Yes, I just added Gluten Free Cajun Rice Cakes with Andouille Sausage - seasoned with garlic, red onion ... cayenne pepper and paprika - to the game plan!

Who Dat!

I made the rice cakes with short brown rice (because it is sticky), red onion, garlic, egg, potato starch, cayenne pepper, sea salt, black pepper and Gluten Free bread crumbs.

So I have been reading, chatting, cooking, baking and yes ... eating, as any Gluten Free Foodie would do, throughout any given day. But, lately it seems as though I am even more in tune with my body and the whole process of needing to know where my food is coming from. I think it started over 5 years ago, when I realized I had Celiac Disease, and then I think it hit me again last summer when I discovered I had additional food allergies. In my recent post "Gluten Free Food for Thought" - I talked about an article by Dr. Mark Hyman, and how he showed us that intolerance to Gluten of any level just might be the root of most diseases.

Yes, I must say that I just made and enjoyed the perfect piece of Gluten Free Toast!

It starts with a slice of bread from Whole Foods Market Gluten Free bakery -

A slice of Prairie Bread -

made with rice flour, millet, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, poppy seeds and a few other ingredients all make this a hearty, dense and crunchy piece of toast!

I topped it with my favorite Almond Butter – just ground almonds …

and the most decadent Vanilla Pear Butter by Oregon Growers & Shippers made from Hood River Bartlet Pears and 100% Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. They work with Pacific Northwest Growers – use quality local ingredients and offer farm-direct specialty foods. They make a variety of other delicious flavors of fruit butters, chutneys, jams and more including – Pumpkin Butter and Not Too Sweet Apple Butter. Oregon Growers & Shippers, also offers gift packages and the Summer Harvest Trio – Strawberry Pinot Noir, Cherry Zinfandel and Marionberry Jams are sure to be a hit!

If you don’t have a Whole Foods Market in your area you can order their products from their website at http://www.OregonGrowersandShippers.com

All of the packaging is absolutely beautiful painted artwork and reminds of the amazing views of the gorgeous Pacific Northwest! I treasure my new beautiful and decadent favorite treat!

Enjoy!

Lisa

For more info about the GLUTEN FREE FOODIES events or to chat with me via email glutenfreefoodie@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Are you feeling a little left out these days because you just want a crunchy and healthy treat on the go? Well, I think I found it!

Gluten Free Granola by Mirracole Morsels made in Washington.

The other day I happened to go by one of my favorite coffee drive-thru cafes – The Cup & Muffin in Kingston about 1/2 mile west of the ferry. I had a quick chat with Amy the owner about Gluten Free treats and she told me about Nicole Matheson, the owner of Mirracole Morsels, who is now making Gluten Free Granola. Nicole also just recently opened a location in Kingston across from the ferry. So I quickly ran up the street to investigate!

When I walked into to the lovely store located at the Old Kingston Hotel – 25931 Washington Blvd., the aroma of freshly baked granola and cookies greeted me.  I met with Nicole and chatted with her about her business. She explained to me that she started the company in 2002 because she was a single parent and wanted to stay at home with her 2 children – Mirra Cole (now 16 yrs.) and Eddy (now 15 yrs.). So the obvious answer to the name of the company comes from her daughter’s name – Mirracole. The idea started out on somewhat of a whim, she said, around that time when she would make the granola as gifts. A friend suggested that Nicole should make it, market it and sell it! So with a little hope and lots of prayers she started out at the local Kingston Farmers markets, and the local grocery store and it took off! Now with eight years and several grocery stores selling her products from Bainbridge Island to Bellingham as she is expanding her products into cookies and the Gluten Free products market.

So I asked her more about the Gluten Free Granola and if she had Celiac Disease or if she was Gluten Intolerant. She said no, neither.  To my surprise, I asked her why she decided to offer Gluten Free Granola?

Her answer just delighted me because she realized that after talking to people at the Farmer’s Markets and in the grocery stores, a significant number of people would say, “I wish I could eat the granola but I can’t have … wheat …. or gluten … ”

This really puzzled her so she looked into creating recipes without wheat. Additionally as she learn a bit more about Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance she created Gluten Free Granola with Certified Gluten Free Oats. Nicole wanted to keep to her original vision for her products by creating and offering a good wholesome and tasty product that is preservative free, chemical free and no GMO oils. She originally wanted her children to be able to read the list of ingredients and hasn’t strayed since. So a few months ago she decided to have a dedicated Gluten Free commercial kitchen in Suquamish, the original kitchen and now bakes the regular products out of the Kingston location, where she also sells all of her products.

Mirracole Morsels now offers 2 varieties of Gluten Free Granola in 2 oz. and 12 oz. bags – Cranberry Pecan and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk. You can purchase them at the location in Kingston or on her website at http://www.MirracoleMorsels.com and soon to be at several local grocery stores and cafes. For more info you can email – customerservice@mirracolemorsels.com

Nicole also told me that she hopes to offer additional Gluten Free products in the near future! So I will stay in touch with her and let you know more as soon as I do. In the meantime, try Mirracole Morsels Gluten Free Granola and support a local company!

Enjoy!

Lisa

For more info about the GLUTEN FREE FOODIES events or to chat with me via email glutenfreefoodie@gmail.com  I look forward to hearing from you!

