite food experience while traveling was when I met my (then) fiancé in Madagascar just after he proposed to me. In Fort Dauphin, we had the most divine langoustines dipped in garlic butter, on a breezy cliff, overlooking the Indian ocean. While that meal was memorable, it was nothing compared to the next day, when we hired a guide to take us around the islands in a pirogue.  He brought us to an islet only large enough for one fisherman’s family to live on. We greeted the fisher, then watched as he speared a fish right in front of us. In no time, he cleaned it and grilled it on their campfire. They served it with a lime-butter sauce, and rice on the side. So simple, and yet I cannot tell you just how delicious it was. It must have to do with how fresh the fish was. It almost melted in my mouth. I will never forget that meal, served on bamboo plates, the salty air still in my nose.

I didn’t have to worry at all about gluten. Gluten doesn’t lurk in fresh food. If they were gong to use flour, I would have known about it, because I was right there watching! But we were too far afield for gluten to be a surprise ingredient, like it is in so many pre-packaged, highly processed foods. Its the larger sized restaurants with pre-made dishes, and especially pre-made dressings and sauces, that I am afraid of.

I know, I know: “Poor thing.” Like I said, I’m not backpacking. Actually, I’m going to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico!

I never thought “all-inclusive” was my style of travel. But since I have two children under the age of four, for the first time in my life, it made sense. I didn’t want to have to do much, or think about much, except enjoy the company of my little ones and my husband. And catch up on sleep. I’ve been having serious bouts of insomnia for months, probably years now, and I think it has to do with food allergies. I discovered my problem with gluten 10 years ago and have kept it out of my diet ever since. But recently, something else has been bothering me. Its been causing me indigestion. Which in turn has caused me to lose many a night’s sleep. Which, of course, all but ruins the next day.

So in addition to not eating gluten, I had been striving very hard to get dairy and soy out of my diet. Just to see. Which one? Which one was the culprit? And I didn’t want to go and mess up my long-awaited, much needed vacation, by eating something that would totally disagree with me. Before leaving the US, I contacted the resort via twitter and email. They instructed me to speak with the food concierge when I arrived. That was the first thing I did when I got there. Well, after a sip of champagne…. I know. I sound spoiled already! But it was an all-inclusive, which includes the welcome champagne in the lobby when checking in! :)

As it turns out, Dreams Resort in Tulum, Mexico was 5-star in its accommodation of multiple food allergies. The food concierge sent me to the head concierge, who printed a letter for my approval, which I could then bring to the maître d‘ at any of their 9 restaurants.

I was at the resort for a full week and I kept that letter with me at all times (in my beach/pool bag).  Hence, the worn and tattered look. I presented it to each restaurant and at first, I was made very simple, but most certainly, allergy-free meals. I had a lunch with grilled shrimp tacos on soft corn tortillas, and refried beans on the side. Fine, fine. I had sushi one night without sauces. A little dry maybe, but allergy free.

For an appetizer, my husband and I split a shrimp salad with a (double-checked on the ingredients) mango-papaya dressing. Just perfect. My favorite dishes were the ceviches (they had several different styles) and the fresh grilled fish with simple olive oil and herb sauces. As I was there another day or two, the waitstaff and the restaurants we frequented most, began to recognize me (the crazy lady with the big hat and the multiple food allergies). The head chef at one restaurant was actually excited to offer me a gluten-free tuna tart, and some gluten-free bread which he special ordered (it took a couple days to arrive)!

Eventually, I learned to live without that letter, having memorized the words for gluten, soy and milk in Spanish, and being able to speak somewhat freely with the waiters about my needs. My favorite dish came one evening when, sadly, I had to eat alone. My husband got some kind of stomach virus (maybe from the water) and could not eat. The irony! I’m the one with the food allergies and I was eating like a queen, while the poor guy wallowed in abdominal misery.

Anyway, this one evening I went to eat at the Seaside Grill and spoke with the waiter about my dietary restrictions. I imagined he would return with a nice dish, but without sauce. Instead, after speaking with the chef, he brought me a steak medallion and grilled shrimp with a delectable madeira and mushroom sauce that they made especially for me, without wheat flour (harina!). I was so impressed! Unfortunately, I could not share the meal with anyone (but my book). And I couldn’t take a picture, because it was night and very dark. But believe me, it was the best dairy free, soy-free, gluten-free meal, I have had in ages!

Speaking of photographs, I have to say: I love my little Nikon D70. I really do. Its such a work horse. And I love my Tamron 90mm lens that I use as both a macro and a portrait lens. Its not hard to get beautiful images with that lens. I brought my camera bag all the way to Mexico with me. And I left those guys in the bag all week… I don’t know. I take pictures for a living, and I take pictures of my children all the time…. and when it was finally time for me to relax, I just couldn’t bother with my camera. Which is amazing for me. Because photography has always been my passion.

But instead, I played around with my point-and-shoot, which fit easily into my beach bag, and I have to say, I’m quite impressed with its ability to take food photos. For a point-and-shoot, anyway. It does have a macro setting, which is important. And an optical (not digital) zoom, with a Leica lens. So that helps. All  the pictures in today’s post were taken almost effortlessly with my point-and-shoot. While it will never replace my Nikon, this might just be my new slice on the side. You know, the one I take to fancy restaurants, when I want to photograph the meal (on the sly) for my next review. What do you think?

So how to eat gluten-free on vacation? Aside from booking a stay at Dreams Resort, what I really want to say is that the best way to stay on top of your food allergies is to take control of your diet. And if you are leaving your comfort zone, this means do some research ahead of time about where you will be staying and where you might possibly be able to eat. Learn how to talk about your dietary needs in the language of the country you will be visiting, or at the very least ask for some assistance in writing a letter. Speak to the people who are serving you about what’s in your food. I find that most people take pride in the food that they cook for you, and they want you to have a pleasant experience. No one wants to make you sick! So help them guide you to the right food choices and everyone will be happy.

 

 
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