starbucks considering gluten free options

Did anyone else see this email from Starbucks? I made a comment months ago that I would like to see gluten free options at Starbucks, and today I received an email with this newsletter.

stuffed tomatoes save the day

This past Thursday I was fortunate enough to have the day off work for Yom Kippor. I did not fast on this Jewish day of atonement, but I did spend the day in meditation. In the kitchen.

Since it is so unusual for me to have a day off, the Trainer decided to stay home for the morning to spend time with me. His day did not begin so well. He awoke to find that we were out of coffee filters and had to trek out in search of them, finally finding them at the place I would have assumed would his first stop.

While making the coffee he burned his pancake, then tore it up in a pique, muttering how it was going to be such a bad day. I salvaged breakfast with some Tropical Squash Bread from the freezer and things calmed down as we sat with our coffee for a few minutes.

Soon after retreating to our nest it was time to start the special lunch or Bison Stuffed Tomatoes that I had planned for our morning together. I was interrupted in this by the real day saver, thanks to my friends C and J. Knowing that I would be home, C sent me an Edible Arrangement as a belated birthday gift. (J is currently deployed overseas) The Trainer answered the door, and nearly turned the delivery guy away since we weren't expecting anything, let alone a huge bouquet of fruit.

We were so surprised, and the Trainer so impressed, that everything had to stop so that I could open and photograph the masterpiece before the fruit was eaten. This, of course, put me behind in my lunch preparations. On the other hand, it brought us together and I've never seen the Trainer eat so much fruit at one time.

I quickly got back to our lunch, preheating the oven, sauteing the meat, scooping out the tomatoes. All with the Trainer hovering at my shoulder asking when we were going to eat and reminding me that we said lunch would be at 11:30. Never tell a Hungry Man (or as I sometimes call him, my Very Hungry Caterpillar) that something will take 30 minutes in the oven. With hungry masculine selective hearing they hear 30 minutes and can't comprehend the prep time. Luckily I got the tomatoes into the oven and they didn't take as long in the oven as I had estimated.

We enjoyed our lunch, and the Trainer was quite impressed with the stuffed tomatoes. The day was officially saved! I had him to myself for another short hour before he headed to the gym and I got down and dirty making burgers for the next two weeks.

Bison Stuffed Tomatoes

1lb- ground bison meat, or other ground meat
1- red onion, chopped
3- cloves garlic, chopped
6Tbsp- chopped fresh cilantro
1Tbdp- chili powder
1tsp- ground cumin
1tsp- kosher salt
1/2 tsp- fresh ground black pepper
5- large ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup- almond meal
1Tbsp- olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large skillet saute the onion and garlic with a small amount of vegetable oil.

Add the bison meat, 3Tbsp cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and brwon the meat, breaking it up into small chunks.

While the meat is cooking prepare the tomatoes. Cut of the tops, about 1cm from the base of the stem. Scoop out insides into a bowl. Save the flesh and discard the seeds.

Chop the tomato flesh and tops and add to the meat.

Arrange the tomatoes in a foil lined baking dish.

Fill each tomato as full as possible with the bison mixture. Sprinkle reserved cilantro on top.

In a small bowl toss together almond meal and olive oil.

Top each a tomato with a small amount of almond meal mixture and shake a little salt over the whole pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tomatoes have split thier skins and almond meal topping is toasted light brown.

'Go ahead honey, it's gluten free!' - October: Indigenous Foods

Noami has been kind enough to hand the reins over to me for October's 'Go ahead honey, it's gluten free!'. We had discussed several ideas for October, but I'm going to surprise her with this one. Last month, we all made slow food with local ingredients.

As the weather gets colder, I gravitate towards the comfort foods of my childhood. Slow cooked soups and stews and the Italian favorites that my mother learned while tied to her Nonnie's apron strings. When I think of those warm, filling dishes it's the tart tomatoes that really make my moth water.

