Turmeric is part of the ginger family and is one of the main curry spices. It is native to Asia and has been used as a flavoring, dye, and for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, especially in Ayurvedic medicine. India is the main producer of turmeric, where it’s used as a cooking spice, an antibacterial agent, and as a medicinal dietary supplement.

The potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in turmeric is curcumin. Research involving curcumin is exploding and studies indicate it may be helpful in a variety of inflammatory diseases, including IBS, pancreatitis, liver disorders, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and intestinal cancers. I decided to showcase this zippy little spice because these inflammatory conditions can be symptomatic of celiac disease and using food in healing is my interest and protocol for people with celiac (that includes me).

You’ll be hearing more about curcumin, as it’s the new super-star of antioxidants (new to the west, not to the east). There are clinical trials currently underway at the National Institutes of Health, Yale University, and UCLA (just to name a few) about the health benefits of the spice. Hundreds of research papers have appeared in the past few years, touting the medicinal properties of curcumin, the magic agent in turmeric and curry.

So, to help you add some spice to your healing power, here’s a simple chicken curry recipe that’s therapeutic, tasty, and a good “starter” recipe if you haven’t cooked with curry before or aren’t used to Indian food.

chicken curry (recipe from Penzeys Spices)

what you need
• 1 lb chicken breast meat, boned and cubed
• 2 - 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 inch section of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sweet curry powder
• 1 teaspoon hot curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water (divided)
• 2 ripe tomatoes, good-sized, washed, cored and chopped into large chunks
• 1 cup plain yogurt

what you do
• place all spices in small bowl, cover with 2 tablespoons water, let stand while preparing chicken and other ingredients
• heat oil over medium heat
• add onion, then ginger and garlic; stir frequently and saute for about 3 minutes (good smells!)
• spoon in curry/water mixture and stir quickly; the mix will become quite dry; keep stirring until everything is a smooth paste, about 2 minutes
• add chicken pieces, saute quickly for a few minutes until well-coated
• add water and chopped tomatoes, stir well
• reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so, stirring often
• add yogurt, stir well and simmer until sauce is thick and golden (about 10 more minutes)
• taste and add a touch of salt if desired
• serve with basmati rice

serves 4

*curry spice is wonderful in homemade chicken or turkey salad

Enjoy!
Melissa

I did a short presentation last night on antigens, antibodies, and immunoglobulins (IgE mediated food allergies) and it reminded me that cold and flu season is right around the corner. It’s the same old story, someone shakes your hand and passes off nasty little critters that end up causing havoc to your system. Or (this one is my phobia), you run your hand along the “moving carpet/escalator” railing at the airport and collect funky stuff from all over the planet. Yuck – international viruses, bacteria, and other filthy microbes that have been busy mutating and have come to take residence in your respiratory system. Sniff, cough, snort.

Okay, so how do you boost your immunity and stay healthy at this time of year? Let thy food be thy medicine, as our friend Hippocrates would say.

Here’s my list of cold and flu fighting tips and nutrients, plus a yummy recipe for garlicky green beans.

immune booster tips
• wash your hands, especially when you’ve been in contact with icky things (that’s the scientific word for microbes)
• get plenty of sleep
• reduce stress levels (I know, easier said than done, but do the best you can as stress can depress healthy immune function.)
• stay hydrated
• cut back or avoid sugar, which has been found to reduce the ability of white blood cells to destroy microorganisms
• drink herbal teas
• eat immune boosting foods and herbs (Choose fresh fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants; the more colorful the better. Add Asian mushrooms, onions, garlic, echinacea, ginger root, and astragalus to your arsenal of cold and flu fighters.)

ginger root tea

Brew a one-inch piece of peeled and grated fresh ginger root in two cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes; add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and simmer one minute more. Remove from heat, strain and add fresh lemon juice and agave honey.

garlicky green beans

what you need
1 pound fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil (or whatever oil you saute with)
2 cloves garlic (or more), minced, pressed, or micro-planed*
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
* this is also good with sauteed mushrooms and/or onions

what you do
• blanch green beans in boiling salted water (3 to 4 minutes until tender), transfer with slotted spoon into cold water, drain and blot dry
• heat oil in wok or skillet over medium heat
• add garlic and saute for about a minute, stirring constantly (don’t let it brown too much)
• add green beans and stir
• add parsley, salt, and pepper and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes

serves 4
serve with broiled salmon and wild rice for an easy and healthy meal
*I love my microplane grater/zester. They’re ideal for hard cheeses, garlic, ginger, or lemon/orange zest. Every cook should have one.

