Blog Posts - gluten free safari™

Free gluten free tour with social hour after, featuring gluten free sandwiches and other treats: Marlene's Market & Deli in Federal Way, Washington on March 18, 2013 at 6-8pm!

3/15/2013

Creative Commons photo credit, below.

Get a free one-on-one tour and many of your gluten free product questions answered at a special tour of preeminent health food store Marlene's arranged just for The South King County Gluten Free Group on Monday, March 18th at 6 p.m.! Then, dine on some of Marlene's delish gluten free sandwiches (that's right -- sandwiches) and other gluten free offerings at Marlene's popular deli!
We will be receiving in-depth product knowledge and great advice on gluten free products, from someone who eats gluten free and works at Marlene's. Our tour guide for Monday night and her family avoid several other allergens as well, including dairy, yeast, eggs and cheese, so she is well-versed in a spectrum of allergens in food.
And, if you've never eaten at Marlene's deli, you're in for a gluten free treat. Several online comments about Marlene's are a testament to their great gluten free food!
Dining in the deli will be no-host: the prices are reasonable and the deli workers very friendly! There are offerings from veggies to cookies to sandwiches and smoothies -- all gluten free.
It'll be fun; see you there! (Food pictured is not from Marlene's; it's just a nice picture of a deli items form Creative Commons; credit below.)

Gluten Free Joe's in Tacoma, Washington is worth a field trip!

3/3/2013

Creative Commons photo credit, below.

If you are one of the multitudes who now eat gluten free, come one, come all, make a trek to Gluten Free Joe's!
Open since last year, the store might seem too much to hope for: a place where one who has embraced the gluten free lifestyle can roam freely about, tossing items into one's cart from any aisle whatsoever.
No more need to beeline past the bread aisle, the pizza aisle, the bakery section, the pancake mixes, the cereals. Every every single item is a possibility!
Even so, you may find yourself, as I did, still veering away from certain sections -- for instance, the cookie aisle -- through sheer force of habit.
The frozen food section is even more fun to amble through: waffles, ice creams, breads -- it's all there. And no label reading is required, unless one has other food allergies/intolerances/sensitivities besides gluten.My boyfriend loves egg rolls, and this is the first time I had ever encountered a brand that we could both eat (the manufacturer advertises its frozen gluten free egg rolls as "the world's first.")
In Joe's aisles, I also discovered Kind granola. If you've ever been in a Starbuck's, you may recognize Kind Bars as a gluten free alternative to the muffins and bakery items that are off-limits to gluten free diners.
The staff at Gluten Free Joe's is authentic and friendly. One staff member has developed and sells organic gluten free baking mixes. And then there's Joe, himself, who is a great guy!
The store is clean and pleasant: the floor is stained in a warm harvest-orange color. Two comfy chairs beckon in a sitting area featuring shelves of resource books.
"I am very grateful for the Tacoma community," says Tacoma store General Manager Marc Sevier.
Gluten Free Joe's first location -- in Tumwater, Washington -- is nearly five years old. GF Joe's Tacoma -- which features over 2500 products -- is located at 5811 South Sprague Court (make sure to use "Court" -- not "Street" if you are mapping the address, said Sevier). The closest cross-streets are Tacoma Mall Blvd. and South 58th Street in Tacoma. Call first and get directions.
On March 16, 2013, GF Joe's will be at the Family Expo at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, from 9-5pm.
Photo is unrelated to Gluten Free Joe's; it's just a nice image from Creative Commons.

Why owning a coffee grinder is a handy-dandy idea if you're making your own gluten free bread.

2/27/2013

Creative Commons photo credit, below.

Making gluten free bread is an exercise in creativity -- all those mysterious yet exciting flours that were completely unknown to many of us even five years ago: millet, sorghum, garbanzo, amaranth, quinoa, tapioca -- even split pea. Yet combining them all to arrive at a delectable gluten free bread that has actually risen (as in, the yeast has not burned through the sugar too early, the loaf is almost grazing the lid of the bread machine) is no mean feat.
In what I have termed "Gluten Free 2.0," the "meatier" flours, such as garbanzo, quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, and almond -- are combined with the lighter, airier flours (potato starch, tapioca, white rice flour are some examples) so that the bread has density as well as lift.
Making one's own bread is great fun, and allows greater latitude and creativity. It also requires an investment. Anyone perused the gluten free flour shelves at the store, recently?
One would be correct in noting that one of the flours listed above -- almond -- is over $10.00 per pound! No, there was no accidental extra zero inserted. Huh. Well, now. Those loaf mixes on sale for $5 or so are starting to look pretty good.
Yet, there is another alternative. Finally . . . we're getting to the coffee grinder. If one is lucky enough to live near a health food store where one can buy gluten free grains in bulk, then one can quickly "grind" one's own flour. For instance, take millet, which I used in the bread I made last night (I'll share the recipe as soon as I get it down pat -- it was a little moist in the middle).
The millet "grain" looks a little like quinoa: little round golden, well, grains. But one can't use the actual grain when one makes bread. One needs flour. Enter the coffee grinder. Just throw in some grains of millet, quinoa, whatever -- and grind it. Voila! Flour. And, here's the kicker. Millet "flour" in a package at a well-known national health foodie type store? $2.99 per pound. The millet grain I purchased in bulk at another health foodie type store? $1.29 per pound. The differences between amaranth grain and flour are similar.
So, get out that coffee grinder and bake away! You can find some recipes for gluten free bread on this site (hint: check out the index).

Does your Academy Awards party offer gluten free goodies?

2/24/2013

Creative Commons photo credit, below.

Oscars parties are pure fun! As the Oscars happen right over the dinner hour, the parties always involve food!

At the last Oscars party I attended I found plenty on which to nibble; but, this year, Oscar party options serving gluten free food seem to be a little scant.

