Andy's Idea Factory

Not your typical stuffing, this recipe was inspired by reading several other vegan recipes but ultimately governed by what we had in the cabinets and fridge, and both Craig and I were pleased with the result. If you've been reading my blogs you know I've been gluten free since 2008. I have been experimenting with gluten free beads and sampling bakers since then and am recently very pleased with The Gluten Free Explorer (found at Natural Grocers), and their breadcrumbs are in this recipe. But the quinoa is a nice touch, it gives it a fluffier result I think, and having both gives it balance. The fruit is new for me but I like it! I love cranberries and how great to put them in stuffing! The apples stayed crisp and also add so much flavor. The celery and kale are a great combo, giving the color of this dish a spectacular look for the holidays! Let's get to it! (All veg organic and chopped fine) 2 cups cooked tricolor quinoa 2 cups Gluten Free Explorer Breadcrumbs 1 red...

Throughout my decade of being gluten free, I had never heard this before, but recently at a friends house, I heard a rumor that the gluten in bread breaks down in the process of fermentation with sourdough. The study that this rumor has seemingly sprouted from was done on just 15 subjects in Italy. I won't get into how the wheat in the US is far different from the wheat in Europe, but suffice it to say, it's not the same. At first, this rumor was exciting. Could I actually have bread again? I was sure willing to try! So I took a chunk of my friends long-aged sourdough starter, fed it for a few days (that's the fun part!), and made some sourdough bread! Much to my dismay, the answer is no, I can not, but it sure was an exciting thought! I've been GF long enough to know the immediate physical sensations when I'm going to have a reaction, and I don't press my luck. I had a small piece of this DELICIOUS bread and gave it away, knowing full well tha...

Traveling gives me such joy  –  to be out exploring the world and it's many cultures, people, vistas- makes my heart sing. But as someone who has struggled for over a decade with food sensitivities, weight fluctuation due to a thyroid condition, and committed to eating a healthy, plant-based diet, traveling can indeed be a challenge. Whether there is a language barrier or not, often what I'm looking for simply isn't on the menu  –  vine ripe, organic, plant-based food. So if you're new to this way of life and type of eating, you may say "oh screw it," when you're on the road.  But if you're wise to why you're eating this way  –  for mind, body and spirit  –  then you may notice that you're more tired, touchy, emotional, sore, restless, and overall just not yourself. Or you may even suffer from physical symptoms, which are perhaps the root of why you're eating this way (IBS, gas, bloating, pain, inflammation, etc.) The day that I shif...

I've embarked on my 30 days without sugar and want to first report on the date crystals from a date farm in Arizona.  While I wean myself off the sweet addiction, dates are going to be my sweet treat anyway, but I was excited to start finding recipes with the date sugar substitute. Eventually I hope to steer clear of grains all together, but the date sugar intrigued me, and I'm a baker by DNA, so fully grain-free is a stretch. In a 2013 Virginia Tech biochemistry study ranking the health of the 12 most popular sweeteners by antioxidant content, date sugar ranked the healthiest. Flourless banana bread from Chocolate Covered Katie The first two recipes I went for were banana and zucchini breads - both gluten free, one vegan, one with eggs. After looking at several top rank options based on ingredients, the banana bread recipe I went with was from Chocolate Covered Katie .  The foundation for this recipe is GF Oat Flour, calls for honey, not date sugar, and is entire...

My lesson learned in the last four years is that only YOU will advocate the most for your health. Only YOU know your body best. Know when something is wrong, despite negative tests, medical brush-offs, and a lot of "yeah I have that too, nothing helps." Keep searching for the answer, because healing is within your power, and starts from within. Hypothyroidism  30 million women and 15 million men are affected by a low thyroid - known as hypothyroidism - caused by toxic environments, stress, and a poor food system. Four or five years ago (lost track) my the symptoms started with swollen, painful joints, which lead to the discovery of a gluten intolerance, so I cut out wheat, but the symptoms eventually returned about a year later. So then I cut out all grains, then sugar, then caffeine. Nothing made me feel better, just deprived. I was put on Vitamin D. Vitamin B. Nettles. Apple Cider Vinegar. Probiotics. Nothing made me feel better, just over medicated. I tried more e...

