Last Friday we were in charge of a preparing a birthday cake for our friends surprise party. I was busy working so my hubby decided he would take charge and make a delicious Gluten Free flourless chocolate cake. He did a fantastic job and it was an absolute hit at the party!

Tip: for serving, if you don’t have any nice platters, try covering a baking tray with aluminum foil, then place the cake on the tray and cover in melted chocolate topped with a sprinkle of icing sugar and some fresh strawberries.

Tonight we are catching up with more friends and again dessert is our treat… hmm what will I make? I think that in all this cold weather chocolate should be on the cards again. From looking through our recipes on Gluten Free Living I realise that I have been holding out on you and have not shared my famous Gluten Free Self Sourcing Chocolate Pudding recipe…. hhhmm pudding!!

I created this recipe a few years back and it is always a treat. Stay tuned and I will load the recipe on Gluten Free Living.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon and let’s get cooking

Well, in fact it is the opposite. I was more ‘Gluten Free’ in my first few years than I am today!

You see as I learn to live with my Gluten Free diet and rarely have any symptoms, I begin to get relaxed and comfortable with my regular brands and products. A perfect example is yesterday. I was buying some groceries for my work lunches this week at my regular grocery store, when I noticed that Rice Cakes were on special. My usual choice of butter popcorn was already sold out, so not being able to decide between White Cheddar or Tomato and Basil; I decided I would just get both.

Today I opened the packet of Tomato and Basil and was delighted how tasty they were. I was already planning the toppings I would add for lunch when I started to take notice at how much flavouring they were coated in and I began to wonder… hhmm maybe these are not Gluten Free? I was so tempted to just take another bite and claim ignorance, but I seam to be doing this a lot lately so decided to take my own advice and do some research.

This is what I found on the Quakers Canada Website in the FAQ -

13. Do you have any gluten-free products?
• Although The Quaker Oats Company of Canada primarily produces products that are grain-based, we do have a few gluten-free products. Most flavours of Quaker® Rice and Corn Cakes and Quaker® Crispy Minis Rice Chips are gluten free. However, our newest flavour of Quaker® Rice Cakes, Savoury Tomato & Basil, is not gluten free. Gatorade® Thirst Quencher, Aunt Jemima® Syrups and Quaker® Corn Meal are all gluten free. Quaker® Puffed Rice is also considered gluten free; however, as is produced on the same production line as Puffed Wheat, there is a minute chance of cross contamination. Due to changes which might occur to the product formula, it is important to check our ingredient listing regularly.

Doh! I was so upset with them for making a rice product and then adding yeast to it!!! Why I ask why!!! But on top of that I was angry and frustrated with myself. I know better than not to read the label on a product, especially a new flavour.

So Suzi’s new rule is:

“Always check the ingredients labels on new flavours and products, but to also check the products I eat regularly, because you never know then they change the ingredients and what is gluten free one day, may not be the next!”

Today for my work lunch I decided I would use some left over roast beef with some fresh organic ingredients for a yummy open toasted sandwich. This has become my new favourite combo, I can’t stop eating it!!! Here is the recipe..

Roast Beef Open Sandwiches
Glutino flax seed bread – toasted
fresh organic avocado
cold roast beef, lightly salted
slices of fresh organic red pepper
sliced of pickled banana peppers
fresh organic baby arugula leaves (or baby spinach)

Layer ingredients in order as listed and enjoy with an ice cold glass of water.

Tip: If you have trouble buying Gluten Free Bread, this would also be great with grilled polenta or on rice/corn crackers

Enjoy!

Surprisingly staying Gluten Free throughout all the chaos has not been as difficult as I might have thought! Here are some tips and tricks I have learnt along the way to keep my diet and energy levels balanced -

Breakfast – Arrive at work a little earlier and take advantage of the fabulous work kitchen…
For me I have my Natures Path Gorilla Munch (taking a break from the corn flakes) topped with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, half a banana and a drop of good ol’ Canadian Maple Syrup.

Lunch – Bring the toaster and all your appliances from home and cook up a gourmet lunch at work
For me I alternate between – nachos, cheese and ketchup on toast, toasted sandwiches with yummy salads and heated up left overs from last nights take away dinner.

Dinner – Remember all those fabulous friends you always cook dinner for? It’s time to pay them a visit
This is where you need to get the most creative. We have been alternating nights buying take out, offering to cook dinner for a friend at their house and getting invited over to friends for BBQ’s. This week, we will be house sitting for a friend, which works out great. They have even stocked there BBQ full on gas, saying ‘the Aussie’s are coming to stay, we better have the BBQ ready’

All in all we have been managing fairly well and I cannot wait to have my brand spankin’ new kitchen installed and cook up some delicious gluten free delights for my fellow Gluten Free Foodie Friends.

Suzi xo

Since my last post, which I now see was 2 weeks ago, I have managed to have a birthday, have an even bigger birthday party, buy an apartment, move into it and all this whilst working full time and having our busiest week of the year at the office!! Wow I am tired just writing about it.

With being so busy every day, I have not had the usual time to prepare my gluten free meals, and as a result I have been relying heavily on buying my food. The restaurants and café’s below are now my favourite places to eat out, and are extremely helpful when it comes to preparing yummy Gluten Free meals.

