GlutenFreeSpot.com » Ramblings

Gluten Free Grocery Store: Deby’s Gluten Free

Eric — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:28:56 +0000

I came across this Gluten Free grocery store on the internet. They are located in Denver, CO. I have never been to an entirely Gluten Free grocery store like this one (I plan on visiting one day). All the stores that I have been to have sections for Gluten Free items or have some shelf space for these items. I think it is great that there is an entire grocery store dedicated to the Celiac community. This allows them to specialize in Gluten Free products for those living in the Denver area. Do any of you know anyone living in Denver? I think it would be great to have someone describe what it was like.

This is from their website:

Deby’s is a Completely Gluten Free grocery store and manufacturing facility. We produce over 400 gluten free items, including heat and eat entrees, snacks, bread, take and bake pizza, cake slices, gluten free flour mixes, and more.

All Deby’s products are made on site, in a gluten free, peanut free, and shellfish free environment.

They also have an option for shipping items locally or out of state! Click here to Order from Deby’s

Also, here is the allergen statement from their website:

Allergen Statement

Our entire facility is wheat-free, barley-free, and rye-free. We now carry Gluten Free Oats grown in Wyoming. These oats are specially grown and tested to assure they are gluten free. If you don’t see oats on our sellf, just ask and we will get some from the back. We stock an oatmeal cookie dough in our freezer. Otherwise we don’t cook with or use oats our of respect for our customers who cannot tolerate the protein in oats.

Our facility is used to process all other allergen foods such as peanut, egg, dairy, etc… If you have food intolerances other than gluten just let our staff know and we will prepare your order (if possible) without these ingredients.

IF YOU HAVE LIFE THREATENING ALLERGIES, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ABSENCE OF ANY FOOD OTHER THAN GLUTEN.

This is a very cool website, they have baking tips, they offer cooking classes, provide you with Celiac information and also have recent news about this items being featured on TV or in ballparks.

Here is the link: Deby’s

Great Article From NY Times: Genetic Testing for Celiac Disease

Eric — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:48:30 +0000

I came across this article from the NY times. I think it is a great read and provides a lot of good information.

Dr. Sheila Crowe, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology in the department of medicine at the University of Virginia, recently joined the Consults blog to answer reader questions about celiac disease, an often overlooked digestive disorder that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is eaten. In previous posts, Dr. Crowe exploredthe varied symptoms of celiac disease and confirming a diagnosis of celiac disease. Here, Dr. Crowe responds to readers asking about the disease running in families, genetic tests that may help confirm a diagnosis, food allergies and thins that set off the ailment.

A lot of interesting questions are answered such as:

Which Groups Are at Highest Risk for Celiac Disease?
Do a Rash of Symptoms Point to Celiac Disease?
Late-in-Life Onset of Celiac Disease
Here is a link to the article : Genetic Testing for Celiac Disease

I think its great that they did an article about this and I applaud the author for writing a great piece!

Restaurant Spotlight: Olive Garden Part 2

Eric — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:53:47 +0000

Hope you had a chance to check out my last review on Olive Garden. I was very surprised that they even had a Gluten Free menu and even more excited when I saw the choices and how good my meal was! I would highly recommend it.

My next part of the review will be my next visit. I recently went to the Olive Garden in Eugene, OR. We had a group of about 8 people and while making reservations we made sure to ask for a Gluten Free menu to be put on the table. When we arrived we were seated promptly and I was given the Menu. I ordered the mixed grill again because I was craving it again after my first time. Everything went well while ordering. When the food was brought out I noticed something different about the meal. There was a sauce on the meat and there were also fried potatoes on the side. I asked the waiter to confirm that this was Gluten Free. He went to the kitchen and came back with the news that the meat was Gluten Free but the potatoes were not. I was very glad I had a feeling that something was not right or I could have been very sick. He was very understanding and ordered another Gluten Free Mixed Grill. They were able to comp me for the one they made a mistake on because they would have thrown it away otherwise. The others at my table were excited to get a free entree! They also gave me my Gluten Free Mixed Grill and salad for free.

The waiter was genuinely sorry for the mix up in the kitchen. I understand that people sometimes make mistakes but it is also important for you to confirm that the meal is Gluten Free and if you have a funny feeling about something do not be scared to ask about it! This was a near disaster and I was grateful that it turned out well!

Are You Managing Or Thriving?

Eric — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:21:19 +0000

I thought this would be an interesting question to ask. There are people who have a food allergy or a disease and their goal in life is simply to manage Celiac Disease by sticking to foods that they know to be safe and do not move to far away from their comfort zone. These indivuduals may think this is the best way to manage their disease. I think it would be much more helpful to you if instead of managing your disease if you were able to thrive with it. Celiac Disease is not something you can choose to have or choose not to have but since you have it you might as well thrive! What I mean by this is trying new things, going out to eat, talking about it with friends. You will be surprised how much you will learn just by talking with people. Just last night I was with a group of friends and we were talking about Celiac Disease and one of them mentioned that their Father was not eating Gluten also. I believe trying new things and sharing your situation will help you thrive in this world!

Christmas Countdown Is Complete!

