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Keeping the Kitchen Contamination Free

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free - (0 Comments)

gluten free cornbreadWith the holidays just around the corner (only 2 weeks until Halloween!), there will be a lot of dinner parties and festivities going on. Whether they are at your house or you’re the guest in someone else’s home, cross contamination will undoubtedly be on your mind.  At least for parties in your own home, the stress isn’t so high, but when you are eating elsewhere you must be proactive. The best and only real solution is to educate your guests. If they want to help out in the kitchen, politely inform them you have everything in order and are okay without the help –unless you’re confident they will be careful.

During the meal, spreadable food and condiments are usually causes for concern. Inform guests to simply dollop any spreadable food onto their plates without touching anything else. Give them a separate knife to spread.  If you’re making separate dishes, it might be helpful to put all the gluten free foods in a particular colored serving dish so no one accidentally eats all your gluten free stuffing or gluten free gravy. Make any gluten meals first or at least in one half of the kitchen, leaving the other half for gluten food; it never hurts to continually clean and wipe down all surfaces and pots just in case.

The holidays can be a stressful time, but you can’t afford to get yourself too flustered in the kitchen. Take it one step at a time and trust that your family and friends can be extra careful in the kitchen.

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Homemade Apple Pie: The Gluten Free Way

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free Recipes - (0 Comments)

gluten free apple pieLast week we gave you a delicious recipe for pumpkin pie and today it’s time for some good ol’ fashioned gluten free apple pie. It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving to enjoy this delicious treat. I’m sure many of you have already started going apple picking with the family, so now it’s time to put the apples to good use. Make sure you pick up gluten free pie crust first from Gluten Free Palace.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (gluten free of course)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 7 cups thinly sliced apples
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 egg white

Directions:

Combine the sugar, flour, and all spices in a small bowl. In a separate larger bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice; add the sugar/spice mixture to the apples. Coat the apples well and place them into your pie crust pan, dot with butter. You’ll need pastry dough to fit on the top of the pie. You can find a good gluten free recipe here. Cut a few slits in the top. In another dish beat the egg white until it is foamy and brush over the top of the pie. You can sprinkle some extra sugar on top too. Bake the pie at 375° for 35 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400° and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free Recipes - (0 Comments)

gluten free pieWith fall underway, what better way to celebrate than with a homemade pumpkin pie? To make the job easier, you can pick up gluten free pie crust from Gluten Free Palace. There is nothing tastier than pie made with love and this gluten free pie is packed with plenty of flavor!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 can (29 oz.) of pumpkin filling (Libby’s comes highly recommended and is gluten free)
  • 2 (12 oz.) cans of evaporated milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl. In a separate larger bowl, beat the eggs. Then add in the pumpkin and spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk and finally pour into the pie crust.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350° and continue to bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Test the pie by inserting a knife near the center; it should come out clean. Let the pie cool on a rack for about two hours. You can serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Don’t forget to add some tasty whipped cream!

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Diagnosing Celiac Disease

Posted by KristenM in Celiac Disease - (0 Comments)

ulcerative colitis dietThe most common way to diagnose celiac disease is through simple blood tests. However, in order for the tests to be accurate, one must continue to eat a regular diet that contains gluten. If one begins to eat only gluten free food before the test, your tests might come back with false negative results.

A blood test will measure levels of certain autoantibodies. You might be familiar with antibodies which fight foreign substances in the body. Autoantibodies conversely attack the body’s own tissues. Doctors will measure immunoglobulin A (IgA), anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA), and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA). If the levels are high, then it is most likely you have celiac disease, but even if they are not elevated, the doctor cannot fully rule out the disease.

A biopsy will also be performed if the results are high –an endoscopy, which is a small bowel biopsy. The biopsy is done to confirm the diagnosis. How does it work? The small intestines are covered with hairlike projections which become inflamed in celiac patients. The inflammation causes the projections to shrink and flatten. The final way to confirm celiac disease is to have the patient begin a gluten free food diet to see if his health improves.

FDA Wants to Improve Regulations on Gluten Free Products

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free - (0 Comments)

gluten free mixesDespite a huge surge in gluten free products, the FDA does not have any real regulations or strict standards for correctly labeling products; now they are desperately seeking to change that. This comes as good news for those with gluten allergies. I’m sure many of us have mistakenly purchased items that were in fact labeled “gluten free” only to feel the pains of our choice later. Gluten free products now account for $2.6 billion in sales, that’s a 30% increase in the last five years.

The new standard is expected to take effect next year and will match the regulations already in place in Europe. Manufacturers need to be held accountable if they are mislabeling products, so it’s safe to say everyone will be happy to hear this news.

One way to avoid mislabeled products though is to shop online at Gluten Free Palace. Considering the name of the company, I don’t think you have to worry about not receiving true gluten free food! Everything from their pastas to their muffins is completely gluten free –and of course quite tasty. Even those who don’t need to eat gluten free foods might find themselves secretly indulging in your snacks.

