Top Ten Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Tips~

It's almost Thanksgiving Day - the day of giving thanks for all of our blessings in life and most importantly...overeating delicious, lovingly-prepared dishes that warm the heart and soul.

If you are a Celiac or eat gluten-free, you also know just how challenging this particular holiday can be when it comes to ensuring that NO and I mean NO trace of gluten/wheat flour is allowed to contaminate your food and ruin a day of blessings.

I put together my quick Top-Ten List of Thanksgiving Gluten-Free Tips that will help you through the entire process, from the kitchen to the dining room table. I have learned throughout the past ten years, just how important these tips are in order to ensure a safe and enjoyable meal to be thankful for.

Top-Ten Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Tips:

1. Make sure that your kitchen is sterile and clean, erasing any trace of gluten/flour, keeping a safe cooking environment. This is especially important if you are cooking in tandem at someone else’s home who may not have a gluten-free kitchen.

2. Sterilize ALL cooking utensils and cook ware that you will use to prepare the meal, from start to finish. Again, especially important if you are eating or cooking at someone's home who is not a gluten-free eater. I can't overemphasize how important this is and how easy it is to pick up a spoon that was just dipped in gluten gravy and then use it to stir gluten-free ingredients. Whammo - contamination!

3. Turkey! Though everyone agrees that a good 'ole turkey bird is naturally gluten-free, you would be amazed at what happens to the poor bird by the time it arrives in your grocer's freezer. I have had to search for hours to find a gluten-free bird that has not been injected, basted, seasoned and saturated in gluten. There are so many preservatives used on your average turkey that are filled with gluten. I recommend buying an organic bird from Whole Foods or your local butcher that is guaranteed to be free of all gluten. It may take a little searching, but you will find a turkey that is safe. If all else fails, in the past I have simply purchased a small turkey breast for myself, basted it with butter and herbs and Viola - a safe Thanksgiving turkey.

4. Broth can be another tricky and dangerous area when cooking a Thanksgiving meal. All mainstream chicken, beef or veggie broths are loaded with modified food starch and other gluten products and can really ruin a good meal for a Celiac. Thankfully, there are loads of gluten-free broths now available that are also organic that must be used in your holiday cooking in order to avoid contamination. My favorite broth is Pacific Natural Foods free range chicken broth. Trader Joe's also has a fairly comprehensive list of GF products now and GF broth.

5. Bullion cubes have danger flashing all around them - did you know that? I found this out the hard way in years past. So if you are dining at a family or friends house this Thanksgiving, it is imperative that you make sure they are not utilizing any type of Bullion cube in their seasoning or homemade broth. Do your homework on this one and suggest your gluten-free chicken broth instead!

6. Whipping cream is harmless, right? NOT. Thanks to my sister-in-law, she just recently showed me a container of Knudsen whipping cream that's sold in the dairy section. As she was reading the ingredients, she noticed that this dairy product contained modified food starch, most-likely utilized as a "binder" to help thicken the product as it's whipped. This came as a shock to me and was really concerning. Make sure that if you are using a dollop of fresh whipping cream on anything you did not make yourself, you check with the host to verify that the product they used was gluten-free.

7. Vanilla, salt and spices are all wonderful ingredients for your holiday baking, but be careful to use only gluten-free products. Most people don't realize that even iodized salt can contain gluten. Though it's more expensive, I have been using fresh sea salts for several years now and feeling much better about the product. I really love the course Sel de Mer!

GF Vanilla extract is much easier to find now in even mainstream grocery stores, as well as spices that are safe. The key is to use the products that you have researched and know are safe. If you are eating away from home this holiday, just pack a bag with all of your GF products to bring to the host to use in whatever foods will be prepared and served to you. Anyone who knows and loves you will be more than happy to accommodate and keep you safe.

8. Gravy! - a staple of the Thanksgiving meal, yet as a Celiac, you must make sure to avoid ALL gravies containing roux/flour in the mix. It's actually easy to make a gluten-free gravy that is hearty and delicious - so you won't feel like you are missing out on a thing! Check out my blogger friend, Gluten Free Girl's site for her very easy and delicious GF gravy recipe!

9. The good stuff - Alcohol and Desserts - now what would Thanksgiving be without these tasty staples? Depending upon what you and your guests will be drinking during the holiday, here's a reminder of the "safe alcohol" that Celiacs and those avoiding gluten are able to drink.

Desserts are just a part of the traditional Thanksgiving feast, but for a Celiac, things need to be modified. But don't confuse "modified" with "boring!" There are a million GF dessert recipes on line, in hundreds of GF cookbooks (that actually taste good) and perhaps, in your own repertoire of homemade recipes. I love Pumpkin Pie, and am pretty sure you do too! There are ample sweets and aperitifs to choose from so you won't feel like you have missed out on a thing this Thanksgiving.

