Gluten Free In Florida

Burger 21 Launches Gluten-Free Menu

2017-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

“Beyond the Better Burger”

Concept Teams Up with Gluten Intolerance Group During Celiac Awareness Month

TAMPA, Fla. – (May 1, 2012) – Burger 21® (http://www.burger21.com), a fast-casual “beyond the better burger” concept founded by the owners of The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., kicks off Celiac Awareness Month by introducing a gluten-free menu in partnership with the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).

“Considering one in 100 Americans has celiac disease, our guests have requested gluten-free options so we worked with GIG to provide a gluten-free menu as a service to our guests," said Shane Schaibly, corporate chef for Front Burner Brands, restaurant management company for Burger 21. "With GIG’s help, we developed an easy-to-read gluten-free menu featuring a variety of options for guests affected by gluten intolerance.”

GIG analyzed Burger 21’s menu, products and ingredients by checking labels and nutritional facts to determine items that contained gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, and then advised accordingly.

Burger 21’s gluten-free menu includes:

* Seven gluten-free Angus beef burgers served on French Meadow Bakery gluten-free buns
* French fries and sweet potato fries
* Fresh salads served without croutons
* A variety of hand-dipped shakes and floats

During Celiac Awareness Month, Burger 21 is participating in the annual Chef to Plate Gluten-Free Awareness Campaign to raise awareness about gluten intolerance through gluten-free dining during the month of May. Chef to Plate is an international gluten-free awareness campaign of the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (GIG), a nonprofit group dedicated to raising awareness of celiac disease and other forms of gluten intolerance. For more information on the gluten-free menu at Burger 21, visit http://www.burger21.com.

More information about GIG is available at http://www.gluten.net

About Burger 21
With two locations open in Tampa, Fla., and five in development in Tampa and Orlando, Burger 21, a "beyond the better burger" fast-casual franchise concept founded in 2010, is a chef-inspired brand with offerings including 21 unique burger creations ranging from hand-crafted, freshly ground beef to chicken, turkey, shrimp and tuna burgers, made-to-order salads, Hebrew National all-beef hot dogs, and an extensive shake bar including hand-dipped floats, malts, shakes and sundaes. Burger 21 is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. For more information, visit http://www.burger21.com

About Front Burner Brands
Front Burner Brands (formerly known as TGS Restaurant Management) is a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. It is affiliated with the corporate owners of and its management services extended to The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., founded in 1975 with more than 140 locations in North America and more than 15 locations currently in development, Burger 21 with two locations open in Tampa and five in development in Tampa and Orlando, GrillSmith with six locations in the Tampa Bay area and other new franchise concepts in development. For more information, visit http://www.frontburnerbrands.com

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

CheeCha Puffs, Sea Salt & Spiced Pepper...Gluten-Free

2016-12-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Air-Puffed Potato Snacks, carefully puffed in a hot air puffing process to release the potato flavor."

Gluten-Free, Cholesterol Free, Dairy Free, GMO Free, 0 Trans Fat

I love these things!! I just opened a fresh bag to enjoy. And that's the problem...once opened these CheeCha Potato Puffs are sooooo difficult to put down. In fact, I had given a bag to a dear friend of mine who also lives Gluten-Free...just to get her opinion. A week later she rather shyly confessed to me that she had eaten the whole bag...in just one sitting!! When I started to laugh she weakly defended herself that they were so good she just couldn't stand the thought of them going stale. Then she wanted to know where she could buy more. Give me a minute while I stop for a bite.

Ok...I also pulled them out for a potluck gathering at my home. Whoooosh...they were gone. Now in truth, I did have one person say they didn't care for them. She mentioned that she felt they were too salty...and I know she's someone who watches her salt very carefully. I happen to like the salty/spicey taste of these. I may even try the Mediterranean Ginger next time.

I also enjoy the fact that CheeCha Puffs have no greasy feeling at all...not even on my hands. Even my laptop keyboard is still clean. These potato puffs are light and crispy, with a really great crunch. In fact, just the right crunch. I absolutely hate it when something is so crunchy that it hurts my mouth...not these puffs...they have just enough crunch to be very satisfying. Next week I'll be passing them around at our monthly Gluten Intolerance Support Group Meeting. I'm certain they will be a great big success!!

CadCan Marketing & Sales

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 3C3

http://www.cheecha.ca/

Ingredients: potato flour, potato starch, sunflower oil, sea salt, salt, sugar, spice, onion powder, garlic powder, and vegetable oil

CheeCha Potato Puffs Flavours: Original, Sea Salt and Spiced Pepper, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Luscious Lime, Mediterranean Ginger

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

GateauOChocolat Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

2016-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

GateauOChocolat Flourless Chocolate Cake

Heaven’s Official Chocolate Cake. Now Available on Online!

GateauOChocolat flourless chocolate cake is a chocolate lovers dream. Based on a dessert first discovered in a famous bistro in Paris, our cake is the result of many hours of crafting and has been perfected over 10 years with help from our demanding restaurant patrons and dinner party guests. Our flour-free chocolate cake recipe creates a rich cake with nothing to mask the pure, dark-chocolate flavor enhanced by premium organic butter. A dusting of toasted almonds adds a slight toasty crunch. Light, dense and intensely satisfying.

100% Organic and 100% Gluten-Free

GateauOChocolat Gluten free chocolate cake is made of Rain Forest Alliance Certified 100% single-origin rare Ecuadorian chocolate. We use premium USDA certified organic sugar from Florida and small family farm butter, from cows that live in small herds on real pastures. Our local eggs come from small producers whose chickens are fed a healthy organic diet and live in vast enclosures with real grass where they can roam free. Nothing else: No flour, No gluten, No yeast. ** While we use 100% certified organic ingredients and bake in an organic, flour free bakery, we are in process for organic certification. **

We believe in and conduct our business in an ethical manner towards the environment, the people who grow or raise the ingredients we use, our suppliers, employees and customers. We hope to offer the best tasting products possible while successfully participate in a more sustainable economy. Our main reward is to bring pleasure wrapped in the feeling that from start to finish we have contributed positively or did no harm

Chef Emmanuel Roux

Chef Emmanuel Roux has been involved with creating, making and enjoying delicious food throughout his life. He was born and raised in Tunisia on a farm very rich in history. It was built over a Roman villa and was also the site of a major battlefield during the second World War.

His parents, French expatriates, owned the farm. In 1961, the Roux family moved back to France. He studied in France, in England and more specifically hotel management in Switzerland. He sailed the world while serving in the French Navy on the famed helicopter carrier Jeanne d’Arc. Roux also worked for an American oil research company in desolate parts of the Sahara in Algeria, Niger, and Mali in Africa.

In 1975 Roux moved to New York as general manager of the Lotos Club – an exclusive arts and literature private club, one of the oldest in Manhattan. In 1979 he moved to Savannah, Georgia where he founded Gaston Dupre Inc.; the first high-end flavored gourmet pasta company.

Since 1993, Emmanuel Roux has owned several restaurants in St Petersburg, Florida. It was in these restaurants where he refined his version of the classic French flour-less chocolate cake. After numerous requests from his regulars and friends, Emmanuel began selling his cake directly to chocolate lovers.

Food has been a life-passion and he has an extensive knowledge of agriculture, food production, distribution and cooking and enjoying the fruit of his labors. He particularly enjoys entertaining and sharing a good glass of wine with new and old friends. You can read some of his blog postings on this site.

Emmanuel spends his free time cultivating two organic community gardens which he was instrumental in developing and where he is raising small flocks of urban chickens. He is a vocal advocate of permaculture and urban agriculture. He also serves on the board of the Tampa Bay Slow Food chapter. He continues to lives in St. Petersburg with his wife Jennifer. Both, appropriately, care for a chocolate lab named Maxx.

The Cake and Serving Suggestions

The intensity of the dark chocolate, and its rich-but-light texture, make this cake an easy finishing touch to elegant dinners and buffets. It a perfect gift for gourmets, gourmands including those sensitive to gluten.

For full flavor and best texture, the cake should be served at room tempature.

9 inch – 12 to 16 servings – $44.95
6 inch – 8 to 10 servings – $32.95

We also suggest serving it on a buffet in bite size portions on forks or Chinese spoons. One 9 inch cake will make 70 to 80 bite size pieces.

Special Occasions: Larger size cakes can be ordered for special occasions such as weddings birthdays or any other celebration requiring a special cake. Please let us know how we can help you by using our contact form.

Ingredients: Certified organic eggs, premium sweet certified organic butter, certified organic premium 100% Ecuadorian Rio Arriba chocolate, certified organic sugar, toasted almonds, and sea salt.

Nothing else. No flour. No gluten. No yeast.

Accompaniments: We suggest serving it with fresh raspberries or strawberries, accompanied by homemade whipped cream. It may also be accompanied by a little Port wine or Banyuls or Maury (Delicious French fortified wines from the Rousillon area on the Spanish Mediterranean border)

Serving temperature: GateauOChocolat is best served at room temperature. We suggest removing it from the refrigerator two hours before serving. Please do not expose to direct sun, do not warm in an oven or microwave or place on a heater.

Shelf life: 7 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide

2016-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Cecelia's Marketplace * 2011/2012 Edition *
Dr Mara Matison & Dainis Matison

Thousands of Gluten-Free products at your fingertips! Over 37,000 Gluten-Free Products!

This is my Grocery Shopping Bible. I just love this book. I recently purchased this latest update...and passed my old used one on to a good friend. I had to apologize for it's tattered, stained and torn appearance...but she didn't care. You'd think I'd just handed her the map to the pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow...lol I keep mine in the car all the time...taking it in whenever I do a big shop and might end up trying something new. This great book is so easy to use. If I find something I want I can just look it up because someone else has done all the research for me. And it never fails...I go to a friends house they always ask...can I eat something they have decided to serve. A quick check in my book and I can tell them whether or not it's safe. I love that if I have a craving for something that might be doubtful I can look it up and there may be an alternative brand that is safe.

I still take responsibility for myself and the choices that I make...but having someone else doing the research is just soooooo much easier and takes me a lot less time in making my decisions. I also enjoy the fact that I can check the website at any time to catch any corrections, updates or changes that manufacturers may have made. I will continue to purchase updated editions each time they come out because I've come to love the feeling of confidence I gain in knowing that I can shop with a bit of intelligence and a lot less work.

Cecelia’s Marketplace was established by both Dr. Mara Matison and Mr. Dainis Matison in 2006, soon after Mara was diagnosed with celiac disease.

What is the difference between the NEW 2011/2012 Edition and last year's edition?

- All products have been reverified gluten-free.
- Over 10,000 new products have been added.
- The guide is printed on slightly thinner paper to keep our small compact size.
- New symbols highlighting products that have been manufactured in the same facility with gluten and symbols highlighting those products manufactured on the same lines with gluten.

Kal-Haven Publishing
P O Box 20383
Kalamazoo, MI 49019
http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

FishLips Waterfront Bar & Grill * Gluten-Free

2016-11-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

FishLips Waterfront Bar & Grill

610 Glen Cheek Drive
Port Canaveral, FL 32920

Phone: 321-784-4533

Fax: 321-784-4535

fishlipsbar @ aol.com

We were looking for any place that would be open late and everyone we talked to recommended FishLips as the favorite place. It was certainly the best choice!! They have two floors...and at 10:pm it was very noisy upstairs with the band. So my group chose the much quieter first floor near the windows. Service was quick and cheerful. As someone who lives with Celiac disease I've gotten in the habit of automatically asking for a Gluten-Free Menu. Imagine my surprise when the waitress immediately said 'of course'! She handed me a GF menu complete with appetizers, entrees and even dessert!! I ordered the Chicken Isabella - Grilled Sun-Dried Tomato glazed Chicken topped with fresh Mozzarella Cheese; served with Orzo Salad, Asparagus and drizzled with a Balsamic Reduction - and it was incredible. There were eight of us for dinner and everyone was very happy with their meal. I even ordered dessert to go back to the hotel...just because I could! Peanut Butter Explosion, a White Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Chunks drizzled with Carmel. It was so good I wished I could go back again for another one. This is one place on my 'must go back' list next time we travel to Port Canaveral for another cruise. (Carnival Cruising, Sensation)

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Gluten-Free Bread Pudding

2016-11-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

Gluten-Free Bread Pudding

I grew up in a large family...and Bread Pudding was nearly a weekly staple. In those days raising six kids meant buying day old bread from the bakery. And buying day old bread meant ending up with lots of bits n pieces of dried breads of all sorts. My mom could work magic with those stale bits n pieces making the best Bread Pudding with raisins or dried fruit. And my dad loved his warm from the oven with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup on top.

