6th Annual Gluten Free Food Fair: May 19, 2012; Grand Rapids, MI

It's Spring and it's time to mark your calendars for the 2012 Gluten-free Food Fair in Grand Rapids, MI.  I attended last year and it was a GREAT event.  Read about some of my favorite products from last year and an interview with event coordinator Nancy Spears, as well.  She comes to this event with a great deal of personal experience, and The Anchor Baptist Church does a fantastic job getting great vendors to the event.  It will be interesting to see how the vendor's knowledge of "gluten-free" and "cross-contamination" has evolved as well.  It's a learning curve for everyone.  I was struck by Nancy's statement about the beginning of her own learning curve:

"I have spent years unknowingly poisoning my husband, my three daughters, and one of my sons with homemade pancakes, waffles, cookies, and cakes . . . I understand the feelings that many of you go through as your children are diagnosed celiac. Twelve years ago, I cried in the pasta isle at a local Meijer store and read labels until I could hardly see."  ~Nancy Spears

About This Year's Event

When:  Saturday, May 19 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Where:  the DeltaPlex Arena and Conference Center located at 2500 Turner NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Anchor Baptist Church presents the 2012 Gluten Free Food Fair, on Saturday, May 19th at the DeltaPlex Arena and Conference Center located at 2500 Turner NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The purpose of this free event is to increase awareness of Celiac Disease while learning about and sampling gluten free products. A large variety of products will be available for purchase.

Many special opportunities are available at this free event: speak with vendors and restaurant representatives; attend a variety of conferences: Gluten Free 101 and Celiac & Diabetes led by Anne Lee, Schar’s dietitian; Gluten Free and Healthy by Shari Steinbach, Meijer’s dietician; and Healthy Living –Gluten Free by Allison Reed, Spartan’s dietician; and meet Miss Grand Valley, Alexa Allor, whose platform is celiac awareness.

A Few Stats on Celiac Disease

Current statistics are that 1 in 133 people have celiac disease. The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center on their website states that “97% of celiac disease sufferers are undiagnosed”. It continues with: “The number of Americans with celiac disease would fill 936 cruise ships. Passengers on 908 of the ships won’t know they have it.”

About Anchor Baptist Church

Anchor Baptist Church has a passion for bringing people out of the darkness and into the light, spiritually and physically. To assist the growing gluten free community with the complexities of life, Anchor will be launching “Bread 4 Life Ministry”, which will begin with a nine week support group giving tools for restoring health, hope, and relationships.
More information about Anchor Baptist Church and its ministries can be found at http://www.myanchorbaptist.org.

Recipe: Vegetable Chili

This recipe is from Chef Jenny Brewer, guest contributor to the Tender Palate.  See her meal planning article that includes this Vegetarian Chili, and how you can plan your week around it.

Ingredients

 Serves 6

This chili is easy to make, low in fat and loaded with protein and fiber.  It is inexpensive, filling and makes great leftovers.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups (about 4 ounces) fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 Tablespoon cumin powder

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo, minced

2 Tablespoons tomato paste (save rest of can in another container)

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, not drained

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Put it Together

Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add garlic and onion; saute for a minute or two, then add peppers, mushrooms and zucchini, saute for a few more minutes, then add seasonings and tomato paste, stirring to make sure tomato paste is dissolved.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes (or longer, this is a great recipe for a crockpot!) and serve.

About Chef Jenny Brewer

Chef Jenny Brewer is passionate about making healthy foods flavorful and fun. For free recipes and more meal plan information, visit www.jennybrewer.com.

More from Chef Jenny

Not Your Mamma's Chocolate Mousse Tart (super allergen-free)

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup (Vegan, DF, GF, Soy-free, Nut-free)

Plan Your Meals, Change Your Life! 

A Day of Meals for Tender Foodies!

Soy-, Dairy-, Gluten-, Nut-, and Egg-free

 

In keeping with the meal planning tips from Chef Jenny Brewer, here is the article I wrote for Women's Lifestyle Magazine's March Foodie issue.  This day of meals is free of the top 8 allergens and then some.

