Goodbye McDonald's french fries.... I hate you!

For the past 1 1/2 years, I have been under the understanding that McDonald's french fries were one of the only things that I could eat at their establishment. Last night, when looking at their allergen list on their website, I found this statement about their fries:

French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid
pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to
preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK *(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

Their OIL contains wheat?? Say WHAT????

I will admit that I was so upset by this statement! For some reason I found myself crying about it. It's not that I love their french fries, but it was an option for me that I used from time-to-time when I took my son for his favorite Chicken Nuggets.

Goodbye....

Gluten Free, homemade corn dogs!!

Here is a recipe for GF homemade corn dogs that I found online and substituted my GF Bisquick (mix) cup for the original Bisquick that it called for:

Ingredients:
- 1 package of your favorite GF hot dogs (I prefer to cut them in half to make mini corn dogs and dust with GF flour to help corn dog mixture to stick)
- 1 cup of GF Bisquick (I use the GF bisquick/shortening mix described in an earlier post)
- 2 TBS. of corn meal
- 1/4 tsp. of paprika
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- Oil for frying (I fried in my deep fryer in peanut oil- I know, I am terrible!) :)

Mix the dry ingredients first, then add in the wet ingredients. Mix with a fork until well blended. One a time using a fork inserted in one end of a hot dog, I coated it by rubbing it around in the mixture until fully covered. I then dropped the hot dog into the oil of my deep fryer, using an additional fork to push it off and into the oil. Fry until golden brown, drain on paper towels, and enjoy!!! :)

GF Garlic Cheese Biscuits (Like the ones at that famous seafood restaurant)

Tonight I made some delicious garlic cheese biscuits like the ones that you can get from that famous seafood restaurant. Delicious!! They turned out so incredibly well.

Crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. :) Check out the link below for the recipe. I substituted regular Bisquick for my modifined GF bisquick mix as mentioned in the post below.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=2788706

Gluten Free Bisquick Review | Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

Check out what Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom has to say about the new GF Bisquick. See how she tweaked it a bit adding shortening to the mix. Go check it out!

Gluten Free Bisquick Review | Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

Jennie-O Turkey Burger.... toasted Udi's bagel. Delish!!

I call this combo a match made in heaven!! I took a Jennie-O turkey burger and a toasted Udi's bagel and married it with some mayo, grilled onions, a slice of tomato, and some romaine lettuce.

Absolutely delicious!!!

Just ordered some GF pita bread....

I just ordered some GF pita bread from GFL Foods Inc. These pita breads are suppose to be kept frozen until you want to consume one. Then you just pull one out of the freezer and microwave for 45 seconds. This seems easy enough and has received some good reviews, so I figured I would fork out some money and try them for myself.

The cost for one package of six pita breads was $9 plus $10.50 shipping. If I end up liking them, I can order up to 4 packages for the same shipping price.

I'll let you know how they are after I receive them!! I am already planning ways to fill my pita bread!! :)

Review: La Tortilla Factory Ivory Teff Gourmet Wraps

I have been wanting to try La Tortilla Factory Ivory Teff Gourmet Wraps since reading other reviews from gluten-free eaters. After contacting local grocery stores and Whole Foods just to find out they don't carry this product, my husband decided he would surprise me and fork out the extra money to have one package sent to me. He opted not to go the more economical way of ordering multiple packages (saving on shipping), which was a smart thing to do. This one package of 6 tortilla wraps put him back $20 after shipping!

When I received my box from the La Tortilla Factory, I was SO EXCITED to try these wraps. The thought of having a normal'ish tortilla definitely had my attention. Upon taking the bag out of the box, I noticed that of the 6 wraps, only 3 of them were completely in tact. The other ones were ripped or had pieces broken off of them completely. Needless to say, it was the taste that I was going for at this point so a few rips and tears wasn't going to stop me from having something "normal". I opened the bag up and the first thing I noticed was the smell. This wasn't a pleasant smell to me. I then took one of the torn pieces and placed it in my mouth and started eating. I really wanted to enjoy this, but the taste just wasn't right for me. I was bummed.

They have been sitting on my countertop for the past week. After reading one more time about them, I decided I would give them my last attempt and heat them. I made a breakfast burrito using the wraps. Although it wasn't completely terrible, it still wasn't right for me. It still had the aftertaste that I had tasted before, this time muddled by the taste of egg, cheese, bacon, and salsa.

Morale of this story: Not all rave reviews are always going to be a RAVING success for me. (Up to this point, everything I had tried based on reviews was dead on.)

Udis bread... enough said...

