My letter to Crust Pizza bar (yet to be sent)

Dear Manager,

I am very grateful to your stores for stocking gluten free pizza bases. Being able to order food to be delivered is completely fantastic and adds normalcy to a life that is bound by dietary restrictions.

Also, your pizza bases are very strongly flavoured of beans. I would suggest changing brands to one that does not use bean flour, perhaps a rice based version.

HOWEVER, I am very unhappy that after ordering approximately five gluten free pizzas from your Armadale store, all of which were barbeque chicken, I find that the barbeque sauce is NOT gluten free. It wasn’t until I called and asked that I was advised of this and am now being sent a nutritional information sheet.

I look on your website to check the allergen information and find that the ricotta pizza I ordered instead of the BBQ one contains gluten. The same list also lists the barbeque chicken pizza as NOT containing gluten despite staff members declaring that the sauce contains gluten. I called to cancel my order and get a refund put on my credit card (as I paid over the phone with it) only to be told the pizzas had already been made and there was uncertainty as to getting a refund at all.

I am very happy that I am only gluten intolerant and not coeliac. I have only had very minor health issues from this that I did not trace back to your product until this evening. A sufferer of full blown coeliac may suffer terribly from intestinal problems, mood swings or other immune responses because of this.

I am saddened by this and while I applaud your efforts I find them woefully inadequate and think you would be better to scrap the whole gluten free idea rather than poison your customers.

The Gluten Glooms

It's Friday, work is done, the world is my oyster (at least until Monday) and I excitedly head off to the pub with the gang for dinner and catching up. I didn't worry about what I could and couldn't eat - I'd eaten there during my full on natropath restriction diet, surely there will be something. I was wrong.

Well, not wrong. I'd just forgotten that when I'd eaten there before I'd eaten steak with no sauce and lettuce with vinegar. And since I've gone off big slabs of meat lately, that was out. What was left? I was tempted by nachos, which would be tasty even without cheese or sour cream but luckily I checked what flavour of corn chips they used - cheese flavoured. Who on earth uses flavoured corn chips for nachos? *sigh*
Result? Rather than eating a packet of potato chips (again) and drinking some coke, I drove off to find food and found sushi.

Lucky I did as it gave me a chance to stock up on things like soy milk for our trip to Gippsland to see The Philosophers parents, who are great, feed me well, but don't have soy milk. His father made me chicken risotto at the restaurant, which was great and not even altered from the way they normally do it. But in my mind risotto needs the butter and cheese to be risotto. Otherwise it's just rice and stuff.

So, while lamb roast with veges made by a mother is great and eating a "normal" dish in a restaurant is good (especially when you know the chef is aware of what's going on), it's also great to have lunch while you're out and about shopping. And there is nothing more depressing than a waiter coming back to sadly say that the meal you asked about suddenly isn't as gluten free as they thought. THEN when you explain the issue they suggest a nice glass of water. OOooooo I wanted to do bad things to that trendy smiling waiter. I had french fries, which in general most celiacs avoid due to cross contamination but, well, better a hot thing than a cold, dressing-less salad. I then went to the supermarket and bought a banana.

And for all you movie lovers - according to a manager who is gluten intolerant at MidValley Village Cinemas in Gippsland, their popcorn is GLUTEN FREE! Not dairy free though, but you can't have everything. Which is great considering yet again they advertised Snakatas but didn't have any. Bastards!

Restaurant Review - The European

The European was chosen for dinner with my mother and sister last night because it is next to the Princess Theatre where we were going to see The Phantom of the Opera (which was excellent).

I booked the day before and interrogated the unlucky person who answered the phone. "Can/Do you cater to wheat and dairy intolerances?" "Do you have room for a wheel chair?" (Mother has a broken ankle and is in a wheelchair with one leg sticking out the front.)

Get to the restaurant and fall in love with the decor and ambience and the nice man who handed me the wine list. Temparillo by the glass was very tasty. The wheelchair was easily fitted in at the table (though it was a close call getting through the doors and not hitting other patrons).

