Halloween Recipe Search for Gluten Free

 Found this awesome recipe for a fun Gluten Free dessert on Dishing Delish, a totally gluten free recipe site. It's my go to place for yummy ideas. 

WORMS & DIRT!

Yes, you can eat these worms and dirt and the kids love it! Smooth creamy pudding, crunchy dirt & some wiggly worms to make you smile. 

You can find it right here; https://www.dishingdelish.com/worms-in-dirt-chocolate-pudding-dessert/

I made this for a Halloween party a few years ago but now Worms & Dirt is a Halloween tradition in our house. Too yummy & fun not to make! 

Supermarkets & Finding Gluten Free

My supermarket is rearranging the store. They used to have a small but adequate gluten free section with just the basics; crackers, breads, cookies, soups, etc. Now with this giant re-do they're mixing the gluten free stuff in with all the gluten food.

If I had one wish I'd like to take their marketing or layout department or whomever is in charge of this decision shopping with me. Let them get really hungry and take them down these mixed aisles and say, "You can't eat that, you can't eat that, you can't eat that, you can't eat that..." on and on until you find the one box of cereal you can eat.

For a supermarket to do this it's almost torture. Like waving all the things I can't eat in front of me and making me climb over it to get to the prize. Blah. This diet isn't a choice for me and many others. It's a necessity for life. It can be hard and I really don't need the extra aggravation of having to hunt all over the store to find something edible. Am I alone in the fact that it's not going to make me buy more. In fact, it makes me drive down the street to the store that has s special aisle with my gluten free food.

I think I'll go find the store's facebook page and explain.... join me? We might find cookies...

Vegan Diet, Gluten and Celiac Disease

I've often thought about going Vegan. I've read a lot about a plant based diet and all the reviews are good. Juicing is getting decent reviews too. I'm thinking about doing a day of that just to see how it would feel. (More on Juicing another day)

Back to the Vegan diet. I know I feel better when my diet is heavy on salads and fruit. I have times when I think, "I need a salad." However I'm a lazy cook and I worry I wouldn't be up to making Vegan food that tastes good. I purchased the book, Forks Over Knives for recipes and it's smaller volume, Forks Over Knives How to Companion. The how-to information explained more for the beginning Vegan. There are other books on how to go Vegan but a lot of them are heavy on animal cruelty. I know about that, what I don't know is how to be a successful and happy Vegan. Step into any book store or check out Amazon and you'll find lots of Vegan/Vegetarian cookbooks. I watched the Forks Over Knives video so I decided I'd start with that book.

I worry about protein levels. (Am I going to have to do math?) and the vitamin B12.

From what I'm understanding protein isn't really a problem is you incorporate beans, legumes, nuts into your meal plan. Forks Over Knives tells me that plant food has lots of protein and getting a good level of protein on a Vegan diet is easy.

I don't really worry about B12 but most people should. I have a B12 deficiency. I don't absorb it from my food anyway. Is this due to the Celiac damage? Or is it just genetic? Who knows. I go for B12 shots every two weeks to keep my levels up. All other Vegans should take a B12 supplement.

The difference between Vegan and Vegetarian is Vegans consume no animal products. No dairy, eggs, or (of course,) meat. Vegetarians sometimes consume either dairy or eggs. They describe these as Lacto or Ovo vegetarians.

I recently went to the restaurant, Loving Hut and was really impressed with the food. Each gluten free item on the menu was marked with a little heart. We ordered a few things and shared. First was the Summer Rolls with a miso-honey mustard sauce. This was made with tofu carrots & seasonal veggies and all wrapped with a thin layer of rice paper. They gave you 8 rolls and I could order this appetizer for a meal. Next was the Garlic Seaweed Salad, it wasn't my favorite so I let my dining companion have that dish. I've never been a fan of seaweed. My companion ordered a Chickpea-mushroom soup that was also very good. There was a rice noodle dish with mushrooms and tofu that was also very good. They gave generous portions and we had to ask for a doggie bag. And then there was the gluten free chocolate cake. OMG! Luckily we got the last piece.

After my experience at Loving Hut Vegan-ism is tasting a lot better. So I'm thinking of trying it. My doctor didn't think there was any problem with this diet.
Are you Vegan? Have you ever tried it? Got any advice?

Warning: when eating out anywhere always explain gluten to your server. Make sure they understand this is a major health issue. I also ask again when the food is delivered to make sure they did it right. You can never be too careful. 

PLEASE DON'T FEED THE CELIAC

Why do people feel they have to feed me? Offer me food? Go out of their way to make sure I have something to eat?

One thing I hate about this world is that it's food based. Go to someone's house and they offer you coffee, cookies, or lunch. Sometimes I wonder if they really want to eat cookies and my visit is the excuse to get a treat for themselves. With other people, it's their mission. I explain about Celiac Disease and tell them not to worry about me. I either bring my own food or wait till I get home. Still they persist.

"It's okay, I checked," they say.

I quietly assure them it's okay and still they push. I'll try, "I'm not hungry," or "I ate before I came," but short of pushing food in my face they keep at it. "Take just a bite, I want you to try it."

Politely I try to change the subject and sometimes this works. Like distracting a dog from a bone.

What I really want to do is scream. I want to get up in their face and yell, "No means no! I don't want your freakin' food and I'm not eating any of that sh*t! One crumb can take me down for three days and I'm not going there just to please you with your one bite nonsense! DON'T FEED THE CELIAC!"

Whew! Too bad good manners prevents me from doing that. 

And what was your worst food moment?