its here!!

Hidden in my local city market!
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not-so-gluten-free books

my collection of gluten free books became not-so-gluten-free tonight when dave upset his gluten filled fat tire on my stack.... does this mean that I can not longer use these as a gf resource? This is why dave should also drink redbridge.

we have family in town and made an assortment of pizza this evening... two small gf chebe crusts and some glutenous pies that were off limits to me. For my gf selections we made a pesto with fresh cheese, peperoni, and basil then a thai pie with peanut sauce, carrots, cilantro and a spicy chicken. Even two year old Moyer enjoyed the Thai pie and the homemade peanut sauce so I thought I'd share the recipe.
Pizza has always been a staple for me and I used to love Thai Pies but after going wheat free learned that the peanut sauce was off limits to me. I've been playing around with homemade peanut sauces to ensure safety and happiness.

Peanut Sauce for Thai Pie
as always i made sure all of these were gluten free...
6 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup boiling water
4 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
garlic- I used 2 teaspoons dry powder
cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-4 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix peanut butter and water until well combined. Add all but cornstarch. Slowly mix cornstarch until desired thickness is obtained. this may be done after sauce is chilled to ensure that it doesn't become too thick. Refrigerate and it will keep for over a week.

I'd share pictures of the pizzas but after a long day they didn't last for a photo!

things to love about food shopping....

while traveling back east I ventured into many food stores. Part of this was need and part was a desire to see what different areas would have to offer me. I was amazed at the GF selection in Bangor, Maine and planned on some serious stock up trips to Portland if I move back to Sugarloaf since the Hannaford in Farmington left a lot to be desired!

I have to say after visiting over a dozen grocery stores that I have it pretty good. Although I live in Telluride I do most of my food shopping in Montrose, which is a larger city about an hour away. (Telluride is a resort town and can be expensive.) My City Market in Montrose has a good variety of GF and wheat free products and I've been able to try many of them.

I became obsessed with Whole Foods on my trip and am now living 6 hours from the closest store so I have to enjoy the things I can find...and make my own fruit packs of red berries and fresh pineapple for breakfast. I've been working on my hummus recopies for summer gatherings and baking wheat free whoopie pies for birthdays.

This summer I should be able to find some more products to test.... Betty Crocker is going GF! That's right... my former birthday cake mixes can once again grace my pantry. Plus this fall they plan on labeling all the frosting as Gluten Free as well. I can only hope these hit shelves before my birthday this summer... perhaps they will be a bit more moist then some other GF brands....

Plus Chex Cereal is certifying more flavors as GF! I never realized that they had a strawberry chex cereal and now I have big plans for it... i believe it will lend itself to really good rice crispy treat substitutions.

One of the best products I found in my east coast travels were Liz Lovely Cookies that Carol found for me. They are made in Vermont are vegan and GF! One cookie makes a great snack for two or provide all day snacking for a drive from Connecticut to South Carolina.

But kate, why are you so excited for all of these new GF products? I thought you were just wheat free? True, I am "just" wheat free but in the months since being wheat free I have learned that it isn't much more of a stretch to be gluten free as well. Plus it's not bad for me to avoid gluten.

Mountainfilm in telluride

The image on screen for mountainfilm bore my nemesis.... The four day festival is focusing on food this year.... I had mixed reactions seeing the wheat shaft on screen as I waited for the flicks to begin.
For me an image of wheat represents something very different then it did even a year ago. Now I cringe while last year I would have thought nothing of it.
Anyhow.... Time for some adventure films at my favourite festival!
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Pahgre's Pizza

Jess, Jared and Dave with the Pahgre's Pizzas

Before I learned that wheat made me sick I fell in love with a new pizza place, Pahgre's Pizza in Montrose. This is the town about and hour away, where we go to pick up friends from the airport, hit the food store and Target. I lost this when I went wheat free. I had gone since but I am not a leafy, green salad eater and it wasn't nearly as much fun. It's a great spot to hit after picking up a hungry guest from the airport since we know what airlines have done to meal options!

We hit Montrose on Friday night with friends and I was ecstatic when Jess pointed out that they had GLUTEN FREE PIZZA available! It was a bit hidden on the menu since I now don't even look at the second pizza page and just browse the salads. I thanked the waitress and let her know how phenomenal this is. She informed me that they also have gluten free desserts; which we didn't save room for this trip.

Gluten Free Friendly!

This has made my week and I delighted in my Thai Chicken Pizza with chicken, peanut sauce, carrots and green onion. They had a good gluten free crust that was cooked to perfection. It felt really good to be "normal" and eat pizza like everyone else. Plus it fueled me for a long night of food shopping, a target run and the late night drive back over the mountains.

Thai Chicken Gluten Free Pizza

Thank you Pahgre's!

Dinner on the road....

At whole foods today I pick up a hot lunch and packed a cool dinner at the food bar. My quinona, chicken and potatoes kept well in the cooler all afternoon and make a yummy wheat free dinner at the hotel tonight. It saves me from navigating a restaurant's menu as well as letting me relax at the hotel.
That's what I love about whole foods.... Its not just a salad but a food bar with lots of wheat free options! Plus I grabbed some redbridge and like it much better then the last wheat free beer I sampled.
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Things to love about nashville!

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road food

after a lot of nut thins and beef jerky I realized I needed to find a way to eat quick road food on the trip. I had packed a cooler but wasn't craving the apple sauces and juice boxes.
Since McDonald's doesn't offer much for safe, wheat free options I turned to Whole Foods. Many of their stores have great fresh food bars and offer a good solution for lunches. It's all clearly marked and the top allergens are all identified! We made a detour in Indiana, loved the Portland, Maine selection and enjoyed fresh fruit from Greenville, SC. Tomorrow I will hit my 4th store of the trip in Tennessee.