Holiday-ish ideas

Conversations about food and life.

This is cubed pork chops, floured and sauteed, my basic food prep. So it's not really suitable for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but the other two items on the plate, fresh,hot cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes and turnips definitely are just right for the holidays.

Fresh hot cranberry sauce, so easy, so nouveau, and possibly impressive



1. Half a cup of fresh raw cranberries per person, more or less
2. One tablespoon of real maple syrup per serving of cranberries.



The smaller berries in my creation cooked more and tasted better, so I recommend cutting the cranberries in half. Put the berries into a hot, slightly oiled non stick pan. Swirl them around as they sizzle and get hot. Add the tablespoon of maple syrup for each 1/2 cup of berries, stir steadily until its hot, soft and the maple syrup and juice is making a thickened sauce. Serve. It is pretty, sour and sweet, and as tasty as any cranberry sauce I've ever eaten except it's better because you just made it. It was great with the pork chop cubes.



Mashed potatoes and Turnips
I don't think I care for turnips. But peeled and cubed and boiled and mashed with margarine and potatoes and salt, they are quite good. Very holiday feeling.



1. Wash and peel any bad spots on one potato per person. Chop or slice it into pieces
2. Wash and peel one large turnip for each two people. Chop or slice it into pieces
3. Put the pieces into a pot, cover with good water.
4. Boil it on a simmer for a while - twenty to thirty minutes. Don't let the water boil away so the food burns, as I almost always do.
5. Mash it all together, assuming the water's gone. (If there's still water, pour it into a glass in hopes someone will drink all the wonderful vitamins and it won't go to waste.) I advise not to puree it in a blender or processor. The minor lumps are good. So mash it together with a potato masher, add salt and margarine (or butter if you use it. It's better than margarine for you but I'm allergic to dairy.) The color is a little more beige than we are used to for mashed potatoes, or that could be the carmelization in mine because - I burned it a little. Very tasty.



The small picture is pears and spinach. Wow, new and worth trying.
I got a bag of small pears at Trader Joes for two something the bag. Small, juicy, sweet, delectable. I also bought already washed spinach leaves so this is easy peasy.

1. Wash the pears, one per person, peel the bad spots
2. Don't wash the spinach if it says "already washed." I believe them, don't you?
3. Slice the pears away from the core and cube them into 1/2 inch pieces.
4. Heat a little margarine or butter in a non stick pan, saute the pear cubes. Add salt.
5. Add the spinach leaves, a good size heap for each person. It will cook away to almost nothing.
6. Stir until the spinach is limp and dark and well mixed with the pear pieces. Serve. Hmmm. Just wait.

Yes, I'm into fruit. I'm trying to be healthy, or healthier. I wanted to tell you that I cut out rice, most potatoes, deserts, sugar and I'm steadily losing weight. I wish it were true. But it simply doesn't seem to be. I'm pretty careful. In the last month, I ran amok only once when I ate a pint of chocolate soy sorbet. And some gluten free potato chips. On the same day. But otherwise I've eaten two sensible meals a day and not much else.

So while I was really hoping that sauteeing everything I eat and eating meat almost every day would not be a problem if I did well in some other areas, I was wrong. I hoped to lose ten or fifteen pounds, but not this way, ladies and gentlemen. I haven't gained, and I am much healthier. Out 'a bed at 7:30 a.m., and more or less productive most of the day, every day. This is a change for the better. But I'm not getting any thinner. Oh, well. Can't have everything.

Sorry I've been gone a month. Life, you know, presses in. Take care, eat well, trust God. Love, Barb

Life is so good, fried rice and Right Now! gluten free chocolate cookies

Today's long over due blog is going to be fast and dirty. After 4 plus weeks of pain and immobility I feel great. I walked on the beach. I have plans and projects all over the house. The living room curtains are in the washer and soon will be dried, ironed, and blowing fresh and clean in the windows. I hope. The left over sofa fabric is hanging on a chair back ready to recover the stained cushion. The little sewing machine is most optimistically sitting on the dining table as though any second I will be stitching seams and making fabric order.

Right Now Gluten Free Chocolate cookies first, guess why? So easy. Mine are little over baked.

1. About a teaspoon of excellent unsweetened chocolate, (I used the new discs of bitter chocolate from Trader Joe's because I believe them, mostly. If they say gluten free it probably is.) 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and about 3 tablespoons of a gluten free baking mix, I don't think it matters which kind.

2. It will look as though it will not integrate, but persist. No egg, no oil, no nothing else. Mix it till it's gloppy and moistly stiff. Or stiffly moist.

3. By half teaspoons put it on a little margarined, or buttered heat proof dish. I did mine in a toaster oven. It seems less considered and therefore lower calories that way. However long I set my timer, about 9 minutes, was too long, but they, all five of them, were hit the spot delicious.

Hashbrowns, pork cubes and fried eggs. This is mostly for inspiration but here goes.

1. Hashbrowns: Wash, grate and cook a potato in oil and a hot pan. Let it set and brown before turning the "patty" over. Cook it well because it's better browned and a little crispy.

2. Pork cubes: Buy a pork roast and cut it up and freeze chunks or slices for later use. Mine was too small to fill me up, hence the addition of eggs.

Wash it, cut it into cubes, flour it with whatever you like to use that's gluten free with spices. Saute it until it's hot and firm, but not hard and dry. Shove it over and cook some eggs in marg or butter for better flavor, cook 'em fast and low because I hate over cooked hard eggs. Serve and feel lots better about life and your future. Add a little salt.

3.

I've been very into fried rice. I almost said, 'Half a cup of used brown rice" but that's wrong.

Half a cup of cooked brown rice and onion and whatever vegies you have. Cook the vegies first, well, crispy is best, add the rice and cook it hot and well. Mix it up. Add the tomatoes at the last second, as they're better just warm, not mushy. Spices, salt and peper.

Shoe string potatoes and asparagus is just delicious. One potato washed and cut into skinny strips. Fry them till they're getting a little browned and soft, add asparagus cut into 1 and a half inch lengths. Cook till they're all soft and you're ready to eat. Salt. So good. Make lots.

The fish is beer battered sea bass. Unfortunately it wasn't too fresh when I bought it, and I kept it two days, so it smelled like amonia and was not edible. Oh, well.

1. Beer batter: old flat gluten free beer, (Green's to be exact from Whole Foods) about a quarter cup. Half a cup of spiced gluten free flour mix. Two eggs. Beat it well, dip the pieces or slices of fish, coat well, and drop carefully into a hot oiled pan, cook on both sides for a couple of minutes each. Throw away.

Or if you've done this better than me, make a nice sauce and enjoy with the asparagus potato dish.

It's so good to be back. Lots of love, Barb

Old stuff, left over and useless or good memory?

From time to time when I'm searching the back recesses of the old black files in the closet for a warranty, I realize that I have nice, clean, new looking instruction booklets and warranties for equipment I haven't had for a long time. Sometimes it's small appliances I don't even remember owning. Like a real nice looking juicer. Naturally I couldn't find the warranty for the 3 month old water pump that just broke.

On the other hand, my daughter told me she was pleased that after I'm gone she will have these blog pictures so she can see my food and my dishes. So some rememberances are dear.

What's my point? I don't remember. There probably is one.

One of my favorite things to eat is some spontaneous mixture of two or more leftovers in the frig. This morning I took the last of the menudo. You remember, the recipe for cow innards nobody made? A very nice woman who came last week to help me when my back was out made it and it was excellent. I had eaten almost all the meat (or something like meat) and had mostly broth left.

