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. 

Not Quite the Caveman

My experiment with going Primal for "Good Nutrition Month" ended after three weeks. I couldn’t tell you when exactly it went awry, but I could tell you something was wrong before my birthday, and probably as early as a week into the dietary lifestyle change. All I know is I am honoring "Good Nutrition Month" by switching back to my old routine, though I still feel a little guilty not keeping it up for another week. 

When I said going Primal isn’t as difficult as you think it is, I truly meant it. For one, three weeks of no legumes, grains, no coffee, and limited fruit/sweetener intake was a challenge and an interesting way of evaluating my past and present dietary lifestyle. I was disappointed that my body reacted the way it did, as I was so excited to be part of the modern caveman experience, to positively figure out what my body needed in order to do what I wanted. I gawked at many of the people who ate this lifestyle, the majority who were “strictly” Paleo/Primal while others used a creative license (but nonetheless have a less-processed ethical-omnivore way of looking at food), and I was inspired to do the same. They were the epitome of "healthy" in my eyes, absolutely and marvelously in shape and beautiful in every way possible.

So I took out legumes and grains and incorporated raw and cultured dairy products. I went through the first week craving fruits and eating a ton of almond butter, followed by my appetite beginning to finally subside and mellow. The removal of coffee and the addition of progesterone to my hormonal therapy followed. Throughout October and part of November did I realize I was back to using food and exercise as a means of controlling my body to balance the uncontrollable situations coming at me in waves. With that came terrible IBS upset, intense intestinal distress, and shifting from one emotion to another in a matter of seconds.

I do not believe going Primal caused this imbalance; rather, I think doing too many good things at once finally caught up with me and turned sour. I do believe going from legume lover and grain glutton to “Me, Caveman. Four-leg, Dinner” overnight is not particularly smart for someone whose body stresses with immediate change. I do believe this experiment was worth it, and encourage people to try new ways of eating (safely and for the right reasons). And above all else, I do believe in honoring what my body tells me. When it says "enough", I listen. 

I loved making Primal meals, and I look forward to making them again. Perhaps two of the three main meals and all snacks throughout the day will have Primal tendencies. Perhaps four days out of the week will hold true to Mark’s Daily Apple “Primal Blueprint” movement while I enjoy huevos rancheros, overnight oats, socca, and legumes on the other three. I give what my body needs, and for the moment it needs gluten free grains and peanut butter. 

Self-Evolution with Primal Eating

In the two weeks I’ve experimented with Primal eating, my body shifted. It was a slow shift, mind you, but a shift it was. And with two more weeks to go, I wanted to share my experience.

It’s not as difficult as you think it is. The people who know of my eating habits (gluten, soy, and cane sugar free) were concerned with the additional “restrictions” I was putting upon my diet, particularly with my past disordered eating in the forms of orthorexia and anorexia.

“But you need legumes, Morri!” one lamented.

“What can you eat then?” asked many in exasperation.

 “A lot more than you think I can,” I replied.

For one thing, there is a difference between “Paleo” and “Primal” eating, though both lifestyles stem on similar evolutionary science. Mainly the difference lies with saturated fats, and how primal eating is all about enjoying grass-fed humanely raised meats and products (butter, eggs, full-fat milk and yogurt). Grains and sugars are limited (if not removed completely) as the consumption of vegetables and protein increases. Fruit is eaten in moderation, and dairy is promoted by some while discouraged by others. There’s also a fundamental difference in the two dietary lifestyles with the role of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners. But I agree with Mark (from Mark’s Daily Apple) when he says: “If you aren’t getting anything positive from the meal or drink, you shouldn’t be taking the risk of the artificial sweetener.” Finally, what drew me to going Primal instead of Paleo was treating it “as a broad, holistic approach to living and not simply a list for eating.” 

The list for eating is quite delicious, however... 

There will be some among both the Primal and Paleo community that do not eat what I eat and vice versa. For instance, I loved the food list on Mark’s site as well as the following food pyramid and decided to create a hybrid. I do use honey on occasion, and I eat quinoa, wild rice, and tuber vegetables throughout the week. I’m fairly successful at eating protein and vegetables at every meal, though I have noticed cravings for more servings of fruit. I don’t miss rice, nor any other gluten free grain. For the most part I’ve been dairy free also with the exception of some cheese or kefir, but after receiving raw milk (among other dairy delights), my body was so happy to have the nutrition.

(source)

Being Primal also means a different food/fitness culture for everyone. As my ancestry is almost exclusively from the British Isles, my body will respond better or worse to certain foods and exercise regimens than someone from the Amazon or Pakistan. Perhaps someone from China can eat more grains with some protein and vegetables and excels at martial arts while I can eat more protein and vegetables with some grains and excel at leg-oriented sports or climbing. Maybe fish calls to you over chicken, or fermented vegetables over stewed or roasted. Maybe you can eat fruit at every meal or none at all to feel your best. Maybe nuts and non-animal derived fats/oils keep hunger at bay when it makes someone else famished thirty minutes later. It’s all about what works for you, experimenting by adding and/or diminishing foods as you go. 

In the first week of going Primal, I was literally hungry all the time. As I, like many, used fiber in the sense to be *ahem* regular, there were days it felt like my IBS had reared its not too pretty head in the form of constipation, lethargy, tenderness, and irritability. By the second week, the hunger subsided and the symptoms lessoned. And now, entering to week three, regularity is still to be desired and I’m practically never hungry. I’m tired all morning, but I think that’s something else entirely.

Primal eating and food substitutions aren’t as daunting as I thought they’d be. Instead of spaghetti with meat sauce, try cooked spaghetti squash or sautéed julienned zucchini and carrots with meat sauce. Instead of fajitas, try making fajita bowls with your favorite meat and vegetable combinations. Substitute rice for quinoa or wild rice, or white potato for sweet potato or a winter squash. Eat humongous salads with whatever Primal foods you happen to have on hand in your pantry or fridge. If you are hankering for bread or something of that nature, there’s plenty of almond/coconut pancake, quick bread, dessert recipes out there for you to try. It’s all about substitutions, people, and you’ll feel like Primal gods once you get the hang of it.

We all know how much I love chili, right? There’s something about that delicious, meaty stewp (I still don’t know if chili is a soup, a stew, or a combination of the two) that I can’t get enough of. Highly adaptable with the potential of never being made the same twice, I wondered what happened if I went the Texan way. You know, without beans. Legumes are a no-no on the Primal eating list, so I thought of possible substitutions for it that would make sense. Potatoes? Nah. More meat? Nah. Vegetables? Sure, but which one?

The beauty of going Primal in November was the inspiration to use winter squash with my turkey chili. And let’s just say, it’s now a dinner table favorite.

Autumn Pumpkin Turkey Chili

1.25 lb Ground Turkey
560 g Butternut squash, cubed
410 g Diced tomatoes (from 1 can, or by hand)
425 g (1 can) Pumpkin puree
1 Red onion, coarsely chopped
1 Green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
200 g Kale, finely chopped (fresh or frozen)
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Ground ginger
1/4 tsp. Powdered sage
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Paprika (Spanish smoked)
1/8 tsp. Chipotle

Place a large pot or pressure cooker on medium to medium-high heat, grease the bottom with your preferred cooking oil (coconut oil or ghee is mine).
Once it has reached its smoking point, drop in the ground meat and, with a wooden spoon, stir and break apart the meat until completely cooked and separated.
Add the spices to the meat until thoroughly mixed, and then add the remaining ingredients.
Cover the pot and let sit over medium heat for at least an hour.*
Garnish each bowl with your choice of sour cream, cheese, diced onion, avocado, or all of the above.

Makes 6 – 8 servings.

*I like using the pressure cooker, as it cuts the time for chili in half. If you are cooking with a regular pot (or even a slow cooker), it will take longer for the smoky flavor to sink it. It will be good regardless.

What's in a Name? That Which We Call a Recipe...

I like to name my recipes. Like a newborn or a family pet, a recipe’s name should have something with meaning, something with importance. Sometimes all it takes to name a recipe is to say what it is, like “Blueberry Oat Bagels” or “Panna Cotta”. But for the most part, it takes a lot of creativity and even more thought, such as: “Sweet Pea Pucker Smoothie”; “All Dressed Up Quinoa Salad”; “Little Bitty Popover Bites”; and finally, this recipe… “Agent Orange Smoothie.”

Now, you’re probably thinking: “does she mean the cocktail or the pesticide (definitely not), the comic book character or the Tori Amos song?” If you thought Tori, you thought correctly.

There are some songs that pop into my head on their own accord, and besides the Rites of Passage by the Indigo Girls, Tori Amos’s Boys for Pele is one of my favorite albums. Her song “Agent Orange” transports me to Miami, where tropical foods are plentiful and suntans equally so. I imagine Agent Orange to be a Miami Vice kind of detective, with an orange as a head, whose favorite highball drink is organic carrot juice and vodka, and is a sucker for the ladies. Or maybe he is a redhead investigator in San Francisco who falls in love with a tourist that insists on calling his beloved city “Frisco”. There is no way to tell what the lovely Ms. Amos meant, but that’s the beauty of her music. It’s all about the stories you find in her lyrics.

So listen to her album, skip to track no. 14, and take a sip of this orange-less orange drink simply made for a year of eternal summer and clear blue skies.

"Agent Orange" by Tori Amos (1996)

Gotta tell you what I heard

From agent orange

Mister suntan

Mister happy man

Mister I know the girls on all the world tours

Mister agent, yeah

He's my favorite

And they don't understand

He's got palm oil pants

Yes, he's down and there and everywhere

He's getting in too deep in this

Underwater city where she swims and swims

Agent Orange Smoothie

140 g Frozen Mango chunks
1 Frozen banana
420 ml Carrot juice
200 g Whole milk yogurt (or canned coconut milk for a vegan delight)

Place the ingredients in a blender until thoroughly combined.
Pour into 2 glasses and serve cold.

Makes 2 servings.

A Week of Goals and the Ultimate Socca Indulgence

To start off the new week in an awesome manner, I have listed a few goals I want to work on to further my positive growth:

• Match my eating habits to my fitness regimen (No. 1 priority)
•  To get plenty of rest, i.e., 8 continuous hours of sleep (No. 2 priority)
•  Continue running (3x) and rock climbing (3x)
• Don’t take things too seriously and be flexible
• Keep up with my something-nothing philosophy
• To not spread myself too thinly
• Be there for myself, to be loving and not judgmental or critical
• Work on my resume and seriously look into jobs

As I don’t really have much of a story, I figured I’d post about my weekend in the form of photos...

... and a recipe. I was inspired by the Pure2Raw twins Lori and Michelle's vegan Tiramisu Pancakes, and I instantly thought of socca. They love socca. I love socca. And this recipe was the next logical step forward to combining two great ideas.

Socca Tiramisu

120 g Garbanzo bean flour
60 ml Coconut milk
60 ml strong coffee, chilled or room temperature preferred
120 ml Almond milk
10 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Coconut oil
Stevia, to taste

Click here to see how I usually prepare socca. This ranges from two to four servings, but I halved the recipe to make one large “pancake” with a cast iron griddle pan.

After it is cool enough to handle, slice the socca into quarters and stack the triangles on top of each other.
Smear the top with an extra helping of refrigerated coconut milk, which has the consistency of a soft whipped cream (though I think it would be absolutely fabulous to have between every single layer).
Garnish with cocoa nibs and a drizzle of maple syrup as garnishes.

Makes 2 sweet indulgences. Serves 2 – 4.

To Be Cool as a Cucumber

I’ve been rather flaky with things in my life: missing appointments, missing hang out opportunities with people I care about, and simply not feeling as awesome as I could be. Love Your Body Week gave me perspective, but there were times where I was feeling “blah” about myself. My new fitness regimen, or possibly a stress I’ve yet to identify, has me craving fats like crazy. Peanut butter, almond butter, coconut oil, cheese… I can’t get enough. That, and I was waking up ridiculously early this week, one day as early as 3:20 a.m., and that’s thrown my appetite out of order. 

But it’s Sunday now. It’s the end of the old week, or the start of the new week. Whichever the case, I’m moving on to new experiences and a better tomorrow. For now, I want to share a new way of eating one of my favorite foods.

Regardless if you call it a fruit or a vegetable, the cucumber is an amazing food. There are quite a few varieties, but the English cucumber is the species I most enjoy. The have a thinner skin and are nearly seedless, and it is said that they are easy to digest. Unlike some other popular varieties, you don’t need to remove the skin to enjoy it.

I have had it sliced on top of salads and dipped into sauces. I’ve had it juiced and blended into gazpacho. I’ve never baked them into “chips”, and I’ve never pickled them myself. 

Seeking new ways to eat one of my daily foods, I looked in my Mama Dazz’s cookbook collection for a new recipe to try for my beloved cucumber. I found Jeff Smith’s (1990) The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother. It lists the different immigrant groups that came to the United States over the years, providing a brief history of their culture, the people, and most importantly, the food. I reveled in the amazing stories of the Basques and the Swedes. I rejoiced in the recipes of my ancestors, the Irish and the Dutch. He talked about the beauty of the American Indian and South American cuisines, whose food was soon traded and seen all over the world.  But living in such a diverse neighborhood where I grew up with families from Bangladesh and El Salvador as close neighbors, things like papusas and curry were normal to me. But the recipe I found I wasn’t used to, and of course I had to make it for myself.

So I made cucumber namasu (p. 239, Smith), from Japan. It’s the kind of recipe I tweaked slightly to fit my needs. And like most pickled foods, its flavor enhances the longer it marinates. Since I used sea salt, I do not recommend using as much as the book recommends, i.e., one tablespoon. Even two teaspoons was a bit much, so I used stevia to balance it out. It worked beautifully. And since it was the first recipe I photographed with my new lens earlier this week, I was ecstatic with its success.

Cucumber Namasu

518 g English (seedless cucumber), quartered and thinly sliced
1 – 2 tsp Sea salt (I used 2 tsp. and thought it was a bit much, so taste as you go)
60 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar or Rice wine vinegar
2 ml Coconut aminos (or CGF Tamari for those who aren't soy free)
1 tsp. Ground ginger
1 tsp. White sesame seeds
1 tsp. Black sesame seeds
Stevia, to taste (optional)

Place the cucumber slices in a large mesh strainer over a bowl and sprinkle the salt on top.
Lightly toss and let it sit up to an hour for all of the liquid to drain.
In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except for the sesame seeds.
When the liquid from the cucumbers is gone, drain the bowl and use it to toss the dressing with cucumbers.
Sprinkle and mix the sesame seeds throughout the salad, then chill for another hour before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Visiting Penzeys Spices

You know how can you tell you are a foodie? When going to a specialty food store is probably more exciting than your birthday. 

In fact, I’m probably borderline fanatical, obsessed with the gastronomic world and all it has to offer. If you put me in a bookstore, I search for the cookbook section and will stay there for hours. If there is a gluten-free restaurant nearby or a new Morri-friendly product on the shelves, you bet your bottom dollar I’m going to give it a try. My morning routine consists of reading the latest posts from the amazing food bloggers I follow. I watch the Cooking Channel zealously, and think of ways I could alter the recipes to my lifestyle. I dream of food often, and I daydream of my future in the restaurant business. My philosophies are directly linked to cooking, and the aromas that come from the kitchen smell more glorious to me than the most expensive perfumes money can buy.

My Uncle’s girlfriend was the one who recommended this store to Mama Dazz and me, and if any of you foodies are ever in the Falls Church area, Penzeys Spices is an awesome place to visit.

This store, while simple in design and execution of display, is a jaw-dropping sight to behold. You walk in to shelves upon shelves upon shelves of spices, organized by type and how it can be used. There’s a baking section to your right, with various extracts and cocoa powders and citrus peels. To your left is a plethora of spices from A – Z, including three types of cardamom and even more cinnamon types. There are cheese seasonings, chili powders, sausage spices, and more. 

Mama Dazz and I walked out with seventeen distinct spices and combinations in our quaint brown paper shopping bag, all of them Morri-friendly to boot! My favorite by far was the “Balti” blend, smelling exactly like the Bangladeshi home across the street and a scent I had always wanted to incorporate in my cooking. We also got Italian herb blend, Greek seasoning, Turkish seasoning, Chili 3000, Tsardust memories, powdered rosemary, whole cumin seeds, various pepper powders, and natural wasabi (not pure wasabi, but still interesting). Already my mind is swimming with ways to use them, though I don’t want to use them just because we have them on hand. I want to put them in with dishes that make sense, like the Greek seasoning with the falafel and lamb kabob dish I have planned later in the week or Tsardust memories in a meat and cabbage combination to go with a bowl of borsch I want to help the boyfriend make. 

The Frenchman (with the accent and everything) behind the counter let me take a few pictures of the store, and he is quite a nice gentleman once you start talking with him. I talked about my time in Sweden, about the two amazing young Frenchmen I had met there and the hilarious stories they shared. Despite my not knowing a word of French (other than Le Petit Poucet) and not learning it while in a Scandinavian country, he gave us a coupon for his wife’s salon and spa with our receipt anyway.

 The prices are fairly reasonable, but we have quite a spice repertoire as it is, so it may be a while until we come back to restock. They do have a number of gift assortments, however, great for weddings and the holidays. And I do have a number of foodie friends with birthdays coming up... :)