Beaches top to bottom

I am halfway between the Gulf and the Atlantic on my two-week work-and-play combo tour of America's beaches. Okay, it's not really that glamorous: I'm just finishing up a week of work in Orlando (which took me to Seminole and Madiera beach, pictured here) and am now sitting in the airport, headed out for much-needed vacation time on the Cape at my annual family reunion.

Living out of a hotel room and working 15+ hours a day, I haven't had much opportunity for cooking or even eating well. Thank you to Lara Bars and Nana's Gluten-Free cookies for keeping me from starving in this land of Denny's and Chik-Fil-A's.

While on the Cape, I will actually do a fair amount of cooking. Our family breaks down the dinners (breakfasts and lunches on your own) so that a pair of relatives works together each night to prepare supper for everyone. I'm "on" with my grandma and stepfather on Sunday night, and I think we're doing polenta with a mushroom saute. My grandma is bringing fresh heirloom tomatoes from her garden in Virginia for a delicious salad. I'll be sure to snap pics of everything that is wonderful in the coming week at our cottage.

Of the record seventeen (!) people coming this year, I am the only vegetarian and now also the only GF foodie, so I foresee some culinary acrobatics on nights when others are cooking. My mom is bringing some GF waffles and pasta for me, so I think we can improvise. (She was a professional cook for many years.) My aunts are each planning GF meals too, and I can't wait to see what they come up with that I can take home to Alex.

I won't be posting anything for at least another 10 days, but I will be basking in the dear Cape sun, biking along trails lined with honeysuckles and blueberries, riding our boat out to watch fireworks on the ocean, and generally trying hard to do nothing. I can't wait!!!!

Till next week- your pale, but soon to be slightly tanner- Foodie.

A Note on GF traveling

As I mentioned yesterday, Larabars are my new favorite nourishment when stranded without sympathizers or those knowledgeable about the issue (like my waiter last night who said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure the flourless cake is gluten-free; we don't make it in-house, but I would guess it's fine because it says 'flourless.'") I'm learning on this trip--my first extensive travel since going GF--that guesses are not enough to keep me healthy. So what do I recommend eating when on the go and without a refrigerator?

Keep in your bag:
*Larabars- especially the Cinnamon Roll and Ginger Snap flavors
*Roasted nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit (be sure to check the labels, especially if they are flavored because they can contain malt extract, "natural flavors," wheat starch, or other additives).

*Fresh fruit!!! I bought a jar of PB to keep in my room and slather on bananas (no refrigeration required). Pick things with a glycemic bang since you may have to subsist on it for a while before returning to healthy home base...

*Potato chips, corn chips, vegetable chips (again, check the labels carefully for flavorings and additives, stick with those labeled "Gluten-Free").

*GF cookies! I love Pamela's Pecan Shortbread Cookies, they are so buttery and flaky, you would never know they were "missing" anything. Alex loves them too.

Look for at restaurants:
*When in doubt, order a salad. Be sure there aren't croutons and that the dressing doesn't have additives (to be safe, ask for oil and balsamic or white vinegar- malt vinegar is made with barley).

*Risotto, polenta, paella, tofu and rice (no soy sauce, but tamari is OK), soups made without roux, and cheese plates are good fillers.

*Mexican food (get corn tortillas) is a good bet, but always check with the server to be sure. Hopefully yours will be better informed than mine was.

*French fries, potato wedges, baked potatoes are good, unless the fries are coated with flour before cooking (fast food restaurants in particular may do this, but many have menus inside with allergy information).

*Wine and tequila are usually fine. Here's a better list of safe alcoholic drinks.

Watch out for:
*Waiters and cooks who don't know what gluten is or who don't seem responsive to your questions.

*Most processed and pre-made foods, in delis and at restaurants.

Hello Chicago! (and Goodbye Oats!)

I'm in Chi-town this week for work, and aside from pulling 16-hour days with a crew of 12 others, I'm navigating the limited culinary options for a GF veggie on the road. While Chicago has fine offerings for any diet, the constraints of my work schedule are such that I'm lucky to land a salad at a fast food joint as we pass by. I can't wait to properly explore the city and its cuisine, but for now, I am savoring bananas with peanut butter and late-night Lara Bars.

Sadly, I think I got "glutened" on Sunday and I'm still suffering the effects. To explain, getting "glutened" is what folks in the GF world call being exposed to gluten, something that is more severe for Celiacs, who need only a small bit of crumbs or wheat-based additives to feel a reaction. It can be hard to pin down exactly what causes your reaction, because for many people the effects of exposure can often take 12+ hours to show up and then can last days or weeks, depending on the severity.

