The Gluten Free Guru

One of the first recipe books I picked up upon being re-diagnosed with celiac disease was Bette Hagman's The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread. Chock-a-block with recipes for bread, buns, muffins, waffles, crackers and many more, Bette's book quickly became the essential guide I turn to more than any other. Bette was a pioneer in gluten free baking. Her endless research into various flour blends meant that we celiacs no longer had to bake with rice flour exclusively. Her recipes involve sorghum, millet and her fabulous four flour bean blend with garfava. Bette made it possible to create delicious, moist loaves that rivaled any wheat based bread that were nutritious as well as delectable.
Over at The Book of Yum a blog event is being staged to honour and give thanks to Bette Hagman, the Gluten Free Gourmet. I baked the yam and cranberry muffins (pictured above) as a tribute to Bette who recently died. Thanks to Bette, being diagnosed with celiac disease is not a dire sentence to a life time of limitation but can actually mean the start of an exciting culinary adventure.

The CBC reports on Celiac

Check out this article. The CBC has posted an informative article on Celiac Disease and living gluten free on their website. Wow, we're mainstream!

Apples aren't just for pie, you know

I’ve always liked cider. Coming from Bath, England, home of Scrumpy, perhaps the appreciation is in my blood. But up until recently it has been difficult to find anything similar to dry, rough Somerset cider here on the West Coast. Enter: Merridale Cider. I was first introduced to Merridale at The Railway Club, as an alternative to the ultra sweet cooler style ciders you generally find on offer. What a revelation. It’s lovingly made from apples grown in their own orchard at the Merridale Cidery just south of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. While it’s not stocked in government BC Liquor stores (that I’ve seen) you can buy it at independent liquor stores around Vancouver. Check out their website and keep an eye out for it.

Cozy Bay Seafood Cafe

I have a guest reporter today: my dad!

Here's what he has to say:
Just got back from a weekend in the Okanagan and it's my pleasure to report on a fish and chip shop in Summerland that serves fish with gluten-free batter. The decor is funky and the service is FRIENDLY!

It's the Cozy Bay Seafood Cafe
'A cozy Old English Style fish & chip shop with so much more to offer. Decorated with all manner of ocean related arts, crafts and history, this cafe is a feast for the eye as well as the taste buds.'
Address: 13220 North Victoria Road Summerland BC V0H 1Z0
If you get a chance, check it out.

Papa Num Num

This Bud's for you and me?

My dear friend, Paul, returned from a trip to the States this weekend with a very delicious gift for me. Anheuser Busch, home of Budweiser, have produced a gluten-free beer made from sorghum. Behold: Redbridge Lager!
What a treat! It has a distinctly malty flavour with depth and a honey aftertaste. Very real tasting, indeed. Anyway, just as barbeque season is about to start, this couldn't have come at a better time. However, we just need to find a way to source it up here in Canada. Keep your eyes peeled and maybe fire off an email or two. I'll also speak with the manager at my local liquor store...you never know!

Rebel with a Cause

Sometimes I just want to order a pizza for delivery to enjoy with my friends. Of course a casual call to the local Panago isn’t an option, so for a treat this week I gave the Rebellious Tomato a call. A frequent winner of “Best Pizza in Vancouver” awards, The Rebellious Tomato makes thin crust pizzas out of organic ingredients with health as well as taste being a priority. The best part? They offer a gluten free individual size pizza made with a Quejos crust. Honestly, it was blissful! I had the spanikopizza which features tomato sauce, garlic, onions, spinach, feta and artichoke hearts. It wasn’t overwhelmed with cheese and each ingredient stood up for itself. Truly delicious.

Speaking of Quejos, they make a delicious product well worth checking out. I always have some of the wonderful Brazilian cheese buns in my freezer ready to toast up on a whim. As well as various types of buns, they offer the pizza crusts for purchase at their store (4129 Main St.) as well as from their stall at Granville Island every other weekend. Now, I can make pizza at home in a snap with authentic pizza results.

The Rebellious Tomato has two locations:
758 W. 16th Ave and 115 W.15th at Lonsdale (North Van).

The Brink

Tofino is so truly beautiful. I just returned from a week at the Middle Beach Lodge where I rented a cabin overlooking the tumultuous ocean. It was in effort to postpone the start of the year. Who doesn’t need a few extra days to get over the Christmas excess?