The food was European inspired, not surprisingly considering the name of the restaurant, and while they could cater for the gluten/dairy intolerant, they didn't do it particularly well in my opinion. Since I was there a little early and the man who'd offered me wine was lurking around I asked him what I could have. A brief check with the kitchen later and I had a list of many fish dishes (not my favourite thing), a lot of things minus something that would bulk out the meal, or wagyu beef (just because mother is paying doesn't mean I should break the bank!). He also suggested they could make the mushroom and truffle oil risotto dairy free but, of course, without the three cheeses in it it wouldn't be the same but would still be tasty.
Since I'm not that big a fan of meat at the moment, I decided on that. Only to have our actual waiter (an abrupt girl) question my choice, saying that it wouldn't be that good.

Well, it was pretty tasty! But it is hard to fail with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. Yes, it was more like mushrooms and rice than a risotto, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

6/10
Everyone else loved their food, even if it was a little long in coming, and the wine was great. But for gluten/dairy intolerants? Not so great. If you eat meat and dairy you're set, but only if you're prepared to have (for example) duck terrine without the brioche. For vegetarians, even those who can eat dairy and gluten, pickings are slim.

Next time I need a pre-theatre meal? I'll try the Indian place around the corner, less ambient, no wine list, but I'll be able to EAT!

Muffin Mix

I finally branched out and got a different mix. I put down the Well and Good and went for a Basco muffin mix in chocolate. I only got to eat one before I went dairy free (skim milk powder or some such :( ) but it was good, just like a normal muffin. I added extra chocolate chips and mmmm the warm muffin smell and the oozing chocolate chips is bliss.

I made them on Sunday with the only issue being the bottoms got a little burnt (common problem I've found with rice flour muffins, you have to keep an eagle eye on them). Last night (Wednesday) starving guests polished the rest off. I hadn't even put them in a container, figuring The Philosopher would polish them quickly enough. Verdict? Even after 3 days sitting on a bench they were good.
I found them just as good as Well and Good, perhaps slightly drier. However, I don't like that I'm stuck with a chocolate muffin. The Well and Good ones are plain (vanilla?) are I can add cocoa and chocolate chips easily enough, or blueberries or cheese or whatever I decide I want. The Basco limits me to chocolately ones. Not a bad thing, but not always what I want in a muffin.

7.5/10

Never say never

I bought The Philosopher a subscription to Gourmet Traveller for Christmas. We rarely cook anything out of it, but we both get a kick out of the 'food porn.' Last month's edition had a decadent looking chocolate pudding/souffle on the cover. Me, being me, said "Want that!"
"No, don't be silly," he said. "It's probably full of poison." But he goes to look at the recipe. "Oh, it's gluten free."

We haven't eaten it yet, but just the knowledge that I can eat it makes me happy.

Dairy free

Eating dairy free makes me hungry. Suddenly I'm not eating enough protein. It took me hours yesterday, going over my food dairy, trying to work out why I am almost chewing off my own leg with hunger. I don't eat that much meat, it's always too much effort or I don't feel like it. I'd love to be vegetarian, but I couldn't do it all the time. Bacon, for instance, is much too tasty.

Today I am going to try try try to eat the right amount of protein and trytrytry to get some easy to grab snacks for the dairy free/wheat free cupcake on the go. Yesterdays snack was corn thins with Tofutti's Better than Cream Cheese however it contains maltodextrin. I haven't been able to find a conclusive answer to the "can gluten intolerants eat maltodextrin?" If anyone out there knows, please tell me!

Despite the possible gluten in it, Better Than Cream Cheese gets 10/10. It's a little solider than normal cream cheese, so either soften it a little first or take care when spreading. It has slightly more flavour too, which is great since I still need to finish those annoying cardboard Brown Rice Thins. It also lasts longer than a tub of normal cream cheese.

Bonsoy is also another good buy if you're looking for soy. My natropath recommended it and I agree. It doesn't try to be anything but what it is - which isn't milk. It's a darker, more beige colour, it has a nuttier taste which is fantastic in hot cocoa with honey, and, well, it's made by Japanese soy masters. Do soy masters have a code they live by? A uniform? it may be a silly reason to be drinking a type of soy milk but it gives minutes of speculation each time I drink it.

