National Noodle Month

March is National Noodle Month! And fellow Gluten Free blogger Karina, Gluten Free Goddess, has rallied Gluten Free cooks and asked us to ‘show off your noodle’

My month started out with good intensions, I had so many recipes in mind I was going to noodle up a Gluten Free storm. Of course, as the month went on ‘things’ got in the way. Particularly the fact that I have decided to re-join the workforce! After 12months of working from home and travelling the world, it has certainly come as a shock to the system, but all in all I am enjoying it. Best of all, my new work mates love food. Honestly at lunch times you would think we were on the set of a movie with the spread we put on. Each day we take it in turns making lunch for the group and gradually everyone is learning how to adjust recipes to be Gluten Free. It is wonderful to have so much support and encouragement from people at work.

So here it is…

Gluten Free Suzi’s - March Noodle Recipe
I decided on this recipe as it is actually the meal that we ate the most frequently during March, plus it is the most requested meal when I cook for my friends…. It is quick and easy to make, you can improvise and come up with many variations, and it makes a fantastic lunch the next day ☺

Thai Chicken Yellow Curry

Ingredients

500g chicken thighs, finely sliced
1/2 onion
1/2 leek, finely sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 fresh red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced
1 kaffir lime leaf, finely sliced
1 small baby bok choy
1 cup brocolli, small florets
1 teasp Thai Kitchen yellow curry paste
2 dessert spoons brown sugar
1/2 cup Gluten Free Harvest Sun chicken stock
1 dessert spoon fish sauce
1 440g can coconut milk
1 packet of thick rice noodles

Place rice noodles in a large mixing bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit while preparing curry.

Pour coconut milk into wok, add curry paste and bring to the boil. Once boiled reduced to a simmer, add chicken strips and onion. Simmer. When the onion softens and the outside of the chicken goes white, add remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, until vegetables have softened and taken on the flavour of the sauce.

Just before serving, drain rice noodles and add to yellow curry and gently folding through.

Serve hot and garnish with crushed peanuts or cashews.

Enjoy!

~ This recipe will also work with Thai Kitchen Green and Red Curry Paste ~

gluten free noodle recipe round up

 

Enjoy Life Foods - Cranapple Crunch

On Monday, whilst in Vancouver, we decided to visit Whole Foods Market for some Gluten Free supplies. I was extremely excited to find that they are now stocking Enjoy Life granola!!!

I first found Enjoy Life cereal in a small town off the coast of Alaska. We were on the Alaskan ferry traveling up the inside passage when our ship docked for an hour. We decided to take a break on land and stock up on supplies. We visited the local grocery store and out of interest I strolled around to check for Gluten Free goodies. I was totally surprised to find Gluten Free Granola. At that stage I had been in North America for 8 months and was desperately missing my morning muesli/granola. I quickly purchase a few boxes before we returned to the ship. The next morning I sat out on the deck, surrounded by majestic snow capped mountains and luminous aqua waterways, and indulged on 2 bowls of Enjoy Life Very Berry Crunch ☺ A definite highlight of my holiday.

I hope that in time more companies will create Gluten Free muesli and granolas. After 2 years of cornflakes, I struggle to keep them interesting. If anyone knows of other North American companies with Gluten Free muesli or granola, please let me know.

Enjoy!

ENJOY LIFE FOODS CONTAIN NO:
wheat/gluten
dairy
peanuts
tree nuts
egg
soy
fish
shellfish

For more information see http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/content/Allergy.asp

 

Gluten Free Cornflake Cookies

Well our rainy season has arrived! So what better to do than start baking.

I decided to go with a childhood favourite of mine - Gluten Free Cornflake Cookies. I used one of my Mum’s old tried and true recipes with just a few changes to make it my own. I did some research on the internet and apparently these cookies we quite the popular treat in the 70’s. One women said she had waited to 10 years to find the elusive recipe!

So for all those people out there who were wondering about the delicious cookies they enjoyed in the 70’s.. here it is

Gluten Free Cornflake Cookies

Cookie Baking Tips

- When making cookies in order to ‘cream’ the butter and sugar, the butter needs to be a room temperature. If you are short for time, you can soften the butter in the microwave, but do it on low setting. If you do accidentally melt it (as I did yesterday) you just need to harden it again. You can do this by leaving it in the freezer for a few minutes (or outside in the snow as I often do). If you then forget about it and it freezes, place your baking bowl on the stove hotplace on the minimum setting for just a minute until you get the desired consistency.

