Tag Archives: eating gluten free

December 12, 2012 · 6:33 pm

Namaste Bread Mix Review

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When Namaste Foods sent me the BBQ Coating Mix, they also sent me their bread mix.  I have never made bread in my life.  However, I always envy those who make fresh bread regularly.  I remember my mom making bread when I was little and there is just something so comforting about the smell and taste of fresh bread out of the oven.  While extremely intimidated by the task, I took some time one night to make home made bread.

The ingredients were easy, I was just a little concerned about what pan to use.  I found some foil bread pans at Kmart on sale and decided to give them a try.  The pan size was 8 inches x 3 7/8 inches by 2 15/32 inches.

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The recipe called for oil, 1 egg and three egg whites. I only had two eggs so I made it with 1 egg and 1 egg white. Unsure of how that would impact the outcome, I proceeded as any normal kitchen goddess would do- I crossed my fingers.

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After blended in the mixer, the dough had to sit to rise about 30 minutes.  I then placed the pan in the oven to cook for one hour.  About half way through I added foil on top. This was a huge help to keep the top from burning.

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The bread came out really tall- it was on the top shelf of the oven and was practically touching the top of the oven. I think I may need to use a little wider pan next time.  After the bread cooled an hour or so, I decided to taste the bread… It was awesome.  It had a little bit of sweetness but was probably the best gluten-free bread I have ever had.  I have visions of using this mix for home made banana bread.  The portion size was plenty. It made more than I usually get with my typical Udi’s loaf. It is only good at room temperature for 24-48 hours. I decided to slice it and freeze it. This lasted me about a week. I would definitely purchase this bread mix- but am not sure how frequent I will be able to prepare this, you need a good 2 hours. Thanks Namaste for introducing me to making home made bread.

What is your favorite bread?

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November 27, 2012 · 7:43 pm

Larry’s Giant Subs Now Offering Gluten-Free Subs

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Earlier this week I found out that Cookie Momsters had partnered with Larry’s Giant Subs. I was so excited. I can’t remember the last time I had a sub. Yes, I have had sandwiches, but I miss the days of sandwiches ordered in inches.  There is just something about the nostalgia of subs for me.  In my youth, we would opt for the healthy alternative after volleyball, softball or basketball practice instead of heading out to McDonalds or Burger King.

The closest location to me is the Southside store across the street from Tinseltown movie theaters.  I was a little worried that they may just add the rolls without taking other precautions to avoid cross-contamination. I was happily surprised to find out that the cashier was knowledgeable on the subject and told me they wipe down the area and change their gloves.

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Larry’s Giant Sub’s motto is “Home of the Big One.” The gluten-free sub rolls come in one size, 8 inches, and there are many sandwich options to choose from. Many of their meats are gluten-free. I opted for the turkey breast which was touted as gluten-free, hormone free, antibiotic free and vegetarian fed. I added lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard.  While in no way was this “THE BIG ONE” my sub was delicious. The bread, while a tad dry and in need of some salt, stayed together, had a nice consistency, wasn’t too thick and was toasty and warm. I love dipping my sub in hot sauce. They plenty of hot sauce options that I tried which helped spice it up and give it a little moisture.

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As I expected there is a $2 up-charge which made the typical sub combo go from around $9.50 including tax to $11.53.  I am not a huge fan of up-charges, but I understand that because it is made locally and it is a specialty item that there is a need to charge an additional fee. A $1 up-charge is more appropriate in my opinion. I think Larry’s offers a lot of coupons in the mint, Jaguar Teal Deals, so I am going to be on the lookout for those.

According to Cookie Momsters here are the locations where you can find gluten-free rolls:

Southside:
Larry's Giant Subs on Urbanspoon
4479 Deerwood Lake Parkway #1
Jacksonville
(904) 425-4060

Five Points (next to the Sushi place, across from Wendy’s near the main intersection of Five Points):
Larry's Giant Subs on Urbanspoon
1509 Margaret Street
Jacksonville
(904) 674-2794

Baymeadows:
8616 Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, FL
904-739-2498

Roosevelt:
5733 Roosevelt Blvd
Jacksonville, FL
904-446-9500

Palatka- not sure where the Palatka location is, it doesn’t show up on Larry’s site.

