On the way to Taos, New Mexico

]]> http://girlversesgluten.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/i-have-not-forgotten-that-i-am-the-only-contributor-to-this-blog/feed/ 1 girlversesgluten photo-1 http://girlversesgluten.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/celiacaversary-i-still-think-it-should-be-added-to-the-dictionary/ http://girlversesgluten.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/celiacaversary-i-still-think-it-should-be-added-to-the-dictionary/#comments Sat, 29 Sep 2012 01:20:22 +0000 girlversesgluten http://girlversesgluten.wordpress.com/?p=619 ]]> I almost forgot that it was my celiacaversary!  I have to do something!  I have to mark this day with more than just making up a word!  Ethiopian?  Me thinks yes.  Perfect.  Delicious.  Always Happy.

Round up the troops and make this happen.  I don’t know why we don’t think of this meal more often; it’s so easy for Andrew to avoid nuts, Chris can be a vegetarian, I can not worry about gluten and Jonathan can eat meat.  Good times were had by all.  If you still haven’t tried this place a year after I mentioned it, you should be ashamed.  Now get over my frustration towards you and go to Nil Bleu.

Enjoy!

NB: I thought I posted this a month ago, but my iPad and my computer seem to be fighting.

Check out this link and see why I have some love for this chain:
click me!

Hears a taste:

Chipotle.

The website advises to ask for the server to change their gloves and follow you along the line to avoid contamination (as much as you can).  I’m making this sound so risky, but I have been to various Chipotle’s and (knock on wood) not had any problems.

I always order the Burrito Bowl;  it’s huge and can be shared or eaten solo, leftovers are good too.  Andrew and I were visiting his Mom in Albany and we split 2 between the three of us and still had leftovers for his sister.  All the meats are delicious and they are all gf.  My favorite is pork.  You pick your rice, your meat, and your toppings.  Always get the guacamole, it’s tasty.

Carnitas Burrito Bowl with cilantro rice, corn and guacamole, with a blackberry IZZE.

Does this look like fast food to you?  I think even if I could eat everything on the menu at any fast food joint, Chipotle would be my fast food of choice.  I am a sucker for Mexican cuisine, but this place is tasty.  Of course, the nearest location to Montreal is Burlington, Vermont, but I highly recommend keeping this place in mind if you’re in the US or Toronto, especially over a McDonald’s.

Website:
click me!

Addendum - this little story might not help sell my gf experience at Chipotle, but I have to tell it:  When I stepped up to the counter, I asked the server to change her gloves because I have an allergy to gluten.  With a flour tortilla in her hand, she says: “I haven’t touched gluten in these gloves”,  giving her the benefit of the doubt, I reply: “oh, is that a corn tortilla in your hand?”.  She says: “No, it’s just a tortilla”  Devon’s eyebrows furrow: “so that is a wheat flour tortilla, there is gluten in wheat”.  “No,” says my new ‘about to get educated’ friend, “it’s a tortilla tortilla”.  Oy, needless to say, I asked for the next girl over to help me.

This was one of the best bowls of guacamole I’ve ever made / eaten. I would have taken a picture of the guac, had Andrew and I not devoured it. And I really mean devoured.

I’ve always made a pretty good bowl of guacamole, if I do say so myself. Lots of people think cilantro is the key, but I’m not a big fan of the flavour it adds to my version of guacamole. I use soy sauce instead of salt and serrano chili paste to spice things up a little. A few weeks ago, my newly Canadian friend Damla and I went to my favourite grocery store and I bought way too much feta. Andrew and I have been putting it on and in everything. It’s made a delicious addition to Anew’s sandwiches and I’ve been eating lots of tasty tomato salads. All this to say, I finally thought to add feta to a bowl of guacamole!  How did this not come to me sooner!?

This was so delicious, I had to run out and get more avocados for our BBQ! This time I took some pictures, before we dug in! This massive bowl was also devoured.

Devon’s Epic Guacamole (the party size)

5 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and mashed to desired smoothness
juice from 2 limes
2 tbsp. serrano chili paste (more if you like the heat)
4 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 medium red onion, diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup crumbled feta
Salt and Pepper

Mash together the lime, chili paste, garlic and onions.  Mix in the tomatoes and feta, add salt and pepper to taste!  Voila!  Enjoy!

“What to eat first…the maple bacon or les oreilles d’Christ?”

My first experience with Cabane was in 2000, I went with Nadia, Lara and the Concordia Psychology department.  We went to a giant Sugar Shack with space for about 300, they had an arcade, dance floor and I think I remember some ski-ball.  It was quite the adventure and I figured it was something you had to do at least once.

