The Gluten Free Path

But what will I snack on? What if I’m famished and need food quick, or am just a little hungry? Are there any gluten free snacks?

If you go to your grocery store, co-op, Trader Joe’s, whatever, there are plenty of snacky like things you could get. Chips and dips. Popcorns. But what about something that is actually good for you? Time to go back to basics!

Apples and peanut butter! Yup, it’s just that simple. It’s nutritious. It’s flavorful. Very easy. Makes me and hopefully you, feel like a giddy kid again! Simply core and slice an apple. Add some peanut butter and go sit crossed-legged in the sun!

Please forgive the oddly placed shadows in the picture. The sun and shadows have been hiding and popping back out at the most inconvenient times.

So you have decided to go gluten free, either because of doctor’s orders or as an experiment. Now what? Panic? No, well maybe. I think I felt nervous. Let me tell you, after a few weeks it feels less like a complication and more like a lifestyle routine. It’s getting there that is the challenge.

The first place you want to start is at your favorite store. Ask someone who works there if they have gluten free products. Fred Meyer has a whole “health food” area, which is beginning to include gluten free items. Keep your eyes out for Bob’s Red Mills gluten free products. They are great when you are still in mourning over bread, brownies or cornbread.
Safeway is starting to carry gluten free products, as well as QFC. Albertson’s is slow to make most changes, such as gluten free or organic. I’ve never shopped at Top Foods, but I hear they are fairly good for a chain grocery store. If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s nearby, check out their gluten free brownie mix. Yup, Trader Joe’s is a great place to ease into going gluten free, things are clearly labeled and staff is usually knowledgeable.
Central Markets in Washington state are great places to look as well. I found a site that has a bunch listed in Texas, I don’t think they are related, but check it out, see what they have!

But of course, my favorite places are community food co-ops. Many community food co-ops are not for profit. They are essentially there for you. They exist to give people healthier more ethical options whether it be gluten free, organic, or free trade.
So in that case, since you are already reading this you are at your computer or on your smart phone. Google food co-ops. Then google farmer’s markets, these places are where the changes take place, before they hit the big stores.
For a place to be more specific, try Local Harvest. I’ve run into their site many times in my google searching.
Once you are done searching online, hop in the car with your directions to stores, or just drive around and start stopping in grocery or health food stores that look interesting(if you haven’t already done this that is). I know, sounds simple, but sometimes just plodding along through your neighborhood’s strip malls can result in great surprises.

Now that I’ve given you ideas go out there and do it! It’s an adventure! You can find amazing things if you only go out beyond your comfort zone. It’s not scary, there are no gluten free nazis preparing to yell at you. And yes, you’ll probably buy something with gluten in it by accident, but that’s what happens when you learn a new skill.

Good luck! Happy gluten free shopping!

Rick and I had a mini-break or mini-vacation recently. We went down to the Long Beach peninsula to visit his dad and step-mom. We had not been since going gluten free(preservative and other nasty things free as well). I admit I was a little nervous. Though we were bringing most of our own food, what happened if we ran out of something? Or had a terrible craving. I know, it sounds melodramatic, but it’s a concern sometimes. Eating gluten free, organic, preservative free, no artificial anything can be challenging. Once out of my safety element, I felt a bit vulnerable, though I had no reason to. I knew what to do. Never the less I did. So I did a little searching.

I googled, as I usually do, for stuff gluten free in or near Long Beach. Exact phrasing I can’t remember. But I did come across a nifty little website, for what appeared to be a store, a natural, organic, hippy dare I say, grocery store. It was called THC Organic Market. Being a bit of a nerd, and I feel I can say this now after almost two years(check out where it all started), a blogger, I felt it my duty to check out this mythical place called THC Organic Market. Could it be true that an alternative grocery store existed outside of north western Washington? It seemed too good to be true. I was chasing the veritable gluten free rainbow, looking for a pot of gluten free gold. Enough cliches for you? hehe

Well I can say with total satisfaction, and confidence, that it was worth checking out, and going to twice in two days. It was awesome. It carried many, if not most of the important gluten free options I can find at our local co-op and other health food stores. There were Tinkyada noodles, a couple of different gluten free breads, cereals, crackers, really whatever you could imagine. The store was packed with tall shelves in a nice, neat tidy manner, with whatever I could desire.
I did a much more wordy review, and description of our shopping adventure at my other site, The Modern Hippy. But for this more specific site, I’m sparing you the time.