I've found some amazing blogs out there that I thought to share, as I've found some great recipes here after 6 months on the SCD diet and getting bored with the few staple things I make weekly (granola, muffins, yogurt and smoothies, cottage cheese), salads, and restrictions.  I am craving bread again. And due to my latest class and needing to lead by example, I am losing my interest in meat's low vibrational energy.  So I went on the hunt for recipes that were grain free and meat free. I know, I know, what the heck does that leave? Well, I found some excellent options. I have found kindred spirits out there in these blogs, and know if you're reading this, you are one too. Enjoy! http://www.againstallgrain.com Love this girl! Fish tacos! Meringue Cookies! Bread! Pizza! Yes. There's a lot there to love. http://www.nourishingmeals.com Grain free, sugar free, and vegan chocolate brownie cupcakes. OMG. http://www.grainfreeliving.com Educational too - a list...

If there's one thing that people on restrictive diets complain about, it's attending public functions and being able to eat holistically.  And the reverse goes the same- when someone I know is hosting a party I'm attending, they're always worried about how they can feed me.  Here are some things to think about if you're either person, struggling with hosting or attending a public function.  Whether you're the dieter or the host, your tummy and your friends' tummies will thank you for taking a moment to include these few tips.  For the Dieter: Be honest:  Tell it like it is.  Don't be ashamed of your special needs, but don't be a pest about it either.  If they ask, let them know what you can't eat, and if they don't ask, kindly suggest some of the options below. Whether your reason is weight, medical, or just a life choice, everyone is different, and it's ok to state your differences. Be proactive:  Always travel with something. ...

As you know, I do my research.  I have three amazing women helping me clear out my food allergies, gut issues, and body in general (liver, lungs, emotional trauma) but there's a reason we know our bodies best and should listen to them - no two patients are the same.  And no two practitioners are the same.  Because mine are from three completely different schools of teaching (India, China, US), I am certainly getting some mixed messages while I'm clearing.  So that leads me to doing my favorite - research. Take vinegar at night to clear out the liver? Well supposedly not a good idea if I'm a Pitta. Take supplements to build good enzymes? Not if several of their ingredients are on no list. Take acidophilus instead of making my own yogurt? Nope, contains inulin. Take aloe juice to cool and clear out? (All three said this one!) SCD says no, plain and clear:  http://pecanbread.com/new/Sup1.htm ~ A great resource list at the Kids & SCD blog.  I was ev...

After 2.5 years on a strict gluten-free diet and showing only marginal improvement to my skin condition of psoriasis, (although pain free from psoriatic arthritis), my naturopathic doctor has recommended the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). I had grown frustrated with the worsening allergic reactions I was having to several new foods, and went in for a checkup about two months ago, seeing both my naturopath and a new acupuncturist.  For me this reaction is severe joint pain and swelling on my right side, and I am so sensitive to gluten that now anything made in a factory with gluten - as well as all "inflammatory" foods such as soy and the "nightshades" family now - gives me this reaction. Both docs agreed I should go off the nightshades, refined sugars, and soy, and add some acupuncture, Chinese herbs and natural remedies (aloe juice, apple cider vinegar, and more) to my daily rituals to enduce some intestinal healing.  Since then I have seen a 50% reduction i...

Even though I'm a good baker and love to be in the kitchen, I still love the ease of a ready-made gluten free kit.  Many of my friends who want to go gluten-free complain about the high costs of buying several different types of flours, starches, along with xanthum gum, and they're right, it's a pain in the butt to keep up. Half the time I go into my cupboard, it seemed like I was missing one of the four key ingredients.  So over the past year I've been taste-testing some goodies around the country and have some to share for those who have recently decided to go off wheat/gluten, or for those who, like me, get tired of making everything from scratch. When the temps drop, I love to start baking again, and these mixes have made it into my cabinet, and will surely repeat themselves soon! Purely Elizabeth Apple Spice Muffin Mix Whole Foods I'm not vegan, so I went with the egg over the applesauce and went with the coconut oil over the veggie oil. Truly delicious ...

It's no wonder this company has the word "great" in the business's name; I've been sampling their products for over a week now and am astonished, truly taken aback, that they are actually gluten free. We've ordered Joan's everything bagel, plain bagel, and english muffins, all with great texture, perfect substituted-flour ratio, and delicious flavor; and after a year of being off these favorite glutenous baked goods, it's sure awesome to have them back! What makes Joan's goods unique is that they arrive frozen in a dry-ice container and are only partially baked (if at all?), so you are instructed to let them defrost (or nuke-defrost) and bake them for twenty minutes at 425. This way you're not toasting and reabaking the bagel or muffin (and reducing the quality of their texture in my opinion), you're actually getting hot, fresh baked goods right from your own oven. Other than Udi's bread, I haven't found anything that actually tast...

