Steins and Historic Graffiti: Our Trip to Germany

The majority of March was sniffle-filled. Just when CK and I had almost finished Month 1 of Insanity, a terrible cold appeared like a wild Pokémon. They used coughing and high fevers… it was super effective.

CK seemed to get better, but I seemed to get worse. I had nausea, a fever, and uncontrollable coughing, which then turned into one heck of a sinus infection. And with our trip to Germany coming up, I wasn’t looking forward to having sinus trouble on the plane. (Imagine the feeling of needles or broken glass within the sinuses, a sharp pain that is tear inducing and not fun when changing altitude.)

But we had made it to Germany without delay, and our first stop was in Munich.

Munich is the sort of city that is meant to have an overcast sky. The architecture is wonderfully Gothic, and the people balance the grey with their own vibrant personalities. Colors pop out in the rain. 

The city is, in short, a perfect one to look out from a coffee shop window. 

We stayed at the Cortiina Hotel, plain on the outside and rather hard to find (the sign was small and minimalist looking), but our room was amazing. For one, it had a bathtub, a sure sign I’ll be happy. For another, you are able to look out from the bathtub into the bedroom because the wall is one big window. It does have the option to curtain the bathroom with wooden panels, but I just found it fun to knock on the glass to get CK’s attention, acting like a quirky aquarium exhibit.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of the hotel, but I didn’t think our breakfast buffet should have cost €22,50 per person. That basically meant a plate full of cheese and soft-boiled eggs for me, maybe a pastry or two for CK, and a cup of black coffee and a smoothie for each of us. Freshly squeezed orange juice and cappuccinos were extra.

But because of this, CK and I were more adventurous in looking for other places to eat. Munich is rather a meat, beer, and bread sort of place, however, so we struggled to find local cuisine places that would be safe for us. We did find some pretty neat places to indulge, but that also meant my eating meat and CK eating gluteny delights on occasion.

First up, Indian Mango. Indian restaurants tend to be the safest places for vegetarians and gluten free eating people to eat out at, and neither of us had any issue. The strangest thing we encountered, however, was the lack of heat of the dishes. In the United States, you have the ability to designate how spicy you want your food to be, from the not spicy to the “Are you sure? This is our medium.” to the calling the kitchen to witness a non-Indian person who ordered Spicy with a capital S to see whether or not they regret their decision. At this restaurant, it was wonderfully balanced with spices, but it wasn’t hot at all. CK and I speculated whether or not it had to do with the restaurant adhering to the local tastebuds, but as we only went to one Indian restaurant during our stay, we can’t say for certain.

Regardless, their papadum and naan (according to CK, as I couldn’t eat it) are delicious, and their paneer dishes were filling and flavorful.

Nearby, there was a restaurant that claimed a tall order: “Real Mexican Food.” Mexican food is CK’s favorite cuisine, and so we did a double take and looked at La Taqueria’s menu. Around this time, we’d found a pharmacy that had medicine for my sinus trouble, and after weeks of feeling the worst, I was starting to feel better, which made my desire for food increase. We decided to give it a try, and after talking with the people behind the counter, we ate and shared a couple of plates of Vegetarian No.2 nachos. Still, not particularly spicy, but their homemade salsa, corn chips, and white sauce were phenomenal. They even had a variety of aquas frescas to choose from, but since they typically contain sugar, I abstained.

Finally, and quite possibly the most positive eating out experience we had was at Brenner’s Grill. It was loud with chatter and populated by customers and employees alike, and CK and I were astounded by the staff’s level of professionalism. Our waiter attended to our needs spectacularly, and it was refreshing to watch how the employees interacted with each other, like one big family. The food, of course, was delicious. They made it a point to explain on their menu about keeping ingredients local and humane, and there were enough vegetarian options and gluten free options to keep both of us quite content. I ordered the organic chicken breast with pesto with a side order of rosemary potatoes. Chris ordered the avocado and couscous starter followed by homemade gnocchi. The wine was also fabulous. 

As far as sightseeing goes, we primarily stayed at the city-center. For giggles, we walked through the Beer and Octoberfest Museum, which led to a burning desire of owning my own stein. We also went to Dachau, a town just a few train stops away from Munich with a much darker past. Interestingly enough, when CK had expressed interest in going, I had a feeling I had already been there but wasn’t sure. It turns out, I had in fact visited the Dachau Concentration Camp in 2007, when some members of my high school choir and I traveled around Germany as short-term exchange students. It was as sobering as it had been the first time.

Other notable places to eat/visit in Munich are: 1001 Sense, a small chocolate and confections shop; dean&david, a make your own salad, sandwich, and juice bar; and Coffee Fellows, a classic coffee shop.

On Easter Sunday, we initially planned on taking the train from Munich to Berlin (I romanticize long train rides, never having been on one), a seven-hour trip.. But CK’s intuition and my struggle with finding packable Morri-safe food led us to buying last-minute plane tickets, removing the travel time with only an additional thirty euros or so per person.

We arrived at Hotel Louisa’s Place, a historical building situated along a long stretch of famous brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent. But due to arriving and a holiday, followed by another bank holiday, Berlin appeared to be deserted and closed. Thankfully, our hotel was considerate in asking us ahead of time if we had dietary preferences or interests we wanted to pursue during our stay, and came up with a list of vegetarian/vegan and gluten free restaurants throughout the city.

It was much easier to find places to eat in Berlin than it had been in Munich. Sadly, the hotel was much like Cortiina, charging €26,50 per person for the breakfast buffet that had even less for us to eat. Luckily, many of the rooms have some sort of kitchenette (what we had was bigger than our own kitchen in Italy...) that can be of use. Aside from getting coffee from across the street, we made our own breakfast without issue. The massages, however, are worth every euro.

Because Berlin seemed closed and bleak on Easter Sunday, we were initially concerned with where we were going to eat for dinner. It turns out the restaurant I had made reservations for later on in the week was not only connected to the hotel itself, but open.

