Sunday here was cool and cloudy. I looked around at the veggies in the house and realized I had all the ingredients for lentil soup. Normally I wouldn’t think about making lentil soup in mid July, but since our summer weather has been swinging through extremes, soup was actually just right for that day. And the next day. And the next. It was so good that even my husband, who never eats leftovers, ate it for days, and talked about it when he wasn’t eating it! It was so good that I found myself thinking about it with a happy heart after making it, and even though I had to bribe and threaten my sons into trying it, one admitted it was good, and the other one wanted me to add soup to his broccoli after it was (tragically) all gone. So, what made it so delicious? I think it had a lot to do with the weather~ something about cooler weather in the late summer has such a wistful, fallish feeling. It is a love letter from Autumn that is still far enough away to remember only the sweetness of it, and not the rainy winter that inevitably follows. Plus all the veggies were in peak summer condition, so plump and ripe. In fact I’ve never actually seen a leek as large as the one I used, but I heard something about the leeks being exceptionally big this year. Indeed! So, what follows is basically what I did for the soup, but since I just kind of winged it with what I had in stock, there measurements are not exact.
First I put some olive oil in large soup pot and warmed it over med-high.
Then I added about 3/4 of a large white onion and stirred for about 3 minutes.
Next I added about 3 cloves of garlic and the chopped squares of 2 (peeled) potatoes.
A cup or so of broccoli and the chopped semicircles of 3 (peeled) carrots went in next, then the chopped up leek.
I stirred those a couple of minutes while adding about a Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a Tablespoon or so of wheat free soy sauce. Next I added 4 cups of veggie and herb stock plus the lentils I had been soaking in water. Once the lentils were completely soft in the soup I added sea salt mixed with herbs, herb d’Provence, thyme, basil and black pepper. That is about it! It was excellent that first day, but definitely better the next. Anyway, time to enjoy a bit more of summer before Fall is here for real. Off to swim lessons!
Experimenting Slump
For a couple of weeks earlier this month I had some tummy issues, which put a damper on my experimenting in the kitchen. Then my sons started swim lessons which turns out to be a whole-day affair most days complete with picnic and heading back to the pool for the open swim. Coming home sun-soaked and exhausted doesn’t exactly lend itself to turning on the oven and busting out the baking tools. One day was so hot that when we were finally home and resting I was truly shocked that my children wanted some food for dinner. I wanted to ask, who can eat in this heat? I think I gave them some fruit and yogurt and called it good. That said, I have tried a couple of gluten free items lately. First, Montana’s chocolate chip cookies are delicious. They are light and the perfect texture, not too chewy and not too crispy. WOW makes some good cookies too, but are the moist, chewier kind. This texture works particularly well with their ginger molasses. I also tried some cut up muffins by Udi’s that were samples at Whole Foods. I have to say that I was unimpressed. But, in their defense my friend says she loves their bagels (though she admits it is a gluten free kind of love, not for the gluten eaters out there) and I do love their granolas. After trying to make my own and feeling as though I were eating gluten, it is lovely to be able to trust that the granola isn’t going to make me feel sick and tired. I’ve officially worked through all the baked goods in my freezer that I had made with the Flying Apron cookbook and the heat has abated a bit so I might just take up the wooden spoon again today. I really want to make a decent loaf of bread but feel it is impossible considering I’ve never had a gluten free bread I have really liked that doesn’t make my stomach hurt. It must exist, I just need to keep trying and experimenting. Gluten free baking is not for the weak of heart.
