if you wear anything on your lips and are gluten free, read up!

Now here's something to think about that hadn't crossed my mind before the other day... does your lipstick have wheat in it? Suprisingly, a recent purchase of mine did. for those of you that have already thought about this, kudos to you... for some reason, it hadn't crossed my mind to look into lipstick, lip balm, or anything lip related in terms of gluten.

A quick wikianswers.com search suggests that in a lifetime, a woman can consume up to 6 pounds of lipstick/lipbalm/lipwhatever. Now take a second and think about how careful you are about gluten in your food... have you thought about what you put on your lips?

During a recent trip to Sephora, I picked up a tube of Clinique's superbalm moisturizing gloss. It's really nice stuff, but as I learned, it contains gluten/wheat. Not good...

So, as an alternative, I started researching more drugstore brands and was tickled to learn that Covergirl carries a range of lip products that don't contain any wheat or gluten-- I picked up Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers and Wetslicks Amazemint. Check out this link to learn more about wheat and gluten in Covergirl cosmetics. Covergirl is owned by PG so this link sends you off to their site for a full MSDS ingredient breakdown of all the companies they own.

Dr. Hauschka makes a lovely Lip Care Stick that I swear by in the winter months that is also wheat free... as a matter of fact, all of the ingredients they use are pretty great. They post a full listing on their website... check it out here.

Be sure to check out the ingredients list for any and all lip products you use... you might be gluten-ing yourself inadvertently.

BAGELS BAGELS BAGELS

A recent trip that took me to New York landed me squarely in the insanely busy Whole Foods at Colombus Circle and mouth agape in front of the frozen section with my eyes squarely focused on Glutino Gluten Free Bagels. Man. I didn't realize how much I missed bagels.

The flavor here, when toasted (I'm a big fan of the light toast, cool down, and second healthy toasting for slight browning) is great. It's not crumbly, it's not mealy, it's actually fairly close to the texture I remember though not quite as chewy. But seriously, you should really toast these. And while I've tried both the poppy seed version and the plain (and I'm a plain-bagel-with-a healthy-smear-of-cream-cheese-person), I will forevermore buy only the poppy seed version. Why? The plain version I bought most recently is crumbly and strange.

For a short time there, we were driving all the way down to the Whole Foods in Thousand Oaks to stock up-- that's how extreme my bagel love is-- but now I know they carry this at Pacific Health Food on Calle Real in Goleta. they're definitely on the pricey end of the scale (between 5-6 bucks for 5 bagels) but well worth it. Not in Goleta? Try buying these online here. Especially if you've been deprived for a few years.

HELLO tasty.

So... we've made this cake maybe 3-4 times. The first time, I think we both swooned while we ate... the second time, we cried a little because about 20 minutes into the cook time, the glass dish (I know, what was I thinking?) CRACKED and we sniffled over the ruined deliciousness and pledged to make another. The third, fourth... well. This cake gets devoured pretty quickly.

Even for gluten eaters, this cake is a treat... it's light, fluffy, and wow. Just try it. A good smear of chocolate frosting won't hurt you, either.

I buy this mix by Pamela's Products from Lassen's in Goleta (about $5 per package), where they have an excellent selection of mixes, if you aren't down to mix up your own.

if you're in the area...

... of Overland Park and Kansas City, KS, there are a couple of restaurants I tend to visit when I'm in town that either have a specific gluten free menu or are familiar with celiac and will point you in the right direction on their menus.

Fortune Wok
If you're like me and get an occasional hankering for sweet and sour chicken, this is the place for you... actually-- if you like any type of Chinese food, you should definitely check this place out. They have a fairly extensive gluten free menu and are really knowledgeable about preparing foods gluten free. Tasty.

2 locations in the Overland Park area-- 11236 W 135th St., (913) 239.8646, and 14537 Metcalf Ave., (913) 681.8863


Bravo!
I sorta got my hopes up after reading a bit about this restaurant online... apparently some locations have complete gluten free menus including pasta and pizza. While this location doesn't have a wide array of options, the chefs are aware and knowledgeable about celiac and will help direct your meal selection.

5005 West 117th St., Leawood (913) 661.9207

Lidia's
I come here every time I am in the area and always keep my fingers crossed that Sarme will be on the menu (it is right now!). While I did discover a wayward crouton in a salad a few visits back, I haven't had a bad experience recently... but of course, I always recommend talking with your server and letting them know. This trip also opened my eyes to the joy of Frico with mushrooms and rosemary. Yum.


101 West 22nd St., Kansas City (816) 221.3722

There is also a neat little pizza place in the area that is definitely worth checking out: Waldo's. In addition to a straight gluten free crust, they also have vegan and dairy free options available.


