 Creative Commons image credit, below. Anyone who eats gluten free has had the experience of meeting others who do the same: whether it's at a picnic while hovering over the mayonnaise jar or the fruit juice, intently scanning ingredients while everyone else is hollering and whooping alongside playing the gunnysack game, or at a breakfast meeting, where -- in the same moment -- the other gluten free person and yourself both spot the gluten free muffins in the corner and make a simultaneous beeline (you both agree to split the remaining muffin).
However, a few weeks ago I received a phone call "out of the blue" so to speak, from a woman who was reading what turned out to be my impossible-to-sort-out handwriting from a squished-up napkin she'd found at the bottom of her purse.
A few weeks/months before, I had been somewhere, met someone and heard something I hear more and more these days: "Oh, I have a friend/cousin/co-worker/ex-boyfriend/uncle and they have to eat like that -- I should get the name of your site!"
So, dutifully, I had quickly penned the name and my phone number; and, lo and behold, now I was connecting with its intended recipient: Alex, who runs a site/blog called "Gluten Free Princess."
She lives in my region; I'm sure we'll meet sooner or later, and we had the best conversation! It was great!
So, check out her blog/site: her enthusiasm for the gluten free lifestyle is infectious!
 Creative Commons image credit, below. Veering off (just slightly!) from the subject of gluten free food to the realm of editing CSS code on websites; guess what? With the help of the people from Mail Chimp, I was able to edit the background color of the little "Subscribe" box that you'll find both a little way down the far right-side column of this page, and midway down the "Recipes/Gluten free breadmaking!" page (click here). So, which color do you like best: "salmon" or "banana"? Let me know your fave Hex color code!
 Creative Commons image credit, below. Yeah! We love the idea of a big-name pizza manufacturer venturing into the gluten free market!Important Caveat: While I have not seen the Domino's press release as of this writing, according to multiple sources, Domino's states that its "gluten free" pizza is not appropriate for those with celiac disease. One of those sources is a Yahoo Finance article (click here). Domino's reportedly states in its press release that its pizza is appropriate for "gluten-sensitive" individuals. Stay tuned within the next week for a post giving an expert's opinion on the continuum between celiac disease and "gluten sensitivity" -- or whether there really is such a continuum at all!
ABC World News reported that Domino's will be charging $3 more for the pies -- which is about standard, from what I've seen. It's the same premium that a local pizza chain in the Northwest -- Garlic Jim's -- charges for their gluten free pizza, which they've been offering for at least a few years. (On the friendly dining options page (click here), see several Northwest Garlic Jim's listed along with other restaurants that offer gluten free food.)
Six billion dollars -- that's the size of the gluten free market, according to the broadcast.
Now -- as I haven't swung through the door of a Domino's in several years, I can't wait to taste what they've done with their gluten free pizzas.
If you've tried one, let us know! (Image is a great photograph of pizza from Creative Commons; it's not related to Domino's.)
 Photo courtesy of Blue Valley Meats Recently, while covering a conference focused on sustainability (in my professional life I am a freelance writer as well as an inveterate gluten free explorer) I ate some flavorful gluten free sirloin tip roast beef and Linguica sausage in sandwiches piled high with veggies -- and topped off with gluten free sauces and fixings. (See a previous post about Linguica sausage at the bottom of my Ingredients page, here.) The meat was supplied by Blue Valley Meats, which features 100% grass-fed beef, natural pork, and a seasonal fall lamb.
The venue? The rustic-meets-sleek spaces of Urban Enoteca, an event space south of Sodo, in Seattle, Washington.
The event? The "Women on a Mission" conference, sponsored by Seattle Good Business Network. The event was chock full of speakers, delicious natural and organic food offerings, rapport and energy. Near the end of the conference, I met Clarice Swanson, co-owner of Blue Valley Meats, and she gave me a sample of frozen pork out of the trailer she'd driven from Walla Walla, Washington (on the other side of the state). Later, the pork cooked up deliciously -- and really good pork is not always easy to find.When Clarice started on the trip over Washington State's Cascade Mountains, the trailer had been loaded with meat deliveries for her clients.
Clarice gives us some great insights into running a relatively new wholesale and retail sustainable meat operation:
Karen for Gluten Free Safari: At the conference, you mentioned that Blue Valley makes its sausage using its own recipes. What other meats do you fine-tune with your own original blend of ingredients?
Clarice of Blue Valley Meats: Our butcher/co-owner, Christopher Galasso, develops all of our sausage and bacon recipes, including the Linguica and the Hickory Smoked Bacon served at the conference. For us, it’s not just a recipe -- it’s about fine tuning the notes of all the herbs and spices in harmony with the particular kinds of natural meats we use. To back up further, it really starts with a healthy, happy hog from a farmer who can bring out the best in his hogs . . . .
Karen: What are the most important factors influencing the quality of your meat?
Clarice: We really strive to put together a total package. Anything we put into our bodies is subject to so many factors. Meats are time-sensitive and temperature-sensitive products. That’s huge, but it’s even more then that. Meat quality is supported by everything big and small back down the line: how the meat is transported, how it’s stored, how it’s processed, and who's processing it. How is it slaughtered, how clean is it? How was it raised? These are factors we monitor and grapple with each and every day to make sure meat is safe and of high quality. 100% grass fed beef is vital. . . . .
Karen: What cities/areas do you deliver to and how often?