Balthazar is a multiple course, high-end sort of establishment, a quieter version of Brenner’s Grill but with the same focus on detail and perfection. The staff was kind enough to seat us despite not having a reservation, and accommodating to both CK’s and my dietary needs. They treated us to an espresso shot of fantastic tomato soup while we were poured a delicious German wine (I have a newfound appreciation for Germany through their wines now.) As the soup I was interested in having wasn’t safe for me (yellow lentil soup), they made a vegetable soup with a wonderfully fragrant consommé on the spot. When we finished, CK’s and my plates of truffled risotto of porcini with porte wine and parmesan arrived. It was superb.

We didn’t do this, but you can order Balthazar delights to be brought directly to your room. Perhaps next time…

A complete first for the both of us, we went to a purely plant based restaurant called La Mano Verde. It is a gastronomic experience for those who follow a vegetarian/vegan diet, and caters to both gluten free and raw food eaters.

We had a late dinner there, and based our orders on what we wanted to share together. (CK and I like to share. It’s special to us.) Thankfully, I made sure to check, but I had mistaken a main course for us to split to be gluten free when it wasn’t (the lemon pepper cappelletti). So after the creamy lime-almond gazpacho, we simply split the two starters (the ravioli blanc and the zucchini rolls) and switched the main courses (I had the garden lasagne instead).

The food was an experience. It felt like I was eating someone’s artwork more than a meal, but the presentation for all of the dishes were spot-on and perfect. The only problem that I wished I had considered was the richness of each dish. Raw foodies know how to add calories and protein to their diet, and practically every dish had some sort of nut or seed to add body to it. By the time our main dishes came out, I felt stuffed. I also felt the ravioli blanc was overwhelmingly sweet (probably had sugar added, which accounted for the less-than-awesome feeling after), and the lasagne was huge. It was very difficult to eat it gracefully, to be honest, and it wasn’t my favorite. We did, however, order the raw plum and walnut “cheese” cake to go to have for breakfast the next day, and I thought it was pretty good.

The only thing I wished I had mentioned before ordering was that I was gluten free (I know, I know... bad gluten free blogger). I was so embarrassed for forgetting, and I agree that was on me. The staff was very professional, but more standoffish than the warm welcome we’d experienced at Brenner’s Grill and at Balthazar.

CK surprised me with not one, but two places that offered gluten free pizza. After a day of walking, we ended up at this adorable restaurant called Ciela di Berlino. This place felt like the home of a very good friend we were visiting. The energy was warm and inviting, and we were served by quite possibly the friendliest woman in Berlin. She seemed delighted by our excitement trying their gluten free pizzas, and kept checking in with this knowing, mischievous smile that seemed to say, “See? I knew you would like it.” I even got to have beer (but not in my stein)! 

It was a total bro date, which included my first time seeing the East Side Gallery in person, and we loved it.

The second place, Simela, was smaller and just within walking distance of the hotel. The pizza here was also good, but the energy wasn’t as warm and inviting. It does, however, make pizzas to go, but we didn’t know that at the time. Like the other restaurant, any pizza listed could be made with a gluten free crust. They also had gluten free pasta (Schar’s brand), and we split their zucchini and mint pasta dish that had a white sauce (all it needed was a little more salt, but it was an interesting combination).

CK showed me a lot of historical sites, including Brandenburg, Checkpoint Charlie, the Pergamon Museum (I wanted to see the Ishtar Gate and was not disappointed, but a lot of the exhibits were under construction), and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (extremely haunting and thought-provoking). 

As this was my first vacation trip with a partner outside of a country we lived in, it was a very special occasion for me. And I found that, aside from feeling adult and capable, we grew closer because of the experience.

There is nothing quite like your first trip traveled together, and Germany made it all the more special for us.

(Also, feel free to post your gluten-free eating experiences in Germany below. Are there certain places in the country that are easier or harder to eat out at?)

Have Blogged, Will Travel: Tips, Tricks, & Trials of Traveling with Health in Mind

Traveling to places is a magical, if not a daunting, ecstatic, manic, uncertain, irritable, and life changing experience. It is never the same experience twice. Every airport, dock, train station, bus, taxi, or road trip is a journey to Elsewhere, somewhere not Here.

With stricter regulations, mostly at airports, with what you can pack, how much you can pack, and what will pass through customs, many of the well-seasoned travelers have a System of making traveling as stress-free as possible. They have it down to a science, and they know exactly what to do in the security line.

I mention this because, what with leaving in ten days to Rome, I was inspired to share what I do to make traveling less hectic and easier to manage my food and health concerns. Since I’ve never talked about being in transit with additional things to consider, mainly food and medication, I thought it would be fun to do.

I know that you typically have a lot more say and control when you are taking the train/bus or doing a road trip, mostly because you are usually only limited to space, and the train/bus stations don’t have the security that most airports utilize. In this case, I’m going to mostly focus on air travel.

Eating gluten free while traveling isn’t as hard as it used to be. Many airlines actually have a number of meals to choose from, whether it’s gluten free, low sugar, Kosher, Halal, vegetarian, vegan, and more. But these are usually reserved for longer flights, where you are essentially up in the air for over eight hours. When you are purchasing your ticket, make sure to check if what you can/will eat is an option. If not, you’ll have to get creative, but we’ll get to that later.

After purchasing your ticket, make an itinerary that includes the time you are traveling and where. This is also a fun time to take a look at the local restaurants and seeing whether they already have gluten free options on their menu, or if they can make their dishes gluten free. That way, you're not stuck eating snacks as meals.

If, for instance, you are not simply leaving for holiday, but are living abroad for a time, aside from packing clothes, toiletries, and gadgets, there is a matter of medication to consider.

My living in Malta was the first time I’ve had to travel with prescribed medication. Sure, I’d packed some of the typical stuff when I lived in Sweden: aspirin, Vitamin D, and ibuprofen (for cramps). But it isn’t hard to find additional supplements that do not require a prescription, either at the local pharmacy or online. 

