Disney days Gluten Free

We took the kids back to Florida this year to spend a couple of Disney Days. I have to say the difference between this year and last was tremendous, as for gluten free options go. Not just in the parks but in the surrounding Orlando/Lake Buena Vista area.
The first day in Epcot we ate in Germany and we were very surprised to find the large amount of gluten free options on their buffet. The chef came out to greet us as they always do in Disney when someone has a food allergy or intolerance. he brought my daughter and grandson around to point out all the gluten free options available to them on the buffet. He even brought out some desserts for my grandson which was a pre packaged brand “enjoy life” of a chocolate chip cookie, brownie and a krispy rice candy bar (just like a Nestlé’s crunch bar only gluten free). My grandson had the German meatloaf and loved it. I am now looking for a German meatloaf recipe to make at home. When I find one we like I will include it in a future post.
In Norway (at Epcot) there was another restaurant with lots of gluten free options. Unfortunately we couldn’t get in because they were having a princess luncheon and they were all booked up that day. Right across the street was a Norwegian Bakery and they had gluten free pastries and desserts. One was a mini chocolate Bundt cake.
The next day in Animal Kingdom we went to the Pizzafari in Safari Village. Again, the chef came out and took our order. My grandson got the cheese pizza with red seedless grapes for dessert. He ate the whole pizza himself. I guess you could say it was pretty good.
The last day we were there we went to Downtown Disney where we made reservations at T-Rex. I recommend reservations if you want to eat anywhere in Disney with out a long wait. We did walk around for a bit before our reservation time. My grandkids and I had been to T-Rex before and their gluten free menu was limited to the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. My daughter had never been and after we arrived and talked to the chef we were pleasantly surprised that they had expanded their GF menu to include pasta. My grandson was very happy with the pasta with marinara sauce and he also had the mashed red potatoes.
In the evenings we ventured around the Orlando area to find some good restaurants for dinner. My grandson is a big fan of Uno’s pizza and of course we had to go there one night. Luckily both my daughter and I get email coupons from Uno’s and we had one that we were able to take $11.00 off the bill. If you like Uno’s I would recommend signing up for the emails. To us it is worth it. They have other perks too. Check it out.
We also tried P.F. Chang’s at the Millenia Mall. If you let them know you have a food allergy/intolerance they will accommodate you. One thing my grandson misses at home is fried rice. My daughter has a great GF recipe which I will dig up and post but it is involved and time consuming, not something you want to make everyday but great for special occasions. P.F. Chang’s made my grandson a big plate of GF Chicken Fried Rice which he quickly devoured. I don’t think one tiny piece of rice was left on the plate.
On the last evening we went to BJ’s Brewhouse. It is a chain restaurant but they do have a very good GF menu consisting of salads, soups, steak, chicken, fish, pizza, bake potato, and desserts. They even have GF alcoholic beverages. We did call ahead to get on the wait list and after we got there had to wait an additional 20 minutes but it was worth it. The food was great and my grandson, having pizza of course, ate it all up.
I think we had a very successful GF trip this time. I was glad to see restaurants becoming more aware of allergies and intolerances and rising to the occasion to accommodate them.
Thanks Orlando and Disney! I’m sure we’ll be back soon.

Dining Out

On occasion we all like to eat out. When you have a mix of allergies, intolerances and preferences how do you find a restaurant that will fit all these needs? I like to use an app on my iPhone called “find me gluten free”. It’s a free app and it’s available on iPhone and Android and they also have a website you can use if you haven’t upgraded to a smart phone yet. We have used this app whenever we travel all over the United States. On their website I noticed that there is a foreign country option too. It’s so easy to use. It gives you menus, phone numbers, directions and reviews. We recently used this when we visited Disney World in Orlando, Fl.. My grandson loves ribs and of course most places that provide gluten free options give you a potato, steamed vegetables and grilled chicken. Well there’s only so much of that a 7 year old can take so my daughter consulted the app and in seconds we found Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom. He had BBQ ribs, coleslaw and grapes and he enjoyed every last bit of it. This app also gives vegan and vegetarian options so if you travel this app is invaluable.