Sausage Rolls and Corn Thins

Ooops. Apparently the sausage rolls I ate last post were actually from Gluten Free Gourmet, not the Gluten Free Bakery. They are the party sausage rolls pack of 9, but since they're joined in 3's I just ate a normal sized sausage roll. I ate another last night and microwaved it to defrost it a little. Most of the pastry came off. Next time I'll try and be more patient and let it defrost naturally.

This week I'm challenging myself by not eating dairy or caffeine. My sinuses are acting up again and last night I felt like I'd been glutenized. I was completely zoned out and fuzzy. Definately no gluten had been eaten though! So having heard vague rumours that dairy can affect sinuses, I'm testing the theory. And I should drink less caffeine anyway.

My food phase of the moment is Corn Thins. Everyone has this thing against rice cakes it seems in the gluten free community. I have nothing against rice cakes. I just like corn thins better. But either rice or corn, these gluten free cakes are fantastic when topped with cheese, tomato, fresh basil, maybe a slice of ham and then put under the griller.
This is especially good when you pick up Real Foods brown rice wholegrain thins instead of Real Foods Multigrain Corn Thins. Brown rice thins are the reason rice cakes have such a bad reputation and if bought, should be eaten with toppings that scream flavour. Corn thins can cope with the subtle flavours of cream cheese. Rice thins? may as well just eat the thing dry as you're not going to taste the cream cheese at all.

Product review: The Gluten Free Bakery

It's been awhile, and for no good reason either. I've been sewing up a storm which I wish I could show off on here, but that of course is waiting for the digital camera. Hopefully soon!

Pies, sausage rolls, pastry. These are my weakness. On the two month gluten challenge, The Philosopher and I would spend over $50 at our local bakery each week. I miss the convenience of a frozen pie or sausage roll. I miss the taste.
I've been going through the frozen section of the Gluten Free Shop and have decided my current winner, for both pies and sausage rolls, is The Gluten Free Bakery.

The sausage roll:
I defrosted them slightly in the microwave before baking and this caused the bottom of the pastry to come off. I just put the sausage roll on the bakign tray upside down and placed the broken pastry on top. It turns out that wasn't really necessary as all the pastry basically fell off when I put it onto the plate. Despite this - there was definately that familiar flavour in the sausage part. The pastry was a tad dry, but I added no sauce to it, but perfectly adequate. Add a bit of sauce and voila in my opinion. Couldn't be taken away in a bag like a sausage roll from 7/11 and I definately recommend not eating it on the couch, because of the pastry, but on a plate at a table.
7.5/10

The pie:
I've tried other frozen gluten free pies. The only one I can recall being the Silly Yak's pie. I remember it being nice, but not that traditional pie taste. The Gluten Free Bakery pies have that taste. The pastry is a little more solid than the sausage roll pastry, though the pie does come in a foil pie case. My only cooking issue was that the meat starting leaking out of the top of the pie. I recommend a baking tray, not doing what lazy-me does and just putting the foil straight onto the oven bars.
8.5/10

Best thing? They can in multiple packs and were ~$4 or so for the pie and slightly less for the sausage roll. Can't recall precisely, but they were cheaper than the other alternatives!

Aside:
Jarrah hot chocolates seem to be gluten free! They are not labelled as such, but the ingrediants list seems fine and more importantly I feel fine and I've had one a day for the last week. Instant hot chocolate goodness in the freezing winter weather = awesome!

Product review: Healtheries Simple Snack Bar

I do not work for Healtheries, despite the number of things I seem to be eating and reviewing that are made by them. Though I do warn people off the BBQ flavoured rice wheels which are NOT gluten free. Serves me right for not reading the label :(

The Chocolate Snack Bar is fantastic. It's a dense, chocolately bar that is surprisingly filling as well as being a decadent chocoately treat for only 186 calories. Not bad compared to a Snickers bar! High in fibre and in protein, these are an excellent snack to throw in a bag for emergencies or to supplement a less than fantastic GF meal offering (airport meals spring to mind!).
While the chocolate is my favourite, the berry and yoghurt is also good, though not as decadent as the chocolate. I've yet to try the apricot and yoghurt, but the odds of it being remarkably different to the berry and yoghurt are slim.

