Gluten-free cereals

Lately gluten-free foods have received a lot of media attention. In particular, I'm referring to the TV commercials for Rice Krispies Gluten-Free with Brown Rice and Gluten-free Chex.

I was never a fan of Chex but I ran to the grocery store almost immediately after seeing the Rice Krispies Commercial. Kudos to you Kellogg's! Thank you for bringing back one of my favourite treats- Rice Krispie treats! I've made them 3 times this week- just follow the recipe on the box.

The only other cereal I've bought since going g-free is the President's Choice Organic's Crunchy Corn Cereal. The package says "wheat-free" and according to "Strawberries are Gluten Free" blog, this is a "use at your own risk item". The author at "Strawberries at Gluten Free" actually went through the run-around of calling the manufacturer to ask about facilities and potential contamination. I'm still okay eating products like this because I know I don't have celiac disease, but if you have celiac, you know what's best for you.

I'm glad that Kellogg's and General Mills are recognizing that many consumers are gluten-intolerant. I wish that restaurants were more aware (even though most are). Even though I have a lot of choices out there, they are still expensive and I feel like I'm treated with kid gloves at restaurants. It is worse when I enter a restaurant I would love to eat at (usually an ethnic one) and there is nothing on the menu I can eat! This is tough for someone who loves food as much as I do. Any other allergy sufferers out there who can commiserate with me?

Nevertheless, I'll take what I can get. And for now, that's my Rice Krispie treats!

Tuna Melt and Fresh City Farms Delivery

Ever since I discovered daiya vegan cheese, I've been looking forward to making tuna melts. They are easy to make, nutritious and filling.

A while ago, I got a tuna melt tip from one of my favourite cooking shows: The Chew. Use cooked sweet potato instead of bread! Not only are sweet potatoes naturally gluten-free, they are cheaper than gluten-free bread and more nutritious.

I roasted the sweet potato at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1.5 hours, until the insides were soft but the sweet potato was still intact. Then, I mushed up the inside of the sweet potato a bit before filling with my tuna mix and topping with "cheese".

Tuna mix: 1 can of tuna, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 large pickle, fresh ground black pepper to taste. (makes enough for 2 sweet potatoes, or 4 open-face tuna melt "sandwiches")

You can skip the pickle but I like how it adds crunch, tang and saltiness. No need for the salt shaker.

I was just as excited about my first delivery from Fresh City Farms. I had local, organic produce delivered to my door! I also got some local, free-range eggs.

A small box of fruits and veggies is about $30, half a dozen eggs were $3.25, and delivery is $3. If you prefer to pick up from several locations in the GTA, there is no delivery fee.

I'm estimating that the fruits and veggies are enough produce for me (and the occasional dinner guest) for a couple weeks, as long as I subsidize with frozen peas and a few things here and there from my local market.

Best of all, you can skip weeks of delivery and set up a "do not send" list. I put onions and garlic on my "do not send" but did not remember their close cousin the shallot. It is now on my "do not send" list after a quick email to the Fresh City people.

Before each week's delivery, you get an email with the box's expected contents. If you don't like the "surprise box" idea, you can customize your box online. For those who can enjoy bread and cheese, the online store also sells these locally produced products and some bulk grains, honey, and organic wine.

Just because I'm so excited, I'll list what I had delivered this week:

Half a dozen eggs

1 bag of carrots

Living tatsoi

Living parsley

1.5 lbs of red beets

6 shalltos

4 Valencia oranges

5 Spartan apples

4 Anjou pears

2 orange bell peppers

1 bunch of spinach

That's a pretty good deal for about $35, considering it is organic and locally grown- and I didn't have to spend time going to the grocery store to pick things out.

I also got a $15 discount for my first order! (they really know how to draw you in)

For now, I will stick to getting twice a week deliveries. I feel like this is a great service in terms of my time and health- and it gets me excited about food!

Now... if I can get fresh-baked gluten-free bread delivered to my door... THAT would be heavenly.

First "cheese"burger in 6 months

Today I had my first cheeseburger in 6 months! It was so delicious!

Yesterday night I made chicken burritos, with cheese!

My favourite new gluten-free, dairy-free food is daiya vegan cheese. And unlike many other non-dairy products, it doesn't contain carageenan!

Best of all, it is sold at Loblaws (where I usually get my groceries), for just $4.99! (not much more expensive than conventional shredded cheese).

I got their cheddar-style shreds but I'm looking forward to trying the mozzerella-style shreds on some gluten-free pizza dough!

The daiya website has a recipe search where you can customize by: "cheese" type, food allergies, and meal type. Check it out here: http://www.daiyafoods.com/recipes_new/index.aspx

This is definitely a product I'll continue to buy because it: meets my food-intolerance requirements, melts and stretches like REAL CHEESE, and is budget-friendly! I'm hoping restaurants in the GTA catch on soon!

