Product Review: Glutino Original Crackers

Good gluten-free crackers are difficult to find, the right combination of texture and taste seems as elusive as Goldilocks and the perfect porridge. Glutino's Original Crackers come close to just right. There's something just a little bit off about the flavor, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Usually a nice slice of cheese, sour cream and salsa or peanut butter easily mask that. It isn't my favorite GF cracker, but it's still a good choice.

Product Review: Glutino Dark Chocolate Candy Bars

Candy bars can be deceptively dangerous for the celiac, many companies use wheat flour in manufacturing to prevent the newly chocolate coated candies from sticking to the equipment. So, the ingredients won't mention wheat- but it could be there. The best bet is to call the manufacturer of your favorite candy bar and ask them about their manufacturing process.

In the meantime, a great substitute is Glutino's Dark Chocolate Candy Bars. This combination of chocolate cream, wafers and dark chocolate makes a delicious snack and is just the right size for a little chocolate fix. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate-peanutbutter bar very soon.

The Art of Simple Substitution

A rather belated Happy Earth Day to everyone!

This year, my Earth Day wasn't spent communing with nature, but rather with artist and peace activist Robert Shetterly. The Honors College brought Rob, best known for his series of paintings entitled Americans Who Tell the Truth, to campus for the annual Rezendes Ethics Lecture and he was absolutely amazing. As a person, as an artist and as an inspiration. His talk, titled the Ethics of Collateral Damage, juxtaposed his well-known paintings of national heroes, local crusaders and historical figures with another project called Collaterals exploring the unknown human faces behind the term "collateral damage." While calling attention to the civilian toll in Iraq and elsewhere, his talk also made essential points about Americans expectations from and relationship with our government:

"It should be obvious that when a government has lied to its people about the reason for taking them to war … then you should realize that unalienable rights as a term is a smokescreen, a mass narcotic that induces denial and hypocrisy, and a term which is viciously defended not because it’s a point of truth, but because it masks a lie.”

Certainly food for thought. Rob also brought a sampling of six paintings from his Americans Who Tell the Truth series now numbering 135 and set to grow with the addition of several notable truth-tellers, including Jim Hansen. His ability to capture his subjects likeness and spirit is incredible. I was particularly excited to see the just completed portrait of Chris Hedges, author of War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning- the Honors Read selected by my class. *star struck*

After the lecture, we took Rob out for dinner at Woodman's Bar and Grill, a favorite local spot in Orono. Small, local places like Woodman's are great for celiacs. The kitchen is small and usually the chef is flexible. I used simple substitution once again, asking to substitute rice for the pasta in the Shrimp Napoli- a delicious combination of shrimp, sun-dried tomato and mushrooms in a pesto sauce. Yum!

Product Review: Pamela's Ginger Cookies with Sliced Almonds

My great-grandmother was an amazing baker. Her cookie recipes especially were amazing, my favorite was her molasses cookies. They had a light, airy texture and somehow always achieved the perfect balance between the molasses and the ginger. I use the past tense referring to the cookies because, of course, I can no longer enjoy them and I haven't yet succeeded in replicating them quite right with gluten-free ingredients. It is a work in progress and I hate to tease my readers, but if I ever do get it right, I can't publish it. Family secret.


But I can recommend a substitute! Pamela's produces a wide-range of gluten-free cookies (often also non-diary) and I just recently tried their Ginger Cookies with Sliced Almonds. The ginger flavor was a little too strong for my palate (spoiled by past tastes of perfect molasses cookies), but they are, after all, ginger cookies and a strong ginger flavor should be expected. The cookies have a nice texture and the sliced almonds are a nice edition. They're neither dry or moist and, therefore, go very well with tea.

This afternoon, I paired my ginger cookies with tea purchased from the Baxter Tea Company, an amazing little, Maine-owned company that sells amazing teas. The Baxter Tea Company is a great business in several respects (small, Maine-owned, sells tea), but what captured my business was that the owner donates ten percent of her profits to maintaining Baxter State Park. That is a cause I whole-heartedly support, especially if I get high-quality loose tea as part of the bargain! This afternoon's tea was Dutchess Grey, a variation on Earl Grey that contains lemon peel, cloves, cinnamon and safflowers. I don't care for the heavy flavor of bergamot in Earl Grey, so this was an excellent selection for me and the spicy citrus flavor complimented my ginger cookies beautifully.