This rates a 10 out of 10. It's a bar that's easily available in supermarkets, it was a little pricey at ~$3 but much more satisfying than a dry GF muesli bar (if you can find one!). They are sold individually which is great if you wanting something on the run, which most other GF bars are not.

I won't leave this time without a recipe. The Philosopher made this last night and it was awesome. The last of the Orgran pasta (hard to cook, often over or under done. Last night it was under) combined with this sauce - awesome.

The Philosopher's Pasta Alla Mattriciana (serves 2)

4 rashers of bacon, all fat removed (because we've gotten a bit tubby)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic (or to taste)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tub tomato paste (or to taste)
~2 cups chopped mushrooms
dried basil to taste
red wine (optional)

Cook the onion in a little olive oil until transparent. Toss in the bacon and cook until sealed (the bacon flavour is important you see).
Add garlic. Stir.
Add tomatoes and mushrooms and tomato paste and basil. Stir.
Add red wine (or water) as desired.
Simmer.
Serve.

This is a sauce that makes under done GF pasta taste good. How can you beat that? Well, next time we're going to try it with salami, which may indeed beat it, but the salty tang of the bacon with the garlic and chilli.... mmmm.....

Healtheries: Simple Chocolate Fudge Steamed Puddings

Running late for work today forced breakfast to the backburner until morning tea time, by which point I felt I deserved a treat. Searching the health food aisle in the local supermarket not only found me a different flavour of rice wheels (also by Healtheries) which I'll try later, but steamed pudding.
The Philosopher has not let me get these before since, well, they are a dessert and I'm trying to eat well. But he's not here, is he? mwahahahaha.

It was nearly $5 for the twin pack of pudding. Once out of the cardboard wrap the puddings looked like every other version of microwavable steamed pudding I've seen. Plastic cup with cakey stuff in it with a foil lid. No labels or logos or anything to say it's GF (which may be an issue if you're in a place where normal steamed puddings might be, as this one will look like all the others), which I think is great because eating GF shouldn't be such a drama.
40 seconds in the microwave. Mmmm..... Can't smell much due to a cold, but it looks pretty great. The taste - a bit overly sweet in the sauce but that's common in steamed puddings where they assume you'll have cream or icecream with it. The cake is slightly drier than its "normal" counterpart but again, something easily remedied by a shot of cream or ice cream. Or even custard maybe.

4/5 points for this treat, only losing a point because I have fond memories of my mothers Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding.

The Sunnybrook Healthfood Store has been mentioned on here by me before. It's online presence is as The Gluten Free Shop and they deliver Australia wide. But I, luckily enough, actually discovered physically first. I used to drive past them every day and then one day, about two months after I'd been diagnosed, I suddenly saw the big gluten free sign in their window.
How did I miss it? The shop is bright yellow and a double shop front. The sign is across an entire shop window.

I immediately demanded the Philosopher take me there. Now. And so he did and oh what fun! It's like a supermarket, it's that big inside. And they have everything an allergy sufferer could want. An entire aisle of biscuits and cakes and slices for instance! A freezer packed with pies, sausage rolls, tarts, frozen meals, the works. Even gluten free vege burgers! They have the range of gluten free beers.

They also have a huge selection of organic and natural products. Like green friendly cleaning products, shampoos, etc etc. I picked up some organic herbal throat lozenges. They actually taste okay, though not like candy like most throat lozenges. And they work! Hurray! I can speak again!

The staff are really great and helpful. They have a the range of gluten free flours, xantham gum, imported bread products. Check them out in North Road, Ormond, right near the station, there's parking available right behind the store though.

