Our Celiac college student blogger Julie Bourne shares her favorite Denver-area grocery stores for shopping for GF staples -- and what she likes to stock in her kitchen for quick, easy meals. With cafes and restaurants continually coming up with more and more gluten free offerings, it's getting much easier for us gluten free eaters to dine out. However, there's still no substitute for a safe, homemade meal! If you're a college student like me, it can be difficult deciding what foods to keep around, as meals need to be prepared quickly and easily. With our limited living (and cooking) space -- and limited funds -- I've found that it's best to enter the grocery store with at least a rough game plan. My strategy is to keep a regular collection of basic foods around so that I can make a variety of meals. I also make sure to frequent the most "gluten free friendly" grocery stores and markets that stock the majority of my favorite gluten free staples. As we know, the average student doesn't have a ton of time to be making extensive meals on a daily basis. (That's why many non-GF students rely on ramen noodles as... Read more →
November 2013
One of my favorite gluten free Holiday recipes is a gluten free version of traditional cornbread stuffing. I've adapted various recipes to come up with this one, which can be made quickly and easily, especially if you choose to use pre-made gluten free cornbread (like the Gluten Free Bakehouse variety found at Whole Foods Market) or even just your favorite gluten free bread (cut into cubes and dried out a bit). Of course, you can always whip up a fresh batch of gluten free cornbread -- using a mix or your own favorite recipe -- and use that for the base in this recipe. Another thing I love about this recipe is the addition of sausage. You can vary the taste depending on what type of gluten free sausage you use, but in general, I love the slight degree of spiciness and saltiness sausage lends to the recipe. You can bake this stuffing in a casserole dish (as I do) or stuff your turkey with it. It can also be prepared and refrigerated the day before and then baked the day of your event. Here's the recipe, with suggestions for various adaptations: Gluten Free Stuffing Ingredients: 7 cups gluten free... Read more →
Have you longed to visit California's wine country but wondered where you'd stay -- and more importantly...where you'd eat? Thanks to Karen Lynch, proprietor of The Inn on Randolph, you can now visit Napa and Sonoma without any worries about how you'll safely follow your gluten free diet. Karen has been gluten free herself for 7 years. After purchasing the Inn, gutting it down to the studs, and transforming this historic 19th century home into a stunning and peaceful modern retreat, she decided that she wanted The Inn on Randolph to be a completely gluten free B&B. That was a year and half ago. Initially, she didn't broadcast the fact that she had a dedicated gluten free kitchen. Like many other gluten free innkeepers and restauranteurs, she worried it might "turn off" some prospective guests. So guests came and went -- and raved about the food -- not even knowing it was gluten free. In fact, The Inn on Randolph quickly ascended the rankings on Trip Advisor -- in large part due to the wonderful food -- and is now the #1 Rated Inn in Napa out of 84 inns! It was a visit by one particular guest, however, that... Read more →
I'd heard about the wonderful gluten free offerings at Sweet Christine's dedicated gluten free bakery in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania for years. Their reputation for wonderful gluten free baked goods has taken them from a local bakery to one that delivers nationwide and also has a thriving wholesale business. Despite good intentions, I've never had the opportunity to pay them a visit in person. Recently, however, I had some products sent to me by none other than Laura Hahn, Community Manager for Sweet Christine's and former winner of NBC's Next Local TV Chef. I met Laura last summer, while we were both volunteering at Camp Celiac in North Scituate, Rhode Island. I've been a parent counselor there for the past several years since my own Celiac son starting attending the camp. This was Laura's first summer, and she had volunteered her time to prepare the campers' gluten free meals for the week. How fortunate we all were to have Laura's talents in the kitchen! Laura has an interesting story herself...one not unlike many other Celiacs' stories of suffering with symptoms and going from doctor to doctor before being correctly diagnosed with Celiac. But her story actually began while she was deployed... Read more →
When people first get diagnosed with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity, one of the things they mourn most is having to give up "regular" wheat-based pasta. That's certainly what happened with our family over eight years ago when our not-quite-two-year-old was diagnosed with Celiac. We thought, "Will he -- or we -- ever eat lasagna or Penne Bolognese again?" Fortunately, as you, too, have probably discovered, there's quite a selection of gluten free pastas on the shelves of grocery stores, and with each passing year, the choices get even better. Now even "mainstream," non-specialty stores typically offer at least a few varieties. Tinkyada, Schar, and Bionaturae are some of the easiest ones to find, and there's even a quinoa-based one called Ancient Harvest. And just yesterday I noticed one of the coupons given to me upon checkout at my local Giant grocery store was for Barilla's new gluten free pasta! Really? That's pretty huge...a big mainstream company like that offering gluten free pasta. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given that Ronzoni also came out with a gluten free pasta a couple months ago. While our family enjoyed it -- and looks forward to trying Barilla's, too -- we've... Read more →
Our family dined at our neighborhood Glory Days Grill this past Saturday night, and we were pleasantly surprised with some new gluten free additions to their menu. Of course, our boys ordered their perennial favorite...the gluten free BBQ ribs, which I'll agree are among the best...fall-off-the-bone tender with the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for until a new item on the Gluten Free Menu caught my eye...the Seared Tilapia served over steamed broccoli with an orange citrus butter sauce. And let me tell you, it was as good as it sounds! With the sprinkling of diced tomatoes, it made for a beautifully presented entree, tasted great, and was a good value at $11.99. Another new addition to the menu -- and available on a gluten free bun -- is the bison burger. If you've never had a bison burger, this is a great opportunity to try one. My husband said it was delicious -- like eating a full-flavored steak burger. And bison is actually healthier than beef, while also having an even richer taste. How can you go wrong with that? According to the Stone Ridge, VA location's Assistant General... Read more →