All in all I loved it and am excited that the Southside location also has a drive through for convenience. I will be back, but hopefully with a coupon in hand.

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November 1, 2012 · 2:29 pm

Product Review and Giveaway: Namaste Barbecue Coating Mix

Recently I was asked to do a product review of Namaste Barbecue Coating Mix.  I usually just mix up a concoction of Italian spices and toasted gluten-free bread crumbs to coat chicken, so I was excited to try something that was already pre-seasoned. This product contains no wheat, gluten, soy, corn, potato, dairy, casein, peanuts or tree nuts. Non-GMO, all natural, no preservatives.

We started with 3 chicken breasts and I used 1 whole egg to moisten the chicken. Prep was a little messy, even though I used the bag to mix. I may use a shallow dish next time and use egg whites instead of a whole egg since with three chicken breasts I barely used one egg.Instructions said 12-18 minutes, however, depending on the thickness of the chicken you may need to cook longer.  My chicken breasts were pretty thick so I had to cook for 30 minutes.  Around  minute 12 I put tin foil loosely on top so that the top wouldn’t burn.

The chicken came out tender and the coating stayed on. Most of the coatings I put on my chicken slide off the second I cut into it.  There was a nice honey taste to the chicken.  I was expecting it to be salty but it had a nice pepper taste. It could almost be made spicy with a chipotle pepper spice or by adding Tobasco.  The box came with two packages of coating I may try to go spicy with the next batch.   I decided to go “healthy southern” to compliment the barbecue and cooked up some corn and mustard greens I got in my veggie bin .

I am not sure how much this costs, but I think I would purchase if I saw it in the stores. I am intrigued to try their other flavors.

And yes, it was a dinner on the couch kinda night with my love!

Product Give Away!!!

One lucky Gluten Free Jacksonville reader will win a prize pack that includes: three Namaste Food Products, Namaste Grocery Tote, copy of Simple Pleasures Cookbook, copy of Living Without Magazine and assorted recipe cards.

To enter the drawing comment on this blog post. The winner will be announced next week.

Well, it is next week ( November 8) The winner of the Namaste Giveaway is Karen Lemoine Musselman!  I will email you with the details!  Congratulations!  Make sure to share photos of your food on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/GlutenFreeJacksonville).

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October 5, 2012 · 10:47 am

October Means Pumpkin Flavored Gluten-Free Goodness

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Recently we had a pretty involved Facebook discussion about pumpkin flavored baked goods. Since it is the first week of October, I thought now is the appropriate time to share some yummy pumpkin deliciousness. Beyond the pumpkin spiced latte’s everyone raves about at your local coffee shop, pumpkin cupcakes, muffins, cookies, ciders are all the rage.  Pumpkin is one of the first signs that fall is in the air.  Beyond searching Pinterest and searching “gluten-free pumpkin recipes” here is a list of some pumpkin goodies you can purchase or make that our Facebook friends shared with us:

Pumpkin Sides
Weight Watchers Pumpkin Hummus

Pumpkin Cookies Made to Order
Fresh – Simply Delicious & Organic makes AMAZING (or so they say) pumpkin spice cookies for the fall! They bake over 100 of them to take to Riverside Arts Market from 10am to 4pm each Saturday. They usually sell out of them but you can call ahead and pre-purchase. Their cookies are always gluten-free, dairy free, and delicious!

Mama B’s Specialties  Hello Fall!

Top left – Pumpkin Donut Holes, Top Right – Pumpkin granola, and bottom right – Sweet Pumpkin Dip with apple slices and ginger snaps.

Pumpkin Bread

Version 1 Sarah Lind GF Pumpkin Bread

1 box Betty Crocker® Gluten Free yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
1/2 cup gluten-free semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9×5-inch or 8×4-inch loaf pan with oil.
2. In large bowl, stir all ingredients except chocolate chips until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread evenly in pan.
3. Bake 9-inch loaf 55 to 65 minutes, 8-inch loaf 60 to 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool about 2 hours before slicing.
Makes 16 servings

Version 2 GF PUMPKIN BREAD

1 c. canola oil
3 c. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 – 15 oz. can of pureed pumpkin
3-1/2 c. Gluten Free flour blend
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. water
½ c. unsweetened natural applesauce

Combine oil, sugar, eggs. Add pumpkin and mix well.
Sift together all dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture.
Add water and applesauce and mix well.
Pour in two lightly greased loaf pans. (Or 1 4-loaf Pampered Chef pan and 1 loaf pan)
350 degrees for 50-60 min.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing from glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

Pumpkin Flan

Pumpkin flan from Food Network’s Ellie Krieger.

