Life, Interrupted

This is a gluten-free soup, BTW.

It was hard to name this, because "Texas" implies heat, or BBQ, and you will find neither in this--except for some grated Daikon radish. That may be a surprise. When I don't feel quite right, it's time for a touch soup--that's when I simply wander the market, reaching for but not touching vegetables. If my hand relaxes on the veggie, it's desired for the soup. So the recipe comes after the selection. Today, I went heavily white root.

This Saturday I chose:

1/2 of one large white onion, peeled and diced
2 cups water
2 bunches of maroon carrots--short, fat fellows sometimes called Rainbow. Diagonal sliced.
5 medium to small Japanese white turnips, diced
1 heaping teaspoon grated Daikon radish. A friend warned me about fresh Daikon radish!
One 32 ounce ball jar bone broth (made only with sea salt), with fat (I had lamb on hand)
1 small-medium garnet sweet potato, peeled and rough diced
Two cloves classic white garlic, peeled, cored and minced
1 bunch young, skinny parsnips, trimmed, peeled, diced, and sauteed prior to adding to soup. (I used EVOO to saute.)
Grey Celtic Salt, coarse. About a teaspoon.
( Read more... )
The deep flavor comes from a bone broth as the base. You may want more salt, spices, some herbs--I'm in healing mode again, so I stopped here. And am about to go eat my root veggie lunch. First, I'll bake some tapioca with Parmesan center rolls!

Oh, the desserts. Heaven! And the pasta -- let me tell you about the pasta!

You know how some gluten free (GF) pasta just doesn't have much taste? Kinda like wet sad rice crackers? Over at GoodFellows Foods, Greg Ray has come up with the BEST fettuccine (of ANY grain) I have ever tasted in my life. I'll never want boxed again. I'll be heading to GoodFellows for their awesome fettuccine. And the lasagna? Oh, my.

That is the magic of GoodFellows -- organic food so wonderful that you won't know it's gluten free.

Desserts include cheesecakes, Chess pies, apple pies, eclairs, mochi brownies (yes, the recipe I got from Tanya!) and gobs more. Plus...dare I say it? A chewy, flavorful sandwich bread that does not lost flavor after a day. I can attest that the pasta and the bread both freeze and thaw beautifully.

Tonight, I get to try one of their gluten free soups, and boy, have I been looking for a place where I can walk in and buy a pint of outstanding soup. Anyone want to go over before Odd Friday?

Important note -- GoodFellows also does a great job labeling ingredients, and carries things that are dairy free, vegetarian, soy free, corn free -- let them know what you're trying to avoid, and they can find something wonderful for you. Do a special order, give them some time, and trust that Greg and Janine, who are experienced restaurant folk, will deliver tasty, healthy food.

Bonus -- they are packing some of the organic grains they mill on-site for sale to the public. Fresh and cheaper than Bob's Red Mill.

Where is this wonderful place? My friends Janine and Greg Ray have launched GoodFellows Foods in Austin, TX. Tonight is their official opening, although people have been sneaking in there for weeks and buying things. Here are the details:

GoodFellows is welcoming food connoisseurs and gluten-free diners to a grand opening tasting party on Friday, November 2, 6-9pm at 8863 Anderson Mill Rd.

I plan to be there on the front end...if not earlier. Hope you can make it! People are already pushing for a restaurant. Come check out the bakery and take-out dining before the place evolves.

(There were lots of exclamation points in this blurb, but I erased them. You can still imagine them, though!)

I hate to admit this, but I don't try a lot of gluten free products. I'm a super taster, and that means I notice everything. Too much sugar, baking soda, spice -- urk. Better to make myself cook food that tastes good to me. My biggest problem, even eating out (other than avoiding gluten) is salt. Once you cut back on salt, everything someone else cooks is over-salted.

So I want to congratulate The Organic Bistro for creating a dish that was not over-salted, even for me. And they're currently offering a VIP coupon for $1.00 off. Knowing that there is a frozen dinner out there that I can have at a pinch is a big deal.

I tried the Thai Style Yellow Curry with Chicken, which was chicken breast and organic veggies served over quinoa and brown basmati rice. I decided to bake the dish, which involved pulling it out after 25 minutes to remove the foil I added, and then cooking it for another 10 minutes exposed. It can also be prepared in a microwave, but not a toaster oven. I ended up cooking it for another ten minutes, because although the chicken appeared completely cooked, it was cold in the center.