So when I was told I would never be able to eat bread again...oh, how I mourned for my mom's Bread Pudding. My mom never really had a recipe...so in a way I never will be able to enjoy her Bread Pudding again. But I have discovered Rudi's Gluten-Free Bread...and Paula Deen :-) And I have to add that I really don't like the ends or heel's (as we called them) of any bread. So I store the first and last slice of every loaf in the freezer until I have a bag full. Then I pull out Paula Deen's Bread Pudding recipe and get prepared for a trip back to childhood. She actually has about eight different recipes...and if you know Paula's recipes at all none of them are particularly healthy...but they certain do taste amazing!!

From Paula's Home Cooking

http://www.pauladeen.com/

Servings: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

5 large beaten eggs

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups cubed Gluten-Free Bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl

Topping

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 cup chopped pecans

For the sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup brandy

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes. In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans. Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

For the sauce:

Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding. Serve warm or cold.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Gluten-Free Fruitcake

2016-11-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is another Alton Brown recipe that I’ve tweaked a bit to be Gluten-Free. I like it because it has none of those candied thingies. My daughter prefers the Gran Marnier instead of the Brandy…but of course you could use any distilled alcohol that you prefer and it will be Gluten-Free. Trust me…this is one great cake!! I’ve managed to convert some of the most difficult Fruit Cake Haters with this recipe.

Gluten-Free Fruitcake

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup currants

1/2 cup sun dried cranberries

1/2 cup sun dried blueberries

1/2 cup sun dried cherries

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

Zest of one lemon, chopped coarsely

Zest of one orange, chopped coarsely

1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped

1 cup Grand Marnier

1 cup sugar

5 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks)

1 cup unfiltered apple juice

4 whole cloves, ground

6 allspice berries, ground

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 3/4 cups G F all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted pecans, broken

Grand Marnier for basting

Directions

Combine dried fruits, candied ginger and both zests. Add Grand Marnier and macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit.

Place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices. Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, then fold in nuts. Spoon into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check again. This is the tricky part…because this cake is so dense it’s easy to pull it too soon. I’ve actually had raw cake when I thought it was done. Now I opt to leave it in a little longer. I figure the spritzing done over the next two weeks will compensate for being a little too dry coming out of the oven.

Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet. Baste or spritz top with Grand Marnier and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan.

When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, spritz with Grand Marnier. The cake's flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Common Courtesies

2016-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

It’s the Holidays and parties abound! It’s a time for visiting with friends and loved ones, and it’s a time for entertaining in our homes. I grew up with Miss Manners and proper etiquette. Not only did we learn about respect and common courtesies at home…but we learned them in school as well. It still amazes me that now-a-days so many of our children never learn these simple tips. So here are some basic Common Courtesies that will help make visiting or entertaining more enjoyable for all.

SO YOU’VE BEEN INVITED TO SOMEONE ELSE’S HOME:

** Respond to your Invitation – please, please, please let your Host/Hostess know if you plan to attend or not…even if it’s to say maybe. Your RSVP helps in planning for the correct number of guests. If you don’t respond to your invitation and you just ‘show up’ you’re being more than just rude – and you can’t complain if your Host/Hostess isn’t prepared for you to be there.

** Don’t forget to show up – if you’ve extended your RSVP make certain you honor your promise. If life happens and your plans change, notify your Host/Hostess as soon as you become aware you cannot make it or you may be late.

** Be on time – be respectful, ‘fashionably late’ is not fashionable; it’s downright rude. Don’t create liars out of your friends and acquaintances - don’t force people to give out fictitious times just because they know you so well.

** Bring something to eat or a small gift – never arrive empty handed. Always bring something to contribute.

Special dietary needs:

** Bring something you enjoy – if you have special needs pay attention and bring something to share that you can enjoy without worry. Don’t be the one standing by the table shouting, “isn’t there ANYTHING here that I can eat??”

** Learn how to say “No, Thank you.” – be respectful, if offered something you can’t eat don’t proclaim loudly, “Are you trying to poison me??”

Using your favorite baking dish:

** Mark your possessions for easy return – whenever possible, use dishes you don’t mind losing. If you use a prized possession, make certain you mark it with your name and phone # and don’t be afraid to call a day or two later to claim it. It’s a perfect opportunity to say “Thank you for inviting me.”

SO YOU’VE INVITED OTHERS INTO YOUR HOME:

** Learn how to say ‘Yes” – when someone asks if they can bring something, always say, “YES”!! Don’t create future monsters - the ones who cause others to complain, “They NEVER contribute anything!!”

** Learn how to say “Thank You” – when someone offers to contribute make certain you say Thank you, even if it’s something you wouldn’t use in a thousand lifetimes.

** Set understandable time frames – ‘around 7ish’ is not a true time. Many a Host/Hostess have actually learned to lie just to get people to arrive on time - saying it’s 7:00pm when the time will truly be 7:30pm. Set an understandable time and stick to it. There will always be rude guests who show up late...don't punish the ones who do arrive on time by waiting around for them.

Be prepared for some special dietary needs:

** Be flexible – make allowances for others. Provide an alternative whenever possible, example: Juice or water, fresh fruit or raw vegetables.

** Don’t be offended – don’t push the matter if someone refuses what you’re offering. Saying, “a little bit won’t hurt you” might just actually kill someone. Accept a “No, Thank you” gracefully.

Finding someone’s favorite baking dish:

** Returning it to the proper owner – if the dish is marked, so much the better - return it as soon as possible. If the dish is not marked and you don’t hear from anyone within a week or two - well, you’ve just inherited a new dish. Don’t be upset if someone recognizes it several months later and wants to take it home again.

** Never return anything dirty or empty – returning a dirty dish is simply insulting. Returning an empty dish symbolizes a future without prosperity. It’s customary to place something inside, a small gift or food of some sort - symbolizing a prosperous relationship with the other person.

WHAT TO BRING AND WHEN:

** General rule is simple – bring enough to serve at least 6 people, regardless of the number of people expected to be there. Don’t forget, if everyone brings enough for 6 there will be plenty to feed even 200!!

** When do you bring something – always when joining a large group, always when visiting a new location, always when meeting new people, always when you’re nervous and afraid you won’t fit in.

** When can you get away with NOT bringing anything – if the person you’re visiting is someone you feel comfortable burping or farting in front of chances are real good that you can get away without bringing something to the occasion. In fact, by then your Host/Hostess will probably EXPECT you to show up empty handed.

FINDING SOMETHING APPROPRIATE TO THE SEASON OR OCCASION:

** When in doubt: ask – don’t be afraid to ask what’s needed. You may get a desperate plea for something needed or special instructions to blend in with the occasion. After all, you wouldn’t really want to bring liver and onions to a chocolate party, or wine & beer to a recovering alcoholic.

THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR ARRIVING EMPTY HANDED:

** What to do if you don’t cook – the answer to this one is simple * SHOP :-) There are many delicious ways to fill the need at your local grocers. Don’t forget to check your own pantry first; you just might have something tucked away in the freezer for a special occasion.

** What to do if you’re broke – check the pantry first, it’s amazing what you can bring together to make a great dish. Example: 1lb hamburger, 1 box macaroni, 1 can stewed tomatoes cooked and combined makes a great dish. It only takes 10-12 teabags and a bottle of spring water to make a gallon of iced tea.

** Even more broke – how about a bag of potato chips, a bottle of soda, or a box of cookies. It’s amazing what you can buy for a couple $$ if you shop a little bit.

** Just plain destitute – Recycle, recycle…in other words, remember that item you received and just couldn’t do anything with?? Chances are good someone else may just appreciate it more than you do.

NOTE: Be careful with this one, you don’t want to be the one other people snicker behind their hands about. “Don’t invite that one!! They always bring their trash with them!!”

** What to do if you're living in a tent –Good rule on this one is to keep it simple. Something that doesn’t require refrigeration or cooking is your best bet. Believe it or not some of the most appreciated items are fresh fruit, water, or chocolate.

** What to do if you’re living in a cave – this one’s pretty extreme, it’s the person with nothing but ketchup in the fridge, along with some unidentifiable green stuff in the corner; peanut butter in the pantry next to a loaf of bread that’s hard as a rock and not a single clean dish anywhere to be found. What does someone like this contribute?? What does anyone really WANT them to contribute?? Well, if there’s a fruit tree growing in the yard they just might have it covered. If not, hopefully, there’s a 7-11 on the way!!

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

The best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie ever!!

2016-10-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

This is an old recipe revisited for those of you truly enjoy a great chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. It's actually an Alton Brown recipe that I found very easy to convert to Gluten Free.

********************************************************
The Chewy Gluten Free Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Trick or Treat - Gluten Free

2016-10-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Schar - Europe’s #1 gluten-free food brand. Over 30 dedicated gluten-free items in the US make Schar your gluten-free solution for bread, pasta, cookies, snacks, crackers & pizza.

Trick or treating is easy gluten-free. There are many main stream candies that are naturally Gluten-Free (see list below). What can be trickier are the parties and gatherings around Halloween. Here are a few suggestions to help make the day filled with fun not worry:

* Make sure your trick or treat-er has a good meal before setting off. They are bound to be excited and not want to sit down – so tempt them with something fun and nutritious. What about chicken nuggets in the shape of pumpkins, or Gluten-Free spaghetti with meatballs? Their tummies will be full so they won’t be as tempted to fill up on treats while they're out.

* If they're just too excited to sit down and eat, then on the go type of meals may be the answer. Try cheese and apple slices, carrots and hummus, or deli meat and cheese roll ups. Even a Gluten-Free peanut butter sandwich is a healthy meal for any ghost or goblin that can't wait to trick or treat.

* Make sure to review the list of safe candies with your trick or treat-er before they leave home.

* If a Halloween party is on the agenda then call the host ahead of time to find out if a meal or snacks are being served. Offer to provide part of the meal or snacks – this ensures that there will be Gluten-Free options for your child.

* Offer to host the party! This will enable you to provide a completely Gluten-Free party that will be fun, delicious and no one will know the difference.

For classroom parties:

* The key is to talk to the teacher ahead of time. Make sure she has a list of safe candies and treats. Offer to provide a hypoallergenic snack for all such as popcorn balls, baked apples – or even fresh ones!

* There are many non-food related Halloween activities that the class can enjoy: Carving or decorating pumpkins, scavenger hunts, Halloween related books and stories create a Halloween play, research how pumpkins became a symbol of fall, investigate native foods and their growing cycle.

* Encourage the teacher to take on a neighborhood project – collect canned goods for a homeless shelter, collecting monies for UNICEF or other local charities.

* For treats think outside the candy aisle. There are lots of goodies that are non-food related. The offerings can be adapted to the age of the children. Treats can be; Halloween pencils or pens, stickers, small Halloween pumpkins and figurines, glow sticks, pen flashlights, even coins for UNICEF.

Here is a quick list of safe Gluten-Free candies. It is important to remember Halloween is also about dressing up, carving pumpkins, and getting friends together. Emphasize the nonfood aspects of the day. Please note that the candies listed below are Gluten-Free to the best of our knowledge. We cannot guarantee that they are Gluten-Free nor do we know what measures are taken by the manufacturers to avoid cross contamination.