I also had some cooked rice shell noodles, (Tinkyada - reliably gluten free) and just a little pesto made to go on top of the noodles. The pesto would have been better balanced if my basil plants weren't dying. I gathered every usable leaf, and eight garlic cloves, a teaspoon of coarse seat salt, olive oil, (about a quarter cup), and pine nuts, (three quarters cup). I pureed it in the cuisinart food processor, a wonderful tool. It turned out to be mostly garlic. I enjoyed it on the noodles. Three bowls full. Not a real balanced meal, but twice a year won't hurt.

This morning I heated the last of the menudo soup and added the bowl of noodles and the glop of pesto. When it was hot, I squeezed in the juice of one lime, and poured in a quarter cup of coconut milk. Sorry no pictures. I was too hungry to wait, and you couldn't really see anything except creamy beige liquid.

Wow, it was great. In my experience any left over soup and any carbohydrate will work well. Chicken soup with rice! Tomato soup with rice or noodles. Pesto is so good, it's hard not to like it in any food. On top of cooked eggplant. On toast. In almost any soup. Cauliflower and potato soup doesn't lend itself to many additions except cheese, which is always welcome.

The photos are pork (like a chop, but no bone) and sauteed brocholli and plantain. And for the day I really didn't feel like eating anything, yummy margarine toasted Kinnikinick gluten free bread, two fried eggs, and tiny slivers of nitrate free ham from Trader Joe's.

Pork chop:

1. rinse it, pat it dry with a paper towel

2. "flour" it with a mix of fine cornmeal, from Kinnikinick, and rice flour and all the spices you can bear.

3. saute it in olive oil till it's cooked through but not dry

4. wash the brocholli, cut it off at the florets.

a. peel the stems and eat them raw, or give them to the kids

b. separate the florets and saute in olive oil, not too much

5. Peel and slice the plantain, saute it next to the brocholli, they don't mind sharing

My mom taught me that pork chops are always good with applesauce, so if you have some, try it.

Eggs:

1. put some good tasting non-hydrogenated margarine in a non stick pan

2. cut the bread into thirds in both directions

3. toast the cubes in the marg.

4. slice some slivers off the ham slice which I keep in the freezer. It will slice frozen.

5. put the few ham bits in the pan to warm. They are for flavor and elegance.

6. break the eggs into the pan, either on top of the bread, or scoot them over and put the eggs right on the pan. Stir them till they're gently firm and cooked but not hard and dry.

Looks like fall is here, at least in southern California. It's cool at night in Baja. It never even got hot this year.

I want to hear from someone. Try commenting. It took mine. Send me an email if you have a request for a recipe. If you know anyone with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, please ask them if they would like to get this blog. barbara.keller3@gmail.com

My high school 50th reunion is next Saturday evening. I'm concentrating hard on being younger and thinner. (I can't imagine why I bother. In high school I was younger and thinner. Was I a success? Absolutely not.) I'll let you know how it goes.

Failure, hunger and satiety

Most of the people reading this so far don't have celiac disease, so they may not understand the difficulties. I haven't written because I feel like a failure. While I was doing a favor, and taking an old friend to dinner in a restaurant I shouldn't have been in. It was late afternoon and I was hungry. It was a nervous afternoon, and what I forgot is when I'm hungry and nervous I can't remember why I shouldn't eat in an environment where gluten is served.

I tried hard, asked the waitress to rinse the plate and silver, explained so carefully in English and it was translated into Spanish, that any wheat would make me sick, so please please be careful. I ordered and ate a small portion of beans and a small portion of red rice, and two corn totillas. In my house it would probably have been just fine. But there, in a kitchen full of gluten and prepared by people who don't know any better, it was a recipe for disaster. It wasn't even good or filling.

By the evening I was sick, nauseated, stomach ache, tired. And it continued escalating all week. It is now one week later. My muscles are tender, prone to cramping. I'm slow witted, a nice way of saying "stupid", tired no matter how much I try to sleep.

I had hoped to lead my readers with excellent and sensible behavior and choices. And here I am sick, for no good reason what so ever except I was hungry and lost the thread of my self care.

For those of you with celiac disease maybe you will understand. This seems to be part of the disease. Maybe somewhere there is a person with gluten intolerance who always makes the right decisions, who never is surprised to be sick after some small risk carelessly taken.

So that was the failure. The hunger comes after the gluten. Maybe because I'm not digesting well. I am hungry and it's hard to get full while eating healthy foods. At this point it's not gluten that's the danger, it's too much fat and sugar. And I don't want to gain weight. So I eat lots of vegetables and try not to eat carbs, and wait (no pun intended) for the hunger to pass.

Satiety is a word I learned twenty five years ago in a weight loss program at Cedar Sinai. Along with the liquid diet we were given lessons to help us keep the weight off. (Statistically almost no one in the program kept the weight off, but it was a good concept.) Satiety refers to how satisfying food is. So, if you have 500 calories to spend, what will make you feel the most full and content?

When possible, when I'm cooking or choosing food, I listen to the voice in my head. One afternoon I wanted a lot of cole slaw, and I ate an entire small cabbage with chopped tomato. One morning I yearned for hot and sour spinach soup, so I made it and ate it all, because, well, it's mostly water with spices and spinach. No harm there. And the afternoon I was worn out and sad and dying for potato pancakes because they remind me of my grandma and safe old times at home, I made some.

Yes, I bet I'm a pound heavier, the pants are a little tighter, but over all not a big deal. I wish I were smart enough, strong enough to never fall into the "oops I got gluten, again." trap. But as I did, and it's hard on the body and soul, I feel OK about rolling with the food longings. When I recover, my appetite goes back to normal, and I can eat to lose weight. But I've learned, for me at least, it's not possible to lose weight when I'm in a gluten flare. (In some other diet program, maybe weight watchers, I was told that a body struggling with illness will not let go of fat. You just have to wait.)

So, listen to your cravings, and do your best to accomodate them. As long as there's no real harm. I didn't pay attention to the "I want a hot fudge sundae" request.

The food is chicken soup with brown rice cooked in it. Wonderful for consolation, as well as very nourishing. Hot and sour spinach soup, sauteed chicken strips and sauteed zucchini from my garden, potato pancakes and tiny crab salad. Crab bits on chopped lettuce, tomatoes and onion. With home made dressing of the week: Mayo, marinara sauce, a little olive oil, juice of one lemon, bit of maple syrup, and some spices. It worked on the giant cole slaw, the crab salad, and just sliced tomato and onions.

Two things. One, I hear back that the site doesn't seem to allow you to leave comments. I'm sorry. I would like to hear your comments. I don't know what to do about this. And two, I didn't write any recipes because I don't think anyone is cooking this food. I would be so very happy to give you the recipes so if you're interested, just send me an email at barbara.keller3@gmail.com.

Check out the website too: http://www.glutenfreeforyouandme.com/.

Since you can't leave comments, send them by email. I would love to hear from you. Do good - eat carefully. Tell me how it's going.

Cooking and Love: It's not science, just do your best

This is the birthday cake my granddaughter Sarah made for me in St. Louis. My birthday was in March, but I didn't mind celebrating late. The cake was so good, completely gluten free, light and delicious. They sang happy birthday and I was happy. The next photo is three of the kids next to the cake.

My grandson Aaron cooked eggplant cubes according to a recipe you already have. The sad thing is I put cayenne pepper in the potato starch and it was too hot for him to eat. Cooking is an imperfect science.

Today's photo is familiar - scallops with microwaved potatoes and spinach. I put it here for inspiration. In fact it's a little out of focus and so maybe not so inspiring. The point is you can feed yourself well even if it's out of focus, and you're really tired from traveling 2000 miles and back and sleeping in a strange bed. Food and cooking go on, and can be lovely and delicious and healthy in the middle of a lot of other stuff. Remember the line from Psalm 23? "He prepares a table for me in the midst of my enemies." I love that and take it literally. Although I was just with my darling family, not in the midst of my enemies, you know what I mean. Life is hard, everywhere, for everyone. But you can still cook. I rarely cook lengthy dishes. I'm a fast and easy girl.

