Gluten-Free Travel: Scotland

I'm baaaaaaaack! I am very pleased to announce that my first international trip since my Celiac diagnosis was a rip-roaring success! Nine days away from home, not prepping all my own meals, and I didn't get glutened once! So I am here to share my stories, experiences, and tips with all of you so that you have some idea of what to expect in the event that you too would like to travel this wild and beautiful country!

Edinburgh
So, of the eight full days that we spent in Scotland, three of these were spent entirely within the capital city of Edinburgh. Aside from being a history nerds wet dream, Edinburgh pretty much has something for everybody! Castles and palaces, lush parks, shopping, a 820 feet hike to the top of Arthur's seat, and oodles of entertainment! Also, for those art nerds out there, we were traveling during the august Fringe Festival which meant that the Royal Mile of the city was jam-packed with fellow tourists, street performers, and artists of all kinds trying to steer you toward their performance. There are paid shows, free shows, theatre, music, comedy... there really is something for everybody at this festival! Luckily for me, there were also some pretty awesome gluten-free friendly dining options right in the city centre. Here are a few of my favourites:

HULA Café: Situated at the bottom of Victoria street, not far from the Royal Mile, rests this sweet, colourful little café. You can stop in to grab a pastry with a coffee or a smoothie and be on your way, or you can take a seat and browse through their menu. The café has on hand gluten-free sandwich bread, which was perfect for their roasted vegetable sandwich that my travel companion genuinely enjoyed. Our waitress happened to have a family member with Celiac disease, so was able to steer me in the right direction on the menu and ensure that my food would be prepared safely. I had what might very well be the best chickpea curry I've ever had in my life! Chickpeas and spinach cooked in a delicious yellow-curry sauce on basmati rice, topped with sunflower seeds and crushed pistachios. It was lick-your-plate-clean fabulous! Much to my excitement, the café also offers some gluten-free desert options, including cherry bakewell tart, which was always one of my favourite sweet treats when living in Ireland! The café was such a hit with us, that we dined here twice during our travels!

 

Southern Cross Café: This funky and youthful café located on Cockburn street right next-door to Edinburgh Backpackers (the hostel that we stayed in) also offered gluten-free bread and was quite understanding of my dietary needs. Our waitress suffered from Celiac disease and was able to help me modify the vegetarian breakfast so that it was safe. I ended up with a huge plate of eggs, baked beans, gluten-free toast, roasted tomatoes, and fried button mushrooms. I had to forgo the vegetarian haggis, but I don't feel especially disappointed about that! The food was quite reasonably priced, and if you stay next-door at the hostel, you get an extra discount at the café which worked out brilliant for this budget-conscious student!

 

Italian on the Mound: Just off the Royal Mile is this family-owned and run sandwich café which openly offers gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian options. Though perhaps not the best place to stop in if you are in a hurry, the staff are friendly and entertaining as they sing and chat you up while they prepare your lunch. The gentleman who served me was more knowledgeable than most about my dietary concerns. He confirmed with me that I have Celiac disease and needed to worry about cross-contamination before he prepared my sandwich. He washed down his cutting boards and knifes before getting down to business and informed me that he wouldn't be able to safely toast my sandwich, which was perfectly okay by me! Though it would have been slightly better toasted, I ended up with a light, fresh sandwich of tomato, mozzarella, basil, avocado, and olive oil on seedy gluten-free sandwich bread. Perfect for picnicking in Princess Street Gardens.

 







Circus: Located on St. Mary's Street, this restaurant mentions on their menu that they are willing to cater to allergies and intolerances. When I arrived and inquired after the safety of their vegetable curry, the waitress was very reassuring and made sure to talk with the chef before giving me answers she wasn't quite sure about. Luckily, the dish was perfectly safe and I enjoyed it while my traveling companions were able to enjoy the variety of both meat and vegetarian options for all! Though not as delicious as the curry I ate at HULA, it was rich and satisfying and kept me energized throughout the evening.