Chocolates:

M&M's, Milky Way DARK ONLY, 3 Musketeers, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Chunky, Dove, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bar – Plain, Junior Mints, Mounds, Oh Henry, Payday, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers

Non Chocolate treats:

Brach's Candy Corn (Autumn Mix, and Pumpkins), Pez, Pixie Sticks, Nerds, Sweet Tarts, Tic Tacs, Spree, Starbursts, Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Rolls and Pops, Laffy Taffy, Lifesavers, Lifesavers Gummies, Fun Dip, Peeps Marshmallow Treats (Not Cookie Flavor), Most Gums, Haribro Gummy Treats, Sour Patch Kids, Ring Pops, Skittles, Sugar Babies, Mary Jane's, Charleston Chews

HALLOWEEN RECIPES

* Pumpkin face shortbread cookies

Ingredients: Schar shortbread cookies, vanilla cake icing, red and yellow food coloring, chocolate chips, green cake decorating icing, any other decorations you and the children may want.

Method: On a cookie sheet lay out the shortbread cookies. Mix the red and yellow food colors into the vanilla icing until you get a nice pumpkin orange. Spread about 1-2 tsp of orange icing on each cookie Use the chocolate chips to create the pumpkin face. Use the green cake decorating gel or icing to make the green stem.

* Spaghetti with Meat Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup Schar Bread Crumbs

2 large eggs

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup Shredded Parmesan & Romano Cheese

2 tsp minced Garlic

2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1lb 80% Lean Ground Beef

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Add bread crumbs, eggs, water, cheese, garlic, parsley, seasoning, salt, and pepper to large bowl; stir to combine. Add beef; mix by hand until just combined (overmixing will toughen meatballs).

2. Scoop up about 3 Tbsp meat mixture to form balls; smooth by rolling in cupped hands. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet, about 1 1/2-inches apart.

3. Bake 15-17 min or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees (check by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of meatball). Transfer to clean platter.

* Pumpkin Shaped Chicken (or fish) Nuggets

Ingredients:

Chicken breast (or flounder cut into pumpkin shape with a cookie cutter)

1 cup Schar gluten free breadcrumbs

1 cup crushed potato chips

½ tsp Pepper

½ tsp Garlic salt

½ tsp Oregano, crushed

1 Egg, beaten

Directions:

Heat oven to 400

Lightly coat the bottom of a baking pan with oil. Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg. Cut the chicken or fish into desired size and/or shapes. Dip the chicken or fish into the egg then into the coating mixture. Place the chicken or fish in the pan. Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the pieces.

* Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

1/4 cup butter

1 cup ground walnuts

1 cup crushed Schar shortbread cookies

1/4 cup brown sugar

Use the ground nut and crushed shortbread cookie mixture as if it were graham crackers. Mix with butter, brown sugar and a dash of gluten-free flour. Press into pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheesecake:

4 packages cream cheese

4 eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin puree

Topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup sour cream

½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 450.

2. Make crust, bake and set aside to let cool.

3. In mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese, sugar.

4. When sugar mixture is creamed and fluffy add pumpkin.

5. Add eggs one at a time.

6. Add spices.

7. Pour over nut crust.

8. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.

9. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for 55 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes ut clean.

10. Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla together.

11. Remove cheesecake from oven. Spoon sour cream mixture over top of cheesecake leaving room around the edge, covering any cracks.

12. Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes at 350.

13. Remove from oven and let cool for one hour, then refrigerate.

14. Best when refrigerated over night.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Should We All Go Gluten-Free?

2016-10-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

By KEITH O’BRIEN Published: November 25, 2011

(Re-Printed without permission)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/Should-We-All-Go-Gluten-Free.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

The singer was a no-show. The Gluten Free Expo in Sandy, Utah — one of the nation’s largest events dedicated to foods untainted by wheat — was going to have to start without the national anthem. But Debbie Deaver, the expo’s founder, didn’t have time to worry about that. The song, to be honest, was the least of her problems.

Deaver had slept four hours in the last three days. The 34-year-old woman — who has celiac disease and therefore must avoid eating gluten, a key protein in wheat — was running on prayer and Diet Dr Pepper. She needed sleep, and syrup.

A day earlier, a shipment of maple syrup failed to arrive, forcing her to scramble to find a topping suitable for the expo’s enormous gluten-free pancake breakfast. A last-minute donation of 35 cases of Marion berry syrup would have to do. And then there was the issue of actual attendees. With the sky spitting rain outside and temperatures hovering around 40 degrees on a dark October morning, Deaver was becoming convinced that no one was coming to her expo in suburban Salt Lake City. “I’m getting nervous,” she admitted as she scanned the empty concourse of the sprawling, glass-walled South Towne Exposition Center just 30 minutes before the show started. “People aren’t showing up.”

But seemingly all at once, they did. When Deaver opened the front doors at 9 a.m., she was stunned by the huge crowd waiting to get inside. At the sight of these people — her people — Deaver stopped cold in her Puma sneakers and began to cry.

“I’m just so excited about those gluten-free pancakes,” she announced to the crowd. “Is everybody ready to eat some pancakes?”

Four hundred people surged into the expo hall in the first 10 minutes, 1,200 in the first hour and nearly 6,000 by the end of the single-day event. They came from as far away as Arizona and Nebraska, like pilgrims to a sort of gluten-free Mecca. Once inside, many were soon listening to one man: Dom Alcocer, a 33-year-old marketing manager, who stood on a chair in an expo booth, barking at the attendees and throwing gluten-free granola bars into the crowd.

“Ohhhhh! Dropped pass!” Alcocer shouted to one person. And then, to another: “Nice catch!”

The crest on Alcocer’s golf shirt said Gluten Freely, as did the sign above the booth promoting a Web site of the same name. But Alcocer wasn’t here representing some Internet start-up. He was from General Mills, the Minnesota-based food-manufacturing giant, which perhaps more than any other mainstream corporation has begun focusing on gluten-free consumers. In the last three years, General Mills — best known for Cheerios, Betty Crocker and that wheat-filled Pillsbury Doughboy — has put gluten-free labels on more than 300 products already made without gluten, reformulated the recipes of five Chex cereals, introduced gluten-free dessert and pancake mixes and, most recently, asked Alcocer to make GlutenFreely.com America’s go-to Web site for the gluten-free life.

“So General Mills funds you?” Annika Lovell, the mother of a 6-year-old with celiac disease, asked. “You’re part of them?”

“Yes,” Alcocer replied. “We are from Minneapolis. We are General Mills. And we are Gluten Freely — here to bring everything together in a one-stop shop for you guys.”

“That’s awesome,” Lovell replied. “I’m so excited.”

Alcocer was excited, too, as usual. The Cornell University graduate was once a captain in the Air Force, where he worked on decoys to confuse enemy missiles and became a Global Positioning System expert who negotiated international treaties on behalf of American interests — heady, scientific stuff. But this job, he said, is just as important as his former military duties. He’s in charge of selling products to a large and once-unknown consumer population: gluten-free America.

“We’ve got food everywhere,” Alcocer said from atop his chair at the expo. “It’s coming out of everywhere. You can’t slow it down. We won’t slow it down.” He paused and smiled. “It’s like I’m selling cars up here,” he chuckled. “How do I get you into a Nature Valley bar today?”

Food companies are always trying to take advantage of the latest dietary trend or health craze. (Low carb, anyone?) But the story of how we got to a place where celiac disease is suddenly mainstream, prevalence rates are rising, perfectly healthy people are opting to eat gluten-free and General Mills is coveting these customers is an especially unlikely business narrative.

I should know. It’s a story I’ve been following for years, ever since I was told I had celiac disease in 1999. I was 26 and until that point healthy. But then I started shedding weight like a sailor lost at sea, and became increasingly gaunt and anemic. So pale, so tired. My doctors told me to prepare for the worst. Cancer, probably. But a biopsy of my small intestine found no tumors in my gut, just withered and destroyed villi. I had celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder. And though it was serious — the disease, when undiagnosed, has been associated with an increased risk of death — I would live. My villi, the tiny, fingerlike protrusions in the small intestine that help the body absorb nutrients, would recover as long as I stayed off gluten, found in wheat, and similar proteins in barley, rye and malt.

But I wouldn’t eat — not really. Gluten-free packaged foods — in which wheat has been replaced by alternative ingredients like rice, sorghum and tapioca flours, among others — were almost impossible to find in the 1990s. Most of what did exist was dreadful: think cardboard. It was also hard to find people who understood the disease itself. Doctors believed it wasn’t much of a problem in this country.

“Nobody really was ready to accept the 1 percent prevalence of celiac disease,” says Dr. Stefano Guandalini, founder and medical director of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, who came to the U.S. from Italy in 1996 and found very little awareness of celiac disease. Even experts ignored it, Guandalini says, noting that a prominent medical textbook published as recently as 1999 questioned how widespread it was. “The chapter on celiac disease,” Guandalini says, “quotes a prevalence of 1 in 10,000 in the U.S. and adds that this is mostly a European condition — and the prevalence is decreasing. This is the formal, official teaching in ’99.”

But Guandalini didn’t buy it. And neither did Dr. Alessio Fasano, another Italian who was practicing at the University of Maryland. The genes were here, Fasano recalls thinking, courtesy of our European ancestors, and so was the gluten, a natural component of wheat that provides the elastic qualities that make for delicious baked goods. But the protein is also difficult to digest. And even a healthy intestine does not completely break gluten down. For those with celiac disease, the undigested gluten essentially causes the body’s immune system to lash out at itself, leading to malabsorption, bloating and diarrhea — the classic gastrointestinal symptoms — but also, at times, joint pain, skin rashes and other problems. In Italy, Fasano routinely saw celiac disease. Surely it was in the U.S. too. Hence, in 1996 Fasano published a paper, asking, in the title, a simple question: “Where Have All the American Celiacs Gone?”

The same year that he published the paper, he founded the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. He started small; Fasano had only one patient the first year. In a 1998 paper, however, he reported that he had randomly screened 2,000 blood samples for the antibodies that typically indicate a diagnosis of celiac disease and discovered that 1 in 250 tested positive.

Still, doubts lingered. So Fasano set out to do a more comprehensive study — or, as he called it, “the most insane, large epidemiological study” on celiac disease in the U.S. to date. More than 13,000 subjects in 32 states were screened for the antibodies. Those who tested positive underwent further blood tests and, when possible, a small-bowel biopsy to confirm the presence of celiac disease. The results, published in 2003, were stunning: 1 in every 133 people had celiac disease. And among those related to celiac patients, the rates were as high as 1 in 22. People were listening now — and everything about gluten-free living was about to change. “Believe it or not,” he says, “the history of celiac disease as a public health problem in the United States started in 2003.”

As awareness of the disease became more widespread, Fasano expected celiac diagnoses to increase. That, in fact, is what has happened. Since 2009, Quest Diagnostics, a leading testing company, has seen requests for celiac blood tests jump 25 percent. But Fasano didn’t anticipate other developments. He now estimates that 18 million Americans have some degree of gluten sensitivity. And experts have been surprised, in general, by the rising prevalence of celiac disease overall. “It’s not just that we’re better at finding it,” says Dr. Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “It truly has become more common.”

Comparing blood samples from the 1950s to the 1990s, Murray found that young people today are nearly five times as likely to have celiac disease, for reasons he and others researchers cannot explain. And it’s on the rise not only in the U.S. but also in other places where the disease was once considered rare, like Mexico and India. “We don’t know where it’s going to end,” Murray says. “Celiac disease has public health consequences.” And therefore, it has a market.

Gluten-free products aren’t just selling these days; they appear to be recession-proof. According to a recent Nielsen report on consumer trends, the volume of gluten-free products sold in the past year is up 37 percent. Spins, a market-research-and-consulting firm for the natural-products industry, says the gluten-free market is a $6.3 billion industry and growing, up 33 percent since 2009. Niche companies like Amy’s Kitchen, Glutino, Enjoy Life, Bob’s Red Mill and Udi’s Gluten Free Foods are reporting incredible growth.

Major corporations have also been moving into the marketplace: Anheuser-Busch introduced Redbridge, a gluten-free beer, in 2006, and Kellogg rolled out gluten-free Rice Krispies this year. Other companies have begun adding labels that indicate when their products are gluten-free — that is, when they contain fewer than 20 parts per million gluten (the proposed federal standard). Both Frito-Lay and Post Foods have begun such labeling in the past year. It’s the golden age of gluten-free.

