Check out Easy Eats, a new gluten-free ezine, from Silvia Nardone, author of Cooking for Isaiah , one of my favorite gluten-free cookbooks.
The digital magazine is dedicated to gluten-free living, recipes, and tips. The photography and styling is beautiful; can’t wait to check it out! Congratulations Silvia and team!
I received this email from a reader and thought my response might also be helpful to others who are just beginning their journey with new food dietary restrictions:
I wonder if you can share…do you have true food allergies? Anaphylaxis? Or Food sensitivity to the foods you list above? I’m curious as our lives have changed because of anaphylaxis…that I’m just curious how your body / life has changed anaphylaxis or other reactions. Look forward to your comments / sharing your experiences.
Thanks,
L
My own personal discovery in changes in my body and diet came with a sudden onset of hives on my face, most especially around my eye area. I had never had any food allergies before and this started in my early 30s, after I stopped nursing my first child. My face would break out in red, swollen, itchy hives then the skin irritation would recede to a darker color after a few days/weeks (usually once I had eliminated the food allergen). This went on for weeks until I finally went to a professional Allergist who tested me positive with various food and plant allergies (gluten and corn among them).
It took months for me to come to terms that I could not just decrease the amounts of food allergens, but would have to eliminate them completely from my diet. Only when I strictly eliminated all the known allergens did my outbreaks stop entirely. With research, time, patience and reaching out to others (especially in the gluten-free community) was I able to feel comfortable with cooking at home and dining out with food allergies.
So for me, I do not experience anaphylaxis, but instead allergic reaction on my skin. I can only imagine how scary to have more serious affects and the extreme diligence and care involved in protecting oneself from other more life-threatening reactions. I do have close friends who’s children have severe nut allergies. They must train all caretakers (babysitters, school teachers, family) on how to react upon sudden reaction to an allergen, such as nuts. Education (for the child and caretakers) is necessary at all times, whether at home, at school, or perhaps even at birthday parties or play dates in order to keep the child safe and allergy free (or, in worst case, how to treat child in an emergency episode).
How have you all coped with new changes in lifestyle and diet and what advice can you give?
New to dining out with food allergies or food sensitivities? It might be daunting at first, but with some preparation and persistence, it IS possible to enjoy meals out and stay healthy. Check out an article in today’s Contra Costa Times and you may find some great advice (and tips from me!)
Summer is my favorite season and along with it comes fresh produce from our local Farmers Market.
For lunch today, I made my own version of Eggplant Parmigiana, gluten-free, corn-free and lactose-free:
1 eggplant
1 egg
1 cup Bob’s Redmill Gluten-Free Bread Mix (or baking mix)
1 package Gluten-Free pasta (I used Brown Rice Spaghetti from Fresh and Easy)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and drizzle olive oil onto baking sheet.
Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Beat egg in a small bowl and dip eggplant in egg mixture before breading with gf flour mix. Sprinkle with chopped basil, salt and pepper, then bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown. Turn over the eggplant a few times in oven to get both sides browned and crispy.
Pesto sauce:
In a food processor, combine olive oil, salt, basil leaves and garlic. Blend until fine. Set aside.
Bring water to a boil and cook GF pasta (add a bit of oil and salt). Drain; toss pasta in pesto sauce.
Serve pasta with Eggplant slices; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cheese (or rice/soy cheese) if desired.
Next time I’m in Marin, I can’t wait to check out Lydia’s Kitchen in Fairfax, CA. They offer an array of gluten-free, organic, raw and vegan products and have a Cafe which serves cooked and raw foods as well. These dishes look amazing and so healthy (and of course gluten-free!)
Bacco's delicious Italian Gluten-Free pasta
San Francisco’s Bacco restaurant, tucked in family-friendly Noe Valley, is like stepping into a classic Italian ristorante. I love that they serve my favorite brand of gluten-free pasta made in Italy; so the craftsmanship, taste, and texture of the pasta is second to none, especially for the gluten-free variety.
The Spaghetti with lamb ragu did not disappoint, nor did the homemade Gluten-Free bread!
Excellent service and delicious, authentic Italian. Viva Bacco!
Bacco
737 Diamond St.
San Francisco, CA
http://baccosf.com
Novak Djokovic has not only gone free from a loss in over 40 consecutive tennis matches, but he’s gone wheat free as well to improve his diet. Call it coincidence that since his change in diet this year, he’s set the tennis world on fire accumulating numerous titles, but many athletes have chosen to go gluten-free. About 1% of the population may suffer from celiac disease, but about 95% of them are unaware.
He’s in the quarterfinals at the French Open – we’ll keep our fingers crossed for this gluten-free tennis star.
We would think Vodka is distilled from potatoes, but there are actually very few vodkas these days that are potato-based. Don’t listen to your bartender, because I’ve had several whom said that only top shelf vodkas such as Belvedere and Grey Goose was potato-based, but they where clearly wrong. We’ll just give them credit for their clever mixology skills over their distillation knowledge.
Check out Chopin Vodka – available at your local BevMo. It’ll be in the $30-40 range, but keeping that bottle tucked in the freezer will bring delight to your cocktail hour.
*Update: the latest packaging on the bottle includes a nice clear label that says 100% Gluten-Free. I don’t remember this before… but nice to have the confirmation!
Since sake is pretty save for those in search of sans-gluten spirits, it’s time to ramp up your sake chops and head to more sophisticated enjoyments.
Find local gluten free sake tasting events when the tour hits your town: http://www.joyofsake.com/
Corkage Sake and Wine Shop in Western Addition, San Francisco: http://www.dajanigroup.net/establishments/corkage-sake-wine-shop/
Sake is rice-based, and the process is all gluten-free, and corn-free. Rice is polished to remove oils and protein, then it is boiled and koji mold is introduced to activate the fermentation process. Water, yeast, and lactic acid are added to the process to remove unwanted bacteria, then it sits around for a few weeks. Brewer’s alcohol is added, then it is carbon filtered and pasteurized.
So now that you know to go for the sake – where should you go?
If you are in the Bay Area and are new to gluten-free sake, check out http://www.takarasake.com
They offer a tasting room and even a sake museum.