10. Be Thankful~ In these challenging times, no matter what disease we might suffer from, or loss we have experienced...there is ALWAYS something special in each of our lives to remember and give thanks for, to love and honor, and a way for us to share our hearts with the world.

A Very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving to you all ~

GF Pizza Night~ A Photo Tutorial

The food that I've missed the most since going gluten-free in 2000 is....PIZZA!! Not the typical gluten-free pizza in a box, found in the Whole Foods freezer...no no...a real, cheesy, thick or thin crust, hot out of the oven, make-you-salivate kind of pizza that you find in Rome or New York or...good old Pinky's Pizza in Walnut Creek,CA (which sadly,has now closed) where I grew up. That's the kind of wheat-filled pizza I'm talking about, my friends!

Okay, somebody slap me - I've regressed to my previous life. Excuse me.

I still have years of wonderful memories stored in my heart and mind focused around eating at various pizza parlors all over the Bay Area. While growing up, they served as staple meal locations - after soccer games, little league victories, golf tourneys, horse shows and birthday parties. Pizza equaled friends, fun and a night out! So, I hang onto those lovely days past and the aroma of goodness that still fills my senses.

Now, this is not intended to be a sad, walk-down-memory-lane kind of a post - because the good news is, a very delicious and successfully baked gluten-free pizza was created in my very own kitchen last week...almost as good as Pinky's.

I've tried many of the GF frozen crusts that you can buy at certain grocery stores or on line, and as I've blogged before, I've also found two pizza restaurants in San Diego that bake up a mean GF pizza. But baking one from scratch, in your own kitchen, in your own oven, with love and careful preparation, is really quite fun and rewarding...if it works!

I've baked pizzas from scratch with the numerous flours (usually required) during various GF baking classes that I've taken over the years, but putting all the ingredients together and praying it works out in your own oven is a different story -Well, fear be gone! After the first try that turned out quite well, I'm ready to go back in the kitchen this weekend for more.

Follow along with this photo essay/tutorial and then bake your own!


After the dough is mixed, it's important to spread it evenly and as we discovered, not too thick in the middle, in a 13" diameter


Next...use your favorite GF pasta/pizza sauce and spread around on to the dough, adding a bit more sauce in the middle.


Now the fun begins...load up your toppings, layer by layer (this pizza included GF ham slices, artichoke hearts, sliced zucchini, fresh-chopped green onions, spinach and fresh-grated mozzarella)


After baking in the oven at 400 for 30 minutes, Voila! The finished product ~

This delicious and healthy pizza was so easy and contains half the fat grams of the prepared, frozen variety. It's a fun project you could do with children, for a fun night of cooking with friends (don't forget the wine) or anytime you are longing for the food that satisfies and conjures up delicious memories, while making new ones.

The recipe that was chosen for last week's inaugural effort came from Bette Hagman's GF Cookbook, The Gluten-Free Gourmet.

Quick and easy pizza crust -

Serves 6

- 1/2 Cup milk

- 2 Large eggs

- 1/3 Cup of cornstarch

- 2/3 Cup rice flour

- 1/4 Teaspoon of guar gum

- 1 Teaspoon salt

- 1/4 Cup of olive oil

Beat the milk and eggs together. Add the flours, guar gum and salt. Mix in the olive oil.

Spread onto a greased 9" x 13 " pan or pizza stone or (as I did) spread with a spatula in a 12-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick - leave a thicker crust around the edges/outside of the circle to keep the sauce and cheese from running over onto the pan.

Spread sauce evenly over the unbaked crust and top with your favorite toppings.

Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with a simple salad, tossed in olive oil and vinegar and you have the perfect meal.

Mangia Mangia!!

Healthier Bones for Kids ~

I came across an article today on Celiac.com and thought it was definitely worth sharing, as the diagnosis of Celiac in babies and young children is so very important. I can tell you for a fact that I have Osteopenia, due to the ten years + that I lived through not absorbing much of any nutrients - and that was in my late teens early 20's; some of the side effects as a result of this are challenging to say the least.

The earlier children are diagnosed, the sooner they can be put on a 100% gluten-free diet in order to stop the malbsorption issues that can lead to so many growth-related problems for little ones.

Have a read and be sure to pass this along to your kids, or anyone you know who's children are newly diagnosed or on a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-free Diet Means Healthier Bones for Kids with Celiac Disease
Celiac.com 11/05/2009 - It's well known that people with celiac disease often show reduced bone mineral density, and that metabolic bone disease is a significant and common complication of celiac disease...

TGIF - and next week check back for a fun and easy homemade gluten-free pizza recipe you and your family are sure to love!!

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!

