Yes, gluten and lactose intolerance often go hand in hand because the intestinal damage caused by gluten impacts the body’s ability to absorb lactose as well.  So for those of you who are following a gluten free diet, but still have occasional symptoms, consider avoiding dairy also and see if it helps.

One day recently, after three years of soy cheese, soy yogurt, and soy ice cream, my husband decided it would be worth the consequences to eat some regular cheese.  So he did…..and nothing happened.  Then he had more the next day….and still felt fine.  How could this be?

According to Dr. Peter Green’s book “Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic” and discussions at the 2009 Bellingham Gluten Intolerance Group Conference, the intestine begins to heal once it is no longer being repeatedly exposed to gluten.  After enough time, the body’s ability to absorb lactose eventually returns. 

In my husband’s case, it was three years later.  Now we’re happily back to regular cheddar in our corn tortilla wraps and goat cheese on our rice crackers (KAME brand rice crackers are sooooo good!)  Haven’t pushed the envelope yet with regular milk and yogurt (remember that cheese is comparatively lower in lactose than milk and yogurt overall). 

But that’s okay – I feel no need to go back to regular ice cream ever since we found Almond Dream non-dairy ice cream - it’s made from almond milk and in my opinion it’s better than regular ice cream anyway!

Glute Free Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins

So many great things at the Farmer’s Market this weekend: local honey, buckwheat flour milled in upstate New York, and the last of the blueberries for the summer.  What could I make with all of these wonderful ingredients?  I had no recipes at home using buckwheat and blueberries, so I combined a couple different recipes together (I’ve gotten better at doing this over the years as I attempt to make-over recipes to be gluten free).  Note that I like my muffins to have a high blueberry to muffin ratio, but you could also just use 1 cup of blueberries too.

Gluten Free Wedding Cake from Sweet Cakes in Kirkland, WA

Melissa and Eric Olson’s Gluten Free Wedding Buffet Menu

Hors D’Oeuvres:

Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella Ball Skewers

Hummus with Rice Crackers

Gourmet Olives

Entrees:

Grilled Northwest Salmon

Spicy Honey-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Chilled Roast Summer Vegetables Mix

Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts, & Craisins

Herbed Baby Potatoes

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime Juice and Queso Fresco

Our gluten free wedding cake was from Sweet Cakes in Kirkland, WA (425-821-6565).  We chose the lemon cake with raspberry filling and no one even guessed it was gluten free.  As Chelsea Clinton has shown, gluten free wedding cake is a hit item – I like to think she got the idea from me!

Xanthan gum is an essential component of a gluten free cupboard.  It is a powder derived by using a bacteria to ferment the glucose or sucrose sugar in corn.  The idea of a bacteria being involved may sound scary to some folks, but it is not harmful, unless you happen to be allergic to corn. 

Xanthan gum is used 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp at a time in gluten free baking recipes.  Gluten free flours are missing wheat gluten, which is what gives baked goods their texture and cohesiveness to prevent crumbling.  Xanthan gum provides the same properties for gluten free baked goods – without it you end up with a crumbly mess.  Xanthan gum is also commonly used as an emulsifier in commercial salad dressings and sauces.

Xanthan gum can be kept for several years.  I just keep it on my pantry shelf in its original bag, sealed with a twist tie as I can use it up in about 6 months.  In my mother-in-law’s case, we suggested she store it in the freezer since she will only really be using it when we come to visit. 

Click here to see a good rule of thumb guide from Bob’s Red Mill for how much xanthan gum to use when converting baking recipes to gluten free.

Last Thursday, we went to a place called Ortine (622 Washington Ave, between Dean and Pacific St.) to see an outdoor screening of “The Witches” on their back patio – and guess what?!  They had gluten free pizza ~ personal sized for $12 with goatcheese, carmelized onions, and spinach toppings. 

Walking home afterwards, we found Bards Tale and Redbridge gluten free beers (6-pack for $9.99) at Brooklyn Beer and Soda (648 Washington Ave, between Dean and Bergen St.)

Rounding the corner, I literally squeeled when I saw that Pequena had FINALLY opened their second location (601 Vanderbilt Ave, between Bergen and Dean St.)  Since Mexican food is traditionally gluten free (ie. real corn tortillas, rice and beans), there is plenty to choose from here.

A good gluten free brunch option has been the ongoing frustration for us as you really can only eat eggs with potatoes at the diner every so often.  We had walked by Milk Bar many times (620 Vanderbilt Ave, at corner of Prospect Place) and seen people eating lots of yummy brunch dishes, all of them involving some type of baked bready item.  But turns out there is ONE gluten free entree on their menu: Cold Rice Salad, which consists of rice, tunafish, chopped egg, parsley, olives, capers, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice: 1/2 order for $9 or full order for $11.50.  Sunday Brunch may be back in my life again! 

BTW, I just learned that Kix cereal has altered their ingredients to be gluten free now too – they’re using corn bran for fiber and no malt flavoring either.