I promise to take a few weeks off from cooking-talk after this one, so as to not cram my gluten free life down your necks... but these two recipes were made in the K-house last night, and are just too darn good not to share! Although these recipes are both a little more labor-intensive than I normally go for, they're WELL worth the extra work/time. Steps: Start the cookie dough the night before, letting it soak up all the flavors through the night. Start your enchiladas the next morning, making your house smell amazing all day. Bake the cookies while you're eating (they take longer than most cookies). This is a great meal to make for a very busy-day schedule, come home to a 2-minute dinner and dessert! Recipe #1: Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Prevention recipe) INGREDIENTS: 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders 2 Tablespoons chicken broth 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1 can of Rotel tomatoes and jalepenos mix 1 cup whole ...

After way too many comments at the Superbowl party I have decided to post the well-received Gluten Free Cornbread recipe I found. It's loaded in sugar and I when I asked if I should cut that down when I made it again, the troops screamed in opposition. Apparently that must be what makes it so good! I must give credit to CookinOnThePrairie for the original, but the recipe actually called for sugar substitute like Splenda. I don't use chemicals either, so I've adjusted it a little to compensate. Also see my additions if you don't have the G-Free special ingredients. . . This went great with both the Mexican Chili and Buffalo Chili we had for the Superbowl, sure wish there were leftovers!! Ingredients 1/2 cup rice flour 1/4 cup tapioca flour *(sub rice or other gfree flour mix like Arrowhead OK) 1/4 cup potato starch *(sub corn starch OK) 1 cup cornmeal 2/3 cup sugar 3/4 cup light olive oil 2 eggs 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 t...

For those of you who know me well, I don't usually like to make anything that comes out of a box, tube, or packet... but I've been gluten free only since June and am experimenting with recipes so often, that I've found it nice to try the bread mixes from a box. I've tried three so far, and am happy to report my findings... so far all of these are available at Whole Foods and in multi-packs on Amazon. YUM! 1) Gluten Free Pantry's favorite sandwich bread was just that- so far the best slicing and firm- texture (ie. best hold for a sandwhich). The flavor was the staple white-bread flavor- something I ironically haven't had in my house in years. We switched to nutty wheat breads ages ago for the health factor, and I'm actually quite glad to go back to white bread for PB&J's. Yum. My first notice on this one was that the top sunk about 1/4". Perhaps high altitude, perhaps I just need to try again- either way, it still worked great for sammies, egg...

I'm a proud Italian, so one of the things I've missed the most since going gluten free is pasta. I know there is "rice pasta" out there, but I've yet to try it; my regular store doesn't carry it, and I just haven't gone out of my way yet to find it. I will; but I also own my own pasta maker so I plan to try that, and in the meantime I have always loved making- and eating!- gnocchi the best. Having a potato base and not many other ingredients, gnocchi is a pretty easy recipe to alter for gluten-free. So today I ventured into the kitchen to try out a recipe I found on the Celiac home site (from Paula Santos), but as usual, I've decided to alter it, and am happy with the results. This recipe also doesn't call for milk, with margarine instead. My bible Italiana - the Silver Spoon - has eight gnocchi recipes in it, and the Gnocchi Alla Bava is without milk, also using butter. So I gave this recipe the ok- the rest call for a LOT of milk, and I...

Recently I've been putting my researching brain cells to work on studying the Gluten Free way of life. Since the age of 14 I have had psoriasis, and recently it's been showing signs of progression to psoriatic arthritis, a progression that occurs in about 20-40% of the cases (studies are still incomplete, although the reverse is 80% of PA patients have had psoriasis, so the two are definitely linked). I've been tested for allergies in the 1980s (none), and I'm a pretty natural consumer as well, so I don't use body products with harmful ingredients like parabens or sulfates. Herbal and homeopathic remedies and dead sea salts have all helped reduce my inflammations, but have never eliminated the disorder completely. I was vegetarian for 7 years in the 1990s, and that never cleared up my psoriasis either. Because of its progression I've started researching the diet and how it relates to the disorder, and stumbled upon several articles and studies that now link...