Almost four years after my diagnosis I have taken Armour Thyroid. Since I was going to be gone for a year, I needed to find out how I could take a year’s worth of doses with me. I learned that I had to do what is called a vacation override, in which my insurance company approved to have all my medication for the year given to me and paid for at one time. Our pharmacy was really great about it (thank you, Anita!), and all I needed to do was send proof that I was leaving the country to my insurance provider. It’s apparently a lot easier if you’re traveling within the United States to another state: all you have to do is transfer your prescription to the nearest pharmacy.

My rule of thumb is to carry my prescriptions on my person, either in my carry-on or backpack, and pack the supplements in my bulky luggage.

Now that you have your itinerary and medication sorted, let’s focus on keeping you healthy while in transit. Along with taking your medicine at the right time, always have a stock of foodstuff in your carry-on even if you are able to eat something on the plane. I usually find the meals that are on the plane to not be particularly filling, and sometimes there will be foodstuffs in said meal that I still cannot eat (whether it’s soy or sugar or both). Either way, keeping the hangry (yes, it's a thing) feeling away is a big part to making travel stress free (at least for me).

Traveling by train through Rome

Alas, there are some foods that will not get through security. One of my favorite food moments to talk about was the time Mama Dazz and I were leaving for Malta. She had packed yellow Chedder cheese squares, which apparently, according to the TSA agent, looked like bombs. Our food bag (indeed, one carry-on bag was specifically for food) was searched solely for that reason, but we were able to bring Wisconsin’s finest through.

Liquid and gel items are not allowed through security past 3.4 oz (96 g/100 ml), and you can find glass or plastic containers that adhere to traveling standards quite easily. But honestly, I wouldn’t bother with liquids, be they vinegar or oils, for eating purposes. I’d be too worried about the mess.

As you know, I’m big on peanut butter. I practically cried with joy when the health food store in Valletta sold tubs of it without any additives. But instead of just putting it in a 3.4 oz jar, I remove the middleman of having to use utensils and just applying it directly to the food I want to eat it with.

For food, it is really easy to eat one food group over the others while travelling, so what I do is pack as much variety as possible. Here are a few things I recommend:

• Waffles or pancakes, since they are easily handled and can be made into sandwiches
• Crackers
• Sliced cheeses and deli meats
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Sliced apples and other easy-to-carry fruits
• Nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or granola
• Crunchy veggies, such as carrot, celery, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes
• Hummus, as per regulation (can be spread on crackers/bread/bagels beforehand)
• Individually wrapped chocolates (I can rarely find chocolate I can eat, so I view it as an indulgence when I can.)
• Your favorite tea bags (for when you have hot water but want a sense of comfort)
• Travel utensils, such as bamboo or BPA-free plastic 

Try to either eat the refrigerated foods early on in the travels or keep them in a temperature-regulated lunchbox. If possible, and to lessen your stress going through security, keep everything in clear packaging, whether they be glass jars or plastic bags/containers. Also, focus mostly on protein and fat. You’re not going to feel sated simply eating celery or rice crackers for eight or more hours if that’s all you can eat.

It’s always better to have more food than you expect to eat, because then you have snacks throughout your travels. I have a tendency to underpack food when traveling for long distances, so be aware of how much you’re actually traveling, whether it’s on the plane or waiting for the connecting flight, and it certainly helps during those long delays.

As soon and as often as you can, drink water. They tend to be expensive in the terminals, but you can also buy the bigger bottles to keep with you. If you do not want to buy the bottles again and again, you can get a reusable water bottle that purifies water from the fountain or the sink (preferably the fountain, since it’s geared to human consumption). Another important aspect of hydration is for your skin. Traveling dries my skin out terribly, and so I always have apple cider vinegar in a spritz bottle, a small jar for coconut oil, and lip balm.

Perhaps it’s a common practice, but I also pack extra clothing in my carry-on, mostly soft pants, a scarf, a pair of socks, and a warm hoodie just in case I want to change into something warmer and more comfortable, or a change of clothes to help feel refreshed. I also tend to bring my journal and something to read, perhaps my sketchbook. And I always have my camera.

Finally, I try to remain mindful and calm. Security and running to and from terminals at an awkward sprint can be panic inducing, but I know that I planned for everything that I can control, and for the things I can’t I at least have things to settle my stomach and mind. I am also more willing to ask for help while traveling, and more often than not the people, also traveling or native, are willing to lend a hand in pointing you to the right direction.

But yes, I get to go through this again very soon, and I am beyond ecstatic to return to Rome, where there’s espresso, regional cheeses and wines and, of course, CK.

A Review of Silvana's Gluten-free and Dairy-free Kitchen: Timeless Favorites Transformed

As a blogger, I have been fortunate to meet many people from all over the world. For a while, I participated in the Gluten Free Ratio Rally, along with quite a few well-known names and faces in the community. Many of us are only known through our websites and recipes, but some of us have become celebrated authors of cookbooks and public speakers. That is a dream for many: to contribute to this food movement that promotes safety, health, and most importantly, fun in the kitchen.

Today, I have the privilege to not only talk about one such individual, but to review her latest cookbook.

 See for yourself on Amazon.com today!

Of all the famous gluten free bloggers out there, Silvana Nardone of Silvana’s Kitchen is one of the most prominent, next to Shauna and Danny Ahern (Gluten Free Girl and the Chef), Elana of Elana’s Pantry (Paleo-oriented, but one of the first gluten-free blogs I started reading), Lexie of Lexie’s Kitchen, and Kelly of the Spunky Coconut. She is also one of the few that I reached out to early on in my blogging and, to my pleasant surprise, she responded. Her story is about family, and bringing delicious, wholesome food to the table.

The site Silvana’s Kitchen has been around since July 2010. Her eldest child, Isaiah (now seventeen), was diagnosed with a double whammy of intolerances to gluten and dairy at 10, and it had become the drive in which Silvana’s Kitchen transformed and her recipes were first shared with others.

In 2010, she also published her first cookbook Cooking For Isaiah. Since then, she has become a beacon for inspiration. She is published everywhere, and for good reason: she’s good at what she does. A foodie through and through, I knew she was a kindred spirit when she wrote this on her site:

"It’s this love of food and all that surrounds it that I want to give my family and to all of you. Eat to satisfy hunger, but more than anything, eat for fulfillment."

