Hold The Gluten

I am the queen of multi-tasking! I can talk on the phone, prepare dinner, and wipe a bottom all in one fell swoop. Just for clarification it was my kid’s bottom, not mine. And yes, I wash my hands thoroughly before making dinner.

Note:  Sometimes I don’t posses a filter. The above paragraph is quite a lovely example!

But I digress. I am working on pulling together the contents of my next Hold The Gluten podcast (to be recorded this week, so stay tuned), but could not wait another millisecond to share my latest creation. In preparation for Easter Dinner, I wanted to experiment in making my first gluten free cake. This August will mark my four year “gluten free” anniversary, however, I have yet to delve into the cake arena. After a huge success using buttermilk in my baking, I felt mentally prepared to work on a gluten free carrot cake. I cannot stress this enough — this cake was the moistest cake I have ever eaten! I sang songs of praise about my carrot cake. I made up a dance about my carrot cake.  I ate with wild abandon not caring about calories or using a fork.  Shhh, I think the secret is the combination of buttermilk, applesauce, and grated carrots.

Tonight I finished the last of the cake. In four shorts days, I ate an entire two layer carrot cake by myself. What the heck, I was making up for lost time!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
6 ounces of applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of two 9 inch cake pans with shortening (I used Spetrum Organic). Sift first eight ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, buttermilk, canola oil, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract on low speed until combined. Slowly add sifted dry ingredients into bowl until incorporated (continue to beat on low speed). Fold in carrot, coconut, and pecans. Pour batter into greased cake pans. Bake 30 minutes (or until wooden tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean).

Cream Cheese Icing

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract. Continue mixing on low speed while slowly adding the sifted confectioners sugar.

*Note: The Cream Cheese Icing is from Janni on allrecipes.com. I changed the amount of vanilla extract, but kept all else the same (why mess with a great frosting recipe!).

I have a horrid confession to make…I’ve been eating large quantities of pre-packaged gluten free foods.  Cookies, breads, frozen meals; anything that did not have to be measured, mixed, and cooked by “yours truly”.  My turn to the dark side happened after burning myself out during the holiday season.  Frenetically baking like Betty Crocker on crack will eventually catch up with a person.  Not to mention the “episode” involving my dog Baxter eating two dozen freshly baked gluten free cookies.  Oh the horror!

After a month (or two) of recuperation and a detox from hydrogenated oils, I am back in fighting form and ready to bust out of my gluten free baking slump.  My latest recipe is a twist on my “traditional” cornbread.   I wanted to add a sweetness to the cornbread’s dense consistency.  The addition of blueberries, lemon, and honey make this an awesome breakfast bread.

I have to admit - nothing beats homemade.  Hmmm, if only I could find someone to bake for me!

Blueberry Lemon Cornbread

Grease bottom & sides of 8 x 8 baking dish with butter

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream (I used Daisy Reduced Fat)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of one small lemon
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
Additional sugar for pan bottom (approx 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk all wet ingredients (include lemon zest) together. Slowly add wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Sprinkle sugar into bottom of pan (enough to coat) before pouring batter. Bake 25 to 30  minutes.

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 20 “‘Glorious Gluten Free Food” Features:

• Effective June 1, 2009 - In addition to Gluten Free Rice Chex, General Mills will make the following Chex cereals gluten free:  Corn, Honey Nut, Chocolate, Cinnamon and Strawberry.
• General Mills Betty Crocker brand will include gluten free brownie, cake, & cookie mixes. Check out About.com for further information as well as Kill The Gluten’s blog for product review.
• Have you had a “gluten nightmare”?  Dreams of accidentally ingesting gluten…
• Successful gluten free dining experience in Atlantic City, NJ.  Delicious gluten free options at Buddakan Restaurant.
• Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pasta Review (Rice Sticks Traditional Thia Pasta & Organic Spaghetti).
• Bob’s Red Mill Certified GF Oats
• What do YOU think of this HTG Podcast? Leave your feedback wherever you download this podcast!