Napa Valley Road Trip ~

There's something special about the Napa Valley besides the obvious...VINO...it's the smell of the air, the earth, and the beauty that is present everywhere you look, which makes it a fabulous place to visit any time of the year.

One of my dearest friends from the Basque Country, Nere, was visiting here for a month and had never been to Napa, so recently we decided to jump in the car and make a day of it! Mind you, the predicted forecast for that day was in the high 80's, however, by mid-day it reached 107 degrees in St. Helena! We were sweltering and needed something cold to drink, of course, but first we stopped at the delightful and newer Historic Napa Mill and Napa River Inn - Napa's only Michelin starred luxury hotel. There some terrific history to this site in downtown Napa and it's all chronicled on their website.


There are four lovely restaurants in the Mill to choose from, so we decided on something more casual and "safe" for me, the Celiac, and dined at the The Napa General Store's cafe. The store is darling, filled with eclectic and Napa Valley-based products, and the cafe offers indoor or beautiful outdoor patio seating - but it was already 100 degrees at lunch time, so we opted for a table near the bar in the air-conditioned dining room.

The day we ate lunch there, one of the specials was Gazpacho soup, which I adore! After careful discussion with our waiter, I was assured that the soup was 100% gluten-free, and it was. Muy delicioso! In addition, I ordered the Greek Salad served with plain grilled chicken and all the traditional ingredients (romaine hearts, feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, Red onion), sans the garlic flat bread, and did very well. The waiter brought me a freshly mixed side of balsamic vinegar and oil and was very careful to ensure that my meal was completely safe and delicious - so I enjoyed.

As we made our way north on Hwy. 29 towards St. Helena, we decided to only taste at wineries that I had never visited before, and given this was my friend's first time in the Valley, we had quite a few wineries to choose from. Our first stop was the glamorous Opus One - just for a photo op. A single tasting is $30, so we decided to go elsewhere for a little more "bang for our buck"...so to speak. It's worth the visit though, and the architecture of the main building is quite something to see. I have drunk Opus One before, and it's a lovely Mondavi & Rothschild joint creation.

Next stop - Peju Province Winery for a tasting and to enjoy the beautiful grounds and Rutherford Estate Wine Tasting Room.



We tasted five of their most popular wines and then decided to purchase their Provence California Red & White Blend Table Wine which is served chilled and I have to say, has gone very well with spicier, BBQ'd dinners - I've really enjoyed this bottle.

Our next stop on the drinking tour...haha, was at V. Sattui Winery. Little did we know that the rest of the free world had also decided it would be a great place to pick up some lunch, do a little tasting at the massive bar, and sit outside for a picnic! The family-owned winery was established in 1885 and is quite an impressive stop on the tour. The grounds are well-designed and beautiful, and Nere and I thoroughly enjoyed the lively "bar" atmosphere and the "$5 for 5 wines" tasting. As we sipped our vino and enjoyed the people-watching, we discussed how the atmosphere was similar in a way to that of bar-hopping in San Sebastian, Spain and all the fun that goes along with "El Tapeo", or meandering from bar to bar in search of amazing Tapas(Pintxos).


V. Sattui also has an authentic, old-world style deli and it's loaded with goodies that any Celiac would enjoy; beautiful Italian and Spanish cheeses, fresh-cut salami, ham, turkey, you name it, along with some delicious and safe salads and plenty of chocolate that would pair so nicely with that bottle of wine. It's quite possible to simply bring your own gluten-free crackers and create a delicious meal to enjoy on the grounds of V. Sattui, without any worries about what you are eating.


Our next stop was to the quaint and posh town of St. Helena. I have some dear family friends who live there, growing and bottling their own grapes at Shibumi Knoll, as well as owning one of the most spectacular 360 degree views of the Valley - see for yourself.


The view and their wine are so spectacular that I had to take my friend by the Knoll for a visit where she fell in love with the views and the essence of Shibumi Knoll. I'm a bit biased, but I can tell you that their Chardonnay is simply fantastic and one-of-a-kind, with so much passion and heart put into every bottle.

As the evening was creeping up on us, we made one last stop at the famous Mondavi Winery. We missed the tasting by 30 minutes, but were able to tour the grounds and give my friend a little history about one of the most famous California wine makers. Honestly, I just love their location and how the Spanish-style architecture fits in so well with its surroundings.



Our final-final stop was at Dean & Deluca to pick up a few snacks for the road, and don't we just love that store! There are a lot of gluten-free items for sale and though we can't partake in the beautiful bakery selections, there is yummy Gelato that will do the trick when a sweet-tooth ensues.

By the way, October is a spectacular time to visit the Napa Valley and partake in not only the harvest, but the gorgeous fall colors that are appearing on a daily basis.



Viva la Vida ~