Enjoying BBQ

Recently I was talking with one of the Technicians I work with and he told me that his sister-in-law has celiac and they are always concerned when she comes over because they are unsure of what to feed her and they especially find it hard if they want to meet them out for dinner because they just don’t know where to go that she can eat and have a good time. I mentioned the app to him and I also mentioned a restaurant in the city that is actually GiG trained (Gluten Free training certified). This is also posted in the app. So whether you have a preference to vegan foods or have an allergy or intolerance to foods containing gluten this app can really help in finding the right place for you, your family and friends. One thing my vegan daughter dislikes is when we are going out to eat and someone says,” oh, you can have a salad”. Just as my gluten free grandson gets tired of grilled chicken she gets tired of just a salad. Using this helpful tool can give everyone an enjoyable dining experience. Love, Grammie Deb

Foods to keep in the cupboard

I like to keep things on hand that are quick and easy to prepare so if Aedan comes with his Mom or if Sonia comes to visit I have something good that they can eat. 2 years ago some of our family came from California to visit. They had one cousin with them that was vegan. No one told me that there was someone in their party that had a special diet so I was not prepared. When they come they expect a big Italian dinner which they love because they are Hispanic and rarely get home cooked Italian food. So I made the pasta with sauce, meatballs, sausage, roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots for lunch. When they all sat down and the cousin started asking about the potatoes and carrots if they were cooked with the chicken I knew right off I had at least a vegetarian on my hands. I felt so bad because if I had known he was vegan I could of prepared my vegan chili. Luckily, this day, I did not use the sauce with the meatballs and sausage to put with the pasta. I knew that the pasta was vegan and I had a green salad and fruits so at least he had something to eat. Funny thing was that the previous week I had made my vegan chili and used up all my TVP so I didn’t have the main ingredient for the chili. Now I make sure I have some things on hand in case this ever happens again. I keep Gluten Free Bisquick to make pancakes and biscuits. By the way I did promise the biscuit recipe. It’s not vegan but it is gluten free:
2 Cups Bisquick Gluten Free Mix
1/3 Cup Shortening
2/3 Cup Milk 3 eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees
Cut shortening into mix, using fork, until particles are size of small peas. Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet Bake 13-16 min or until golden brown.
Yields: 10 biscuits
This recipe was taken right off the Bisquick box. This is one of the things I keep in my cupboard.
I also keep Gluten Free Pasta or Spaghetti, Prego traditional pasta sauce (Mindy likes to use the Heart Smart version of Prego. Still Gluten Free and vegan), Amy’s Rice Crust GF cheese pizza (frozen), UDI’s GF white sandwich bread (I also keep this frozen…lasts a lot longer),
Naturally Delicious BBQ sauce which is GF and no high fructose corn syrup, Annie’s Rice Pasta and Chedder (Mac and cheese in a box), King Arthur’s GF All purpose flour, Aleia’s Italian style bread crumbs, Bob’s Red Mill TVP, Glutino GF cookies or GF bagel chips, Ener G Egg Replacer, GF ice cream cones, GF Cocoa Pebbles and Amy’s tomato soup. This way I am ready for anyone that walks through my door.
As you could probably tell I am Italian and I love to cook and I love to make people happy by cooking them food that they love. My daughter Mindy and I came up with these brands by trial and error. There are many other brands out there but we like the taste and the way these brands are fast and easy to prepare.
I hope this helps you in your quest for ideas for your GF or vegan family and friends. It’s always nice to offer someone a variety of foods when they come to visit. Sonia is always put off when all she is offered is a salad.
I’ll be back with more ideas and recipes for you.
Till then,
with Love,
Grammy Deb

