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Gluten Free

Pork and Chile Stew Gluten Free Recipe

Karen · 4 Comments

DSCN5005Last year a friend of ours made us his version of this great southwestern dish. His was a little soupy–I like my soups and stews to be a little more substantial, so I came up with my own version of it. It is delicious, has just the right amount of “heat”, and is good with cornbread or corn tortillas. I use whatever cut of pork is on sale at the time. Last week I found the country style bone in ribs for $1.00 a pound, so that is what I used. I cut them up with a butcher knife, and saved the bones to throw in the pot while it cooked.

DSCN5006

1.5 lb pork stew meat, cut in 1 inch chunks

2 stalks celery

3 cloves garlic

1 poblano, anaheim, or serrano pepper

1/2 to 2 jalapeno peppers ( how much heat do you like?)

5 medium potatoes

1/2 lb frozen mixed vegetables or 3 carrots

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbs olive oil

seasoned salt and meat tenderizer

DSCN5008

Put the olive oil in a dutch oven and turn the heat up to medium. Peel and chop the celery, peel and mince the garlic. Cut the peppers open and remove and discard the seeds, then chop them up. Add all the chopped veggies to the dutch oven with the olive oil. Saute until the garlic is tender.

DSCN5010

Rinse and dry the pork pieces, then sprinkle generously with tenderizer, and lightly with seasoned salt. Add the meat pieces to the pan with the veggies. Cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Peel and dice the potatoes and add to the pan. Add the mixed vegetables or carrots. Add in about 5 cups of water and the rest of the seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 2 hours.

DSCN5013

This is a naturally gluten free meal–there are no ingredients that contain gluten. I forgot to take a picture of it, I’ll try to remember to do that next time I make it. Delicious served with corn tortillas or cornbread. Don’t be afraid to add different vegetables to this soup. I like it sometimes with just potatoes, or sometimes with yellow squash added instead of mixed vegetables. As long as you get the seasonings right, it will be muy bueno!

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Gluten Free, Recipes

Gluten Free Food Labeling Rules Open For Comments Today!

Karen · 5 Comments

I came across a press release today from the USFDA announcing that they are opening the comment period on the proposed gluten free food labeling rule:

FDA Reopens Comment Period on Proposed ‘Gluten-Free’ Food Labeling Rule

Rule would help by creating a uniform and enforceable definition

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today reopened the comment period for its 2007 proposal on labeling foods as “gluten-free.” The agency is also making available a safety assessment of exposure to gluten for people with celiac disease (CD) and invites comment on these additional data.

One of the criteria proposed is that foods bearing the claim cannot contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or more gluten. The agency based the proposal, in part, on the available methods for gluten detection. The validated methods could not reliably detect the amount of gluten in a food when the level was less than 20 ppm. The threshold of less than 20 ppm also is similar to “gluten-free” labeling standards used by many other countries.

People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. About 1 percent of the United States population is estimated to have the disease.

“Before finalizing our gluten-free definition, we want up-to-date input from affected consumers, the food industry, and others to help assure that the label strikes the right balance,” said Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods. “We must take into account the need to protect individuals with celiac disease from adverse health consequences while ensuring that food manufacturers can meet the needs of consumers by producing a wide variety of gluten-free foods.”

The proposed rule conforms to the standard set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2008, which requires that foods labeled as “gluten-free” not contain more than 20 ppm gluten. This standard has been adopted in regulations by the 27 countries composing the Commission of European Communities.

The FDA encourages members of the food industry, state and local governments, consumers, and other interested parties to offer comments and suggestions about gluten-free labeling in docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 at www.regulations.gov. The docket will officially open for comments after noon on Aug 3, 2011 and will remain open for 60 days.

To submit your comments electronically to the docket go to www.regulations.gov

1. Choose “Submit a Comment” from the top task bar
2. Enter the docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 in the “Keyword” space
3. Select “Search”

To submit your comments to the docket by mail, use the following address:

The Division of Dockets Management
HFA-305
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

Include docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 on each page of your written comments.

As a member of the gluten free community, I am glad that the FDA is taking comments from consumers. We are the people who are affected by gluten, and we deserve a voice in the process of establishing the guidelines for businesses who manufacture the foods we eat, to make them safe for us. I hope everyone who eats a gluten free diet will take the time to go to the website, starting today, to leave a comment, to make sure that when a product is labeled “gluten free”, that it is safe for us all.