- Experiment with your oven. Each oven will cook differently, so if your using a new oven set your alarm for a shorter time so that you remember to check on the cookies more frequently.

- Position baking trays as near to the centre of the oven as possible. Trays should not touch each other or the side of the oven.

- Always place cookie dough on cool baking trays. This will avoid the dough spreading too quickly and cookies becoming thin.

- Cool cookies on the baking tray for a least 5 mins or until they set and you can remove them from the tray without breaking them.

Enjoy!

 

A bowl of Gluten Free Corn Flakes

This morning we have woken to pouring rain. It is much warmer in Whistler valley and spring is certainly in the air. Today I find myself thinking back to all those wonderful winter days, when we were up at the crack of dawn and chomping at the bit to go snowboard some fresh powder. Below an snippet from my journal about a typical day in my gluten free life…

“All the energy I need for a days snowboarding from a bowl of Gluten Free corn flakes topped with fresh banana, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and maple syrup.”

What a magical day! Except for the alarm going off a 6:45am that is..

This morning we woke to 30cm of fresh snow and perfect blue bird skies. You can feel the excitement building in the house as everyone rushes to get ready for first lifts. I start my morning with my energy fix of Gluten Free corn flakes topped with banana, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and maple syrup. It’s going to be a long day and I need all the energy I can get. We make it to Whistler and are fairly early in the Creekside line up. At 8:30 the gondola opens and we are bursting with excitement to get up the mountain.

We spend the morning carving up fresh lines in the open bowls, enjoying deep powder in the gladed tree runs and laughing at my terrible attempts to get air off some jumps. By mid morning we are beside ourselves with excitement at being one of the first groups down Whistler bowl and Shale slope. Few get to enjoy this long, fast, steep run in waist deep powder… aahh this is what living is all about!! After a few lines down Whistler we take off for a run through Khyber, managing to sneak more of that fresh snow everyone has been search for. It is magical out there. No one around, sun shining through the old growth forest of hundred year old pine trees and fresh snow twinkling in the sunlight… Whistler really is a winter Disneyland!

By midday it is time to head home and indulge in some delicious Gluten Free foods. All morning we have been discussing how great it would have been to have bacon and eggs for breakfast, so we decided to have them for lunch. A perfect treat to fill our bellies and prepare us for a well earned afternoon nap.

 

Gluten Free Balsamic Chicken

During the winter time at least once we week we have a ‘family’ dinner with all our friends. Last week we were lucky enough to have one of my very good friends from Australia cook for us. He was visiting Whistler and for over a month now has been making our taste buds water with talk of his infamous Balsamic Chicken.

Now there is some history to this dish, which I believe has quite a name for itself amongst a certain group of Aussies in Brisbane. Colin, the creator of this delicious delight, considers this his #1 winning dish to cook any time he needs to impress. He in turn passed the recipe onto his good friend Mikey, who in turn dazzled us with a stunning meal and some delicious wine.

And now to me… I pass on the recipe for all to enjoy. It is naturally Gluten Free and well worth saving for an evening with that special someone…

I hope you enjoy Balsamic Chicken as much as we have.

Happy Gluten Free Cooking

 

Comment on GFL Recipes

We have just added a new feature to Gluten Free Living which allows you to leave a comment on our recipes. So don’t forget to let everyone know how much you enjoy our delicious recipes You can even leave suggested variations or substitutes. Plus, you can now send your favorite recipes to your friends directly from your favorite recipe page with our new ‘Send this recipe to a friend’ feature. It just keeps getting easier to share gluten free fun with your fellow gluten free foodies Enjoy

 

Coeliac Awareness Week 2007 - In the News

“silent sufferers to receive potentially life saving diagnosis”