Enjoy!
Melissa

There are so many naturally gluten-free and healthy food options that it really doesn’t have to be that hard to eat wonderful and nourishing meals if you have celiac disease. And while I’m on the subject, I intensely dislike the word disease in connection with celiac.

Condition, circumstance, situation – there has to be a better word than disease. Can anyone come up with one? Something a little more uplifting and positive. If you were never exposed to gluten (ever), you would never end up with celiac disease (ever), so let’s call it something else. I think I’ll start calling it the “celiac phenomenon.” Or as my son’s girlfriend says, “that yak thing.” Give it some thought. We need a new name for this, something more optimistic.

Okay, back to taking charge of your gluten free lifestyle and making it a nourishing and savory one. Nourishing, savory, and gluten-free go together quite well. It does take some time and effort though.

No time? Yea, I know, it’s not easy, but once you get in the swing of things, it’s not that bad. And it’s actually a lot of fun, but you do have to do your share of of up-front work to stay off the nutritional slip and slide. Prepare things ahead so you don’t get stuck munching on less healthy choices out of desperation. Like a bag of potato chips or gluten-free, prepackaged cup cakes. You’ve heard this before, but just because it says gluten-free doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

This spinach salad takes very little time to prepare, is a nice change from typical dinner salads, and is packed with high-end nutrients. Add some wild rice on the side and you have a whole meal.

what you need
2 tablespoons water
1 and 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon agave honey (or any other honey)
2 teaspoons dijon mustard*
1/4th teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Bosc or Anjou pears (cut lengthwise into slices)
several cups of torn spinach (flat leaf or baby spinach works best)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup pecans

what you do
•combine first six ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk
•place pear slices in the bowl with dressing; toss to coat and let sit in refrigerator for an hour or so (if you don’t have time to let the pears marinate, it doesn’t matter)
•put spinach in serving bowl (I like using a pie pan size dish, something not so deep)
•add pears and dressing
•add onion slices
•lightly toss to coat spinach
•sprinkle with pecans

* I like Annie’s Natural Dijon Mustard (gluten-free)

Yum!

the nutritional profile of spinach (it’s good stuff)

I’ll start with the over-the-top nutritional values provided by this Popeye-sustaining vegetable. First off, one cup of fresh spinach provides a whopping 1110% (no mistake, that’s thousand) of the daily value of vitamin K, 294% of vitamin A, 84% of manganese, 65% of folate and 35% of iron. It also has plenty of vitamin C, B2, calcium, potassium, B6, dietary fiber, protein and on and on. Even some omega 3 fatty acids. This is all packed into one cup of spinach, which is a measly 41 calories. Lots of bang for your buck!

In good health…
Melissa

So, what’s with that saying? Who says tomahto, anyway? No one I know.

Those of you with upper-crust, Ivy League educations maybe. You know who you are. You’re the ones who probably say tomahto. Well, do you know what the Tariff Act of 1883 was? Hmm? Do you? Are there any agricultural history buffs out there reading this blog?

Okay, Jon or Cindy, it falls on you to answer this one. Not exactly particle physics or nuclear fission or whatever it is you two are into, but since you’re the only ones reading this blog, it’s up to you. Or Tevis, who has a master’s in gothic literature or some obscure thing like that. At least I’m attracting an interesting cast of characters. Although Tevis’ interest is by default since we’re genetically linked by DQ2 (that “special” gene that predisposes one to celiac disease).

I’m rambling, sorry about that. Back to 1883, when Congress decided to pass a rather innocuous law requiring a 10% tax on imported vegetables, but not on fruit. Along comes New Jersey importer, John Nix, who refused to pay the import tariff on his tomatoes, arguing that technically they were fruit. And he was right, in a botanical sense. This paramount case ended up going all the way to the Supreme Court (don’t they have better things to figure out) and the Court justices all agree that commonly tomatoes were vegetables and therefore subject to the same tariff as other vegetables. “Commonly” was the deciding factor, although “botanically” tomatoes are of the fruit family.