 

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Filed Under: General, Gluten Free Tagged With: Gluten Free

Announcing: Gluten Free Cookies At Jacob Lake Inn!

Karen · 3 Comments

Yes, you read that right. After three seasons and counting of me standing at this cookie counter while FabGrandpa bought his delicious cookies, for which Jacob Lake is F.A.M.O.U.S., and drooling over those cookies, and having to smell them in the truck for 45 miles home up the plateau, I am soooooooo happy to announce that Jacob Lake Inn now has gluten free cookies in their line-up.

The cookie counter at Jacob Lake Inn

I had heard the rumor last week, from a co-worker who is allergic to wheat, which is not the same as being gluten intolerant or Celiac. She excitedly told me “Did you know Jacob Lake has gluten free cookies?”  A couple of days later, the manager of Jacob Lake Inn came through the entrance station when I was working there, and I said to her “I heard a rumor that you have gluten free cookies now.”  And she confirmed the rumor. So, today when we left the Kaibab Plateau to head out to Prescott, we stopped in and I got two cookies of my very own. They were delicious!’

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies!

They had two flavors today: Gluten free chocolate chip and gluten free oatmeal raisin. I have to say, they were both equally delicious! They were not in the cookie case when I arrived, so I had to ask for them. The clerk went to the kitchen and brought them out when I asked, though. So, if you get there and don’t see any gluten free cookies, ask for them.

I am hoping they will be a regular feature now in the cookie case:

I hope they make a slot for the gluten free cookies in the cookie case at Jacob Lake Inn

So, if you are planning a trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and you are a gluten free diet eating cookie lover, make it a part of your plan to stop in a patronize Jacob Lake Inn. I am always willing to shop and spend my money at a place that is making an effort to accomodate my diet. They are located at the intersection of Hwy 89A and Hwy 67 in northern Arizona. And tell them Karen sent you!

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Arizona, Gluten Free, north rim

Breakfast Out

Karen · 3 Comments

We decided to go to the North Rim Lodge for breakfast this morning. They have a gluten free menu since last year. I ordered the gluten free pancakes with eggs and bacon. These pancakes were soooo goood!

Gluten free pancakes at the North Rim Lodge

This was the first time since April 2007 that I have been able to order pancakes at a restaurant. I know that doesn’t sound like a big thing to other people, but to me? Heaven! Those pancakes were delicious.

After breakfast, I walked out on the back porch of the lodge to take a few pictures. Yes, this is my fourth season working her, but I don’t have enough picutures yet, OK?

NOrth Rim Grand Canyon view from the back porch of the lodge

It was a bit smoky out there today from the fire over in Flagstaff, but still, it was a beautiful day!

More canyon

Lots of people come and sit in those chairs and watch the sunset on the back porch of the lodge.

Grand Canyon North Rim

and one more:

Grand Canyon view at the North Rim Lodge

I still feel like I have to pinch myself sometimes to believe I get to work here. Ah, fate!

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Filed Under: North Rim Tagged With: Arizona, Gluten Free, north rim

May Is Celiac Awareness Month

Karen · 3 Comments

And it would just be wrong of me not to advise you to get tested for Celiac disease if you think you have it. While I have written about my own journey in the gluten free world and have told you that I haven’t been tested, it really IS best to have the tests done to determine if you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance BEFORE you start eating a gluten free diet. I did not do it because I have no health insurance, and my symptoms were so severe that I was ready to just feel better. By the time I realized that eating gluten free made me feel so much better, it was too late to go back. I am not interested in ingesting wheat, and getting sick from it, long enough to get an accurate test result. However, there are many many reasons that you SHOULD get tested, as documented by Linda here.

Linda has some very good arguments FOR getting tested, and I agree with a lot of them. But, I still say if you have no health insurance and can not afford to get tested, and you strongly suspect that your problems are caused by your diet, then by all means, don’t be afraid to try a dietary change. When I discussed my gluten free diet with my own doctor last year, after I had been eating gluten free for more than three years, he said “I wish more people would listen to their bodies.” He agreed with me that if eating gluten free was helping me, there was no need to test.