I love tomatoes! Nothing compares on a warm summer day to tomatoes, fresh from the vine, with fresh basil. Nothing says 'Italian' (at least to Americans) like tomato sauce: on pizza, pasta, lasagna. As well has tomatoes have been incorporated into Italian, and many other, dishes it remains that they are a New World Food. So are potatoes and some types of rice.

Now that the world is our grocery store we're exposed to so many styles, types and flavors of food. For those of us who are gluten free it introduces a world of gluten free grains from all over the world. Maize from the Americas, quinoa from the Andes and teff from Africa, to name just a few.

I buy locally grown produce, meat and dairy whenever I can but as I perused the selections at whole foods I began to wonder which of the animals we eat are indigenous to the Americas, and my area in particular . The ancestors of the cattle we are familiar with are from Africa, but bovines exist all over the world. Sheep were domesticated during prehistory in the Fertile Crescent but they thrive all over the world, in South America and Australia. In South America cuyes (or guinea pigs) were domesticated for food.

Traditional or regional dishes and flavors sprang from indigenous foods. As humanity has traversed the globe, these tastes have travelled with us. Wherever we settle we strive to recreate the foods we know. As I walked through the local markets I saw locally grown produce whose origins are not local and I began to wonder just where some of these foods and ingredients came form.

I want to challenge myself, and you, to really be aware of what foods are indigenous to my region and country and to try to create something with those native foods.

So, for this month's 'Go ahead honey, it's gluten free!' I am pleased to present Indigenous Foods. The deadline for entries is November 1st, when I will be posting a round up of all your recipes. Simply post your indigenous food recipe, with a link back to this page, and send me the link to your post along with a picture of your food. Please send submissions to: deliciouslygf [at] gmail [dot] com.

I can't wait to see what's native to your area!

celiac disease awareness month

I subscribe to several daily email publications. Little blurbs about health, fitness, fashion, culture. It's nice to have an idea of what's going on in my city. Sometimes I delete them, sometimes I read them, once in a while there's something really good.

Today I received two, TWO, emails about celiac awareness month. One from Daily Candy and one from Vital Juice Daily. I subscribe to the local New York publications, but I'm glad to see that both of them recognize celiac awareness month.

Since both of these sites are updated daily, I have copied the articles to my site.

Daily Candy: Gluten For Punishment

Vital Juice Daily: What's the Deal with Gluten?

autumn, or anatomy of a squash

In the Michigan of my childhood the crisp air and turning leaves of October could only mean one thing: Halloween.

A trip to my elementary school’s gym, parents in tow. The terrifying basketball court turned, for an evening, into a pumpkin patch. Neat orange rows from hoop to hoop. The annual pumpkin sale.

Three Pumpkins. Every year, three. A tall skinny one for Mom, a big fat on for Dad, to sit on our front steps like Bert and Ernie. Me, hunting, searching, always seeking the Perfect Pumpkin. Odd in shape, a vegetable that spoke to me.

Back home with newspapers strewn across the kitchen floor it’s carving time. First; you have to cut off the top, on an angle of course, and with a notch so it won’t fall in later. Then: scoop out the guts. This is child’s work if there ever was, arms up to the elbow, no- the shoulder, in sticky, slimy, slippery bright orange pumpkin guts.

Mom carved hers with a simple geometric face. Dad tried something imposing. The budding artist agonized over a new, avant-garde pumpkin face each year. Later, I carved all three. One memorable year the huge pumpkin ate the screaming little pumpkin with relish as a strawberry-shaped alien pumpkin watched through green glowing eye slits.

To end the late evening, one of a very few school nights I stayed up late, Mom produced a tray of fresh, salty warm pumpkin seeds. A once a year treats for autumn.

True autumn, for me, began with the carving of pumpkins. As my masterpieces sat on the stoop, the squirrels sampled their flesh, distorting my handy work. The night frosts made the faces wilt and melt, more ghoul-like several days after All Hallows Eve.

sweet squash soup

1 butternut squash
1 sweet apple
1 small onion
2 cups cashew milk or water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
olive oil
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 F

Prepare the squash by cutting it in half and removing the pulp and seeds. Save the seeds from the pulp for roasting.