Fast forward a few years and some of my new friends wanted to go somewhere for Cabane.  I ask one of my favorite Francophone’s where to go and she sends me to a place I will try to visit annually for the rest of my life.  Louise’s family has been going to the Cabane à sucre famille Éthier for years and I’m happy to continue the tradition with them and all the people I love.

Hears a taste:

Cabane à sucre famille Éthier.

There is no menu.  You arrive.  You eat.  The only thing I (the celiac) can’t eat is the omelet (there is a touch of flour to make it giant and puffy) and dessert, but la Famille Éthier is always happy to fry up a couple of eggs for me and this year, for dessert, they poached an egg in maple syrup!  Be jealous, it’s delicious.  The last part of the meal is my favorite, you roll a popsicle stick across a bed of snow covered in hot maple syrup, it’s called: La Tire d’Érable.

A meal with bacon, pork rinds (the French call them Christ’s Ears), eggs and maple syrup is really hard to mess up, but this place is special because of the people who run it and the music and the love of maple syrup.  Did I mention they refill the bowls?  Did I mention that it’s bring your own wine?  Wonderful.

This year, I went twice.

This does not look appetizing, I know, but it’s a bowl of hot maple syrup with an egg in it, you can’t deny that you want to try this. And you should, it’s amazing.

There are tons of Cabane in the Montreal area and throughout Quebec.  I highly recommend any of the ones that fit less than 100 people, it’s a way more realistic and pleasant experience!

Click me! for the Quebec Tourist website to find your own favorite Cabane!

Another one of my favorite things about living in Quebec is living in the same city as Dayle:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAYLE!!!

Sweet Sweet Potato Salad

You have to try this dish!  It was fresh and light and surprisingly satisfactory in the comfort food department.

Sweet Sweet Potato Salad (a mix of recipes from a few places)

Dressing
¼ cup avocado oil (or light oil)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated ginger (fresh of course)
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped green onions

Salad
3 sweet potatoes (1 pound-ish), peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
½ cup dried cherries or cranberries
2 tbsp. crystallized ginger, finely chopped
(I’m sure pecans would be delicious too, if you can eat that kind of thing)

Mix all the dressing ingredients and set aside.  Steam the sweet potatoes until tender (not too soft or you will be eating mashed sweet potato salad).  Rinse in cold water and ice cubes (some people call this blanching), drain.

Mix everything together.  Enjoy!

It has been too long since we have spoken and now it is too late.  A day later and already I miss your smile.  You were the best person, the kindest person, a great man.  I’m sorry I never got to see how amazing a husband and father you’ve been, I imagine that you were great at both.  Time passes and we let it go by without words, but you have always been in my thoughts and in my heart.  You were my friend and you will be missed.

I remember our trip to the circus, despite my fear you made me stand next to a clown!  We laughed our way through the picture, I have the proof framed forever with my photographs, I will cherish those memories.

I often think of our trips to McDonald’s, we would order 20 chicken nuggets with all the sauces and spend the afternoon eating and mixing sauces and catching up.  I think one of your favorite mixes was honey and bbq sauce, I was more partial to the honey mixed with mustard, but it was never really about the nuggets, it was about the company.

I still have the letters you wrote while you were on your mission.  I was so proud of you for going, for learning a whole new language and devouring the culture you were surrounded by.  You asked me to only ever speak French to you so you could practice and never forget all that you had learned.

You turned every negative into a positive and drew out all the good you could from every experience.  I hope that rubbed off on me, it was a great quality.

I’m glad that in your final days you were surrounded by people who love you and will think of you often.   You will be remembered, you will always be loved.

Goodbye sweet friend,
devon

Hears a taste of Toronto:
Big Momma’s Boy - CLOSED
I’m sorry I didn’t write about this place sooner; it’s closed now and has been replaced by a restaurant that I have not tried, but the reviews aren’t good.  Big Momma’s offered a great, home-cooked menu with a gf option on everything but the spring rolls, this menu also included pizza.  I had to go to Big Momma’s three times before I got to try the pizza because of its popularity!  You might be wondering why I am writing about a restaurant you’ll  never be able to try (sorry), but it is important because their pizza taught me that thin crust is the key to a delicious gluten free crust.

Bar Mercurio.
The pizza here is delicious, although I’m still not sure I like the gf addendum on the menu explaining the food will take 20 minutes longer than the other menu items.  I would prefer the wait staff mention that the pizza may take a little longer, it feels a little more personal and less like an inconvenience.
The toppings are definitely the highlight of Mercurio pizza accented with a light, crispy crust.