And so it goes, the United States Supreme Court ruled that legally, a tomato is a vegetable even if it is a fruit. One hundred and twenty years later, our courts were still deciding monumental cases such as the vegetable vs. fruit case of 1883. In 2003 the United States Court of International Trade made a tariff determination between two types of action figures. Are they dolls or toys? Fruits or vegetables?

Tariffs are higher for dolls than for toys. Geez, what’s the difference? Isn’t a doll a toy? Whoa, and what about those mutant super heroes? Are they dolls or toys? Or action figures? Or real people? Yikes, it sure gets confusing when lawyers get involved.

But I digress.

As one of my favorite yoga instructors in the world always says (yes, that’s you Scott), “my point is (and I do have one),” tomatoes are high in nutritional value and a great way to add some color into your diet. Color is good. The more vibrant, the better.

Tomatoes are rather trendy right now. Research on phytonutrients (plant nutrients) has shown that lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, helps prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Lycopene is a carotenoid and studies show higher concentrations are found in organic tomatoes than in their conventional counterparts.

In fact, according to the folks at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, organic brands of ketchup also contained much higher levels of lycopene. The darker the red color, the higher the nutritional value. One brand of organic ketchup they studied (I don’t know which one) contained 183 micrograms of lycopene per gram of ketchup, which is about five times as much per weight as a tomato. One of the fast-food packets of ketchup contained 1/3rd the lycopene as the organic brand. But then again, any food you receive through the window of your car is probably not the best choice.

And as always, whole tomatoes trump ketchup (even organic ketchup) in overall nutritional value. Plus, most ketchup is high in sugar, so go easy on the condiments. I occasionally use Annie’s Naturals organic ketchup (I love ketchup on scrambled eggs). Annie’s is gluten free and dark red in color, so if you can, go for the good stuff. The darker the red, the better.

Back to tomatoes. Boy, I’m spiraling today; from mutant action figures to ketchup.

I’ll try to sum this up. Tomatoes (lycopene) may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and may also lower the risk of colon cancer. They are also an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and are a good source of fiber, potassium, folate, manganese, B vitamins, vitamin E, and they even contain some protein. Good stuff, these tomaytoes!

In good health!
Melissa

P.S. These yummy looking tomaytoes in the photo are right out of my generous neighbor’s garden. The best of the best! Thanks Ron!

Before I launch into my post for today, I want to let you know that I’m aware of the computer glitches that are occurring on my site and am in the process of figuring all that out. I have a Mac and am using Apple software to create the website and blog myself and apparently things don’t look quite the same on a PC (pictures may be missing, the formating is off, etc.). I’m also aware, thanks to two sweet, friendly, and experienced GF bloggers (Cindy at Cindalou’s Kitchen Blues and Seamaiden at Book of Yum), that the URL situation I’m dealing with isn’t working that great either. So please hang in there with me and I’ll keep posting recipes, nutritional information, and health tips while ironing out my technical difficulties. HELP!

Okay, back to the point of all this, which is to share in a healthy, nutritious, active, and fun gluten-free lifestyle. Like the Beatles so aptly sang, I get by with a little help from my friends. Going to try with a little help from my friends.

Don’t we all need a little help from time to time? And part of “getting by” on this GF journey is sharing ideas, recipes, survival tips, humor, and creativity with each other. This is a wonderful little subculture; a cyber community that links us all together, even if we’ve never “officially” met. I love it!

Onward . . .

Organic. Is it worth the money? I briefly touched on this a couple of days ago in my “lots about lettuce” post, which (drats) was missing the second picture if you viewed the post from a PC. I’m a fan of organic food and from what I’ve read, most of the time there is a difference in the nutritional value, not to mention the avoidance of pesticides and the effect on the environment. A National Academy of Sciences study stated that, “Low level pesticide exposure can cause serious, developmental risks to infants and children, some with lifelong consequences.” Also, for those of us dealing with digestive conditions such as celiac disease, avoiding pesticide exposure whenever possible is a good thing; less junk for our hard-working livers to deal with. At least try to minimize exposure by choosing organic when purchasing the following fruits and vegetables (the first list below). These have been labeled the “Dirty Dozen” by the Environmental Working Group after running over 50,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected between 2000 and 2005. If you can’t opt for organic in all your food choices, try to make your conventional choices from the “Cleanest 12” and your organic choices from the “Dirty Dozen” list.