Lightly oil the cut edges of the squash and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 min depending on the size of the squash.

In a heavy pan saute the onions until translucent. Add chopped apple and continue to cook until the apple is very soft.

When the squash is cooked, carefully scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

In a blender puree small batches of squash, apple mixture, and fluid. Put each small batch into a medium size sauce pan.

When all the vegetables are pureed, add the cinnamon and vanilla to the pot. Stir and simmer to combine flavors. Add extra water to change the consistency.

roasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 200 F

remove all the pulp from the seeds

soak the seeds in a bowl with salt water

pour off the water and arrange the seeds on a baking sheet

bake for 2 hours and allow to cool.

Slow Food For Fall

I'm a few days late for Naomi's Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free event, but maybe she'll let me slide under the wire. This month's theme is slow food. The slowest food I can think of is my mother's turkey soup. Every Thanksgiving, except one, Mom roasted a huge turkey for our family of three, or four while Nonna was with us. I'm talking 20 pounds, in the oven ALL day, big kinda turkey.

After everyone ate turkey for several days Mom would cut the remaining meat from the bones and boil the bones in her huge soup pot. Th pot stayed on the stove for several days, simmering away. After two days of simmering the bones she removed them from the stock and placed the pot outside on the deck to cool. The next morning Mom skimmed the fat from the surface and began freezing bags or turkey stock.

We always had a big pot of turkey soup made from the last of the Thanksgiving bird, and homemade turkey soup was Mom's answer to all of winters sniffs, sniffles and dark days. Her soups were always peppery sharp and hearty. She added chunks of roast turkey or chicken, onions, carrots, celery, lots of garlic and pepper. Rice got fat soaking up the stock and fresh grated parmesan and pecorino topped these love filled bowls she placed before us.

If that's not slow food, I don't know what is.

I have neither the tools, space, or kitchen time to cook this the way Mom did. Maybe one day I'll have a kitchen of my own, but until then, I can always make Mom's feel better soup like this.

1 bone-in chicken breast, with or without skin

2 white onions

6 cloves garlic

3 stalks celery

1 bunch parsley

1 huge carrot

3 bay leaves

olive oil

fresh ground pepper

kosher salt

In a large soup pot, stock pot slow cooker place the rinsed chicken, 1 onion, 3 smashed cloves of garlic, 1 stalk of celery, 1/2 the parsley and bay leaves. Simmer for at least three hours.

Allow stock to cool, then remove chicken, onion, garlic, celery, parsley and bay leaves. Discard the vegetables.

In a large bowl or on a plate, pick all the chicken meat from the bones, shredding it into small pieces.

Chill the stock and skim the congealed fat from the surface if desired.

Chop the remaining vegetables. Heat a skillet with olive oil and begin sauteing the garlic and onions on low heat. When they are translucent and the carrots and let them sweat, covered, until they are slightly crisper than you would like. Add the celery and continue cooking until the celery is cooked.

Return the chicken and vegetables to the stock, add remainder of the parsley, chopped, and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

If you can eat rice or grains, add any cooked rice or grain of your choice and serve.

* Mom always cooked the rice separately and added it only at the very end, into each bowl separately. If we stored the leftover soup and rice together, by the next night the rice had soaked up all the liquid and it no longer resembled soup.

**I always loved to add lots of fresh cheese to the left overs, I guess that was me making my very first risotto.

A Little Jar of Summer

The weekend I returned from Alaska, I was craving something bright. Pesto, to be exact. Bright, spicy little bites of summer that remind me of warm afternoons with my Nonna. I think I got the last batch of local basil from my green market, and now I have my own little jar of summer, sitting in the door of the refrigerator.

Pesto

6oz fresh basil
3cloves garlic
1/2c. pine nuts
1-2tbsp olive oil
Kosher or Sea salt



Wash and dry the basil, removing any browned leaves, stems are fine. Peel and lightly chop the garlic.

