With my best friend, Fiona.

With Debbie and Nicola

We celiacs are lovely people so of course you would want to be our friend but just in case you aren’t completely sold on the idea here are some fantastic reasons why everyone should have at least one gluten free friend! ( Yes, I’m aware this post is a little silly but I thought it would be a bit of fun. )

We won’t eat your favourite snacks. You will never have to worry that we are going to eat all of your favourite cookies when we visit. In fact, you could leave hundreds of glutenous cookies, muffins and cakes at our apartment and they will still be there when you come to pick them up.

We are very helpful guests. When you invite us for dinner we are always more than happy to help with the cleaning, preparation and cooking of the gluten free meal you are making for us. We want to ensure you’re keeping us safe so what better a way than to get involved.

We will introduce you to delicious new restaurants. If you have lived in the same location for a while you may find yourself getting into a pattern of always eating at the same restaurants or grabbing a coffee at the same cafes. This is what I did when I lived in Glasgow..until I was diagnosed that is. As celiacs we are forced to discover new places to eat, places with safe gluten free options more. We are happy to have found somewhere celiac friendly and you, as our friend, get to check out somewhere new.

We will cook you interesting new dishes. Similar to eating out habits, you may be in the habit of cooking the same dishes with the same ingredients. You like what you make so it makes sense but what if there were other delicious things out there you’d never even heard of? When you’re diagnosed as celiac and given the long list of everything you can no longer eat, the hunt is on for new and interesting things we can have. Amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat for example are foods I may not have tried if it weren’t for a world where I could no longer eat most bread, pasta and noodles. We celiacs like to experiment with what we can eat and you will benefit from this too when you’re invited over for a home cooked meal.

We will increase your knowledge of dietary needs. Perhaps you’ve always been considerate of others dietary needs. Perhaps when someone told you in the past that they couldn’t eat cheese or they had an allergy to tofu you were understanding but perhaps you weren’t. I think most of us are guilty of rolling our eyes at some point when a friend of a friend passes on a snack because of (insert reason here). Once you have a close friend or family member who must follow a 100% gluten free diet for medical reasons it helps you to understand how serious and challenging living with certain food allergies, intolerances and auto immune disorders can be.

Triangle of friends

All dressed up

If I’ve missed out on any other awesome reasons why everyone should have a gluten free friend, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list!

Ready to eat!

Start with avocado & spinach

Burritos were one of my favourite foods before being diagnosed as celiac. Munching on a bunch of  rice, beans, avocado, salsa, salad and cheese all wrapped in something that didn’t fall apart on me… oh those were the days. I eat a lot of corn tortillas nowadays but I can never find large ones and I find that even when only filled with a few things, they tend to fall apart on me. Recently I found some brown rice tortillas in Whole Foods. They are gluten free, they are large and whilst not as sturdy as wheat tortillas so far they don’t seem to fall apart as easily as corn tortillas do. For this recipe I topped the tortilla with too many things that it ended up being an eat with your hands sort of a meal (which I love!) but with half the toppings this would have worked well wrapped up as a burrito.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• Brown rice tortilla
• Half an avocado
• Spinach
• Tofu
• Bean sprouts
• Baby tomatoes
• Small pepper (sliced)
• Natural yoghurt
• Chilli powder
• Oil

How to Make it

• Chop up tofu and marinade in pan with a little oil & chilli powder for a few mins
• Add beans sprouts, sliced pepper and baby tomatoes to the pan.
• Stir in some natural yoghurt and take pan off the heat
• Cover rice tortilla with avocado and spinach
• Pour tofu-yoghurt mix onto the tortilla
• Serve and enjoy.

TIP: If you’ve made as much topping as I did, rip off bits of the tortilla and eat with the mix. If you’ve made a bit less, roll the tortilla up and enjoy it burrito style!

Making everything the same temperature

Add yoghurt and mustard to the tofu

Earlier this week John and I decided to experiment with a tasty garlic, habanero mustard I picked up in Gilroy, CA, the garlic capital of the world. It’s basically a spicy, garlic mustard and it’s really tasty. We thought it would work well with a tofu dish and we were right. As this particular mustard is probably going to be pretty hard to get your hands on any strong mustard ( as long as it’s gluten free) will work with this recipe. I would however recommend adding a few cloves of fresh garlic (or even more if you just love your garlic!) to the mix if your mustard doesn’t already contain it.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• Olive oil
• Very firm tofu (200-250g)
• Garlic Mustard ( 3 tablespoons)
• Natural yoghurt (5 tablespoons)
• Green beans (around 100g or 2 handfuls)
• Peppers ( one large or two small )
• Chilli powder

How to make it

• Splash some oil into a non stick pan
• Chop tofu into chunks and place into pan
• Add chilli powder to tofu and stir for a few minutes to cover tofu
• Add yoghurt and mustard to the tofu and mix together
• Throw in sliced peppers and green beans (not to cook but to ensure everything is the same temperature before serving)
• Serve with rice, quinoa or buckwheat and enjoy!