I put the little washed potatoes in the microwave for 6 minutes, and cooked the rest in that time. Wash, dry, flour the scallops, (defrosted in their little baggy), sauteed them, washed the spinach, (organic from Costco - goes far) and put it in the pan when I took out the scallops, cooked it on high for a minute or two. Took the potatoes out, sliced and squished them, added a little margarine, and Voila! done.

My point, over and over, is you can do it, your kids can do it, your grandchildren can do it.

Sarah's yellow cake is a recipe from Mireille on the Delphi Forums celiac support group. And the frosting was powdered sugar, butter and cocoa powder. It was so good I ate two pieces, not tiny ones either, and then had some blood sugar problems, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I was glad to see my daughter. She was kind and gracious and I felt like visiting royalty. They're gluten free, and it was a treat to be able to eat someone else's cooking. Summer at the lake in rural St. Louis was green, forested, lush, beautiful, warm and somehow like traveling back in time.

What a strange summer this has been in Baja. I wore shorts once. Once! and now summer is officially over. Eat well and love each other. What could be better?

A commitment to health

That's the thing about a blog, life just keeps going on and seems to take up all the time. Sorry for no postings for many days. I have lots of photos of food, I did keep taking pictures of everything I cooked, but either I didn't have time or energy to write to you, or I wrote and it disappeared leaving an error message, "oops, sorry, it's gone." No it doesn't say that, but it might as well.

Here is the psychic, physical and psychological summary of my last two weeks: I decided I had to make a commitment to my health, which means putting it first. So, like Kinsey Milhone, the famous private eye from Sue Grafton, I roll out of bed and go to the beach first thing in the morning. I don't jog. I walk. And I take my sweet but possibly scary looking dog with me for protection from some imagined danger.

Then I come home and cook my main meal of the day, very healthy and low carb, and I listen to my current favorite bible teacher on the internet. This is my spiritual food and I do feel better for hearing it.

Then, if I still have the get up and go, I clean the kitchen and do the things on the Franklyn list for that day.

It's working, but the blog keeps slipping over the edge at the end of the list. The pictures accumulate and I feel bad, but they don't get posted.

Two other things of note. I was promoted to Editor in Chief of the Baja News which makes me happy and sounds a lot more glorious than it really is. Also I came to an inner decision that my bouts with the blues are going to come around regularly and there is no point in twisting my self into a pretzel trying to figure out why, who's to blame, and what the solution is. The blues go as fast as they come, and are most likely physiological in origin. I intend to stop blaming others or myself for that sorrow. I intend to just wait it out and not fret more than necessary.

Today's meal is scallops and sauteed vegetables. I wash the scallops and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then I coat them lightly in potato starch in which I mix chili flakes, turmeric, salt, pepper, and cumin. (I put this mix in a shallow dish with a flat bottom, and I turn the scallops gently with a fork.) I saute them in enough olive oil to cover the pan. Fast, real fast, maybe a minute on each side. Then I cover them with lime juice, from one lime, and turn the heat back on for a minute to steam the little guys with the lime juice.

The vegetables are: One round zucchini, half a sweet onion, chopped, 7 cloves of garlic chopped fine, three tomatoes, one only half ripe from the garden (half green doesn't matter, still tastes good, still nutritious,) and one half inch slice of eggplant cut in little squares. I browned the onions lightly, added everything else and stirred it till it was soft and smelled good.

Serve and eat.

It's finally warm here. Summer seems to be starting very late. I read somewhere that work is not exercise. Exercise is the rhythmic contraction and release of muscles. I read somewhere else, in a sequel to The Artist's Way, that one should go outside and walk on the ground for 30 minutes a day, that it does something that exercising inside can't do. I think about that as I walk on the beach. The air is fresh and I like banging my feet down on the earth. I know you can't all walk on the beach, but I bet you can walk someplace nice? Someplace with green stuff growing and air that smells good? I challenge you to walk and eat well, gluten free and high protein, for a week and see how much better you feel.

Hopefully, you will hear from me soon.

Don't turn yourself inside out trying to find the cause, the blame and the cure.

Conversations about food and life.

It's the pictures that keep me going

When my daughter was young I did child care in my home. I had a good friend who had a dairy farm. We both agreed that when we were too tired to move we got up anyway and did our jobs. I did it for the babies and she did it for the cows. So, it's late and I'm tired, but I look at the pictures and they remind me of the delicious food you can make if you plan ahead just a little. It's all gluten free and healthy. I'm not doing it for the pictures, I'm doing it for you. I know there are people out there who are struggling, not feeling well, pretty sure they ought to try eating gluten free, but who are scared, or don't know where to begin. I guess you are my babies now. I'm pretty sure you're not my cows.

I'm thankful to report that I'm not starving anymore and I've lost a portion of the few pounds I put on during the flare. I'm not thin, but according to my inner fat-o-meter, I'm lookin' better and dancing is more fun. Why? Probably vanity.

These meals are an amazing chicken salad with caramelized pecans and apples, and sea bass with plantains and tiny slivers of nitrate free ham from Trader Joe's.

Chicken Salad for two

Yes, this requires some chopping, but it only took me about 30 minutes from start to finish and I like it so much, it's worth it.

1. half a cup of left over brown rice.

2. one crisp apple chopped without the core, no need to peel.

3. one bunch of washed green onions, everything but the roots and scraggly ends, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces.

4. poached chicken (a whole skinless breast), cut into half inch pieces.

5. caramelized pecans, about 3/4 cup

6. dressing

7. grapes, I forgot the grapes, large and juicy, cut the seed out if necessary. Cut them in quarters.

Poach the chicken

1. rinse and pat dry the two parts of a chicken breast, no bone, no skin.

2. put a teaspoon of margarine in a non stick pan

3. add an ounce of wine or water.

4. turn on the burner and add the chicken breast as they are, meaning, don't flour or cut them.

5. simmer them for a few minutes, say three, turn them over and simmer another three minutes. A cover is good. You don't want them tough and over cooked.

6. take them out, put them on a cutting board. When they're cool enough to touch, cut them gently into pieces, about 1/2 inch square. It they're too pink for comfort, cook them some more.

7. save the juice in the pan for the dressing.

Dressing - make it in a big bowl so you can add all the other ingredients

1. half a cup of mayonnaise

2. the juice from the chicken pan

3. two tablespoons of rice or cider vinegar

4. two tablespoons of a mild oil

5. mix it well. If it doesn't seem like enough you can add more oil and vinegar or a little wine.

Caramelized pecans

1. Put about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a non stick pan and turn the burner on medium.

2. Add the pecans, about 3/4 cup

3. Stir pretty constantly. They look like they're going to sit there forever and do nothing and then they burn. Watch them. The goal is a little darkening of color, and a good coating of all the nuts with the syrup.

4. Turn off the burner and dispatch the nuts immediately because if you leave them in the pan, they will stick to it and each other.

Put everything except the nuts together in the big bowl and mix. Add salt and pepper, taste, maybe add more. Then separate the nuts if you can with your fingers and mix them into the salad, not with your fingers. If they have frozen solid into one big nut blob, chop it with a big knife. The pieces will taste just as good, or warm them a little in the same pan, and then they will come apart. Hot caramelized pecans are very hot. Don't put one in your mouth or touch them till they cool a little.

See, chicken salad, something that isn't fried!

I'm not writing the fish and plantain recipes because they are already in other posts.