Place basil, garlic and pine nuts in the blender and blitz quickly. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and blitz again. Stop when it resembles a paste.

Pesto is best when everything is not completely blended and homogeneous.

Store in a jar or airtight tub it the refrigerator

Fall Comfort Food

Here I sit, at my small home desk with my cup of Sleepytime tea and a small dish of incinerated nuts (my last attempt at roasting in an unpredictable oven), the first fall rain is pattering against the window and I am finally trying to decompress after a very long four days.

It auction season, all the big houses have sales in the next few weeks, Doyle's, Sotheby's, Christie's, so things are hectic at work to say the least. Our neighbors were evicted and the landlord decided to fully exterminate both the vacant apartment and ours, we're the only two on the floor, on Wednesday. Tuesday the Trainer and I, and his family, had to remove all our clothes and books from the apartment, only to put it all away again Wednesday evening. The past few evenings they have been doing work next door as well, last night until after 11pm.

I'm very glad that I had the foresight to prepare some comfort food last weekend. I roasted a large spaghetti squash and prepared a batch of my Nonna's pasta sauce to go with it. I hadn't planned on eating it every day, but it's warm and comforting, and it's all ready for me to grab from the freezer. I learned how to make this pasta sauce from my Nonna and my uncle and I certainly don't follow a recipe, but I do follow a few guidelines.

Spaghetti Squash

Clean the outside of a spaghetti squash and cut it in half. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place both halves of the squash cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the squash. When it's cool enough to handle scrape the meat with a fork to create the spaghetti-like strands and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Nonna's Pasta Sauce

1lb- ground beef
1- onion
5cloves- garlic
6- Roma tomatoes
4- vine ripe tomatoes
1/2bunch- parsley
2tsp- Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, majoram, thyme, savory, sage & rosemary)
Olive oil
Sea salt

To prep- chop the onions and garlic, wash the Roma tomatoes and remove the stem part and peel the vine ripe tomatoes*

Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil with 1tsp seasoning until translucent.

Remove 2/3 of the onion mixture and place in blender.

Add ground beef to remaining onions and sautee, breaking up into clumps of desired size.

In blender, puree onions and Roma tomatoes.

Transfer meat and tomato puree to a sauce pan, add peeled, chopped vine ripe tomatoes, remaining seasoning and chopped parsley. Simmer for at least 1 hour until flavors are well blended.


*to easily peel the tomatoes score an X over the stem and place tomatoes top down in a heat proof bowl. Cover with boiling water. After a few minutes, rinse in cold water and remove peels

Summer Vacation 2008; Alaska

Stage 1: LGA to DTW
I managed to get from New York to Ann Arbor without much excitement. As I was browsing the bookstore prior to my flight this little book caught my eye and triggered the Art Major in me, not to mention the cute factor. I could happily spend my days decorating cupcakes.
I arrived home ready for lunch and my mom and I quickly mixed up some tuna. As I was getting ready to serve myself she looked at the back of the can, it was packed in soy based broth and not SCD. Make sure you check all the ingredients in your canned tuna!
Monday evening I tried a few recipes to have SCD breads to take with me. I made Naomi's carrot pulp bread, as muffins and banana date bread from Raman Prasad's new cookbook for travel food.

Stage 2: DTW to SEA
Wednesday morning I packed my backpack with enough food to hold me through the flight, boiled eggs, muffins, fruit, chicken salad and Lara Bars, and we loaded into the car and headed to the airport.
I didn't expect to be able to eat anything at the airport or on the plane, and there wasn't anything I would have been comfortable with. The flight was fine, I used Sea-bands to prevent motion sickness because all the pills like Dramamine had lactose or some other illegal substance in them. I can't say if they worked, but I didn't get sick.

Before leaving Ann Arbor I called the hotel to get food suggestions and we got a few from Ken, our CruiseWest booking agent, as well. I called the restaurant by the hotel and was told that their menu
was not gluten free friendly but they could probably fox me a salad with plain fish or chicken but the overall response was not confidence inspiring. Ken recommended 10 Mercer who has a gluten free menu on their website and the were confidant they could handle the additional SCD restrictions. Unfortunately, the Impromptu Bistro was out for SCD.