It is estimated that as many as 250,000 Australians are suffering from Coeliac Disease, according to the Daily Telegraph March 12, 2007. They state that at 1 in 100 people are estimated to have the disease but only 1 in 5 are actually diagnosed. This is largely due to lack of awareness of the condition and symptoms being confused with other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), stress and aging.The symptoms for Coeliac Disease can include diarrhea, fatigue, constipation, weight loss, mouth ulcers, headaches and severe stomach cramps. Delayed diagnosis and long term exposure to gluten has also lead the disease to be linked to osteoporosis, infertility and multiple miscarriages and cancer. Due to the variety of non-specific symptoms it can be difficult for your GP to spot the signs for Coeliac Disease. This is why Graham Price of the Australian Coeliac Society recommends that you mention the potential of Coeliac to your GP. Although the awareness for Coeliac disease amongst GP’s has increased in recent years, there are still many people going undiagnosed as there are so many other conditions GP’s have to consider. In order to diagnose Coeliac, a blood test is taken followed by a biopsy. It is believed that while people are born with a predisposition to the disease, only 1 in 30 will develop Coeliac Disease. Environmental factors have been attributed to triggering the condition and recent research suggests delaying the introduction of Gluten products until after a baby is four months old can assist with preventing the condition.

Currently there is no cure for Coeliac Disease, but it can be managed by following a strict Gluten Free diet.

According to the Daily Telegraph “Doctor’s at the Royal Adelaide Hospital announced last year they had developed a miniature laser telescope that can provide virtual biopsies of the small bowel to give more accurate diagnosis.” And the “Royal Melbourne hospital is also involved in trials of a vaccine”

Campaigners are using Coeliac awareness week to highlight the symptoms of the condition and to try to get more “silent sufferers to receive potentially life saving diagnosis”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My two cents… I am continually impressed by the research, development and campaigning for Coeliac Disease. When I was diagnosed many years ago, most people had never even heard of Coeliac let alone Gluten. Now it seams a day doesn’t go by that I don’t meet another Coeliac or someone who has a friend or family member with the condition.

I recently had two Australian friends come and visit me in Canada. Before they arrived they had never heard of Coeliac, but through the course of their stay, they learnt about my condition and how to cater for a gluten free diet. When I told them this week that 1 in 100 Australian’s actually suffered from the disease, they were shocked. As avid myspace addicts they replied that it meant they must know at least 2 or 3 other people with the condition as they have almost 300 friends linked to their myspace. So we set the challenge and sure enough the next day, they found more of their friends that had or knew someone with Coeliac!

I was intrigued by our experiment and so would like to set the challenge to all my other friends; do you know someone (other than me) with Coeliac?

Only yesterday, when I was updating my blog, another friend of a friend mentioned that his girlfriend’s Dad has just been diagnosed at 60!

So talk to your families and friends and see if you can find someone else who has Coeliac, you may just be surprised by the results!

 

Coeliac Awareness Week 2007 – Interesting Facts

Some interesting facts from this month’s Australian Coeliac Sentinel

The 12th International Celiac Symposium was held in New York in Nov. 2006, organised by an Australian, Dr. Peter Green who is Director of Celiac Disease Centre at Columbia University in New York City. The high but undetected rate of celiac disease in many communities and patient groups was the topic of many of the presentations. In Hungary, community nurses used finger prick tests for celiac disease that can be read in 5 minutes to find affected children before they start school. Amongst the 2676 children tested, 1 in 73 were found to have Celiac disease. In Finland, it was reported that the prevalence of celiac disease has doubled in the last 20 years. In Sweden suffered from an epidemic of celiac disease among children born in 1993, but only half as many children born with the disease in 1999. Sweden is now recommending not to introduce Gluten into a baby’s diet until 6 months and to breast feed until at least 9 months as studies have shown that environment plays a critical role in determining whether Coeliac disease does develop.

The most interesting session was regarding initial clinic trials of a drug designed to reduce intestinal leakiness. The drug was safe and showed promising activity to reduce the damage caused by moderate amounts of gluten.

Australia is doing research work leading to the design of a Coeliac vaccine. Australia has a large footprint on the Coeliac world map. Our food labeling laws are the most advanced in the world, and our research is highly regarded.