Diagnosis Difficulties
My stomach has hurt for a few days now and I haven’t seen the doctor, mostly because doctors never really seem to ever know what is ever going on…especially not the first visit, and I don’t have time for a bunch of tests. (who does?) Don’t get me wrong, doctors save lives and I wouldn’t want to step back even a year in the way of medical advances…thinking about living and giving birth just 50 years ago makes me shiver. But doctors could definitely learn to listen better and think deeper about the issues patients bring them…Such as gluten intolerance. My primary care physician was actually surprisingly open to my self diagnosis and ordered a blood test right away. At the time I hadn’t eaten wheat in a long time, though I still ate spelt (which I know is a wheat) and she advised me that even if the test comes back negative that if my body reacts badly to wheat, don’t eat it. As obvious as that sounds, I was really happy to hear she felt that way instead of assuming I’d made some wrong connection between what I ate and how I felt. The only reason I was having the test was because I suspected my son of similar issues and when looking into his health doctors always asked about the family history and I’d get disbelieving stares when I said I couldn’t eat wheat but had never been tested for intolerance. My test came back positive, meaning yes, gluten intolerant. She advised me to see a specific gastroenterologist to be tested for celiac, which turned out to be a very different experience. At that appointment he took one look at me and said,”you are not a celiac. Celiacs are fair and you are dark. You look lactose intolerant.” In my head I was saying,”um, OK. Aren’t many Italians celiacs?” But I could tell this was not a person with an open mind so I didn’t bother trying to get into a discussion with him. He did another test which came back negative~ no surprise considering he had already decided it would be! And he advised me not to have the scope test because, again, he said that a lot of people don’t do well with wheat and the only thing you can do for that is the same way you treat celiac anyway, which is to not eat wheat so it didn’t really matter. I still think it might be a good idea at some point, just to know for sure for my kids’ sake, but I will definitely go to a different doctor next time. It seems like everyone has a long story to tell about their gluten intolerance diagnoses, so I hope that it becomes far less of a mystery disease in the future.
Teff Again
Since I wanted to know if it was the teff that hurt my tummy or something else in the bread, I decided to make Teff muffins tonight. The recipe I used was right on the Bob’s Red Mill package, although I had to replace the hazelnuts with blueberries b/c I didn’t have any nut-pieces available, and did not feel like crushing whole almonds. At the farmers market today there was a booth of Gluten Free products! I tried the focaccia which was pretty good but I could never use a whole loaf so I bought a coconut bar which was delicious, but very sweet. She said she uses a kitchen in Seattle but doesn’t have a retail outlet yet other than the farmers markets. Maybe I can talk her into setting up shop here! There seems to be a lot of people who eat gluten free around and a little special bakery would be so lovely!
Teff Disappointment
The bread I made last night is not so good. Actually the taste isn’t bad, it is dense and hearty, but it actually makes my stomach hurt when I eat it. There is nothing in it that should cause a problem, so it is a mystery to me why~ I guess my system just doesn’t like teff. It seems so much easier to make gf baked goods than a loaf of bread, but I sure miss sandwiches. I’ll have to try again, but for now I’ll stick to my rice crackers.
On a different note, I bought water guns today…this probably sounds hardly noteworthy, but my 6 and 4 year old boys would argue (loudly) otherwise, because up until today I’ve refused them any kind of toy gun. And actually I haven’t given them to the boys yet b/c I still feel strange about it. But here’s my rationale~ my oldest loves guns. He loves them in a superhero/star wars way, not a bad guy way, but I have consistently told him that he can’t play with them…so of course he’s make sticks into guns, kitchen utensils into guns, you name it into guns. Then I noticed that when he went to friends’ houses with toy guns he was thrilled for about 10 minutes, then played with other things. I also noticed that the toy gun time was spent outside, which was the tipping point. To get the kids outside using their imaginations instead of inside playing Wii, I’ll do anything. So, if water guns and bubble guns work, then so be it. We’ll see how it goes…
Oats: a mystery grain
What exactly is the deal with oats? I’ve heard they do not have gluten but do have a protein similar to it. And there are those labels on some oaty products that say ‘gluten free oats”. I’m beginning to think oats that are not labeled gluten free are yet another food to add to my do not eat list…sigh. I made granola the other night with plain old bulk oats and it turned out yummy, but the next day I felt bad. It could possibly have been remnants from the other granola I ate, but I have a feeling it is the granola I made so I am going to give it a few days and eat just a tad again to double check. Although, once I associate feeling bad with a food I really have no inkling to try it again, but I do feel like figuring out the truth. Right now I am baking a gluten free bread from the Flying Apron cookbook and I’m so excited to try it. It is the first bread recipe I’ve tried and it smells delicious. I made biscuits the other day and those tasted especially good and not gf-ish at all. I added a little brown sugar and cinnamon on top of those and it really tasted like biscuits made from scratch that I used to eat growing up in Kentucky. Although, to be honest, I ate far more biscuits from a can than from scratch! It is so fun to bake again. I worked at a bakery one summer while in school and really enjoyed waking up in the early mornings and making delicious foods. There is something so fulfilling about cooking, but baking especially is such an interesting combination of chemistry experiment, homey-smells, sweet treats and comfort foods. Twenty more minutes until I can try this bread…I so hope it turns out well. I am imagining a delicious veggie sandwich for lunch tomorrow which is something I haven’t had in many years. Ah, food.