If you end up on the Long Beach Peninsula you have a resource for gluten free foods, prepared in the deli or found in the store. Just make sure that you don’t use Google directions, as they didn’t send us where we needed to end up.
Check out their site and facebook pages at the following links:

Website: THC Organic Market
Facebook: THC Organic Market Facebook Page

Please excuse the slightly blurry photos, I just got a new camera and it was only my second day using it. They will get better and be clear and colorful very soon!

One of the first things you learn when going gluten free is that oats are something you have to give up for a time. If not forever, at least until you figure out whether or not they bother you. Then there is the whole kerfuffle over gluten free oats versus regular oats. If you have celiac disease you should not eat regular oats because they are almost always contaminated. If you are just gluten intolerant, either tested or just suspected, I’d suggest avoiding regular oats as well, at least for awhile. Follow your docs orders and your instincts that aren’t driven by hunger.

Anyway, once you know you can tolerate gluten free oats – it’s a trial process after you let your body heal – give this recipe a try. As with all my recipes, it’s just a guide. Add what you want, play around with it. There are few right or wrong ways to do something.

Note: In the picture below you will notice that the oil is safflower, not coconut. After some research I have decided to phase out safflower oil due to it’s high content of omega 6 oils. Those are the oils that induce inflammation. Neither Rick nor I need to induce anymore inflammation. Plus coconut oil seems to be much more nutritious and safer with high heat than any other oil.

What you’ll need:

1 1/2 cup of gluten free oats

1/2 cup of walnuts

1/2 cup of almonds

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons of flax seeds

3 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds

7 chopped Brazil nuts

2 tablespoons of flax meal

1/4 cup of allpurpose gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mills)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 cup of honey

1 teaspoon of coconut oil (I use raw) oil

Heat oven to 200 degrees(if for some reason your granola starts to darken before it starts to crisp, turn the temperature down). Chop the nuts. Add all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate small bowl. If your coconut oil is cold it won’t mix as easily with the honey. It has a melting point of 76 degrees or so. You only really need to warm it a touch and it will be much easier to use. Once everything is mixed it the respective bowls add the wet to the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Use a cook sheet or a broiler pan, line with foil. “Grease” the foil with safflower oil. Gently spread the granola mix over the foil. Place in the preheated oven. Turn/stir with a spatula every 15 minutes. Continue until the desired crispness or whatever is achieved!

Note: If you want to add dried fruit to the mix, add it after you toasted it. Otherwise it will burn. You can also use parchment paper instead of foil. I’ve used it and like the result.

     I’ve been making gluten free zucchini bread for almost a year. It’s wonderful! Best thing ever! I couldn’t believe that I had yet to do a post about it. Well, I was mistaken, I had done a post already, over at The Modern Hippy, my other blog. Of course! I forgot! I was arguing with myself and Rick over moving that post here, because this is a gluten free specific website. Only makes sense. I just had to let go, to be okay with taking something from my first blog, what I consider to be my “baby”. A silly project I thought up one hot summer afternoon. Finally, today I feel it is okay to take away from my “baby”. I’m not taking away, I’m repurposing a post that no longer fits over there for another blog where it will fit better – hand-me-downs if you will.
     So, without further ado. Here it is with some slight alterations.

     This summer my parents have a zucchini plant. It was so cute when I planted it. And now, all that “hard” work paid off! It has produces so many zucchinis I’ve lost count. Not wanting to waste them and having fond memories of zucchini bread, I decided to make gluten-free zucchini bread. Four or more tries later, it is still the best zucchini bread ever! It just gets better with each loaf! Even people whom are not gluten-free nuts say it’s good!