She wrote these recipes with her family in mind, her children Isaiah and Chiara evolving and growing up with a healthy relationship with food and a passion for cooking. Her compassion is infectious, and her writing is thought provoking and profound. 

In the late months of 2014, Silvana and HMH Trade Publishing’s Culinary Marketing Specialist J. Gilo reached out to me with an amazing opportunity: to review Silvana’s newest cookbook, Silvana’s Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Kitchen: Timeless Favorites Transformed (2014)! Of course I was ecstatic, but I told her I was presently abroad until December, and shipping costs were a nightmare. Sure enough, along with an envelope containing my M.S. CAR diploma was another one with Silvana’s book waiting for me.

The book is broken down into the following categories: the Introduction (p.1) explaining that, no, your favorite foods are not a thing of the past now that you are gluten (and in this case, also dairy) free, and how to get started; The Breakfast Club (p.10), for breakfast and brunch favorites; Plenty of Dough (p.38), for breads and flatbreads; Let’s Get the Meals Started (p.66), for appetizers and salads; You’ll be Bowled Over (p.96), for soups, pasta and rice; Meal Makeovers (p.124), for “fake-out takeout”, TV dinners, and restaurant classics; Sweet Success (p.152), for dessert classics; Back to Basics, for her reinvented baking mixes (p.194) and dairy-free favorites (p.204), and a very important part of the book that is used in almost every recipe; and finally, the Acknowledgements (p.224) and Index (p.225).

What really stood out for me from the get-go was the prominence of creating a new culture in the family kitchen. When diagnosed with something, we tend for focus on the bad things of this realization, such as the lament that you can’t have your favorite breakfast pastry in the mornings anymore because it isn’t gluten free. The same can be said for those who have to eat a dairy-free lifestyle, when all they can think about is cheese and ice cream and milk in coffee. Silvana says that, to get started, you need to “reclaim the rights to your favorite foods now” (p.3), and that you can easily spoil you and your family rotten in new and amazing ways in the kitchen. Baking is a science, and it’s all about choosing the right ingredients for the flavor and texture you’re looking for, but it's also about trying and seeing what happens.

Before even getting started with the recipes, she provides a page of key ingredients that not only include the gluten free flours, but gluten-free dough enhancers, dairy-free enhancers, alternative sweeteners, and additional miscellaneous foods that make a gluten free diet so devilish (gluten free chickpea miso for the win)! While I’m not one to use xanthum gum, I was excited to learn of raw organic rice protein powder helping to create a beautiful rise in yeasted dough. That is something I am definitely going to look into for future yeasted bread.

She also provides a list of her favorite store-bought gluten-free and dairy-free products, some that I know of and have used, and others I did not. Alas, with my soy-free and cane sugar-free ways, I couldn’t eat a lot of what she listed. But that is something I think many gluten-free bloggers and authors should start doing: not necessarily advertising products for the sake of advertising, but sharing what they’ve purchased from the store and swear by for when certain things, like pasta or cooking oils, are rarely made from scratch these days.

As I said, her Back to Basics is a very important part of the cookbook, in that the majority of her recipes call for her flour mixes. She has quite a few, broken down to different baked goods that are similar in texture and technique. She also has a gluten free all-purpose flour mix, made with ingredients almost every gluten freer has seen before.

I will admit that I didn’t use her flour mixes, mostly because I tend to not use starches and gums (if ever). But I did test out one recipe that called for her mix with my own substitution of flours, and the result was extraordinary! Her recipes are well-tested and balanced, and I believe that if a recipe can be delicious using different flours than it calls for, then it’s one that is easy to use as long as you have the ratio of ingredients. It’s easier to do this by weight rather by volume, but it is possible.

I tried three recipes from the book: Apple and Granola Yogurt Parfaits (p.17), Bready Corn Tortillas (p.58), and Creamy Kale-Cannellini Soup with Garlic Chips (p.100). It was very hard to pick recipes to try, because the photos are just lovely. There were also a lot of cool dairy-free recipes in the Back to Basics section that I’d like to try out in the future, as I’d love to experiment with making dairy-free coconut yogurt.

The Apple and Granola Yogurt Parfaits (p.17) is an easy way to add some yum to your morning. My biggest complaint with many store-bought granola, particularly the gluten free kind, is that they are more often than not way to sweet. I actually started noticing sugar affecting me after cutting gluten out of my system through munching on gluten free granola, but I did miss it.

Silvana’s granola recipe is delicious. It is rolled oats based (certified gluten free, of course), but also includes sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and flaxseed meal (likely to help with coating and binding). It is seasoned with what you’d usually expect with apple in a dish: cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. I played around with the spices, substituting nutmeg and clove for the ginger and allspice. She calls for almond butter, but I used peanut butter with the maple syrup, and since it was salty enough I abstained from adding more.

Toss, bake, done. A simple recipe that screams indulgence but wonderfully filling and wholesome. You can use this recipe for whatever calls for granola. It has a slightly sweet finish, but not so sweet as to calling your dentist for fear of cavities.

The Bready Corn Tortillas (p.58) required the most work of the three, which was minimal. Mama Dazz still had the wooden tortilla press we purchased a few years ago, and I was excited to give it a try. (This was the recipe I was talking about, about substituting her flour mix with my ratio of rice and chickpea flours.)

The dough, when mixed together, makes 12 smallish tortillas (a little smaller than the palm of my hand) at 50 g per ball. Instead of using shortening, I used softened butter, but I also think that room temperature coconut oil will work here too. The tortillas came out looking wonderful, but I think it was more of my error that they tasted a bit undercooked. That, and because of their size as well as the butter, they could only bend so far before they broke. So I did what any hungry person would do: I added salsa verde, beans, cheese, and other veggies, and baked that into a delicious concoction. Kind of like a layered enchilada, only without a lot of sauce.

