Monday, July 11, 2011

The Pocky Campaign


Pocky is a delicious Japanese snack. It is made of gluten/wheat, corn, soy lecithin, and nuts. For those who are allergic to one or more of these ingredients, we've had to give up our favorite treat. We want change, we want an alternative! We want Gluten/Allergy-Free Pocky! Join the campaign's Facebook Page, and help us bring about positive change, one like at a time.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

You know you have Celiac Disease/Gluten-Allergy if ……



1. Your bread looks like a moon rock and tastes like dried out.....PLAY DOH!

2. You have written "CONTAMINATED" on jars of jam.

3. At least once a day you fake a smile and say,......... “Sorry I can’t eat that!”

4. You call a dream about eating pizza and chocolate cake .......... “A NIGHTMARE”

5. You eat.........Before....... you go out to eat.

6. You bring your own GF soy-sauce to the sushi restaurant.

7. You think the words "Are you sure it’s not all in your head” are grounds for murder.

(Especially when they come from your Doctor!)

8. You've considered strangling friends / relatives who suggest ......

"It can't hurt if you eat just a little bit, will it?"

9. You can’t remember ......... What crackers are supposed to taste like.

10. You actually have nightmares about reading labels.

11. You compare all of your food to......... "normal - people - food."

12. You call relatives if you get sick and say........

“It MUST have been Cross-Contamination at YOUR place"

13. You know that Xantham Gum is NOT for chewing.

14. You know that spelt is a distant cousin of wheat, but buckwheat Is not related to wheat at all.

15. The builders working on the house next door can EASILY substitute.........

Your Bread for one of their bricks.

16. You actually KNOW what an anti-TTG and an IGA blood test are.

17. You can find "hidden gluten" in food labels in the blink of an eye,

and your family couldn't find it even if they had.......

A MAGNIFYING GLASS, DICTIONARY, and PH.D.

18. You've had to give a Doctor a crash course in Coeliac Disease.

19. A 7 Course Meal is a 1 Course Meal for you…................ Lettuce.

20. You've installed floor-to-ceiling bookcases in your bathroom.

21. It takes you 4 hours to do your grocery shopping and ........YOUR EYESIGHT IS RUINED.

22. You Hyper-Ventilate when passing by the bakery counter.

23. You've ever deliberately rammed your trolley into a Shredded Wheat display in a fit of rage.

24. You've ever had to take out a Loan to pay the grocery bill.

25. The centrepiece on your dining room table is a bread machine......with memorial candles..

26. Your financial portfolio consists of stock in ............ Two Major Toilet Paper Companies.

27. You are up late at night trying to develop a recipe for pizza without ........

Flour, Cheese, Yeast, Tomatoes, Beef, Garlic and Oregano.

28. You can spell Transglutaminase and Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

29. You just discovered how to make flour out of………........... TURNIPS.

30. Having a Solid Poo!.... is the highlight of your day.

31. You've mastered saying "I actually enjoy MY food" without your face…........‘Twitching’

32. You know all about xanthan gum and its uses.

33. You hide the gluten-free cookies when friends come over, ...... so they don’t eat them.

34. You see someone buying rice flour and you just have to ask them .........

if they are gluten intolerant too!

35. Your friend want’s to make you a gluten free birthday cake, but you plead with them not to go to that trouble,

because you're secretly terrified it will be Cross Contaminated.

36. All your ‘Favourite’ sites are coeliac related.

37. You've mastered the art of lying when people ask you........ “aren’t you hungry”.

38. You long to look at the contents of people's fridges and press’s......

just to see if you can eat anything

39. Someone complains of IBS, and you tell them to Quit eating Gluten!

40. You burst into tears of relief at the sight of the words “Gluten Free”stamped on the corner of a product.

.

+ another taken from another forum I post on.

.

When you walk down the breakfast ceral aisle 'The theme tune from JAWS keeps running through your head.


It's a change of pace, but I hope you enjoyed the jokes ^^

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Passover Spotlight: Gefen-Frosted Chocolate Cake Mix- GF


    While grocery shopping for passover goodies, a red box immediately caught my eye. It said, Gefen Frosted Chocolate Cake Mix- Gluten Free. This is the first time I'd ever seen a Gluten-Free version of a Passover cake mix. I bought it and quickly rushed home to test it out. The mixes ingredients are: sugar, potato starch, salt, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and vanilla.
   The recipe it self is pretty simple. I added a few alterations of my own.I pretty much followed the directions, except I replaced the 2 eggs with egg whites and the oil with a large banana. I thought I go for the healthier option, and banana & chocolate is always a winning combination^^

Banana prep:
1) Take one large banana chop it and put it in a bowl
2) Add 1.5 tbsp of water
3) Put banana in the microwave for 1 minute on high
4) Remove, place in mixing bowl and beat on high speed until the texture becomes creamy
5) Then add the egg whites and the rest of the following ingredients.


