Globus - Ketchum, ID

Fall is here and I love it. Crispy leaves on the ground, colors abound and golden sunsets (like the one I'm watching now) remind me every day to breathe and stop for a moment or two to notice all the beautiful, changing light.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Sun Vally, ID - and as you might know, is seriously my favorite place to be on the planet. The weather was perfect and we caught the last weekend of gorgeous leaves, blue skies and crispy sunshine, making hiking to the Ketchum lookout on Mt. Baldy a dream.



All this hiking and fresh air worked up a serious appetite and I knew just the place to revisit (after many years) for a deliciously fresh and gluten-free meal...Globus! Located on the west side of Ketchum (at 6th and Warm Springs), Globus is this cozy, alluring, dark-painted walls (and ceiling) Asian-fusion,organic restaurant owned and operated by Wendy Muir along with her Executive Chef, Ryan Stadelman...and I love this acknowledgement as stated on their website; We are proud supporters of Idaho farmers and use local organic produce and all natural meats.

Ordering gluten-free at Globus was a dream. Our waitress was so attentive and aware, making great suggestions as to how I could modify my meal choice to be completely safe and enjoyable. And I had choices...several of them! If your taste buds are watering by now, then I'll share what I ordered, adding to the hunger pangs. My starter was the lovely cucumber "Noodle" salad with mint, cilantro, roasted peanuts, rice wine, and shallots. It had just the right amount of mint and the veggies were so fresh. My entree choice was even more unique and really delicious; Harissa marinated organic chicken breast which included quinoa and black lentil pilaf, shaved corn, walnuts, celery root puree (to die for), goats milk yogurt, preserved lemon, Golden raisin. The chicken literally melted in my mouth and the root puree is definitely a recipe I'm considering adding to this year's Thanksgiving table. Amazing.

I normally don't ever order chicken when I'm dining out, but I was assured that this little organic organic bird was going to be a very different, and it so was. There were also dessert options for those of us gluten-free'ers, however I was so sated and happy there was no way that I could eat another bite...plus, we had a bag of goodies from the Sun Valley Chocolate Foundry waiting for us later :)

Next time you are in SV/Ketchum, ID treat yourself to a hike or most likely for the next five months, a run down Baldy, and a wonderful, romantic, and deliciously safe gluten-free meal at Globus.

Fresh Start...

I'm on my way back from the dark depths of gluten intoxication, having not eaten much for a solid week...but greatly looking forward to some solid and substantive nourishment. Slowly but surely, I'm reintroducing some protein back into the old diet and soon I hope to be eating some fresh veggies and salad, my main staple.

The sun is shining again this week (literally) after a deluge of rain that lasted for days giving the fauna and flora a greatly deserved and needed dose of moisture. It seemed that the darkened sky was reflecting my state of being and health, but honestly, I didn't mind the thunder and downpours...what I did mind was the debilitating brain fog, stomach pains and nausea. I'll be happy when all three decide to move, on like the passing of a storm.

The week before I dared sip a virgin Bloody Mary, I had ventured to my hometown of San Francisco for the weekend with my mom to hit the Farmer's Market and visit some dear friends. I was delighted to discover Mariposa's new kiosk in the market packed with delicious gluten-free sweets, cookies, and breads - Yeah! I bought some yummy Russian tea-type cookies and two loaves of their brown rice loafed bread that I had been using to make some bruschetta.

Flavorful Bruschetta -

- Just toast the sliced pieces of bread, drizzle with olive oil, toss on some baby Roma tomatoes, add fresh Basil, and drizzle some Balsamic vinegar...then it's mangia mangia time!


This other pretty salad is a fall staple for me - and I love throwing on some fresh walnuts, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and eating up this season's fantastic tomatoes - how lucky we are to taste such little morels of nature just bursting with flavor and zest.

If you are looking for a quick and nutritious lunch or addition to your dinner entree, whip up this fall salad and enjoy:

Fall Salad: Serves 2

- Red Butter lettuce, half head washed and separated

- Fresh-roasted Chicken - cut into pieces and use as desired

- Ripe avocado - I just use half for myself (serve amount desired)

- Feta Cheese - Sprinkle 1/2 cup over lettuce

- Baby Tomatoes - Halve, distribute over salad - I'm in love with the orange ones!

- Nuts - I like to sprinkle 1/2 cup of walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds on the salad for extra crunch and nutrition

- Dried Cranberries - Use 1/4 cup - sprinkle over lettuce

- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil - Drizzle over salad

- 4 Tbsp. Fig Balsamic - Drizzle over salad (I use this stuff on everything!)

- Salt and pepper to taste

- This is also a perfect time to slice a few pieces of your Mariposa bread, toast and drizzle with olive oil

Enjoy and keep an umbrella handy - it is fall, you know.

Summer Light, It Is a Fadin'...

As the last days of summer quietly slip away like sand through toes on a beach, I have stopped to notice the change in the light and temperature that has subtlety come upon us - oh summer, why do you leave us so soon?

Even the air is changing from the "smell of summer" to the transition of crisp, fresh morning breezes and cool evenings that still carry that hint of warmth left behind from the sun's rays that heated the earth during the daylight. Fall is my favorite time of year, though I'm never in a rush for it to arrive, as I've learned to live each day to the fullest and in the moment, never looking too far ahead any longer to what "might be"...

With the thoughts of hunkering down and lighting candles during upcoming fall evenings, as darkness befalls my little home at a much earlier time now, I'm very anxious to read more and more and COOK more and more...and, to purchase Shauna Ahern and her hubby's (The Chef)new cook book that just came out titled, "Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef." Shauna, aka...Gluten Free-Girl is a great writer. I love her blog and really enjoyed her first book. At times, I felt as though I was reading my own life-story and struggles with Celiac Disease before my diagnosis. I've been lucky enough to "friend" her on Facebook and we've chatted a few times. She really seems like a quality person doing a lot for the advancement of Celiac Disease, while making many tummies very happy along the way.

Enjoy the last few hours of summertime and be sure to look UP! The change of light is too beautiful to miss.

Blessings ~

As the Light Changes...

As I have touted before on this blog, I LOVE the season of Fall! The colors change, the light shifts to a golden hue in the sky, subtly reflecting off each gorgeous leaf that's on its way out...and...the J.Crew catalog is loaded with amazing goodies every fall season - this one is NO exception, my friends.

I used to love Halloween as a child. I remember fondly that our mom would always hand make my brother and my costumes each year. She was really talented and creative, and somewhere out there, there's a smashing photo of the two of us impersonating "Donny and Marie Osmond" to a tee, with our flowing lavender/purple costumes - microphones in hand. If you are of a certain age, then you know what I'm talking about! However, back in those days I did not have to worry about every morsel of food that I put into my mouth in fear of it containing gluten. The biggest concern that we faced at the end of every Halloween night was HOW much candy we were able to collect on our journey through the neighborhood, and our parents making sure there were no items that were suspiciously "unwrapped"...oh, and no homemade Carmel apples. ohhhhh

How I long sometimes for those "good old days."

Every Halloween, I try to imagine what it must be like to be a child with Celiac Disease and what a positive and creative parent one must be in order to still create a sense of "magic" and excitement for their child, without creating a huge amount of fear around all the "do's and dont's" of eating gluten-free.

In some of my research, I came across a blog with a fairly comprehensive list of "safe" Halloween candy. But as always, it's a good idea to double-check every ingredient in the event that the manufacturer has changed anything since the last time you checked!


And since October is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, I thought it important to share this Reuters story, updating us all on General Mills and their five Chex cereals which are now completely gluten-free.

I know that on Saturday night as I'm handing out gluten-free candy to all of the little ghosts, goblins, and Miley Cyrus's at my door...I'll be wishing all the Celiac kids out there a safe, fun and enjoyable Halloween eve...and wishing I could still dress up as Marie Osmond!

Happy Fall ~

Vintage Restaurant ~

View of famous Mt. Baldy in Sun Valley, ID

While visiting one of my favorite spots on the map over the weekend, (Sun Valley & Ketchum, Idaho), a delicious gluten-free dinner was had at the darling, cozy and rustic Vintage Restaurant. Vintage is located in a tiny cabin in downtown Ketchum on Leadville Street, just across from the famous Kneadery Restaurant.


I had wanted to try Vintage for the past couple of years, having heard great things about the food and the chef/owner Jeff Keys, who is also a cookbook author and has published a book titled "Vintage" - highlighting all the wonderful dishes that are served at the restaurant and then some - the good news...many of them are gluten-free or can easily be modified as such!

Our dining experience at Vintage was wonderful, though I have to be honest, my first conversation with our very friendly and a bit frazzled server left me a bit leery of how safe I was actually going to be eating there - so I decided to keep my demeanor light and friendly but was adamant that she had to speak with the chef about every single food item I was considering, in order to ENSURE that everything could be properly prepared gluten-free. I have to say anymore, eating out is not nearly as fun or carefree and I have to work hard to keep my composure and not let the stress of getting poisoned completely ruin every dining experience. However, in this case, and after several long discussions with the server and chef, I felt I was in good hands and I surrendered to trust.

My food was fantastic, I have to say. I started with their famous Shrimp Tamale - wow, it's incredible and I almost bought the cookbook then and there so that I could recreate this dish and serve it to my friends and family! My main entree was semi-custom created - pan seared Sea Bass with herbs, served with field greens, feta cheese, mandarin orange wedges in a simple vinaigrette - along with a side dish of fresh made Polenta...just for me! The dish was wonderful and completely safe and gluten-free. I highly recommend ordering that exact combination of dishes. Dessert was a bowl of homemade, fresh strawberry sorbet - no wheat there! For you chocolate lovers, Jeff also makes a flour less chocolate cake that's also featured in his cookbook. (I was waaaay too stuffed to try it)


If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant and find yourself in Ketchum standing in front of Vintage and reading their delicious menu, don't hesitate to eat there, just make sure you alert the staff of your diet restrictions when making a reservation.

It's such a special dining experience and as one gentlemen told us on his way out the door, "this is the best restaurant in the Valley"...spoken from a true local!

(Presently, Vintage is on holiday for five weeks, re-opening the week of Thanksgiving 2009)

Vintage Restaurant
231 Leadville Avenue North
Ketchum, ID 83340
208-726-9595

One Pot Wonder ~

It is pouring rain here today - a very welcome sight let me tell you, and the kind of day where you would like to curl up with a good book, a cup of tea and let the world go by. And now that it's fall and the days are getting shorter and the night air arrives with a certain crispness, I was inspired this past week to cook up two gluten-free dishes that brought a lot of warmth and nutrition to my tummy!

I cook a lot at my house and I have realized the joy and ease of cooking a healthy meal in one dish or one pot - it's easy and there is so much variety to cooking this way. Usually, all that needs to accompany a one-dish meal is a simple salad with good olive oil, some fig vinegar and a few gluten-free crackers...oh...and a nice glass of wine.

The other night I only had 10 minutes for meal prep between running home from work and racing off to a Pilates class. I had a ton of veggies in my fridge and wanted to use them all up while they were still fresh, so I had the idea to throw them all in my Emile Henry stew pot, add some GF chicken broth, a few other flavorful ingredients, chop everything up and let them simmer away while I was at my class. I wasn't quite sure what I was creating, but it turned out to be really yummy and provided four healthy meals throughout the week. Cooking this way is really economical, as well.



Gluten-free Chicken/Veggie stew-

Ingredients: Serves four (Ten minutes prep time)

- 1 8 Oz. box/container of gluten free chicken broth

- 1/4 Pc. of fresh butter

- 1.5 Tbsp. of organic garlic pepper

- 1/4 Cup of red cooking wine

- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil

- 1/2 Cup of water

- 4 Large, red organic potatoes

- 1/2 Yellow onion (chopped in quarters)

- 3 Green onions (chopped)

- 3 Roma tomatoes (quartered)

- 3 Zucchini (sliced)

- 2 Celery stalks (chopped)

- 1/2 Cup baby carrots (whole)

- 1 Roasted chicken (Pre-cooked and pulled from bones and sliced)

- Grated Parmigiana cheese as topping on stew (to your liking)

I simply chopped up all of my veggies and threw then in the pot, then added the chicken broth, water, wine, olive oil, butter, garlic pepper, salt and pepper (to taste). I made sure that everything was covered with a 1/2 inch of broth knowing it would cook down. I simmered the pot on medium heat for an hour and 20 minutes.

When I returned home the veggies were the perfect texture and simmering with robust taste and flavor. I then added the sliced up, roasted chicken to the pot and allowed to cook for an additional 10 minutes. Voila! Ready to eat.


It was super-simple and delicious - a great meal for a family or to have leftovers to nosh on all week.

Next up - Homemade Shallot-leek cream gluten-free pasta

Eat well!

Changing Leaves ~

Fall officially arrives tomorrow and honestly, I cannot comprehend where this year has sped off to. I'm happy to enter into fall, though not sure I'm ready, as I'm thoroughly enjoying these Indian Summer days and evenings.

With change always comes the reevaluating of self, surroundings and information that we depend upon - change is inevitable...but that's really a good thing.

There have been several global Celiac news stories that have popped up this week; two that are a bit daunting (if you ask me), and another that's interesting. I've included the links for your review. I suppose the benefit of these stories is not intended to frighten anyone, rather adversely, to motivate and push harder for faster diagnosis time and further research.

Celiac disease poses slight death risk
Zikkir World (blog)
OREBRO, Sweden — Patients with lesser degrees of celiac disease symptoms, such as intestinal inflammation, have a modestly increased risk of death, ...

Tips for avoiding high risk of pancreatic cancer
TheCelebrityCafe.com
Among the top five leading cancers in the US, people suffering from diabetes, gall bladder disease, celiac disease and liver damage are particularly ...

Maltese researchers find new celiac disease gene
Times of Malta
Maltese researchers have identified a new gene that contributes to celiac disease, a gluten intolerance that affects an estimated 600 Maltese. ...

I would be interested to know what my readers think of these articles - if there are others to be brought to light, please send them my way.

Increase awareness - that's all of our job!

Gluten-free in the Mile High City ~

I've always wanted to visit Denver...and I'm not talking about just dashing through their uber-cool airport to make a connection - a real visit to the Mile High city to experience some of what it has to offer. My brother is working there temporarily for a few months, which provided me with the prefect excuse to use some miles for a nice weekend get-away, just in time to see the gorgeous fall foliage in all its many colors and shades of autumn, and I definitely wasn't disappointed!

As a Celiac, there's always a bit of apprehension as to where and what I will find that's safe to eat when visiting a new location, but I did a bit of research and felt confident that Denver would be clued into what "gluten free" dining is all about...and I was correct in my assumption (phew!). So our first night out to dinner consisted of a lovely salad from the Whole Foods salad bar, just down the street from his apartment due to a very late arrival, but I'm happy to report all was well with that meal.

Our second night out we walked to a fun restaurant called Ted's (as in Turner) Montana Grill, which is pretty Eco-friendly AND guess what...they have a gluten-free menu which came as a great surprise. I dined on a very delicious fillet (beef that is, because they do offer bison), a scrumptious sweet potato and grilled asparagus. The manager even came over to go through the menu with me, ensuring that I understood all of the dishes that were safe to eat and made sure I was comfortable, which was very kind.


The third night out found us dining downtown at Prima Ristorante, in the heart of the theatre district. We found this lovely Italian restaurant on Opentable.com - love that sight for finding new restaurants, wherever you find yourself. The restaurant was great and offered a delicious and fairly authentic Italian menu with a warm and cosmopolitan feel to the decor and experience. Our server was from Belarus (as in the former USSR country, as she explained) and was very familiar with gluten-free eating and double-checked everything I ordered with the chef. She helped me decide upon an antipasti of roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, with a chunk of dry Fontina cheese, drizzled with olive oil. My "secondi" or entree dish was so fresh and delicious but could have used a tad more salt - it was a piece of grilled salmon over a bed of fennel and fava beans, with mushrooms and Roma tomatoes. Delizioso!


A day trip to Vail was also on our list, so Saturday morning we grabbed our cameras, warm jackets and headed west to the Rockies. The fall foliage has just turned and the golden hues were breathtaking and endless. The 1.5 hour drive went by too quickly and there wasn't enough memory on my camera to capture all the orange leaves I needed to snap up. Vail was not what I expected nor what I had visualized in my head for years, but have no fear, no disappointment here. Vail is a quaint and Euro-village-like with a darling shops and restaurants that back right up to the lengthy slopes sliding down the mountain. I was happy to find there seemed to be no "attitude" floating around Vail whatsoever. It felt quaint and comfortable, and surrounded by gorgeous fall colors dripping off the Aspens, while the crisp fall air began to settle into our bones.


On Sunday, my last day in Denver, I convinced my brother to visit the Denver Art Museum with me. He's such an art afficianado...ha. Truth though, this museum is world class and very impressive. From the eye-catching and amazing sculptures all around the museum campus, to the beautiful clean lines of the museum walls, and the angles they create against the Denver skyline - wonderful. NOT to be missed!


So, not only can you eat gluten-free and very well, visit gorgeous scenery, world-renowned ski resorts, and an incredible museum, but you can also just take a wonderful stroll around the town and take in some lovely sights in a very cosmopolitan city. In my case, the highlight of the trip was spending valuable time with my awesome baby brother and exploring a new city together. So great!

Oh...and don't miss your chance to say hello to these guys while you are in town...



Be well...traveled.