The Flour Gurl

And introducing...The Flour Gurl.  Yes, that's me - your personal guide to gluten-free living.  I am now providing real-life gluten-free tutoring services.....not just through a screen!

This is something I have been wanting to do for years, and I am starting off this year with a new adventure or two, but first we will start with this one:

The Flour Gurl

The name of my blog will not change, it will just be 'Gluten-Free Musings" by The Flour Gurl.  But now, I will be doing much more than just having a blog.  I want to put a name with what I have been doing for years...directly helping people navigate the world of gluten-free living.  This can be overwhelming and daunting to someone new to this way of life.  For someone who is newly diagnosed, has a child who is newly diagnosed, or having to accommodate gluten-free guests, this can seem downright isolating and impossible.

I remember how I felt when I was diagnosed 6 years ago, when the doctor's nurse told me casually over the phone that I tested positive for celiac disease.  It sent me in a whirlwind of emotions, I felt like the bottom had just been taken out from under me.  I felt completely alone. I was in disbelief, I was in anger, I was in denial, I cried....a lot.  For all the details, read here.

My goal is to help people, who are new to the gluten-free diet, navigate the overwhelming world of gluten-free living, as a tutor would help a student learn French.  Being new to the gluten-free diet really is like learning a new language.  One has to relearn how to approach food, dining situations and even personal care products.  I am not a doctor, nor do I have any medical training, but I live the life 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with absolutely no exceptions.  

For several years I have worked on the corporate side as a consultant for gluten-free companies helping them fine tune their message for the consumer, and working with individuals here and there.  But now, I would like to turn that around and really focus on the individual, which is what I enjoy most. I love working with people, and I love talking "gluten-free".  Some topics I will cover include, but are not limited to: 

- converting your kitchen, and home, into a safe gluten-free environment;

- addressing cross-contamination;

- shopping and label reading;

- dining out and travel;

- attending social events and holiday gatherings;

- recipe conversion;

I really look forward to this new adventure and working with those new to the gluten-free lifestyle. Please email me at anne@theflourgurl.com to set up an appointment, and for current rates.

And, as for my next adventure........you will just have to wait, and read.....

Simple Salsa

One of my favorite things about summer is pretending I am a real gardener.  When I first started blogging 5 years ago, my favorite thing to write about was gardening and cooking Yummy Tummies & Dirty Feet...and then I was diagnosed with celiac, moved to a house with all shade and no sunlight, and started this!  I was definitely no master gardener, but it was fun to play around in the garden and learn all the ins and outs to growing things, especially those I could eat!

Taken in 2008 with my little garden helper.

Moving from the Midwest to the Deep South was a big change too, I had to wrap my head around a new hardiness zone, longer growing seasons, and now plants that were once annuals are now perennials. A big bonus for me...except I live in a house with a garden that gets almost no sunlight.  Thankfully, my neighborhood has lots of community gardens, so every summer since we moved here, I have taken over a garden bed at my daughter's school.  It is great, and I end up loads of cucumbers, different kinds of squash, peppers, herbs, jalapeños, eggplants and tomatoes!!!

And let's face it, tomatoes really are the shining star of the summer garden. They are the top of the pyramid, they are what we wait for all summer!  It is so exciting to see those little flowers on the tomato plants start, that I find myself visiting the garden every day until I can get one!  I usually can't wait, and pick some while they are still green to make one my all time favorite, fried green tomatoes.

Once the tomatoes come in, the possibilities are endless.  I am lucky if I can get them home before I just eat them straight from the plant.  Especially those little orangey yellow ones...so sweet!  Simply making a tomato salad with freshly ground salt and pepper and fresh basil and mozzarella is hard to beat as a summer favorite.

But one of my all time favorite things to do with tomatoes is to make fresh salsa.  I like whipping up a batch on the weekend, so it lasts me through the week. In addition to eating it with corn chips, I like adding it to eggs, pasta, tacos, quesadillas, you name it....put salsa on it!