The Dirty Dozen (highest in pesticide residue in order as listed)
peaches
apples
sweet bell peppers
celery
nectarines
strawberries
cherries
lettuce
imported grapes
pears
spinach
potatoes

The Cleanest 12 (lowest in pesticides)
onions
avocados
sweet corn (frozen)
pineapples
mango
sweet peas (frozen)
asparagus
kiwi
bananas
cabbage
broccoli
eggplant

Get the full list of results at www.foodnews.org.

Here’s to good health!
Melissa

I eat a big salad almost every day during the summer. Salads make a great meal when you crave something light, yet healthy and filling. “Light” and “filling” can go together and a salad can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; it doesn’t matter. Who decided breakfast was pancakes, lunch a sandwich, and dinner pizza, anyway? Obviously not someone with celiac or a gluten intolerance. *See the final version and my favorite salad dressing recipe below.

Why dedicate an entire blog entry to lettuce, you ask? What’s there to say? Other than it makes for good rabbit food. Lots!

First off, I get my lettuce from a wonderful local organic source called Grant Family Farms. The Grant family has been growing organic vegetables for the past 25 years and were the first to be certified organic in the state of Colorado. They’re also a CSA designated system, of which I plan to apply to be part of for the next growing season. Right now I’m getting Grant Farms produce at my local health food market.

What is CSA? “A CSA is an innovative and resourceful strategy to create a straightforward partnership that brings together community members, farmers and agricultural land into a relationship of support. The CSA system provides a direct link and responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land upon which it is grown and those who grow it. Based on an annual commitment to one another, community members provide a pre-season payment to purchase a “share” of the season’s harvest. The member then receives a weekly box of a wide variety of fresh produce through the growing season, harvested at the peak of ripeness and flavor.” Grant Family Farm website.

lettuce

the basics
The scientific name for lettuce is Lactuca sativa, which is derived from the Latin word, lactuca, which means milk. When you break apart a piece of lettuce from most varieties, a slightly bitter, milky substance is released, hence the name. The variety in the photo I took above is “loose leaf” lettuce. It is the best known version and includes green and red leaf lettuce. I also have a little Chinese cabbage thrown in to the mix (the very light colored leaves). That makes for a good blend of nutrients to start from. That was my launching pad, see final product below.

nutritional profile
In general, the darker the leaves, the higher the nutritional content. Iceberg is the lowest on the totem pole. Reach for the dark green and red varieties. Romaine and loose leaf provide LOTS of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, manganese, chromium, potassium, and fiber. They also carry a good share of thiamin (vitamin B1), iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2), phosphorus, and calcium. And a decent amount of protein (surprise), omega 3s (surprise again), tryptophan, niacin (vitamin B3), and pyridoxine (vitamin B6). And all for a measly 15 calories for 2 cups. Wow, you just can’t go wrong with a good heaping plate of lettuce. Of course you need to top it with all sorts of good things; the more diverse the better. No need to stick with plain old tomatoes and carrots. Not that you shouldn’t include those, but be daring and try whatever you have around. Plums, pineapple, shredded raw beets, shredded raw squash, dates, seeds, nuts, cooked rice, jicama, avocado, cranberries, cabbage, apples; whatever comes to mind. Pile it on!

is organic better
Choose organic when it comes to lettuce. It’s on the Environmental Working Groups list of the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables. YIKES! Lettuce came up with all kinds of nasty numbers. Check out the Complete Data Set of rankings from worst to best. Maybe lettuce should be one of your organic choices.

This is the “after” photo of my lettuce launching pad. The dressing is one I made up and my absolute favorite. And it works on everything and is healthy! Yippee!

Melissa’s GF salad dressing

what you need
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons Annie’s Naturals organic Dijon Mustard (contains white vinegar made from corn)
• 2 tablespoons agave honey (I use Madhava raw organic agave nectar)

what you do
put all ingredients in a small jar and shake well; refrigerate and use as needed; it’s yummy and it’s SO easy

Enjoy in good health!

Tea contains plant compounds called polyphenols, which have major antioxidant properties. The polyphenols in tea include EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), one of the super antioxidants that are being studied for their anti-cancer abilities. The 4 basic types of true tea are black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and white tea. All true teas come from the buds or twigs of the Camellia sinensis bush. Herbal tea refers to infusions of herbs (like chamomile or rosehips) and fruit and doesn’t normally contain any of the traditional tea bush.

