Food - Gluten Free AF

No Guilt Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

5/12/2015

This Coconut Milk Whipped Cream is totally guilt free, vegan and gluten free. It makes for the perfect topping to a dessert, or fresh berries. It is also very easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of full fat, gluten free coconut milk
• 1 tsp of organic gluten free agave nectar

Method:

Place your can of coconut milk in the fridge over night. The next day, open the can from the bottom and drain all of the liquid out. About 1/4 of the can will remain liquid, and the rest will have solidified. Scoop out the solid coconut milk and place in a large bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer for two minutes. Add in your organic agave nectar and continue to beat until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac

Organic, Gluten Free Open Faced Club Sandwich with Lemon Hummus

5/11/2015

TRY OUT THIS HEALTHY SPIN ON A DINER CLASSIC! THIS EASY-TO-MAKE ORGANIC CLUB SANDWICH IS A DELIGHTFUL AND HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE.

Ingredients:
• Canyon Bake House Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia
• Applegate Natural Sunday Bacon
• Organic, free range chicken breast, grilled
• Organic, gluten free hummus
• 1 organic lemon
• Vegenaise
• Organic arugula
• 1 organic avocado
• 1 organic Roma tomato

Method:
Cook chicken and bacon in separate pans and set aside. Slice and toast your Focaccia bread,
(I cut mine down so the slices are not so thick) and layer on Vegeniase and hummus. Cut a wedge of lemon, and squeeze over each slide of bread. Top with the grilled chicken, bacon and fresh veggies and serve!

— The Healthy Celiac

Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes For Mother's Day

5/7/2015

The Tasteful Pantry shared this awesome Mother's Day gluten free breakfast recipe with me and I had to re-post. It is a simple (kid and Dad-proof) recipe that is perfect for celebrating Mom this weekend. The recipe is free from sugar, and can be made savory or sweet depending on what you like. I personally like to top them with fresh fruit and coconut milk whip cream, but you can also go the bacon and egg route too. Added bonus, these crepes can easily be made dairy free.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 12 crepes):
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil plus additional for skillet
3/4 cup nonfat milk (or alternative milk like almond or coconut for non-dairy)
1 1/4 cups (or more if needed for consistency) water
1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD:

Place the flour in a medium bowl. While continuing to whisk, add in eggs, 1/4 cup oil, milk, 1 1/4 cups water, and salt.

Heat a 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; brush the pan with oil (not too much or the oil will start to spatter – be careful with the hot pan!)

Add 1/4 cupful batter to the pan; tilt it around to coat the entire bottom of the pan.

Cook the crepe until it’s golden on the bottom (you’ll have to lift a tiny bit of it up to peek), adjusting the heat down to prevent burning, 30 to 45 seconds.

Using a spatula, turn the crepe over. Using a wider spatula will make it easier to flip – don’t forget to be gentle! Cook another 30 seconds then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking crepes between sheets of plastic wrap.

Top with whatever toppings you think Mom will like! Get creative and have some fun with it!

— The Healthy Celiac

•photo via of The Tasteful Pantry

Frozen Dark Chocolate Covered Chia Flour Banana Pieces

4/27/2015

They may not look gorgeous, but these frozen dark chocolate covered chia flour banana bits are outrageously good. Inspired by the Trader Joe's version, these little bites will satisfy any sweet tooth. I pre-dipped the banana pieces into Cold Pressed White Chia Flour to add some extra fiber and make these a little healthier. For the chocolate, I used ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate baking chips and organic coconut oil — an easy and healthy alternative to using shortening in your dipping chocolate. You can also easy use vegan dark chocolate instead of 60% dark. The recipe takes about 30 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 package of ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon of organic coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons of Cold Pressed White Chia Flour (I order mine here)

Method:
• Cut up your three bananas into 3/4 inch slices.
• In a small saucepan, combine half of the package of chocolate chips and coconut oil. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Once chocolate is melted, dip each piece of banana in Cold Pressed White Chia Flour, and then dip in chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat until you have dipped all banana pieces. Place in the freezer for 1 hour to cool. Once cold, remove all banana pieces from the cookie sheet, and move into freezer safe container.

Enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac

Power Breakfast On-The-Go: Granola With Chia Flour And Almond Milk

4/24/2015

When I don't have time to eat a good breakfast / lunch (I'm never hungry first thing in the morning), I throw together a quick granola bowl. One cup of granola, topped with a table spoon of White Chia Flour and a little almond milk and I am good to go — and full a good four hours.

I like Purely Elizabeth or KIND Snacks granola best, because they are totally gluten free and vegan. I try to keep the granola serving to one cup max because the calories can creep up on you. The real star of this meal however is the White Chia Flour. I get mine from Richard Helfrich (along with all my other Celiac Protocol supplements).

White Chia Flour is a high-fiber, natural wholefood, which it is rich in antioxidants, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids beneficial for heart health. For anyone suffering from Celiac disease, IBS, Chrone's Disease or Colitis — or for those looking for an enhanced nutritional profile — Chia offers many benefits. It essentially acts like little scrub brushes on your upper and lower intestinal lining, helping to reduce inflammation. It also provides a large dose of much needed fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are usually lacking in a gluten free diet.

What makes this White Chia Flour different is the "Cold Fracture Process™" (CFP™), which unlocks all of the nutrients, protein, Omega-3 oils, fiber and antioxidants by fracturing the seed hull barrier. Thus, unlocking the nutrition contained inside by creating higher bio-availability as compared to the raw seed. By using the CFP™, none of the dense nutrition or any of the Omega-3 oil is lost.

I highly recommend giving White Chia Flour a try, it has made a big difference in my health over the last six months I have been using it!