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A Taste of Thai

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free - (0 Comments)

ulcerative colitis dietGluten free food is not synonymous with cardboard and flavorless, despite what some might think. Usually the people who think that are those who don’t even eat gluten free food! It’s terrible to spread such nonsense! Just about any food you ate before living the gluten free lifestyle you can still eat, provided you find a safe version of it. Gluten Free Palace is all about carrying over those delicious foods you once enjoyed, just like the pizza we mentioned last week. But did you know you can find yummy, not to mention healthy, Thai food there too?

Thai food is nothing new but it seems to have gained quite a lot of popularity over the past decade. Just about every friend of mine is now in love with it –more like they’re in love with Pad Thai which we all know doesn’t count. If you’ve been looking to stir up some tasty Thai noodles, head over to the “Healthy Meals” section on the website. You can find lemongrass and chili rice noodle soup, sweet citrus ginger noodles, spicy Thai basil noodles, and much more. (Just talking about it is making me crave it.) Add some of these meals to your shopping cart and enjoy the delights of the Far East, and don’t forget to throw in a little kick to liven up the meal.

Gluten Free Pizza with Taste

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free - (0 Comments)

gluten free foodEvery person with celiac disease’s worst nightmare: never eating pizza again. I have yet to meet a single person who didn’t like pizza and I can only imagine that people who  must adhere to gluten free foods must feel terrible that they can never enjoy pizza again. And if you live in New York City, forget about it! There is a pizza store on every corner tempting you. Just thinking about it makes you salivate. But fear not my friends! You can enjoy delicious pizza once again when you shop at Gluten Free Palace –the best place to find gluten free food.

I’m sure many have experienced some bad gluten free pizza before. It’s taken awhile to get it just right but thankfully we’re finally there. You don’t have to worry about it tasting like cardboard. Instead, expect delicious, crispy crust and pizza bursting with flavor. Well, it’ll only be bursting with flavor if you put some awesome toppings on it. Order some gluten free pizza crust and prepare to enjoy pizza once again. Cook up some fresh tomato sauce, sprinkle on mozzarella, then add some fresh veggies, perhaps a few slice of pineapple.

Welcome back to pizza. It’s just how you remembered, amazing.

Gluten Free Foods for Back to School

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free - (0 Comments)

gluten free snacksOh happy day! The little ones are going back to school very soon, but as a parent that also means you have to worry about the foods your child is ingesting. Hopefully you’ve been teaching your child the ways of gluten free living so he should know what he can and cannot eat. With such an increase in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, many schools might be able to cater to your child’s needs (because I’m sure he’s not the only one). But also talk with school officials first before blindly trusting the cafeteria.

Unfortunately, your child will have to have just about all his lunches packed for him. But that doesn’t mean he’s missing out. If memory serves me correctly, cafeteria food isn’t all that great to begin with. You can not only stock up gluten free wraps, bread, and muffins, but also plenty of snacks to keep your little one happy. From dark chocolate candy bars to animal crackers, your children don’t have to worry about missing out. Chances are their friends will be jealous of their food.

You can take care of all your gluten free shopping at the Gluten Free Palace to keep them healthy and full this school year. And check out their recipe page for new and tasty ideas.

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Gluten Free Recipes: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free Recipes - (0 Comments)

gluten free recipesNow hummus is naturally gluten free, but sometimes it’s just nice to actually make something fresh instead of buying it. Out of all the gluten free recipes, making hummus is about a 1 on the difficulty scale. Try this recipe with sweet roasted red peppers to give it some added flavor and look for gluten free bread and chips for dipping.

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can drained garbanzo beans
1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

In a food processor/blender, puree the beans, red peppers, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt. You’ll want to use long pulses on the blender under the mixture is smooth and slightly fluffy. In between pulses, scrap off any mixture off the sides. Then place the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When you’re ready to serve it, sprinkle some chopped parsley on top.

You can find bread and crackers for dipping at Gluten Free Palace. Or you can purchase their gluten free flour and make your own. Either way, this is a delicious and healthy snack everyone is sure to enjoy.

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Working Out the Gluten Free Way

Posted by KristenM in Gluten Free - (0 Comments)

gluten free foodBesides a proper diet, everyone needs to get a little bit of exercise into their daily routine. Before you get ready to pump some iron or run a few laps around the track, you need energy. You should never work out on an empty stomach nor should you load yourself up on a heavy meal. If you’ve ever seen The Office, you might recall Michael Scott misunderstanding the meaning of eating carbs before a workout. He wolfed down a giant bowl of fettuccine alfredo before running a marathon and needless to say, it didn’t end well.

Fruit like apples and bananas are good to eat right beforehand, but so are protein bars. Gluten Free Palace has a tasty variety of gluten free bars to give you that boost of energy you need right before you hit the gym. One of these and you’re good to go! But don’t eat them for just a snack. Protein bars are meant to give you energy and then be quickly burned off by your workout or help you build muscle mass. Snacking on these bars without exercise equals extra calories and pounds!

If you need gluten free snacks, try their granola and breakfast bars instead. They have plenty of gluten free snacks to keep you healthy and satisfied.

 

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