Legend has it that one of the key spiritual leaders of Zen Buddhism, Guatama Buddha, discovered tea when some leaves from the Camellia sinensis bush fell into a pot of water he was heating. He drank the potion and decided it had medicinal and restorative powers. And here we are thousands of years later paying $6 for a can of dried bush leaves. Are we enlightened?

Whatever the case, tea does have some “enlightening” physiological powers. It can also be spiritually and emotionally healing as well. Nourishment includes slowing down, taking a break, and enjoying some quiet time. Having a cup of warm tea with a little agave honey might be a perfect way to do that.

Potent antioxidants are something we can all use, especially with our hectic lifestyle and the environmental toxins that are floating around today. Antioxidants prevent or delay the oxidation process. They minimize the effects of free radicals on normal physiological functions. Trust me, that’s a good thing.

I’ll touch on the basics of the most recognized types of tea. All have varying degrees of health benefits, but the least processed forms (exposing them to heat and drying methods) are the best.

White tea – grown in China, more expensive, and produced with the least amount of processing. It is almost colorless and has a delicate flavor.

Green tea – this is the one we’re most familiar with and comes in many varieties from all over Asia. It is stronger in color and flavor, but lower in antioxidant properties than white tea (but still on the high end with overall antioxidant ability).

Oolong tea – the word oolong means “black dragon” in Chinese. This version is more fragrant and flowery and according to some sources can vary between inexpensive Chinese restaurant tea to high-end versions that sell for $10,000 a pound. Huh? And I thought $6 a can was bad.

Black tea – is produced in large quantities in India and Ceylon. (Quick, where is Ceylon?) This is the mainstream stuff, the generic version, the most inexpensive and what we North Americans drink as iced tea. Ugh . . .

Add some green tea to your diet. Buy organic versions and steep them properly. You can even eliminate most of the caffeine by steeping the leaves in hot water for about thirty seconds and then drain off the water. Now steep the leaves again as you normally would. This doesn’t impact the antioxidant abilities or the flavor for that matter, just the caffeine content.

Enjoy! It’s good stuff for a variety of reasons.

*Ceylon became Sri Lanka in 1972. So, where’s Sri Lanka?

http://www.srilankatourism.org/

Yummy food therapy! The recipes on this blog will always be gluten-free and dairy-free. They will also be a bit vague as I don’t follow directions well and most of my recipes I’ve adapted from somewhere else, or flat-out made up. I like to play with my food. My kitchen is like a big chemistry set, so if I’m not too clear at times, send me a comment and I’ll try to explain. I’ll also include some nutritional and healing benefits of the food . . . because that’s my job.

I love shiitake mushrooms. Partly for their medicinal properties and partly for their rich, earthy flavor. They’re a symbol of longevity in Asia and have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. They contain an active substance called lentinan, which helps rev up the immune system. Lentinan is also thought to lower cholesterol and fight cancer (especially stomach, intestinal, and colon cancers). Add these mushrooms to your arsenal of high-end, healing foods for boosting your immune system and protecting your digestive system, especially if you have celiac. Shiitakes also aid against environmental allergies, boost detoxing, and fight candida. And they’re high in vitamins D, B2, and B12 and depending on where they’re grown, can be rich in all kinds of minerals.

So that’s the short version of the legendary benefits of this funky looking little superstar.

shiitake mushrooms and wild rice

what you need
2 cups of wild rice
4 cups (or a little more) of “Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth” (or GF veggie broth)
chopped onions (maybe 1/3 cup or so)
chopped garlic (2 or 3 cloves)
5 to 7 shiitake mushrooms (washed and chopped)
2 - 4 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (enough to sauté with)
Celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
handful of raisins
handful of walnuts
rice cooker

what you do
lightly sauté garlic and onions in grapeseed oil and place in rice cooker
lightly sauté mushrooms and add to rice cooker
rinse rice and add
salt and pepper to taste (or other seasonings)
pour 4 cups of chicken broth on top and stir
turn on rice cooker and wait until it’s finished

I always check when it’s finished and see if I need to add a little more chicken broth. I prefer it rich and creamy so I like it moist. Then I add some raisins and nuts and sometimes fresh spinach. Whatever strikes your fancy. Keep on warm until ready to serve.

Put the leftovers in the refrigerator and use cold, mixed in a fresh green salad with veggies the next day.

Enjoy!