Email if you have questions.

Life is lovely. Food is delicious. Experiment and enjoy.

Don't Cry Blueberry Pie and Vanilla Banana Vodka Pudding

And to keep a toe on health and function, Scallops and broccoli.

Do you ever have times when you just need some comfort? Sometimes, mostly when I am in the middle of a serious gluten flare, I feel like I will not be able to bear my life one more moment unless something nice happens. I look for something legal, something available, something that hopefully won't make me sicker. Sometimes it works, and I feel better and nothing bad happens. And sometimes, nothing bad happens, but it still doesn't taste good.

The Vanilla Banana Vodka pudding was a hit. I don't have an alcohol problem, so for me it's OK now and then. If you have alcohol issues, don't make this. The Don't Cry Blueberry Pie had some good points - it wasn't hard to make and I stopped crying, but it also didn't taste very good. It looked great on the counter covered in plastic wrap, like it came as a present. So, it had visual and emotional value. That's something.

Pudding:

1. One cup of coconut milk. Real milk is fine.

2. One cup of water.

3. One egg.

4. Two tablespoons, rounded, potato starch. (Corn starch works fine, but because there is always the possibility of contamination with gluten from the shared fields, truck, trains, and so on, I avoid it.)

5. An ounce of maple syrup.

6. Vanilla flavoring, non gluten, like in non-alcohol base, such as glycerin. (If it says alcohol, it is always grain alcohol, unless it claims to be another kind of alcohol, like "brandy" which is from grapes and has no gluten.)

If you've made any of my pudding before, you may be getting the idea.

Whip it with a whisk or blend it gently in a blender. Heat it while whisking until it starts to thicken and bubble.

7. Cut a banana length wise two times, and then slice it cross wise every half inch. That should give you four small pieces with each slice. Scoop 'em up and drop them in the bubbled and thickened pudding and stir them in gently.

8. Add an ounce of 100% potato vodka for one person, two ounces for two people. Trader Joe's has it. It is gluten free and doesn't bother me.

9. Stop cooking it now so the vodka doesn't burn off. Serve. It should make two nice servings.

No recipe for Don't Cry Blueberry Pie as it was a failure.

Scallops and broccoli is my basic seafood and vegetable recipe.

1. Wash the scallops and dry tenderly on paper towels.

2. Flour them with mildly spicy non gluten flour - I like potato starch. Rice flour is OK. I'm so nervous about dried spices as it now seems likely that's why I was so sick for three weeks - garlic powder. But maybe you're not so sensitive, and should just use the spices you like. Fresh though or as Adele Davis said, you may as well be eating cigar ash.

3. Warm a mild tasting oil. Scallops have a delicate taste, easily masked by stronger flavors. Butter or good margarine are fine too.

4. Add the scallops, saute, stir, turn them over gently.

5. I added lime juice because I am crazy about lime on seafood, but the truth is it overwhelmed the scallops and I didn't really get to enjoy their own flavor. Live and learn. Maybe just a little (lime juice and learning).

Baby Broccoli

1. Wash it well.

2. Cut it into 2 inch sections.

3. Chop lots of garlic, as many cloves as you would like. It's good for you and so tasty.

4. Put some olive oil in the pan to heat, add the garlic and broccoli pieces.

5. Stir now and then until it's soft and hot and starting to brown.

Getting better, little by little: fish and greens

I just finished eating it, and still it makes me hungry to look at this picture. I really like Corvina with the gravy that lime juice makes in the pan, a little brown rice to sop up the gravy and with not quite as much affection, the collard greens. They are tasty, but if they weren't essential for health I'd skip them. Because that's the kind of girl I am. If I were eating entirely on whim, I'd eat some protein, lots of carbohydrates, and following every meal, chocolate and sugar in some combination. However, I would shrivel up and die on that diet, so I don't.

Any white fish at all:

1. Rinse it well and pat it dry with paper towels. I made an effort to cut out the back bones and make four more or less equal pieces. It doesn't matter that you get every bone. You will find them as you eat and pick them out. No big deal except for little children. Best to get all their fish bones out before serving. (You can finish that up after it's cooked.)
2. Flour it lightly with spiced potato starch or other non-gluten light flour. (I mix in lots of spices like chili flakes, cumin, turmeric, etc.)
3. Heat a little olive oil in a non stick pan until it's getting hot but not smoking. Gently put the pieces of fish in the pan. In a minute or two, turn them over using a spatula.
4. Wait another minute, then add the juice of two limes. I just squeeze the limes right over the fish pieces, half a lime per piece.
5. Turn the light down and let the fish simmer a couple of minutes in the lime or lemon juice. It sort of glazes, the natural juice from cooking the fish, the little oil, the flour from the fish and the lime juice.
6. If you turn off the burner, put a cover on and let it sit on the warm burner it will stay warm a few minutes.


Collard Greens:

1. Put some cool water in a clean sink. Swish the bunch of collard greens up and down to get them clean.
2. Put the bunch on a cutting board and using a french knife chop off the stems with one fell swoop. Imagine yourself hacking through the jungle with Michael Douglas in "Romancing the Stone." If you're careful of fingers and other things that shouldn't be chopped, you can build some adventure into your food prep time. You can save those stems for making soup stock, or just throw them away.
3. Cut somewhat more carefully through the pile of greens, first in one direction, making strips about 1 inch wide. Then go in the other direction, about an inch apart. Then if the bits are too chunky, chop randomly a bit so you end up with pieces about half an inch by one inch.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan, when it's hot, add the greens, and stir now and then, cover for a few minutes, then uncover for a few minutes. When they are wilted, smaller, and a little brown, they're done.


Rice:
1. I used left over brown rice, and not much, maybe half a cup.
2. Rest the fish fillets on the greens while you stir the rice into the glaze in the fish pan. There may not be much, but it will be very tasty absorbed by the rice. Stir it till it's hot, then serve the rice on the plate.

Serve the fish on top of the rice, and the collard greens next to them. Salt lightly and enjoy.

I have given some thought to why I so often fry food, even though it may not be politically correct. Here's why. It tastes good. There are only so many things you can do with food. I do bake meat, and eggplant parmesan, (but only after the eggplant has been fried). You can boil things like soup, and I do that often. But for individual servings of fish and vegetables, there's not much you can do to prepare it that's faster and tastier than sauteing it. If you use these recipes and you wish for lower calories, use the littlest bit of oil in a non stick pan, and eat smaller portions than I show.

Mango smoothy:

1. A whole ripe mango, without the skin and the hard to separate seed.
2. One ripe banana
3. 7 ounces of coconut milk
4. A tray of ice
5. One glug of maple syrup

Mix it into submission in a blender.

This time I added a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, something my generation revered, but which isn't seen around now. It's a great source of vitamin B and I definitely was less hungry after I drank the drink. It was cold, refreshing, comforting, and apparently very good for me.

I still have two blogs to do in retrospect, so soon the rest of the crazy sick time will be up. Feel free to skip it. I'm over the gluten flare, but so easily tired out. See it does pass, and I did get better and cook fish and greens. If you're having a hard time, don't despair, just make the best choices you can and get help, if you can, to cook some food for you ahead, enough for a few days of rest if you're that worn out. Never let anybody make you feel apologetic. People have said to me, "You're not really sick. You look fine." You just say. "Celiac disease is the most prevalent genetic disorder on earth, one to three out of every hundred on this whole earth. It's real, it's serious. It's in the same circle of autoimmune diseases as MS, lupus, type one diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia." Then you smile sweetly and say, "Thank you for understanding how careful I have to be and how awful I feel when I'm in a gluten flare."