1543 NE Douglas St., Lees Summit (816) 875.2121, 7433 Broadwa St. Kansas City (816) 363.5242

1-2-3 Gluten Free Rolls

We decided to give a store bought mix a shot for our Turkey day this year... 1-2-3 Gluten Free's Delectably Tender Rolls-- and I'm happy we did. I even had a gluten eater try them out and they couldn't tell they were gluten free.

I know... it's barely 11:00 and I'm already grazing on everything we prepped.

These rolls are super tender (just like the name promises) and achieve an excellent crust. However, for those of you that are vegan, this does require milk, eggs, softened butter, and egg whites (for brushing the surface right before baking).

The prep is a little time consuming since you need to mix it all up, and then let it rise (it's got yeast in the bag), then brush it with egg whites, then pop it in the oven... but let me tell you, it's worth it.

We picked this bag up at Pacific Health Foods on Calle Real in Goleta right next to Blockbuster. If you live outside of the Santa Barbara area, check out their retail list here or order direct.


Now back to that Turkey...

... homemade chicken noodle soup

Sometimes... you're down in the dumps, your nose is running, your throat is scratchy, and maybe the fever you've been developing is at full blast and all you want to do is curl up in bed and sleep the day away.

Being sick-- well, it sucks. Especially when it's hot out and laying in bed in the middle of August is like wearing a snow suit to the beach. And maybe eating homemade chicken noodle soup is akin to that snow suit at the beach with a heat lamp, but I don't care. I still think one of the best things in the world when you're not feeling great is homemade soup. And if you've got a crisper drawer full of veggies from the farm, it's even better.

homemade chicken (gluten free!) noodle soup
makes about 4 bowls of soup.

you'll definitely need:
2 chicken breasts (bone in and skin on... for extra tasty flavor)
1 roughly chopped half of a medium sized onion
1 roughly chopped carrots
1-2 roughly chopped celery stalks
a little over 2 quarts of chicken stock (if you buy this in the store, make sure it's gluten free!*)
a couple of sprigs of parsley (totally optional, btw)

All of this stuff cooks up to make the chicken you'll later shred and the stock you will later cook the tasty bits in.

the tasty bits (feel free to throw in whatever you have in the fridge, actually... it makes it better):
2-3 small red potatoes
1-2 chopped carrots
1 celery stalk, trimmed and sliced up
1 zucchini, cut into bit sized quarters
a handful of trimmed green beans
3/4 uncooked gluten free pasta (I like Tinkyada's fusili)

1. First, pour the chicken stock into a medium sized pot. Let the broth and chicken come up to a boil over medium high heat. Scoop off the fat and foamy stuff that collects along the top. After skimming off the fats and the foam, toss the roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery in with the chicken and stock. Let this simmer over a low heat for about 40 minutes.

2. Remove chicken and set aside to cool... once it's cooled off, shred it up to your desired size. after setting the chicken aside, take the reserved stock and strain out the chunky bits and throw away the veggies that were cooking in it.

3. Start a small pot of water for about a cup of gluten free pasta... prepare this al dente (and then run it through cold water in a colander) since it will wind up continuing to cook in your soup.

3 1/2. Take the strained stock and put it back into the pot and add in the chopped tasty bits and vegetables. Allow this to simmer on the stove until the veggies and potatoes are cooked-- about 20 minutes. Add in the shredded chicken and the pasta.


Voila!






* Unfortunately, lots of brands add in wheat flour to their chicken stocks... be sure you read the labels carefully-- some brands don't indicate gluten free... and for me, if it doesn't disclose it, I just don't buy it.

hands down, the best gluten free pasta...

TINKYADA!

Tinkyada is the best gluten free pasta-- hands down. Somehow, they have managed to turn organic brown rice, rice bran, and water into a pasta that reminds me of the kind I used to eat before I was diagnosed.

There are a lot of regular rice pasta and quinoa (and lots of other grains) brands that just don't quite hold up in terms of the flavor or mouth feel that I've seen all over town. After many repeated and expensive tasting trials and gross pasta experiences with other brands, I always head back to Tinkyada and Trader Joe's versions. Tinkyada is especially great since they make a variety of shapes-- shells and lasagna noodles, too!

I buy Tinkyada locally at Lassen's in Goleta, Lazy Acres, and at Tri-County Produce and at Amazon. It can get a little rough if you're a big pasta eater... a bag costs about 4.00. But trust me... it's worth it!

If you're on a budget, Trader Joe's makes an excellent (though not quite as perfect) alternative with their line of organic brown rice pasta that is only 1.99 a bag. And it really does make for the best sticky spaghetti pasta for our weekly heirloom tomato gorge.