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Click for direct download

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 19 “‘There’s A Party In My Tummy!” Features:

• South Florida-based Palm Beach County Celiac Support Group offering gluten free meal assistance to economically challenged
• Natasha’s Health Nut Cookies - a moist & chewy GF cookie.
• Listener Pennie shares her snack suggestion…  Mrs. Dash on popcorn!  13 different blends that are Gluten & MSG Free.
• Bahama Rice Burger - tasty soy and gluten free “meat alternative”.
• Gluten Free and a vegetarian/vegan?  Check out Vegiac.com
• MSG mystery - feedback from listener Erick in Indonesia (writes that MSG manufactured in SE Asia contains gluten).
• Join the Gluten Free Twitter Party on Friday, April 3, 2009
• Check out my article “A GF Lifeline Created Online” in the latest edition of Gluten Free Living Magazine (Number 1/2009)
• Gluten Free Girl: How I Found The Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too is now in paperback.
• What do YOU think of this HTG Podcast? Leave your feedback wherever you download this podcast!

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Click for direct download

I remember trips to our local Farmer’s Market as a little girl.  We would always bring home a brown paper bag full of ripe pomegranate fruits.  After slicing them in half, I would marvel at the ruby red seeds that looked like jewels.  Extracting the seeds took some effort, but that was definitely part of the fun!  I can still recall the burst of tartness on my tongue and my red-stained fingers.

In the last several years when the benefits of the pretty pomegranate hit the news, I rediscovered my childhood treat.  This “superfood” is packed with antioxidants and promotes heart health.  I recenlty met Janny, a blogger for POM Wonderful.  She kindly directed me to POM Wonderful’s site and the bevy of recipes that include pomegranate juice and/or seeds.  Suddenly my glass of plain ol’ juice seemed in need of a makeover!

Armed with my trusty blender, I set out to create a healthy, tasty, and filling smoothie.  What’s fantastic about smoothies is that you can customize your frozen concoction based on your favorite fruits and flavors.

POM-tastic Fruit Smoothie

1 cup POM Wonderful juice
1 cup orange juice
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup mixed frozen fruit (I used a combination of melon, grapes, & peaches)
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 tablespoon MLO Brown Rice Protein Powder

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until liquefied. If smoothie is too thick, add more POM or orange juice to thin out. Makes two 8 ounce smoothies.

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 18 “What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?” Features:

• Would love to see “Celiac Disease” as a check off on physician forms.
• Uno Chicago Grill now serving Gluten Free Pizza nationwide!
• WalMart now carrying Amy’s Organic Gluten Free Frozen Meals.
• February 2009 issue of Rachael Ray magazine offers gluten free recipe.
• Chocolate Cheesecake with Cocoa Pebbles Crust recipe on Hold The Gluten blog.
• MLO Brown Rice Protein Powder is gluten free and vegan.
• On-line reference The Gluten Solution offers cooking videos, and grocery & product lists.
• Gluten Intolerance — does the longer this disease go undiagnosed correlate to additional disorders, allergies, or illnesses?
• What do YOU think of this HTG Podcast? Leave your feedback wherever you download this podcast!

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a
good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked”  - Bernard Meltzer

Happy Valentine’s Day my dear friends! In the spirit of this mushy, gushy day, I’d like to thank every one of you for reading my blog and listening to my podcast, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your thoughts, and for allowing me the pleasure of getting to know you and your “gluten free” stories. You rock my world!

My hubby and I will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in the exact same fashion as we have for the last 11 years. It sounds a bit unimaginative, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! Our very first date was Valentine’s Day 1997. Not planned intentionally, it just sort of happened to fall on the holiday for lovers (ahem, awkward!). With every restaurant in the tri-state area booked, we decided to stay in and cook Fettuccine Alfredo together.  So much has happened over the years including our marriage (not on Valentine’s Day) and the birth of our beautiful daughter and amazing son. Throw into that equation a blind dog, a couple of house moves, and a little ol’ Celiac Disease for good measure. Twelve years later (holy moly!) our meal essentially remains the same. The only difference is the fettuccine noodles will be gluten free!