And if you don't have fresh tomatoes from the garden, that's ok...you can cheat (shhh, I won't tell) and buy them at your grocery store, and you will love this salsa all the same.

I have used this recipe for years, it is simple, easy and a great dish to bring to a BBQ or to jar and give as a hostess gift.

I have to admit, I just kind of throw things together, so you can adjust the amounts based on your taste preferences.  I am a spice wimp, so you may want to go heavier on the jalapeño, for example, but I love lots of cilantro.

Simple Salsa

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, if large cut in half. (any tomatoes will do, I like using a variety when I have it. If I am buying the tomatoes at the store, I will usually buy Roma.)
1/4 large onion, coarsely sliced
1 T fresh chopped jalapeño
3/4 cup fresh coarsely chopped cilantro
1 lime

1. Using a food processor, or a salsa maker, put together the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño and cilantro and blend until smooth with small tomato chunks or your desired consistency.  I like everything finely chopped and smooth. If you like it chunkier, that's good too;

2. Put salsa into a bowl; squeeze the juice of one lime into the salsa and stir to combine.  I like for it to sit at room temperature for about an hour before I use it so the flavors really combine, but you can eat at anytime...it is hard to resist.

And that's that!  Can't get much easier.

Olé!


Some garden-fresh tomato recipes I love for pasta, No Cook Tomato Sauce, Caramelized Tomato Pasta, and Summer Corn and Tomato Pasta.

Farro: It is *not* gluten-free

Today, while eating at one of my favorite places for lunch, I had an very unfortunate experience.

I go to this place because their menu changes daily and they use fresh ingredients.  Best of all, they clearly mark what items are gluten-free, which is usually a majority of them.  Score!  I have been going here for years, and I trust them when they say something is gluten-free.  It is so comforting to have a place like this.

And because of these reasons above is why today's experience was so disappointing to me.

I noticed on their daily menu that one item contained farro, and it was listed as gluten-free.  I figured I would tell them about the mistake before someone got sick.  The response I received was surprising.  The server assured me they had done research and farro was safe, and the least gluten of all the wheat grains.  I probably had to pull my jaw up from the floor at this point, as I just didn't have words, and of course did not order that lunch item.  The server, who I can only assume does not have celiac himself, was telling me it was gluten-free!

My own crisis was averted when I ordered something not containing any grains, gluten-free or otherwise.

Later, I emailed the owner to let him know about this mistake and that just because something is "low gluten", it is not free of gluten, and should not be listed as so.  This is a place, I and many others have come to trust, and if all the sudden they are marking items gluten-free, when they should not be gluten-free, how can I continue to trust it?

Imagine, if a friend, or a co-worker were to pick up lunch there for you, and since it is labeled as "gluten-free", it is assumed to be safe.  And then you eat it, because you also assume it must be safe.  Only to be sick later.

Farro is an ancient variety of wheat grown in Italy.  It *is* wheat, folks!  It contains gluten!!  And while it may contain less gluten than other commercially grown wheat, it is not free of gluten.  Those with celiac should not eat farro, period.

When I hear back from the owner, I will update here.  Until then, have you ever had a similar experience?  Have you lost trust in a restaurant or company that you felt was a trusted source when labeling their items gluten-free?

Atlanta Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event, May 5th

How much do you love going somewhere where everyone is like you?  People don't look at you like you have a third eye.  Where you can eat food and not ask question after question, and then think so much about it that food no longer seems fun?

This is definitely me!  And that is why this weekend I am going to attend the Atlanta Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event on Sunday, May 5th at Gwinnett Center, about 30 minutes north of Atlanta.

The day is going to be packed with well known gluten-free speakers and endless gluten-free treats to sample from national and local Atlanta-area vendors.

For a full list of speakers and vendors, visit the event's website.

Hope to see you there! But if you cannot make it, you can follow the event on Twitter #ATLGFAFGWell.