 

 

The Potato Shop: Might also been the "baked" potato shop now that I'm thinking of it, but regardless, this one of a kind baked potato shop, also to be found on Cockburn street, offers exactly what it sounds like. Stuffed baked potatoes. This tiny little hole-in-the-wall spot offers potatoes small, medium, and large, with a display case full of filling options to choose from! Everything from baked beans and cheese to avocado salad, tomato and chickpea salad, and quinoa salad! The staff was able to answer my questions about the safety of menu items and I enjoyed my potato stuffed with the tomato and chickpea salad. Filling and affordable, I also enjoyed the novelty and ease of this nutritious take-away food. My friend had her potato with the avocado salad which she claimed was one of the best things she's ever eaten and turned her, a former potato-hater, into an avid potato lover!

 

 

The Highlands

While, unfortunately, I don't have a list of names of places throughout the highlands the way that I do for Edinburgh, I do have a lot of tips and suggestions for how to stay gluten-free while traveling through the north of Scotland. Five days of roughing it through small restaurants and gas-station style shops, I feel like I've got this down to a science! Sort of. First thing I learned about traveling gluten-free through the highlands, is that people are more educated than I expected them to be. Typically, people fall into one of three general categories:

 

1. Those who know what you need and are willing to work with you.

- Example, on the Isle of Skye (which is a must see if you are traveling up north) we stopped off at the town of Portree, which despite being quite small is home to the majority of the island's population. Given that there weren't many places to stop for lunch, I joined my travel companions and stopped in at a small gastro-pub (name currently alluding me), figuring that I would find something to eat, even if it was a small salad with no dressing. At first, working with the waitress was really frustrating. She was perfectly friendly, but every time she disappeared to find out the answer to my question, she came back with the answer that no, it wasn't safe to eat this thing. Finally, at my wits end, I was planning to leave and just stop in at the little food co-op and grab some fruit when she returned to our table saying that she had a chat with the chef and he was willing to modify one of the dishes in question so that I was safe for consumption. The chef knew that mustard can be unsafe for Celiacs to eat, so offered to adjust the spices of the mushroom stroganoff and change it around a little so that I could eat it. I happily accepted the generous offer and was not disappointed. The mushroom stroganoff, served on a bed of rice, was probably one of the most amazing meals I ate during the trip!

2. People who have no idea what you're on about, but are willing to work with you.

- In Fort Augustus, on the banks of Loch Ness, my friend and I ended up eating at this small take-away restaurant. The menu, while varied, wasn't especially gluten-free friendly. The reason we ate there: because the staff was extremely friendly and worked their butts off to help me find something to eat. They clearly had no idea what gluten is, but they asked me lots of questions and checked back with me at the table many times to ask after the safety of this or that ingredient. Despite their lack of knowledge, I felt reassured that they didn't take any chances with my food. I ended up just having a baked potato with cheese and a salad without dressing, but it was a satisfying meal and a reassuring dining experience.

3. People who just won't work with you.

- Fortunately, this only happened to me once on the entire trip. My friend and I stopped into this little restaurant, also in Fort Augustus, to see if they had anything on the menu that might be safe for me to eat. We couldn't figure out the menu immediately, so we stopped inside and asked the staff if there was anything that would suit my needs. The man who spoke with us seemed like possibly the manager of the restaurant, and told me quite plainly, "I'm sorry, we don't have anything for you here." While I was taken a bit aback with his complete disregard of me and his lack of any attempt to work with me, I ended up just being grateful for his honesty. He didn't waste my time, and I ended up finding something else which was perfectly acceptable.

 

 

From everything that I learned while traveling through the highlands, the following are pieces of advice I have for others trying to do the same:

1. Try to do a bit of self-catering if you can. I was traveling with a decent sized tour group full of students and young adults. This meant that we stayed in hostels all throughout the highlands. The lucky part about this, aside from it being budget friendly, is that all the hostels we stayed had a self-catering kitchen for guests to use. On a couple of occasions, my friend and I would stop down to the local grocery store and pick up a few things to make our own meals in the evenings. Often, it was as simple as beans on rice, but it was filling, cheap, and safe. I enjoyed having some control over my food. While we did use this option for evening dining, we tended to use it more for breakfasts and getting little snacks for on the road. The kitchen allowed me to make my own uncontaminated oatmeal from the packets I brought with me, make my own tea, etc. We were also able to grab lots of fresh fruit and travel bars that made for a quick snack when we were running around during the day.