— The Healthy Celiac

Vegan Avocado Cream

4/20/2015

I am a big fan of sauces — on salad, tacos, veggies, whatever. I love a good sauce. I also have a deep passion for avocados, so it was a no-brainer to make this vegan avocado cream. A super quick sauce to whip up, this avocado cream stores very well in the fridge for a few days so you can add it to whatever meals you create. I especially like it because it contains olive oil, so it doesn't have a distinct guacamole taste (not that there is anything wrong with that). It pairs really well with almost any salad!

Recipe makes approximately 1 cup of Avocado Cream

Ingredients:
• 1 large ripe organic avocado
• 1.5 tbsp of Vegenaise
• 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil
• A pinch of sea salt (I use himalayan pink salt)
• A few drops of fresh squeezed lime juice

Method: Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve or store in the fridge. Enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac

10 Products You May Not Know Are Gluten Free

4/11/2015

Finding a gluten free product that you never knew was safe, is an exciting discovery in the world of a Celiac. Here are ten (healthy-ish) gluten free grocery store products that you may not know are gluten free. Have other random product discoveries? Let us know in the comments below!

1. Skinny Girl Margaritas — They use ingredients that are not derived from gluten and therefore are gluten-free.
2.Jelly Bellies — Labeled gluten free, they are also peanut free, dairy free, fat free and vegetarian friendly.
3. A1 Steak Sauce — Not labeled gluten free, but made by Kraft who clearly labels all gluten ingredients.
4. Orville Redenbacher Gourmet Naturals Popcorn — All gluten free varieties will be labeled, gluten free.
5. Beef / Chicken / Vedgetable Broth from Pacific — Most of their soup is also gluten free.
6. Simply Natural Organic pasta sauces — All sauces are gluten free.
7. Terra Vegetable Chips — Should be labelled gluten free.
8. Califia Farms Almond Milk, Creamer and Cold Brew Coffee — All of these products are marked gluten free
9. Welch's Fruit Snacks — These snacks are labelled gluten free.
10. Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Noodle Kit — Many Thai Kitchen products are labelled gluten free.

As always, please use your own discretion when selecting gluten free products, and always be sure to read labels.

— The Healthy Celiac

Benefits Of Lemon And Cucumber Water

3/31/2015

I'm a huge advocate of drinking lots and lots of water. I like to slice up fresh organic lemons and cucumbers every day and add them to the reusable Starbucks cup that is permanently glued to my hand. Not only does the combo of lemon and cucumber taste great, it has major detoxifying benefits as well.

First reason to flavor your H2o is that lemons and cucumbers are both alkaline forming foods that will balance your body's PH levels. Disease cannot thrive in an alkaline body.

Second, this combo offsets some of the damage we do to our bodies from drinking alcohol. Citrus flavonoids found in the lemons stimulate and purify the liver.

Third, lemons are a loaded with Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, which aids the body in weight loss. Antioxidants are known to remove toxins (such as fat cells) from the body, which is why lemon water is such a good aid in weight loss.

Fourth, cucumbers and lemons both contain anti-oxidants that act as an immune system booster. These same antioxidants also help your skin stay clear and beautiful.

Fifth, cucumbers aid in reducing blood pressure, and thus reduce your risk for a number of diseases like stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, or vision loss. By drinking cucumber water you’re staying hydrated, and helping your blood pressure thanks to the 4% DV of potassium cucumbers contain.

So slice up and enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac

12 Fridge Staples For Quick And Healthy Lunches

3/31/2015

For someone with celiac disease, making a quick lunch isn't as easy as whipping up a sandwich. I always keep these 12 salad ingredients on hand for this very reason. These simple grocery store items offer endless ways to create great salads. I especially love these ingredients because they don't make my salads soggy when I prepare them ahead of time. Here are my go-to items that I keep stocked in my fridge each week for lunches:

• A big box of greens — I prefer arugula
• An English cucumber
• 7 roma tomatoes
• 2 containers of gluten free hummus — my favorite substitute for traditional dressing
• 4 avocados (in a variety of ripeness)
• A bottle of Follow Your Heart Vegan Creamy Garlic sauce — a yummy dressing that doesn't make salad soggy
• A can of tuna
• 2 large organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts — I cook these ahead of time
• A bottle of sriracha sauce (combine with Vegenaise to make this awesome sauce)
• A can of chickpeas — these are great if you want to make your salad vegan
• A bottle of Vegenaise -— perfect for sauces and combining with tuna
• A bag of short grain brown rice — I pre-make 2 cups and keep it in the fridge

I use these 12 ingredients to whip up all kinds of salad bowls — there are literally endless combinations. In the above photo I combined tuna and Vegenaise and threw it on a bed of arugula and topped it with fresh veggies and hummus. For all those who are busy, or at a loss as to how keep lunch time healthy, try experimenting with these 12 grocery store staples to create your own salad bowls.

— The Healthy Celiac

The Sauce I'm Putting On Everything: Creamy Vegan Sriracha

3/30/2015

Lately I have been homemaking this creamy vegan sriracha sauce, and I have been putting it on everything! The recipe for it is very simple:

• 1 tbsp of Vegenaise®
• 1 tsp of gluten free sriracha sauce
• 1/2 tsp of olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

I mix up this sauce and then put it on salad, chicken, fish — just about anything I happen to be cooking up. Pictured above is a veggie and rice bowl tossed in creamy vegan sriracha sauce and topped with fresh arugula and hummus. It's super easy to keep the ingredients for this sauce in the fridge, and only takes about two minutes to make. I buy my sriracha sauce from Whole Foods, and it is labeled gluten free.

Enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac