Hasselbeck Book Stirs Controversy ~

I found an interesting article about some new information regarding Elizabeth Hasselback's new book - I do share some of the same thoughts and concerns that Elaine Monarch has expressed, and I watched EH's interview on Larry King and was disturbed by the reference to Celiac as "an allergy". I also think the title of the book is a bit misleading -

Read this open letter from Elaine Monarch, Founder and Executive Director of the Celiac Disease Foundation, regarding Elisabeth Hasselbeck's new book "The G-Free Diet."

What are you thoughts and opinions about this?

Guest Blogger Day ~

My dear friend Alison was so generous to share her time and words as this Friday's guest blogger ~

As the best friend of a Celiac (who’s the owner of this blog) I am forever conscious, or better yet, painfully aware, of the ingredients listed in my favorite foods and snacks; delicious goodies that I know my dear friend could never enjoy as a celiac. With that in mind, I try to empathize with her situation and eat similar foods that I know are also healthy for me, treats that I find or products that she suggests.

While strolling through Whole Foods in Monterey the other day, I stumbled upon a particular little “yummy” that I just had to try out. Blue Diamond Nut Thins, a gluten free cracker made with nuts and rice. The company is also a proud supporter of the Celiac Disease Foundation. Perfect!

I wanted to share my good fortune with Aimee so I called her right away to let her know about my wonderful new snack and to my surprise she knew nothing about these scrumptious little crackers. What terrific news it must be when living on such a restricted diet when you find a tempting new treat to try. And try you must, for these little crackers are so delicious I can’t put them down. Thankfully, one serving consists of sixteen crackers. I’ve tried the cheddar and pecan flavor and find them irresistible and I think you will too!

Snack to your hearts content with the peace of knowing that these gluten-free treats won’t let you or your stomach down.

Visit Alison on her website or at her equestrian training stable in Monterey, CA

Gluten-free Cinco de Mayo~

Ole~ Not only is it Cinco de Mayo...but MAY is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Have you heard? This is the month that events are taking place across the country and awareness of Celiac Disease is meant to be spread to any and all who will listen!

Please do your part and educate a friend today! If you keep up this pace by the end of May just imagine how many more enlightened humans there will be roaming around with a basic knowledge of CD, and they tell one friend, and they tell one friend and so on and so on...networking!

Also, take a look at all of the upcoming Gluten-free events on the Gluten Intolerance GIG website.

Make it a great May~

Basque Views with an Omelette~

My first trip to the Basque Country, or Euskadi, was in 1999 with my mother. I had heard about this majestic homeland since I was a child and given that both sides of my family originate from both the Spanish and French sides, it was inevitable that one day I would make the journey there and finally experience it's beauty for myself.

Up to that year, I had traveled quite a bit outside the U.S. but had not made it to Euskadi. It was the kind of journey that would serve as something of a baptism of sorts, so I wanted to share that experience with my mom. You see, she was the driving force behind all-things-Basque during my brother and my childhood. My mom was the brave explorer who in 1963 at the young age of 19, set out on the SS France with three of her Basque friends for Europe and the adventure of their lives. Having heard the details of that story a hundred times, I'm still discovering new pieces of that puzzle to this day. On the way to San Francisco recently, my mom shared another funny anecdote about the time she and her friends were living in the family's Baserri in Pamplona and how she dumped an entire vat of fresh olive oil onto the floor and all over their feet!

I never grow tired of the recounting of her youthful adventures - she truly was the pioneer of her generation of cousins in the Laca family. She was raised by not only her Basque parents, but also by her grandfather, "Chichie" who moved in with the family after his years of sheep herding in America. The essence of "Basque" was ingrained in my mother's soul from day one ~ and in turn, I can tell you that soulful gift is something that I too have always carried with me...to this very moment. My father, of course, is also a strong Basque man with many of the traditional cultural traits but he will also tell you that my mom, his wife, has given him the gift of connecting to his homeland, as well. She truly is the matriarch and soul-giver in our family.


There was a moment in 1999 that happened for me while I was sitting upon a park bench in our family's hometown of Lekeitio. My mom and I had strolled from our hotel down to the beach and up to the steps of this tiny, lush green park perched above the Lekeitio harbour, with a most amazing view of the ocean and the little island just off the shore. I believe it was during those moments of viewing the sea, sitting in silence and watching the Basque flag flying with it's green, red and white colors, waving high above the fishing boats, when I truly experienced my greatest "soul connection." Tears welled in my eyes and I knew then what it felt like to know your roots - to know from where you came...to know you were home.

I found a quote yesterday that truly inspired me to write this story down - it spoke to exactly how my heart and soul felt during that time in the park in Lekeitio.

"I was once more in my own place, an invader of what was already mine." M.F. Fisher

Along with the heart-felt moments and family connections rekindled on that trip, there was also great indulgence in native foods and amazing and traditional "tortilla" (or in English), omelettes!

Here's a recipe for a wonderful gluten-free tortilla/omelette with asparagus and potato that you won't want to deprive your taste buds of ~ Go native and use white asparagus instead!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. thin asparagus

3 to 4 Tbs. olive oil

2 large green onions, chopped

6 to 8 small red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into
slices 1/8 inch thick

1 tsp. salt, plus pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. snipped fresh chives, plus chive blossoms
for garnish (optional)

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

11 eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

About 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

Directions:

Cut or snap off the tough ends from the asparagus and place the spears on a steamer rack over boiling water. Cover and steam until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cut into 1-inch lengths. Set aside.

In a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, warm 3 Tbs. olive oil. Add the green onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, the
1 tsp. salt, tarragon and pepper and sauté until the potatoes glisten, about 3 minutes, adding the remaining 1 Tbs. oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cover and cook until the potatoes are nearly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, until the potatoes are browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the chives and asparagus and remove from the heat.

Preheat an oven to 375°F.

In a nonstick fry pan or ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Stir in the pinch of salt and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and season with pepper. Pour the eggs into the hot pan. Stir gently in the center and, using a fork or spatula, carefully lift the edges and gently push the eggs to one side of the pan, tilting the pan slightly to allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath. Cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Spread the vegetables evenly over the eggs. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the eggs are set and the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of the pan and whether the vegetables are still hot.

Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes, then cut into wedges and serve, garnished with watercress sprigs and chive blossoms. Serves 8 to 10.

Enjoy this delicious tortilla - you can eat this in the Basque country for breakfast, lunch or dinner (especially if you are a Celiac!) - so you're allowed to do the same, here in the States :)

Zorionak!

There's great joy in the journey - and the most important things in life are laughing with the ones you love, seeking adventure and pushing yourself from your comfort zone. Allow each day's experiences to help you grow and stretch your limbs and your soul!

Beauty on a Friday...

Friday photo -

So, it's actually snowing outside right now - yes, I said "snowing." However, when I snapped these lovely photos of the blooming buds on my trees yesterday the sun was still shining.

I was chatting with a dear friend of mine who lives in the Basque Country this morning on Skype, and during our conversation we came up with three lovely little affirmations that just seemed to float into our discussion regarding life, love, living and keeping a positive attitude during uncertain times.

I will share them all with you ~

~ Less is more - (which can truly be applied to every aspect of life or personal philosophy)

~ Gero Gerokaok - In the Basque language this essentially means, Seize the day, enjoy the moment, Carpe Diem

~ Whatever you are doing is the most beautiful thing.


Have a savory weekend and hopefully, you are located some where it is not snowing!

Family Ties Update ~

Good news has found its way to my family, or specifically to my mother. My Celiac doc discovered that she does NOT have Celiac Disease! We were all very surprised and pleased to receive this news and happy to know that more than likely my mom was just suffering from a strange stomach virus.

I'm very happy for her, of course, but now the mystery still looms over what side of the family and where my celiac genes originated from. I'm so hoping that one day this information will be revealed to me, but in the meantime, we celebrate the fact that my dear mother can still drink a Guinness!

I received an endearing comment regarding my original Family Ties post from a reader. This person was just very recently diagnosed with celiac disease and expressed their anxiety and feelings of loss over gluten - it's so understandable and part of the process. There's a definite transformation that takes place in one's life after they are diagnosed. It's not a simple process; it takes years of learning and self-education and a daily dose of positive encouragement from either one's self, or from a supportive person in your life...or perhaps, just from this little blog.

I visited my celiac doc last week for my annual blood test and check up and we were discussing my nine year anniversary of diagnosis that happened on April 14th! Wow...time flies, yet in a sense, it feels as though I've always lived gluten-free. I was expressing to Dr. Yamamoto how even after nine years as a celiac, the journey is still daunting at times, yet also wonderful. I told him that I'm constantly learning new things, as well as making mistakes or others making mistakes with my meals when I eat out, leading to poisoning. He told me it's all part of living this way. However, he did share the fact that things are moving rapidly regarding celiac research and that he's very hopeful there will be some type of "treatment" coming in the near future.


And one last thing...here's a new article regarding Who is at Risk for Celiac - pass this information along to friends and family members. The more who are informed, the better off we all will be.

Happy Wednesday ~

Celiac Disease Vaccine Studies to begin in Australia~

I just learned that an experimental vaccine designed to mute the autoimmune response to gluten in patients with celiac disease is being tested in Australia, starting this month, April 2009.

The article sounds very interesting and hopeful. Evidently, the point of the vaccine would be to induce autoimmune tolerance to gluten, so the celiac patient's body would not react in the usual manner and no damage would be inflicted on the small intestine.

Let's stay tuned and hope for some successful results.

TGIF~