Inaugural Post

Today is Wednesday September 15 2010 and this will be my first post.

I have spent the last three months perusing blogs, websites, cookbooks and other information for gluten free foods, and information on Celiac Disease.

I cook for myself, my husband and our two girls, both of whom have symptoms of CD and since I have given up gluten for good, my kids have too.  My husband still wants to eat what he wants so we are retraining him.

Example.  Peanut butter.  Yes, please have peanut butter on your toast.  Please use a spoon to get the butter out of the jar so as to not contaminate it for the rest of us.
Oh~ please use the cutting boards, not the ones marked "NO BREAD" :-)  It's a journey.

Hey I got a new dishwasher out of the deal, it's easier to wash the dishes and hope the gliadin comes off than for him to change his habits.  Dear heart is trying though, and that is wonderful for us girls.

Tonights dinner will be naturally gluten free . . . the name of this blog. 

Many many foods are naturally gluten free.  Meat. Cheeses, vegetables and fruit.  I'm quite happy with it.  I like the Specific Carbohydrate Diet recipes for some things, and I love love love Kinnickinick Foods pizza crust.  So much I ordered a case at my local Natural Market and put them in the freezer.  We're learning a new way of eating some favorites and discovering new products and simplifying things.  Thank goodness I was a home cooking kind of gal before this diagnoses or I'd be having a really hard time adjusting. 

Back to tonights dinner . . .
Braised Beef Short Ribs, crash hot potatos, braised celery and a salad.  Yummy.

For the ribs:

I heated my dutch oven and put a little olive oil in the pan, and browned the ribs on all sides.  Remove ribs and add diced veg of your choice.  I used onion, carrot and celery this time, but I have used fennel, carrots and onions before and it works beautifully.
Add the meat back to the oven, add 2 cups of beef or chicken stock and simmer all afternoon.

I don't always season the foods I'm cooking this way as the vegetables and meat have a wonderful flavor on their own, and finding seasonings other than herbs, salt, pepper has been a challenge. 

Crash hots are simply boiled new potates that are flattenened and finished in a hot oven for a bit of crunch.

Braised celery is simple, washed and cut celery braised in the cast iron frying pan with butter . . . yes, butter.

Salad tonight will be simple spinach and arugula with goat cheese.  Flax oil and lemon juice dressing.

Simple. Satisfying.  Naturally Gluten Free