Celiacs aren’t the only ones who are grateful. Athletes, in particular, have taken to the diet. Some claim to have more energy when they cut out gluten, a belief that intrigues some experts and riles others. Guandalini dismisses the idea as “totally bogus.” Yet no one can argue with the success of the world’s No. 1 men’s tennis player, Novak Djokovic. Within months of revealing this year that he had a gluten allergy and had altered his diet accordingly, Djokovic posted a remarkable 64-2 record. By September, sportswriters barely let a moment pass without asking about, as one called it, his “off-court eating habits.” After his victory at the U.S. Open final, a reporter wanted to know what he ate for dinner the night before, for breakfast that morning and what he planned to eat that night. “I’ll give you a simple answer,” Djokovic said with a smile. “Last night I didn’t have any gluten, and tonight I will have a bunch of gluten.”

The reporters burst out laughing. Some even clapped. It was funny. But celiacs everywhere winced. Djokovic’s answer didn’t just trivialize the seriousness of their disease. The answer made it official: gluten-free was a full-blown fad. And while that meant more products on the shelves, it also signaled the possibility that this moment might not last.

Back at General Mills in Minnesota, however, Dom Alcocer insists that gluten-free is here to stay. What he sees, he told me, is a growing number of Americans who have no choice but to be gluten-free. Earlier this year, ConAgra Mills, a leading flour supplier, published a report characterizing gluten-free specialty products as a $486 million industry. That’s much smaller than the $6.3 billion figure from Spins, but it doesn’t include mass-market items like Chex cereals. What’s more, David Sheluga, the director of consumer insights at ConAgra Mills, found something significant about who’s buying gluten-free specialty products and why. More than 80 percent of the market, he estimated, is being driven by core consumers — people on the diet for medical reasons. In other words, Sheluga says, even if some occasional customers give up on gluten-free products, it will have little impact on sales. “That core,” Sheluga says, “is not going away.” These are the customers General Mills set out to reach four years ago when a few employees began floating a radical thought: What would happen if they made Rice Chex gluten-free?

General Mills has for generations boasted about the quality of its wheat flour (“Makes the Bread of Life”) and other wheat-laden products. “We love gluten,” Jodi Benson, a longtime General Mills employee, told me when I visited the company’s headquarters outside Minneapolis last month. “We are,” she added, “the very best of gluten.”

Still, a senior food scientist named Dean Creighton was willing to try to take the gluten out of Rice Chex when the idea was first raised in late 2007. In nearly two decades at the company, Creighton had never tried to remove gluten from a product. But he had tinkered with cereal recipes. “That’s my job,” he explained. And he was pretty sure that he could make Rice Chex gluten-free. He just needed to solve the problem of “brown notes.”

Chex is at its best when it has what experts call brown notes: a toasted flavor and brownish hue. And what contributed to the sweet brown notes was malt syrup, a glutenous ingredient that would end up being replaced by molasses. Just like that, Chex would have a new audience: millions of customers who previously didn’t bother to go down the cereal aisle. “That’s a huge opportunity,” Liz Mascolo, the Chex marketing manager, told me.

As Rice Chex was being reformulated — it arrived on shelves in 2008 — the Betty Crocker team was experimenting with gluten-free mixes for cookies, brownies and cakes. “We were sticking our necks out, because we’re General Mills, and we’re used to doing things mass — big — appealing to everyone,” says Dena Larson, a marketing manager in the baking division at the time. “And we knew that we were inherently going against that.” There were other problems. The early cake recipes fell flat, literally. “Think of yellow cake,” Benson says, “in a brownie height.”

But a thousand batches later, General Mills got it right. Four different mixes, with large gluten-free labels, went on sale just as the cereal division was planning four more gluten-free Chex products: Honey Nut, Corn, Chocolate and Cinnamon. Gluten-free Bisquick pancake and baking mix was in the works, too. Then General Mills asked Dom Alcocer to rebrand the Web presence behind its gluten-free business strategy. Alcocer, in his four and a half years at General Mills, had previously marketed soup and cookies — he liked his gluten. But once tapped for the job, he lived gluten-free for 40 days and began building GlutenFreely.com.

General Mills reached out to the nation’s top experts on the topic — Fasano and Guandalini — and asked them for medical advice and scientific guidance. The science, Alcocer said, needed to be front and center. Competitors needed to be acknowledged, too; Alcocer believed customers should be able to buy their products on the Web site. And finally, Alcocer and others at General Mills have pushed for greater transparency: detailed ingredient lists showing which products were gluten-free.

It’s the sort of thing that worries corporations. When a company labels a product gluten-free, then it absolutely has to be, or the consequences can get ugly. “We call that the R-word — recall,” says Brenda Jacob, General Mills’ manager of product labeling and regulatory compliance. “We don’t want to go there.” But in the end, Jacob listened. General Mills published a list of gluten-free products two years ago and continues to add to it today under the stewardship of Alcocer, who believes the company, not the customer, should bear the “mantle of anxiety.”

General Mills won’t disclose sales figures of its gluten-free products. But in statements to investors, the company has indicated that the strategy is working. Retail sales for Chex cereals, in the first quarter of the 2012 fiscal year alone, are up 29 percent. Meanwhile, Alcocer has been on the gluten-free-expo circuit, visiting half a dozen in recent months. He’s not just a guy handing out samples, his colleague Alison Miller says. “He’s a great face,” she says, “of General Mills.”

“Hey, everybody! Come on up and grab as many as you like. We’ve got Nature Valley bars. We’ve got Larabars. All flavors.”

Alcocer was down off the chair now. But he was still working the crowd at the Gluten Free Expo in Utah, doing what he would later describe as “the circus-barking thing.” It’s an act. But not entirely. “We want to be what the brand is,” Alcocer told me. “It’s energetic, it’s positive, it’s happy — it’s just living.”

Toward the end of the day, he was embracing people. “Let’s hug this out,” he told one weepy woman, overjoyed by the products before her. Then Alcocer began to break down the booth, making sure to give away every last item, all the way down to the container of gluten-free chocolate frosting on the table for decoration.

The purpose of attending the expos is to connect with customers. But Alcocer has found a way to do the same thing back in Minnesota too. He often convenes a meeting of what he calls the Gluten-Free Advisory Board — an official title for a very unofficial group of General Mills employees and on-site contractors who have celiac disease, have children with the disease or are gluten-free for other reasons. During the week of my visit to General Mills, eight women attended Alcocer’s meeting. Lunch was served and questions were asked. Alcocer was interested in the holidays. What did they miss? What did they need? How could Gluten Freely make their lives easier?

The women talked about how hard it was to go to holiday parties and find nothing to eat for their children. They discussed the need for better pie crusts. Then one of them, Mary Podvin, raised a subject that resonated with everyone at the table: Casseroles. There was something, Podvin said, about gluten-free Progresso cream of mushroom soup that simply didn’t work in the casseroles she loved to make. “It needs to be — ”

“Gelatinous!” answered Dena Larson, from across the table.

“Glue,” Podvin said with a nod. A gelatinous glue was exactly what cream of mushroom soup typically brought to a good casserole — and that’s what they wanted now from their gluten-free recipes.

“Is that even possible, though?” Carol Bagnoli, whose 3-year-old son eats gluten-free, asked.

“Anything,” Alcocer replied, “is possible.”

The women at the table laughed. The notion that anything is possible isn’t one that gluten-free folks hear very often. But Alcocer wasn’t joking. It was, he told me after the lunch, “a holy-moly moment.” He had no idea that casserole was a problem for his customers. There were, after all, recipes for casseroles on the Gluten Freely Web site. “But if it doesn’t turn out,” he said now, “it’s no good to anybody. So we’re going to go down to the kitchen, and we’re going to say: ‘We need help. These people need help.’ How can we get that can to become that can?” In other words, how could they get a can of gluten-free Progresso soup to act like the can of condensed soup called for in the recipes that his customers loved? “There’s got to be a way,” Alcocer said, “to take this great product and make it work.”

And it was this exchange, perhaps more than any other, that signified, to me, how much the cultural fault lines have shifted. For generations, major corporations have ignored people with food allergies. The goal was feeding the masses.

Now that is changing. Gluten-free foods — none of which taste like cardboard — fill my kitchen cabinets and those of millions of other Americans. A niche market is going mainstream. Long before General Mills unveiled its first official gluten-free product, consumers had made their needs known in phone call after phone call to Minnesota. The global trend data were there, laid out before the marketers, and so was the science — until, finally, it was clear: These customers needed to eat, too, and there was money to be made in feeding them. “It’s millions of people,” Alcocer told me, “with nowhere to turn, but us.”

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Bake a Better Biscuit, Gluten-Free

2016-09-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Crumbly cookies may well be a thing of the past when it comes to purchasing

your next packet of Gluten-Free biscuits.

By: Paige Taylor

Recent research results from the Department of Food and Technology of the University of Madrid reveal that flour made of the Teff seed could be the answer to every Celiac sufferer’s prayers. Teff flour is made from the seed of a grass called ‘eragrostis tef’ or commonly called, ‘Teff’. It is a grass grown in Northeast Africa, in particular the northern Ethiopian Highlands. It is a small seed used in a similar fashion as quinoa. In Ethiopia, Teff is a chief food source and is commonly milled into flour and used to make a variation of flat bread.

Teff has an attractive nutritional profile which has researchers excited about its potential use. Teff is a high source of carbohydrates and fiber. The grain has a naturally low glycemic index. It is high in iron, protein and calcium and contains significant levels of essential minerals such as barium, boron, magnesium, phosphorus, thiamin and zinc. Teff is also extremely rich amino acids and is much higher in lysine than wheat or barley. The grain is ideal for celiac sufferers as the gluten in Teff does not contain the protein ‘gliadin’, which is what causes the immunological reaction in Celiac Disease.

The most pressing concern for the manufactures of Gluten-Free food is the arduous task of trying to imitate the elastic properties of wheat flour. The gluten proteins in wheat varieties allow for a light, fluffy and supple texture. Most Gluten-Free flours are heavier, dry and even brittle in comparison. Developments show that Teff has the ability to absorb water more readily and bind better as a dough; making it a much better alternative for those wanting to avoid gluten products.

Teff contains a higher amount of fat than regular grains, so no added fats are necessary when creating the Teff variety of Gluten-Free flour. This instantly reduces the calorie count and limits the need to incorporate artificial additives. Additionally, the flour appears to hold up to the current manufacturing processes employed by cookie companies. This allows Gluten-Free alternatives to be mass-produced in similar circumstances, providing a cheap, competitive product.

The developers of Teff flour have applied for a patent on their highly guarded method for making this new flour. They hope to have it available to manufactures soon so others can benefit from this new discovery. Teff flour will be an appealing alternative for people requiring a specialized diet or wanting to explore healthier alternatives.

Written By: Paige Taylor,

Paige writes for A Forever Recovery to help people struggling with addiction

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

The Cookie Momsters, Gluten-Free Bakery

2016-09-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

http://www.cookiemomsters.com/

All of our baked goods are Gluten-Free (GF), Casein-Free (CF) and TreeNut-Free (NF).

We also have Soy-Free (SF) items and will do special orders for Egg-Free (EF) items.

My youngest daughter recently moved to Jacksonville, Florida and of course the first thing I did was Google "Gluten-Free Jacksonville" for my next visit. Imagine my delight when I discovered Cookie Momsters, a dedicated Gluten-Free Bakery, right in Jacksonville. I couldn't wait to go check them out. I was so excited that I totally neglected to check their open hours. Imagine my dismay when I arrived at the Bakery nearly two whole hours after they had closed!! I was heartbroken...standing there in the sweltering Florida heat with my nose literally pressed against the window...and one hand on the door handle. And the door opened!! OMG!! I wasted no time in putting my head inside to find someone still there. "Are you still open??" She must have heard the yearning in my voice because she smiled, put her purse and keys back onto the counter and told me that as long as she was there...they were open.