2. Keep your eye out for gluten-free brands. I was surprised at the amount of gluten-free packaged brands that do little deserts and snacks. In small gas-stations or locally owned cafés, it was easy enough to find little almond bars or other things to go with your tea. For me, I enjoyed trying out the different brands as I went along. I always get a kick out of finding little surprise treats along the way!

3. Find some generally-safe diet staples. If you aren't a vegetarian, this will probably be different for you than it was for me. I found that pretty much everywhere I went, I could count on either a baked potato or risotto. While I always asked the server to double check and confirm safety for me, I found that risottos tend to be gluten-free and an excellent vehicle for vegetables and flavour! Baked potatoes, while not necessarily exciting, were also a good option for me while traveling. A potato fills you up. Simple as that. And most, though not all, places will be able to make this for you. A lot of places also offer topping choices like cheese or baked beans. Salads without dressing or croutons would suffice in a pinch. But mostly, I didn't have too much difficulty dining out.

4. Take advantage of the prepared meals and salads section of local grocery shops. On many occasions, the idea of finding a café, asking a million questions, and paying too much for lunch was just a little overwhelming. Instead, we stopped into small grocery stores and were able to find safe take-away salads and other things to eat on the go. It saved us oodles of money and meant that we took more picnics in the park!

 

Now that I am back home, I've found myself rather inspired by my Scottish travels! Particularly by The Potato Shop in Edinburgh. I've always been a potato lover. Always. Finding a whole establishment centered around stuffing potatoes with all kinds of goodness was, frankly, exciting. So in honor of this wonderful experience, I will be bringing to you: POTATO WEEK!

 

What does this entail? Every night for a whole week I am going to make a baked potato with a different filling and at the end of the week, I will bring the recipes to you, my lovely readers! Not sure what the fillings are going to be, but I have this week to brainstorm and come up with recipes to try! Stay tuned for all the potato goodness :)











Scotland bound!!

Oh my gosh how the last month has completely flown by! As of today, I am officially 30 days gluten-free which is very exciting! I am feeling so much better already and I know that the road ahead holds many wonderful, positive things!

I did get glutened somewhere about a week ago. Somehow. I went back and analyzed everything I ate. Reread package labels. Remembered how I used my own cooking things. Still can't for the life of me figure out where the bastard got into my system! I do believe that it was a very minor exposure, probably as a result of cross contamination somewhere, despite my best efforts to avoid it. I really don't even need to describe it to most of you. As much as it was very frustrating to get sick again just as I was starting to feel better, I'm glad that the consequences of the exposure have only lasted me a few days. I know there are lots of people who are down for weeks afterward! Anyways, picking back up and moving forward is the key!

Tomorrow morning I leave for my first trip out of the country since my diagnosis. It's definitely a bit nerve wracking as I'm not 100% sure what to expect. However, I have been a good girl and sat down to do my research! Though we will be doing a tour through the highlands, we are going to also be spending a couple of days in Edinburgh which is supposed to have some excellent gluten-friendly options! A friend of mine who is doing some work in England this summer mentioned that the UK seems to be much more gluten-friendly than our beef-loving, oil-crazy province of Alberta. So it's nice to know that I'm not going head first into the deep end altogether!

Just in case, I've packed myself a whole box of Vega One meal bars, a whole box of Larabars, a package of Vega Smoothie mix with my shaker, and a handful of uncontaminated instant oatmeal packets for early mornings and when our tour bus stops off somewhere too risky to eat at. I definitely don't have to worry about starving while I'm away! Not only am I prepared for munchies and breakfasts, I also have some supplies to help me survive if despite all precautions I do get glutened. In my gluten-exposure emergency kit, I have probiotics, digestive enzymes, ginger candies, mint and ginger tea-bags, and a tub of Vega electrolyte hydrator... you know... for replenishing your electrolytes after a gluten-induced diarrhea fest. I figured that last one might be especially important because of the whole health-care/insurance thingy. For those of you who don't know, when you buy travel insurance for your vacation, your insurance won't cover you for pre-existing conditions. So basically, if I get hit by a bus or get a blood clot or something my insurance will pay for me to get medical care. If, however, I suffer from severe dehydration or something like that as a result of a bad day with Celiac Disease... I am forced to pay for my medical expenses out of pocket! Now fortunately, from what I understand, it's not exactly common to need emergency medical attention for CD. However, I like to be prepared and since dehydration is the only thing I can thing of that might happen, imma be ready!

