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.