Pumpkin muffins
Sippers Coffee House has been baking gluten-free pumpkin muffins.  They use a standard pumpkin muffin recipe and add a teaspoon of xanthan gum to give the muffins more lift. You can preorder if you prefer for them to do the work.

Do you have a favorite gluten-free pumpkin baked good recipe?  Do you even dare share it with us.  My favorite is to roast the pumpkin seeds.  MMM,

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September 26, 2012 · 8:57 pm

The Unhealthy Side of Gluten-free

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More and more people are going gluten-free these days to lose weight that don’t have Celiac disease or any form of gluten-intolerance. Yes, eating gluten-free can help you shed pounds, but so can reducing caloric intake, increasing physical activity and adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. A gluten-free diet can be unsuccessful if you rely too heavily on processed foods or substitute foods like cookies, breads, cakes and pastas. Most gluten-free items are higher in fat, calories and carbs than their gluten-containing friends.

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Glutino Sandwich Cookies. These are delicious and safe for those with Celiac because they are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. However if you are not gluten-intolerant there may be reason to stick with the original- The Oreo. Glutino Sandwich Cookies are worse for you than their counterpart. Here is the nutrition breakdown:

Portion: 3 cookies
Calories: 190
Total Fat: 9g 14%
Carbohydrates: 27g 9%
Protein: 0g

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Who would have ever thought that Nabisco’s Oreo Cookie could ever be considered better for you than anything :) Here is the Oreo nutrition breakdown:
Serving Size: 3 cookies
Calories: 160
Fat: 7g
Carbs: 24g
Protein: 1g

Oreo has 30 less calories than the Glutino Sandwich cookie, 2g less fat, 3 grams less carbohydrate and even has protein in it. It is not a huge difference, but if you are counting calories and think just because something is gluten-free it is better for you this may be an inaccurate perception.

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Bread is another sneaky culprit. Gluten-containing Arnold Brand 100% Whole Wheat Bread has the following nutritional breakdown:
Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 110
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 20g
Protein: 5g

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Udi’s brand bread (found in the freezer section) has the following nutritional content:
Service size 2 slices
Calories per slice: 110 calories
Fat per slice: 3g
Carbs per slice: 18g
Protein per slice: 2.5g

While the nutritional value doesn’t seem to be that different one other factor needs to be taken into consideration- size of the slice. Arnold’s slices are close to double the size of an Udi’s slice.

While not all gluten-free foods are worse than gluten-containing foods it is important to read labels and know what you are eating whether you are gluten-free to lose weight or you have Celiac disease, gluten-intolerance or gluten-sensitivities.

What other gluten-free foods have you found that are worse for you than gluten-containing foods?

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September 12, 2012 · 9:29 am

Maintaining a Gluten-Free Home

My boyfriend and I recently moved into a house at the beach.  We had a discussion about how we would handle food in our house.  I have Celiac disease and am dairy free, gluten-free and shellfish-free.  He likes pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs in addition to pretty much anything I cook.  I wasn’t completely stressed about the conversation, however in my mind I was thinking: how would we wash the dishes together?  Would we have to separate out items in the dish washer, would we have separate dish sponges, or would we have to use separate utensils or plates?  Then the thought of friends coming over began to really stress me out.  Having to be strict and educate friends on what to use and what not to touch did not sound fun for me or for them.

We decided to maintain a 100% gluten-free household. My boyfriend was fine with getting his pizza, hot dog or hamburger fix for lunch, when we go out to eat or when we eat separately.  That was music to my ears. The expense of cooking gluten-free for an entire household can be quite costly. However, it is worth it to feel safe in my own home and cooking at home still costs less (most of the time) than dining out.  It really isn’t that hard to make gluten-free meals at home that taste yummy. Most people don’t even realize what I make is gluten-free.  I enjoy finding new recipes and using fresh ingredients.  Cooking is fun for me. And being healthy is important. So far I have had no complaints…

How do you maintain a safe kitchen? Is your kitchen 100% gluten-free? Do you take steps to keep gluten-containing foods and utensils separate from the gluten-free foods and utensils?