Variety is a "Must Have"

Variety is the spice of life.  Did you know that variety is also necessary for a healthy body? As we eat, each nutrient performs a set of very specific, highly complex tasks that keep us walking, talking and vibrant. Our bodies use magnesium, for instance, in over 300 biochemical reactions (according to The National Institutes of Health*).  

When you have multiple food allergies, it isn’t so easy to find the food that you need to be fabulous. You have to reject some habits and learn to cook new and different foods. Recipes that require no adaptation are scarce. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an entire day’s worth of recipes that are free of the top 8 most common allergens?  I asked Jenny Brewer, nutritionist and chef, to lend a hand in this delicious one-day meal plan.  Each recipe, even the dessert, is packed with nutrients.  Give it a try!

Quinoa Power Breakfast

From Elisabeth Veltman

See original post on tenderpalate.com


Prep Time:  5 Min.
Cook Time:  15 Min.
Serves:  2-4

Soak 1 cup of quinoa in water for 5 minutes. Run through a very fine strainer until the water is clear. Place quinoa into a medium to large saucepan. Add to 2 1/4 cups of water and bring the entire mixture to boil. Then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. White halos will appear around the grains when the quinoa is done. Keep a little liquid in the cereal to soak up the flax seed.

Add in 1/2 cup of ground flax seed.
Add 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon (add more, to taste)
Organic black raisins, organic dried cherries or cranberries
Continue cooking for 1 more minute until the flavors are mixed and the raisins warm.
Spoon into bowls with fresh strawberries, sliced (or your favorite fruit).
Top with 1 or 2 TBS of real maple syrup.  (Grade B or C.  No high fructose corn syrup should be anywhere on the label.)
 
Leftovers will keep 2-3 days. 

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

From Chef Jenny Brewer

See original post on tenderpalate.com

Prep Time:  
20 Min.
Cook Time:  
35 Min.
Serves 6-8


1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 28-can whole plum tomatoes
1-cup water or vegetable stock
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
1 dried chipotle pepper (smoked jalapeño), seeded and chopped (easiest to do with scissors)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, pepper, garlic, and sweet potato chunks. Sauté, stirring often, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
 Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Add water or stock, beans, chipotle, cumin, and chili powder, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Lamb Chops

Adapted from About.com

See original post on tenderpalate.com

Prep Time: 12 Min.
Cook Time: 16 Min.
Yield: Serves 2 to 4


4 loin lamb chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)

 
Preparation:
Combine the vinegar, rosemary, garlic and salt in a large glass bowl (or an 8x8 shallow pan). Slowly drizzle and simultaneously which in the olive oil. Place chops in bowl and turn repeatedly to coat well. You could put all of the contents into a Ziploc bag, too. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Once marinated, remove chops from fridge and bring to room temperature (15 minutes). Preheat grill or grill pan for medium-high heat. Remove chops from marinade and place on a lightly oiled grill rack. Cook for 8 minutes on each side. Remove from heat, and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.  Serve.

Not Your Mama’s Chocolate Mousse Tart

From Chef Jenny Brewer

See the original post on tenderpalate.com

Crust

1 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted*
½ cup popped millet**
½ cup raisins
1/3 cup dates, pitted
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 4 Tablespoons water and left to gel for 3-5 minutes           
Pinch of salt
In a food processor bowl, pulse pumpkin seeds and millet until seeds are ground. Add raisins, dates and pinch of salt and chop until everything is ground together. Add in flax mixture and pulse until sticky. Wet your fingers and press the mixture into 8-inch pie pan and keep refrigerated while you prepare the filling.

Chocolate Mousse Filling

2 LARGE ripe Haas Avocados 
(if your avocados are small, add another avocado or more and adjust the ingredients, since avocados vary quite a bit in size.)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
3-4 TBS maple syrup (taste after 3 and add to taste)
1 TBS vanilla extract 
Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Spread into crust and chill until ready to serve.

