Strange snackin’

Kale: only used for decoration, right? On our crazy new diet, it's my 5 year-old's favorite snack. Here's what we do with it:

• line a cookie sheet with foil
• tear kale into 2 inch bits
• spray with olive oil
• bake for 10 minutes at 350
• remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
• return to oven until cheese melts

It's crunchy and cheesy and salty and tasty.

Another favorite:

• slice carrots or beets into very thin rounds
• deep fry (in fryer or stove-top) until browned on edges
• remove to paper towel to drain, veggies become crunchy as they sit
• sprinkle with sea salt

When you haven't had chips in awhile, these are just like the real thing! I like beets the best, and if you can find the golden variety, they even look like potato chips.

SCD

Well, it was news to me that all Celiacs don't do well on a traditional "gluten-free" diet.  Somehow, it became widely accepted that the only glutens that were harmful were those in wheat, rye, oats, and barley.  Some people with Celiac disease and other inflammatory bowel issues don't do well with any grains.  

I am one of those Celiacs.  I kept thinking (each time I got sick) that I must have inadvertently consumed gluten.  I decided to give the Specific Carbohydrate Diet  a try, it was orginially designed to heal CD.  Now it's used to put Crohn's Disease, Ulcertative Colitis, and even Autism in check.  Some sites dealing with this subject:

SCD Diet 

Breaking the Vicious Cycle 

I'm feeling much better on this plan, and Miss Lily is too.  We've seen many changes in her since we started.  I've been on it since March, and Lily since April.  I'll be posting some recipes and such.  Basically, we don't eat grains, lactose, or sugar.  It's not easy. 

T’ef is safe for Celiacs!

Another reason to fall in love with Ethiopia. The traditional bread eaten with every meal (and used as a utensil) is made with teff, a teeny tiny grain. I’ve been learning to create a couple of Ethiopian dishes, and have found most of them to be gluten-free! Maybe I won’t be on such a drastic diet during my trip after all. If you’d like to make the spongy stuff, check this out: Science of Bread: Injera

Pizza joy

I haven’t had pizza in years. The other day I found a frozen pizza with a brown rice crust made by Amy’s Meals. It. was. so. good. I actually wrote a letter to express my pizza joy. It is a rare thing to find a good tasting convience food for celiacs.

Now all I need is a gluten-free beer.

Trouble with Tribbles

The CT Celiac association has a new mascot. Do other diseases have mascots? Well, we have the pink ribbons for breast cancer, red dresses for heart disease…but fictional creatures?