    The frosting in this recipe is a bit tricky. When adding the 6 tbsp's of hot water the frosting will become very watery, but don't worry if you let the frosting cool for around 1 hr it will become nice and thick. If you want quick frosting, don't the add 6 tbsp at once. Instead, add one tbsp at time until the desired consistency is achieved.
   The cake came out great and was very easy to prepare. The only issue with this mix is, the frosting; the directions just aren't accurate. Regardless, it's a great cake mix. It worked well with our substitutions and is delicious with or without frosting ^^ Until next year Gefen!

The Good Stuff Rating: Cake Mix- 4/5 & Frosting- 1/5

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Yehuda's Gluten-Free Matzo- The Short Review

    Last time on The Good Stuff, we showed you a sneak peak of Yehuda's Gluten-Free Matzo. The verdict is in, this Matzo is delicious. It's even better than regular Matzo! So what does it taste like? This Matzo is very crunch, had great texture, it's salty with a hint of sweetness. The taste is similar to Lay's Baked Potato chips. This is a matzo that everyone will enjoy. Wheat Matzo looks like you have some competition. So,go out and buy a box^^


The Good Stuff rating: 5/5

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Dayenu!!

    The wait is finally over; Let there be Gluten-Free Matzo! Yehuda's Gluten -free matzo is made of a mix of : Tapioca starch and Potato starch & flour, and Eggs. Best of all it's economically priced between 5-7 dollars a box. Most Gluten-Free Matzo's on the market are made of gluten-free oats,and the prices are expensive. ( see last years passover entry here)

   Stay tuned, as we give this matzo: The Ultimate Good Stuff Taste-Test. (*drum roll*) Get Ready for Gluten-Free Matzo Brei, Pizza, reviews and much more. Happy Passover ^^

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Super Bowl Special: Green Bay Packer's Veggie Chili


In Honor of the Green Bay Packers winning Super Bowl 45, & in Good Stuff tradition this year recipe will be named, Green Bay Packers Veggie Chili. For you true sports fans out there, we added lots of green and yellow veggies. Congratulations to the Packers on an amazing game!


Super Bowl Special: Green Bay Packer's Veggie Chili

Ingredients:
4 medium sized zuchinni's chopped
3-4 parsnips chopped
2/3 of a cup of celery chopped
4-5 baby carrots chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
1- 24oz can of diced tomatoes
2- 8oz cans of tomatoes paste
1/2 cup of Redbridge Gluten-free beer
2 can of pinto beans
1 can of black beans
1/2 medium red onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic diced
1/2 tablespoon of grape seed oil

Spices:
(This recipe work great with all spices, here's a simple suggestion below)
2 dried chili peppers
1 tablespoon of wholefoods chili powder

Preparation:
1) Wash and chopped all vegetables and garlic.

2) In a large pot, on medium heat, pour 1/2 tablespoon of grape seed oil. When warm add garlic, and let it sweat for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the chopped onion and let it continue to sweat for about 7 minutes.

3) Add the zuchinni and stir, then add parsnips, if there are hard cover the pot with a lid and let them steam until semi-soft.

4) When veggies are semi soft; add the 24 oz can of diced tomatoes including the juice, 1/2 cup of Redbridge Gluten-free beer, and cans of tomatoes, then stir, and lower heat.

5) Then add the 3 cans of beans & spices, and stir, then cover, and let it simmer for about 15 mins

6) Last but not least add, celery, carrots and peppers, continue simmering for another 10 mins.

Go Packers ! Enjoy ^^



Meat-Lovers version:

Substitute the zuchinni's and parsnips with 1/2 a pound of either ground beef or turkey. After step 1 & 2 add ground meat and cook until well done. Then follow the rest of the recipe.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Chanukkah Special- Alien Latkes *Original Recipe*

Chanukkah Special- Alien Latkes

It's that time of year to fire up the skillet and make the latkes. Traditional, latkes are made from potatoes. These are a funky fresh twist on an old tradition, and yes their green. You could say these latkas are out of this world. ^^

Ingredients:

1 shredded zucchini
1/2 of a small red onion chopped
1 green onion chopped
5-6 mushrooms minced
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons of grape-seed oil


Preparation:

1) Prep your vegetables: grate zucchini, chop green and red onions, and mince mushrooms, put it all together in a large bowl.

2) In a small bowl beat egg white, ( you can use whole eggs if you wish)

3) Then add eggs to the large bowl and mix contents together.

4) Add oil to skillet and heat it up. When skillet is warm take about 2 tablespoon of zucchini mix and put it on the skillet to form latkas ( the should look like cakes or patties). *Don't make them too large; their easier to turn when there small.*

5) Cook until they're nice and brown at the bottom, then flip and cook the other side.

6) Repeat with the remain mixture.

7) Don't forget the sourcream and apple sauce, when your done. If you really want an out of the world flavor add ketchup instead.

Take me to you leader -(^^)- Beep.