Evil Granola
Since cutting spelt out of my diet I’ve been feeling really good, both in my head and in my tummy. Then yesterday I ate some granola which seemed innocent enough, until I woke up this morning feeling awful. I recognized that feeling immediately~ as though waking up from a coma that I can’t shake, my whole body felt groggy and my eyes felt glazed over. They even looked gray-ish instead of the clear brightness of a few days ago. Damn that granola. It is somewhat a good thing though, because it reminded me of how I used to feel all the time…it is funny how quickly I forget. It is something that I imagine people without food intolerances must have a hard time understanding because even I so quickly adapt to feeling good as feeling normal. This morning I needed coffee badly, to conquer the lingering sleepy feeling and also in a futile attempt to elevate my mood. When my system is clear of gluten I still drink coffee most mornings, but sometimes I prefer black or green tea. It is interesting to experience the differences so dramatically. It makes it easier to remain diligent and reminds me to make myself some gf granola. Why do they have to add wheat into granola anyway? Because it’s cheap? Probably, actually. They can fluff out the gronala with cheap wheat instead of relying solely on the more expensive oats. Back to the kitchen.
Veggie as in vegetarian
It has been so long that I sometimes forget being vegetarian is not the norm, especially here in the Seattle area where vegetarians seem to make up nearly half the population. Therefore, most of my food issues at restaurants have to do with ensuring I’m not inadvertently eating gluten, not a stray chicken leg or pig remnant. That’s why I was so caught off guard last night when we went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and I was brought a beef burrito (with cheese) instead of a plain bean burrito, though it was indeed on a corn tortilla. The thought of nearly putting the beef in my mouth makes my throat tighten and my stomach nauseous, therefore a new meal was not ordered. Needless to say, the next time we have a family hankering for Mexican food, we’ll be headed somewhere else.
Post Gluten/Post Gluttony
Shopping at PCC today I was amazed at the explosion of gluten free foods available. Udi’s alone had so many new items in the store that I realized I had chosen to try their most boring product by far by picking up their white bread at Whole Foods last weekend. They have granola, cinnamon rolls, frozen pizza crusts and more. I didn’t buy anything though because I am trying to make things from scratch as much as possible. Gluten free food is generally expensive, and it is healthier to make your own food anyway. It was just surprising how much there is to choose from now. Everyone seems to be far more aware of gluten issues than even just a few years ago. It is great for us gf eaters, but it also is a sign of the times that people are becoming aware that what we have considered normal for so long is actually quite gluttonous. I’m not just talking about the size of a restaurant dinner plate either, I mean the gluttonous cars which are finally downsizing, the gluttonous oil usage which is prompting more bike-commuters, the gluttonous globalization which has spawned the living local movements. We are entering an age of awareness that is going to entail massive scaling back in many facets of life. It at times intimidates me, but it also is exhilarating to be on the edge of a new movement. Food is such an integral aspect of who we are as humans. The grocery store is speaking to me in a new language, one I am grateful and ready to hear.
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
The second recipe I’ve tried from Flying Apron’s book turned out delicious. The scones were quite crumbly, but the muffins are a great texture with no falling apart problems. (Which is good for gift-giving.) While making both recipes, I had to substitute some of the flours so that might account for the crumbliness of the scones, and also the fact that while making the muffins the batter seemed way too liquid-y when it was time to fill the muffin tray, so I added more flour (1/4 cup) and they turned out great. My freezer is getting full! I’m going to have to try out one of the meals next…maybe the lentil soup which sounds awesome.
spice of life blog 