We ended up going to 13 Coins, which was within walking distance of our hotel and where they said they were comfortable serving me. I think it helped that we were there at 4:30, our stomachs
were still on eastern time. Our server Rose was very helpful and I ordered the steak salad with no blue cheese, dressing or fried onions. They did bring out a small plate with veggies and salami and bread, of which I did not partake. The salad was very good and appeared to be safe. I didn't take much notice of my parents eating the bread until I found a sizable crumb in my almost empty water glass. My mom had been wantonly tearing the bread and crumbs ended up in my water, and probably my salad as well. As we were walking back to the hotel I was almost doubled over. It wasn't a horrible gluten reaction and was only really severe for the night. If
it had been the food, the reaction would have been much worse. The moral is: watch out for bread on the table and sloppy dinner mates.

Stage 3: SEA to KTN
The Coastal Gateway Hotel in Seattle offers a breakfast bar including eggs and fruit. I discovered that the fruit was sad apples, the pre-packaged peanut butter had added sugar and the boiled eggs were already peeled in a bowl right next to the toaster. I asked
if I could get a few eggs still in the shell and the young woman at the desk said that "that's how we get them." Good thing I still had two eggs left from the airplane.

The Seattle airport has lots of cute shops, including one that sold cooked salmon in vacuum packages with only salmon and sea salt. We stocked up. They also had Washington honey and fruit and honey blends as well as Slug Butter, which is GF but not SCD.

In Ketchikan we were picked up from the airport and taken to the Cape Fox Lodge, our gathering place for the cruise. And of course, we had to eat. The Heen Kahidi Restaurant was right there and it looked fairly promising. After explaining gluten free and cross contamination to our waitress, Vickey, she told me bread and salads were all prepared in the same area as was the salmon. She checked with the kitchen and determined that I could safely have halibut and steamed veg, since they were kept in a different area. I
asked her that it please be plain, since I can't have corn or soy either.

A little while later she came back to tell me that the chef had seasoned my fish, and that she checked and the seasoning contained cornstarch and that they were fixing my meal again. It arrived plain and as we were finishing the restaurant manager came over to apologize. I told her how much I appreciated how aware and alert the waitress had been, how impressed I was with her knowledge of the kitchen practices and her honesty. Mom made Dad leave a large tip, even though they took my meal off the bill, and I left a thank you note for the waitress as well.

Stage 4: Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage
After lunch we wandered around Ketchikan, saw salmon swimming, just packed, in the local creek and the local Discovery Center. Before boarding we were welcomed by a Tlingit native and taught a little about their culture.At the dock their were humongous cruise ships, and our little ship that is only 3 levels and holds only 102 people.

After getting myself situated in my cabin I brought my SCD yogurt down to the bar, where I was told I would be able to keep it. Somehow I found the Second Mate who put my yogurt away and found the chef to come and speak with me. Chef Eric wanted to make sure he fully understood my restrictions and to see what I wanted for dinner.

Misty Fiords-
Our first morning on the boat, my birthday, we woke up in Misty Fiords. Beautiful. Before breakfast we saw a black bear and bald eagles. By the time we docked at our first stop we saw harbor seals as well.

Metlakatla-
After lunch we visited the Tsimshian reserve of Metlakatla on Annette Island. This reserve, rather than reservation, is unique because the community was permitted to choose their own location close to their ancestral territory.Here we saw many of the community's totem poles and a performance of native dances inside the community longhouse.

Chef Eric and I spoke in the morning and again planned my days meals. At dinner we had an empty seat at our table and Captain Mike choose to sit next to me. Exciting to say the least. After dinner they announced my birthday *red face* and everyone sang, rather than a cake Chef Eric fixed a fruit purée and fruit plate for everyone at the table to share. They didn't want to give my dinning companions a dessert that I couldn't share. *me: beaming from ear to ear*

Petersburg-
The second day we stopped at Petersberg, a town founded by a Norwegian fisherman that still has strong Scandinavian influence. Dad saw a Norwegian dance preformed by local youth and a raptor rehabilitation program. Mom and I took a jet boat out to see the Lekant Glacier. There were lots of harbor seals and I got to touch an iceberg. I also made the boat take a pit stop cause I couldn't hold "it" any longer.

