Are Black Bears Gluten Free?
Filed under : Gluten Free Living
Finally the sun has begun to shine in Whistler, everyone’s spirits are lifting and people are beginning to smile again, including our friendly neighbours the Black Bears. We are beginning to have sightings about the valley almost daily; the Momma bears with cubs being my favourite. The other morning at work we actually had a huge male black bear come up to the office, walk around the building and then to out the back. I was so excited; I am surprised I managed to remember to grab my camera!!! Here is the footage…
Let’s Eat Out : Gluten Free
Filed under : Eating Out > Gluten Free Living > Gluten Free Products > Traveling Gluten Free
ooh so much news, I just don’t know where to begin!
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.
My friend has been diagnosed as Gluten & Dairy Intolerant
Filed under : Eating Out > Gluten Free Baking Tips > Gluten Free Living
A good friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with a Gluten & Dairy Intolerance. At first I was sad to hear the news but then I realized that it was actually good. She had been feeling unwell for such a long time that it was a relief for her to finally know what the problem was and start being able to control it.
Of course once you are diagnosed, then what do you do? There are the obvious things to take out of your diet such as bread, pasta, milk & cream but what about all the hidden things in chicken stock, soy sauce and especially butter which is used in just about every type of cooking!
To help I offered to go over to her house & teach her how to cook one of my favorite meals – Thai Yellow Curry. Here are a few tips from our night that you might be interested in:
- Coconut Milk contains no dairy (it really is from a coconut) so it makes a great dairy alternative
- Rice Milk & Almond Milk are excellent dairy alternatives for breakfast, coffee & even cooking
- Always check the ingredient list of Soy Beverages as they often contain barley, which has gluten.
- There are loads of Gluten Free & Dairy Free Products now on the market for – bread, cakes, cookies, muffins, soy sauce, chicken stock, pasta etc.. Check the health foods isle in your grocery store.
- Avoid cross contamination of foods by using separate chopping boards, knives, bowls. Be careful of breadcrumbs in jams & spreads.
- Coconut Butter or Almond Butter is a great alternative to butter.
For more tips on gluten free cooking check out Gluten Free in The Kitchen
Eating Out
One of her main questions to me was about eating out? She travels frequently so eating out is essential. My suggestions were:
- Always travel with food, such as a gluten free bread, it is important to have a back up if you cannot find something suitable
- Carry allergy ID cards, especially when traveling in a foreign country
- Advise the restaurant when making your reservation that you require a Gluten and Dairy Free meal. Offer to bring your own ingredients such as Gluten Free pasta or soy sauce
Eating out can be intimidating initially, but once you become more comfortable with ordering, you won’t give it a second thought. Supportive friends, family and workmates also make a difference in making your dining experience enjoyable. It is great when they understand that certain restaurants are easier for you to eat than others, and that you need to take time when ordering to ensure that you receive a Gluten Free and Dairy Free meal.
Dining out may take a little more time and planning, but there is never any reason to miss out. For more advice on Eating Out Gluten Free see – Gluten Free Living: Eating Out
From Thai to Japanese to Mexican it’s true that some Gluten Free meals than others. For a complete run down on which cuisines are right for you see – International Cuisines
Enjoy!
Sunday Night Dinner…Gluten Free
Filed under : Gluten Free Recipes
:: Satay Chicken with Thai Cucumber Salad ::
Rice and/or Noodles
Place rice in small saucepan with 1 cup of cold water and 2 teaspoons of powdered chicken stock or curry flavouring. Cover and bring to the boil. Do not remove lid at any stage. Once boiling, remove from heat and cool for 10 mins – lid on. Next, place saucepan back on low heat and leave a further 10min. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Place noodles in saucepan and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for approx 15-20min or until soft. Drain and serve.
Chicken Skewers – Baked then grilled
Dice chicken breast into bite sizes cubed and thread onto wooden skewers. Place on a baking tray and top with fresh garlic, salt and pepper, a dash of chicken stock. Drizzle with olive and bake in the oven on 350F for approx 10-15min. Turing half way through. Turn oven over to broil and grill a further 5 mins or until brown.
* If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 10mins before threading with chicken.
Thai Cucumber Salad
Using a potato peeler, ribbon English cucumber into long strips. Toss with fresh garlic, chilli, lemon juice and olive oil.
Satay Sauce
In small saucepan heat 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ cup Thai sweet chilli sauce, 1/3 cup water, a dash of tamari soy sauce and a handful of slice shallots. Stir until ingredients combined and in a smooth sauce.
Serve Chicken Skewers on a bed of rice and noodles and a cover generously with satay sauce. Serve with cucumber salad and a nice glass of wine.
Enjoy!
Gluten Free Pizza Party
Catherine at ‘A Gluten Free Guide’ is having a Pizza Party!
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!
Happy Gluten Free Easter
hhmm don’t you just love Sundays! And there is no better Sunday than Easter Sunday when you get to wake up and have Chocolate for breakfast.
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
“We’ve got Gluten-Free buns, just ask your serverâ€
Filed under : Eating Out > Gluten Free Canada > Gluten Free Living > Gluten Free Products > Traveling Gluten Free
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.
National Noodle Month
Filed under : Events > Gluten Free Products > Gluten Free Recipes
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 ☺
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
- 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!