And that's really all I have to talk about today. Sorry, no recipes or divine food photos to share! I will be gone for the next 10 days but plan to take lots of pictures and notes so that I can pass along the very best tips possible for gluten-free travel in Scotland!

Au revoir!

Caramelized Peaches and Vega Harvest Salad

Hello again! Do you ever just spontaneously come up with an idea so good you impress yourself? That was pretty much me the other evening when I really needed something sweet and started rummaging about in my fridge. I came across the last of my stash of white peaches that hadn't yet ripened. Now I know that to make it ripen faster I would have to haul it out and set it somewhere at room temperature for a bit and then it would sort itself out; however, I really wanted to eat it right NOW. The flavour of slightly unripened peaches is just fine, it's the crunchiness that throws me off a little. I was just going to suck it up and eat it anyways when it occurred to me that I could caramelize it and make a really delicious desert!

Caramelized Peaches and Pecans
Serves: Me in the middle of the night

1 Peach (white or yellow is fine)
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp coconut palm sugar (could use brown sugar instead)
1/4 Cup pecan halves

1. In a non-stick frying pan, melt coconut oil and add coconut sugar. Heat and stir to dissolve the sugar in the oil.
2. Chop your peach into slices. The thinner the slices, the more gooey they will get.
3. Add your peach slices and pecan halves to the pan and cook on medium heat until the peaches start to soften and the oil and sugar mixture begins to thicken and caramelize.

 

4. When your peaches reach desired nomminess, serve and devour! If you wanted to be really indulgent, you could toss these on top of some ice cream or something. They are also delicious just on their own which was how I ate them.

 

 

Also wanted to mention that I recently went ahead and made Vega's Harvest Quinoa Salad which was absolutely fantastic! It was perfect time for it as I happened to have some roasted butternut squash already saved from my previous recipe so it was super fast to throw together. Of course, I completely forgot that I needed to have quinoa cooked for this salad and ended up throwing that together at the last minute and eating the salad while the quinoa was still warm. Regardless, it was filling, satisfying, and good clean eating after my super intense workout session yesterday morning!

 

Want the recipe? http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/harvest-quinoa-salad-with-citrus-dressing/ 

 

In my salad, I completely forgot the peas and ended up having to adjust the dressing slightly because I didn't have all the ingredients, but I recommend that those wanting to try it out stick as close as possible to the original recipe!  Here is a picture of how mine turned out:

 

 

Has anybody else hopped on this quinoa salad bandwagon? Any recipes to share?









Butternut Squash Pasta

So I've had a butternut squash in my pantry for some time now really crying out to be loved! Truth be known, while I've eaten plenty of butternut squash in my lifetime, I've never before cooked one from scratch myself! I decided that I wanted this really sexy looking harvest salad for my lunch tomorrow (a Vega recipe) and that I would need some roasted squash for it, but certainly not a whole one for that alone. So, knowing that I needed to do something with the rest of the squash, I was inspired by several recipes online for making a pasta sauce! Below is my version of butternut squash pasta:

Butternut Squash Pasta
Serves: 4

1 Medium Butternut Squash
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 Cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 Cup frozen peas
1 tsp honey
Dash of cayenne, salt, and pepper
2 Cups of Gluten-free Pasta

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and chop your butternut squash. For those of you trying this for the first time, I recommend a sharp knife and to work in sections. When you cut open the squash, there will be a small area near the bottom filled with seeds. I tried experimenting cutting the seeds out with a knife vs. scooping them out with a spoon. The verdict: scooping is easier and wastes less flesh. Toss the chopped squash on a pan and lightly coat the pieces with oil. You could use a different oil here, I'm sure coconut would be really lovely in this recipe!

 

2. Bake the squash in your preheated oven for 30 minutes or until you can easily stab your squash pieces with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. In a medium sized frying pan, stir-fry your chopped onion until it is translucent and starting to caramelize. Your onion pieces can be as big or a small as you like them. Personal preference is a beautiful thing. Add your chopped garlic and heat through.

4. Add to your garlic and onion mixture the vegetable broth and about two thirds of your roasted squash. Save the other third for use in another recipe of your choosing. The reason I choose low-sodium vegetable stock is because I like to have control over how much sodium I consume and how salty my food is. You add salt at the end to taste anyways! Continue to heat on medium setting, slowly breaking down the squash and mixing the ingredients into a sauce. At this point, you could puree the sauce if you want yours to be really creamy in texture. I like my sauce a little bit more rustic with pieces of identifiable vegetable throughout. Again, personal preference!



5. At this point, when your sauce is near to complete and your ideal texture, go ahead and add the honey and seasonings to your personal taste. I like the addition of a bit of honey in the recipe to bring out the sweetness of the squash and the little heat from the cayenne. Many recipes call for sage. If this is something you would enjoy, sub a small amount of sage or whatever herbs your prefer for the cayenne or in addition to the cayenne. If you choose to add frozen peas, and I think you should because they are delicious and add a beautiful pop of colour to your dish, do so now and just cook to heat through.

6. While your sauce is simmering on a low heat, prepare your gluten-free pasta according to the package directions. I ended up using two different cuts of pasta because I'm weird like that and enjoy having the different textures in my bowl. Once drained, add your pasta into the skillet with your sauce and mix well.

7. You could always add a little more vegetable stock if needed to bring the sauce to the consistency which appeals most to you. I tend to leave a little bit of starchy pasta water on the noodles when I'm draining so that I'm adding just a bit of hot water to the sauce to help the mixing along.

8. Serve and devour! You could always sprinkle your dish with a little grated cheese or fresh herbs if you felt so inclined, but I enjoyed the simple, creamy, comfort dish exactly as is.

 

Happy nomming :)







Trip to Banff: Verdict!

Alright, so I have to qualify my weekend at Banff a complete success! For those of you reading along, you'll know I mentioned in a previous post that I was super nervous about my first gluten-free dining experience outside of the home. I managed to get pampered at the spa, drink way too much, and eat lots of delicious food without being glutened. Not least of all, spend some quality time with my friend in a beautiful town in the mountains!

 

The weather was a little cool on our first day but cleared up beautifully, as you can see in the photo above. Anyways, so we stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel which is incredibly nice! I mean really, I have never stayed anywhere so fancy in all of my life! And probably never would have if my friend's husband hadn't paid for our trip! So generous and I am so grateful to have had such a spectacular experience! For those of you not from the area, the Banff Springs is pretty reminiscent of the Beasts castle in the woods from Disney's Beauty and the Beast!

 

 

Seriously, mountains and forests and then this giant castle-esque hotel right in the middle of it all! The first night we arrived, my friend had made a reservation for us at the Banffshire Club restaurant inside the hotel. She let them know when she made the reservation that I'm a vegetarian with Celiac Disease and they reassured her that I would be well taken care of. I'm happy to report that they did exactly as advertised. The woman seating us confirmed my needs and after being seen to by the waiters, the maître d' came and not only told me that I would be taken care of, but that the chef would pretty much make whatever I wanted. What? So after confirming that the kitchen stocked gluten-free pasta, I decided to have their vegetable lasagna with the gluten-free option. During the meal, the chef himself came out to make sure that the food was good and that I was happy. Pretty much the most attention I have ever received from restaurant staff in my life! Everyone was extremely kind and friendly and helpful. I was very impressed. I was too excited receiving my food to actually take a picture of it, but my friend got a super creepy picture of me eating. I'm sorry for inflicting this upon you, but try to pay more attention to how awesome the food looks rather than how big I can make my mouth stretch open when I try...

 

 

I know, I'm sorry, it's very scary but let's focus, shall we? They brought out this incredible pasta with mushrooms, sprouts, tomatoes, and a really delicious sauce with soft cheese. The flavours were wonderful! Fresh and rich at the same time and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente which I know can be harder to pull off with gluten-free pasta if you don't have any experience cooking it. I was also pretty impressed that when they brought out table bread before our meal, they happened to have on hand some truly excellent gluten-free bread for myself so that I didn't just stare at my friend eating her "normal person" bread. I was able to have flourless chocolate torte for desert with some truly exceptional desert wine, guided by the waiter who knew clearly knew his stuff and steered us into a very delicious place. All in all, the Banffshire Club gets all the gold stars from me!

 

The next evening, we decided to walk into the town to take in dinner at the Bear Street Tavern, which was recommended online for having really good pizza with a gluten-free option. The service was pretty friendly and when I told the waitress about my need for a very strictly gluten-free pizza, she informed me that because they work in an open kitchen, there is a slight risk of cross-over but that she would inform the chefs of my needs and that because the gluten-free pizza crust they use is frozen, they don't need to place it on any countertops or anything which reduces possible contamination. I had the mediterranian pizza with gluten-free crust and it was very excellent! Topped with tomatoes, peppers, artichokes, olives, feta, asparagus, and more! The crust, though not the most delicious crust I've ever eaten, but was thin and supported the toppings well. More to the point, I wasn't sick afterward! They have a really strange, yet fantastic, tradition at this place of providing the table with a bottle of honey and another of chili oil for mixing and dipping one's pizza crust in. Though a bit skeptical, it was actually a spectacular combination that my friend and I both lapped up! Again, was way too excited about pizza to remember to take a picture of it, but I did take a picture of the drink I had, called a Raspberry Beret.

 

 

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this drink rocked my world. And so pretty!

 

So with this Banff weekend a complete success, I have high hopes that I will find my Scottish experience more than tolerable. I plan to do my research sooner rather than later, especially given that I leave in just over a week! Anybody have any tips for gluten-free traveling in the UK? 









Carrot Fries and Gluten-Free Dining in Banff

Hey everyone!

So shortly before I was diagnosed, one of my best friends asked me if I wanted to go away for a weekend to Banff for a girls-spa thingy for her birthday. Given that her husband is actually paying for us both to go for her birthday present and it's barely going to cost me a thing, I jumped on that like a fat kid on gluten-free cake! So first of all, I am super excited about going. Let's be honest, I'm going to get a pedicure, a full body massage, and a custom facial... fo' free! I get to take a break from work and family to stay in a lush hotel bed and lounge around all day in a fluffy robe... fo' free! Basically, it's any broke student's dream! Well... probably anybody's dream, but I'm sure you can imagine the extent of my excitement. Secondly, I am terrified. This will be my first proper restaurant-dining experience since my diagnosis and I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING! Naturally, I couldn't have anticipated that this was going to happen, but a weekend in Banff two and half weeks after diagnosis and a 10-day trip to Scotland only a month after diagnosis... talk about jumping right on into the deep end!

Being the nerdy academic I am, I figured the first step in successfully pulling this off is to do my research ahead of time. The spa that we are using, which provides a free lunch, offers a gluten-free vegetarian salad that looks delicious. So that's one hurdle jumped. As for dining out of the spa, I have a couple of suggestions from the fabulous land of the internet! I figure if we make sure to hit up places that have gluten-free vegetarian options and so long as I let my server know that I have Celiac Disease and that it's VERY important that my food is kept safe, I think I should be okay. Scotland will be another story, since we are on a tour and I don't get to decide where we stop to eat... but let's just do this one step at a time, shall we?

First, I hit up the gluten-free friendly in Banff page from Urban Spoon:
 http://www.urbanspoon.com/tn/72/1/46151/Alberta/Gluten-Free-Friendly/Banff-restaurants
The two best suggestions I got from here are
- Nourish Bistro: which offers vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The menu looks promising, offering a blend of ethnic and fusion cuisine. Reviews are mixed regarding service, however the general consensus is that the food is pretty good!
- Silver Dragon Restaurant: which is supposed to offer gluten-free friendly Chinese food at a good price. Fortunately, they offer a fully vegetarian menu upon request. The one thing that gets me here though, is that I didn't see anything on the actual menu about gluten-free options. My particular concern, is gluten in the sauces and in soy sauce. I suppose you could always ask your server about this, but I thought it was unfortunate not to find any of this information online.

Next, The Little Red Kitchen blog (http://thelittleredkitchen.blogspot.ca/2012/04/gluten-free-in-banff.html) recommends stopping in at the Wild Flour bakery which offers lots of gluten-free baked goods in addition to the usual bakery selection. Also recommended is the gluten-free pizza at the Bear Street Tavern, which seems to get pretty fantastic reviews!