The chicken was a single cut of breast, not pieces as shown on the label, so I cut it up before returning it to the oven. The extra time in my oven made the temperature of the food just right. The breast was flavorful and not over-salted, and I could not taste potato, which has happened before with injected meat. There was a generous mixture of organic veggies -- carrots, green beans, zucchini, edamame, and onions -- with a nice amount of heat and coconut sweetness. The rice/quinoa mixture was excellent.

As a super taster, my only complaint was that the veggies suffered from a touch of what I think of as "prepack." The cut vegetables all tasted like frozen veggies mixed together; their unique qualities were lost. The edamame was cooked, tasty and stood out from the other veggies in that regard.

This would be a great lunch portion. It might be a little light for a big eater for dinner. I dined on hummus and homemade rice chips with it, and a peach for dessert (it was a sparse meal day.) Right now I'm avoiding dairy, too, but I would definitely try one of their other bowl dishes for my next experiment. (One of the four on their web site as I write this post.) I saw several others that may be test market items in the Natural Grocer where I purchased it, and they ALL had cilantro rice. All of them. Cilantro is a powerful herb for a super taster, and I won't risk buying something that might prove inedible. So, super tasters, read all ingredients before picking up one of these!

(I'll try to let you know if the trace amount of potato was a problem. Will do another in a few weeks to determine the answer.)

This article is based on a one-month “test diet change” plan I concocted for a friend back in January 2011 and posted at www.blog.bookviewcafe.com. Here’s a tweaked version for my personal blog readers.

How food, diet, and dieting affected my writing and my life. And maybe effects yours...

Here’s my current theory on gluten-free “snackage.” Have something to fill most gaps in your snack cravings, and then consciously work to eat them slowly -- that's much, much slower than you normally go through something. At the least, you are trying to heal your body of an overload of gluten. At the worst? You have actual gluten damage that has messed with your digestion and slowed your ability to absorb nutrients. Remember that you may actually eat less once you stop eating gluten. Your stomach may be happy with less.
( Choices, choices )
May this list get you through your next snack attack. Now, it’s your turn to share munching secrets. Help us out! I’m trusting I don’t have to tell you that fresh veggies and fruit are all right. What else do you like to munch on when you have a snack attack? Popcorn? (Remember to make your own – don’t trust a self-contained popcorn packet unless you read the label.) Sorghum popcorn? Tell all!

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Katharine Eliska Kimbriel is currently working on a new Alfreda book, a contemporary fantasy series about a curse, and a few other things as well. You can find links to her major ebook vendors through Backlist eBooks.

I wanted to mention five great Austin places to y'all that you may not have tried. AND they all have web sites, so you can order from afar, too! We'll do this alphabetically --

bettysport has clothing, footware and lots of other paraphernalia as well. I was not an easy fit, because I wanted a sports bra that had very specific features. Carson measured, consulted, and kept bringing me bras until I found exactly what I needed. They had a Groupon ticket, which I took advantage of. If you see a coupon and you've never gone there, jump on it! That $40 for $20 knocked a lot off an expensive bra. I'm a happy camper, and I'll go back.

Cornucopia is a little Austin business that is doing popcorn in a big way. This is the first flavored popcorn place that I adore -- and I do not use that word lightly! I mean, they write their phone number on their web site with CORN in the number, BUT they also put the numbers next to it, and I SO appreciate that, because my cell phone does NOT have the letters on the keys. (Never buy a Pantech phone.)

But we're talking not only flavors that you'd expect, like Caramel corn and BBQ (it's Texas, all right?) They have four categories -- candied, chocolate, seasoned and vegan -- and the vast majority of their flavors are GLUTEN FREE. Yeesssss, GF flavored popcorn! Wonderful weird things I love like dill or curry (good together, too!) and sweet things like classic kettle corn and chai. I can't eat the S'mores or pumpkin pie, or the special one with the cookie on top, but everything else is MINE.

A regular tells me that if you buy a tin, when you bring your tin back they refill it for half price. Yes, they take care of their regulars!

Try Cornucopia. You will not regret it.

