April Fools' Day

I considered writing an April Fools' post but there really isn't anything funny about allergies. Today on CNN I saw this article. It reminded me of some of the things that bother me so much about allergies and intolerance, such as kids not being able to enjoy the same things their friends enjoy and feeling left. Then there are the parents that worry about their children being safe and adults that aren't ready for change and don't want to give up favorite foods and traditions. I could go on and on.

Teddy reminded me of a little girl I used to take care of. She was allergic to eggs and nuts as well as on a GFCF diet for autism. I quickly learned what was safe for her to eat. She would make me read the ingredients on everything I gave her. Although I found it annoying at times I was proud of her for being so diligent with her diet.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Just because you're eating gluten-free doesn't mean you have to give up on traditions or celebrating holidays. With St. Patrick's day coming up I've been looking for some Irish recipes. I received this recipe for Irish Soda Bread in my email from Living Without magazine. I like how they give you suggestions on how to adjust the recipe for those with additional food allergies.

Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups high-protein, gluten-free flour blend (recipe below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup gluten-free oats
1 egg or flax gel*
1 cup buttermilk or milk of choice (rice, hemp, soy, almond)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly dust a cookie sheet with gluten-free flour.
Mix flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and oats in a bowl.
Add egg (or flax gel) and buttermilk and mix to form a soft, sticky dough.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead three times.
Shape dough into a 6-inch flat round. Place it on prepared cookie sheet.
Sprinkle it with gluten-free flour and score a large X on the top.
Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.
*TIP To make flax gel, combine 1 tablespoon flax meal with 3 tablespoons hot water. Let sit until thickened, about ten minutes.

Gluten-Free High-Protein Flour Blend
1¼ cups bean flour, chickpea flour or soy flour
1 cup arrowroot starch, cornstarch or potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 cup white or brown rice flour

Blend ingredients together. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until used.

From Living Without, recipe by Rebecca Reilly.

Valentine's Day Dinner at Cafe Agri

This Valentine's Day Cafe Agri in Minneapolis is offering a set menu for two for $50.

The gluten-free dinner for 2 includes:
Smoked Trout stuffed beet appetizer
Wild mushroom risotto
Loving gluten-free cookie plate
Any bottle of wine

Call ahead to make your reservations.
Cafe Agri
4300 Bryant Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55409
612.822.3101

GF Valentine's Day Treats

We can barely go to St. Paul without stopping at Cooqi for a treat. Can you blame us? How yummy does this cupcake look?

This year for Valentine's Day they are offering some fun gluten-free treats for your sweetheart. These treats include a personal box of chocolates, chocolate lollipops and sweetheart cupcakes. After my sweetheart reads this he'll probably try to find an excuse for us to go to St. Paul.

If you purchase a ½ dozen or more of any item they will gift-wrap it for free from now through February 14th.

Gluten-Free Hams & Turkeys

As we were defrosting our turkey for Christmas Eve it reminded me that people new to the gluten-free diet might not know to check if the turkey or ham is gluten-free. The glaze or preservatives can contain gluten. If you are going to someone's house you may be concerned about whether the meat contains gluten. Here are just a couple that can be gluten-free.

We're making a Honeysuckle White turkey. The packaging states that it is free of MSG and gluten and their website confirms that the majority of their products are gluten-free with a few exceptions which they list.

The following Jennie-O Turkeys are gluten free:
Natural Choice Prime Young Turkey, Premium Basted Young Turkey, Fresh Young Turkey

The HoneyBaked Ham Co. has changed their glazes on the signature meats to be gluten-free. You can enjoy the HoneyBaked Ham, Sliced & Glazed Turkey Boneless Ham.
You can search their site for additional nutrition information. The new glaze contains modified food starch which is corn based.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Cafe Agri

I was pretty shocked to see the words gluten-free stuffing as I scanned my City Pages Dining Newsletter. If you are looking for a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal in the Twin Cities you are in luck. Cafe Agri has a special Thanksgiving menu. It includes a tofu-dish shaped like a turkey, gluten-free stuffing, cranberry sauce and corn. Just because someone is gluten-free does not mean they like to cook.
Now my husband wouldn't be too thrilled about the turkey shaped tofu but it is nice to see that there are options, even on a holiday.

Make sure to make reservations by Wednesday, November 26th.
Cafe Agri
612-822-3101

Gluten-Free Halloween Candy

Last Halloween I passed out a couple of different kinds of candy including some with wheat. My theory was if I bought some with wheat I wouldn't have to worry as much about people in the house eating it before Halloween. I felt bad when Halloween came around and I grabbed a piece of wheat candy and a little girl explained that she couldn't have it becaue she was allergic to wheat. Luckily I had other options for her. Because I heard that some siblings would trade 1 piece of GF candy for multiple pieces of wheat candy. Pretty sneaky... :)

Remember to check labels regularly. Candy manufacturers can change ingredients or ingredient vendors and are also known to change facilities. Also check the ingredients on different sizes and versions of candies. A candy in a fun size may not always have the same ingredients as the full size version.

Are you looking for natural, vegan, gluten-free, casein free, organic lollipops? Yummy Earth has lollipops that are allergen free and also free of high fructose corn syrup.

If you like Tootsie roll products and are wondering if certain candies are gluten-free click here to go to their website. Under "Product Nutrition" select the appropriate candy and it will tell you the allergen information for that product.

Just Born products:

Are your candies gluten-free?
The modified food starch that we use in our candies in corn starch. We are in the process of updating our package labels to reflect products that are gluten free. Our gluten free brands are: MIKE AND IKE® Brand Candies, HOT TAMALES® Brand Candies, PEEPS® Marshmallow Candies, PEANUT CHEW® Brand candies, TEENEE BEANEE® Jelly Beans and JUST BORN® Jelly Bean. This information pertains to all Just Born candies that we make and package at our two manufacturing locations (Bethlethem, PA and Philadelphia, PA) and are in their orginal packaging. Please be aware that we do sell some of our products in bulk to other manufacturers who may be repackaging them in another facility. We encourage consumers to read the labels carefully for any gluten information on products that might be packaged elsewhere. For further questions, we recommend consumers call our Consumer Relations Team toll-free at 1-888-645-3453.