     After searching for a few minutes online, I found one recipe that seemed to be the easiest to modify. This is the end result.

     Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe:

     Set oven to 350 degrees (or 325 if using a glass bread pan).
o 2 eggs
o 1 cup sugar, unbleached
o .5 cup of oil, safflower
o 2 tsp. of vanilla, fair trade
o .5 tsp. of baking soda
o .5 tsp. of cinnamon (and a pinch of nutmeg – optional)
o .5 tsp of salt
o 1.5 cups of gluten-free flour (I use Red Mills Gluten-Free All-purpose Baking Flour.)
o Pinch of Xanthan Gum, optional
o 1.5 cups of shredded zucchini, organic if you can
o 1 cup of chopped walnuts

     Mix the first four ingredients, then add the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Carefully, (slowly if you can) add the gluten-free baking flour and xanthan gum. Then mix in the zucchini and walnuts.
     Grease and flour a loaf pan. (It isn’t absolutely necessary and I forgot to do it on more than one occasion, just makes things easier.) Pour, taste if you want and bake for up to 75 minutes, or until a knife comes clean. (I’d say tooth pick but that would be promoting disposable items which I would like to avoid.)

     Notes: Xanthan gum is optional because we don’t like the way it tastes. I’ve tried it with .5 a tsp, 2 pinches, 1 pinch, and a dusting that was so small it couldn’t be considered a pinch. People will tell you that it doesn’t have a taste. However, it does have a specific texture that it adds to whatever it mixes with – slippery, almost greasy. We don’t like it. The eggs in this recipe hold the bread loaf together well enough. It only becomes slightly more crumbly without it. So in my opinion, xanthan gum is only to be used if you don’t want to use eggs.
     Other notes: I have also substituted walnuts with almonds. It’s still good, but I prefer the walnuts. Oh and please excuse the odd bulletting, I don’t know what’s wrong with my word program, it’s temperamental.

Additional Notes:
     Last year I was cooking with two Teflon-coated bread pans. I have since learned that Teflon doesn’t biodegrade, and can end up being stored in your body, which just adds to the toxic load it already has to deal with. I use glass bread pans now.
When cooking with glass you need to decrease the oven temperature about 25 degrees. So turn down your oven to 325 degrees instead. I made the mistake of forgetting that when I made a loaf a week ago, it didn’t burn, just got really dark and looked burned. Nothing wrong with that other than it looking suspicious. I’d rather my food not look burned.

Love camping but haven’t done it since going gluten free? Well, we have – twice now(it only takes twice to get ideas). Through trial and error we have come up with some good ideas. And of course, through the next camping season we will come up with more.

Often, gluten free food or unprocessed food doesn’t hold up the same as “regular” food, especially bread. So instead of mourning your favorite things, all those things you can’t have now, think of what you can have.

Baking potatoes – They are simple, just wrap in foil and throw in the fire. Turn at least once. They are amazing cooked on the fire! All you’ll need is butter, salt and pepper, and cheese if you want.

Spices – Salt, pepper, and paprika. Those are my favorite. They work with just about everything. If you want, add cinnamon to the list.

Butter – It works on potatoes, any treats you might make before hand (i.e. gluten free zucchini bread), to coat a pan for frying etc.

Fruit – Duh! Bring your favorite fruits, if left in a cooler they’ll stay nice and fresh for some time. We bring apples, pears, pineapple and bananas. Just make sure to pack them on the top so they don’t bruise.

Veggies/Salad Stuffs – Bring your favorite veggies to munch on. Also, pre-made salad can make your camping life easier!

Cooked Quinoa or Rice – Both of those grains can work for any meal. As breakfast with honey and that cinnamon I mentioned. As lunch plain or with tamari.

Eggs – Hard boiled and raw for frying. They are simple, nutritious and easy to pack around. And if you are a vegetarian, they can provide another way to get the protein you need.