Anything on Udi's sandwich bread is just delightful. This was tonight's dinner: Ham, havarti cheese, romaine lettuce, slice of tomato, mayo, and honey dijon mustard sandwiched between two perfect pieces of untoasted Udi's bread.

That's all I have to say about that...

Bountiful baskets co-op.... Naturally Gluten Free :)

This week I participated for the first time ever in a food co-op. Here is what I got from my Bountiful Basket co-op pickup this morning. It was a ton of delicious, healthy food that I am looking forward to us eating! I got all of this for $16.50.

If you live in Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, or Nevada and you are interested in saving TONS of money on some great produce, check out their ...website. I will definitely be going back again... :)

Gluten Free Tortilla attempt....

This is from my second attempt (today) with GF tortillas using Tom Sawyer's Gluten Free flour mix. This makes a thicker tortilla then the store bought tortillas. It was pretty good and will make a nice occasional change from the white corn tortillas that I have been eating since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in May 2009.

My first attempt today was with me rolling out the dough. It was a complete mess. Everything kept tearing when I would roll it or when I would attempt to get it off of the floured surface to put into the pan to cook. I had the most misshaped tortillas I had ever seen, and those were only the ones that actually made it into the frying pan. I threw away several as well in pure frustration with tears in my eyes. Cooking should never be that way!

After talking to my husband who was at work and telling about my frustrating experience, he went to the store and surprised me with a beautiful tortilla press! I read online that you shouldn't use them to make flour tortillas, that rolling them was the only way to go. Tried that, didn't work... I was ready to try something new. The tortilla press did a nice job sandwiched between two sides of a ziploc bag. I was able to peel them off AND get them into the pan to cook. VICTORY! The photo above shows what two of my "taco sized" tortillas looked like tonight filled with ingredients for a breakfast burrito.


Recipe:
Gluten Free Tortilla

2C. + 1TBS Tom Sawyer GF Flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar (suppose to help retain more moisture)
2 tsp. vegetable oil (I only had canola, so I used that)
1 C. of warm milk

Mix all the ingredient together except the milk. Slowly add in the milk and work in by hand until mixture forms a sticky, wet dough. Roll into 8 equal sized balls and cover with plastic wrap. Cut the side seams and top off of a gallon sized ziploc bag. Place one ball of dough in between plastic on tortilla press and flatten. Place in a skillet (I used cast iron) and light brown on each side.

** My first tortilla stuck a little in the ziploc. I lightly, so lightly, dusted the sticky parts of the bag up with GF flour and didn't have any more issues with sticking. You must tenderly peel off the tortilla from the plastic or it will rip.

Udi's bagel = hot dog bun... Most definitely!

So here's the story behind this. I have been missing hamburger and hot dog buns since going gluten free just over a year ago. I have tried out Kinnikinnick hamburger buns but they are only edible if they are freshly toasted. Recently I saw a blog that showed how they used Udi's bagels as a hamburger bun. My husband, son, and I drove over an hour north to a Whole Foods to get some bagels the next weekend. After trying a grilled hamburger in a Udi's bagel (without being toasted), I was SOLD!

So today I was talking to my husband when he came home. All of a sudden it hit me that I should try the bagel as a hot dog "bun". So this is what I did to make a simple, and delicious vessel to hold my Nathan's hot dog.

Step 1: Cut the bagel in half right down the top


Step 2: Open up one half of the bagel along the outside, pre-cut end with the end you cut facing down on the plate (Oddly, it hold the hot dog and "bun" upright--very convenient!)

Step 3: Place hot dog inside "bun" and add GF condiments (Mine was mayo and ketchup)


Nathan's famous hot dogs pride themselves on being bigger than the bun, which was okay for me!

Gluten-free croutons... Thanks Udi's!!

We are having a salad tonight for dinner. I decided that I would try to make some gluten-free croutons using my Udi's sandwich bread. I took the remainder of my Udi's bread out of the freezer and placed the bag on the counter to thaw. Once it was partially thawed but still frozen, I took out my trusty knife and started cutting the slices into cubes. I found it easier to do with it still partially frozen. I then threw the cubes into a bowl and tossed with EVOO and some garlic salt. I also pulled out some salt-free garlic and herb seasoning that I had and sprinkled some of that on as well.

I spread the yummy coated bread cubes onto a pan lined with foil and placed under the broiler for a few minutes until it started to brown up a bit. Some of my pieces got a little more cooked than others, so I might skip this step next time. Then I turned the oven to 350 degrees and let them cook longer in an attempt to dry them out a little more. They are cooling on the stove right now, but I can tell you that the few that I "tested" were yummy. So good warm.

