Enjoying a new gluten-free snack May 26, 2008

I usually have a snack between meals and try to have one that is low in calories. This snack is so rich tasting and satisfying that it seems like a treat yet it isn’t too high in calories. I love dried figs as snacks and ordered some Turkish figs recently from Nuts On Line. They are very good. I cut one up and sprinkled it over two rice cakes spread with two wedges of Light Laughing Cow cheese.

These two rice cakes (Lundberg Brown Rice cakes) with one wedge of cheese on each and sprinkled with one cut-up fig totals 262 calories, 8 grams protein, 45 grams carbs and 4 grams fat. It is a delicious, filling, healthy snack.

Moroccan-Style Pasta May 23, 2008

I found the recipe for this very good pasta dish in the Idaho Statesman newspaper. I love to try new tastes and we were thrilled with this one. It is fairly easy to make. I would read through the recipe before starting. You need to toast the almonds, which can be done in advance, and have the chopped parsley and cilantro ready at the end of the preparations. I used canned, diced tomatoes which worked well and cuts down on the preparation time slightly. The recipe is gluten-free as long as you use GF pasta. My favorite now is Mrs. Leeper’s corn pasta. I serve it with fresh, slightly steamed spinach and GF bread.

Moroccan-Style Pasta

This is a delicious blend of the tastes of north Africa and the pasta of Italy.

Recipe adapted from Gino D’Acampo’s “Fantastico”, Kyle Books, 2008, $19.99

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Servings: 6

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

8 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo) beans, drained

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

12 ounces gluten-free pasta (linguine is good)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion and sauté until soft and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

Add the tomatoes, cinnamon and cumin. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down.

Season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and almonds, then cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to directions on package. Drain and add the pasta to the skillet.

Stir the pasta into the sauce for 1 minute, then add the pasley and cilantro and stir for another minute.

My calculations on nutrition:

Per serving (1/6 of recipe)

Calories: 538

Protein: 11 g

Carbohydrates: 67 g

Fat: 27 grams

Quick, delicious spring asparagus dinner May 22, 2008

This is a great light dinner which takes advantage of fresh asparagus. I only buy asparagus in the spring – I think it’s wrong to be buying asparagus all year long. I like to have asparagus as a special springtime treat. Whenever you buy it this is a wonderful recipe. When I eat it I feel so good. It is healthy, easy, tasty and special. I served it with sliced, toasted Pamela’s bread made into soft baguettes.

I got this recipe in a newsletter last spring from “The Splendid Table” by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Splendid Table is a weekly show on NPR.

	May 9, 2007

Dear Friends,

Few cooks understand the power of simplicity the way Sally Schneider does. This dish sings with her sensibilities, for instance, how the egg’s yolk becomes the sauce for the asparagus and how Parmigiano-Reggiano takes the pair to a new place. Simple, but so effective.

Sally’s The Improvisational Cook recently won the International Association of Culinary Professionals award for Best Cookbook in the General Cookbook category. At this moment we are waiting to hear how the book fares in The James Beard Foundation Cookbook Awards for which it is also nominated.

Asparagus with a Fried Egg and Parmigiano
Excerpted from The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider. Copyright 2006 by Sally Schneider. Reprinted with permission from William Morrow/An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Serves 4

• 1 large bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
• 1/3 cup water
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 extra-large eggs, preferably organic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano

Break the tough stems off the asparagus and discard. Arrange the asparagus in a large skillet set over high heat; add the water and salt. Cover and steam the asparagus, rearranging them occasionally, until they are crisp-tender and all but 1 tablespoon of the water has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. (Check the asparagus periodically; if the water is evaporating too quickly, add a few more tablespoons. Or, if there is still too much by the time the vegetables are tender, pour it off, holding the vegetables in the pan with the lid.) Remove the lid and add 1 teaspoon of the butter or olive oil; toss the asparagus well to coat them. Turn off the heat.

Carefully break the eggs into a bowl without breaking the yolks. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add the remaining butter or oil and swirl to coat. Add the eggs, gently nudging the yolks so they are evenly spaced in the pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the white are set but the yolks are still runny. When the eggs are done, separate them with a spatula.

Arrange some of the asparagus on each of 4 dinner plates. Sprinkle each serving with some cheese and place an egg on top. Spoon some of the remaining cheese over each egg. Serve at once.

LYNNE’S TIPS

• Simple dishes like this one are all about using a few top quality ingredients. Buy organic eggs. You’ll notice the difference and forget the small premium in price. Choose organic bright green, crisp asparagus stalks with tight tips. Good imported Parmigiano is essential. There is no substitute for this distinctive cheese. Buy a small piece, grate just what you’ll need for this dish and tightly wrap the rest for storing in the refrigerator.
• Watch cooking times closely to avoid overcooking the asparagus and eggs. You want an edge of crispness in the asparagus, and the runny yolk, which acts like a sauce, is essential to the success of the dish

An East African taste-Millet with Spicy Tomato Sauce May 19, 2008

I went to my book club meeting last week and needed to bring a dish to share. The book we had read, “Infidel” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, relates her early life in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya and goes on to her life in the Netherlands. I thought it would be fun to search for some cuisine from east Africa and spent some time on the internet looking at the tastes and customs of the area. I settled on this recipe which combines a gluten-free grain, millet, with a spicy tomato sauce with an exotic taste from spices we don’t usually use together in the U.S.