Macaroni and Menudo #2

In a true blending of cultures I created a new recipe. It's menudo, but without the large corn that I can't remember the name of, and with rice pasta and guess what? Zucchini. (I apologize for misspelling zucchini constantly.)

After the chicken soup I was starving, and menudo has some magic quality. I see why it's been a staple in Mexico for a very long time. It's filling in a deep, comforting way. I can't get enough of it, and yet, it seems to fill the void when I'm starving. It must have protein and calcium because during this phase I began to sleep a little better and some desperate inner place began to calm down.

It's just like chicken soup only you have to cut it up in edible pieces and then, later, you don't have to take it off the bone.

1. I used half a block of menudo. It comes in blocks. It's the lining of a cow's stomach. And that's true not just some odd saying in my head. But don't hold it against the menudo. It is truly a lovely food, nourishing and satisfying. If it comes in a block, it's generally clean and good quality. If you buy it in leaves, wash it real well. Cut it up, no easy task as it's slippery and rubbery and doesn't cut easily. Persevere. Pieces approximately one inch by one inch is the goal.

2. An onion, cut into chunks. 1 by 2 inches is fine

3. Lots and lots of garlic. I used 10 cloves, skinned

4. More squash, in my house, the other half of the chicken soup zucchini, cut into 1 by 2 chunks. In your house, more of any kind of squash, green, yellow, long or round. Wash well. Cut up.

5. Boil it for longer than chicken soup, 2 to 3 hours, add Tinkyada little rice dreams. They hold up to the boiling and have a nice shape.



When the noodles are soft serve portion number one. When it's in the bowl, I squeeze a whole lime and add salt. I don't believe this is a low cal meal, but I let myself eat what I wanted because I was going to eat something. I was just hungry all the time for a few days. It goes with the territory. It's phase two. So I figure this does little harm and does seem to help.

You don't have to make mac and menudo to get through phase 2. Though when Torin lived here for a year, recovering from the ravages of gluten, he loved it and ate it like it was going out of style. Any good quality vegetable and protein soup will do, and lots of it. Make another chicken soup. Just have lots of something on hand. It provides liquid, protein, and general nutrition.

I know that a recipe for a food you think to yourself you wouldn't eat on a bet may not be very useful. Still, it's what's happening here, so it's what I know. Phase three manana.

Six phases through a really bad gluten flare #1

Speaking unscientifically, based on my own experience and children I've worked with, during a significant autoimmune reaction to gluten several difficult physical and psychological reactions converge. Nausea, diahrea, depression, irrational emotions, tremendous fatigue, lack of appetite followed by great hunger. This is how I cope and recover. I can't swear that given the same amount of time that I wouldn't have recovered anyway, but this is how I get through it, and I feel like it helps me survive.

It has been explained to me that during a gluten reaction, the person with celiac disease needs five times the normal amount of protein to rebuild damaged tissue, but also it's likely the person has little appetite for anything but simple carbs and sugars. So, the food has to be appealing, easy to eat and digest and full of protein.

After a week of being sort of sick, and not eating properly, I was getting worse, more gluten and not enough nutrition, I knew it was time to call in the big guns. Chicken soup. It tastes wonderful, is always there and ready. I just leave it in the pot on the stove and keep heating it up until it's gone, about two days later. I try to stuff it with vegetables too, so it's balanced

I have giant round zuchinnis in my garden. They aren't supposed to be this big, but they're over grown. In my mind I say they're big as cow's heads. (No reason why.) And they cook up very soft and unobtrusive. So I used half a cow's head of zuchinni.

1. 3 chicken quarters, washed well, fat cut off

2. One large onion

3. Half a cow's head of zuchinni, cut into 1 X 2 inch chucks, or 6 normal sized squashes cut into 2 inch sections

4. Lots of garlic, about 8 cloves, whole, but skins off

That's it. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 1 and a half to 2 hours.

I did put it in the frig for awhile to let the fat collect at the top because it seemed a little greasy. When it's cold, the fat makes a layer on the top. I remove it with a spatula and put it in a baggy and throw it away. My grandma saved it in the frig for frying, but I don't.

I salt it in the bowl. Usually, I take a section, like a thigh and pick the chicken off it before putting it in the bowl, but not always. If people come and smell it and want some, unless they are children, I let them pick their own chicken off the bone. In that case I put the whole piece in the bowl.

You can make some brown rice and keep it to eat with the soup. You know, chicken soup with rice? Does anyone remember that old Carole King song, from the "Really Rosie" album? If the soup is hot, it will heat the rice in the bowl as you serve it. What could be better for a miserable, tired, unhappy person with celiac disease who is trying to recover from gluten exposure?

Be certain I did not eat any gluten on purpose. But I'm sensitive, and contamination is my downfall, some gluten on my hands from the shopping cart when I eat my lunch in the car. Or giving someone a hello kiss on the cheek right after they ate a sandwich. My daughter said it was probably the garlic powder. I stopped eating it and stopped getting worse, so maybe that was it.

In this case the saying is, "Make it and you will eat it." So, if you're sick, just do it.

If you have it, you can eat it

That's a take on "If you build it, they will come." See the gorgeous food in this picture? It was in the frig and took less than 5 minutes to prepare and cook. Really.

The shrimp, cleaned and de-veined were in the freezer in a zip lock baggie saved for a fish soup I never made. The asparagus looked good at the Monday market, the outdoor gathering of vendors in a square near me where I do my grocery shopping. The green onion "bottoms" were left from the crab cake recipe when I used the green tops (as chives).

To defrost the shrimp I rested the closed plastic bag in a bowl with hot water, turning it and squishing it from time to time till they were soft and separated.


ASPARAGUS
1. Wash the asparagus and green onions well.

2. Cut the ends off the asparagus, about 1.5 inches will do. Chop them into 2 inch pieces except the heads. I leave them intact, 3 to 4 inches. They look nice and cook faster than the stems.

3. Peel off the outer layer of the onion if it's dirty or raggedy looking. Trim off the roots and ends of the green parts. Chop them into half inch pieces. Use the whole bunch. They are sweet and have a texture that goes well with asparagus.

4. Heat some oil and start with the onions, then add the asparagus. Turn and stir from time to time until they are browning and smell good, but the asparagus aren't mushy. You want them with good green color and some snap. Add a little salt.

SHRIMP
1. Rinse them if they were frozen clean. If not, wash them well, shell, de-vein, what ever they need to be their best.

2. Push the asparagus over in the pan, add a little more oil, saute the shrimp for the shortest time, about two minutes. Turn them over after a minute. Turning them individually is better than stirring because they need to cook evenly. When they are opaque, a little pink, and getting firm to the touch of a fork, they are done. Because I hate them over cooked and tough, I tend to under cook them and say to my guests "Are you sure yours are cooked? I can put them back in the pan." as I watch them bravely endure slightly raw shrimp. So try to find the exact moment between raw and tough. If you can do it, take pride in your skill because it's not easy.

3. Sprinkle garlic powder on the shrimp and stir them a bit and serve. For aesthetic reasons I made an effort to keep the shrimp and asparagus separate as I scooped them out of the pan.

I cooked today with oil sent to me from Valencia, Spain, by the Tigernuts Traders company. They harvest and process a tuber, long known in the Mediterranean area and used traditionally for making horchata, a delicious drink which I may have spelled wrong. All their products are gluten free. They sent me oil and flour. The oil has a smell reminiscent of mild olive oil, with a little tang. It cooks beautifully and tastes good. I haven't tried the flour yet, but plan to make short bread. You can check them out on line, email info@tigernuts.com. They were very kind to send me samples, and I'm giving them a good review for the oil. I'll let you know about the flour later.