Finally, the Creamy Kale-Cannellini Soup with Garlic Chips (p.100). I made this for a table of five other people, and they raved about how hearty and tasty it was! Silvana had this cool trick of mashing a partial amount of the beans with some of the broth and cooked veggies, making it thick but without the flour. The garlic chips were a huge hit, but I did have some trouble keeping them from sticking together or burning. I also added sliced shitake mushrooms to the mix, just because we had some on hand. I also used baby leaf kale instead of the heavy mature ones, so it didn’t take long for them to beautifully wilt yet remain a vibrant green. 

This book definitely achieved what it set out to do. It provides amazing ways to empower yourself in the kitchen, especially when it seemed like your favorite foods became your kryptonite. Each recipe is fantastically thought out and tested to ensure a fabulous turnout, and the diversity of the content will keep you turning the pages, devouring each photo and wanting to try another one.

One of the many positives of this cookbook I celebrated was that Silvana did not make dairy-free exclusive to meaning soy everywhere. In fact, the only things that call for soy is in her Asian-inspired recipes like Crispy Shrimp Pork Potstickers with Chili-Soy Dipping Sauce (p.76-77) or her Seven-Layer Tofu Tostadas (p.89, and can substitute the tofu with chicken). True, a lot of cooking sprays, vegetable shortening and spreads have soy or soy lecithin in them, but I think it’s a lot easier to avoid than not. You can also substitute gluten free tamari for coconut aminos without much of a difference in taste. For one thing, it’s not as salty, and has a smoky sweetness I absolutely adore.

The only thing I had to be careful of in Silvana’s recipes was the salt content. Personally, it felt too salty at times for my palate, but that just means adjusting the salt to what I prefer. I also think her Back to Basics portion would have done better after the Introduction rather than at the very end, simply because a lot of her recipes called for the various mixes and dairy-free delights and it would seem more appropriate to do so.

Another thing I noticed was that some of the ingredients listed felt a little vague at times when I read them over, mostly the question of which kind of shortening she used in a few of her recipes and the size (sometimes species) of particular fruits or veggies. But I think that mostly has to do with making recipes more accessible to those that, for example, do not write for a food blog, and also giving people the ability to experiment and create wonderful works of gastronomy.

Despite my having many cookbooks, Silvana’s is only one of the few I have that are specifically gluten free, and it is probably one of my favorites. This cookbook isn’t just about gluten free and dairy free cooking, but one woman’s achievements to the movement. It all started in her kitchen, making recipes for her family, recipes that seemed impossible not even a decade ago. She helped to make this lifestyle informative, delicious, and fun for the whole family, and I cannot tell you how honored I was to be considered to review it.

 Thank you for continuing to be an inspiration to many, Silvana! And I’m looking forward to utilizing this wonderful book for many many many recipes to come.

So, dear readers, would I buy this book? Definitely! And what about you? What did you think of Silvana's latest cookbook? Please comment below and share your thoughts.

The 2013 Washington DC Gluten-Free Expo

I’ve been MIA for over a month now, what with having grad school classes every day of the week among other things. For all of June I didn’t go to farmers markets to do a review, write down recipes, or take photos of gastronomic delights. But I went on an adventure of gluten free epic proportions and I finally have the time and energy to share it with you.

So where did I go?

I went to the Washington D.C. Gluten-Free Expo.

Along with two gluten-free friends of mine, we drove to Bethesda, Maryland to spend a couple hours being in absolute awe of the many gluten-free companies that have come into fruition over the years. For ten dollars, you were greeted with hundreds of samples and smiles from the various companies represented. There had to have been at least one thousand people in the main room, the majority of them munchkins who were eager to eat as many sweets as humanly possible while their parents were focused on the literature. It was fun for the whole family, and the excitement was contagious.

The term “gluten-free” has sparked a serious debate: is it a fad or is it a necessity? Are people really developing sensitivities or do they believe simply removing gluten for gluten-free sweets and treats promote weight loss? Are the companies promoting “healthy” alternatives doing it for the good of the people or have they simply struck gold with a new way of making money? 

Many people have to go gluten free out of necessity, this is true, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they do it to be healthier. They do it because they have to, and so many are looking for replacements of the foods they love containing allergens that are literally killing them on the inside: bread, desserts, pastas, candies, etc. It breaks my heart that a lot of people think of a necessary dietary shift as a fad or a trend when many people wish they could simply live a normal life without having to constantly ask: “is this [insert allergen] free?” 

The majority of the companies represented were in the sweets and treats categories. A few of them used ingredients that I didn’t know and couldn’t pronounce. But that’s what a lot of people are looking for: replacements of foods they love that came pre-made and ready to eat from a box. It’s a way to keep their kids from eating gluteny treats at school, or for those who have a persistent sweet tooth and a hankering for a donut. When I first started removing gluteny stuff from my diet, I did the same thing. But something shifted when Meals with Morri started forming in my head. It no longer became a movement in the name of allergy-free living. It became a movement of knowing what is going into your body and taking charge of your individual healing process. And for me, it became a movement of changing the way the world looks at food and how we can do it with the environment, health, and ethics in mind. 

Regardless, the three of us had a blast that day. There were quite a few companies we all agreed were ones you need to know.

Now, a lot of you (at least in the United States and Canada) know some of the big kahunas that were there:

Bob’s Red Mill: One of the best gluten free flour providers out there. I am such a big fan of the quality and work they put into their products, and very much a contributing factor to the success of many a Meals with Morri recipe. There were free samples of wholegrain sorghum, something I’ve never had before and am very excited to try.   

The Bob behind it all.

Pamela’s: Seeing Pamela’s booth nearly brought tears to my eyes from nostalgia. Her Artisan Flour Blend was one of the first flour mixes I started using when I went gluten free, and it made the transition significantly easier. In fact, the success of my recipes from using her flour blends made food fun for me. With Pamela’s help, I fell in love with baking.  

Bard’s Beer: I’m usually not a beer-drinking kind of gal. In fact, I don’t drink anything remotely alcoholic but kombucha these days. Bard’s Beer is solely made from the sorghum grain, the first of its kind to bring the enjoyment of beer to gluten-freers. It’s a little too hoppy for me to drink straight from the bottle, but it is a fantastic beer to make bread with and to cook brats in a cast iron pan on the grill. I said this to the two gents behind the counter and asked what they’ve created with the beer as a key ingredient. As a result, I was given a free t-shirt because “Anyone who says nice things about our beer deserves a free shirt.”   