Garlic, habanero mustard!

Delicious!

Gluten Free Protein Ball

A few weeks ago when I was home visiting Scotland I received some samples of Bounce Balls to try. I’ve tried so many energy and protein snacks in bar form so I was excited to try a ball shaped snack for a change! Bounce Balls do five different kinds of balls and each one has it’s own special ingredients. I tried the Peanut Protein ball, Almond Protein ball and Spirulina Ginseng ball. The peanut and almond balls are high in protein (and around 220 calories) so these are ones I would eat before or after a long run to give me some tasty energy. The nutty flavours are strong in these snacks which I really enjoyed.  The ginseng ball is very different. For some reason I thought it would be my least flavourite of the three but I really enjoyed it. It has an interesting taste and feels much lighter than the other two I tried. It’s marketed as an defense boost as the ingredients it contains are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. I’d eat all three again but particularly the ginseng one.

The other two balls they do are Cashew and Pecan and Fudge Walnut. I haven’t had the chance to try these yet but they sound pretty awesome.

Interesting cupcake options

100% gluten free bakery!

Last week I spent a day in Fresno, California as part of a little road trip. I didn’t see as much of the city as I would have liked but in the short time I had there I discovered a couple of good gluten free spots.

It was my 29th birthday and we decided to have dinner at PF Changs. I discovered quite a while back that this chain has a gluten free menu and on speaking to the restaurant’s staff at a couple of different locations throughout the States (the first being on our trip to Vegas) they appeared to have good awareness of celiac disease and the importance of avoiding cross contamination. I’m not a fan of restaurant chains in general, usually opting for somewhere a little more interesting and family run instead, but PF Changs and their tasty sounding menu intrigued me and I had to try it.

The menu includes information on gluten free dishes including  the fact that gluten free dishes are served on a special plate with the PF Changs logo. It also lists the ingredients used in their gluten free sauces which I thought was great. Our server was confident that the kitchen staff are well educated on cooking for those with special dietary needs and that I need not worry. I didn’t and my meal was delicious. I ordered the Norwegian Salmon steamed with ginger. It came on a bed of mushrooms, bok choy, tomatoes and asparagus and with a side of brown rice. Pretty healthy and extremely tasty. I would definitely eat at PF Changs again even if many of the dishes they serve are similar to the type of things John and I cook at home.

The other place I found in Fresno is Sweet Tomatoes, a chain soup and salad place. I didn’t have time to eat here on this trip but some of their soups and deli salads are gluten free and labelled as so on their menu. This is somewhere I’d check out at lunch time. Let me know if you’ve eaten here and what your thoughts were….

Delicious cupcakes!

Birthday dinner at PF Changs

The best find of the day had to be Gluten Free Please, a 100% gluten free, family run, bakery in Clovis, just north of Fresno. They sell cupcakes, cookies, muffins, breads and various other gluten free goodies. I had the pleasure of meeting the Bakery’s lovely owner and fellow celiac, Janet when I stopped by. The bakery opened in November, 2011 and so far seems to be a bit hit with gluten free locals. I can see why. Their cupcakes are amazing!! I tried their carrot cake cupcake with coconut frosting. Seriously..this may be the best cupcake I’ve ever had!  They also do some really unique flavours of muffins and cupcakes such as corn dog, pizza, rootbeer and chocolate marshmallow. This is awesome.

Tasty sushi!

I found myself in Bakersfield earlier this week when my friend and I took a little road trip heading south for a few days. Bakersfield probably isn’t a town I would have chosen to visit without a reason but I was glad I got the chance to as we met some very friendly locals who helped me celebrate my 29th birthday!

Bakersfield is a five hour drive from San Francisco so by the time we arrived we were hungry for dinner (even after all the garlic ice cream in Gilroy!) We both felt like sushi and so we checked out Ichiban Sushi on 2641 Oswell Street, a place I’d found online which got some good reviews. I brought my own gluten free soy sauce as usual and our server seemed to think this was pretty cute. I explained to her that I was celiac and couldn’t eat anything with wheat or gluten. I asked if the sushi chef could change his gloves and prepare my meal separately to avoid cross contamination. The chef looked over and nodded at me as he changed his gloves to show that he was doing as I asked.