The dish went over well at the book club. One friend who (a long time ago) had a boyfriend with and Ethiopian maid and had eaten her food recognized the taste – so I think it is authentic. I garnished it with peanuts instead of the herbs and pumpkin seeds. They would be good also but I didn’t have them on hand.

MILLET WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

1 C. (237 ml) millet grains
1 t. salt
3 1/2 to 4 C. (835 to 960 ml) water

Combine millet, salt, and water in a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan.
Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low and steam for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, and set aside for 15 minutes without lifting lid.
Tomato Sauce

2 lbs. (1 kg) Roma tomatoes, chopped (Italian plum tomatoes)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 dashes ground cinnamon
1 or 2 dashes ground cloves
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 to 1 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Garnish

1 T. chopped fresh chives, basil, or thyme
2 T. toasted pumpkin seeds

Combine tomato sauce ingredients in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until soft and broken down, about 12 to 15 minutes.
To Serve: Spoon millet into a large bowl or casserole. Ladle some of the tomato sauce over the top.
Garnish with fresh herbs and pumpkin seeds, and serve remainder of the sauce at the table. Serves 4 to 6.

Discovering celiac disease in the U.S. May 15, 2008

There is a very interesting interview of Alessio Fasano, M.D. in the June/July 2008 issue of Living Without magazine. Dr. Fasano is the founder and medical director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Celiac Research.

When Dr. Fasano arrived in Baltimore in 1993 from Naples, Italy and began practicing he went months without seeing a single celiac patient. In Italy, as a pediatric gastroenterologist, he was treating 10-12 patients a week. He knew people in the U.S. had celiac disease, too, but were undiagnosed. He helped develop the tTG (anti-tissue transglutaminase) test which is now the standard test for diagnosing celiac disease. They then spent five years conducting the largest epidemiological study ever in the U.S. They screened over 13,000 people from all over the country.

Today there are close to 100,000 people diagnosed with celiac disease in the U.S. and Dr. Fasano estimates that there are about 3 million with celiac disease. He points out that no other pathology is so frequent – not Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.

I like the Living Without magazine. It has many interesting articles and recipes in every issue. If you are trying to learn more about celiac disease and other food allergies and sensitivities I recommend subscribing to this magazine.

Curry-Mango Shrimp May 14, 2008

I found this recipe in Coastal Living magazine. It is a delicious and easy dish which is also naturally gluten-free. The tangy mango chutney adds sweetness and an exotic flavor. I have also made it using some apple chutney instead of the mango chutney.

This recipe is easy. The most time-consuming part is peeling and deveining the shrimp but this is a fairly simple task. I served it with plain brown basmati rice but the Coconut Basmati Rice sounds good, too.

Curry-Mango Shrimp
Ginger, lime, and curry subtly enhance grilled shrimp.

Recipe by Julia Rutland

½ cup mango chutney
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
3 (10-inch) metal skewers

Combine first 5 ingredients; brush half of mixture over shrimp. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Thread shrimp evenly onto skewers.

Grill shrimp, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn pink. Brush with remaining chutney mixture, and serve. Makes 2 to 3 servings.

SERVE
Coconut Basmati Rice
Combine ½ cup chicken broth, ½ cup coconut milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ cup uncooked basmati rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped green onion and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro. Makes 3 cups.

POUR
To complement the diverse flavors of the curry-mango marinade, try a Hogue Riesling from Washington’s Columbia Valley. The naturally crisp acidity balances sweet peach and apricot flavors for a refreshing finish.

American Celiac Disease Action Alert May 3, 2008

American Celiac Disease Alliance is joining an effort to push Congress to become aware of celiac disease.  You can see how you can get involved at this link.

The letter the ACDA recommends sending is as follows and includes some interesting facts.

Celiac Disease is the most common genetic disorder in the world. It affects as many as 3 million Americans, or roughly 1% of the population. I am writing today to ask you to cosponsor HConRes 70, National Celiac Disease Awareness legislation.

If an individual with celiac disease consumes the protein ‘gluten’ found in wheat, rye, or barley it sets off a reaction which affects the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. The only course of treatment is strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.

To help understand the importance of awareness, here are a few facts:

• Type 1 Diabetes affects 1,177,500 people; 6% (70,650) of those diagnosed also have celiac disease.

• 610,000 women in the US experience unexplained infertility; 6% (36,600) of these women might never learn that celiac disease is the cause.

• 350,000 people in the United States are living with Down Syndrome; 12% (42,000) of them also have celiac disease.

• Americans with celiac disease could fill Comiskey Park (now US Cellular Field, with 40,000 seats) to watch the Chicago White Sox -55 times.

• The number of people with celiac disease in the U.S. is roughly equal to the number of people living in the state of Nevada.

The National Commission on Digestive Diseases (NCDD) recently noted that physicians and medical staff members are unaware of the how common celiac disease is or what symptoms to look for. One of the Commission’s goals is to “improve screening, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of celiac disease.”

This goal and H.Con.Res. 70, are supported by the American Gastroenterology Association, American College of Gastroenterology, American Dietetic Association, and the American Osteopathic Association.

Please cosponsor H.Con.Res. 70 and help ensure the Commission’s goals are met.

Thank you.