And I bring all this up again, because this morning I received this press release from  The College of American Pathologists (with emphasis on certain phrases by me):

Gluten-free foods can be found everywhere from restaurants to grocery stores.  Who needs to go gluten-free?  For people diagnosed with Celiac disease, adopting a gluten-free diet is no fad.  It is a medical treatment.

“As a physician who specializes in pathology, I know that Celiac disease is no longer rare; it strikes one in 100 people from ages two to 80,” advises David L. Booker, MD, FCAP, a board-certified pathologist and Chairman of the Pathology Department at Trinity Hospital of Augusta in Augusta, Ga.  “If symptoms get progressively worse and are chronic, it’s wise to get tested.”

The symptoms and signs of Celiac disease can include chronic:

  • Abdominal cramps
  • Diarrhea
  • Excess gas production
  • Anemia
  • Growth failure in children
  • Decreased fertility in women

Early in the disease, some patients may have no symptoms at all. In fact, 88 percent don’t know that they have it. Long-term Celiac disease can lead to osteoporosis or intestinal cancer if left undiagnosed and untreated.

“As a pathologist, I diagnose diseases including cancer and Celiac disease. If you are experiencing chronic symptoms, I recommend that you get screened for Celiac disease.  A simple blood test could confirm if you have the disease,” adds Dr. Booker.  “Blood testing for Celiac disease is sensitive and accurate and can be further confirmed with a biopsy.”

Pathologists are physicians who examine cells, tissues, and body fluids to diagnose diseases.  They interpret lab tests to help prevent an illness or monitor a chronic health condition.  Pathologists are core members of the patient care team, with more than 70 percent of all decisions about diagnosis, treatment, hospital admission, and discharge resting on the pathologist’s report.  Pathologists can explain test results to patients who are uncertain about what they mean.

“If you suspect that you have Celiac disease, contact your primary care provider to see if you need to be screened. If possible, it is best not to start a gluten-free diet until you are tested, as this change may affect your test results and make the diagnosis more difficult,” recommends Dr. Booker.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is a medical society serving more than 17,000 physician members and the laboratory community. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of board-certified pathologists and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The College is an advocate for high-quality and cost-effective patient care. Visit cap.org. View video at http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/media/booker_0111.wmv.

So, there you have it. many arguements FOR testing, and my lonely argument that is not exactly against testing, but more of encouraging you to eat what is right for you whether you can afford testing or not. Either way, if you suspect you have Celiac disease, the main thing is for you to determine in some way that you do, and to take action to get well by eating a healthy, balanced diet free of gluten so that you can life a happy life. Be aware of your symptoms, be aware of your own body, and be aware that Celiac disease is real, and many people suffer from it who do not know they have it.

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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Life on the road Tagged With: Gluten Free, gluten intolerance, symptoms of celiac disease

Some Information About Gluten Intolerance

Karen · 6 Comments

I have been eating a gluten free diet since 2007.  That is when my cousin sent me an email telling me he had been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. That was the first time I had heard about Celiac Disease, and because all of the symptoms he described in his email were what I myself had been experiencing, I decided to take gluten out of my diet. There are as many different opinions about whether to start a gluten free diet before being tested for gluten intolerance or not, but I don’t have health insurance so I did not get tested. I just knew that the symptoms I had were not something I could live with, and if not eating a certain thing would make those symptoms go away, then I would try it.

Now, if you are a squeamish person, you shouldn’t read this next sentence or two. I am going to tell you what some of my symptoms were: The main thing I had was chronic diarrhea–diarrhea so bad that I had pooped my pants in public several times, and was at 55 years old, considering buying some Depends adult diapers. I was soooooo embarrassed by that. I could not go out to eat unless I knew where the bathroom was, and was sitting near it. As soon as I started eating, I would have to go, and it was a struggle to get to the toilet in time.

This is no laughing matter–imagine how you would feel, as an adult, knowing you were going to have to walk back out to the table at a restaurant and tell your spouse that it was time to go home, even if he had just started eating his meal. Or if you were in a store, shopping,  and had to leave. Can you imagine how emabarrassed you would be if you had to walk out to your vehicle with your own poop running down your legs? Well, I was THAT person. It only got worse the older I got.  So, when that email came from my cousin, it was like a gift, the greatest gift I have ever gotten. And while no one wants to think there is something wrong with them, to find out that I could stop the embarrassing chronic diarrhea just by not eating gluten, that was just something that made me so happy!