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August 15, 2012 · 2:50 pm

Travel: Gluten-Free Hot Dogs at Braves vs Cubs Game

Ah Summertime…  That means baseball, beer and HOT DOGS! This summer, in addition to visiting Wrigley Field, my boyfriend and I visited Turner Field to see The Braves and The Cubs. I used to live in Atlanta and loved seeing the Braves play, especially Chipper Jones who is from Jacksonville.

I love Turner Field.  While definitely not as crowded as Wrigley Field gets, it is a beautiful park.Once again, unprepared, I did a search on the way to the field and discovered that I could find gluten-free hot dogs in section 106.
Look what I found!Not only did I find gluten-free hot dogs, I found an entire stand dedicated to gluten-free items.The hot dog was pre-packaged which led me to believe it was safe.  The bun was a little dry and the size a little small but it was delicious!

Thank you Turner Field!

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August 8, 2012 · 5:29 pm

Summer Memories From my Phone

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Summer is quickly coming to an end.  It makes me sad, but thought I would share some of my summer memories from my phone…

1.  My pepperoni and sausage gluten-free dairy-free pizza I found at Native Sun

2. Wonderful outdoor dinner with great friends

3. Cliffs of Moher from my trip to Ireland this summer

4. Brunch at Publican in Chicago this summer

5.  French Meadow gluten-free dairy-free brownies

6.  Corner Taco  food truck gluten-free tacos!

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August 7, 2012 · 5:34 pm

Reflections On Life With Celiac Disease (year 2)

I need to vent a little bit…

I haven’t been feeling that great lately.  I know what it is.  During the weekends I am usually on the go and rarely have time to prepare my own meals.   As much as I say at restaurants:

“I have celiac disease, I am gluten-free, dairy-free and shellfish-free, please notify the chef.  Also please avoid cross contamination by asking the staff to either change out their gloves or mix my food in clean bowls and avoid breading, sauces, and spices”

…I still find a way to become sick.  During the week it is super easy to stay gluten-free I usually make all of my meals.  I still manage to get sick even when I am super strict, which makes me wonder:

  1. Is it true what they say about gluten and coffee? 
  2. Should I avoid my Diet Coke because there could be gluten in the caramel coloring? 
  3. Is it true what they say about quinoa and other grains still aggravating celiacs? 
  4. Is my non-dairy creamer making me sick?
  5. Do I need to worry about the meat I eat, do I need to be concerned if they were fed grains?

I am not one of those people who knows exactly what makes me sick.  I typically eat the same thing each week and rely heavily on vegetables and salads.  After two years with this disease I am still perplexed and frustrated.  I miss convenience and I miss being able to eat without having to describe what is wrong with me. I don’t miss bread or pizza (well maybe a little) or stuff like that, I am just frustrated that gluten-free does not always mean gluten-free for all.  Packaging is confusing and cross contamination is not always labeled or taken seriously.

Thank you for letting me share- I promise to post something positive next time…

What is hard for you? Do you have any advice for me?

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July 17, 2012 · 2:30 pm

Complaints About a Gluten-Free Diner

I have to share this story with you.  A close friend of mine is a server at a local fine dining establishment.  Recently she waited on a woman who said she had a gluten-allergy.  My friend, who is very educated on gluten-free ingredients, worked with the woman making sure there was no cross contamination, sauces were left off that had gluten, dressings were substituted, spices were gluten-free, etc.  She went way out of her way to make her meal as safe as possible. The entire meal was gluten-free, until dessert, when the woman ordered ice cream with cookies and ate the cookies knowing full well they were not gluten-free.

What are your thoughts on this?

My friend was happy to accommodate her needs, but was confused that she spent so much time going over the menu and took extra steps to make sure this woman’s meal was safe, only to watch her eat cookies at the end of the meal.

Personally, I think this hurts people who really are living their entire lives gluten-free and may cause restaurants not to take gluten-allergies seriously during food prep for others who truly are gluten-free.

What do you think?

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