Clarice: We have two basic routes. Every three weeks we head down to Portland and make a half a dozen stops; the newest one -- the Rose City Co-op -- was just added this week. Then, we are in the Seattle area two weeks on and one week off. . . . . We go as far north as Marysville, as far south as Olympia . . . and as far east as The Grange Café in Duvall, which just started serving our meats this week.
Thank you, Clarice!
 Creative Commons image credit, below. I love "Christina Cooks," the public television series. In a past episode aired recently, "The Art of Sicilian Cooking," Christina mentioned something I had never heard -- that bitter greens help the body to digest oil. As everyone knows, greens are also a nutritional powerhouse, full of vitamins and trace minerals.
So, what are "bitter greens"? Dandelion greens are one. Christina says they must be cooked quickly, and that they help to digest fat and protein. I'm going to take the plunge and cook some tonight!
Other "bitter greens," according to a Los Angeles Times article -- (click here) -- are Belgian and curly endive, escarole, radicchio, mustard, and turnip greens. What about kale? It's pretty bitter, but is it a "bitter green"? Maybe not. In any case, however, some just-picked kale is sitting on my counter. (The "Russian Red" variety grows like a weed, but I prefer the "Blue Dwarf" variety: that's the very curly type one often sees garnishing dishes in restaurants). Cooking kale is always a challenge. I usually use olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Suggestions are always welcome! Photo is a nice image of radicchio and another green (guesses, anyone?) from Creative Commons; it's unrelated to "Christina Cooks."I wrote to Christina -- that is, Christina Pirello, MFN, CCN, and she generously offered to share some of her recipes; as radicchio is one of my favorite vegetables, and I adore avocado and grapefruit, I couldn't resist the following:
Christina's Radicchio, Grapefruit and Arugula SaladCopyright, Christina Cooks, Inc., 2010, all rights reserved.1 teaspoon flaxseeds
sea salt
4-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup avocado oil
2 ruby grapefruits, peeled, pith removed, thinly sliced
1 large head radicchio, hand shredded
1 medium bunch arugula, stems trimmed, hand shredded
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
Grind flaxseeds in a coffee or spice grinder. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and whisk in vinegar and oil. Season with salt to taste and whisk to combine. Prepare the grapefruit and place in a bowl. Pour dressing over the grapefruit and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
To serve the salad, combine radicchio, arugula and olives in a bowl. Stir in grapefruit and dressing, tossing gently to coat the salad with dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Makes 4-6 servings.
Click here to go to Christina's site.
 Creative Commons image credit, below. At a recent meeting, members of the South King County Gluten Intolerance Group were polled about their preference among five different gluten free breads: garlic cheddar, white rice, buckwheat, pumpkin and pumpkin chocolate chip -- all baked by the Great Harvest Bread Company in Federal Way, Washington.
Which bread won? You might have guessed: it was pumpkin chocolate chip. Who said gluten free bread has to be boring?
Great Harvest has been voted the best bakery in Federal Way for several years running. Besides its breads, Great Harvest offers three other gluten free items. One of these -- Gluten Free Cranberry Almond Granola -- is a luscious-looking mix made with almonds, cranberries, Bob's Red Mill gluten free rolled oats (Bob's Red Mill manufacturees its gluten free food in a dedicated gluten free facility), sunflower seeds, molasses, and honey. According to co-owner Carol Tacke, the granola mix is so popular that one customer even has it shipped to him at his second home several states away.
Yum!!
 Creative Commons image credit, below. Tired of transferring your gluten free workout protein mix into little bags or containers when you're out and about? Ditto for bags of gluten free oatmeal or other cereals? According to BakeryandSnacks.com (via FoodProductionDaily.com), a U.S. company, MonoSol, has developed edible pouches engineered to disappear and release their contents when they are exposed to water."
According to the BakeryandSnacks.com article (see it, here) MonoSol is meeting with several large companies in order to make the technology commercially available. Photo unrelated to Monosol or BakeryandSnacks.com.
 Creative Commons image credit, below. Gluten free bread ("that doesn't taste gluten free") is now the centerpiece of a Dow television ad. Dow, according to its website, has "developed a plant-based cellulose that mimics gluten attributes and helps gluten-free bread, pasta and dough taste more like the real thing."
The Dow television ad spot features a young man bicycling through a town, balancing what look like 100 loaves of bread on his head. Image is from Creative Commons (credit below) and unrelated to Dow.
 Creative Commons image credit, below. Eggs Benedict. We love those fluffy poached eggs, partially smothered in a rich but healthy hollandaise sauce, with some Canadian bacon underneath. (Of course, gluten free types have checked the package to affirm that the Canadian bacon is gluten free!) But then . . . . If you eat gluten free, unless the restaurant or your local store carries gluten free English muffins (they must exist, though I've never seen any), what's an eggs Benedictine to do?
I encountered this easily-solved quandary today. It took just a quick request to the chef to prepare the eggs without the muffin; and, voila, I enjoyed the delight immensely, and the spicy potatoes served alongside helped make up for the lack of crunchy -- yet soft -- English muffin as a foundation.
Also, do check that the hollandaise sauce is made with the traditional ingredients: eggs, butter, lemon juice, and a little salt!
Update: Yes, gluten free English muffins do exist; they're made by Food for Life; click here!
 Creative Commons image credit, below. For those of you who participate in the Passover Seder dinner, did you know that gluten free matzoh bread exists? It looks just like the "real thing!" Gluten free matzoh ball soup is also a distinct and delicious possibility, according to my culinary rovings! Stay tuned for more specifics; I will "pass" them along later.
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