Product Review: Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

I've enjoyed Pamela's products for several years now, their mixes and baked goods are always safe bets- especially when you're looking for something to satisfy a sweet-tooth! Their Baking and Pancake Mix is a wonderfully versatile product, creating light, fluffy pancakes and moist, yummy cakes and muffins. I always keep a big bag of this mix in my kitchen cupboard because it works in so many recipes (and the recipes on the back are excellent!) and is so easy to use, the mix already contains a combination of brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, potato starch and xanthan gum. This is the secret to non-gritty and non-crumbly gluten-free baking: xanthan gum and a diverse combination of flours. Having a wide variety of flours in one bag saves space in small kitchens!


Today, I used the Pamela's mix to make blueberry pancakes. I just followed the simple recipe on the bag and in a short time had a plate of light, fluffy blueberry pancakes. I've also had great success with other recipes from the bag. Their straightforward muffin recipe is easily adapted to create blueberry muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, chocolate chip muffins- the sky is the limit. On the first bag of Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix there was an amazing recipe for carrot cake. My gluten-free-phobic brother enjoyed it without complaining and he won't touch anything I tell him is gluten-free (so, I don't tell him until after!). The recipe wasn't included on the second bag- horror! But fortunately, I rescued the old bag from the trash and will reprint it here:

Carrot Cake

• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups grated carrots
• 2 and 1/4 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts (if you like walnuts in your carrot cake . . .)

Beat oil, eggs and sugar together, mix in remaining ingredients- batter will be thick. Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or use two, greased, 8-inch cake pans and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool and frost with a cream cheese frosting.

You Know You're a Celiac When . . .

A little Jeff Foxworthy-esque humor borrowed from Gluten-Free Celiac Web, NeuroTalk and Roses Round the Door (I didn't agree with all their humor . . .). Laughter is the best medicine. Enjoy!

You know you're a celiac…

• When you can use a loaf of bread for a doorstop or a weapon.
• When you go to a potluck and only eat what you brought.
• When the employees of the only restaurant in the city that will serve you gluten-free food see you coming and immediately change their gloves.
• When making a great batch of brownies make you so happy that people might think you won the lottery.
• When you collect doctors like other people collect painted plates.
• When one of your mottos is "lips that touch gluten shall never touch mine."
• When two shelves of the fridge are devoted to strange jars of flour and xanthan gum.
• At Christmas, visions of guar gum dance in your head.
• You've ever driven more than 40 miles to buy flour or a cookie. ...it takes you 4 hours to grocery shop and your eyesight is ruined.
• You hyperventilate when passing by the bakery counter.
• You've ever deliberately rammed your cart into a Shredded Wheat
  display in a fit of rage.
• You've ever had to take out a loan to pay the grocery bill.
• You'd gladly pay any price for a pretzel that doesn't taste like
  sawdust, or bread that doesn't taste like an old shoe.
• The centerpiece on your dining room table is a bread machine with memorial candles.
• Your bread looks like a moon rock and tastes like dried out Play-Doh.
• Your bread weighs more than any moon rock could possibly weigh.
• One of your primary goals in life is to create "Fake Oreo
  Cookies".
• You've disinherited loved ones for putting their knife in your
  mayo.
• You've brought a suitcase full of food with you on a cruise.
• You can spell transglutaminase and dermatitis herpetiformis.
• You just discovered how to make flour out of turnips.
• You show up at the annual church pancake breakfast with a mask and sardine lettuce rollups.
• Having solid poop is the highlight of your day.
• You have a sign in your kitchen saying "Gluten free environment"
• You have actually considered using a gluten-free bagel for a hockey puck
• You know all about xanthan gum and its uses.
• You hide the gluten-free cookies when guests come over, so they dont eat them.
• You read the ingredient label on green tea - plain green tea.
• You know exactly when Post added barley flavoring back to the Fruity Pebbles and you're ticked.
• You take a list of safe drinks to the bar with you. And actually consult it before you order a drink.
• You see someone buying rice flour in the bulk section and you just have to ask them if they are gluten intolerant too!
• Tt drives you crazy when someone says they completely understand your diet, they did Atkins.
• People roll their eyes at you when you say "no thank you" to someone's gluten filled dessert
• You've refused things as "simple" as gum or sucking candies because you don't know if they're safe.
• Your friend invites you over for your birthday and want to make you a gluten free birthday cake but you plead with them not to, because although you're trying to seem like you don't want to put them through the hassle, you're secretly terrified there will be cross contamination.
• You hugged a chef for making you special meals every time you walk in.
• You've mastered the art of lying when other people ask you if you're hungry.
• You long to look at the contents of other people's fridges and pantries just to see what normal people eat.
• If you don't remember what crackers are supposed to taste like.
• If you bring "special" beer to the party, and don't share.
• If you actually have nightmares about reading labels.
• If you compare all of your food to "normal-people-food."
• If you call all your relatives when you get sick. It MUST be because something you ate has been cross-contaminated.
• If you know that Xantham Gum is not for chewing.
• If you don't lick stamps.
• If you sit on the phone with a pharmacy for an hour to find out what type of starch they use just so that you can take a generic Tylenol and be-rid of your headache.
• If you know that spelt is a distant cousin of wheat, but buckwheat is not related to wheat at all.
• If your grandmother INSISTS that you don't have celiac, you're just “suffering from mal-absorption”
• If you burst into tears of relief at the sight of the words "gluten free" stamped on the corner of the Nestle hot cocoa mix.
• If people at summer camps roll their eyes and tell you to "stop annoying the junior waiters with your stupid low carb diet because you're skinny enough already"
• If you actually KNOW what an anti-TTG and an IGA blood test are.
• If you forget to buy bun, rolls, bread, ect. at the store for all the gluten eaters of you family
• If people have invite you to "The Olive Garden" on April first.
• If you sold your house to buy groceries
• If you can find "hidden gluten" in food labels in the blink of an eye,
• If your family couldn't find them if they had a magnifying glass, dictionary, and Ph.D.
• If people whisper that your new 'disease' is just an easy way to get away with being anorexic (b/c you can't eat anything when you are anywhere else besides your own kitchen)
• If you wept the first time you tried to make gluten free sugar cookies
• If you have ever made a list of everything you would eat if a magical genie could cure you
• If you keep this list with you at all times just in case you should come across a magical genie.
• If you have searched for a magical genie.
• If you now have a large collection of old lamps.