The past few days have been really hard for me to concentrate on writing about living the Gluten Free lifestyle. The images of Haiti and the reports from CNN – Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta are so fresh in my mind that I feel as though the story in Haiti is more important right now. I am amazed to see that they are still down there and I worry about their well being, working 24/7 under those conditions. (All of the other top news anchors have been home for days now while Anderson, Sanjay and the rest of CNN still keep us informed … live!) It doesn’t seem like they have time for sleep because they are still finding people alive that have been buried for at least 10 days now.

There are so many levels as to how tragic this situation has become that it is overwhelming. I feel for the people that are in agony, waiting for medical care. The thoughts of no food and water, or very little, makes me want to run down there and bring it to them. I realize that is not physically possible for me. Although I still have my daily challenges with my Chronic Pain and the tasks of living a Gluten Free lifestyle, I am grateful for my home, health and well being. My heart goes out to the people of Haiti, especially the orphaned children and those that are still waiting for medical attention. I hope that the little baby that Dr. Gupta helped is still doing well. What a heck of a way to start your life!

So today, I thought that my way to help them, is to share some information with you about GlobalGiving. They are a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., that has been working with various organizations to raise money for Haiti for years prior to this devastating earthquake. They actually work with global organizations, for all sorts of causes, that you can choose to help support throughout the year. There are many things that I love about this organization, but one of them is that they give you reports about how your money is helping the cause that you have chosen to support. The report today from Save the Children (via GlobalGiving) shows information about health care, food, water, shelter, child protection and education! The money that GlobalGiving receives goes directly to the leaders each week on Wednesday. The leaders do not have to wait months for the money like other organizations. Your money gives them immediate results that you can see on the reports. You can also choose to receive reports via email updates or RSS feeds as well.

In the next few days if you are feeling overwhelmed like me and you haven’t already donated, maybe there is a little something you can do for your cause via Global Giving. It is worth a few minutes to look at how this organization is making a Global difference on so many levels. Another awesome service that they provide is gift certificates. If you have a friend or family member that has a birthday or celebration coming up, instead of buying a gift that they may not need, you can give them a gift card from GlobalGiving! The gift card is biodegradable and is a tax deduction!

I will continue to keep the hope for the people of Haiti in my thoughts and meditations throughout the days and weeks ahead as they continue to heal and rebuild. I will also keep the hope for a better future by reaching out to more people about making delicious Gluten Free Food, and sharing stories about living the Gluten Free lifestyle because this is what I am passionate about. Hopefully my little contributions to create more awareness about little things that are close to my heart, like Haiti, Global Giving, Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance will add up to make a difference.

One final thought, the other night on the “Hope for Haiti Concert”, Stevie Wonder said it beautifully as only Stevie can …

“A whole lotta littles is a whole lotta lots”…

Peace

Lisa – Gluten Free Foodie

For more info about Gluten Free Foodies events or to chat with me via email glutenfreefoodie@gmail.com  I look forward to hearing from you!

Just a reminder that the Gluten Free Foodies will be in Port Gamble eating some absolutely delicious Mike’s Four Star BBQ … Gluten Free meats and sauces … just order it naked! (This picture is a three-way – choice of 3 meats -without the bun, BBQ beans and coleslaw included.) 

Ahhh…. just the thought of a rack of ribs, tender and smoky beef brisket or pulled pork and chicken is making me really hungry!  The absolute best is the sausage that Mike makes daily… hopefully he will make extra for us!  Don’t forget the sides – Smoky BBQ Beans and Carolina Coleslaw … sweet and tangy without mayo!  I love the slaw! … Mike is even going to make us some fresh crispy Old Mill Chips and French Fries if we order them!

Do I have your Gluten Free appetite revved up yet?

I hope to see you  at  Mike’s Four Star BBQ – 4719 NE State Hwy. 104 Port Gamble, WA , in the historic service station located next to Gamble Bay Coffee. Parking is available next to the building on both sides and just across the street.

Bring your friends and family to meet other Gluten Free Foodies.  No Fee for the event other than the cost of the food.  We will each pay as we order.

We will be there between 1 PM until at least 3 PM.  If you have any questions or would like to let me know that you are attending please email me glutenfreefoodie@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you at Mike’s Four Star BBQ!

Lisa – Gluten Free Foodie

There are a few things about living in Pacific NW that you can always count on - a cold rainy fall and winter, a rainy spring and a gorgeous summer after July 5th. There is one meal that gets us through any weather – our favorite must have Fish-N-Chips that we love to eat year round!

Well, I can tell you that I am back to being a happy Gluten Free Crispy Battered Cod and Halibut – Fish-N-Chips eater again! I just discovered this last night and wanted to tell you about it right away! I happened to see it at Town & Country Market when I was walking by the Seafood and Frozen section of the store. It is by Starfish and is made in  Mukilteo, WA. I picked up both the Cod and the Halibut and really liked them both. They also offer Haddock but T&C didn’t have it. I love that they are a local company!

The fish is wild and all natural portions, not minced or ground, so it is tender and flaky.

I immediately went home and made a quick green salad and

Enjoy!

Lisa

Gluten Free Foodie

 

For more information about the GLUTEN FREE FOODIES events or to chat with me via email glutenfreefoodie@gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you!