Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free Tuna Casserole

I LOVE the crock pot - it's the best way to "cook," so I was thrilled to create this wheat-free, dairy-free dish. Feel free to experiment with seasoning on this one (not my specialty).

10 oz. brown rice pasta, boiled for 8 min. (so not fully cooked) and drained. (Try Trader Joe's.)
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 T garlic salt
3 T Tofutti cream cheese
8 oz. rice milk
2 cans Albacore tuna

Boil rice pasta for 8 minutes, drain and place in bottom of crock pot. Saute onion, celery stalk and olive oil. Add 1 T garlic salt. Once golden grown, add rice milk and Toffuti. Stir until Tofutti is mixed in. Add tuna. Mix well. Pour mixture on top of pasta in crock pot. Add 1 T garlic. Heat on low for 3.5 hours. Season as necessary.

Happy Eating!
Heather :)

Travel Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free and Low Sugar

Recently, I had to fly into the Windy city to cover a tradeshow. Long hours and a long flight typically equals no possible way to eat wheat-free, dairy-free and low sugar. Especially on the airplane. You're lucky if you even get water when you're at 30,000 feet.

So, this time I decided to be prepared. I packed snacks, snacks and more snacks, and guess what? I survived both the flight there and back, and had food left over. Since eating while working the show was out of the question, my snackage also came in handy. One tip: make sure you pack enough Odwalla or Cliff bars, I didn't anticipate that there would be no time for breakfast, so I could have used more of those.

Here's a list to get you started for your next trip:
-Cliff or Odwalla bars for breakfast or meal replacement
-Luna or Larabars for snacks and "dessert" :)
-Trail mix - I make my own since I'm picky. Go to the bulk foods section and get a fruit mix and then add the nuts of your choice.
-Almonds or other heart-healthy nuts (cashews are another fave!)
-Corn and flax chips - discovered these in the bulk food section of Winco. The best! Any type of small corn chip (no trans fats though) will do, these had a healthier punch with the flax.
-Apples
-Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Do you have a "must" when it comes to travel food? Leave your comments here with tips for our readers.

Happy Eating!
Heather :)

Gluten-Free Culinary Summit April 5-6, 2008

Maybe someday we'll have a wheat-free, dairy-free and low sugar summit, but until then there's the Gluten-Free Culinary Summit April 5-6 in Denver. Can you imagine - two days filled with new recipes, gourmet dishes and hundreds of like-minded souls? Sounds like a lot of fun to me (esp. the eating part). If you attend, please let me know how it was. And bring back yummy recipes.

Check out this recipe for gluten-free fruit muffins (from the chef at Canyon Ranch!).

2008 Essential Gluten-free Restaurant Guide

Just received my copy of TriumphDining's The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide. It's in its 3rd Edition! How cool is that?

Besides the listings - which do clue me in on gluten-free offerings I didn't know about - there's also helpful information about eating out gluten-free. Even for those of us that have been eating this way for years, there are some great reminders and checklists included in the guide.

There's also a beautiful four-color section of ads from gluten-free vendors. But, I'd love to see coupons in the back next year! Hint, hint. Wouldn't it be cool to have an entertainment book filled with gluten-free, dairy-free and low-sugar coupons? Someone needs to get on that...

I also received some of their cool dining cards, for eating out internationally. You can hand your server or hostess (upon entering the restaurant) a card explaining - in their native tongue - that you cannot eat gluten-free. I'm headed to Paris in September and can't wait to use my French card. Have you used the dining cards - what's been your experience? Leave your comment here.

Happy Eating!
Heather :)

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Brownies are DELICIOUS!

I'm a girl who loves her brownies. In fact, forget about the birthday cake, I want a stack of moist brownies with vanilla rice ice cream on top.

So imagine my glee when I discovered Trader Joe's gluten-free brownies. Yummy! And the best part, they're super easy to make - only add 1 egg, oil and water. One note - be sure to make them in an 8x8 pan, otherwise they're pretty thin. Oh, and don't be afraid to add walnuts or carob chips.

BTW - if you live near a Trader Joe's, always go there first for wheat-free, dairy-free and low sugar foods. You'll get the best deal and the staff is always uber helpful.

Happy Eating!
Heather :)

Gluten Freeda Online Cooking Magazine for Wheat-Free Eating

Just discovered this handy resource and wanted to share it with you - Gluten Freeda. While, wheat intolerance foodies can still enjoy spelt and sprouted grains (unlike Celiacs), we can still benefit from gluten-free resources. Check this out and let me know what you think. I dig the site design, but I'm still trying to figure out what "freeda" means. Maybe it's Greek for something. :)

Enjoy!
Heather