And for those of you in the Richmond/Abbotsford area, there's a little cafe at the Punt Rd end of Victoria St. It's possibly called the Victoria Cafe (or not, I have no idea) that had gluten free friands. In two different flavours! Makes my day when I find places that I can drop into for a snack where they understand the whole gluten free concept.

Product review - Orgran Gluten Free Custard Powder

This is something that has been hanging around my cupboard for months now. It was one of the first things I bought when the natropath suggested a gluten free diet. Bought from one of the Mother Earth healthfood stores, it was a real surprise to find, because the front of the store is so full of vitamins and supplements that I thought that that was all they did. But behind all of that is quite a large variety of specialty foods, including awesome rice crackers and other snacks. So if you're stuck for food in the middle of Melbourne, try Mother Earth. There's one at the Flinders St end of Elizabeth St.

But back to the custard. Out of the packet, it looked like custard powder, a promising sign. 3 tbsp for a thick custard it suggested. Sounds good. Gradually stir in 500ml of milk or milk substitute. I ended up with 1 1/2 cups of skim milk, 5/8th cups of Bonsoy and a smidge of water. Milk is mostly water, so I don't think this will alter much. Add 1 tbsp of sugar or sugar substitute. Again, I had to use a mix, this time of brown and white sugar. Oh well, I thought. It may be a little more caramely than normal. Mix mix mix.
It's yellow.
Hey honey, come and look at my yellow custard before I cook it! I say.
Hehe! he says. Yellow!
Microwave for 4 minutes then stir well. Oh my god is it yellow. Hmm the "skin" around the edge is kinda plasticy.
Microwave for a couple more minutes until you reach the desired consistency. I did mine for about another minute and then mixed well.

Oh my god is it yellow. Crayola yellow/gold actually. And the consistency isn't unlike what you'd imagine a melted down crayon would taste like. It's not BAD, but I think I want to have it with something else. I still have most of the packet left, so next time I will try it without the added tbsp for extra thickness.
The Philosopher stared at it in bemusement. And only hesitantly accepted a taste. Meh, it tastes okay but like crayons. No prompting was made. He got to crayons all on his own.

The morning after, looking at the container of leftover custard, oh my god is it yellow. And solid. Like plasticine. Haven't reheated it yet, though it was easy to pull a piece off to munch on. Custard bar? Not sure the rubbery-ness will catch on.

I don't think I'll buy this again. Definately too yellow!

Once upon a time there was a girl and boy, curled up under quilts, peacefully asleep.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

A sleepy arm pokes at the alarm clock until the noise stops. The arm retreats from the cold and resnuggles into the warmth.

DO DE DOOP BE BEEP BOP BEEP.

A mobile phone buzzes angrily. With a sigh the girl hauls herself out of bed and turns it off. Stumbling around the house, she find the kitchen and stares blearily into the pantry in search of breakfast. Planet Organic Rice Porridge.
"Mmmm warm porridge with honey and cinnamon," she thinks. "That will warm me up!"
Put 50g of porridge into a saucepan with 375ml of milk or water.
"I have to measure!" she wails. "It's early!" But having made a decision, she must continue. Grumbling she finds the kitchen scales and the measuring cup. She pours the Bonsoy, weighs the organic brown rice flakes mixed with millet flakes. She remembers that the stove works much better when turned on. Stir stir stir for five minutes while reading a book and drinking juice and becoming more alert. Finally it is done.

The rammekin is filled, the almond slivers and cinnamon sprinkled on, the honey drizzled. She takes a bite. Mmmm. Warm and filling and one of the definitive tastes of winter.

Planet Organic Rice Porridge is awesome. But is a little longer than my general morning routine will allow. I would love it to have tablespoon or cup measurements rather than grams and mls. I'm sure I could use them instead, but I'm afraid to improvise as I might lose the porridgey consistency. If you actually have time for a proper breakfast, this is awesome.
Now I just need to work out how to make it into some form of breakfast cookie or muffin or bar or slice that I can take places.... hmm.... I really miss oats sometimes

Supermarket dating

The Philosopher and I love going grocery shopping. It's like a date. We snuggle and giggle and debate and are (according to our friends) disgustingly cute. I've never understood how shopping can be a chore for people. There is so much stuff in a supermarket! I never truly realised until I worked in one exactly how much though - spak filler, toothpaste that stops hunger pangs (seriously! it's mostly caffeine), a thousand things.