Dragonfly Wellness Center is a great place to visit, if you're down south and need some massage or acupuncture work. I haven't met Otter yet, but I can say that Kit, the acupuncturist and herbalist, and Lynne, the LMT and Critz Release Specialist, are outstanding at what they do and how they can help you. And they sometimes do Groupon, and also sell packages, so there's probably a way to get in to see them. Yes -- you get what you pay for with massage, and advanced practitioners are almost always worth the bigger bucks. This one definitely is! They carry Tanka bars, a gluten free/paleolithic buffalo and cranberries bar that is yummy, sometimes hard to find in town and supports a thriving company on the Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation.

Critz is that miracle treatment for chronic muscle issues that I used to practice. You don't even have to undress to leave feeling great! I recommend a tee shirt and comfortable sweat pants. Lynne can just look at you, how you're standing and walking, and figure out what's going on and if she can help. (Usually, she can.)

Kit is so fantastic that I'm saving up to go see her again. She gives me good, practical advice about things to try out, doesn't hesitate to recommend I see my doctor when things are beyond the scope of her practice, and is not intimidated by chronic health issues. I felt fantastic after going to see her! She's the one who passed on the gelatin trick that is strengthening my hands. I love people who are fonts of unusual information!

Go see Kit & Lynne.

Dark Chocolate-covered, wild-harvested native Texas pecans. Got your attention? Many of their pecans are gluten free! I found these at the Lakeline Mall Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. When I want a treat? This is it. If I can limit myself to two pecan halves a day, I can have these for dessert and not gain weight. It is my new goal in life to eat these pecans on a regular basis.

And also I want to plant a native pecan tree, not a commercial pecan tree. Because pecans are great, but wild pecans are AWESOME.

Sweet Texas Gluten Free Kitchen was another discovery at the Lakeline Mall Farmer's Market. They make the BEST Brazilian Cheese Bread I have ever had, and their sourdough bread sticks are made with a South American yeast, so they are distinctive and delightfully sour! I've also tried the coconut cookies, and they are lovely -- just a hint of sweet. Haven't tried the pasta or pizza crust yet, but they're on my list!

Highly recommended!

(I have been reading too much of The Bloggess. I recognize her way with capital letters....)

This article is based on a one-month “test diet change” plan I concocted for a friend back in January 2011 and posted at www.blog.bookviewcafe.com. Here’s a tweaked version for my personal blog readers.

How food, diet, and dieting affected my writing and my life. And maybe effects yours…

Okay, eating the world may be an exaggeration, but not by a lot. There are a ton of foods out there for the gluten sensitive individual to eat, and most of them you’ve probably never given a second glance. But they are waiting for you, bursting with flavor.

The easy stuff is this: Food in its unadulterated form (I.E. raw, no seasonings, no marinades, no sauces) is where you can start. You can grill meat for yourself – but you must make up the hamburger paddy yourself, and put the ground pepper and salt on it. And read those salt and ground pepper labels, because a lot of salt/spice mixes have gluten in them, in some form.

So – Okay food includes:

Real meat
Real poultry
Real fish
Real shellfish (fake shellfish may be processed with gluten)
Real fruit
Real vegetables
Real nuts (read the package for exposure to gluten -- it may have been packaged on machinery that also packs gluten items.)
Real seeds (Ditto above.)
Real dried fruit (Ditto above!)

Take the advice of Ray Audette, the author of Neanderthin – if you can pick it off a tree or bush, or stick a stake in it, it’s probably safe. (This assumes it’s already designated as food fit for human consumption – don’t start experimenting in the back yard, now!)
( Lots more for the curious )
Next time – foods where hidden gluten lurks.

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Katharine Eliska Kimbriel is currently working on a new Alfreda book, a contemporary fantasy series, and a Nuala short story.

It's Vegan! It's allergen-free! It has no nightshades in it! It doesn't even have garbanzos in it, suggesting that "hummus" is not the right name. But you get black beans, Tahini, olive oil, cumin, garlic, fresh lemon juice and the usual water, salt and citric acid. Plus -- real apple wood smoke! No gluten added in this one, either. The product is natural, but I don't know if that means totally safe in all forms. The BBQ one they had there was not one I could try, so check the labels.

This is their "mild" black bean dip, without chilies, but it has a nice pop to it and a lot of smoke and bean flavor. I've looked a long time for a black bean dip without chilies, and this is as close as I've found. It's carried at Wheatsville, People's Pharmacy and Fresh Plus, and is coming soon to Central Market, Whole Foods and Natural Grocers. I got mine at the Saturday Lakeline Farmer's Market. Give it a try!

www.babyzachs.com