The I Made Toast blog (http://imadetoast.com/2010/10/11/gluten-free-in-banff-alberta/ ) recommends the Elk and Oarsmen Pub which offers a gluten-free menu! She also mentions that Boston Pizza, a popular pizza chain, offers a gluten-free menu as well and that if you mention to your server your needs, that your food will be prepared in a specialty gluten-free area! My only concern is that this blog entry is about four-years old, which means that the pub mentioned above may no longer be in business. Now, I hope it does, but you just never know!

While I will have to consult with my friend to figure out which of these places we will actually visit, I feel like there might definitely be gluten-free pizza in my future! Memo to self: bring the lactaid pills because I'm going find me some cheesy goodness!

Now, on to the highlight of my day so far: Carrot Fries for lunch!

Carrot Fries with Hummus and Sriracha:
Serves: Me

3 Medium sized carrots
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp of your favourite hummus
Drizzle of sriracha

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and chop your carrots into finger sized pieces. I like mine rustic and a bit on the chunky size. Basically, chop them however the hell you want... because I sure do!
2. Toss your carrot fries on a non-stick baking sheet with coconut oil and sprinkle with cayenne pepper. You could use other seasonings here if you wanted, such as sea salt or Mrs. Dash or whatever-the-hell, but I personally love me a little cayenne pepper and don't like adding salt to my food. Deal with it.

3. Bake your fries in the oven for about 20 minutes, taking them out at the 10 minute mark to shake them around a little. There is definitely room for personal preference at this stage. If you like your fries a little on the crunchy side, you might put them in for a bit less time. If you like yours really soft, you might add some more oven time. 20 minutes gives you sweet, roasty carrots with a bit of chewiness that I'm extremely fond of.

4. Plate your sexy carrot fries with a big glob of your favourite hummus. Roasted red pepper hummus would be really good here, but today I felt like using traditional plain hummus. While you're at it, toss a bit of Sriracha hot sauce on that plate too. Because spicy things are awesome!

I don't think I can properly describe to you how intensely good these fries were, but I am determined to do my very best. The fries themselves are best enjoyed hot out of the oven. The roasting brings out their natural caramelly sweetness, particularly on the golden bits! The coconut oil further enhances that sweetness and adds a bit of richness without overwhelming your palate. It's like taking a bite of pure, clean-eating happiness! Honestly, I think the sriracha/hummus combo with these was inspired! Not to float my own boat or anything... the hot, sweet fries with the rich, cold hummus and the kick from the sriracha was a wicked combo!



 It's easy to be so in love with the flavours of this dish that you forget that it's brimming with beta-carotene, fiber, healthy fats, and a splash of protein! Not to mention, it's pretty low in calories for those of you with an eye on your waist line. As my dad used to say: if you don't watch your waist, nobody else will! See what I did there? I used only three carrots here since this was an addition to the first part of my lunch, (yes, like a hobbit, I do second-breakfasts and also second-lunches), but it would be easy to polish off an entire bag of carrots this way! For those of you who catch me in the street with orange skin, probably assume that this is what I did to get that way!

 

Anybody have any favourite carrot recipes to share?





 

Anxiety and Pudding

So I'm officially two-weeks gluten-free. It's been interesting to say the least. I have to admit to having a bit of anxiety. If I have a plan about what I'm going to be eating and I've got the groceries at home, I don't seem to have a problem. Gluten-free cooking and eating so far seems to be a go. However, if I haven't planned in advance or run low on groceries, I seem to go into panic attack mode. This isn't particularly good.

 As I'm sure many of you know, often times people diagnosed with Celiac Disease will notice during the course of their recovery that there are a bunch of other foods they don't tolerate well. I already knew that dairy isn't a thing for me. It just isn't. It hurts. And gives me gas. Apparently, as I've recently discovered, my body also won't do corn. The other day, I had a corn and mixed bean salad for lunch and then a cob of corn with dinner and my body was pissed. I felt like I had been glutened (which remains possible), but looking back on what I'd eaten that day, everything appeared to be in the clear. Then I consulted my trusty friend Google and it seems that there's a protein in corn that is similar to gluten, and thus some very finicky individuals have a hard time with corn. I'm hoping that after a year or so of healing, my body will get the hell over it and be fine. I recognize that this may just be a temporary thing. I'll wait it out and try in a year.