Without further ado, here is my Valentine’s gift to you:

Chocolate Cheesecake with a Cocoa Pebbles Crust

Gluten Free Crust:

25 Health Valley Rice Bran crackers
2 cups Cocoa Pebbles cereal*
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)

In a food processor grind rice crackers and cereal until crushed & crumbly in texture (resembling ground almond meal). Add brown & white sugar and butter. Mix thoroughly. Press crumbs against the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.  Place pan in freezer while you prepare cheesecake filling.

*Note: I have had no reaction to Cocoa Pebbles. However, Nature’s Path Koala Crisp Cereal is gluten free as well.

Cheesecake Filling:

1 1/8 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg
4 egg yolks
3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 squares baker’s chocolate
1 teaspoon chocolate extract

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly incorporate 1 1/8 cup of white sugar, 1 whole egg, 4 egg yolks, whipping cream, cornstarch, cocoa powder, melted baker’s chocolate, and chocolate extract. Mix well.  Add batter to springform pan. Bake in center of oven for 50 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees. I placed a pan filled with water on the rack beneath the cheesecake to eliminate cracking and maintain moistness. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool for at least 1/2 hour.

Chocolate Topping:

4 squares of baker’s chocolate melted
4 tablespoons whipping cream

Combine baker’s chocolate and heavy cream.  Whisk well.  After cooling cheesecake (still in springform pan) for at least 1/2 hour, spread chocolate topping over cake and refrigerate to chill.

Cool cheesecake for at least an hour before removing from pan. Refrigerate prior to serving.

Cookie Monster is my googly-eyed hero! As a child, I admired his impressive ability to hoover large quantities of cookies, donuts, and even a typewriter or two. Then Sesame Street went all “PC” and made poor Cookie eat veggies (hello, his name is “Cookie Monster” for a reason!).

I will warn you right now, these cookies are ridiculously good. So good that I have successfully eaten three dozen of these fantabulous cookies. By myself. Hidden in the pantry. In an attempt to control my peanut butter cookie binge, I froze a dozen of these beauties. Defrosting requires time to think about over-consumption, right? Um, not if you eat them directly out of the freezer bag. Lately I’ve spent a lot of quality time channeling my inner Cookie Monster.

In the articulate words of Cookie Monster, “om nom nom nom”.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and peanut butter — continue to mix well. Slowly add in white rice flour, millet, and soghum flours. Add in baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined. By hand, fold in peanut butter chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 18 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 17 “I Like Monkeys!” Features:

• Peanut Butter Recall includes PB Cookie Lara Bar.
• Birthday dinner at Pizza by Elizabeths
• Comment from HTG listener Julia re: gluten intolerance does not always equal skinny or hungry looking.
• Epic Fail Part 1 - GF Easy Bake Bread Mix by Orgran
• Epic Fail Part 2 - Nasty Orgran Bread made into French Toast encrusted with Cocoa Pebbles.
• Listener Mike’s answer to my question, “Can I be “glutened” by inhaling pasta steam from traditional glutenous pasta?”  Check out this article!!
• GF Food on the cheap:  Trader Joe’s GF Brown Rice Pasta & Amazon.com Subscribe and Save Program
• What do YOU think of this HTG Podcast? Leave your feedback wherever you download this podcast!

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Whoo Hoo!  Our voices have been heard!!  I know many of us provided feedback to Uno Chicago Grill in the hopes of a gluten free pizza being offered on their menu.  Our wait is over!!! It has been announced that Uno Chicago Grill will be adding gluten free pizza to their menus NATIONWIDE!  I have contacted their public relations team for more information on the time line, what states/locations will be next, etc.  Will keep you posted, but wanted to share this fantabulous news!!