I was thinking these would also be nice on top of some soup. This has me pondering finding a recipe for french onion soup. :)

Celiac in children...

I found out tonight that a great friend of mine is now going to be affected by Celiac Disease. Her very young child was diagnosed, confirmed with both a blood test and biopsy. I do not wish this on anybody, least of all a child.

This brings up some of my own fears about my own son Konnor. He will be turning 4 years old in July. Last summer during his three year check-up, I informed the doctor about my diagnosis a mere month and half earlier and asked if he should be tested since it is hereditary. The doctor told me he didn't feel testing was necessary because of his growth pattern. Now I am wondering if I should ask for at least a blood test. The only known symptom that Konnor has is constipation. I have been putting Miralax in his bottles/sippies for as long as I can remember. The doctor has always told me that this is completely normal for some kids and that most eventually outgrow it.

This will give me something to think about as I try to go to sleep tonight....

Crossing my fingers that my go to store for Udi's bread and pizza crusts will also start stocking their bagels as well. I called in an hour ago and the young lady who does the ordering said they will look into getting it at their store. She told me they already were considering supplying the muffins.

I so want to try Udi's gluten-free bagel after reading posts on a website of people raving about them. One poster also linked to her website Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom showing people how they use the bagels as hamburger buns. What a great idea! I currently use Kinnikinnick buns, which are okay when they are freshly toasted. But if I could find something even better that doesn't have to be toasted, even if there is a hole in the middle of it, I would be all over it!! Imagine walking into any restaurant armed with my GF bagel that doesn't have to be toasted first... the possibilities are endless!

So for now I will cross my fingers that my Udi's supplier will be able to stock up on bagels too!

The best and easiest GF lasagna recipe...

I have said it before and I will say it again, I am so thankful for blogs and websites that have inspired me to want to learn how to cook. One of these blogs is Off the Wheaten Path.

I found a recipe on the blog listed above for GF Miracle Lasagna. The ingredients were easy to find and the directions were super simple with pictures. So I decided to embark on my first ever attempt at lasagna. Armed with my computer by my side, I read diligently through the directions. Although I must say that I was impressed with myself because I opted NOT to pull out the measuring cups, which if you know me well I stick strictly to the directions and measure everything. My pan was a little bigger than the one used in the original recipe so my there was a lot of space left without noodles. I broke up a few noodles to fill in the gaps on the two noodle levels. I ran short on sauce... never fear! I broke out a different brand of spaghetti sauce to finish topping off the last layer.

With all of these changes and my initial apprehension of cooking my first ever lasagna, my attempt was a complete SUCCESS!! This lasagna tasted so unbelievably good! I now have leftovers for the next few days since my husband and son both won't eat a bite, but I am not complaining.

Thank you Margo for your inspiration!!! :)

Pondering buying a new cookbook...

I am pondering buying myself a new gluten-free cookbook called Gluten Free Everyday by Chef Robert Landolphi. I saw a video on Udi's GF website of Chef Landolphi making gluten-free french toast using Udi's bread.

The chef stated that he started coming up with recipes for gluten-free food when his wife was diagnosed with Celiac Disease many years ago. What a lucky lady!!

Jason’s Deli To Add Gluten Free Bread

I read a post today on a website I frequent often called Gluten Freeville about a deli restaurant that polled the gluten-free community and LISTENED! According to Kim Jones, Jason’s Deli Nutrition Training Facilitator, “You will be pleased to know that we will be offering gluten free bread in all of our delis beginning July 5th.” The gluten free bread has been used in various test locations for the past 3 months and has been well received.

Jason’s will be offering Udi’s Whole Grain Bread as an option in each of its location. For those who already know me well, this is in fact the BEST gluten-free bread sold. I keep it stocked in my freezer and it makes the most amazing sandwiches. I can only imagine the deliciousness that will come from Jason's Deli on this gluten-free bread!!

Thank you Jason's Deli for giving those of who don't have the option of eating gluten-free or not another choice when eating out!!!

Red Rooster Waffle Company review....

I am proud to say that my experience from the Red Rooster Waffle Company in West Jordan, Utah was a great success!! The waffle tasted and felt the way a glutenous waffle does. For toppings, I chose to go with the classic butter and syrup only. There were other choices with fruit, whipped cream, etc. but when it comes to waffles I like to keep it simple.

(Please excuse the smeared butter! I got a little excited and started to smear my butter around the waffle when my husband reminded me about the picture I wanted to take. It looked even prettier than this when it came out!)

If you live in the West Jordan area, I highly recommend you try this place out for yourself. We won't be going much ourselves since it is over 50 miles away from our home. However, if we are ever up that way, I would definitely be going again. Also, this has inspired me to consider the option of purchasing a waffle iron.