I was at the beach just before sundown yesterday and the sand, covered in ripples, reflected like a mirror. An old golden lab was ambling about with such glee in her face. I could completely relate. With that amount of expanse, all you want to do is run and jump.
Tofino really feels like the edge of the earth, the end of the road. I liked to think that the ocean crashing into the rocks below my deck was completely uninterrupted all the way to Japan. Secretly, I know there must be an island or two in between. I wonder what they are like….

Anyway, Middle Beach Lodge features buffet style seafood dinners, usually barbequed wild sockeye salmon or locally caught crab along with various salads and mashed potatoes or wild rice. The appetizers range from cheeses, to tapenade to bbq oysters on the deck (fabulous). This Friday I had crab. While booking the meal I was asked about dietary restrictions and my Celiac disease was duly noted. However, the entire meal (save the fresh baked bread on the side and bruscetta starter) was gluten free already. Alongside the whole crab(!) was a wild rice mélange, a green salad, a Thai flavoured salad with peppers, beansprouts, baby corn etc. and a Greek salad. It was all so fresh and healthy. And get this, dessert? Flourless chocolate mousse cake! It was unbelievable!!



Did I mention this was all pulled off during a power outage? Tofino is pummeled by the weather most of the winter and a little storm-induced darkness is nothing to panic about. The kitchen runs on a separate generator but the dining room was lit all by candlelight. It felt so rustic yet comfortable. There is something so sophisticated about Middle Beach without an air of haughtiness. What a wonderful place to start a new year.

Oh the Turbidity!

Okay, maybe I’m not cut out for this blog thing. It’s been quite a while since my last (ie. first) post but really it’s been a terrible couple of weeks here in Vancouver! The weather in winter here is generally pretty awful with the rain and cold. But, because of terrible storms and the resulting 'turbidity' in the reservoirs, we’re under a city ordained advisory to boil all water we intend to ingest. This includes water we brush our teeth with and wash our dishes with. Anyway, the result is that I am not really interested in going out to restaurants, because it’s too dark and wet, and I’m not inclined to cook much because it involves procuring fresh water from somewhere. Unlike the masses, I did not line up at Costco for my water rations so let’s just say I’m eating simply and making like a camel.

Anyway, I bought a new type of gluten free pasta from Choices the other day and thought perhaps a little pasta post was in order. Choices, which is BC owned, is my favourite market for gluten free products. They offer many varieties of GF pasta: four of which are in my cupboard. I think I’ve honed in on my favourites but I really should give soybean noodles another chance. The dark green strands are just plain scary.




My old stand by is Tinkyada brown rice pasta. It’s available in spaghetti, penne, rotini, lasagne, big shells, macaroni plus more, I’m sure. They offer organic and regular options and it seems to be the brand most stocked by grocers in town. It takes a little longer to cook than regular wheat pasta and there is a small window to capture the correct doneness. If over done even slightly the noodles are pretty mushy. When ready I drain the noodles and toss in cold water under the tap. Then I reheat the noodles with a little of the sauce. This allows the flavour of the sauce to permeate the noodles without them being over done. The taste is great and my wheat-eating friends cook with it regularly when they are having me over for lasagne or spaghetti. They often comment that they don’t feel uncomfortably stuffed like they would after a meal of regular pasta.
Rizopia is another rice pasta that I first purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart of all places. At around $2.50 for a package it’s quite a deal. It’s very similar to Tinkyada, actually. The wild rice penne has a really nice flavour that collaborates well with a substantial sauce.



Now, I know it’s only noodles, but life just got a little better when I discovered La Veneziane corn pasta. I’ve found this brand at Italian Markets on the east side like Cioffi’s Market on Hastings in Burnaby and Adelina’s Grocery on Renfrew at First. Donald’s Market (another great market) now also stocks it. It’s delicate, slightly sweet, has a great texture and really takes to a light cream sauce wonderfully…say with some salmon with peas. It’s so good! I always have some in the house.

San Zenone is a new Italian corn pasta that I’ve only seen so far at Choices. I tried it for the first time last night as penne with pesto. Verdict? Pretty good. It was a little chewier than La Veneziane but I’ll definitely give San Zenone another shot.