Sad experience at Texas Roadhouse

Last night was kids eat free at Texas Roadhouse so my daughter Mindy and I decided to take the kids because it was just too hot to cook. He husband who is also gluten free decided not to go with us. He was going to fire up the grill and make something for himself. We got to the restaurant, it wasn’t busy so we were seated right away. We asked for the gluten free menu and the hostess said they had to throw it away because it looked gross with food stains and it was only a piece of paper anyways. Both Mindy and I looked at her then each other with questions in our eyes but we said nothing as she kept prattling on that the chef would come out and speak to us about the gluten free options. We got to our booth and sat down. Aedan immediately picked up one of the warm rolls the waitress left on our table. At first he just smelled it making an uhum noise. He looked directly at his mother and she stared back with a “don’t you dare eat that” look. They kept eye contact as Aedan slowly opened his mouth as if to take a bite. The look in his mom’s face got even stearner. He threw the roll back into the basket and said “I hate being gluten free” his head went down, his hands folded and his bottom lip jutted out in a pout. My heart started breaking in little pieces as his bottom lip started to quiver. Just then there was a plop! He quickly jerked his head up and with a big grin grabbed for the pail of peanuts the waitress just brought. Phew! Dodged that bullet!
It’s so hard for kids on special diets and the restaurants sometime make it worse for them. Aedan was able to get the ribs (no BBQ sauce it has wheat gluten in it) and applesauce. He then wanted some of my corn which I gladly gave up. I think next time(if there is a next time) I will be sure to bring some homemade gluten free rolls and gluten free BBQ sauce so he would be able to enjoy eating out without becoming upset.
I will give you the recipe for the rolls and the name of the BBQ sauce in my next blog.

Love,
Grammy Deb

American Chop Suey vegan and gluten free

Hi!

If you’re from the Northeast you probably heard of American Chop Suey. It’s basically a pasta dish with tomato sauce and a few extras. This is one of our comfort foods up here and it seems to taste better the second day. It’s great if you’re having a get together or a pot luck, easy to make and easy to serve. It has everything protein, carbs and veggies. I have tried several gluten free pastas and there are so many out there now I’m sure I haven’t tried them all but I do have a favorite. Mine is Bionnaturae. I like the way it cooks up and if you follow the directions on the package it will come out perfect. I stay away from the Quinoa pastas because Sonia has a bit of intolerance for Quinoa. I did try the DeBoles pastas too and they were pretty decent. Being half Italian and growing up in that culture I can appreciate a good pasta and as I said the bionaturae pastas are very good. Here is the recipe:

1 pound of gluten free elbow macaroni

1 green(or red) bell pepper diced

1 yellow onion diced

1 clove garlic chopped

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 cup TVP with 1 Tbsp ketchup and 1 cup boiling water (reconstituted)

or 1 pound ground beef, or ground turkey if you prefer not to go vegan

1 jar of Prego Traditional Sauce

Directions:

Reconstitute the TVP and let it set for 10 min

In a sauce pan add the olive oil, chopped garlic, diced peppers and onions and cook on medium until the peppers are soft and the onions are transparent.

If you’re using regular meat this is the time to add that and cook together until there is no pink. If you’re using the TVP add that and cook for about a minute to warm it up and blend in the veggies.

Add the Prego Sauce (you can make your own if you prefer but I’m trying to make it easy and quick)

Let this simmer for about 15 minutes

In the meantime while that’s simmering cook the pasta. It usually takes about 10 minutes after you’ve added it to the boiling water.

Mix the pasta and sauce together and voila! you have American Chop Suey.

Kids love this and they are getting their veggies (tomato, pepper and onion) and it tastes great. You can serve it with gluten free rolls and/or a side salad and you have a perfect meal.

Sonia told me that I should add some pictures and I’ll work on that.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Love,