Last night I was listening to a CD of a record I had in San Francisco in 1962. It made me cry because I'm sentimental and still in a gluten flare. I remembered how sad I was then, and how much it was like how I felt last night. I realized that I was always sad then because I was always full of gluten. I'm not always sad now, mostly I'm quite happy.

This is what I know. It may not be highly recognized in the medical community, but if you're gluten intolerant, and you eat gluten, emotional and psychological disturbances are common. This is for children as well as adults. If you're one of the people who shouldn't have gluten, and you fool around with it thinking "no big deal," I am here to remind you that it does matter. For children and for grown ups, there are costs. Some are hidden, some come disguised as other kinds of trouble. But, I bet you'll find if you're careful, (more careful than I was this week), you'll find all the pieces of your puzzle will fit together better. You will have less angst, less pain and misery, less insomnia, or exhaustion, less fighting with other human beings, and less anger at perceived injustices. Give it a try. What have you got to lose? a little bread?

Desperate measures

You've heard of scream therapy? This morning was hard. If you've been reading these posts you may remember the camera troubles, no battery charger, lots of searching and driving till one was found. This morning the battery was dead, again. I found the new charger dangling under the desk where Rachel left it. Rachel is 34 and has no trouble leaning down to do things under the desk. I'm 67 and happy to be upright and mobile. Under the desk is not feasible. So, I took myself in hand and squatted down to see if I could thread the cord up through the proper hole in the back of the desk so it would be on the desk, and not under the desk. I threaded the cord up, congratulating myself, but I couldn't make it stay there. I threw the toilet paper at it, hoping to pin it in place. (The toilet paper is here in lieu of kleenex.) I stretched, I moaned. When I reached with my right hand to secure it, my left hand pulled it back down. I reviewed who was in the house. No one. No children who would be frightened, no employees who would be mortified. I screamed loud and long. I felt better. The cord is under the desk, but I don't care as much.

I can get away with gluten free toast and almond butter once in a while without too much trouble. But three times in two days, no way. Too much simple carbohydrate, not enough protein. During a celiac flare I tend to seek the easiest, highest sugar food around that seems even remotely sensible. By ten this morning I was one or two notches up from cranky, felt like I had the flu, and was in more pain than I could ignore. My kind and wise daughter talked me through it and reminded me that I need real food and less pressure.

I cancelled the meeting scheduled for this afternoon and faced the tasks here at home. Two weeks of company and I've forgotten what normal is. I'm pretty sure if I do the dishes, sweep and wash the floors and clean out the frig, I will remember. It's all in there somewhere. (In my head.) I know how to do this, it's just misplaced. Then I'll cook some fish and greens and get back on track.

When I realized it would be hours till that happened, I went for the emergency rations. Tuna (from Trader Joe's because it has no additives) in oil, because I like it (and I use less mayo), a whole ripe tomato, a few chopped slices of red onion, and mayo. I had a cup of green tea because my nice naturopath told me it would help and it does. (No side effects I can tell.) I will feel better soon, I bet.

I'm writing all this because it's my life and lots of people with celiac disease face similar circumstances. I'm hoping it will be an encouragement, and maybe you'll smile to think of me screaming at the camera cord. Life is hard for everyone and we have this particular burden to bear. Bear up, find something to laugh at, and do your best. Eat something good for dinner. (And by that I don't mean tasty, I mean good for you.)

A different take on a crab cake

Rachel was here and I wanted to show off and make some of the wonderful crab cakes I had created just a couple of weeks ago. Only I forgot the recipe, just couldn't remember, and I even forgot that it was right here on my first posting. Well, age and gluten do take a toll.

So I re-created, first with plain potato starch and that was pleasant but dissappointing. Then I tried the Kinnikinnick pancake and waffle mix, which is slightly sweet and includes levening and I added the green tops of green onions, chopped as fine as I could get them. (I was looking for the chive effect.) It was very good. There you go, lots and lots of ways to make a crab cake. The Costco lump crab remains consistently good, sweet, just right. But, sadly, not $6.99.

Still I vote for the original crab cake recipe with gluten free rice krispies. It's the best yet. (The first posting.) Rachel, the consumate photographer got some photos of this version.

They are served here with sauteed/steamed collards, a quarter of an avacado, and bananas sauteed in margarine. It was all yummy and high protein.

This is short because I got gluten in LA and I'm dead tired. Can't move or think. Forgetting the recipe is how I do it on a good day. On a gluten flare day I can hardly find my way around the house. I'll be up and functioning, attending my blog without company or distractions very soon.

I saw a man, I'm guessing close to 80 years old, dancing with a cane at La Fonda where I dance on the weekends. He was tall, muscular and happy. He swung his cane from hand to hand depending on which direction he was headed, and swung his hips in the correct salsa manner. His rhythm was excellent. His hawaiin shirt and flare just made my day, so cheerful and willing he was to work with what he had. I praised him and he explained that he had recently had a hip replacement. Yes, I admit, there are worse things than a hip replacement, but still, you have to fight your way back to function after that kind of surgury.

I mention it because I feel awful, achy and tired and as though I've been beaten and held captive by bad jailors who wouldn't let me sleep for weeks. I bet there are others with celiac disease who feel the same way sometimes. So, I'm saying, don't give up. Do the best you can. Choose your food and eating locales carefully, and if you get sick, just take care of yourself. Remember it will pass. If you cry round the clock as I do, don't take it seriously. It doesn't mean the people you love are cruel and will abandon you. It just means you got gluten. Hang in there. Fight your way back. Tell your little ones not to give up if they get sick from gluten. Muscles grow again, tissues repair. Eat lots of protein, sleep, drink lots of liquid to wash it all out of your system. Don't give up. Keep doing the salsa.

Have food, will travel

If anyone is reading these postings, you might wonder where I went. Big start, sudden stop. I took my friend Rachel, the photographer, to LA to see my mom. We spent more time cooking gluten free food for the trip than we spent there. But, it worked, neither of us got sick from gluten, and it was almost like eating out, since all we had to do was serve, microwave, and set the table.

Both cameras were broken so there are no good photos. I am sorry, as the photos make it work. I have a new charger so there will be pictures from now on.

First I wrote a menu so I would know how many dishes and servings and meals we were working with. It may sound easy as pie, but not for my dyslexic brain. I had to write it out like this: lunch on the road, egg salad and bread with margarine, cherries, and so on. For me, once it's on paper, neatly printed and hanging off the frig magnet I can make sense of it. Two hot dishes, eggplant parmesan, no relation to egg salad, and a rice, egg and raspberry baked pudding which was supposed to have bits of good ham in it, for protein and flavor, but at the last minute we remembered that you aren't allowed to bring any pork across the border into the US from Mexico. It was to be served with maple syrup and it was boring. But it was food and it was ready to eat. So we ate it and didn't go hungry. The three cold meals were the egg salad, and two lunches of chicken salad. Oddly the chicken salad, which I made, was not appealing during prep, but was delicious and hit the spot when eaten. You can't always tell. Over all it worked, there was enough tasty food for the two of us for three days away from my safe gluten-free kitchen. Like the "A team", I love it when a plan comes together.