One museum offered sandwiches, and that was all. I emailed them, and they responded very kindly. The community affairs rep let me know that a member of her family has celiac, and said that at future events the museum would consider having options for those with special dietary needs. Rah!!

Delonna and Suzanne's naturally gluten free yummy peanut butter cookies -- perfect for a holiday potluck!

12/9/2012

Creative Commons image credit, below.

I first tasted these chewy, delightful cookies way back on St. Patrick's Day: they were a big hit! Now, a lot of people make versions of this recipe; this is the version used by my friends Delonna and her mother, Suzanne (who gave her the recipe)!

Not all peanut butter is gluten free! (Adams is one brand that contains only peanuts and salt; I don't know whether it is "officially" gluten free, but it's the brand that I often use).

Please note that some "no-stir" brands can contain a lot of extra ingredients that are potentially problematic. Some of these ingredients are labelled as "mono and di-glycerides." Mono and di-glycerides can be made from wheat; so, unless I verify with the manufactuter that they are made from something gluten free, I don't eat anything that contains them. However, the "no-stir" peanut butters often contain several other ingredients, and more sugars than other peanut butters. I would stick with the real stuff: peanuts, salt -- that's all you need!

A note on the sugars: This recipe calls for one cup sugar: and, the cookies were addictive, believe me! But, for those of us with sugar concerns (one of my family members is diabetic, so I often cook with less sugar as a matter of course -- usually 1/2 of what is required in the recipe), the excellent question arises, could one get away with less sugar, or a sugar substitute with a lower glycemic index ("GI") than either white or brown sugar?

There are several sugar alternatives for white or brown sugar. Stevia, molasses, honey, agave, or brown rice syrup -- these are just a few. This Livestrong article discusses the glycemic index of common sweeteners: it's a good place to start. According to the article, agave or brown rice syrup have low GI indexes.

Back to the recipe:

1 cup salted, chunky gluten free peanut butter.

1 cup sugar. Delonna uses white or combo of white and brown; I have seen similar recipes that use all brown sugar.

2 eggs.

1 teaspoon vanilla.

Mix. After putting cookies on sheet, do the criss-cross thing with the fork to get the traditional "peanut butter cookie" pattern on the tops of cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or so.

Note: I have seen similar recipes that use only 1 egg; but, as I said, Delonna's were amazing!

Enjoy!

Your gluten free refrigerator: keeping it clean, spiffy, and organized during the holidays

12/7/2012

Creative Commons image credit, below.

Gluten free turkeys and ham, specialty cheeses for holiday parties, bunches of grapes and pounds of yams: all can contribute to a space squeeze in a refrigerator already full of vegetables and fruits, gluten free flours, and other healthy options.

Gluten free folks often cook most everything "from scratch" -- it's often the only option! That means lots of leftovers, and odds and ends such as fresh garlic and ginger, specialty mustards, olives from the olive bar at the local upscale deli, or the one jar of pickles that was actually labelled gluten free.

How do we ensure that the Bosch pears, the tangerines, or the bit of expensive bleu cheese doesn't get buried in the fray?

A few suggestions: date-label the leftovers! If you don't have tiny labels handy, cut up envelopes in the recycle and keep tape handy. That leftover salmon that was crunched in back of the cheddar cheese may look yummy, but the label will tell you whether you should imbibe or not!

Use the "cool" drawer in your refrig -- not only for meats and cheeses, but also for lefties!

Keep a list handy on an erasable board: do the leeks or the carrots need to be used -- quickly? Also, what do you need from the store?

Any other suggestions, we'd love to hear them!

Gluten free gourmet food -- in the hospital??

12/5/2012

Creative Commons image credit, below.

I live in what I would call a "gluten free friendly" zone. Yet, the nearest bakery-prepared gluten free blueberry muffin is still eight miles away!

When a gluten free friend was recently in the hospital, however, not only did she have her own menu, but she could order gluten free blueberry muffins any ole' time she liked!

Mouth-watering items on the gluten free menu included beef pot roast with organic roasted fingerling potatoes, sauteed organic bok choy or squash, roasted vegetables, white fish with a Meditrranean sauce, a hamburger or a cage free egg salad sandwich!

And, for dessert, she could munch on a chocolate brownie with strawberries and whipped cream.

Wow.

If you, your friend, or relative is in the hospital, make sure you ask about whether gluten free menus -- or options -- are available!

I'd love to hear about your experiences with gluten free dining and our friends in the medical establishment.

Martha Stewart's "French cooking show" features one guest's book rempli de gluten free French fare!

7/26/2012

Creative Commons image credit, below.

French cooking, gluten free? You mean to say, the fin de siecle, the pièces de résistance, le dernier mot in French cooking can be accomplished gluten free?
Whilst I eagerly soaked up all the French cooking tips on today's "French cooking show," I wasn't even aware that some of the French delicacies featured would be gluten free, until guest Béatrice Peltre noted that she was using rice flour to avoid gluten, and then revealed that several of the recipes in her book, "LaTartineGourmand" were, also, sans gluten (sans means "without" in French; it's a great word to get to know). The book is an outgrowth of Peltre's blog. Apparently Béatrice eats gluten free, according to the exchange with Martha.

Now, as a sidenote, when Martha Stewart was interviewed for a Daily Mail article in 2011, her attitude towards those with food allergies or intolerances was, shall we say, less than accommodating. However, I've found that Martha has featured gluten free recipes in several of her previous shows.

Photograph is unrelated to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia or the cookbook; it's just a nice picture of a French meal.

Gluten free and happy: an introduction and great conversation with another gluten free blogger!

5/25/2012

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!

An experiment with CSS code; a chance for y'all to vote!

5/15/2012

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!

http://kb.weebly.com/protect-images.html