Hears a taste of Boston:

Stone Hearth Pizza Co.
My sister-in-law and her ‘about to be hubby’ took Andrew and I here for the first and second time.  The pizza is amazing and the atmosphere is perfect for family time.  They offer a variety of toppings and can make any of their pizza’s gf; there are several pizzas that are designated strictly gf, but you can also have them make the other pies with toppings that are used on all the pizzas.  It’s a little risky, but I took it, and I was peachy.  When the kitchen is so aware, I trust that they take care as best they can.

Website:
click me!

Hears a taste of Munich:
Nero.

This pizza was delicious and I got lucky.  There is a warning on the menu that says the gluten free pizza’s are cooked in the same oven as the regular pizza and they may not be suitable for celiacs.  That’s a big risk for contamination, but I’ve been tired of being gluten intolerant.  I joke about Andrew and I’s allergies all the time; it is funny that a celiac and nut allergy found each other, but what’s not funny is being so complicated to pick food for!  At home, it’s easy, we can cook safely, we can pick restaurants we know will be careful, but what do you do when you travel?  I took a chance and I was fine. (phew)

My friend Franzie found this place on someone else’s blog (I forgot to ask which one, I think it was in German) and we happened to be there on 7 Euro pizza night!  (plus 2 extra Euros for gf)  The pizza’s are offered in one size, and they look big, but with the delicate, thin cut toppings, crunchy crust, and fabulous company, we were all able to finish our delicious pizza pies.

Website:
click me! (auf Deutsch)

Diavola

Hopefully all this far away pizza will finally inspire me to put together my own thin crust, gf pizza!  Buon appetito!

Andrew walked off the plane and I handed him a cherry Mövenpick Finejoghurt.  I had, of course, already eaten my mango & vanilla yoghurt on the U-Bahn.  I’m pretty sure we had a yoghurt a day while he was here and when Andrew left, I packed 2 yoghurts in my bag and we made our way back to the Flughafen.  In my opinion, this is the only way to arrive and depart Germany!  I felt that I was acting as an ambassador to European dairy and it was my duty to make Andrew appreciate it as much as I do.

At home I would have to say I am very yoghurt naughty.  I love Liberté‘s  Méditerrannée Yoghurts, full fat of course (10%).  Ever since I became a yoghurt snob, the gelatin and aspartame in non-fat and low-fat yoghurt don’t quite sit right with my sensitive belly.   I crave my wild blackberry Liberté yoghurt and I dream about the pineapple flavour and coconut too!  On a hot summer evening, there is nothing better and more refreshing than lemon yoghurt with berries.  This company gives European Yoghurt a run for it’s money, I’ve even seen it sold in the UK.  Thank goodness Liberté has created a 7% milk fat version of their delicious yoghurt! (3% less fat, that will help right?)

I understand that a lot of celiacs also have a lactose intolerance, but I am very happy to say my problem with dairy disappeared when I cut gluten out of my diet.  I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t eat cheese and put milk in my morning tea.  My last trip to the grocery store, I found myself counting backwards from when I leave to make sure I had one yoghurt for each day left in Munich.  I do know my love for fatty yoghurt has become a problem, but I also think this might be a problem I can live with.

Aside from my walks and fountain hunting, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking.  I’ve never been a fan of leftovers, I’m very picky about what I will eat for days in a row, so I’ve been racking my brain for things I can make and eat over and over again.  One recipe that came to mind was Chicpea Curry.  Andrew gets an itchy throat when he eats legumes, so I don’t eat chicpeas very often when I’m home.  My cousin Briana taught me this recipe several years ago during one of her Montreal visits.  It’s perfect for warming up and it gets a little spicier everyday!

Chicpea Curry with goats cheese

Chicpea curry 
What you’ll need:
1 medium diced onion, olive oil, chopped garlic, 2 or 3 tomatoes cut into chunks, one can of chicpeas, curry powder, S&P

Cook the onions in olive oil, add 3-4 tbsp. of curry powder and garlic, stir until fragrant.  Add tomatoes and a bit of water.  Stir allowing the tomatoes to break down a bit, then add the chicpeas.  Bring to a boil, the sauce should not be too liquidy, add S&P to taste.  Enjoy over rice or quinoa.  I added goats cheese because I had some and it was very spicy!  Enjoy!

This recipe is so fast and simple!  Great for travel and a small kitchen