Tag Archives: recipe

My week with Celiac… Day #1

January 20, 2013 – 10:27 pm

No, I have not been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Celiac is another autoimmune disease that occurs in about one half of one percent of the general population. However, according to JDRF, about 1 in 10 people with Type 1 Diabetes is eventually diagnosed with Celiac. According to ADA standards just released, as many as 16 percent of Type 1s could be living with Celiac. During this week, I’ll be living and writing about the gluten-fee life from the perspective of someone newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Toward the end of a Wednesday DSMA Twitter chat a few weeks ago, I had a short conversation with Nikki from Celiabetes. Nikki has been living with the triple threat of Type 1 Diabetes, Grave’s Disease, and Celiac Disease since 2010. During our conversation, Nikki made a very good case for how living with Celiac is difficult… from diet to shopping to eating out to going to work every day. And that gave me an idea: Borrowing on the Be T1D for a Day initiative from JDRF back in November, I thought… what if I spent a week living like someone newly diagnosed with Celiac? And then wrote about it?

First a description of Celiac Disease: According to the Mayo Clinic website, “Celiac (SEE-lee-ak) disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is primarily found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. (Editor’s Note: Add in oat and malt.) People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.”

So that means no wheat, barley, rye, oat, or malt.

Nikki was gracious enough to answer a bunch of questions I sent her, and I’ll probably share some of her insights this week. She is an absolute encyclopedia of knowledge on this subject. I read through all of the information she gave me, I ordered Gluten Free for Dummies from Amazon, and then I set everything aside. I ignored it for about two weeks. Why? Because, while it would have been easy to do weeks of research, prepare, and then do this week’s worth of diets, it wouldn’t be authentic. Instead, I gave everything the once-over, then put it away until today. Because if you’re newly diagnosed, you don’t get weeks worth of research first. Today I got everything out again and started the same process that probably everyone newly diagnosed with Celiac experiences… what do I eat next?

One of the things Nikki impressed upon me is that not only do I have to avoid any gluten in my diet, I have to avoid any cross-contamination that might occur by cooking in a pan that’s previously been used for something with gluten in it. And when buying pre-packaged products or eating out… wow. In Nikki’s words:

“When it comes to food prep, or eating at someone else’s house, or even going out to eat, the main concern for a person with Celiac Disease is cross-contamination. Gluten is a very sticky binder, and it cannot be removed from certain porous surfaces, like cutting boards, plastic containers, wooden spoons, spatulas, food flippers, pizza stones, and non-stick pans that have scratches. Silverware should be fine as long as it’s been thoroughly washed, same with plates/bowls (as long as they are not plastic). Glassware is fine to wash and use.”

So instead of figuring out what to eat, I first had to make sure I had a skillet, saucepan, and utensils that I could cook with.

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Aaaaand… what did I eat today?

Breakfast: Since I couldn’t do much without something to cook in, I just got a glass bowl out and chopped up some green onions (known by many as scallions), some frozen peppers from our garden this summer, and a kumato tomato. I put all of that in my bowl with a couple of eggs and that was my breakfast. Total carb count: 0g

Lunch: I haven’t had the chance to get to the grocery store yet, so I just winged it. I made some rice, added some smoked ham (I lucked out and it was gluten free) and another small tomato, and that was it. Total carb count: 36g

Dinner: That was the best of all today. The Great Spousal Unit wanted to make some Turkey Soup anyway, so she got out the leftovers from the holidays that she was saving. She added a little fresh zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes (potatoes are gluten free), green beans, and a little rice left over from lunch. She let it sit in the crock pot for about six hours, and here’s what the finished product looked like:

DSC00540

Total carb count: 30g (mostly from potatoes)

I guess it was a good start to the week. But there were some real deja vu moments for me today. For the first time since my Diabetes diagnosis, I was confronted with “What do I do next?” and “Is the next thing I eat going to kill me?”. And I have six more days of this left. Imagine if it was you, for real, and you had the rest of your life to live with Celiac. And Type 1 Diabetes. More to come.

Carb counts are estimates only. Check with a registered dietician to find out what a healthy carb count is for you.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in My week with Celiac | Also tagged , | Comments (6)

Recipe!