Uncle Maddio's Pizza

I recently discovered Uncle Madio's Pizza when my daughter wanted to go out for pizza her birthday.  Well, I wanted pizza too! Yes, I guess I am that selfish, that I actually want to eat pizza along with my family and not have to sit there drinking my drink, waiting until I can go home and eat.  Crazy, I know!

We have a lovely pizza place in our cozy neighborhood, that is walking distance, has a gorgeous patio and is the place to hang out and see friendly faces and socialize, but unfortunately, the only thing I have when I go there is wine. Well, maybe that is not so unfortaunte, but seriously, I get to sit next to everyone else and smell their pizza, while I sip my wine.

So, when I went to the Twitter community and asked for suggestions for gluten-free pizza places that were kid-friendly, Uncle Maddio's was mentioned.

I was thrilled, it has a Chipotle-style format, so you go through a line, and decide on what topping you want for your personal pizza.  They were very helpful in telling me how they prepare the gluten-free pizzas and that it is on a separate dish than the gluten-filled crusts.  It is quick, it is clean and it is yummy.  And honestly, I think my crust looked tastier than the gluten-filled alternative, but then...what do I know?

Uncle Maddio's put out a PR release today with a quote from me, announcing kid-sized gluten-free pizzas.  Check it out.

I look forward to going back soon.

Willy's expands gluten-free options!

Last May, I wrote about how most items at Willy's Mexicana Grill were gluten-free, with the exception of many of the salsas and cheese dip which used a wheat-based thickener. At the time, I was told they were moving to make these items gluten-free in the near future.

Well, I am excited to announce that finally...NOW... Willy's salsas and cheese dip are gluten-free! The only thing off limits at my absolute favorite fast-food Mexican joint are the cookies and flour tortillas. Personally, I can easily deal with that.

The wheat-based thickener used in the chili d’arbol sauce, which is the base to many of Willy's other salsas and cheese dip, is now corn-based. Whoo hoo!! I was excited a year ago when I learned I could still enjoy Willy's, including the chips (which as we know are usually fried with gluten-containing foods at many places - but not here)...I am even more excited now!

So, with that news, my daughter and I enjoyed a warm cup of cheese dip with our chips this week on our mommy/daughter night out! Indulgent cheesy yumminess.

But remember, there is always a risk of cross-contamination anywhere where gluten-filled foods are served. For my own personal preference at Willy's, I ask if they can change their gloves when they make my food. So far, I have not had any problems.

Buen provecho!

Your guide to gluten-free cupcakes in Atlanta

I must admit, as excited as I am about my new city, I really miss a few places in Chicago, so badly, that I want to drive up there just for that one thing, like Swirlz Cupcakes (pictured above). These cupcakes were so incredible that I would plan an afternoon around making sure I got there in time to get certain flavors before they were gone. And they did run out by the late afternoon. The great thing about Swirlz is that they made a great selection of gluten-free cupcakes, not just your standard chocolate and vanilla, though vanilla was actually my absolute favorite flavor of theirs. They make their regular cupcake flavors as gluten-free versions as well - like red velvet, banana Nutella or even egg nog!

Their web site lists their daily cupcakes, but I found there were usually some surprises when I went in to the store. Perhaps left over from a special order, but whatever the reason, I was addicted. And now I miss them.

Really, I should be making my own cupcakes and save some $$, but there is just something so fun about going somewhere and just picking it out and having it handed to you all pretty with beautiful frosting and decorations.

But, back to topic, this is about my new city and looking forward. After doing some research, I came up with a list of local cupcake bakeries that offer gluten-free cupcakes. There are definitely many more bakeries than that are on this list, but they do not offer gluten-free cupcakes, which is a shame, but hopefully more will jump on the bandwagon as the need for gluten-free grows. I also noticed many of them only offer chocolate and vanilla, with a couple of exceptions. Hopefully this list grows as well.

American Gra-Frutti - Available in store, and Atlanta-area Whole Foods. 1355 Roswell Road, Suite 152, Marietta, 30062. 404-304-9255.

The Cake Hag - Available in store and by special order. 233 Mitchell Street SW, Atlanta 30303. 678-760-6300.

Cake in the Box - Available in store and by special order. 2730 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Suite 204, Duluth, 30097. 678-417-5855.

Carolyn's Cupcakes - Vanilla and chocolate on a daily basis and by special order. 2745 LaVista Road, Decatur, 30033. 404-343.1964.

Doctor Bombay's Underwater Tea Party - Sometimes available in store, and special order. 1645 McLendon Avenue NE, Atlanta, 30307. 404-474-1402.

The Free Cookie - Available by special order, and Return to Eden. 404-536-6170.

Gigi's Cupcakes - Available in store on Wednesdays, or by special order. Vanilla, chocolate and spice cake with cream cheese frosting. 3655 Roswell Road, Atlanta 30342. 404-846-4400.

Lenox Cupcakes - Available by special order with 24-hour notice, any of their flavors. Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30326. 404-949-0409.

Little Cake Bakery - Available by special order only, chocolate or vanilla with any of their frostings. 3792 Roswell Road, Atlanta 30342. 404-841-8856.

Magnolia Manor Sweets - Available by special order, and Peachtree City Farmers Market (seasonal). 631-793-9715.

Metrotainment Bakery - Available by special order with 48-hour notice, yellow and chocolate cupcakes. 1119 Logan Circle, Atlanta 30318. 404-873-6307.

Sugar Shack - Available in store and by special order. Double chocolate fudge flavor only. 4058 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30319. 404-816-6161. (owned by Metrotainment)

Whole Foods - Available in the gluten-free freezer section with their Gluten-Free Bakehouse products. Atlanta-area stores.

At the time of this post, Sweet Pockets was testing out gluten-free recipes and hopes to offer them in the future, but no date has been set.

Pure Taqueria now has gluten-free chips!

I love all of the taquerias in Atlanta, and how easy it is to eat gluten-free at them...except for the chips. It seems that many of them fry their chips with something else wheat-based. In these cases, I usually end up bringing my own chips and try to be all sly about it, because I don't want to feel like an outcast sitting there with my "special" chips. And then of course I need my own salsa, so others at the table don't dip their gluten-filled chips into the same bowl of salsa, contaminating me in the end.

Pure Taqueria has always had gluten-free chips...but they are not the ones that get passed to the tables for free, they were chips you had to order (and pay) separately.

Lucky for us, Pure Taqueria's chips, which were once fried with wheat-containing products are now gluten-free and fried at the beginning of the day before anything else is fried and therefore uncontaminated. I was a bit skeptical, but I am super sensitive and inhaled a basked on my own and felt great afterwards....other than a bit full with my basket of chips and dinner.

And, psst.......they have a coupon on Scoutmob now, so you can go enjoy 50% off you meal!

I guess this means I am an official Atlantan!

I have now been in the dirty South for three months and we love it! I must admit, I was a bit nervous moving down here...after living in Chicago for ten years and feeling at home there, it was a bit nerve-wracking thinking about how we would feel once we got here. So, why did we pick up and move when we lived in a fabulous city with an amazing lakefront and skyline? The bottom line is that I missed my family and the Arctic winters were getting old.

And we love it more than we ever imagined we would. We ended up in the most perfect neighborhood and it gets better everyday. Z's school is great, the scenery is beautiful and eating gluten-free is pretty fun and easy. We live right intown and while it seems we live in a nice green, quite pocket of the city, we are also very close distance to anything we want or need. I love that right at this very moment, I am looking out my window into the fall-colored woods that surround our house, and watching two squirrels chase each other around a tree. The squirrels rule our yard!

That is not say I don't miss Chicago, I do! I miss my friends, I miss the beautiful architecture, I miss the city streets, I miss my favorite gluten-free cupcakes...but we are ready for this new adventure, with our wonderful memories of Chicago intact.

As a result of this big life-changing move, it only seems right to transfer my Examiner writing gig from Chicago to Atlanta. My Chicago articles will remain as they are, but now I will be writing about all the fun things I find in Atlanta. My focus will be intown Atlanta and Decatur, as well as interviewing local Atlantans about living gluten-free. I would love to hear any feedback and suggestions.

There is a permanent link to my Examiner site on the right of this blog, but you can also follow this link. Along with writing for Examiner, I will also continue to write for Celiac-Disease.com and my own blog.

Thanks for reading!

Hooray for Willy's!!

One of my favorite places in Atlanta to grab a quick and cheap meal was Willy's. Before moving here in August, I last lived in Atlanta 10 years ago, and back then I had no clue what gluten was and ate it all the time. Once I returned to Atlanta, I kept hearing that it wasn't safe to eat gluten-free at Willy's.

I thought I would find out myself, and emailed Willy's this summer, only to get this in response:

Willy’s prepares all food items in the restaurant. Provided below is a list of items to avoid

Rice, Black Beans, and Pinto Beans are made with a vegetable base that contains:

Ingredients: Vegetables (celery, onions, and carrots) hydrolyzed corn protein, salt, sugar, onion powder, autolyzed yeast extract, natural flavorings, corn starch, corn syrup solids, carrot powder, modified food starch, tomato paste, garlic powder, spices. turmeric

Tortillas and Chips: are not made in the restaurant

Ingredients: Corn Tortillas: ground corn, calcium propionate and carboxymethyl cellulose Flour Tortillas: wheat flour,( Enriched, bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid),water, margarine, (liquid soybean oil partially hydrogenated soybean oil water, salt, vegetable mono and diglyocrides, soy lecithin, potassium sorbateand citric acid (as preservatives), artificial flavor, beta carotene (color), vitamin A palmitate added) shortening (fully refined palm oil and BHT, BHA, and TBHO (to preserve freshness) contains less then 2%of salt, baking powder (sodium bicarbonate, corn phosphate) rice flour, guar gum, dextrose, cellulose gum, , potato starch, mono diglycrides, fumaric acid, calcium propionate (to maintain freshness), and sodium metab sulfite (dough conditioner).

Avoid fried food: oils may contain hydrolyzed plant or vegetable protein chips, and tofu are fried at Willy’s

Salsa and canned goods: Willy’s uses canned product in most of the salsas.

Canned Items: Salsa tomatoes, tomatillo, black olive, pickled jalapeño, roasted red pepper, and chipotle peppers. Avoid Chili d‘Arbo

Willy’s marinades: our marinades are made with fresh ingredients orange juice and pine nuts. Avoid the Adobe or spicy marinade is made with a chili powder.

As you can see this is totally confusing..it says on the top what to avoid, but then lists items that would seem safe....this really needs to be reworded. I was determined to get to the bottom of it, so after several back and forth communications with their marketing coordinator, I received this final word on what is safe and what is not at Willy's

Hi Anne,

I apologize once again for making this such a confusing issue. Since there were some conflicting opinions within Willy’s, we went to the manufacturers to verify. We do have an issue with our chili d’arbol sauce because the spices are made with a wheat based thickener. We are now working to have that switched to a non gluten spice and hope to have it rolled out within the next 1-2 months.

For now, the following items are not gluten free:

Chili d’Arbol sauce

Habanero salsa

Chipotle salsa

Cheese Dip

Flour tortillas

The other items listed have chili d sauce in them too. Once we are able to make this change, we will be completely gluten free except for flour tortillas. I will be glad to let you know or check back with us to confirm.

With this new confirmation, I went right out and had my first Willy's in 10 years and it was super yummy. I enjoyed a burrito bowl with tofu, and chips. I was bummed that I could not have the salsas (except for the tomatillo salsa) and cheese dip, but I will follow up to see when they change the wheat-based thickener to a gluten-free one.