Hot dogs – You can find hot dogs without all the nasty additives such as high fructose corn syrup and nitrates. If you are a vegetarian, beware of some of the veggie dogs. Often they are not gluten free.

Gluten Free Cereal – We’ve brought Nature’s Path cereals before. They have tasty gluten free options.

Fish – Yup, it’s easy to cook, usually just needs a couple of seasonings. Wrap it in foil and toss on the fire. It only needs a few minutes. Remember though, fish is delicate. Don’t wait too long in the trip to use it.

Hummus or Salsa – Both compliment camping simplicity and need only chips, which don’t need to be kept cool. I make my own. Eventually I’ll get the recipe up, so check back periodically.

Chips – You can find chips anywhere. Something I’ve noticed with chips is often they are labeled as being packaged in a facility that handles wheat etc. I’ve been reading that companies are putting that one to protect themselves, regardless if they package these “contaminants” within the same room or building. Use your judgment. Do research if you are worried. Or look for those labeled “gluten free”. If you are really brave you can just make your own.

Drinks – They make gluten free beer now. Red Bridge is one. We are not beer drinkers so we bring hard alcohol(distilled) or StrongBow Cider, and the usual juices if we want. Water, remember, the simple stuff like water does not contain gluten!

Gluten Free Breads etc – Bring the stuff you learned to make! The gluten free zucchini bread, the gluten free corn bread, or brownies. Whatever you have learned to bake, make a ton and bring them. They will taste amazing and you’ll be full of pride, because you did it! You stepped beyond your comfort zone and make a tasty treat that isn’t usually thought of as gluten free!

Trail Mix -You can find it gluten free. Or you can make your own. I look for stuff that has lots of nuts and not a lot of sweets, like chocolate. If you are very sensitive, beware of dates. They usually have oat flour in them. Oat flour is commonly contaminated and some people can’t tolerate it when it’s produced gluten free anyway.

Gluten Free Granola! – Depending on whether or not you can tolerate oats, (not every celiac or gluten sensitive person can) you can find gluten free granola. We are lucky enough to have a company right here in Bellingham that specialized in gluten free things like muffins and granola. Flax 4 Life has muffins you can order online. They recently(not sure how recent), started providing granola to some of the local co-ops. If you don’t live near here, give them a call and ask! Who doesn’t like granola while camping. You can of course, learn to make it yourself! I’ll be sharing a recipe in the next couple of months.

Tea or Coffee – Both are naturally gluten free. There are lots of lovely organic varieties out there. We enjoyed English breakfast tea and green tea. Because we advocate eating as healthy as possible, while still having fun, I won’t recommend creamers. But almond, rice and hemp milk are good options if you need something that lasts. My favorites are almond and hemp milk, hemp being the creamiest.

Hamburger, chicken, bacon, etc. – Use your imagination! You can do anything you want!

Camping is meant to be a fun experience. Don’t get too worried about the food if this is your first time. It’s just a little different from being at home. Plus, in my mind, I see camping as a way to sneak in more fruits and veggies and get away from the sugary desserts I make or buy from the co-op. If you are overly hung up on camping “traditions” like marshmallows and graham crackers, there are recipes for those(eventually I’ll get around to trying a couple), and if I remember correctly, there are store bought options as well. Though I have yet to try them. I’m not missing them too much. All the other options are so appealing I forget about some of those “traditional” camping items. Remember, don’t get overwhelmed! Go back to basics! Basics are usually things you can take with you and are easy to make while camping!