Grammy Deb

Have you ever heard of TVP? Vegan and Gluten Free Chili

Hi again! Have you ever heard of TVP? It’s texturized vegetable protein and if you’re cooking for a vegan it’s great to have around. My daughter has made vegan shepherd’s pie and I’ve made vegan manwiches, chili and American chop suey (it’s a New England comfort food and always tastes better the second day!) One thing you have to realize is that not all TVP products are gluten free. If you pick up a package of morning star crumbles in the freezer aisle you will see on the ingredient listing…wheat gluten and if you look at some of the Boca burgers you will see that they have eggs in them which is not vegan. You really have to look at all the ingredients on the package, every package, all the time just to make sure you’re not getting something you don’t want in your food. Just want to let you know that when you think something probably doesn’t have wheat gluten you could be very wrong. Look at a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Guess what you’ll find in there…wheat gluten. They use it as a filler and it’s in most of the nationally known brands of soup like Campbell’s and Progresso. I like to use Amy’s Organic Soups. The cream of tomato tastes just as good, if not better than Campbell’s. My 6 year old grandson thinks so too. Always, always, always read those labels.   Getting back to the TVP…When you’re working with TVP you’ll find that it takes on the flavors of whatever you are adding to it sort of like tofu. I use the Bob’s Red Mill brand and I buy it at my local supermarket but you can get it in bulk at a health food store. It has to be reconstituted before you use it in your recipe and for some reason ketchup helps the process. If you are using a cup of TVP flakes you add 1 tablespoon of ketchup and one cup of boiling water…wait about 10-15 minutes and you’ll have your reconstituted TVP that you can add to your recipes. Here is the recipe I use for the Vegan and Gluten Free Chili…it’s low in fat because you’re not using any meat and high in protein because of the TVP and Kidney beans. Put 1 cup of TVP flakes  and 1 Tablespoon of ketchup in a bowl. Pour 1 cup of boiling hot water over it and stir. Let this sit for about 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the chili. Heat a large stew pot for a minute or 2 and then add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I use a Teflon coated pan. If you are using a non Teflon pan you may want to increase the olive oil a little bit. Add 1 chopped yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper chopped (if the green peppers make you too gassy then use a red bell pepper. It’ doesn’t take away from the taste of the chili whatsoever) 2 cloves of garlic chopped and a small can of green chilies. I use the Old el Paso brand.  Stir occasionally and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. You want the onions to be translucent and the peppers a little soft. While you’re waiting for that to cook you’ll want to season the TVP. To the bowl of TVP add: 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Chili Powder 1 tsp cumin 1 teaspoon oregano 2 teaspoons basil 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Sprinkle these over the TVP and stir. Then add the TVP to the pot, stir it all together and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Then stir in: 2 14oz cans of tomatoes (I use the DelMonte diced with garlic and onions. You don’t have to add extra flavors with the tomatoes but it’s the way I like it and sometimes I use 1 can of garlic and onion tomatoes and one can of the basil and oregano tomatoes) 1 16oz can of kidney beans ( I use the small kidney beans but you can use the large ones if you prefer) Cover and simmer this for about 30 mins to 1 hour. Taste and add salt if you need to. At this point sometimes I add a little more chili powder especially if it’s going to be just for adults. About 15 minutes before it’s done add a 16 oz pkg of frozen corn or 1 can of corn. It adds a little sweetness to the chili. There you have it. A vegan and gluten free dish. I bring this to parties with corn tortillas (make sure you read the labels on these too! They try to sneak fillers in some of the brands) and I have been asked for the recipe many times over by people that are neither vegan nor gluten free. This can be frozen and heated up at a later date. It doesn’t take long and it tastes great. I hope you enjoy this recipe. I’ll be writing about gluten free pastas next time and I’ll include my American Chop Suey recipe.   Till then, Love, Grammy Deb

Hi and Welcome

Hi! My daughter and I are starting this blog to find people just like us who are looking for recipes and conversation about being “just an average person” who happens to need a gluten free or vegan diet or you may have someone in your family or even some friends who are GF or vegan. My daughter has been vegan for about 20 years. I always had to cook two dinners for get togethers like Thanksgiving. Now my grandson is gluten free because he has a gluten intolerance that sets off his ADHD. I am not a doctor or nutritionist. I have no special skills when it comes to meeting the needs of special diets but I do love them all dearly and would do anything to make them feel comfortable at the dining table. It’s tough when people don’t understand you can’t have anything with gluten in it. Lots of people say, Oh, just have a little. It won’t hurt if you have a little.” Seeing what gluten does to my grandson’s ability to focus I can see that just a little will hurt him.  We would like to hear from you and share our recipes with you. I like simple. I do use boxed gluten free cake mixes but now I have been experimenting with different flours to see if I can get my Italian cookie recipes passed down from my aunt to taste as good when they are gluten free and vegan. We will be posting our recipes and let you know how they come out! We would also like to have conversations about how you handle the special diets of the people you love. What works, what doesn’t and are there any tricks you could share? I am a big fan of Living Without Magazine. It has lots of good information.

     We would love to hear from you!

Love, Grammy Deb