Eggplant Lasagna

3 eggplants (Try to buy male eggplants for fewer seeds)

Olive oil

Italian seasoning blend

2 cups milk

Bay leaf

3 cloves of garlic (crush with the flat side of a knife)

Dash of nutmeg

¼ cup butter

4-5 Tbs. Cup 4 Cup multipurpose gluten free flour

½ cup heavy cream

2 cups chiffonade spinach

15 oz. Ricotta 

2 eggs

About 2 cups mozzarella

Parmesan (about a cup or more grated) 

Step 1
Slice 3 eggplants length-wise. Place eggplant slices on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Let stand for 30 minutes to release moisture and reduce bitterness. Pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.

Step 3

Place eggplant on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a little Italian seasoning.
Bake in the preheated oven until softened, about 10-15 minutes.
Flip and bake until browned on the other side, about 10 minutes more.
Remove from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Step 4

Bechamel sauce: Combine milk, bay leaf and garlic cloves in a saucepan.
Bring almost to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in flour.
Cook, stirring constantly, until flour cooks to a light, golden color, 5 to 7 minutes.
Gradually pour hot milk into the saucepan with the flour mixture; reserve garlic cloves.
Sprinkle a small amount of nutmeg.
Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until a thick, smooth bechamel forms, about 5 minutes.
Reduce temperature to very low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Stir in cream and season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

Step 5

Mince reserved garlic cloves and mix in with sliced spinach.
Season with dried basil and pepper.

Step 6

Mix ricotta with beaten eggs. Lightly salt.

Step 6

Reheat bechamel sauce over low heat, while stirring well.
If it is too thick, add a small amount of milk.

Step 8

Spread few tablespoons of the bechamel sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
Place a layer of eggplant. Add a layer of bechamel. Sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese then spinach.
Continue layering until eggplant, bechamel sauce, and mozzarella/parm cheese then spinach are used up.
End with a layer of eggplant. Lightly coat with bechamel then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Press down gently on the the top compact. Cover with aluminum foil.

Step 9

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Remove aluminum foil and bake until lasagna is cooked through and lightly browned, about 15 minutes more.
If you want to brown the top, broil for just a few minutes at the end.

Remove from oven at let stand at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with fresh grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes!

Giving the Gluten Intolerant a Bad Name

There's been a lot of buzz about wedding gift etiquette this week. 

Seems two Canadian women got married.  Their co-worker and his girlfriend gave them this picnic basket full of fun foods and a cute note reading, "Life is delicious...enjoy!"

I think it's a very thoughtful gift, actually.  It took more thought and effort than grabbing a candle stick holder or a silver picture frame. 

Apparently the brides were none too pleased with the gift and a text war ensued between brides and guest.  Somewhere along the way the brides price tagged how much their guests should have paid for a gift.  Seems they were expecting to make money from their wedding celebration.

I found this rather crass behavior until I read the first text one bride sent.  

"Heyyy I just wanna say thanks for the gift but unfortunately I can't eat any of it lol I'm gluten intolerant. Do u maybe have a receipt[?]"

WTF?

Forget the bad manners!  

She's trying to hide her ugly motives behind gluten.  Shame on her and shame on anyone who tries to exploit a medical condition.  It's beyond crass, it's abhorrent.

 

Plus, it's untrue!  There are some gluten free items in that basket!  I'd be happy to eat those gluten free Sour Patch Kids and Jolly Ranchers.

It's people like this that make it hard for the rest of us who must live gluten free.  

The next time this co-worker hears someone is gluten intolerant, won't this rude, over-entitled woman come to mind?  

Will others reading about this think "Piff, just another one of those foofie gluten free nuts."

I hope not.  

Please don't judge us all by the bad behavior of one.

Link to full article:

 http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/wedding-gift-basket-sparks-epic-text-war--the-battle-over-cheap-presents--183304420.html

 

 

Estrella Damm's Consfusing Gluten Free Marketing

Should Estrella Damm DAURA and other items made with gluten containing ingredients be allowed to call themselves 'gluten free' when trace amounts remain to be ingested? 

 

There's been much needed discussion about this on the Gluten Dude's blog and a new found favorite, My Gluten Free Girlfriend.

 

Still in a downward Celiac spiral from drinking a 'regular' beer, I want to make it clear that my stupidity extends way beyond knowing how many gluten parts per million were in the beer I drank.

 

I drank the wrong freakin' beer, period.

