my great friend, who will very soon be an amazing doc and officer, and i used to meet on sunday mornings at webb's in the cumberland gap for western omelets (mine without cheese), potatoes, coffee (hill's with A LOT of cream and sugar-- pretty much turns taupe), amazing girl time, and talk of saving the world's problems. this friend has an obsession with cupcakes (which actually led to a semester-long cupcake scavenger hut at lmu), and adoringly began calling me "glutie" as i could not partake in her cupcakes, webb's pancakes, nor her piece of kraft cheese atop her webb's grits.
so what can i eat?? this is a question i get a lot, and honestly, sometimes, i do not even know what i can and cannot eat. as for the major no-nos in my food allergy list: wheat/gluten, cheese, soy. minor no-nos that come and go (seem to be...): corn, nuts, dairy, soy. the reason i label these minor is because one day i can eat popcorn, but the next i'll have an allergic reaction to corn tortilla chips. really, really, super frustrating. i have been trying to figure all of this stuff out for about 2 years now. i began by completing the elimination diet, which was highly recommended to me by a doc at dcom due to my unusual stomach issues, migraines, anxiety, etc. that were unexplained by other medical things. diet, you see, affects your body much, much more than you think. elimination removes toxic foods, drinks and ingredients, detoxes you, then allows you to rate your body's reaction as you slowly add these back in. i realized we put horrible toxins in our bodies that could be causing many of our day to day ailments, and we don't even know! if you choose to try the comprehensive elimination diet, the article above is great because it even includes a grocery list! also, if you try, do it the full two months of taking and adding, stick to it though it is hard the first couple weeks of giving up certain foods. i promise, you will eventually find how to keep yourself full on better-for-you foods.
as for xoxo, glutie, this is how i sign my email/texts to my cupcake friend, and i am now labeling my first series post of recipes (and good tips) i find/make and can eat that do not make me sick! i'm hoping this helps others out there that deal with the "i can have this but not that" on even health food labels (psh), explaining yourself at restaurants and being very, very picky (or not eating out at all), and feeling really, really left out. here goes glutie...
first, i will explain to you, if you have food allergies or think you have food allergies, read, read labels! write down what you eat, if you start seeing a trend, seclude that ingredient or food and douse yourself with it to see if it's really the villain (sucks, i know, but at least you'll be sure). also, with celiac disease (which docs cannot say i have 100 percent, but i have many symptoms), you must watch artificial ingredients-- colors, flavors, etc. this means, safest of safe foods are good 'ole fresh fruits and veggies (except, for me, i have a weird thing with corn-- see above). bananas, apples (except if you're laura craig), oranges, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, spinach... you get the gist. nothing artificial about it, especially if you shop your local farmer's market where your foods are guaranteed organic, fresh, and you're supporting local business (go local!). as for my worst nightmares: anything that is a microwavable meal in a box/bag, fast food (never, ever know what that stuff touches, what it is cooked with, or what it is really made of), and casseroles. i know, seriously, sounds weird, but casseroles are filled (literally) with tons of ingredients that are hidden (usually under some type of cheese or bread-- my no-nos) and almost always make me sick. you never know if someone has used breadcrumbs, cream cheese, for example, to keep the casserole (dips too) "together" or add taste. speaking of taste, more great ingredients that are safe (for me) are herbs and spices (preferably fresh, but bottled is not bad-- read labels anyway). as long as the spices are not pre-blended, like mrs. dash or seasonings mixes (taco seasoning, gravy mix, sloppy joe seasoning, etc.). read the labels and be careful.
first recipe: my go-to sauce (compliments to my sis-in-law, kara).
sauces are horrid to those that cannot eat wheat/gluten because sauces are almost always thickened with flour and corn syrup (which i additionally cannot have). therefore, most sauces (i have even made bbq sauce!) i usually make myself. this sauce is one i adapted (which is how i usually come up with my recipes-- adaptations of "normal" recipes using gluten-free ingredients) from my sister-in-law's italian white sauce recipe. it goes great on everything from pasta to fish to chicken. i'll show you how. don't forget to stir, stir, stir!
using a small to medium saucepan, melt 2tbls. margarine/butter (adapt to your taste and diet needs) over med. to med. high heat (i usually don't turn it up to med. high until later). this is where you can add sea salt (more natural), pepper, minced garlic (especially if you're doing italian), or other herbs/spices depending on your meal theme. add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (i use hodson's mill wheat/gluten free all-purpose flour). keep stirring, as things will thicken fast. kara adds a pinch of baking powder to rid of the floury taste-- you can do so as you please. as things melt, add 2 cups milk (to adapt, i use lactose free milk or coconut milk). keep stirring. i now turn up the heat a bit and use a whisk to break up the flour/butter mixture and incorporate into the sauce. once the milk gets hot enough to bubble a bit (boiling will burn your sauce to the bottom of the pan), your sauce should start to thicken. keep stirring until desired consistency is achieved. simple, right? and a simple glutie adaptation.
uses: add dill to the cream sauce to put on fish, especially salmon (yum); pour over your favorite pasta (or wheat/gluten free rice pasta) and add broccoli, spinach, or peas if you like; add mushrooms, chicken broth/chicken, or celery for your very own wheat/gluten free cream of ___ soup-- we gluties cannot use condensed campbell's, which we all know is essential in cooking.
essentially, this sauce can be great plain or with additions to go with your favorite meal! kara and the fam enjoy this sauce with a little salt and pepper over true italian tortellini sent to her by her parents. chao!