 

Coeliac Awareness Week - What’s on 2007

~ A week aimed at raising awareness of Coeliac Disease to ensure an early diagnosis ~

Here are just a few of the activities on for Australian Coeliac Awareness Week: Queensland * Delectable gluten free morning tea - bring a friend! Monday When: 10.00 am, Monday 19th March, 2007 Where: Grand Ballroom, Stamford Plaza Hotel, Cnr Edward & Margaret Streets, Brisbane * Chinese Gluten Free Dinner At Lido’s When: Friday, 16th March Where: Lido’s Chinese restaurant Moores St, Acacia Ridge Cost: $29.00 * An Information Morning For Members Only It is a great opportunity to ask some questions about gluten free food and labeling. Bring along your ingredient list. There will be light refreshments. When: Saturday, 17TH March, 2007 Where: Ground Floor 25 Evelyn St, Newstead For more information contact the Queensland Coeliac Society

New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory
* Canberra Support Group had a Gluten Free Food Fair over the weekend.
* Dubbo group have a information table at Dubbo Centro on Wednesday 14
* The Hills District have a stand at Stockland Mall from 17-20 March.
* All week the Health Food Store in the Port Pacific in Port Macquarie will be taking free blood tests to help with diagnosis of Coeliac Disease and will also have Naturopaths on hand to answer questions.

South Australia
* All day seminar (6 professional speakers) March 15, at St Xavier’s Church Hall Cnr Wakefield St & King William St, Adelaide

Victoria

* 13/3/07 Gluten Free Diet the Healthy Way discussion with Dietitian Melanie Nichols
* 14/3/07 Multi Purpose Bread Mix & more demonstration by Well and Good
* 15/3/07 Free fun cafe style sampling of new Freedom Foods range
* 17/3/07 Gluten Free Bus Shopping Tour Download flyer
* 19/3/07 Discussion and Demonstration Children Treats

The Gluten Free Bus Tour
Saturday March 17, 2007
Departing 10am Caulfield Railway Station
Returning approximately 4pm
Cost $60 per person including lunch
To book contact the Victoria Coeliac Society

“Come join us for a gluten free shopping tour and stock up. Departing from Caulfield Railway Station at 10.00am. Travelling to Gluten Free foods in Mornington. Followed by a two course lunch at The Grand Hotel in Mornington, then onto a Gluten Free Cash and Carry (Orgran) and finishing up at Sunnybrook.”

 

Coeliac Awareness Week - Australia 2007

Today marks the beginning of Australia’s Coeliac Awareness Week.Every year the Australian Coeliac Society instigates publicity and events in an effort to create more awareness of Coeliac disease and the Gluten Free diet throughout Australia. Each state society holds events through local support groups targeting doctors, restaurants, food retailers, manufactures and the general public. Their objective is simple - spread the word about Coeliac disease and the requirements of a gluten free diet. Although I am in Canada and cannot be part of all the festivities back home I thought I would spend this week reporting on the various events and activities and do my little bit to help increase the awareness of Coeliac disease. Below is an interesting article from the Australian Coeliac Society, which talks about the prevalence of Coeliac disease in Australia and the effects it has on our society.

The gluten free diet is not a fad diet for over 250,000 Australians!

Coeliac Awareness Week
13 – 20 March

Medical practitioners and the food and catering industry need to be aware that for many Australians the gluten in wheat, rye, barley and oats is not food, but poison.

Coeliac Disease is now recognised as an underdiagnosed life long disease affecting over 250,000 Australians (prevalence 1:70-250 caucasians and west Asians) with a range of presentations.

How much of a burden to society is untreated coeliac disease?

We do not have the answer yet but we can say that we are working towards it and other important economic questions needed to be answered about coeliac disease. The Australian New Zealand Coeliac Research Fund has recently commissioned the School of Population Health, University of Melbourne to undertake an important project. Over the next twelve months, they will quantify, in health and economic terms, the full impact of coeliac disease, in Australia and New Zealand and identify useful priority areas for future research.

Some of the clinical features that prompt screening for coeliac disease are family history of coeliac disease, unexplained anaemia, fatigue, nutrient deficiency, diarrhoea, constipation, irritable bowel type symptoms (although gastrointestinal symptoms may not be present), osteoporosis, growth and developmental delay in children, recurrent mouth ulcers, unexplained neurological complaints, infertility and recurrent miscarriage, skin rash – typically itchy and blistering. Coeliac disease is associated with a range of conditions which include type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, liver enzyme disturbance, colitis and other autoimmune diseases.

Don’t trial a gluten free diet

A gluten free diet should never be started before an endoscopy and blood tests, as it will interfere with establishing the correct diagnosis or may delay the diagnosis of another condition with similar symptoms.

If you would like further information you can contact –
The Australian Coeliac Society on +61 2 9411 4100 or info@coeliac.org.au