We used the eggplant recipe from the cookbook, which I will attempt to copy and paste here. The photo is from the cookbook too.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients
1. One large eggplant, or 4 to 6 Japanese eggplants, any color
2. Enough potato starch to flour the eggplant, about half a cup. Use more if you need to. Other non-gluten flours, such as rice or corn starch will do, but I prefer the potato starch. (Corn starch is often contaminated with gluten, and rice flour has a different consistency when it’s fried.)
3. Plenty of olive oil for frying, about half a cup. (Olive oil does go rancid, and different brands have different flavors. Look for a big bottle, freshness and best price. Local grocery stores are usually not the best source.)
4. Sauce, about two or three cups. You can use canned, or home-made as you wish. If you buy a ready made sauce, try to be sure it’s gluten free. I can never bear to just leave it alone, so I add the prepared sauce to a pan in which I have sautéed fresh basil, (one cup, raw, chopped) and garlic (two cloves finely chopped), and onion (half a chopped) in olive oil. To that mixture I add a quarter cup of cream sherry.
5. At least one pound of several kinds of cheese. We like havarti, cheddar, mozzarella, and grated parmesan.
6. Two cups of cooked rice, white or brown

Next
1. Cut the eggplant into half inch cubes, the size and shape of dice. We didn’t peel ours, but you may if you’d like to. Ignore the seeds. If there is a bad spot or bruise, cut it off.
2. Either in a big bowl, or a gallon sized plastic bag with a zip, mix the cubes with enough potato starch to coat each little cube.
3. Fry these floury cubes in hot olive oil till they are getting brown, a little crispy and soft to a fork. Do it in batches if there’s too much for your pan. Put the cooked pieces in a big bowl till they’re all done.
4. Butter or oil a large rectangular baking pan, or lacking that, a large oven proof frying pan.
5. Make layers. Three layers of eggplant and cheese are good, but two is fine. Begin with the rice. Pat it along the bottom, like a crust. Then add a layer of fried eggplant cubes. Spoon sauce over the whole surface. Sprinkle the grated, mixed cheese over the sauce, pretty thick so it will be melty and nutritious. (We used the parmesan cheese only on the top layer of the casserole.) Then make another layer. And if there’s room in the pan and more ingredients, make yet another layer.
6. Bake about 35 minutes in a medium oven, 350 to 375 degrees. When it’s bubbly, the cheese on top is melted, and the edges are a little brown it must be done. (If it starts to bubble over into your oven, put a cookie sheet or some aluminum foil under it to prevent a burned on mess.)

We liked this so much, we kept thinking of excuses to cook it over and over.

The smell alone will make company glad they came and I’ve seen men’s eyes light up and sparkle when they’re served this dish. The more cheese the better.
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I'll post more of the recipes in the next few days. The casseroles travelled well in a cold bag with frozen chill packs and were perfect microwaved later.

For me at least, stress and change increase my autoimmune sensitivities. Change is refreshing and fun, but... When I'm on an adventure, it's even more important that I stay away from any gluten, or hint of gluten, and all the other foods I'm allergic to. Sure it's not easy, but it's worth it. I learned over time that if I'm cranky and achy and tired I really don't have as much fun as I might otherwise. Take care of yourself. Everyone will be glad.

Rainy Baja Curried Lamb

July 8, 2010

It's raining, which is amazing here in northern Baja. Chilly, damp, lovely, perfect weather for a hot, spicy dish.

I'm a dinner for breakfast person, but almost no one else is, so don't feel any pressure to do the same. Eggs and minute amounts of carbohydrate just don't work for me. I'm hungry soon after and feel tired all day.

Dinner last night was baked lamb shoulder, too expensive, too late, too tough and I ate too much. So I had a whole "chop" left. It wasn't really a chop at all, but bits of meat from around the shoulder bone rolled up and tied with string.

The left over piece was too well done and tough for plain eating, but chopped up small with a chef's knife it was perfect for my not necessarily ethnically correct Indian Curry.

For two:

1. 6 or 7 ounces of cooked lamb, or any other meat. Chicken, pork, or beef are fine.
2. half a huge onion or a whole small one, chopped medium.
3. 5 cloves of garlic chopped fine
4. 1/4 cup of raisins are good in this. I didn't have any, so I soaked some dried cape gooseberries and chopped them up.
5. one ounce of port wine is optional
6. lots of spices: a really good curry powder (1 teaspoon), turmeric (1/2 teaspoon), fresh ground pepper (to taste), salt (1/2 teaspoon), cumin (1/4 teaspoon)
7. Olive oil to saute the onions, garlic and meat. (A couple of generous tablespoons.)
8. 14 ounces of coconut milk. (This really works better here than any other kind of milk or substitute.)
9. 1/2 cup of chicken broth, if you have it. If not, what have you got? More liquid from cooking the cauliflower? Water?
10. 1 tablespoon of potato starch for each cup of liquid. About 2 1/2 tablespoons if you're doing it just as written.
11. Rice to serve with the curry

Put it together:
1. Start the rice cooking. I do like a rice cooker.
2. Saute the onions and garlic together 'till soft and sort of see through.
3. Add the chopped lamb and raisins.
4. Add the port wine.
5. In the blender, mix the coconut milk, and all the spices and chicken broth and potato starch.
6. When the pan full of meat and onions is hot, add the blender liquid and stir steadily until it's thick and bubbly. Taste it. Is it spicy enough? Add more and stir if you wish more flavor. I like it pretty strong.
7. Serve rice and spoon the curry over the top. I prefer a bowl so the curry doesn't run away.


We had well done green beans with salt and lime juice for the vegetable. Yum. A great way to start the day.

I admit it doesn't look as stunning as it might in the picture, but boy is it good, and worth the little trouble. Nothing you can get at a stand on the way to work, even if it is gluten free, is going to taste this good, or do as good a job of keeping you smart and strong all day long.

This is Jose Antonio in front of my garden which steadfastly refuses to grow anything but squash, beans and tomatoes. Still I'm grateful. The pleasure it gives me to go out and pick even three fresh vegetables from my own dirt and eat them is immeasurable.

Send an email if you have questions or thoughts.

July 7, 2010

My friend Rachel is here from Oregon and we decided to have cauliflower with cheese sauce for breakfast. It's warm, soft, creamy, comforting and filling.

You need a nice fresh cauliflower. When they're young and fresh they're creamy white without many dark spots. One small to medium head is plenty for two. We had left over brown rice. We picked jalapeno cheddar cheese for flavor and spiciness. I use coconut milk because mostly I don't use dairy. Since this is a cheese dish, it doesn't make much sense to avoid milk, but coconut milk is what I have and what I'm used to, so that's what I used.

1. one clean fresh cauliflower
2. 6 ounces of flavorful cheese
3. 14 ounces, more or less, of milk or milk substitute like coconut milk
4. 1 teaspoon of gluten free mustard
5. 3 tablespoons of potato starch
6. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste


Make it:

1. Wash the cauliflower well, and cut or break the head into florets. Steam or simmer them in water to cover the florets. It takes about 15 minutes. Wait till they're tender but not soggy. Save the water for good flavored broth.

2. Cook rice or use leftovers heated in the microwave. Brown rice is always healthier than white rice, but there are times when the white rice texture is more desirable. It's your call.

3. Make the cheese sauce:
a. cut the cheese into cubes about 1 inch, put in the blender
b. pour the 14 ounces of milky liquid into the blender
c. add the mustard, salt, pepper and spices (I used garlic powder, about 1/2 teaspoon and a couple shakes of chili flakes in everything for zest.)
d. If you have any chicken broth, use it, one cup, or use the water from cooking the cauliflower, one cup (not both).
e. Add the potato starch.
f. Blend it. There will be lumps, but don't worry, they will melt. It's cheese.


Heat the sauce carefully so it won't burn, whisking most of the time. As it thickens, you can tip the pot so it will continue toward boiling but won't burn. when it's thickened, pour it over the cauliflower arranged on top of the heated rice.

Serve it quickly so it won't get cold. Enjoy

This is my dog Lila. I love her and she keeps me company when I walk on the beach. I get gluten free food for her at Costco. The only one I've found is Costco's brand of mature cat food. The vet said it's fine to give her cat food. It's higher protein, but that's not a bad thing. I was getting gluten from her all the time. Her food was getting all around my life. Now it's much better.