I wasted no time going inside...explaining to her that I lived four hours away and I was sooooo grateful she would let me in. Everything had been put away...but she wasted no time in pulling everything back out again!! Now that's Customer Service!! I pulled out my wallet and proceeded to shop to my hearts content :-)

Cupcakes, Muffins, Cookies, Bread - Oh My!! I got some brand new, never been tried before, seeded rolls...Yum!! Those were incredible. Beautiful, light, fluffy Hamburger Rolls...and I had mine with nothing but fresh butter. Oh My!! Frosted Cupcakes, light and airy with an extra dollop of frosting inside. My favorite was the Lemon w/Lemon Frosting. Wonderful moist Carrot Cake w/Frosting...just melt in your mouth deliciousness!! Chocolate Chip cookies for the long drive home. I can't wait to go back to visit my daughter again...with a side trip to Cookie Momsters along the way. Sooooooo worth the four hour drive. I just want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to Cookie Momsters for their wonderful Gluten-Free Bakery and their great Customer Service.

The Cookie Momsters

5041 SanJose Blvd

Jacksonville, FL 32207

904-739-2080

Located just north of University Blvd in the

SanJose Square Shopping Center,

at the corner of SanJose Blvd and Flanders.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Dining out Gluten-Free in Florida

2016-09-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

This list is updated constantly...so let me know if you have additions or changes you'd like to see. These are simply a few recommendations of places available in Pinellas County...along Florida's West Coast. I've not had the opportunity to visit all of these locations. As always when eating out...take responsibility for your own health. Remember when dealing with Restaurant staff that you represent the entire Gluten-Free Community.

** the ones that have been recommended by our members.

**BJ's (727) 525-4640

3800 Park Blvd

Pinellas Park, FL 33781

**CentralCafe and Organics (727) 824-0881

Organic, Vegetarian and Smoothies

243 Central Avenue

St Petersburg, FL 33701

**JimmyJohn's (727) 894-3300

750 4th Street N

St Petersburg, FL 33704

**LeafyGreens Cafe (727) 289-7087

Organic, Smoothies and Vegetarian

1431 Central Avenue

St Petersburg, FL 33705

**LeeRoy Selmon's (727) 347-5774

2424Tyrone Blvd

St Petersburg, FL 33710

**OutbackSteakhouse (727) 898-2016

1900 4th Street N

St Petersburg, FL 33704

**ParkShore Grill (727) 896-9463

300 Beach Drive N E

St Petersburg, FL 33701

**400Beach Seafood (727) 896-2400

400 Beach Drive N E

St Petersburg, FL 33701

Rollin’Oats Market & Cafe (727) 821-6825

2842 Dr ML King Street N

St Petersburg, FL 33704

Rollin’Oats Market & Cafe (813) 873-7428

1021 N MacDill Avenue

Tampa, FL 33607

BellaBrava (727) 895-5515

Italian, Seafood and Pizza

204 Beach Drive N E

St Petersburg, FL 33701

CafeAlma (727) 502-5002

Mediterranean, Seafood and Tapas

260 1st Avenue S

St Petersburg, FL 33701

CafeLuna (727) 360-7500

6700 Gulf Blvd

St Pete Beach, FL 33706

Crowley'sDowntown (727) 821-1111

269 Central Avenue

St Petersburg, FL 33701

Fresco'sWaterfront Bistro (727) 894-4429

300 2nd Avenue N E

St Petersburg, FL 33701

GratzziItalian Grille (727) 623-9037

211 Second Street S

St Petersburg, FL 33701

Meze119 (727) 498-8627

119 2nd Street N

St Petersburg, FL 33701

PrimiUrban Cafe (727) 895-4909

27 4th Street N

St Petersburg, FL 33701

Frenchy'sRockaway Grill (727) 446-4844

7 Rockaway Street

Clearwater, FL 33767

GourmetPizza Company (813) 258-1999

610 S Armenia Avenue

Tampa, FL 33609

**MellowMushroom (813) 685-1122

10959 Causeway Blvd

Brandon, FL 33511

**P.F.Chang's China Bistro (813) 289-8400

219 Westshore Plaza

Tampa, FL 33609

**SerendipityCafe'

664 Main Street

Dunedin, FL 34698

TerraSur Cafe (813) 269-2694

5358 W Village Drive

Tampa, FL 33624

ThaiIsland (813) 251-9111

210 E Davis Blvd

Tampa, FL 33606

TheLiving Room (727) 736-5202

487 Main St

Dunedin, FL 34698

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Making bread safe for celiacs

2016-09-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

By Alix Stuart, Boston Globe Correspondent
March 11, 2013

(Reprinted without permission)

When Leslie Williams, a former pharmaceutical executive, agreed to meet a visiting professor from Australia in Boston for a lecture, she thought it would be a routine lunch in her role as a business mentor.  But the meeting, three years ago at the Boston Cambridge Marriott, turned into an intense five-hour discussion as Dr. Robert Anderson explained how his research into celiac disease promised to render the destructive disorder obsolete.

An autoimmune disease triggered by gluten proteins in wheat, barley, and rye, celiac disease affects some 3 million Americans. Untreated, it can destroy digestive tract tissue and can lead to anemia, osteoporosis, infertility, neurological dysfunction, or even cancer.
Currently, the only solution is to avoid gluten altogether. That means not eating standard versions of bread, pasta, and pizza, or anything else that contains even traces of wheat, including soy sauce and some candy, such as Twizzlers. Dr. Robert Anderson’s research is zeroing in on a potential vaccine against celiac disease.

But as Anderson explained that afternoon to Williams, his research was zeroing in on a vaccine to cure celiac disease.   The science “struck me as quite special and possibly game-changing,” Williams recalled.

She agreed to work with Anderson, and in short order Williams lined up seed capital from an angel investor and then went to Australia to unravel legal agreements around Anderson’s research and his company. Within the year, ImmusanT was formed, with Williams as chief executive and Anderson as chief scientific officer. By its first anniversary, the firm had $20 million in venture funding.

ImmusanT is headquartered in the biotech boomtown of Kendall Square in Cambridge and is conducting clinical trials for its vaccine, NexVax2, under “fast-track” designation from the Food and Drug Administration for diseases for which no comparable therapies exist.
“If it works, you’ll see the entire paradigm of treatment for celiac changed,” said Sundar Kodiyalam, managing director for the venture investor Vatera Healthcare and an ImmusanT board member. His firm was so enamored of the science that it invested before the company had persuasive clinical data.

Beyond ImmusanT, Boston has become a locus for research into celiac disease. Massachusetts General Hospital scored a coup when it recently convinced a leading researcher, Dr. Alessio Fasano, to head its new celiac treatment and research center. “Our mission is to make life normal for people with celiac disease,” Fasano said at a ceremony marking the opening of the Mass. General center in February.

With similar research units at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Boston, the city now has “a critical mass of expertise” in celiac disease, said Dr. Ronald Kleinman, physician in chief of Mass. General’s pediatric unit.

“I’m not sure that I see miracles happening” with the research underway now, said Lee Graham, chairwoman of Healthy Villi, a 900-member support group for celiac sufferers in New England. “But the gathering that’s happening in Boston is terrific, and tremendously encouraging to us.”  Formerly at the University of Maryland, Fasano in 2003 published a landmark analysis in which he determined that celiac disease affects many more people than previously thought: about 1 out of 100 people. Up to that point, the scientific wisdom was that celiac was relatively rare, and that a gluten-free diet worked as a sufficient “cure.”

But Fasano and others have since shown that some patients who avoid gluten continue to suffer gastric distress, leading to the conclusion that diet alone is not enough.  Not surprisingly, with the market for gluten-free foods at $4.2 billion, ImmunsanT has some company in the race for a solution.   One rival is Alba Therapeutics, a Maryland company that Fasano helped start in 2005. (He is no longer involved in the company, though he owns some stock.) The other is Alvine Pharmaceuticals, of San Carlos, Calif., spawned from research at Stanford University.

Both companies are working on pill-based therapies to counteract the unintentional consumption of small amounts of gluten; complements to the gluten-free diet rather than replacements. And both are preparing for Phase 2b clinical trials to determine if their medicines work, and at what doses.  Alba’s compound targets zonulin, a protein that is believed to contribute to “leaks” in the gut that allow gluten to infiltrate the digestive system. Cephalon Inc., now owned by Teva Pharmaceuticals, has a $7 million option to buy Alba if its drug proves effective.

Alvine’s therapy involves an enzyme that decomposes gluten into harmless particles before it reaches the gut. Patients in its most recent trials who consumed gluten for six weeks while taking the Alvine compound showed little or no damage to their intestines, with some even showing improved conditions.   ImmusanT’s drug is at a much earlier stage of development. At the time he lunched with Williams, Anderson was a professor at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He had a start-up, Nexpep Pty Ltd., and was in need of funding to continue developing a celiac vaccine.

Anderson said he was struck by how many patients struggled with a gluten-free diet, which can be less healthy than typical diets.   “Having a treatment that would allow full recovery and return to normal diet would be life-changing for patients, and may motivate more patients to be checked for celiac disease,” he said.

Williams, meanwhile, had worked at Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and other drug makers and was chief executive of Ventaira Pharmaceuticals when it was sold to Battelle in 2007.
In his research, Anderson had latched on to a key catalyst: the three gluten peptides that are believed to be at root of the reaction patients suffer from gluten. NexVax2 essentially tries to reeducate the immune system to tolerate those peptides. Initial study results indicate that ImmunsanT has identified the correct peptides, and that Nexvax2 is safe to take — two important steps.

Still, there are many questions. For one thing, ImmunsanT’s early volunteers maintained gluten-free diets during the study, so its not clear how well the vaccine works in the presence of gluten. And it will work only for an as-yet undefined subset of celiac sufferers.  Even so, Fasano, who has no connection to the company, calls the concept behind the ImmunsanT’s vaccine “the holy grail” that would allow patients to eat regular bread, pasta, and other gluten-rich foods.

Though ImmusanT and the other firms are small, Williams and others in the field said the pharmaceutical industry has a keen interest in their research.   Moreover, because celiac disease is currently the most well understood autoimmune disorder, many scientists believe the research could serve as a springboard to drugs for larger markets.  “It’s not just about curing celiac,” Fasano said. “It’s about treating MS and diabetes, and all these other autoimmune conditions, and that is where industry really takes an interest.”

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Celiac & Gluten-Intolerance to be considered Disabilities??

2016-09-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Food Service Vulnerable to Food Allergy Lawsuits

By: MARY CLARE JALONICK

People with severe food allergies have a new tool in their attempt to find menus that fit their diet: federal disabilities law. And that could leave schools, restaurants and anyplace else that serves food more vulnerable to legal challenges over food sensitivities. A settlement stemming from a lack of gluten-free foods available to students at a Massachusetts university could serve as a precedent for people with other allergies or conditions, including peanut sensitivities or diabetes. Institutions and businesses subject to the Americans With Disabilities Act could be open to lawsuits if they fail to honor requests for accommodations by people with food allergies. Colleges and universities are especially vulnerable because they know their students and often require them to eat on campus, Eve Hill of the Justice Department's civil rights division says. But a restaurant also could be liable if it blatantly ignored a customer's request for certain foods and caused that person to become ill, though that case might be harder to argue if the customer had just walked in off the street, Hill says. The settlement with Lesley University, reached last month but drawing little attention will require the Cambridge, Mass., institution to serve gluten-free foods and make other accommodations for students who have celiac disease. At least one student complained to the federal government after the school would not exempt the student from a meal plan even though the student couldn't eat the food. "All colleges should heed this settlement and take steps to make accommodations," says Alice Bast, president and founder of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. "To our community this is definitely a precedent."