If you would like more naughtiness, double the filling for a more voluptuous tart.

*To toast pumpkin seeds, place them in a dry skillet over medium high heat, stirring until brown, about 5-7 minutes, being very careful not to burn.

**To pop millet, place in a dry, hot skillet over medium heat and stir constantly until you hear consistent popping.  Don’t burn.

Visit the recipes on www.tenderpalate.com for videos and more information.

About Elisabeth Veltman

Writer, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table. Find her at www.tenderpalate.com.

Golf Pro Michelle Wie Goes Gluten-free

Wie Inspired by Djokovic

Last Thursday, Michelle Wie, the U.S. golf champion and phemo, announced to the Tapei Times that she has gone gluten-free.  Her choice was inspired by Tennis Champ, Novak Djokovic.  In March, Djokovic announced that a gluten free diet was a key reason that his tennis game has improved so dramatically over the course of that season. 

The Tapei Times quoted Wie:

“I am allergic to everything in this world, I don’t really digest food very well . . . so I just thought maybe if I cut out gluten, I can feel better because I heard that it causes inflammation, everything ... but it’s been week three and I feel a big difference.”

Wei began her career at 16 and is currently going to Stanford.  She mentioned that she has no trouble balancing her class load at Stanford with her golf career. 

“You know, my joints don’t feel sore as much, I digest food a lot better, my hands feel less swollen so I feel really good,” she said.

 The Wall Street Journal wrote about Djokovic's rise from January 2011 to May 2011:

Djokovic's season has gone from good to great to outrageously, impossibly, unrealistically phenomenal.

Recent Studies Conducted Because of Gluten-based Illnesses

This is further evidence that supports Dr. Alessio Fasano's findings that no human being can properly digest gluten. The Tender Palate interviewed Dr. Fasano in December to help the general public become aware of and better understand his resarch.

Gliadin is a strange protein that our enzymes can’t break down from the amino acids (glutamine and proline) into elements small enough for us to digest.  Our enzymes can only break down the gliadin into peptides.  Peptides are too large to be absorbed properly through the small intestine. 

 As with Djokovic, It will be interesting to watch Michelle Wie throughout this year's performance.  It will also be interesting to see how the medical, research, marketing and farming industries behave as more celebrities and athletes adopt this diet. 

Read the articles and interviews with Dr. Fasano

Interview w/ Dr. Alessio Fasano (Part 1):  Should No One Eat Gluten?

Interview w/ Dr. Alessio Fasano (Part 2):  How to Get Tested for Celiac Disease

Interview w/ Dr. Alessio Fasano (Part 3):  Gluten Sensitivity, A New Food Allergy

RECIPE: Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup (Vegan, DF, GF, Nut-free, Soy-free)

Here is another great recipe from Chef Jenny Brewer, that uses the winter powerhouse called "Sweet Potato".  Chef Jenny will start guest blogging for us in March (2012), with cooking tips and recipes for Tender Foodies of all kinds.  I'm very excited to have Chef Jenny lending her expertise! 

Prep

Serves 6-8
Preparation Time:  
20 mins
Cooking time:  
35 mins

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 anaheim pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs),peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 28-can whole plum tomatoes

1 cup water or vegetable stock

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained

1 dried chipotle pepper (smoked jalepeno), seeded and chopped (easiest to do with scissors)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Recipe

Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, pepper, garlic, and sweet potato chunks. Saute, stirring often, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon.  Add water or stock, beans, chipotle, cumin, and chili powder, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.  Stir in cilantro and serve.

About Chef Jenny Brewer

Jenny Brewer is a nutritionist and chef who believes eating healthy should be easy, delicious and fun! She inspires individuals to stay committed to eating healthy with her free healthy eating resource, Tasty Bites with Chef Jenny available at www.jennybrewer.com.

More Recipes from Chef Jenny

Not Your Mamma's Chocolate Mousse Tart (super allergen-free, healthy & delish, delish, delish)