Eric — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:49:52 +0000

I hope you enjoyed the countdown to Christmas over the past 10 days. I also hope you found it useful. There were some good recipes and some even better gift ideas! In case you missed them here are the links:

Gift: Cookbook
Gift: Bread Machine
Recipe: Pumpkin Roll
Recipe: Sugar Cookies
Recipe: Biscuits
Gift: Pots and Pans
Recipe: Fudge

My favorite recipe is the Pumpkin Roll. What other great recipes did you enjoy over the holiday?

Jamba Juice Alert

Eric — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:08:28 +0000

The Jamba Juice chain of smoothie is delicious and seems safe right? Not so fast. After some research on the Jamba Juice Allergen Site you can see that not everything from Jamba Juice is alright and should be avoided. They do a good job at listing their allergens and explaining what products to stay away from. They discuss cross contamination, dairy free, Gluten Free, and Vegan.

Non-Gluten Products
All smoothies are non Gluten except for Pomegranate Heart Happy. All Boosts and Super Boosts are non-gluten (except for Daily Vitamin, Energy and Happy Heart)

This is something I would have never known or even thought of but while enjoying one of their smoothies last week I began to wonder and looked it up. Luckily I picked a boost that was Gluten Free. They offer free boosts so pick wisely or ask. Cross contamination is something to worry about however. If it is busy and the workers do not have much time to clean out the blenders there may be residue left on the blenders from one of the Gluten containing boosts. You can ask them to wash yours extra, they are very concerned about pleasing their customers.

Hope this helps and you are able to avoid those Boosts!

Impressed by Bellagios Pizza!

Eric — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:06:47 +0000

Recently I did a Restaurant Spotlight on a pizza chain in the Portland metro area called Bellagios. I really enjoyed the pizza they delivered to me and I said I would definitely eat one again. Last Saturday I was able to go into their restaurant and order one of the Gluten Free pizzas and while I was there I have to admit I was really impressed by how they handle it. It seemed like the staff was well trained on the Gluten Free process and the lady who took my order even mentioned that they avoid “cross contamination”. I also noticed that they had a separate pizza pan and pizza cutter labeled “Gluten Free Only”. I was very happy to see this and it made me much more confident in eating there. I also really liked seeing all the signs they had in the front window about their Gluten Free pizzas, there was even a section on the menu that was hanging in the store for them. Once again I enjoyed my pizza and I was pleased with my visit!

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Eric — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:10:25 +0000

Going Gluten Free does not mean you have to sacrifice giving up breaded items all together. It might mean you cannot eat at most restaurants if you are looking for chicken nuggets or breaded fish. These are some items that I really enjoy and like them even better now that I know there are GF alternatives. I got to thinking that instead of going out to a fast food place where I could not eat certain things like chicken nuggets it would be much better to just make my own and make some Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets. I got this recipe from about.com.

Enjoy!

Gluten-free Italian chicken nuggets are incredibly crispy thanks to gluten-free panko-style breading. This is a gluten-free kid favorite. Serve with your favorite gluten-free nugget dipping sauce. Homemade Gluten-Free Barbecue Sauce is especially good with these golden, crispy chicken nuggets.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

* 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour mix (use your favorite mix)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
* 1 teaspoon gluten-free Italian herb seasoning blend OR gluten-free garlic powder
* 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon olive oil, whisked together
* 1 cup crushed gluten-free rice chex cereal (see tips)
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup olive oil for pan-frying
* 1/4 cup canola oil for pan-frying

Preparation:

* Place chicken breast between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a smooth meat mallet until about breasts are 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with each breast.
* Use a sharp knife to cut pounded breasts in 2-inch strips. Then cut each strip into 2×2-inch nuggets.
* Have ready 3 8-inch shallow baking dishes. In the first dish, combine gluten-free all purpose flour, salt, pepper and seasonings.
* In second dish, combine egg and olive oil. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
* In third dish, combine crushed gluten-free rice chex cereal and grated Parmesan cheese.
* Coat each chicken strip in flour mixture, then dip in egg olive oil mixture and last, evenly coat with rice chex crumb Parmesan cheese mixture.
* Place the nuggets on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
* Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before frying.
* In a large heavy skillet, heat olive oil and canola oil mixture over medium high heat.
* Add coated chicken nuggets and cook until golden, about 4 minutes, then turn each piece and cook second side.

Yield- 4 to 6 servings

Let me know what you think!

Kissing? Hold on…

Eric — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:59:36 +0000

Something that you might not think about right away is kissing. I never really thought about it much until this year but if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend who has just consumed food containing a lot of Gluten you may want to want a bit until they have a chance to brush their teeth or drink some water before you go in for a kiss. I am not suggesting never kissing someone but if they just ate a hot dog and a beer it is likely that some of the leftovers may still be on their lips or mouth.

You have a few options here:

Wait a little bit for the residue to be eliminated
Rinse it away with some water

The option that I like the best is both people following a Gluten Free diet while together. I have been lucky enough to have found someone who has embraced the diet and does a great job at finding products and making sure foods do not contain Gluten if she prepares them. I am very lucky to have someone in my life like this.

I am not saying that if you kiss someone who just ate Gluten you will be sick, but it may be an issue so I am giving you a heads up. I know it is probably the last thing on your mind but it could have an effect.