Gluten-Free Fish and Chips in Vancouver!

Happy Holidays!

I was recently in Vancouver for the holidays and was finally able to try Mr. Pickwick's Fish and Chips. Everything on their menu can be done gluten-free. I went on a Friday and had the 2 piece cod and chip special for $6.95 and split a deep-fried mars bar with my friend. Delish!

They ran out of deep fried pickles that day but I'm looking forward to trying them the next time I'm back in Vancouver.

Unfortunately I was so hungry that I didn't snap any pictures for this blog- but I assure you everything is fried to order and extremely fresh. Even the tartar sauce is house-made. The decor is a little lacking- there are only 2 small tables in the shop (with two more outside on the patio for summer). Everything is plastic, but clean.

If you're in the Marpole area (Granville and 70th), try this place out! I would say it is also worth a drive in the summer to pick up some good picnic eats. It is hard to find gluten-free battered-and-fried foods and this place does it well.

http://www.mrpickwicksbc.ca/

I've heard about a fish and chip place on the Danforth in Toronto that serves gluten-free items. I'll let you know when I check it out.

Clam Chowder

So I haven't updated this blog in a while... it comes with the territory of being a grad student and having to submit proposals and mark assignments at the same time. Once I am "on holidays" in December, I promise to update the blog with some other goodies I've cooked up recently.

Anyhow- to get through this blustery weekend in Toronto (I saw snow yesterday...) I decided to make a clam chowder. The 2 cans of clans for $3 deal at Shoppers Drug Mart didn't hurt either.

I made my own chicken stock to start using some chicken bones I've saved and a couple bay leaves. You can use canned/ boxed chicken stock instead.

I used some paprika to sautee the celery. Paprika is "peppery" but not "hot"- my tummy seems to be okay with it too.

At first I was going to use almond milk in this recipe, but other dairy-free recipes on the internet recommended coconut milk. The coconut flavour is barely perceptible- it just gives the chowder a creamy sweetness.

Ingredients:

5 stalks of celery

1 can of creamed corn

2 cans of clams

2 large russet potatoes

1 can coconut milk

chicken stock

1 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

What you need:

Sautee pan

Slow Cooker

Wooden spoon/ chopsticks/ ladle to stir with

Can opener

Directions:

1) Dice celery stalks thinly and sautee in olive oil with paprika. Celery is ready for the slow cooker when slightly browned.

2) Peel and dice potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

3) Just throw everything in the slow cooker and let it work its magic! (I would add the chicken stock last- I made too much and it wouldn't fit in the slow cooker!)

4) Liberally add salt and pepper before serving.

Enjoy!

Toronto Stay-cation: Body Blitz Water Spa and Arepa Cafe

Yesterday a girlfriend and I decided to treat ourselves to a spa date. We went to the highly recommended Body Blitz Spa (http://bodyblitzspa.com/). I've been meaning to head there ever since I received a lovely Amex gift card for my birthday and I'm so glad I did.

Body Blitz offers a range of services from scrubs to massages but their signature facility is their "waters". There is a circuit featuring a sea salt pool, eucalyptus steam room, sauna, cold plunge pool and green tea pool. If you get any treatments, access to the waters is included but you can also experience the waters on their own. Their treatments are quite expensive (i.e. $90 for a 30 minute massage) so my girlfriend and I decided to try the waters on their own. On Tuesdays, access to the waters is discounted by $10. Bonus!

I paid around $45 for access to the waters and a soothing ginger tea drink (that the staff deliver to you while you bathe). This is definitely not something I would do all the time, but once in a while it is a lovely experience. At Body Blitz, they think of everything! You are provided with towels, a robe, flip flops, hair ties, spray deodorant and hair dryers! The products in their showers and vanity are all made in the spa and from quality ingredients. They even have plastic bags for you to put your bathing suit in after so you don't get your purse wet!

Not only relaxing, the waters have various therapeutic benefits. The steam room, sauna and green tea pool flush out your toxins. The cold plunge pool closes your pores and stimulates your thyroid (only if you go up to your neck- which I couldn't but I splashed water onto my face and neck). The sea salt pool relaxes your muscles with lovely waterfalls and jets, easing tension.

Sorry gentlemen, but Body Blitz is ladies only (and clothing optional).

After Body Blitz, my friend suggested we grab a snack at nearby Arepa Cafe (http://arepacafe.blogspot.com/). I had never had arepas (a Venezuelan breakfast/ snack muffin) before but she described them to me as a gluten-free (cornmeal based) English muffin with a variety of fillings. I ordered a pork and tomato arepa and my friend ordered something with steak, avocado, cheese and tomato. My arepa came with three thick pieces of tender pork and a juicy slice of tomato. My friend's arepa looked equally delicious and filling.