Gluten Free Girl got heaps of comments, some very angry, some agreeing, when she confessed to making judgements about people based on the contents of their shopping trolley. I now put my hand up to say, I do it all the time, and when I was working in a supermarket I did it for up to 8 hours a day. Yes, each assessment is probably entirely wrong since it's only based on the food they are buying. It may not even be for them. Their dying mother may have asked them to go shopping for them. I don't know.

Last night The Philosopher and I went on a large shop to resupply us in, well, almost everything. Looking at the food at the checkout, I laughed. We eat like "crazy hippy types" (as my grandpa would say) - but with red meat. What was in our trolley?

Beef roast
Mince
Bonsoy (truly THE BEST soymilk out there. Made by Japanese soy masters.)
Amaranth cereal (high in protein and fibre, I shall use it to sprinkle on my GF cornflakes. I'm not too certain how it would be on its own.)
GF corn flakes with psyllium (again, more fibre!)
Organic firm tofu (well, we didn't intentionally get organic, but it's all they had)
Granny Smith apples (for making poached apple something or other mmmm)
Greek yoghurt (for the apple concoction)
Beans beans beans in tins. Chickpeas, red beans, bean mix. (chickpeas for roasting or curry, red beans and mixed beans for chilli and tacos)
Bamboo shoots
Spring onion
Diced tomatoes in tins (pasta sauce, chilli, soup, whatever we decide, they go in almost everything)
Rice vermicelli
Pad thai sauce
White corn tortillas possibly made by Diegos (don't taste that great unless made into enchiladas. NOT recommended as burittos! Unfortunately they are the only brand I can find that are made with only corn.)
Heinz rice puddings in little tins (great for hiding in my desk at work for emergency lunches, breakfasts, snacks, quite fillign for their size and keep well)

Out of all that? Well, last night it was pad thai with chicken and tofu. The Philosopher is now inspired to make his own sauce since I found the jarred stuff a touch too spicy. But not too spicy to prevent me from eating leftovers for lunch!

The rest? Already a roast beef with potatoes is planned. A pasta bolognese for when friends drop by later in the week. A chickpea curry.

Tonight? Well, since I'm on my own, perhaps I'll be bad and have a GF muffin! Blueberry and choc chip, made with a mix by Well and Good. So far the best mix I've found, though I'm only two into my search so far. The best thing about this one is that you add any flavourings yourself so you can keep a bag on hand to make whatever flavour muffin you're craving!

Deprivation is in the mind and I do not feel deprived. Especially when I fork up that last mouthful of spicy tofu. Especially when I get that muffin straight out of the oven and bite into it, having molten chocolate ooze into my mouth. Even when I eat my morning cornflakes, just like so many others.

When weekends attack

This weekend felt so full. There was a Hen's Night, a zombie movie double feature, afternoon tea with friends, much sewing. What's a girl to do when The Philosopher had a bigger Buck's Night than you had a Hen's night and is still snoring off his sake? When the kitchen is still a bomb site and the cupboard is looking bare? Eat!

Since going gluten free I've been keeping a bigger selection of staples in my cupboards. So long as you have some polenta, some cocoa, water or milk, and some form of sweetener in the house, you can make yourself a delicious breakfast. Or dessert. Whatever!

From Recipezaar, Chocolate Polenta Pudding was my first find when I went on a GF recipe hunt and it was a fantastic start...

2 tbsp polenta
1 tbsp baking cocoa
1 cup water or milk or soy milk (or some combination thereof)
sweetener to taste. I prefer honey or maple syrup over sugar.

Mix polenta and cocoa with liquid in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 3 minutes (I assume on high, I just press the button). Stir each minute. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes and drizzle with sweetener of choice.