     In the last couple of months I’ve been preoccupied with figuring out ways to make “traditional” foods gluten free. The most recent obsession being, gluten free cornbread, which was definitely worth the wait.
     But what about those times you feel lazy or really tired but still have to do something gluten free? Simple, all you need is your favorite protein and some veggies. Starches/grains are optional. For last night’s dinner I made salmon and veggies with a little bit of quinoa for good measure.
What you’ll need:
Salmon – or your choice of fish
Salt – optional
Broccoli – or your favorite veggies
Asparagus – “”
Parmesan cheese – optional
Quinoa – optional, I used it because I had some made up already

     Heat the oven to 400 degrees or so. Wrap the salmon in foil. Make sure there aren’t parts of the salmon exposed. It will steam cook in the foil and won’t dry out. Steam the veggies. They only need a few minutes, until you can poke them with a fork. They should still feel firm on the side. (I think mine got over cooked a little.) If you have quinoa made already just reheat it in the microwave. It is easy to make up if you don’t already have some cooked. Just 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa, boil for 10 minutes. Take off heat and allow the rest of the water to soak in for about 5 minutes. Once everything is ready, sprinkle with Himalayan salt and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

     Yes, you are right! Gluten free cornbread. It’s a favorite around here. There is just something about the taste that makes me think of sweet smelling kitchens, winter snow(or rain), and laughter. It’s just so homey.
     The funny thing is, gluten free cornbread is one of the more common mixes you can buy that turn out really well. But I wanted to take it a step further and make it from scratch because the prospect makes the super nerd inside of me shriek with joy!
Believe it or not, it’s fairly easy. All you need are a few basic components.

1 cup of corn meal (I’ve used corn grits as well, but it’s a different texture.)
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt (a couple pinches works as well. Also you can substitute sea salt)
5 tablespoons honey (Decide for yourself if you need that much – I love it sweet. Too much and it will taste like cake though.)
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 dry cup rice or almond milk (When I say dry cup I mean the cup you used to measure the flour and yogurt, the stacking measuring cups.)
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 teaspoons butter – slightly melted or room temperature

     Mix the dry ingredients. Start adding the wet ingredients. Pour into a small glass baking pan. Cook at 300 degrees. 45-60 minutes cooking time.
     Note: I’ve noticed in moving around so much in the last few years that each oven is different. What is 300 in my oven might seem more like 350 or higher in yours. I advise with this recipe to check after 25 minutes, then after 20 minutes. Depending on how it looks it might need another 15 minutes. The closer you get to 60 minutes though check more often. Do not check too often before 25 or even 30 minutes or it won’t rise properly! Also, remember that if you are cooking in glass lower the oven temperature 25 degrees or it will burn! The oven temperature listed above has already been lowered 25 degrees!

     I love soup! Until the last year or so I got all my soup out of a can. Unless my mom made it. My mother is a brilliant cook and always makes a several pots of soup throughout the winter, and even into the early summer. I decided in ‘08 I had to learn how to make good soup.
A year and a half after my experiments I’m getting quite a bit better. I’ve got an idea as to what flavors go with what spices. I have even figured out how to get around food “road blocks”, like gluten. But it isn’t just gluten, it’s artificial things, like preservatives, flavors. Even “natural” things like natural almond flavor, I avoid. Things like that usually bother Rick or me.
     When it came to making split pea soup, which I love, I held off due to what I know they put in ham, which is usually used to flavor the soup. On top of that, pigs are among the most poorly treated of massively produced food animals. But that is a post for my other blog, the modern hippy I’ll be making in the near future.
     Our co-op, which I adore, carries uncured, happy pork. However, I don’t need the amount they carry and it is a little expensive. So I opted for turkey bacon raised ethically. It has the same flavor as bacon, without all the unhealthy pig fat. I have found that bacon is a good substitute for ham when needed.

What you will need:
2-3 cups dried split peas
1 cup dried black eyed peas(optional)
6-8 cups chicken broth (I make my own and freeze it)
1/2 finely chopped yellow onion
1-2 med/large carrots
Himalayan salt – to taste(or sea salt, but that will change the flavor a little)
Pepper – to taste
Sage – to taste
Cumin or Cardamom – to taste
3-6 slices of turkey bacon, torn up
( I firmly believe you should add whatever spices you like, but these will give you the split pea soup taste without changing it too much.)