GF waffles from the Red Rooster Waffle Company in West Jordan, UT

A colleague of mine who also has Celiac Disease informed me of a restaurant in West Jordan, UT that serves GF waffles. The restaurant is called The Red Rooster Waffle Company. She told me the waffles were delicious! My husband, son, and I just might be making a trip up to Jordan tomorrow to try some waffles. I will let you know what I think once I have tested them out for myself and hopefully get a picture from our experience.

Xooroo makes gourmet gluten-free churros...

Xooroo is a company I found on a website that makes gourmet churros. They just so happen to make a gluten-free version as well. WOOT! (If only there was franchise here in Utah.. I would so be there!)

If you live in California, you are luckier than me! For my friends in Phoenix, there is a place that was suppose to open Spring 2010. You know where I will be going when I visit Arizona!!

Migas... a delicious breakfast recipe worth trying (again and again)..

Today I was thumbing through one of my cookbook's called Life Tastes Good Again. I came across a recipe for Migas and decided I would give it a try. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but what I did turned out incredibly good and different.

Migas (my way from this morning)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, beaten
  
• 3 white corn tortillas torn into bite-sized pieces (no need to pull out a knife)
• Cooked bacon (I have some of that pre-cooked "Real" bacon you buy in a bag)
• Onion, chopped
• Canola oil (enough to fry the tortilla pieces and onion)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add torn tortillas pieces and fry until they start to crisp. Add onions and continue frying with tortilla pieces until onion is tender and the tortilla pieces are crisp. Drain off extra oil, if any. Add beaten eggs and season to taste. Mix around with spatula allowing tortilla pieces to be coated with eggs completely. Cook until eggs are done and top with bacon and cheese.

Remove from heat and Enjoy!!!

Paradise Bakery & Cafe.... Gluten-Free list

After having an issue earlier this week when I went to dinner with a group of friends from work to Paradise Bakery & Cafe, I e-mailed their corporate office. Basically my issue was when I asked the server behind the counter what my gluten-free options were or if they had an ingredient list for their salads. The young man then asked the manager who informed me that my only gluten-free option was fruit. Being stubborn as I am, I refused to pay them money for a non-dinner item and simply drank water while everyone else enjoyed salads, soup, and sandwiches.

I received an e-mail response from a wonderful lady named Becky Lejarzar who is the director of operations in Utah. This was her sincere response:

Kristen,

First I would like to apologize for us not knowing how to direct you for a food selection, we should know better!

We actually have straight from the Corporate Offices in Arizona the list for you:

Quiche Muffin
Any Salad Excluding-- Sweet Soy Dressing
Croutons
BBQ Chicken
Asian Chicken

I truly hope this helps and we do not want to loose your business! I would like to invite you back to any
of our 6 locations (American Fork, Sandy, Ft. Union, Sugarhouse, 4th South or Bountiful) at your convenience.
If you would send me your address, I can get a couple of free meals in the mail to you.

Again, my sincere apologies.

Warm Regards,
Becky Lejarzar

So there you have it... You CAN actually eat gluten-free at Paradise Bakery & Cafe and have more than fruit. Enjoy!!

The world's easiet cookie and pretty darn good too...

Cuppa, Cuppa, Egg Peanut Butter Cookie

- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of peanut butter (either smooth or chunky)
- 1 egg

Mix all three ingredients together and roll into balls the size of a walnut. Flatten with a fork and then repeat going the opposite direction. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool for a few minutes to set and then remove to a cooling rack.

These are so good with a glass of milk. Yum!

Welcome to GlutenFreeSurvivor.com!

Welcome to my new website, Gluten Free Survivor. Like many of you, I was in complete shock when I was told that I would have to switch to a completely gluten-free lifestyle for the rest of my life. To be honest, I really didn't even know what gluten was exactly. To make matters even worse for me, I had limited experience in the kitchen. I was scared out of my mind!

I remember the first time I went to the grocery store after my diagnosis with Celiac Disease. A grocery trip that would have taken me less than an hour, took over two hours. And I left with little to nothing in my cart. With tears in my eyes from pure frustration, I went up and down each aisle flipping over boxes, cans, and bags to read the labels only to find out that there was gluten in it.

Now a year later, the experience of shopping in a store is so much easier. I now have my go to items and know that certain stores stock certain items. I am also contantly on the hunt for delicious, gluten-free recipes. I have found some amazing blogs and websites that are inspiring me to actually want to cook!

I am a gluten free survivor!! Thanks for visiting.