Thai Away Home: Vancouver
My absolute favourite Thai food in Canada, and the first place we went to celebrate the buying of our new home. They have a fantastic selection of Gluten Free meals, the penang and yellow curries of course being my favourite. You are also able to buy prepared meals, that you can take home and put in your freezer, to have on those nights when there is just not time to prepare dinner (just what I need!). I also noticed when in Nester’s grocery store the other day, that they also have the Thai Away Home meals in their freezer section, which is great because I now get to enjoy my favourite Thai meals any day of the week.

Trattoria Di Umberto: Whistler
When it came to deciding which restaurant to go to for my birthday, there was no question where I wanted to go. I have been living in Whistler now for over 2 years, and I have heard non-stop rave reviews about Trattoria Di Umberto. Rather than going in a big group, my husband and I decided we would make it a date and have a romantic dinner, just the two of us. It was perfect, the food, the wine, the company. I was able to simply tell our waiter that I required a Gluten Free meal, he was aware of my needs and made the necessary arrangement with the kitchen. For dinner I enjoyed tiger prawns and scallops on a bed of basil pesto risotto with a fresh salad…. Hhmm delicious!

Java at Nesters: Whistler
These guys have been my life savers these past few weeks, making me up delicious Gluten Free grilled sandwiches. I barely even have to mention do clean the grill and keep my food separate from all the wheat products. I always provide my own Gluten Free bun, and this last time they started talking to me about them perhaps making some for me. Bonus!! They are extremely helpful and make a wicked sandwich. A 5 star rating from me.

When I first became Celiac/Coelaic I have to be honest and admit that I definitely missed pizza. Before becoming Coeliac I had worked at a wood fired pizza restaurant in Sydney, Australia. During that year I certainly enjoyed my fair share of delicious pizzas and developed a life long passion for pizza.

Below are my favorite Gluten Free re-creations of those delicious wood fired pizzas…

Garlic Pizza
Spread the pizza base with a good quality olive oil. Top with fresh garlic, parsley, a sprinkle of sale and a generous layer of shredded parmesan cheese. Cook in the BBQ or oven until crisp.

Bruschetta Pizza
Cover base of pizza with tomato paste. Layer with finely sliced roma tomatoes, fresh basil, spanish onion and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with a drizzle of basil oil, then top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Chorizo Sausage Pizza
Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over pizza base. Next layer finely sliced onion, roasted peppers, kalamata olives, fresh basil, roasted roma tomatoes and chorizo sausage. Topped with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Glutino Pizza Bases ::: Cattle Boyz BBQ Sauce

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Spread a layer of Gluten Free BBQ sauce over pizza base. Layer with sliced onion, fresh green peppers, sliced bacon, diced chicken pieces and garlic. Top with oregano, cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

Lamb Pizza
Drizzle pizza base with basil oil and then spread a thin layer of tomato paste over the base. Next layer the base with garlic, lamb, spanish onion, orange peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. Next add small dollops of pesto, then add a generous layer of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

A pizza party is not complete without an ice-cold beer. My pick for this evening Canada’s La Messagere… for a complete list of worldwide Gluten Free Beer suppliers see Gluten Free Beer

Cheers!

To spoil me this Easter, my hubby bought me some delicious Lindt White Chocolate Truffles… I was absolutely addicted to these before becoming Gluten Free. Although excited, my first comments to him were ‘but these contain malt?’ Well it seams not here in north america. He had checked the label and sure enough, there were no Gluten containing ingredients (and no symptoms so far to suggest otherwise)

For him I decided I could not go wrong with the decantant Cadbury Cream Eggs. Although way too sweet for me, they were absolutely no problem for him to polish off.

In other news, on Saturday I decided to bake my delicious Chocolate Biscuit Balls… these are scrumptious, so be warned that it is hard not to undulge on too many.

Enjoy!

NB: Cadbury Cream Eggs are Gluten Free. For a full list of Gluten Free Cadbury Chocolates see Cadbury Australia

What a welcoming surprise to find this note on the menu board at Glacier Creek restaurant on Blackcomb Mountain ☺ It looks like Gluten Free buns are here to stay in Whistler…

Last winter season Whistler Blackcomb began offering Gluten Free hamburger buns at their on mountain restaurants Glacier Creek (Blackcomb) and Roundhouse Lodge (Whistler). It had always been a small temporary note stuck on the board or window where you ordered. I am very happy to report that this season WhistlerBlackcomb have continued to offer Gluten-Free hamburger buns and made them a permanent member on the menu.

Over the years I have snowboarded at many resorts, but I would have to say that Whistler Blackcomb has gone above and beyond in the Gluten-Free menu items they provide. Every station has a full ingredients list, so whether you want bowl of chilli, a loaded potato, a bowl of noodles or now a hamburger, they are able to check the ingredients at the drop of a hat.

They could possibly work a little more on the cross-contamination, but this is mostly just at the beginning of the season, when all the staff are new. By the end of the season, I barely have to explain my needs to the staff – how refreshing.

Gluten-Free Chicken Club Burger – Glacier Creek, Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb is at the top of my list of Gluten Free friendly ski resorts. If anyone has any other stories of great gluten free resorts, send me a comment. I would love to hear about them.

Whistler Blackcomb – Our Playground

What a magic view!
Everywhere we skied on Saturday, people were smiling, laughing and celebrating another beautiful spring day in the mountains. The bars and restaurants were overflowing with locals and tourists alike enjoying another gorgeous day.

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

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