 

Then one week to the day of having that beer I saw this post:

 

 

This is NOT gluten free beer!  It's not even gluten reduced!

 

There it was!  The exact beer that put me under; and it was being promoted on a tour for Celiac Awareness!

 

I'm not trying to excuse my actions but it seems I'm not the only one confused by the promotion of Estrella Damm products.

 

The post has since been pulled. 

 

I'm glad because in the Celiac world, misery does NOT love company!  I can't stand the thought of anyone with gluten issues drinking one of these unknowingly.

 

I'm hoping to attend this event this weekend.  I'm curious to see if Estrella Damm is there and if there is a credible representative at the table.  

 

I'll be looking for conversation not samples. 

 

 

 

 

 



When You Wish Upon a Gluten Free Star

Pain.

That's what I feel. 

Anger, too. 

And embarrassment. 

Why? 

Because I drank an entire gluten filled beer.  Then I went out and bought 12 more.

Go ahead.  Say it.  Nothing can be said that I haven't said to myself. 

Why did I do it?  Well, that's the story.

I was at a pool party this weekend with my Angry Orchard cider and my carefully segregated gluten free snack plate when one of the guests offered my husband an imported beer and said, "It's pretty good AND it's gluten free!"

"What's this?!?!" I asked.

He showed me an imported Spanish beer called Estrella Damm.  I immediately recognized the name from when I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease two years ago.  Researching gluten-free beers was the first thing I did after diagnosis.  I couldn't remember what I had read about this beer. 

The box and bottle had no labeling stating it was gluten free, nor was there an ingredients list.

Then why did I drink it? 

When I doubted that it was gluten free, we all stood around discussing it.  I remembered the name and even recognized the label.  "Maybe because it's imported?"  "Maybe they're going for the mainstream market?"  "Maybe it's because gluten free beer gets a bad rap?"

Since there was no labeling and because my phone was almost dead, I didn't research it further. I went back to drinking my cider.  But one of the guests Googled "estrella damm gluten free" on his phone.  This is what I saw when he showed me the screen:

There it was!  The World's Best Gluten-Free Beer!

 

So I drank it!  I relished it!  I posed for photographs with my new find.  We all commented on it being, truly, the BEST gluten-free beer ever experienced!    I was thanking my lucky stars to have found a gluten-free beer that spoke to my beer-loving soul.

 

I was ecstatic.  Everyone else was happy for me too!

 

After the party, our designated driver took us to Spec's in search of more Estrella Damm.  We bought two six packs not believing how reasonably priced it was.

I popped the top on the second beer as soon as we settled in.  It still tasted good but I was starting to notice that my gums felt blistered... like when you've eaten something too hot and the skin peels away.  And my throat felt a little sore.

Now that I had access to the internet, I thought I'd read all about my new beer.



And that's when my idiot quotient grew exponentially. 

For, you see, there's more than one type of Estrella Damm beer.  DAURA is their gluten free version, not the lager I was drinking.

Had I not been blinded by the self directed anger, I might have seen the room spinning.  I was so mad at myself I couldn't speak.  Why?  Why did I drink it?  I was all set not to.  I even walked away from it once.  Why did I go back to it and drink it?

My husband summed it up in one sentence.  It may read as a quip or seem tinged with sarcasm but he said it with compassion and caring.  He looked me with kind eyes and said:

"You wanted to believe."

I did.  I wanted to believe I could regain a small part of myself. 

Most days I'm thankful for the renewed health my diagnosis has brought me but sometimes I wish I could be the beer-drinking, adventurous eater from my past. 

That 'gluten-free' Spanish beer was like the evening star, waiting to grant my wish.

I'm embarrassed at my capricious actions.  I'm angry that I lied to myself and believed the beer was safe to drink.  And I'm in pain.  Every part of my body hurts in response to the gluten I ingested. 

But I hurt deep down too; down to my soul. 


Upon further reading, I remember why I never searched for DAURA.  It is a 'gluten reduced' beer (down to 6 ppm) made with barley malt.  The gluten is removed with an industrial enzyme named Brewers Clarex.  The enzyme is supposed to break down the gluten to a minimal amount.  It sounded suspect and I can't live 'gluten reduced'.  Have you tried this beer?  Would you risk it? 

 

 

 

Celiac Awareness Month: Days 24-31

 

 

Day 24:  Grilled kabobs: beef, mushrooms, red onion and bell peppers.

 

Day 25: Grilled artichokes.  Cut them in half and steam for 15-20 minutes.  Use a grapefruit spoon to remove the "hair" and purple leaves in the center.   Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice before grilling.