Now, if only I could find out it is safe to eat at La Fonda....another one of my Atlanta favorites! If any of you successfully eat at La Fonda, please let me know.

scarf o'rama

I caved, I couldn't help myself, and it was worth every delicious meaty bite!

My life in Atlanta has been hectic to say the least. To say that trying settle into a routine with Z in kindergarten and a having house full of boxes has been overwhelming is an understatement. But today I took a nice break and met with up with fellow writer, at Celiac-disease.com, Tiffany Janes at Yeah! Burger here in Atlanta.

I was a bit skeptical at first being that I have not eaten much meat in years, but knowing they had grass-fed beef and bison made it seem more attractive, because if I am going to fall off the wagon, I am going to do it with some good, grass-fed, local meat. I checked out their menu beforehand, and saw they also serve a gluten-free bun, onion rings and fries. I was ready for this heart attack in a basket!

I decided on the beef burger with cheddar on a gluten-free bun with a side of half onion rings/half fries (be sure to specify you would like the gluten-free onion rings and fries or you will get gluten-filled versions). Their menu clearly states the buns are made in a dedicated facility and the onion rings and fries are made in a dedicated fryer.

I wasn't even sure how to handle my first bite of ground goodness after so much time. This is typically the last type of meat I would ever order, but I was looking forward to my first taste. And Yeah! baby it was good!

My fried sides were also pretty incredible, but the star of the plate was definitely the burger. Coupling this fabulous lunch with great conversation made for a lovely lunch date.

Unfortunately, I don't think the week's worth of calories is going to do me any favors at the beach this weekend...or trying to get into my bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding. Doh!

Bust a move

It is time to make a confession, the reason I have been so absent from my blog is because we are moving. I haven't wanted to talk about it too much in case I jinxed things, and of course that could still happen. But at the same time, I am feeling so guilty about not keeping up with my blog, I decided it was time to give a reason why. We are leaving Chicago for the durty South, we are headed to Atlanta. I will so miss the amazing city of Chicago, the people, the architecture, the neighborhoods, the food, the walkability and Lake Michigan, but we are ready for this change, and going to embrace it.

We spent the last 3 1/2 weeks in Atlanta looking for a place to live, and wow that was not an easy feat. We have lived in our house for almost 4 years, so apparently I didn't remember what it was like to look for a new living space. Not only did we have to find a place that we enjoy, but we also had to find a place in the right school zone for our daughter, which was never a factor before. But after looking at over 40 places in the sweltering heat and dragging Z from place to place, we finally found a place we love. Here is a glimpse of our amazing new backyard:

We will be living intown in a wonderful neighborhood full of gorgeous old houses and tall trees, with lots of bike paths and trails right out our door. It is hard to believe it is in the middle of the city. And the best part, there are lots of restaurants close by that I can easily eat gluten-free.

The last several weeks we ate out a lot, I think more than we have the last 2 years put together. I guess that is what happens when you don't have your kitchen. And in those 3 1/2 weeks, I ate out successfully every time without getting glutened...Chinese, Mexican, Italian, even Waffle House! Unfortunately, I did get glutened once and that happened on the 4th of July from chips and salsa that I bought from Whole Foods. The chips looked safe enough, the same ingredients of all other corn tortilla chips I buy, and I bought some of the Whole Foods pineapple mango salsa, which also looked pretty innocent...all I know is one of them was the guilty culprit, but I have no idea which one. It didn't seem like a risky snack, but I guess I was wrong. And let me tell you, having a gluten attack while waiting in traffic for the fireworks traffic to move is excruciating!

I have a lot of catching up to do, and a list of posts and articles to write that I hope to get done before the actual move, in a month. I did have a chance to review a couple of restaurants that you can check out here: Fuego Mundo, FIGO pasta and Jason's Deli, with lots more to come.