November 1, 2012 – 7:12 am

Since I finally have my wi-fi back at home, I’m sharing two things.

One is some photos from our neighborhood’s Halloween celebration. We do the neighborhood thing on the Sunday before Halloween, and this year that meant right before the hurricane. The fire department brings a truck, and the kids parade through the neighborhood to the park, where we have a costume contest. Then trick or treating. Even with the iffy weather, we had about 150 kids this year. At the homestead, we have friends, neighbors, and relatives over for a party. Photos coming up right after my recipe from the party.

When you grow up in Cincinnati, you learn two things. One is how to spell Cincinnati, and the other is how to make chili. This chili is more mild than what you might find in Texas. But very flavorful and warming on a cold night.

Also unique is how it’s served. Either on a coney– mustard, hot dog, chili, shredded cheddar, and onions if you like. Or with pasta, as part of a three, four, or five way. That is:

Three Way: spaghetti, chili, cheese

Four Way: spaghetti, chili, cheese, and either beans or onions

Five Way: all of the above

I used ground turkey this year, but you can use beef, pork, lamb, whatever you want. I also made a great vegetarian version with Boca veggie crumbles. I was told by a dietician once that if you rinse the turkey with hot water after cooking, you can wash off about 90 percent of the fat. This recipe makes a lot, so be ready to freeze some for another day. Here’s the recipe:

2 pounds of ground beef, pork, lamb, etc.

1 large onion, chopped

8-10 ounces of low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon minced garlic

40 ounces of tomato sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

5 tablespoons ground cumin (a lot of people think it’s the cinnamon that defines Cincinnati chili. Actually, it’s the cumin)

2 dried red peppers

Finally, take some cheesecloth and make a little sack to include 5 bay leaves and 35 whole allspice

Saute your ground meat and onions in a pan. Then put everything else in a crock pot and give it a good stir. Set the crock pot to high for about half an hour to get everything heated up, then turn it down to low for at least a couple of hours. You will love how the house smells after a while.

Total estimated carb count in each coney: 26 grams

Total estimated carb count in each 3-way, 4-way, or 5-way: 45 grams

Carb counts are estimates only. Check with a registered dietician to find out what a healthy carb count is for you.

Now for the photos… enjoy!

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By StephenS | Posted in Recipes! | Also tagged , | Comments (4)

Recipe!

September 4, 2012 – 7:50 am

We don’t always eat like this at the homestead. But I got a sale on Jumbo Lump crab meat and we decided to do a little surf & turf this past weekend. We grilled a little steak and split it three ways, made some killer corn on the cob, and I made a delicious tomato salad (that’s another recipe for another day).

And I went to work on my crab cake recipe.

The first rule about making a good crab cake is to start with the best crab meat you can afford. The better the crab, the less you need herbs and seasonings to bring out the goodness. Starting with Jumbo Lump crab meant that we didn’t need a lot extra. But I only used this because I got a great deal. Normally, it’s way over my budget.

1 Pound of crab meat

1 Teaspoon celery salt

1/2 Teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon seafood seasoning (like Old Bay seasoning)

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley

2 Tablespoons mustard (in this case, we used one tablespoon of regular mustard and one tablespoon of the spicy brown stuff)

About a handful of seasoned bread crumbs

Mix everything except the crab meat… then fold in the crab gently. Once everything is together, form the crab cakes by hand and place them on a cooking sheet. Then cook at 375 degrees (farenheit) for about 20-25 minutes. About long enough to heat everything through, and get a bit of a brown crust on top.

Once on the plate, feel free to sprinkle a little lemon juice on top. Like many other seafood dishes, feel free to enjoy with either cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.

Enjoy!

Total estimated carb count in each crab cake: 8 grams (only in the bread crumbs, really)

Carb counts are estimates only. Check with a registered dietician to find out what a healthy carb count is for you.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Recipes! | Also tagged , | Comments (1)

Recipe!

July 25, 2012 – 7:21 am

Sunday mornings in Baltimore mean, among other things (church?), the Sunday morning Farmer’s Market. It’s one of those wonderful urban farmer’s markets that’s tucked into a gritty little piece of downtown. In this case, under the elevated part of the expressway, a few scant blocks from City Hall, the Courthouse, Police headquarters, and about 15 strip joints. Only in a place like Baltimore could Police headquarters be across the street from all of the nudie bars. But I digress.