People who suffer from celiac disease don't absorb nutrients well and can get sick from the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley. The illness, which affects around 2 million Americans, causes abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, and people who have it can suffer weight loss, fatigue, rashes and other problems. Celiac is a diagnosed illness that is more severe than gluten sensitivity, which some people self-diagnose. Ten years ago, most people had never heard of celiac disease. But awareness has exploded in recent years, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Some researchers say it was under-diagnosed, others say it's because people eat more processed wheat products like pastas and baked goods than in past decades, and those items use types of wheat that have a higher gluten content. Gluten-free diets have expanded beyond those with celiac disease. Millions of people are buying gluten-free foods because they say they make them feel better, even if they don't have a wheat allergy. Americans were expected to spend $7 billion on gluten-free foods last year. With so many people suddenly concerned with gluten content, colleges and universities have had to make accommodations. Some will allow students to be exempted from meal plans, while others will work with students individually. They may need to do even more now as the federal government is watching. "These kids don't want to be isolated," Bast says. "Part of the college experience is being social. If you can't even eat in the school cafeteria then you are missing out on a big part of college life." Under the Justice Department agreement, Lesley University says it will not only provide gluten-free options in its dining hall but also allow students to pre-order, provide a dedicated space for storage and preparation to avoid cross-contamination, train staff about food allergies and pay a $50,000 cash settlement to the affected students. "We are not saying what the general meal plan has to serve or not," Hill says. "We are saying that when a college has a mandatory meal plan they have to be prepared to make reasonable modifications to that meal plan to accommodate students with disabilities."

The agreement says that food allergies may constitute a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act, if they are severe enough. The definition was made possible under 2009 amendments to the disability law that allowed for episodic impairments that substantially limit activity. "By preventing people from eating, they are really preventing them from accessing their educational program," Hill says of the school and its students. Mary Pat Lohse, the chief of staff and senior adviser to Lesley University's president, says the school has been working with the Justice Department for more than three years to address students' complaints. She says the school has already implemented most parts of the settlement and will continue to update policies to serve students who need gluten-free foods. "The settlement agreement provides a positive road map for other colleges and universities to follow," Lohse says. Joan Rector McGlockton of the National Restaurant Association says that restaurants have taken notice of an increasing demand for gluten free options, "drawing attention to the importance of providing these options as well as the preparation methods involved in serving these options." The group has a training program for restaurants so they will know what to do when food allergy issues arise. Some say the Justice Department decision goes too far. Hans von Spakovsky, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who worked in the civil rights division of the Justice Department under President George W. Bush, says food allergies shouldn't apply under the disability act. He adds that the costs could be substantial when schools are already battling backlash from high tuition costs. "I certainly encourage colleges and universities to work with students on this issue, but the fact that this is a federal case and the Justice Department is going to be deciding what kind of meals could be served in a dining hall is just absurd," he says.

Whether the government is involved or not, schools and other food service establishments are likely to hear from those who want more gluten-free foods. Dhanu Thiyagarajan, a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, says she decided to speak up when she arrived at school and lost weight because there were too few gluten-free options available. Like Lesley University, the University of Pittsburgh requires that on-campus students participate in a meal plan. Thiyagarajan eventually moved off campus so she could cook her own food, but not before starting an organization of students who suffer from wheat allergies like hers. She says she is now working with food service at the school and they have made a lot of progress, though not enough for her to move back on campus. L. Scott Lissner, the disability coordinator at Ohio State University, says he has seen similar situations at his school, though people with food allergies have not traditionally thought of themselves as disabled. He says schools will eventually have to do more than just exempt students from a meal plan. "This is an early decision on a growing wave of needs that universities are going to have to address," he says of the Lesley University agreement.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Gluten-Free Cupcakes, CookBook

2016-08-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour

By - Elana Amsterdam

http://www.elanaspantry.com/the-gluten-free-cupcakes-cookbook/

I don't normally 'read' cookbooks. I have a tendency to pinpoint what I'm looking for, just to grasp the general idea of the recipe. My Mom always called me the 'experimentor' because I seldom follow any recipe to the letter. But this was the second CookBook that I've received with a request to review. So read it I did :-)

I'm glad that I did...I was pretty impressed with what I read. First of all...there were pictures. I like pictures, they give me a goal to strive for. Pictures tell me right up front if this is something I might like to eat. Secondly, I liked all the pre-cookbook information...CupCakes 101 - Equipment, Tips & Ingredients. There was a lot of great information there written in simple, easy to understand language. Considering that Almond and Coconut Flours are so new it's very important to read Elana's suggestions and tips on handling them.

Thankfully, I received two copies of this little book because as soon as my friend saw it she snatched it up and took it home with promises to try each and every recipe in the book. Not only is she trying all the recipes, but she's keeping notes and bringing samples!! I just love the samples!! Right away we were both impressed with the fact that while these are all still delicious, even decadant treats...they're still healthier than most we've had in the past. Both flours have more fiber and/or protein than the standard white-rice based flour. Fiber is crucial to healthy digestion and cholesterol levels. Adding them to baked goods lowers their glycemic level for blood sugar maintenance. Both are grain- and gluten-free and both flours are lower in calories per 1/4 cup.

My friend prefers her Cupcakes without frosting. She feels you can appreciate the taste of the cake much better that way. So far I've gotten to test the Pumpkin CupCakes...they were very tasty. A bit heavier than I'm used to but tasted wonderful just the same. She made the Scallion Goat Cheese Muffins and gave them to me just in time for a four hour road trip across state. Boy those little babies were life savers!! And just recently she brought over the Chocolate Peanut Butter CupCakes and laughingly told me she'd be making those much more often since they were her favorites so far. I have to agree that for a sweet treat they were just wonderful!! She's having a grand time going through the entire book and I'm certainly looking forward to more 'left-overs'.

Features:
•50 gluten free recipes for cupcakes and savory treats
•14 recipes for frostings, fillings and toppings
•25 cupcake recipes that use coconut flour
•9 cupcake recipes that use almond flour
•4 flourless cupcake recipes
•12 cupcake recipes that use both almond flour and coconut flour
•41 dairy free cupcake recipes
•8 dairy free frostings, fillings and toppings
•5 vegan frostings, fillings and toppings
•38 nut free recipes
•10 cupcake recipes that use arrowroot powder

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Dinner Done! Gluten-Free

2016-08-19T20:02:00.000-04:00

Get your Dinner Done!

http://www.dinnerdone.com/

Often end up grabbing fast food or spending a lot to eat out? Wish your family sat down for homemade meals more often? Let us help bring dinner home. Prepare healthy meals in our professional kitchen, order ToGo or have it delivered!

I’m sitting here at my computer enjoying a bowl of Pulled Chicken in Honey Chipotle Sauce that I just pulled out of my Crockpot and paired up with some broccoli. Out of the fridge, into the Crockpot on low for a few hours and I have a wonderful dinner…absolutely no prep time. Now that’s the way I like to cook. And it tastes delicious!

About a month ago I heard through the Celiac grapevine of a great place in Tampa that understood good food prepared at home and Gluten-Free. For a set fee you can choose 4 meals from a full menu and make a reservation to attend a prep session. You show up on time, receive an apron, your chosen menu, and instructions on how to put it all together. Then you work in their kitchen, follow their recipes, use their ingredients, tools and storage materials and walk out the door an hour or two later with some incredible food ready for the freezer and simple instructions for preparing your own wonderful meals at home. And did I mention they understand Gluten-Free?

So I got in touch with Audra, the owner, and asked her for a list of safe meals that I could have. Of the 12 or so items on the menu I expected to find only one or two that would be suitable for a Gluten-Free lifestyle. I was astounded by what I received…not just one or two but this:

•Argentinean Flank – OK as is

•Farmers Market Chicken -- Use gluten-free chicken base

•Goat Cheese Herb Stuffed Chicken -- Use corn meal instead of panko

•Hong Kong Pork Tenderloin - Use gluten free soy sauce; use corn meal instead of panko; OMIT dipping sauce (contains a soy sauce that DOES contain a little gluten)

•Marsala Mushroom Chicken -- Use corn starch instead of flour

•Salmon with Piquant Dill Sauce -- OK as is

•Chicken Parmigiana -- Use corn starch instead of Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs. Lightly season it with salt and pepper

•Chops with Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta - OK as is

•Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salsa - OK as is

•Pulled Chicken in Honey Chipotle Sauce - OK as is

Now that’s an impressive list of choices! And it was very difficult to pick out just four! But I finally settled on the ones I wanted and then set about putting the recipes together. There were fourteen prep stations altogether. Each one specifically set up for one entire recipe. So it was just a matter of moving from station to station for my four meals. Everything I needed was within easy reach, and there were helpers aplenty to answer questions and whisk away dirty dishes and utensils to replace them with clean in the blink of an eye. Each meal feeds 4-6 people and we were given the option of splitting them in half for smaller portions. So I actually got eight meals to bring home…two of each of my four choices. I was pleasantly surprised to find that because of my lapband each meal provided one dinner and two smaller lunches. And if my meals taste as incredible as my dinner tonight I am one very happy camper :-) My daughter and I are already looking over the March menu and trying to figure out when we can make it back to Tampa for another prep session.

They do have the option of picking up already prepared frozen meals, or having them delivered to you within their delivery area. But being Gluten-Free I fully understand the possibilities of cross-contamination so I actually prefer to prep everything myself so that I can see what’s going into my meal first-hand. I’m willing to accept those risks myself and for the price of my meals I am extremely happy with what I received. We will definitely be returning to Dinner Done!

Dan and Audra Nasser
Dinner Done Carrollwood
Address: 10330 N. Dale Mabry, Suite #120, Tampa, FL 33618-4404
Phone: (813) 264-7700
Directions: Dinner Done Carrollwood is located in the Promenade Plaza in Carrollwood. Directly on N. Dale Mabry, just north of Busch. We’re in the same plaza as Avant Gold Jewelers and Peter Glenn Ski & Sports, just south of McDonalds.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Gluten-Free Snack Cake, Single Serve or Share

2016-08-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: WhooHoo!! Seems that Florida now has a new Cottage Food Law that will allow me to sell my little snack cakes :-) Yahoo...going to have to look into this a bit more but it sounds really promising!!

My challenge was simple. I wanted a quick n easy snack that didn’t create a huge mess, didn’t have a ton of leftovers, didn’t have all the sugar/fat of regular treats, and might actually be a bit healthier than most snacks. AND it had to work in a toaster oven or microwave. AND it had to be Gluten-Free!! It took a bit, many trials n errors, about 5 lbs on my behalf and then I just started passing them out to family and friends and begging for feedback.

EUREKA!!

What I ended up with is great!! It’s a little Gluten-Free Snack Cake that comes in two flavors…Chocolate and Vanilla…that’s just big enough for one person, or to share. You can prepare it with Applesauce if you don’t want the fat…or your favorite Greek Yogurt for the extra protein. I prefer the Chocolate done with the Applesauce, and the Vanilla done with Pineapple Yogurt.

Ok…so now I’ve got the recipe perfected. What shall I do with it??

I’m thinking that I can certainly sell these little gems locally. No problem there - $4.00 per Snack Cake seems about right. But I’m also wondering if I can sell them by mail?? I’m thinking $5.00 per Snack Cake allows for my shipping and handling too.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Ingredients: White Rice Flour Mix* (White Rice, Tapioca, Sorghum, Potato Flours, & Corn Starch), Raw Sugar, Buttermilk Solids, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Sea Salt (*White Rice, Tapioca, Sorghum, Potato Flours, & Corn Starch)

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Ingredients: Brown Rice Flour Mix* (Brown Rice, Tapioca, Sorghum, Potato, Garbanzo & Fava Flours), Raw Sugar, Dark Cocoa, Buttermilk Solids, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Sea Salt

A warm delicious, single-serve (or share) Gluten-Free Dessert that’s ready in minutes straight from the microwave or toaster oven! Now you can treat yourself to a warm indulgent dessert without all the preparation, time and clean-up. Just add two simple ingredients and pop it into the microwave or toaster oven. You’ll have a warm treat in no time. They’re the perfect size and are so quick and easy!! These cakes are so quick, easy to make that Celiac Teens can make them as an after school snack, and they’re just big enough to satisfy two or three toddlers without any waste.

Bring them to work for a quick and warm treat. But the greatest thing is that you don't have to worry about finishing off an entire cake. Just one satisfies your sweet tooth and you don't have all of the guilt from overeating.