Don't forget to cook for yourself. It matters. Plan ahead, buy food, take the time to cook it. Build it into your life. You and the people who count on you will be better for it.

I'm sorry

Hi, I have to apologize and make a correction. I'm sorry because I gave you the wrong price for the crab lump package at Costco. It is actually $13.99. We're having company and one container will be enough for four of us. I'll make crab cakes and serve them with corn muffins and salad. (I use the corn muffin mix from Kinikkinnick - which is probably spelled wrong. I never get it right.) We will be full and it will be a treat.

And I haven't posted anything on my blog for two days. I have a friend visiting. She's the one who did the photography for my cookbook, "Gluten Free For You and Me", and we've been busy shopping for food and cooking.

I will write recipes and put up pictures soon.

Remember, food tastes good and it's hard to ruin it. So experiment and keep trying till you find what you like. As long as it's gluten free, it's fair game.

Day 3, July 3, 2010

I'm always happy to have left-overs. If I didn't just cook it, I feel like I'm eating out. Because of my sensitivity to the littlest bit of gluten, I really don't eat out.

So the pork from last night's vegetable and meat mix made it's last appearance this morning. It wasn't much, about 2 ounces, but enough. Sliced thin and then chopped it was tender and flavorful. I used 5 black olives, chopped, and one tablespoon of mayonnaise. I fried a piece of gluten free bread in about 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil, mostly dry fried it, till is was hot and just starting to brown. Then I spread the mixed meat and olives on the toast.

Perhaps you're wondering about calories. One piece of gluten free bread, 90 calories, mayo, 100 calories, lean pork, 2 ounces, 160 calories, 5 olives, 25 calories, 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil, 25 calories. That's 400 calories all together. It was filling and nourishing, fast and easy to make. Works for me.

Today's smoothy was raspberry, from frozen berries, with no ice cubes. One cup of coconut milk, one cup of water, frozen berries, one banana, one shot of maple syrup. Still cool, sweet and refreshing.

Dinner was different, big salad, fried plantain, and one over-easy egg.

Salad:
1. a big bowl of pre-washed greens
2. two little chopped anchovies
3. 1/4 red onion chopped small
4. a handful of Trader Joe's gluten free cranberry maple nut granola
5. Trader Joe's salad dressing - Oil and vinegar (made with wine vinegar, no gluten)

Plantain and egg
1. a very ripe, squishy, black plantain- this is a kind of banana that has to be cooked, and can often be found where Mexican foods are available. (In Mexico it's called a "macho" banana. Swear.) It's a staple in central and south America. Peel it, cut it in half cross wise, then slice it into 3 or 4 slices lengthwise. Fry it in a little olive oil till it's soft and browning.
2. Use a non stick pan, and a teaspoon of good margarine (non hydrogenated if possible) to lightly cook an egg.

I shop a lot at Trader Joe's because their labeling is excellent and they're always willing to check with customer service if I am not convinced something is gluten free. I'm sure there are gluten free foods at other stores, but I'm not familiar with their stock.

I learned two things today. I tend to fry food, and I'm not a great photographer. It's early days, as they say, and I may improve. Happy Fourth of July.

Remember, you have to eat well in order to feel well. Especially if you have celiac disease. It's like you're always operating with a deficit. Plan ahead. Take food you can safely eat. Not eating is not a workable option. Eating gluten is even less workable. My daughter often says things like "Remember Mom, I know what it's like to live with you on gluten."

Day two, July 2, 2010

As I took the laundry off the line this afternoon, I could hear an ice cream truck nearby playing the sweetest music. Something familiar and classical. I think I played it on the piano when I was young. And over that I could hear a man with a deep voice hawking tamales. It was like an urban opera, and if I were George Gershwin, I could weave it into a wonderful and famous play with music.

It was a hard and tiring day around here. So to perk myself up mid-afternoon I made a strawberry and banana smoothy. A few days ago, when I was shopping, I did stand in front of the strawberries considering which to buy: organic, probably tastier and sweeter? or regular, more for the same money? I chose organic and today I was glad.

One cup of coconut milk, the light kind from Trader Joe's, about 2/3 tray of ice cubes. 8 big strawberries, washed and hulled, and one small banana. About an ounce of maple syrup. Sugar or honey would be fine too.

Blend it well so the lumps get pureed. It's thick, cold and very refreshing. Not so much sugar that your body will get jacked up and then crash. This kind of thing is great for kids too.

A helpful note:
People with celiac disease are already having trouble digesting food. One of the reasons people are so tired after a gluten exposure is that the inflammation in the intestines interferes with the absorption of the things we need, like vitamins. If buying organic food means your body has less useless or toxic stuff to process, then that is good. I say "if" because even some foods marked "organic" have lots of chemicals we don't want. But since we're not all food scientists, or clairvoyant, we have only the posted information to go on. On the whole, foods marked "organic" are easier to digest, tastier and more nutritious, and are probably a good investment if you can afford them.

Another day is over. About half the work got done. It's time to cook another meal. For my dinner I'm having a mix of vegetables and meat that works for me.
1. Cubed eggplant (half inch pieces)
2. zucchini squash from the garden, also cubed,
3. a quarter of a large sweet onion chopped.
4. about an ounce of Port from Portugal (That's because, by Portuguese law, their bottled Port can not contain any grain alcohol, only wine, which is gluten free.)
5. 1/4 cup canned marinara sauce
6. chopped cooked meat, any kind

Saute the vegetables. When they're soft and a little brown, add the marinara sauce and the port. Add the meat and stir well. Add any spice you like.


I have some fresh basil I'm going to use. I will also sprinkle on some garlic powder and a little flaked chili because I like it spicy.

Brown rice is a nice.

This took longer to write than it will to cook.

Are you getting ready for July 4th? I always long for a picnic on July 4th, I think because of that old movie "Picnic". My idea of the perfect romance. How silly am I?

The First Day, July 1, 2010

Hi, This is the first posting. I wish I had known this morning that the blog would be ready. I would have taken a picture of the crab cakes I made for breakfast. They were wonderful. I'll tell you anyway. A few weeks ago I wanted to make crab cakes so I looked on line for some recipes. I read my way through 35 descriptions of crab cakes and french fries available in Washington DC.

Because I have celiac disease and can't have any gluten I knew I would have to modify any recipe I chose. I combined a few I thought would be good, changed all the wheat flour ingredients to gluten free substitutes, and had company for lunch. The crab cakes were not a failure. They were crispy, spicy, filling and kind of greasy. My guest was happy, but it was not what I was craving.

Tuesday at Costco I bought a container of "lump" crab meat for what I thought was a good price, $6.99. It's quite tasty. What I finally settled on is probably more like egg foo young with crab than a traditional crab cake. But, it's a cake and has crab, so I think it counts.

For one: 1/2 Cup crab
1 Tablespoon mayonaise
1 Egg
2/3 Cup of gluten free rice crispys

Mix it well with a fork until it's mixed and the rice crispys are evenly distributed.
Fry it in olive oil or butter or margarine until it's firm and slightly browning, not hard and dry. (Think about scrambled eggs. If you want them gently and soft, don't over cook them)
Place them on a paper towel for a moment to remove the impression of greasiness.

They were very good, filling, healthy, low fat, low calorie and completely gluten free.

If you have celiac disease, remember that it takes about five times the normal amount of protein for your body to rebuild the damaged tissue after an autominnune flare. That means if you "got gluten" even a tiny bit, your body has to work hard to fix it. These crab cakes are high protein and make me feel lots better.

I'll try to have pictures next time.