Delight Gluten-Free Magazine: I am a sucker for a good foodie and/or garden magazine, and this is the sort of magazine that will make you hungry just by looking at the beautiful photos they have. In every issue there are sixty recipes, the latest gluten-free news, and expert food advice. You can also follow DGFM on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Happy Family Organic Superfoods: One of the most health-conscious companies out there, the Happy Family founder and CEO Shazi started her company to craft organic meals and snacks that nourish what matters most in our lives: our families. From baby cereal (the rice cereal is perfect for any unhappy tummy if you mix it with applesauce and yogurt) to fruit and veggie twists, you know you are guaranteed quality yum. I was tickled pink to find Happy Family’s contribution to quality nutrition for children in Africa through Project Peanut Butter. Anything with peanut butter in the name is bound to be awesome. 

I was disappointed that Nuts.com, New Grist, and Tinkyáda® (who, in my honest opinion, makes the best gluten free noodles out there) weren’t in attendance, especially since their products are practically essential to any gluten free household (well, maybe not the beer drinking part, but hopefully you get my point). 

There were two companies I’d met that I believe need more attention, one because of their amazing contribution to the wonderful world of sesame and the other because it was a new kind of chip that I could actually crunch on.

“At Soom™ Foods, sesame is our passion.” Three lovely young women with stunning smiles told us the story of their tehina. The sesame hails from Ethiopia (and the tehina is manufactured in Israel), where it has this mild yet toasted persona that can be used in almost everything. They laid out two tehina recipes, one that was plain and one that was sweetened with honey. It had peanut butter making a run for its money in my heart with just a teaspoonful of the stuff. (Yes, it’s that good!) Above all else, they were an inspiration to me because they made something happen that they were passionate about, and what they make is delicious.

Since the start of my personal healthy eating movement, chips were the first to go. Very rarely can you find snack food like chips where it is gluten, soy, and cane sugar free. Quite the shame, because sometimes rice crackers can get tedious, and what do you do when you’re missing nachos (something I miss and really want to healthify for your pleasure)? Can someone save us from a life without a snack that has that satisfying crunch? Way Better Snacks did. Each chip they produce contains sprouted goodness, which you all know aids in digestion and the breaking down of anti-nutrient enzymes. My favorite was the sweet potato chip, with the black bean as a close second, and I was beyond amazed that I could not only taste the individual ingredients in every chip, but I knew and could pronounced every ingredient (and the list was not long). 

All in all, it was a wonderful Sunday spent with good friends and meeting new people. Plus, if you are looking to volunteer for a good cause, The Children’s National Medical Center has an excellent Celiac Disease Program that is looking for people. 

Pass the Bread

Almost any gluten-freer will tell you that they first thing they ever tried baking gluten free was bread. Sometimes they bought a gluten free bread mix, while others attempted to make it themselves. And then, if they were desperate, they bought it from the store.

Don’t misunderstand me; commercial gluten free bread has come a long way since then. Gluten free flours were coarser, made to fill the void of this staple food rather than make something substantial. The bread loaves were dense, only edible when toasted. There were times I recall taking a bite and found myself needing a glass of water just to swallow. And let us not forget the creativity in which ingredients were combined. In most cases, we see a higher percentage of starch in place of wholegrain flours, or multiple gums and a higher sugar content to make it moist and palatable (though the use of all three in moderation is perfectly fine). Everywhere I looked, gluten free bread were simply fillers for an otherwise breadless lifestyle as I knew it, with chemically things I couldn't even pronounce.

I didn’t want fillers. I wanted substance. I wanted bread: minimal ingredients for a good slice of deliciousness.

Toasted and ready for dippin'!

I will be honest, however, when I say that gluten free bread is different… you know, besides the gluten free part. Gluten free grains have been used to make bread for thousands of years before gf became a lifestyle, such as the cornbreads of the Americas and injera in North Africa. Gluten free flours milled from buckwheat, rice, hemp, nuts, seeds, and sorghum have been used alongside wheat, barley, and rye for just as long. The reason why gluteny grains were so popular in the first place was the gluten protein that enabled bread to rise, to be sturdy and soft at the same time, and its reaction to yeast.

Here’s the thing, though: you don’t need gluten for a good piece of bread, as the participants of this month’s Gluten Free Ratio Rally will tell you. It takes effort, yes, and definitely experimenting with different flour combinations and additional ingredients, but it is possible to enjoy gluten free bread with wholesome ingredients made at home.

For my entry, I had this idea to make a grain free loaf with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. I used the ratio of five parts flour to three parts water and tried Jim Lahey’s no-knead method for a hearty loaf. And I got a hearty loaf all right. A few hundred more and I could have made quite an eco-friendly brick wall that would intoxicate many a bird or squirrel.

So I strayed away from my first idea and thought what went wrong. Clearly it was missing something, and I definitely needed to use a certain amount of yeast for a certain amount of time. Two bread flops later, I found what had been missing (eggs) and realized something about yeast.

Yeast and I have a finicky relationship. I love how it is alive before the baking process, how it completely changes a loaf of bread and the almost tinny taste it provides. It is a beautiful ingredient, both for baked goods and brewing. But as I said before, sometimes we just don’t get along.

Savory French Toast

So I hope the GFRR can forgive me for making a hybrid, as I used eggs and leavening agents synonymous to quick bread making, though it does not contain fat or dairy in the dough. And you know what? My entry is quite an amazing flatbread, and I will happily tell you why.

This bread is highly adaptable. I’ve toasted it, dipped it in chili, eaten it straight from the refrigerator, and made savory French toast. It is the perfect component for an open or closed face sandwich, and ever so tasty with a smear of soft cheese or nut butter and honey. Have it for any meal or just when you want a quick snack on the go. But believe me when I tell you, this is a great bread to have on hand.