     If you are using the black eye peas, soak over night or be prepared to cook them before anything else for at least an hour, maybe more. Simmer them in chicken broth, might as well start the flavor mixing at the beginning. Though remember the longer soup is cooked, the more steam be let off and the liquid may need to be replenished. This is partly why I start with so many cups of chicken broth.
     Once the black eyed peas are tender add the split peas and onions, about 30-45 minutes. If the peas still seem rock hard cook them longer. Add spices and carrots, simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are softening but not too soft that they will over cook in just a few minutes. Lastly, add the turkey bacon. Simmer about 5-10 minutes to allow the flavor to be absorbed by the soup.
Serve with something tasty and enjoy!
      For the dinner photographed above, I also made stuffed shittake mushrooms and crisped up the extra bacon. Very tasty, though I’m not convinced that the recipe is final, so when it’s done I’ll put it up!

     Recently, I was searching for a recipe that would be easy to adapt for vegetarians. We decided as a nice surprise for our friends, to make them dinner for their first night back from Manchester. By accident I stumbled upon our co-op’s food blog, Sassy Sampler, and found a garlic potato soup recipe. Brilliant! The perfect soup! I already had some frozen “junk” veggies in the freezer I could use for veggie stock. Of course I added my own flair to make it more my own. I’ve added directions for making it vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Because of the ingredients, it is naturally gluten free. So if this gluten free thing is new to you, don’t over think it. This is something that would be gluten free anyway.

What you will need:

4 medium Russets, 3 medium red, and 2-3 medium yellow potatoes
1 medium/large leek, halved, then finely sliced, green and white parts
4-7 cups of chicken or veggie stock(see below for directions for both)
2 cloves of elephant garlic finely chopped
1 small regular garlic head, papery skin removed, top cut off
1/2 stick of butter
2 TBSP of safflower oil
2 bay leaves
1/2-3/4 cup of milk (I used 2%)
Thyme/ fresh or dried to taste
1/2 tsp of cumin or cardamom
3-4 dried Sage leaves, crumbled (I’d suggest using less if using fresh, it’s always stronger)
Black pepper to taste
Chopped green onions and grated cheddar cheese for garnish

     Melt butter with safflower oil until a bit foamy. Add chopped leeks and cook until soft (do not brown). Add finely chopped elephant garlic. Cook about 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add broth, garlic head, bay leaves and spices. Cook about 30 minutes, or until the garlic heads can be easily pierced with a knife. Add potatoes and cook until they are done. Remove bay leaves and the head of garlic. Mash the garlic out of the skins. Blend about half of the soup in a blender, add swished garlic paste. You may either add the milk to the blender or add it to the soup pot. Pour blended soup back into the soup pot. Serve with a garnish of grated cheddar and green onions or chives. I did mine with green onions.

Veggie Stock:

     Veggie stock is super easy. I save the “garbage veggie parts” and freeze them; such as the bottom part of a stock of broccoli, an onion that got a little rubbery, the ends of zucchini, and carrots I think I might not eat in time. How many veggie extras you need depends on how many cups you want. But remember, it’s not an exact science. It has to do with what you think tastes good. I had two full bags of “garbage veggies” in my soup pot and added 8-10 cups of water. Remember that when everything is simmering, it will loose water via steam, add more water if you want, just remember, more water means less concentrated flavor. Simmer for 4-6 hours or more, until it seems the veggies are soft or even a little mushy. Stir, let cool to freeze or refrigerate, or use immediately.

Chicken Stock:

     I use the bones from a recently roasted whole chicken. I feel that using all the bones, along with the left over meat of a roasted chicken, gives the best taste. But feel free to use whatever bones you want. Simmer bones for 2-3 or more hours. Strain, pick off the meat, add to stock or save for another meal like burritoes or a treat for the dog. Let cool to freeze or refrigerated or use immediately. Aside from using it as a soup base I like to freeze it in smaller bags and add it to refried beans and rice for
yummy tacos.