Really, it's not this bad! But sometimes it's good to look at the humorous side.

Celiac Conundrums: Communion

Let me begin by complimenting my own title: that is some nice alliteration.

Being a celiac and living gluten-free is full of conundrums, but, let's face it, so if life. My recent Easter trip to my parent's and Sunday morning spent at church services prompted me to address the difficulties of celiacs and religious ritual, particularly troublesome: the sacrament of Communion or Eucharist. Just in case anyone was unaware: communion bread, wafers, etc. contain wheat. This leaves the devoutly Christian celiac with a difficult decision. Should she stop taking communion? Only take the wine? Ask her religious leader to substitute a gluten-free or low gluten host? Such decisions depend, of course, on the individual, but also the doctrines of their church.

Researching this topic introduced me to the troubles Catholic celiacs (and possibly Seventh Day Adventists?) face in the decision regarding whether and how to take Communion. The primary problem appears to be the pesky theological doctrine, transubstantiation, the belief that the bread and wine change substance into the body and blood of Christ through the sacrament of the Eucharist. For reference’s sake, this is the same theological doctrine that caused early Christians to be accused of cannibalism and feed to lions and other ferocious, hungry, carnivorous animals (well, it was part of the reason). According to Catholic canon, it is impossible to consecrate a host made of something other than wheat and water. Therefore, gluten-free substitutes aren’t even an option. There is a low-gluten option produced by the Benedictine Sisters with a gluten level of >0.01% (within the European standards for labeling gluten-free foods) made with wheat starch. Of course, taking just the wine or abstaining altogether are also options. I feel confident God understands. Jesus said, “Take this in remembrance of me.” Not, “You’re going to remember me when that gluten reaction kicks in.” The most important part of the whole debate is remembering the significance behind the sacrament.

Every so often I think to myself, “Jeez, I’m glad I’m not Catholic!” This is one of those times. I’m confident that if I walked into the pastor’s office at my parent’s church and asked him to consecrate gluten-free bread for me, he would happily agree. One thing about Congregational Church doctrine (and this is pretty wild considering Congregationalism developed from Puritanism), it’s pretty easy going. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I stopped taking the bread during Communion and only took the grape juice. This was an easy decision for me. I’m not particularly devout and my Mom bakes the Communion bread for our church- I KNOW there isn’t any transubstantiation going on with that bread (and transubstantiation is not part of Protestant beliefs), especially since the leftovers are given to the birds. I also didn’t worry about feeling different or singled out, Communion is brought right to my pew by Communion servers with excellent balance (and in most cases, knowledge of my condition: my family’s been attending this church since I was two).

In the end, it’s a personal choice. Schedule a meeting with your religious leader and talk about your concerns, probably you can work something out everyone is comfortable with- God, Jesus, the Church and (most importantly) you.