And it didn’t need gluten (or yeast) to be delicious.

No-knead Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Flatbread

200 g Garbanzo bean flour
200 g Quinoa flour*
95 g Blanched almond flour
2 tsp. Sea salt
480 ml Lukewarm to hot water (a little on the hotter side)
2 Large eggs (about 125 g), lightly beaten
2 tsp. Baking soda
10 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
85 g Sun dried tomatoes
5 g Dried basil
1/2 tsp. Rosemary powder
Olive oil, for greasing the pan

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours and salt with the water and let it sit on the counter until lukewarm.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Stir in the eggs and the leavening agents and leave the dough to rise for ten to fifteen minutes (this dough will look and act much like a thick batter).
Fold in the tomatoes and spices, and then pour into a 12 x 16 cookie sheet coated in olive oil (if you’re worried about sticking, line it with parchment paper and use the olive oil as flavor), and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until browned.
Let it cool for fifteen minutes, and then slice into 16 squares for your enjoyment.
For later use, place in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Makes 16 slices, or 8 – 16 servings.

*I ground whole grain quinoa in a spice grinder and had a medium-coarse "polenta" consistency (hence the slightly hotter than lukewarm water). But finely ground quinoa flour would work just as deliciously.

Karen of Cooking Gluten Free was our generous host for this month’s challenge. What I love most about her (and her awesome site) is this very true statement in her About Page: "Through all the years that I have been a part of the gluten free world, I am continually impressed with the giving nature of every person that has started a business to help the gluten intolerant." She personifies her “gluten free, giving back” philosophy, as I believe all of the GFRR participants strive to do with their blogs, businesses, cookbooks, and recipes.

So thank you, Karen, for paying it forward.

Here are the beautiful bread entries from this month’s challenge (all of which look AMAZING):

Adina | Gluten Free Travelette  Seedy Sandwich Bread
Angela | Angela’s Kitchen  Our Family’s Basic Gluten Free Dairy Free Bread
Aunt Mae (aka ~Mrs. R) | Honey From Flinty Rocks  Chia Millet Bread
Brooke | B & the boy!  Buckwheat-Oat Bread
Charissa | Zest Bakery  Cherry Pecan Pot Bread, Gluten Free 
Claire | This Gluten-Free Life  German Vollkornbrot (Seeded Bread)
Erin | The Sensitive Epicure English Sandwich Bread (gluten-free & egg-free)  
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine  Gluten Free Boule
Jonathan | The Canary Files Gluten-Free, Vegan Mediterranean Soda Bread
*Karen | Cooking Gluten Free!  Gluten Free Sandwich Bread/Gluten Free Naan
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan  Vegan Gluten-Free Bread
Meg | Gluten-Free Boulangerie  Ciabatta (gluten-free, egg-free/vegan)
Monika | Chew on This!  amaranth skillet flatbreads, amaranth mini pita rounds
Morri | Meals with Morri No Knead Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Flatbread (yeast free/grain free)
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem  Gluten-Free Challah
Rachel | The Crispy Cook  Gluten Free Chickpea Sandwich Bread
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies  Gluten Free White Bread
Tara | A Baking Life  Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread & Boule

Calling All Bagels!

When I first became gluten free, I essentially focused on eating “whole grain” foods such as rice, potatoes, corn, and quinoa. I bought a block of brown rice bread to make toast, both the toaster and French kind, and swore by rice crackers to anyone who would listen. As far as I was concerned, that was all I needed.

Transitioning to the gluten free lifestyle in 2008 was the perfect time to be gluten free. Cookbooks and baking mixes and labeling were showing up everywhere and in abundance. I started to do research, buying mixes and cookbooks, and became interested in food like I never was in my BGF days. While I was rather obsessed in a less than healthy way about what I considered to be healthy food and eating, I never thought how much I would change simply because I took wheat/gluten out of my diet.

When I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism in April of last year, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to unveil my idea for Meals with Morri. The blog itself had been sitting dormant for almost a year, and I still had no idea what my focus what going to be (aside from the gluten free lifestyle, of course). After the diagnosis, however, I became enthralled with how to live a happier and healthier life, and for some reason it was extremely food-oriented. It took another year before I started really looking into understanding how diet and other lifestyle choices affected a person with hypothyroidism, and how I could help the world by providing recipes, storytelling, and current events (the third being a relatively new concept on this blog). Meals with Morri has been viewed by people from all over the world, and I am so humbled to see how far it has come in a year. And although I consider myself still a novice with big dreams, I will never forget where it all started.

It all started with bagels.

Bagels were the epitome of my childhood. There were nights where Mama Dazz and I couldn’t sleep and we’d have late-night bagel parties in the kitchen. When I attended Catholic school and sang in the choir, we went to Einstein’s Bagels after the one Sunday a month I was required to sing for a sermon. (I always got lox on an "everything" bagel. Best. Combination. EVER.) Whenever we went on vacation and had to drive somewhere, like Virginia Beach, New York, or North Carolina, I ordered a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich as, you guessed it, a bagel.

Bagels were my favorite baked good, and I loved it with cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, honey, butter, etc. When I became gluten free, I was not impressed with the options I had, so I did the most logical thing I could think of: I made them myself.

My 2010 Bagel success.

My “I have no idea on the fundamentals of gluten free baking so I’m going to wing it” experience with bagels were simple enough: gf baking mix + gf bagel recipe = gf bagels. But then I started playing around with flours and gums, mainly rice flour, glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum, and I liked the results much better. For some reason, though, I stopped trying to perfect bagels even before Meals with Morri was a sparkle in my eye.

Soon after, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally rekindled my desire for a delicious bagel.