On Sunday, I was stranded in the Delta Shuttle terminal of LaGuardia airport for 8 hours as the crew scrambled to find a missing part for the plane (hardly reassuring on its own...) The only food option was the Panini Grill, which offered only meaty salads and meaty sandwiches, so there was nothing I could eat. I watched as the estimated departure time rose from 2:55 pm to 3:25 pm and then to 4:45 pm and so on until the late evening (we didn't end up taking off until 10 pm). After about 8 hours without food and a long journey ahead if me, I caved in to my growling stomach and bought a yogurt with granola, a risky venture that I knew might lead to illness. But it was either that or eat meat, so I chose my morals over my health (a choice I'm still paying for today).

The problem with granola is that although oats do not contain wheat or rye or barley (or the other gluten-based flours), they are considered so contaminated with wheat that they can cause a gluten reaction. Oats are usually grown in the same fields as wheat and processed, packaged, and shipped with wheat, making it very likely that they contain traces of gluten (although certified GF Oats are available now). Different countries have different standards on classifying oats: the US is the strictest, while the UK lets up to a certain contamination level pass. Scientists and nutritionists are still debating this issue, but I think my body has reached its own conclusion.

So now I am paying for that precious meal--in the form of a migraine that woke me up at 3:45 this morning and kept me up until 5:00, a sore throat, exhaustion, the feeling that I'm getting sick, and terrible stomach pain--I won't make that gamble again. I haven't felt this rotten from exposure since I stopped eating gluten, but I think that could be the very reason I'm experiencing such a strong reaction: my body has had a chance to heal, but now it is faced with its enemy and is attacking full force (please stop!!)

The up-side is that I can completely prevent this from ever happening, as long as I'm diligent and have support from the friends and family who are sharing food with me, then I have the tools to keep myself healthy. If it means starving for 8 hours in LaGuardia, the temporary pain is worth it to avoid days of punishment, but in the future, I really need to plan ahead and pack my own GF snacks for just such a predicament.

Hopefully I'll be better shortly and can post some delicious things we made this past weekend. Until then, I'll be trying to recover while working this crazy schedule for another day (7:30 am till midnight tomorrow) and then I will try to rest. I have so much sympathy for people out there who have this kind of reaction to even the smallest exposure: a "contaminated" cutting board used to slice bread; a kiss from your honey after he or she took a sip of beer; using shampoo or lipstick containing gluten. Thankfully, I think I have been fine with these things so far. If only I was home, I would drink my miracle concoction of fresh juices which I believe can heal any ailment:

Soothing Apple-Lemon-Ginger Tonic
Makes one 12-16oz. juice

In a juicer, combine:
3 green apples
3 lemons
1/2 cup fresh ginger

Chill or add ice cubes to soothe your heart and tummy.

Starting out

Let me start at the beginning:

6 weeks ago, I was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity and, as a vegetarian, I immediately revolted against the reality that I would have to give up seitan, fake meats, baguette, pizza, scones, cakes, cookies...you see where I'm going. I lay on the couch and scarfed a bowl of whole wheat pasta, drank my last Corona, and lamented, "This is the beginning of the end, I will never enjoy food again!"

6 weeks later, I am incredibly happy with my decision to cut out gluten, incredibly healthy, and having far more fun in the kitchen than in years prior. A vegetarian since age 8, I've gotten used to making special requests at restaurants and the awkward dinner party, and I assumed this would be another, much larger, headache. Thankfully, due to my incredibly supportive partner, the abundance of good food available to me, and reading GF blogs (thank you Shauna!) and cookbooks online, it is an exciting journey and I am eating better than before! Coupled with this, my boyfriend and I moved in together just a month before my diagnosis, so I have a great incentive (and awesome encouragement) to keep trying out new recipes and refining my culinary skills. It was at his urging that I began this blog, and it will be to his benefit as well :)

I hope this can be a celebration of delicious "foodie" as we call it in my family, a resource for others with gluten sensitivities, and a fun diversion from the less-pleasurable things in life. I am just learning the art of blogging, so please bear with me, but hopefully this can be user-friendly and a feast for the eyes (and tummy). I decided to start this because I couldn't find many exclusively vegetarian GF blogs, and I think the more we can concentrate and share our food ideas, the better. So please enjoy! Recipes coming soon.