Update from Elliott Subervi of Utopia Communications, Inc.

Thanks for reaching out.  As of January 13th all Uno locations nationally are carrying the GF Pizza, (all but the original locations in Chicago…Pizzeria Uno & Pizzeria Due will not be carrying the GF Pizzas).  A word to the wise, it is always better to call the location you are headed to prior, since we are seeing a sell-out of the GF Pizzas in some locations very quickly.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNO CHICAGO GRILL® ROLLS OUT GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA NATIONALLY
Positive Consumer Response Prompts Earlier Introduction

Boston, MA (January 13, 2009) – Following a highly successful market test, Uno Chicago Grill® will offer its new, gluten-free pizza nationally. Uno® is the first national casual dining chain to offer a gluten-free pizza and received very positive feedback from guests who suffer from celiac disease, which affects approximately one percent of the population .

In fact, word-of-mouth reaction from the gluten-free community during the northeastern market test prompted the company to advance the timetable for a national roll-out.

“Food allergies are a very serious, sometimes life-threatening, issue for many Americans,” notes Uno CEO Frank Guidara. “Pizza is our signature product, and we wanted to offer a gluten-free pizza so all of our guests could enjoy it when dining at Uno.”

“Consumer reaction was so positive, and the chatter so strong on gluten-free blogs and websites, that our restaurants began receiving requests to carry the new pizza,” noted Richard Hendrie, senior vice president, marketing, Uno Chicago Grill. “Because the demand was so strong, we decided to pull out all the stops to get the gluten-free pizza into our 200 plus locations as quickly as possible.”

Recently lauded as America’s Healthiest Chain Restaurant , Uno has added gluten-free cheese and pepperoni pizzas to what is already one of the most extensive gluten-free menus available for a casual dining chain. This is good news to the estimated three million Americans diagnosed with celiac disease, as well as an additional seven million Americans who have a wheat intolerance or allergy and rely on gluten-free foods. While awareness of celiac disease is rising, an estimated 97 percent of those who have it remain undiagnosed .

Guidara explained that it took over a year of research and development to find just the right recipe for a brand that is known for its iconic pizza. “While we want to meet the needs of guests with allergies, we never forget that we are about great taste and choice, and that means developing new dishes that are healthful without sacrificing great flavor.”

The company that was the first to develop deep-dish pizza in 1943 is still full of innovation. Uno Chicago Grill works closely with its Nutrition Advisory Board, which meets quarterly to discuss trends and solutions to improve the quality and nutritional value of its menu. The board includes world-class physicians with expertise in coronary disease, weight management, and other food/health related issues. Guidara oversees the Advisory Board and brings his expertise as a member of the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable.

The gluten-free pizza was originally tested at Uno Chicago Grill locations in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts (excluding Worcester and Springfield/Holyoke).

According to the Gluten Intolerance Group, surveys show that about 15 to 25 percent of consumers report looking for gluten-free products, far more than need to.

Uno boasts a number of healthy firsts, including being the first national restaurant chain to eliminate artificial trans-fats and to increase menu and nutritional transparency via nutrition information centers located in their restaurants. The company’s gluten-free menu has 20 items ranging from entrées, salads, sides and desserts. For guest convenience and safety, Uno clearly labels menu items with ingredients that are linked to the most common food allergies, such as fish/shellfish, soy, tree nuts/peanuts, egg, milk and wheat/gluten. Diners can also preview the menu and nutritional information online via the company’s website at www.unos.com.

The company has invested more than $2 million in nutritional advancements since 2005 and, according to Guidara, will continue its commitment to providing delicious, fresh and healthful menu options for its guests.

About Uno Chicago Grill:
Based in Boston, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes more than 200 company-owned and franchised full-service units located in 29 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The company also operates a consumer foods division which supplies airlines, movie theaters, hotel restaurants and supermarkets with both frozen and refrigerated private-label foods and branded Uno products. For more information, visit www.unos.com.

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