The sushi here was tender and delicious and had the perfect rice to fish ratio. The best sushi to me is that which melts in your mouth and this did. I ordered six pieces of nigiri  and one tuna roll. We were served some complimentary edamame on the side. Yum! I would definitely eat here again.

Gluten free shopping wise, I wandered into Nature’s Food Market and Juice Bar, located on 1918 G Street in the city. It’s a small market which sells various juices and a variety of groceries, a large number of which are gluten free. I noticed gluten free sauces, gluten free pastas and noodles, gluten free flours and oatmeal, gluten free bars and some gluten free ready meals. If I was a celiac living in Bakersfield I would definitely frequent this place.

Nature's Food Market

Gluten free products

I didn’t have time to eat here but Red Brick Pizzain Bakersfield does gluten free options. I’d never heard of them before but in looking at their site it appears they have locations across six states, including California. I called the Bakersfield location for further information on how they prepare their gluten free pizza and the guy I spoke with was really helpful. The gluten free pizza bases aren’t made in store but are shipped in. Whilst they use the same stove for cooking gluten free pizza, they use a separate container in which to cook it, separate cutters and utensils and a separate preparation area.  ’We do a good job of preventing cross contamination.’ the dude on the phone told me.  They have a bunch of locations in California so I’m sure I’ll find myself here at some point but if you have eaten here, I’d love to hear about your experience!

Taco Del Mar and PF Changs are two other chains I found in Bakersfield which offer gluten free options. If you know of any more gluten free eateries in the area please share!

Garlic Ice Cream

En route from San Francisco to Bakerfield earlier this week we stopped at a little town called Gilroy. Gilroy, nicknamed ‘Garlic Capital of the World’  houses a factory which processes more garlic than any other factory in the world.  They hold their annual Garlic Festival every year in July and it’s one of the biggest food festivals in the US. As you drive past the town you can smell Garlic for miles so you definitely can’t miss it…it’s a pretty unique experience!

The best part about Gilroy is that they make and sell garlic flavoured everything. I bought a little tub of garlic ice cream. How could I resist? All of the ingredients were listed and nothing was suspicious…except the garlic of course! It was pretty tasty too although at points it felt as though I was eating both my dinner and my dessert at the same time. Garlic just isn’t a flavour you expect to taste when you’re eating ice cream.

For gluten free travellers’ who are looking for something a bit different to try and who love garlic of course! Gilroy is the place to go. Also, I now know where to go when the vampire apocalypse comes!

Liverpool

Lunch with family

Liverpool (To be read with a scouser accent!) is a UK city I hadn’t yet had the chance to explore. The drive is only three hours and change from Glasgow but I guess until now I never really had a reason to visit. My brother and his lovely family recently moved to that area of the country so when we were home for the holidays it was the perfect time to visit and explore Liverpool for the day.

Liverpool is of course famous for the Beatles so we had to drive down Penny Lane. It was also pretty impossible not to find a way of getting Beatles lyrics into the conversation at every possible opportunity through the day. A hugely famous band isn’t all Liverpool has to offer though. It’s a pretty town filled with a bunch of friendly people who have what is probably my favourite English accent.

So back to the gluten free eating part of the trip. My brother came across Leaf and noticed that they do gluten free options. Leaf (on Bold Street in the centre of town) is primarily a tea house but they have a good menu which indicates a few dishes as being gluten free (G) and those which have a gluten free alternative (GA).

I went for the Vegetable Thai Curry. It was served with rice and was very tasty and coconutty, not too different from the thai curry I make at home but it was nice to have someone else make it for me. Everyone else choose something gluten filled so no point in going into further detail there but they all found their meals to be really tasty. One thing I would say about this place is that some of the staff need to be a little better training on dealing with people ordering gluten free dishes. Whilst the woman who served us gave me confidence that my meal was prepared safely, the woman taking my order didn’t instill as much confidence. There are places at which I eat where I feel 100% comfortable that my meal is being prepared and cooked with the caution it deserves. Leaf was not one of these places but I still felt safe enough eating here and I had a lovely meal.

Liverpool must have many other gluten free goodies to offer but unfortunately on this trip we only had time to sample one of them. If you’ve had a delicious, safe meal here please let us know. Gluten free travellers are always on the lookout for more options!