I had other symptoms, too, but I had never connected them together. I had tingling and numbness in my feet, but I thought that it was because I have Type II Diabetes, and that it was inevitable that I would get Peripheral Neuropathy due to the diabetes.  I had migraine like headaches; pain in my legs so bad I had to take pain relievers every night before going to bed; my teeth were breaking easily and I developed many cavities in them; I sometimes felt like I was in a “fog”, like I couldn’t focus my brain on something; anything I ate gave me gas; my ears itched inside.  The list of symptoms goes on and on.

After eating a gluten free diet for only 4 days, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my trips to the bathroom were already decreasing. As time went on, I noticed that my feet didn’t tingle anymore, that my legs didn’t hurt at night, that I was able to think more clearly, and that I was no longer having debilitating headaches. Now, 5 years later, I am still amazed at how much better I feel just by not eating foods that contain gluten. The only time I get a headache now is when I knowingly or unknowingly eat something that has gluten in it. (Yes, every now and then I DO eat something on purpose, just because it tastes good. But that is only about once every four or five months).

I felt like Mother’s Day was an appropriate time to write about this, because I want my children and siblings to know and understand why I changed my diet. The long term results of a gluten intolerant person  continuing to eat a diet that contains gluten can be very detrimental to that person’s health. Eating gluten causes  inflammation of the intestines,  which leads to disruption of the structure and function of the small bowel’s mucosal lining and causes malabsorption as it impairs the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, minerals and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K from food. This means, that while you may be eating a balanced diet, you body is not absorbing the nutrients from it. You are starving your body for the nutrients it needs every time you eat gluten.

Other conditions that have been  associated with gluten intolerance include anemia, bone disease, seizures, cerebellar ataxia, schizophrenia and autism. People who have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance are more likely to develop intestinal or liver cancer.

Although I have never been tested, my body’s response to eliminating gluten from my diet tells me that I do have at the very least gluten intolerance, and maybe even Celiac Disease. Because it is a genetic, immune disorder, I will continue to pass on the information to my children and siblings, even if they turn a deaf ear to it.  Another thing you should know about Celiac testing, is that you can test negative for it and still be gluten intolerant. And because I know there are my cousin, my daugher, a niece and myself who all have it, I think more of my family members could have it, and would benefit from eating a gluten free diet.

It’s all because I love you, my sister, my brothers, my cousins, my children, my grandchildren.  I am asking you all to try eating a gluten free diet for a month, to see if you, too would feel better and benefit from a healthier way of life.

Some books I recommend reading:
The Gluten Connection: How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Health–And What You Can Do to Take Control Now

Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.

Celiac Disease : A Hidden Epidemic

The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide

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Filed Under: Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Loving It Tagged With: Gluten Free, gluten intolerance, symptoms of celiac disease

A Gluten Free Giveaway

Karen · Leave a Comment

I am getting the trailer ready to roll again in a week or so, and in the process I am cleaning out cabinets, cupboards, and closets. I found a whole bunch of gluten free stuff, so much that I need to “thin the herd” so to speak. So, I am giving away a BIG BOX of gluten free goodies. To enter, hop on over to my review blog and take a look at the pics of the prize!

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: giveaway, Gluten Free

Chocolate Covered Bacon! OH, Yes She Did!

Karen · 14 Comments

Today I made a treat for me and FabGrandpa. I have been wanting to try making some chocolate covered bacon. Yes, you read that right. You love chocolate don’t you? You love bacon, too, right?  So it only be appropriate to marry those up together, I thought.

I baked some bacon in the oven until it was crispy and brown:

Baked to crispy brown goodness

Then I melted some Wilton’s Candy Melts in the microwave:

Ooooo, Yum! Chocolate!

Then I dipped the bacon pieces into the melted chocolate and made sure they were covered well:

chocolate covered bacon
Looking delicious!

And then I put them on a pan and put it the refrigerator so the chocolate would set:

chocolate covered bacon
Chocolate covered bacon

And then, the ultimate test:

Oooooooooooooooooo, Honey! This is delicious. Not something to eat every day, but when you want a special treat? Divine! And, no gluten. So there!

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: bacon, chocolate, Gluten Free, Recipes

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