Anyways, I've totally digressed! I discovered that corn and I can't be friends right now which lead me into a panic attack the other morning getting ready for work. I had made a double serving of this corn and bean salad and packed half away with the intention of taking the other half for my lunch. This was no longer an option. At seven in the morning, after a restless night, I had to figure out a safe lunch to make last minute before I ran out the door. My blender that I use for breakfast smoothies was dirty and I didn't have the time/energy to wash it. I was in a state. I stood in my kitchen just staring into space for about five minutes trying to control my breathing before I finally came up with a plan. I called work and told them I'd be a few minutes late. I threw on a pot of brown rice. I shook up my protein powder with almond milk and ate a banana. I managed to work through it, but I spend the rest of the day shaky and exhausted. I clearly need a better plan then just winging it!

So today, I made up a two-week meal plan. Smoothies for breakfast; nuts, seeds, fruit, veggies, and hummus for snacks; and varying combinations of lunches and dinners. I also made up a grocery list so I know what I need to buy each week to make it through my meal plan. I'm quite impressed with how it looks too! The goal is healthy, gluten-free, clean eating vegetarian and vegan meals which will fuel my training and help my body heal. In order to avoid anxiety, I will continue to alternate between these two weeks for as long as I need to until I get my bearings and develop some diet staples! This will mean that I will always know what I am eating and make sure I have the groceries to make it with, and a plan for when all my meals will be prepped. If that doesn't work, I may take to drinking. I'm kidding. Sort of.

Also, I have a recipe to share! Now originally my plan for the evening was to make the Carrot Cake Chia Pudding from the recipe found here:
http://www.veganricha.com/2014/05/carrot-cake-chia-pudding-vegan-gluten.html
However, when I starting making the pudding it was already 7 pm. I was not excited about the idea of roasting carrots and stuff before setting the chia seeds to soak up the liquid. If I did that, my pudding wouldn't be ready for ages... and I really wanted it now. So I modified the recipe a little and am very happy with the results. The following is my modified-version of the above recipe.

Raw Carrot Cake Chia Seed Pudding:
Serves: One very hungry person or two tiny persons

1 Large carrot, peeled and finely grated
2 Tbsp chopped raw walnuts
1 Tbsp maple/agave syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
dash of ground nutmeg
1 Cup unsweetened almond milk
2-3 Tbsp chia seeds

1. Peel a large carrot and, using a grater or food processor, shred finely. If you're like me, you end up grating only about 4/5 of the carrot because your arms gets sore and you stop caring. Grate as much as you think will be delicious. The finer grater you use, the less crunchy your carrots will be. Mine were very skinny which gave a pleasant texture. Also, the more carrot you use, the more orange your pudding will be. I like the colour orange, so I ran with it.

 

2. Add all the other ingredients into a bowl with the grated carrot and mix it. I like to keep things simple. It all ends up in the same place. Whisk that shit up. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you get to eat it. If I'm being totally honest, I eye-ball things more than I actually measure things. The nice thing about the spices is that you can mix it up according to your tastes. I add more ginger because ginger makes me happy and is good for you. Do what makes your taste buds happy. What you end up with is a liquidy, carrot-cake looking mixture like this:

3. Cover it up with whatever the hell you can find and stick it in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight to allow the chia seeds time to soak up the liquid. For me, it was really about an hour and fifty minutes before I just couldn't wait any longer. But don't worry, it was still fantastic!

4. Eat it. I'd love to say that this picture you see above shows the true beauty of this pudding. It doesn't. It's kind of an orange, sludgy thing. The flavour, however, is truly spectacular. Reminiscent of leftover carrot cake you ate straight out of the fridge in the middle of the night with a giant spoon while nobody was watching. No? Just me? Even better though, because it contains none of that nasty, intestine-shredding gluten we all know and love.

 

 

Bottom line: I am a fan of this pudding. It was easy to throw together and enjoyable to inhale as a before-bed snack. I also don't feel guilty eating it as it's low in sugar and high in fiber. Yay winning!

 

Anybody have some late night binge-eating-worthy chia seed pudding recipes to share?