In all seriousness, this market provides a valuable service to many who live in the area. In a city that has about three or four big box grocery stores for about 650,000 residents, this market gives thousands a chance to get fresh food from the source. In many cases, it’s the only access to fresh produce, meat, and dairy. What? This is America! But I digress.

So Sunday morning we went, and came home with a week’s worth of eggs, corn, beans, blackberries, hummus, and more. Even a bouquet of flowers for my honey:)

Sunday night we made this recipe. I have to give credit to Sara Moulton for this one. It’s in her book Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals. My version is quite different from hers, but the gist is the same. It works in an oven or on the grill outside. Here goes:

Preheat your oven (350 degrees farenheit) or your grill (on high)

Start with a good-sized Eggplant
Get a good, fresh Tomato
Find a block of Feta or Mozzarella cheese (we used Mozzarella here)

In a big bowl, whisk together a mixture using 3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar and 1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Chop up some fresh herbs (we used Oregano and Sage)

Add in Salt and Pepper to taste (I also added Old Bay seasoning)

Don’t forget to peel your Eggplant

Now, slice your Eggplant, Tomato, and Cheese… about 1/4 inch slices. Dump your Eggplant and Tomato slices into your vinegar/oil/herb mixture. Then start your stacks! Stack them any way you like, but start with the Eggplant on the bottom. In our case, we went Eggplant, Cheese, Tomato. And we topped with fresh Basil and shredded Parmesan.

Cook in your oven or on the grill for 10-12 minutes, but keep an eye on them. They go from looking good to overdone in no time.

Since we used mozzarella in this recipe, it was a little gooey at the end. But oh, so good. Hope this makes a nice meatless meal for you!

Total estimated carb count: 5 grams (only the tomato has measurable carbs)

Carb counts are estimates only. Check with a registered dietician to find out what a healthy carb count is for you.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Recipes! | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

Recipe!

June 18, 2012 – 6:13 am

Wow, it was all the way back during D-Blog Week that I last posted a recipe. But we made fish tacos (okay, fish tortillas… you work with what you have) this weekend, so I decided to take a picture and share our recipe. Not much to it, but oh, so good.

Fish Tacos

We used the White Ruffy fillets that come in a frozen package out of the seafood case at Trader Joe’s. But any mild or semi-mild fish will do: tilapia, grouper, even trout. The fresher the better. About a 1/3 to 1/2 pound fillet will do for two people.

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees (farenheit).

Then get three bowls together.
One for cornstarch, about 1/2 cup
One containing an egg wash, with about 2 or 3 teaspoons of milk
One with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of corn flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, and one additional ingredient. You pick. A little chopped dill, or red pepper flakes, or something else. We used a rounded teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning.

So take your fillet and dip it into the cornstarch first. Then shake the fillet until the excess cornstarch falls off. Then dredge the fillet in the egg wash. Once you’ve soaked it in the egg wash, drop it into the corn flake mixture. Be sure to cover it on all sides. If you like, you can spray it with a little butter-flavored cooking spray (which has no cholesterol, by the way).

Put it into the oven for about 15-18 minutes, give or take a few. Just make sure it’s cooked through. While it’s baking, get your filling together for your tacos. For us, that included:

Romaine and leaf lettuce from the garden (it does NOT get fresher than that)
Chopped green onions (where I grew up, we don’t know from scallions)
Diced tomatoes (these were kumato tomatoes, which taste a little more like a tomato at this time of year, if you know what I mean)
Diced avocado– put some lime juice on it after dicing. It will keep the avocado from turning brown, and add some fresh zing to your taco
Salsa
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese

Once everything is complete, just dice up your fish and add your favorite ingredients. Hope your fish taco night is this good!

Total estimated carb count: 28 grams (21 grams in the tortilla– the rest is tomato and the breading)

Carb counts are estimates only. Check with a registered dietician to find out what a healthy carb count is for you.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Recipes! | Also tagged , | Comments (0)