Toaster Oven: 30 Minutes at 350, One 4” Ramekin

(Oven Proof or Microwave Safe)

Microwave: 3 Minutes on High, One 12oz Coffee Cup, or Two Smaller Coffee Cups

Allow time to cool

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

The Celiac Disease Epidemic - Why Gluten-Free isn't enough

2016-08-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

http://scdlifestyle.com/2012/01/the-celiac-disease-epidemic-why-gluten-free-isnt-enough/

(Re-printed without permission)

By Jordan Reasoner
http://scdlifestyle.com/jordan/

On June 10th 2005 my mom died from Cancer at the age of 52… and I miss her every single day.

I was devastated.

It tore me apart.

It didn’t make sense.

It wasn’t fair.

How could this happen?

But looking back, the signs leading up to her cancer revealed a pattern:

Lifelong “nervous stomach” (diarrhea, gas, and bloating)

Fertility problems

Graves’ disease

Endometriosis

Migraines

Fatigue

Anxiety

Depression

Frequent illness

Gallbladder cancer

Bile duct cancer

Liver cancer

And my own Celiac Disease diagnosis in 2007 affirmed my suspicions.

Lifelong untreated Celiac Disease killed my mom…

Celiac Disease is an exploding epidemic

The latest research estimates 1% of the western population has Celiac Disease (1 in every 133 people) with nearly 3 million people suffering in the United States. Lot’s A LOT of people… but what’s worse is the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center estimates 97% of those with Celiac Disease remain undiagnosed.

So why are so many people unaware they have Celiac Disease?

The diagnosis itself can be expensive, time-consuming, and misunderstood. The “gold standard” Celiac diagnosis looks for a positive antibody blood test confirmed by an intestinal biopsy. The biopsy is typically ordered by a Gastroenterologist and gathered in a hospital setting during a procedure called an Endoscopy, costing anywhere from $2,000 – $5,000. For some people, that’s just not an option. It isn’t necessarily a lack of tests that’s the problem - it’s the lack of doing tests in the first place. But I’ll get to that in a moment…

I used to think the Celiac Disease epidemic was there all along… that this meteoric rise in the disease was the result of new medical technology and the growing awareness in mainstream media. But I was wrong… well sort of.

We are getting better at finding it - but recent studies provide solid evidence that a Celiac Disease “explosion” is happening because more people are developing the disease, not just because of better testing. In fact, one study performed at the Mayo Clinic suggests the incidence of Celiac Disease in men has increased 4X since 1948! If that’s not enough to convince you that there’s a tidal wave of Celiac Disease headed for us, let’s follow the money. Private Industry has taken notice of the rising population of gluten-free dieters (not all of which have Celiac Disease).

Look at this data:

Gluten-free foods and beverages, once considered specialty items, had a compound annual growth rate of 30% in the U.S. between 2006 and 2010… $2.64 billion in total sales in 2010. New reports estimate it will be a $5.5 Billion market by 2012! Corporations wouldn’t be pumping millions of dollars into a market if they thought it could shrink or slow down anytime soon. Not only have that, but pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop several drug treatments for Celiac Disease. The worst part of this story isn’t just the growing epidemic…

You Could Have Celiac Disease and Not Even Know It

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition of the gastrointestinal system triggered by gluten, the protein found in wheat. When people with Celiac Disease are exposed to Gluten it stimulates the immune system to attack and damage the intestinal lining, waging war against its own intestinal tissue (villi). The challenge with Gluten is that it’s virtually ubiquitous in today’s world, found in just about everything… from cereal to lipstick. And because Gluten is in just about everything we eat, drink, and bathe with – it can be tough to avoid. We could conceivably consume Gluten in every aspect of our daily lives.

Lately, public awareness has been growing for the digestive symptoms related to Celiac Disease like diarrhea, gas, cramping, and bloating. It’s a good sign, but one problem lies in the fact that only ½ the people with Celiac Disease actually have significant diarrhea as the primary symptom.

Additionally, the disease has been linked to over 300 different symptoms, many of them subtle and seemingly unrelated to digestive problems. Other symptoms include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, depression, anxiety, joint pain, seizures, muscle cramps and many more.

That’s the problem with undiagnosed Celiac Disease…

It’s not a lack of available testing - but a lack of recognizing the need to test for it in the first place. The disease is like a chameleon, sometimes manifesting into symptoms that don’t exactly scream out, “Hey Doc, I’m Celiac Disease.” Couple that with an average family physician 10-20 years out of medical school that’s not current on the latest Celiac Disease research and it’s a losing equation for everyone involved.

That’s what my story was like. After losing my mom in 2005 I started having diarrhea more and more every day… sometimes 10 or more gut-wrenching sessions. I was losing weight and malnourished. And even though I had some “classic” Celiac Disease symptoms, I also had a history of depression, anxiety, “nervous stomach”, chronic fatigue, and low iron.

Over the next year, I continued to go to the doctor with worsening diarrhea and received a different diagnosis each visit. First I got sent home with Fiber, then drugs for IBS, and then a colonoscopy looking for Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease. It was only because of my emotional pleas the gastroenterologist agreed to take a small intestinal biopsy for Celiac Disease.

The bottom line is this: you could have Celiac Disease and not even know it - and your Doctor might not realize it either.

What Happens in Untreated Celiac Disease?

If Celiac Disease goes untreated… it’s not good. Here’s just a few of the increased risk factors from various studies:

30% increased risk for GI cancer
40X increased risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the small intestine
77X increased risk for lymphoma

Then there’s the percentage of people with Celiac Disease that have the following associated conditions that aren’t going to go away if the Celiac Disease isn’t treated…

Anemia (3-6%)
Arthritis (20%)
Ataxia (40%)
Cows Milk Intolerance (24%)
Dermatitis (5%)
Diabetes-Type 1 (12%)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (20%)
Liver Disease (42%)
Migraine Headaches (4%)
Nerve Disease and/or Peripheral Neuropathy (51%)
Obesity (30-40%)
Osteoporosis (4.5%)
Low Bone Density (70%)
Pancreatic & Thyroid Disorders (5-14%)

The important message here is this: it’s a good idea to rule out Celiac Disease if you have any of these problems… and it’s a REALLY good idea to treat Celiac Disease if you do get diagnosed. A diagnosis isn’t the end of the world… as you can see, it could save your life.

The Gluten-Free Diet will save your life (maybe)…

It’s widely accepted that the first step in treating Celiac Disease is removing gluten from the diet with 100% strictness. In fact, this is the treatment plan copied right from the National Library of Medicine and typical of most doctor-patient conversations after a diagnosis:

Celiac disease cannot be cured. However, your symptoms will go away and the villi in the lining of the intestines will heal if you follow a lifelong gluten-free diet. Do not eat foods, beverages, and medications that contain wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. You must read food and medication labels carefully to look for hidden sources of these grains and ingredients related to them. Because wheat and barley grains are common in the American diet, sticking with this diet is challenging. With education and planning, you will heal. While removing gluten exposure is critical to the treatment of the disease… it isn’t THE only treatment. It’s just part of it. The danger lies in the promise that people with Celiac Disease who follow a strict Gluten-Free diet for life will fully heal. I followed a strict Gluten-Free diet for two years with only minor symptom-relief. And it turns out I’m not alone….

The Gluten Free Diet Isn’t Enough…

New research suggests that the small intestines of up to 60% of adults never completely heal from Celiac Disease despite following a gluten free diet. In one study of 241 Celiac Patients – small intestine mucosal recovery 2 years after following a Gluten-Free diet was 34% and 5 years later was only 66%. The authors stated: “Mucosal recovery was absent in a substantial portion of adults with CD after treatment with a GFD.” Another study of 465 Celiac patients after 16-months on a Gluten-Free Diet found that: “Complete normalization of duodenal lesions is exceptionally rare in adult coeliac patients despite adherence to GFD”

So in other words, many of these people followed a gluten free diet for years without completely healing the intestinal damage caused by the disease. If the intestinal damage never heals it is no wonder Celiac Disease patients are more likely to experience cancer or some other debilitating disease. That’s incredibly depressing for people with Celiac Disease… especially if their Celiac Disease diagnosis went anything like mine: I’d finally convinced my Gastroenterologist to order an endoscopy after years of horrible diarrhea, fatigue, and depression. A few weeks after the procedure I got a pamphlet in the mail from her called “Living Gluten Free” with a hand-written note that said: “Jordan – tests showed you have Celiac Disease. Follow a Gluten-Free Diet and you’ll be just fine.” Ummm, what? What’s Celiac Disease and what’s gluten?!? How could gluten be causing all these problems in my life? I’ll really be just fine if I change my diet? I can’t help but wonder how many people around the world get thesame prescription I did and feel desperate when the Gluten-Free Diet doesn’t work.

But here’s what I do know: when I followed a strict Gluten-Free diet for 2 years believing I would be “just fine” and STILL had diarrhea 5-10 times a day, I came face-to-face with insanity. In fact, things got a little scary when I was absolutely convinced I was getting “gluten contamination” from everything (like the dishwasher, cooking pans, silverware, water, air, kissing, breathing, whatever). It reached the lowest point when I thought I couldn’t eat anywhere but my own kitchen without getting “glutened.” But the reality is: it wasn’t gluten contamination at all. The gluten free diet wasn’t working for me…

How to tell if The Gluten Free Diet isn’t working for you

If you have Celiac Disease and you’re following a Gluten-Free diet - but still experiencing any of these symptoms, the Gluten-Free Diet isn’t working for you either. (Remember: Celiac Disease symptoms may or may not occur in the digestive system).

Recurring bloating and cramping

Chronic or recurrent diarrhea

Constipation

Nausea

Liver and biliary tract disorders

Weight loss

Pale, foul-smelling stool

Iron-deficiency anemia unresponsive to iron therapy

Fatigue

Arthralgia

Tingling numbness in the legs

Sores inside the mouth

Skin rashes/acne

Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

Unexplained infertility or recurrent miscarriage

Osteopenia or osteoporosis

Anxiety or Depression

Each of these symptoms can present themselves as part of Celiac Disease and simply removing gluten can help. Many people even see a disappearance of random symptoms after they go gluten free. However, if you have Celiac Disease and any of the these symptoms are still present… even on a Gluten-Free Diet, it’s likely gluten free isn’t working for you. It might be providing some relief, but it’s not healing the underlying damage in your gut… which dramatically increases your risk for cancer and the other diseases I just mentioned. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost either….

Why My Mom’s Story Matters to You

My mom is a prime example of what can happen when Celiac Disease goes undiagnosed and untreated. She suffered through stomach pain, an irradiated thyroid, rounds of chemotherapy, and an early medical retirement from her career. Above all – we lost her too early.

That’s part of the reason I fought for my diagnosis - why I pressed my doctors to get the tests I wanted. Why I followed my Gluten-Free prescription with the strictest adherence. Yet I still suffered from life threatening symptoms. So much so that I wrote my first will at the age of 24 because I didn’t think I’d live much longer unless they miraculously figured out what else was wrong with me. Then I got lucky and found a new doctor with new ideas about what it meant to treat Celiac Disease. A new doctor, that finally helped me stop my diarrhea for the first time in 6 years.

I’m one of the majority - One of the 60% that didn’t get better from a Gluten-Free diet alone. I needed to do more to treat my Celiac Disease. Jordan

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Nature’s Food Patch Named One of Top 12 Right-To-Know Grocers

2016-07-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Nature’s Food Patch
Clearwater, Florida

Named One of Top 12 Right-To-Know Grocers

advocating for the labeling of GMO ingredients

CLEARWATER- July 2, 2013 – Nature’s Food Patch is proud to announce they have been selected as one of the top 12 Right-To-Know grocers in the United States by the Organic Retail and Consumer Alliance (ORCA). Out of 156 customer nominations, Nature’s Food Patch was chosen to be part of the “diligent dozen.” The top 12 stores were chosen to honor those companies which were transparent about their GMO labeling on items carried in-store. These stores are considered to be pioneers in the area of truthful labeling, and are seen as encouragement to other grocers to provide transparent labeling as well.