Tracy Arm & Frederick Sound-
On the fourth day of the cruise we traveled through Tracy Arm and Frederick Sound where we saw Harbor Seals, sea birds, sea lions, Sawyer Glacier and South Sawyer Glacier. We sailed into a huge pod of Orcas, they were everywhere you looked, including right next to the boat! We saw several Humpback Whales, even a mother-juvenile pair. It's so amazing to see them up close in the wild.

Sitka-
We visited Sitka, where the U.S. Purchased Alaska from Russia, the next morning and Mom and I went on a "bike and hike" and learned some of the native lore of Baranov Island. And the notable banana slug. We saw a plant called Devil's Club which is used by the Tlingit for aches and pains and rashes. We bought lots of the oil and salve made by a local tribal elder.

Glacier Bay National Park-
The following morning we picked up a Tlingit Cultural Interpreter for a cruise through Glacier Bay National Park. We saw sea otters at breakfast, murrelets, two types of puffins, murres, ravens, loons, sea lions, cormorants, gulls, kittiwakes, ducks, a bear and a mountain goat. Also the Margerie Glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier and Reid Glacier. The glaciers are such amazing forces of nature. And to hear about the geology and native culture of the area while looking right at it really made it even more meaningful.

Skagway-
Skagway is a goldrush town, a port where people set out for the Klondike. At the end of the 19th century a train track was built over the pass and Dad and I rode up and over into British Columbia along the same track that the stampeders used. The buildings in the downtown are mostly original but all the stores are geared towards tourists and all the huge cruise ships.

Haines-
In the afternoon we went on a rain forest hike in Haines. On our way to the hike we saw two young brown bears along the river. On our way back we saw eight, two juveniles and two mothers with two cubs each along with seals and bald eagles.

Juneau-
We disembarked in Juneau and went to see the Mendenhall Glacier before doing a little shopping. I got myself an ulu, and my nephew is getting Alaskan Manly Man soap for his birthday. While in Juneau we had lunch at The Twisted Fish Co. and after explaining gluten free to the waitress twice I was served a plate with a roll. The waitress really didn't seem to interested in us at all.

Stage 5: JUN to DTW
The airport in Juneau only has one little bar where my parents ate while waiting for our plane, which was delayed. After sorts losing Dad we boarded the plane which was delayed. In Seattle they drove us down the tarmac from one plane to the next. In Minneapolis we ran for the next plane which took of almost as soon as we boarded. After leaving Alaska around 9pm PT we were finally back at my parents house by noon ET. Not bad for a red-eye.

Stage 6: DTW to LGA
I was in Michigan long enough to have my mom do my laundry and do a little baking before returning to New York. The Trainer met at the bus stop and we went home together.

**I would like to thank CruiseWest and especially chef Eric for making my trip so wonderful with such amazing care, consideration and food!**

(it's driving me crazy that I can't get these pictures the way I want them, but I'm not savvy enough to get more then one picture in a frame. How do people make those collages? any help out there?
Sent from my iPhone

Home Again

For any and all of you who are wondering where I've gotten to, I'm back in New York safe and sound. I'm working on sorting out all the pictures from my trip and a few new concoctions. When I got home we removed Toni's collar, his last step back to health and normalcy. But, best laid plans. . . the other night, several days after being reunited Toni and his twin Tavo had a knock-down drag-out brawl, leaving them both bloodied and battered. And me to clean up and take care of my little ones.

So, hopefully the dust will settle, I'll get used to this whole work schedule again and I'll have lots of great Alaska pictures to share, as well as a menu (I've eaten variations on the theme of chicken all week) and perhaps even a new recipe as well.