 

Day 26:  Fresh cherries!  Cherries always signal the start of summer to me.  Tart cherries are full of melatonin, so if you're jet lagged or having trouble sleeping, try these.

 

Day 27:  A dear friend was in from Venezuela.  I loaded up my basket with the best gluten free treat I could find.

 

Day 28:  What used to be a common staple is now elevated to delicacy status.  We stopped by Gluten Free Nation and picked up a fresh loaf of Sourdough Millet  Bread and made a platter of grilled cheese sandwiches:  Smoked Provolone, Havarti and Mozzarella! 

 

Day 29:  Breakfast hash inspired by Matt Moore's Enchiladas.  I quickly sautéed spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper and onions to eat with eggs! 

 

Day 30:  Gluten Free Fail!  This was supposed to be a biscuit.  It's about as thick as the gluten free French bread I tried to make.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong.  This was from Bob's Red Mill biscuit mix.  I followed the instructions to the letter.  I'm going to keep trying, but my ego as a gluten free baker is as deflated as these biscuits.

 

Day 31:  Last two pieces of the Millet bread made a great breakfast sandwich with egg, avocado and Sriracha. 

 

Coming to the end of Celiac Awareness Month, I'm glad I recorded some of the food I ate.  It doesn't look too bad! 

 

When I was first diagnosed, I promised myself that I would focus on what I could eat safely not on what I shouldn't.  So when people ask me, "What CAN you eat?!?"  I just smile.

 

  

Celiac Awareness Month: Day 16-23

 

 

A few standards and a couple of new recipes made for a good week.

 

Day 16:  Lentils with onion and bacon  over brown rice.

 

Day 17:  Chicken Caesar lettuce wrap

 

Day 18:  Homemade spring rolls with avocado, broccoli slaw, lettuce and rice noodles.  What made them so tasty was tossing the noodles in Mongolian Fire Oil, Sesame Oil and Fish Sauce.

 

Day 19:  Glutino frozen pizza.

 

Day 20:  Cheese quesadillas on white corn tortillas and a side of homemade guacamole.

 

Day 21:  New recipe!  Matt Moore's Enchiladas were a hit!  I followed the recipe but added finely chopped broccoli and kale with the spinach.  The left over filling also made a great breakfast the next morning in an omelette.

 

Day 22:  Fresh mozzarella rolled with Spanish chorizo and peppers. 

 

Day 23:  Ok, not food but it does nourish my soul.  Houston based Leprechaun is a hard cider that quenches my beer thirst.  Brewed with champagne yeast, it's less sweeter than some other ciders.

 

 

Celiac Awareness Month: Days 10-15

 

Highlights are pretty high this time around. 

 

My friend made a trip to Gluten Free Nation and brought me presents.  Here are my favorite bites from this week.

 

Day 10:  Soup at work.  Surprisingly comforting.

 

Day 11: Ehmergerd!  This personal pecan pie from Gluten Free Nation!  Their crust is nice in the fact that it's a good crust, period.  Not just a good gluten free crust but a nice pie crust in all arenas.  And the filling!!!  The filling is perfect.  Not too much pie 'jelly' not too much nut.  I did share with the teens as 1/4 was satisfying.

 

Day 12: Stuffed jalapeños.  My friend gave me a bag full of home-grown peppers. 

 

I mixed cream cheese, paprika and minced onion and garlic for the filling.  Top it with a small piece of bacon, bake until the bacon is almost fully cooked (about 15-20 minutes) and then broil until crisp. 

 

I keep food grade gloves in my kitchen.  It's a good idea to use them when handling hot peppers.  You can work faster and rubbing your eyes is not a hazard for hours to come.

 

Another jalapeño tip?  Use a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds and membrane after cutting in half.  Those are what make the pepper hot.

 

Day 13:  Do you SEE this?  THIS is a Chicken Pot Pie from Gluten Free Nation!  It is beyond words.  It is perfect. 

 

Day 14:  New Larabar (for me). 

 

Day 15:  Sautéed kale and celery that were getting to the point that it was eat or freeze time*. 

 

I cooked the kale, celery, garlic and onion in olive oil with garlic and sea salt.  When they were soft, I formed a 'nest' and fried an egg in the middle. 

 

Topped with Sriracha sauce it was a perfect breakfast!

 

*I freeze veggies that are on the cusp and use them for veggie soup stock.