Nature’s Food Patch employs GMO researcher Patience Melton, who is responsible for researching all products to verify if genetically modified organisms are present, as well as educating employees and consumers on GMOs. If a product is found to contain GMOs, Patience will actively seek out alternatives to find a non-GMO replacement for those items. If there are no alternatives for a product containing GMOs, these products will be labeled as GMO on the pricetag in the store to ensure customer awareness.

Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals derived from genetic engineering. One example is commercial GMO foods that are engineered to withstand direct contact with insecticide. While many countries around the world have significant restrictions or outright bans on GMOs, in the US, the government has approved the sale of GMOs, and it lies in the hands of consumers and grocers to educate themselves and actively opt out of purchasing GMOs.

About Nature’s Food Patch

Nature‘s Food Patch Market & Café (est. 1987) is a community grocery store located on Cleveland Street in Clearwater, FL and is dedicated to offering a complete selection of quality organic and natural products. The store has been enthusiastically embraced by the health minded community and is known for its commitment to organic foods, quality natural products, community involvement and health education. Their vision is to serve and inspire their community in order to build a healthier world.

For More Information:

Cheryl Rosselle

Marketing Director, Nature’s Food Patch

(727) 443-6703 ext 240

advertising@naturesfoodpatch.com

www.naturesfoodpatch.com

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

P F Changs China Bistro, Gluten-Free

2016-07-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

We're truly glad that you're here and we will do everything we can to make you want to come back.

http://www.pfchangs.com/

On a recent trip to Jacksonville, Florida my girls decided to treat me to an experience that I'd missed for over 20 years now. We went out for Chinese Food!! OMG I didn't realize how much I had missed some good Chinese Food. I'd heard about P F Chang's...in fact we have one right in my own neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. But for some reason I never had the urge to try...probably because it had been so long since I'd had any. So we packed up the family, kids and all - four generations, and headed out to P F Chang's for dinner. Seven of us and we were seated almost immediately...that was nice considering the place was packed. It was a Monday night and the kitchen was hopping. In fact the kitchen had a big glass wall that allowed everyone to see what was going on. I told my girls it was like watching Chef Ramsay on Television.

Right away we ordered drinks and my daughter ordered the CHANG'S CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS - Their signature appetizer. Wok-seared minced chicken, mushrooms, green onions, and water chestnuts served over crispy rice sticks and served with cool, crisp lettuce cups. Gluten-Free of course - Oh My!! Our waitress also brought out a variety of dipping sauces. Also Gluten-Free - apparently my youngest daughter had informed the waitress of my needs as soon as we sat down. Have I mentioned that I love my daughters??

When they handed me the menu I was absolutely blown away!! I honestly expected only a few token items, nothing too complicated. What I found was a menu with so many Gluten-Free options that I couldn't decide. There was even a dessert!! I had to get help choosing something to try. I ended up with GF MOO GOO GAI PAN - Sliced chicken breast and tender shrimp served w/mushrooms and sliced vegetables in a mild sauce. My 6yo Granddaughter ordered GF P F CHANG'S FRIED RICE - Wok-fried rice blended w/egg, gluten free soy sauce, carrots, bean sprouts and sliced scallions w/chicken. She wanted to share with me so ordered something safe for me to eat.

We had a wonderful meal. But we all ate so much that no-one had room for dessert. My oldest daughter has promised me we'll take a ride over to the Tampa restaurant some day just to try that dessert :-)

On the way out one of the evening Manager's stopped to ask if I had enjoyed my meal. I told him that because of being Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free I had not been able to enjoy Chinese Food until that night. I told him my meal was incredible and I couldn't describe how happy I was to be able to eat out in confidence with my family. He told me that not only was P F Chang's working on expanding their menu even further...but that they were working on bringing their Gluten-Free dishes to the local Grocer's Freezer too! Happy News!!

STARTER - GF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps
NOODLES - GF Singapore Street Noodles
VEGETARIAN - GF Buddha's Feast
SOUP - GF Egg Drop Soup
RICE - GF P F Chang's Fried Rice
SIDES - GF Spinach Stir-Fried W/Garlic, GF Garlic Snap Peas, GF Shanghai Cucumbers
ENTREES - GF Chang's Spicy Chicken, GF Mongolian Beef, GF Ginger Chicken W/Broccoli, GF Moo Goo Gai Pan, GF Beef W/Broccoli, GF Norwegian Salmon Steamed W/Ginger, GF Shrimp W/Lobster Sauce, GF Beef Á La Sichuan, GF Pepper Steak
DESSERT - GF Flourless Chocolate Dome
NOTES ABOUT THIS MENU - All Gluten Free items are served on a special plate with the P.F. Chang’s logo. These menu items are either gluten free as prepared, or are modified to be gluten free.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Mix - and Donuts!!

2016-07-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

King Arthur Flour is proud to introduce the very best gluten-free bread mix you’ll ever bake. Certified Gluten-Free™ by the non-profit Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG®).

I’ve been Wheat-Free then Gluten-Free for over 25 years now. And the two things that I desperately miss are donuts and bread :-( I’m afraid to admit it…but I’m a bread snob. There is NOTHING on the market that can beat a really great Wheatfull, Glutenfull bread or donut. {{Sigh}} But I keep trying. And I’ve found one or two that are actually worth buying or making on my own. Rudi’s Raisin Bread is actually one of my favorites. And I absolutely love my Chebe Rolls.

So when I received some King Arthur Bread Mix I decided to just plunge right in and give them a chance too. The other day I made up some of this new-to-me bread for our Gluten-Intolerance Support Group. I followed the directions using coconut oil and coconut milk - I’ve been experimenting for a friend who is Dairy Free. As it mixed up I watched in fascination as it all came together and actually began to look like bread dough!! Not really the knead it on the counter consistency…but certainly not the pour it in the pan consistency I was used to. It actually had a glutenous look…some elasticity. I watched it for a minute and then began to wonder – Hmmmm, could I make donuts with this?? Needless to say, when it came time to put it into the pan I scooped some out and hid it in the refrigerator for after the meeting. My loaf was a little small…but no-one seemed to notice :-) It was actually a hit! Everyone loved it; it was soft and not grainy at all. It didn’t crumble when touched. And true to their word three days later it was still really good bread. I was impressed and put this on my list of possibilities for my future bread cravings.

The next day was Sunday...and the perfect time to experiment with some extra calories. I remember my mom making Fried Dough or Doughnuts on Sunday mornings. She'd actually stop at a local bakery and pick up a bag of their dough so we could make them fresh at home. So out came my pot, my favorite cooking oil and the left over bread mix I had tucked away. While I waited for the oil to heat up I mixed up a bit of cinnamon and sugar to coat my finished donuts with. Since I didn't want to mess with the dough to much I decided to simply drop spoonfulls into the hot oil. I was just tickled silly with the results!! Within minutes I had several donuts sitting on paper to drain...then rolled around in the cinnamon & sugar mix...before taking my first bite of a still warm, wonderfully tasty, slightly sweet donut!! They were perfect...golden brown on the outside with just a bit of crunch...white and incredibly soft inside...and topped off with a bit of sweet. MMMmmm!!

Egg Replacement Tips: We recommend using the flax egg replacer . We tried a commercial egg replacer, and our recipe based on starches, but found the flax gel worked the best, plus you get the added benefit of flax. The commercial egg replacer and the starch based recipe was slightly more dense. Use finely ground golden flax if you want a mild flavor, brown for a more “whole grain” taste.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/gluten-free-bread-mix

135 US Route 5 South
Norwich, Vermont 05055-9430
phone: 802.649.3361
fax: 802.649.3365

Ingredients: Specialty Flour Blend (Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch), Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Sugar, Emulsifier (Rice Starch, Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Mono- And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acids), Salt, Xanthan Gum. Dry Yeast: Yeast, Sorbitan Monostearate, Ascorbic Acid.

Produced in a dedicated Gluten-Free, Allergenfree* Manufacturing Facility.

*Free of the 8 Most Common Food Allergens

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

My personal experience

2016-07-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Nearly 30 years ago I developed this horrific rash that managed to cover nearly 75% of my body. It started slowly enough…but two dermatologist, a walk in clinic, and two primary care doctors later it had nearly taken over. I was suddenly several hundred dollars poorer and no-one had a clue. I had tests, creams, lotions, wraps and nothing worked. I was panic stricken. Finally I received a verbal referral from a friend to go and see a Naturopath. Back in those days it wasn’t unusual for a Naturopath to stay hidden in the shadows. At the time I received my referral the FDA (or some other Government Agency) was busy closing as many Nature based offices as they could terrorize. So I went to see my new Naturopath…and she literally saved my life!! I left with a bag full of ‘stuff’ and still had money in my pocket!! Wow!! Within two weeks I could tell that I was well on my way to healing completely and I’ve been devoted to my Naturopath ever since.

I didn’t realize it right away…but my skin issues were my body’s way of making me understand that I was one really sick puppy!! I think that one of the saddest days of my life was when my Naturopath finally told me that I was allergic to Wheat and that I could never eat regular bread again. I was just devastated. I remember driving home in this sort of numb cloud. To never eat bread again…how was I going to do that?? Up until that point I had never heard of a Health Food Store…let alone walk into one. And what I found for wheat free products was enough to make me cry. And I discovered it wasn’t just bread…but cakes, cookies, and pasta…all the things that I absolutely loved. I was alone…there were no support groups then…I had no-one to talk to…and no-one had even heard of a wheat allergy…let alone know how to deal with one. So I went without…but I felt better every day and that was such a blessing it was worth the loneliness.

There is no proven medical study. But in my research online I keep finding references to Celiac being passed down through the Celtic line - Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. And the closer the family ties are to any of the Celtic Nations…the higher the probability that you do have Celiac. I’ve read that it can be like Diabetes in that everyone has it…but it takes a traumatic event in life to trigger it. I’ve also read that for many people they didn’t have any issues with Celiac until after an accident or physical trauma, or some sort of mental/emotional stress. Many people support that it can be triggered by a life changing event.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

Did You Know? Facts about Celiac Disease & Gluten Intolerance

2016-07-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the most staggering facts about Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance. Each statement highlights the need for education and awareness among the Medical and Culinary Communities as well as the General Public.

An estimated 3 million Americans across all races, ages and genders suffer from Celiac.

You don’t need to have Celiac Disease to be affected by it. There are many different Diseases that can co-exist with (or because of) Celiac Disease. Autism - Infertility – Migraine - Thyroid Disease – Depression - Intestinal Cancer - Osteoporosis/Osteopenia - Turner Syndrome - Dermatitis Herpetiformis - Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis - Peripheral Neuropathy - Type 1 Diabetes - Down Syndrome - Liver Disease -Sjogren's Disease - Williams Syndrom

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune digestive Disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Because of this constant malnutrition many areas of the body can be affected making Celiac Disease one of the hardest Diseases to diagnose. 1 in 133 Americans have Celiac Disease, as many as 95% of Celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with any number of other conditions. Celiac Disease can lead to any number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune Diseases.

6-10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed. Once a person is diagnosed 5-22% of Celiac patients have an immediate family member (1st degree relative) who also has Celiac.

$5,000-$12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis per person/per year of Celiac, not including lost work time.

There are NO pharmaceutical cures for Celiac Disease. A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for Celiac today.

The Celiac Disease diagnosis rate may reach 50-60% by 2019, thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of Celiac Disease.

Gluten-free sales reached more than $2.6 billion by the end of 2010 and are now expected to exceed more than $5 billion by 2015.

It’s all in the numbers…

The number of people with Celiac Disease in the U.S. would fill 4,400 Boeing 747 airplanes. It would take 936 cruise ships to hold every American with Celiac Disease. The number of people with Celiac Disease in the U.S. is roughly equal to the number of people living in the state of Nevada. Alaska, Delaware, Washington DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont all have populations that are less than 2,200,000 - the number of people living with Celiac Disease in the United States.

Carolanne Le Blanc

Email: GlutenFreeInFlorida @ Yahoo.com

Support: http://glutenfreeinflorida3.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting: 4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771