What I love the most about this movement is the joint effort of showing the world that, if you have a ratio for a recipe, you can use just about anything to make it. Whatever the types of flours, liquids, sweeteners, or binders you use, having a ratio makes it possible. Measuring ingredients by weight is fundamental for this process, even for those not living the gluten free lifestyle. Cake flour does not have the same properties as whole-wheat flour, so we should not assume garbanzo bean flour is the same as buckwheat flour. True, many flours can be and are interchangeable, but having a scale makes it significantly easier to experiment with different ingredients and flour combinations. What the GFRR has done is bring a lot of passionate people from all over cyber space, many with additional dietary restrictions to consider, and turn a ratio into a recipe that can be enjoyed by many who have to work around the same allergies, intolerances, and health issues. It is a movement to show how empowering it is to embrace your so-called dietary/health “restrictions”.

If you have a ratio, i.e. a foundation for a recipe, you can make/do anything.

When the spaces for the 2012 months needed to be filled, I enthusiastically exclaimed that April would be all about bagels and that I’d love to host the process. Despite my getting sick for the majority of the month, I made many batches of bagels. After all, I was hosting. With Udi’s making a bagel that looked and acted like one (never ate one personally, but I’ve heard positive reviews), I felt there was this expectation to making The Perfect Bagel, especially since I was hosting. And despite my learning that I should keep it simple before dressing up the recipe, I went ahead and dressed it up anyway.

I had in mind to create a sweet potato bagel, but I started getting frustrated with the trials. That, and we were running out of sweet potatoes.

The first thing you must realize when making bagels is: do not use the entire yeast packet. Bruce Ezzell’s bagels called for 3 g of yeast to his 1.9:1 flour:water ratio (or 2.25:1 sponge:flour ratio if you prefer), and for some reason I was surprised how yeasty and “spongey” the dough was when I put seven times the amount of yeast in it. It tasted sour and I had to add over 100 g of additional flour to compensate.

The second trial, in addition to correcting the yeast amount, focused on changing how I used the sweet potato. For the first trial, I used it as part of the flour ratio, which probably made the dough wetter than it should have been. So I used it as the “liquid”, making it dry and having to balance that issue with additional liquid, going from too dry to too wet in seconds. Instead of putting in flour, however, I put in whole CGF rolled oats. I still wasn’t content with the bagels, but the oats did something to the flavor and the texture that reminded me of a hearty bagel.

To be honest, the sweet potato bagel was not my first bagel idea. My original idea was to make a blueberry bagel, but not in the traditional sense. With my CGF oats, both whole and powdered, my mad scientist tendencies were flaring up and I was inspired to try out my blueberry idea. So what did I do? I bought freeze-dried blueberries, powdered the dickens out of them, and incorporated that blueberry flavor (and purplish color) throughout the entire bagel.

As hostess, I stuck with Ezzell’s ratio as best as I could, though I think I would have liked the recipe better made with other binders like egg. But I followed the directions and used the ratio that was given to me, even making it vegan-friendly. I halved the recipe due to the overabundance of bagels on the kitchen counter, and it will make a week’s worth of bagels you can eat for breakfast each morning with a smear of nut butter or cream cheese.

Will I try again? Definitely. Will I compare the difference between the “traditional” bagel versus the ones made with eggs and oil? Oh, yes.

For now, I give you my recipe for this month’s GFRR, and it was such an honor to host it.

Blueberry Oat Bagels

For the sponge: to be made 4 to 12 hours before baking, but any longer will result in a very yeasty (and admittedly sour) bagel.

100 g Quinoa flour
100 g Garbanzo bean flour
50 g Flaxseed meal
250 ml Warm water
3 g Dry active yeast

Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with a spoon till the ingredients are combined.
Set aside at room temperature for at least 4 hours. (To get the blooming process going, I put the bowl on the stovetop in the back while the oven was preheated on the warm setting for an hour or so.)

To make the bagels:

100 g CGF oat flour
93 g CGF rolled oats
1 1/2 – 2 tsp. Sea salt
18 g Maple syrup
30 g Freeze-dried blueberries, powdered

Baking soda (1/2 tbsp. for every 2 liters or 1/2 gallon of water)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Add the salt, maple syrup, blueberry powder, oat flour, and oats to the sponger, and attach dough hooks to your mixer and mix at low speed for a few minutes until thoroughly combined. (This can also be done by hand.)
Once the dough is mixed, remove it to your counter and cover with a cloth to let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
While the dough is resting, place a wide, fairly deep pot filled with water on the stove to heat (measure the water so you know how much baking soda to use).
Once the water comes to a simmer add the baking soda.
Divide the dough into 6 - 7 pieces, and round each piece and set aside to rest for a few more minutes, covered.
To shape take each ball of dough, flatten out slightly using the palm of the hand, making a disc approximately 3.5 inches wide.
Make a hole in each using your thumb and place back on the counter, covered, to rise.
After 10 minutes flip each bagel over so the bottom is now facing up. (When this side begins to get slightly puffy and rounded it is time to boil.)
While the bagels are in their final rise bring your water to a simmer, then add the baking soda.
Drop the bagels 3 – 4 at a time into the simmering water (depending on how large your pot is).
They bagels will drop to the bottom and slowly begin to rise. (When this happens, flip the bagels, either with a spatula or flattened spoon, and let them simmer for another minute.)
Remove from the water using a skimmer or large spoon, and place them on a half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 – 7 bagels.

So, who else participated in this month’s GFRR? Continue on to find out!

Brooke | B & the boy    Peanut Butter & Jelly Bagels
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine     Sun-dried Tomato Parmesan Bagels
Mary Fran | FrannyCakes     Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Adina | Gluten Free Travelette     Garlic Egg Bagels
Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary     Gluten-Free Bagels, with variations
gretchen | kumquat     Cinnamon Raisin Teff Bagels
Jean Layton | GF Doctor Recipes Gluten-Free     Sourdough Bagels
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan     Vegan Gluten-Free Bagels
Meg | Gluten-Free Boulangerie     Classic Poppyseed Bagels (Vegan/Food Allergy-Safe)
*Morri (Me!) | Meals with Morri     Blueberry Oat Bagels
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies     Classic Gluten-Free Bagels
Angela | Angela's Kitchen     Gluten Free Bagels with variations
Caleigh | Gluten Free[k]     Orange and Caraway Bagels
Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free     Just Plain Bagels
Pete and Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem     Faux Pumpernickel Bagels