The server assured me that the pork was not spicy and my friend warned me against using the sauces you get (white= garlic mayo, green= spicy, red= super spicy). It would have been nice to have non-garlic mayo as an option but my arepa was delicious nonetheless. The arepa dough is cooked perfectly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside.

Prices are fair ($7-9/ arepa) considering how much food you get. Many of the items have cheese but I'm sure you can ask for none. They also offer delicious looking deserts (some of which are gluten free). I was tempted to try the fried plantains with honey and pistachios but decided to save room for dinner instead.

In addition to arepas and desserts, you can also find salads, finger foods, fancy coffee drinks and a bar offering beer, wine and Venezuelan rum.

Arepa Cafe also sells the P.A.N. flour so you can make your own arepas at home! P.A.N flour is considerably cheaper and easier to prepare than other gluten-free starches I've encountered; all you do is add warm water and and salt!

I'm excited to make some "mock McMuffins" at home and visit Arepa Cafe again.

Hockey Game Food: Lentil- Beef Burgers

I'm writing this as I watch the home opener for the Toronto Maple Leafs (home-team in my adopted city). Later tonight, Vancouver Canucks (who are in my humble opinion as a lifelong Canucks fan, the best team in the NHL) will play their home opener.

Hockey in Canada is like American football in the States, or football in Europe- a must see event.

Hockey means pub food and beer- both of which are very food-allergy unfriendly. Recently, I got cable at home! Now not only can I waste hours watching TV instead of doing schoolwork, I can watch hockey at home and make my own pub food.

My original plan was to make chicken wings. Usually pub chicken wings (even those pre-made in grocery stores) are coated in flour before frying. However, I saw my favourite gluten-free burger buns (O'doughs Flax Buns) on sale this week and decided to make burgers instead.

To accompany the burgers, I made a broccoli coleslaw (recipe to come) and heated up some Cavendish Farms From the Farm Potato Wedges that I bought at Shopper's Drug Mart (2 bags for $5). These potato wedges are labelled gluten-free and are simply seasoned (no garlic salt). I would make my own potato wedges but the sale price and convenience was just too good to turn down.

I also stopped by the liquor store for some gluten-free beer but they were sold out. Instead I picked up a regular beer for my boyfriend and a Strongbow cider (gluten-free!) for me. In reality, I drank maybe 1/5th of the Strongbow. Knowing your limit with alcohol is one of the best things you can do for your health, whether you have colitis or not.

As I've mentioned, I love a good burger. Chicken burgers and veggie burgers are alright but I like my burgers best when they are beefy. Ready-made frozen burgers are often (but not always) thickened up with breadcrumbs, and in general (especially "lean" varieties) are quite pricey ($10.99 for 6 burgers). Lentils are a vegetarian staple and often found in veggie burgers. I decided to mix lentils and lean ground beef for a more budget-friendly and low-fat burger.

I cooked my burgers on a George Foreman Grill and it didn't turn out as well as I hoped- the burgers fell apart a bit on the grill. Perhaps it would be wise to try this recipe next time with one more egg or to cook the burgers on a pan or using the oven broiler.

I read a little bit on the web about how to shape the burger patties. Some people like to use just their hands, other have expensive burger patty making gadgets. I used a very low-tech, low cost tool: a sour-cream container lid.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

540mL can of lentils (rinsed and drained)

1 egg

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp gluten-free tamari sauce

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

What you need:

1 sour-cream container lid (yogurt lids, takeout container lids would also work)

1 large bowl

1 spoon or fork

1 George Foreman Grill or non-stick frying pan

18 burger-sized pieces of parchment paper

1 large plate or cookie sheet

Directions:

1) In the large bowl, thoroughly combine ground beef, lentils, egg, turmeric, mustard, gluten-free tamari sauce and pepper using a spoon or fork.

2) Using the container lid and the spoon or fork, shape hamburger patties individually and place flat on a plate with parchment paper on both sides. Make a small indent in the middle of the burger so it cooks evenly.

3) For burgers you are eating immediately, refrigerate for at least 30 mins to let the burger patties set.

For burgers you are freezing, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 2 hours before stacking and storing in ziplock bags. The double layer of parchment paper between each patty will prevent sticking.

Recipe makes 9 burgers.

4) Cook the burgers on the grill or pan. I cooked mine from the fridge for about 5 minutes on the grill. Cook time will vary depending on cooking method.

Advice from the internet tells me to thaw my frozen burgers before serving.

5) Serve on gluten-free buns with toppings and condiments of choice.

Enjoy!