Food Philosophy: Recipes and ramblings from a gluten-free naturopath

Summer is here again and it's road trip season!!  We all love jumping in the car and heading off to places unknown, or perhaps to old favorites.  But, one of the big downsides of a road trip is the plethora of sugary and unhealthy snacks. I always begin a road trip with virtuous promises to stay away from the soda and sugar and ice cream and caramel corn and .....but, within a day or two, somehow I seem to succumb every time and I feel terrible!  (Not so much guilty-terrible, as body fatigue-headache-irritable-terrible). So, a few years ago, I decided that I needed a solution--something that I could feel good about snacking on and more importantly, something that wouldn't make me feel like I'd been hit by a truck on my trip!  As you well know, just the everyday side effects of dealing with an autoimmune disorder are enough--and then, if you add the stress (even good stress) of dealing with traveling, it can really mess you up!  So, I wanted something that would be fu

It has been 20 years since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease and that I have been eating a gluten-free diet!  I can hardly believe that it's been that long! I always seemed to have some kind of mysterious illness, even as a child, that the doctors could never diagnose properly, or at all.  I would hear things like, "It's {this}--take this medicine," or "You need to reduce your stress level," or "It's all in your head!"  My all-time favorite was the doctor who told me, when I was at my most toxic, "You need to triple your wheat fiber intake!"  That advice almost killed me! I finally got a doctor to listen to me and he agreed to run a panel of blood tests, although I'm pretty sure he didn't believe that there was anything wrong with me; he just wanted to shut me up and get me out of his office.  Well, 3 or 4 days later he called me and was so apologetic!  The first words out of his mouth were, "You really are sick

I have lost about 40 pounds in the last 10 months, which I realize is a very strange way to begin this post, especially under the picture of a cake and whipped cream!!  But, I do have a point :)  The way that I have lost this weight has been by eliminating most of the sugar from my diet and by cutting my portions down by at least 1/2, if not more.  So, in order to stick with my new healthy lifestyle, I've been on a journey of learning how to make dishes small! My biggest challenge has been with desserts.  I LOVE desserts, but they don't love me!  And not just because of the weight issue...I suffer when I eat sugar, although in varying degrees, but I do suffer---headaches, pain, lethargy, nausea, indigestion, congestion, brain fog...I've been able to trace all of these to levels of sugar consumption.  Of course, the auto-immune issues cause all of these symptoms, but mine are greatly ameliorated if I limit my sugar intake.  So, I've had to bite the bullet and

Merry Christmas!   I've been a complete slacker and have missed 2 years in posting, although I've been very busy inventing during that time and just haven't taken time to post any of my recipes. So, I thought I'd give you a special Christmas present by sharing my most recent invention...an Orange Cranberry Christmas Cake...super yummy!! Orange Cranberry Christmas Cake recipe To make the cake: Make a GF yellow cake mix according to box directions, but add 2 tsp of vanilla and 1 more egg to the batter.  I used a Pillsbury mix this time and it turned out quite nicely, especially since it makes more batter than some of the other brands. Divide the batter in half and color each half with food coloring--green and red.  Be careful with the red food coloring because if you add too much, it will leave a bitter taste in the cake.  (This picture doesn't do true justice to the lovely layer colors).  Place in greased 8" baking pans, either round or square. Bake

I just completed my first Whole 30 (or as we called it in Naturopathy school..a caveman cleanse---this really isn't a new concept even though the authors of the Whole 30 want you to believe that they came up with it ).  I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Whole 30 or paleo concept since it's such a fad thing right now.  But, for those of you who aren't, this is what it is:  NO SUGAR, NO DAIRY, NO GRAINS, INCLUDING CORN, AND NO LEGUMES/PEANUTS for 30 days!!  WHAT? you say as you read this over again thinking, she can't be serious!  Oh, but I am!  Our bodies are filled with toxins from our daily living...our environment, our stress, and most of all, the foods we eat...most of which are not whole foods that our bodies need for optimum health. When we give our bodies a good, healthy cleanse through proper food intake, we can release those toxins and create a healthier body. Those of us with celiac disease need this even more than the average bear!!  Most celi

There's something amazingly comforting on a chilly night about a hot bowl of soup!! I love soups of all kinds and am always excited when fall rolls around so I can start making them! I spent all week thinking about pumpkin soup and came up with a really wonderful recipe! PUMPKIN SOUP 6 slices maple-smoked bacon, diced 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 T. minced garlic 4 cups chicken broth 32 oz. canned pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling mix) 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled just until fork-tender Salt and pepper, to taste In a large pot, saute the bacon, onion, and garlic until tender and caramelized.  You may need to add a little olive oil to this.  Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the pumpkin puree and stir until blended.  Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Just before serving, stir in the potatoes and cream.  Bring to temperature.  Season to taste.   Serves 4. My hu