Yummy gluten free curry

L tea house and bar

NIbbling truffles in Edinburgh

The Harvest Garden

John and I spent a fun day in Edinburgh over the festive period. Being a Glasgow girl myself I don’t find that I go to Edinburgh too much. It is of course a gorgeous city and very popular with visitors to bonnie Scotland. I should probably visit more often. When I lived here I would head to Edinburgh when it was Fringe Festival time (not to be missed!), when I found a good gig there or we had visitors in town who were desperate to explore Scotland’s capital city. When I do go simply for the sake of wandering and soaking up the city it’s always a really good time. Edinburgh is beautiful, it’s full of culture and there is lots to see and do. Gluten free travellers to the area will be happy to hear that there are also plenty of celiac friendly options to keep you satisfied whist exploring.

When we arrived in the city our first stop was Morningside to check out The Harvest Garden, a chocolate store I’d heard about on Twitter. It’s part florist/part chocolate shop and they stock a large and interesting selection of different chocolates and other sweet treats. I spoke with the owners of the store who are lovely and they told me that they have lots of gluten free options due to the fact that the husband and their daughter are both celiac. I got to try a few of their fancy chocolates which are delicious!

A little research helped me find a number of eateries in Edinburgh with gluten free options. Mamma’s Pizza in the Grassmarket area of the city does gluten free pizza and Roseleaf on Sandport Place is an allergy friendly place that sounds really quirky and interesting. When I first came across this place it instantly made me think of the fantastic Butterfly and Pig in Glasgow. The type of dishes they serve sound similarly delicious and the adorable, unique use of Scots dialect throughout their menu suggests the restaurant and it’s staff may be of a similar awesome ilk to the Butterfly and Pig. Unfortunately on this occasion I did not get the chance to eat at Roseleaf but next time it will be first on my list. If you have eaten here and tried some of their gluten free goodies then I’d love to hear your thoughts!

On this trip we decided to eat at Vittoria on the bridge, an Italian restaurant situated on George IV bridge. It’s rare that we eat out at Italian restaurants and this one sounded very celiac friendly with a menu which boasts many gluten free options. Their risotto dishes are gluten free and they also do both gluten free pizza bases and pasta. Any of their pizzas or pasta dishes can be made gluten free, Yay!, but as in many cases the gluten free pizza bases are quite a bit smaller than the ordinary ones. I decided to go for the chicken and red pesto pasta as I don’t eat much pasta at home. It was really tasty but I felt as though the portion size was way too small. I’m not a big person but I had finished my dish before John was through his second pizza slice. Just because I’m gluten free doesn’t mean I eat less. Celiacs want big portions too! If we return I’ll be ordering pizza or perhaps risotto. John’s pizza looked awesome and he said it was nice and spicy too.

Gluten free pasta

Edinburgh is a lovely city and there are lots of gluten free surprises to be discovered so you definitely don’t have to worry about finding something safe for celiacs here. If you are planning a trip to bonnie Scotland, please don’t forget to include a trip to Glasgow  too. It’s my favourite Scottish city, it’s awesome and it’s also filled with a wide variety of eateries with gluten free options!

With my tasty dime bar cake

Chilli and nibbles

Christmas 2011 was my third one as a celiac ( how time has flown!). It was also my third completely gluten free Christmas. I’m extremely lucky that my family and friends are so understanding. They know what it means to live with celiac disease and how careful they must be when cooking for me. I had nothing to worry about where festive gluten free eating was concerned. I hope all of you had a fantastic gluten free christmas too whether it was your first or your 51st.

Friday before Christmas was house party day with my best buddies and their boys. My friends Stewart and Nicola made a very tasty chilli con carne which they had made for us before so I knew it was safe. I sent them my post on How To Cook For A Celiac just to make sure they took all necessary precautions to eliminate a cross contamination threat. They were extremely careful and it was delicious. Another friend brought gluten free crackers and a selection of cheeses and another, dime bar cake and ice cream, both of which are safe for celiacs. John made his amazing spicy salsa and we brought along a bunch of chips and sweeties. We had a lovely night of eating, drinking and catching up and everything was completely safe for me to eat.

Gluten free with friends

Decorating with my gran

Christmas day, we spent at my mum’s house. Our festive meal was basically a gluten free sunday roast featuring roast beef, lots of veggies and yorkshire pudding. Extremely delicious and completely safe. Dessert was gluten free Thorntons chocolates. Yum! We also had lots of different meats and cheeses to eat with gluten free oat cakes and crisp breads. A festive period without gluten is pretty simple. It just takes a little preparation.

Gluten free sunday roast