Attention Celiacs! THIS is How You Eat Pasta

This gluten-free pasta recipe is a party in your mouth, so prepare to get down.

I’m sure it’s fab that I’ve ditched that starch on a regular basis now that I can’t have 90% of the pasta out in the universe. But when I want to get my pasta on, I go for it. Which is why I highly recommend this completely insane recipe for Pasta & Brie Magic (I just named it that!).

An awesome friend of mine first brought this olive oily, cheese-filled dish over to my house a few years ago — before I knew that regular old pasta could eventually kill me — and I was blown away. She didn’t have a recipe written down, but emailed some vague instructions which I’ve since experimented with and discovered the right mix. Before you dig into the recipe, and have a heart attack just by reading how much brie is involved, remember the note my bud gave to me: It never turns out too cheesy, but it can turn out too oily.

Now let’s talk about pasta. We are unbelievably lucky to live in a time where people make gluten-free pasta out of everything from quinoa to corn. You’re going to need to experiment until you find your favorite grain, and your favorite brand. I’m digging on Le Veneziane made in Italy right now. My entire family says it tastes exactly like normal gluten-filled pasta, and I totally agree. It’s made from corn flour, which I usually don’t love, but these Italians do know their noodles, and it blows away the competition.

Also, a gluten-free pasta cooking tip: No matter what the package says, unless I’m going for serious al dente, I always need to cook it a few minutes longer.

Here’s what you should be slathering all over that awesome g-free pasta:

Gluten-Free Cooking Class Might Make a Vegan Outta’ Me

Ladies Who Lunch (GF- & Vegan-style)

But not today.

Happy Memorial Day everybody! Hopefully you had some burgers alongside your gratitude for our nation’s men and women of the military. I did consider skipping the beef in honor of my awesome cooking class I took this weekend with the sisters of Spork. But I’m a weak woman. I’m just getting the hang of giving up gluten, anything else might put me over the edge. The edge of what, you may ask? The edge of darkness, my friends. That edge.

But let me tell you what I learned at Spork, alongside my sister-in-law, Amy, who was kind enough to use her birthday gift to learn more about cooking gluten-free. Yes, she is rad.

I Ate That: Best Gluten-Free Crackers

Welcome to “I Ate That” where I daringly shove food down my gullet in the name of science. Or rather, in the name of finding a delicious substitute for my favorite gluten-y foods. Since I like to brag about eating crackers, it’s only fitting that I kick off this taste test with that one crunchy, wheaty, item that I honest-to-god could never live without: the cracker.

As a delivery system for cheese, you can do no better than a cracker. In fact, I say, could there be any higher honor for a food stuff? Table, saltines, seeded, baked, fried, sun dried . . . I’m not discriminating. I just need me some good crackers. Luckily, the cracker game is one that gluten-free is winning. In fact, there’s one cracker I would eat even if god herself came down and told me that I could gorge on gluten and never watch what I eat again.

Gluten-Free Atlanta: Meat is the Word

They sure know how to treat a lady in Atlanta. And I don’t just mean all that holding doors stuff. As someone who grew up in the south’ish, I’ll admit traveling to Atlanta g-free made me nervous. Things I knew I would miss out on include, fried chicken, and, well, fried anything.

Being pleasantly surprised at gluten-free options seems to be my thing these days, so I shouldn’t have been surprised by my Atlanta gf bounty. Apparently I’m incredibly easy to surprise, because I’m still excited over my crazy dinner last night, that did not contain one iota of the sticky stuff. Whoo-hooo! But first, the reason I’m here in A-town, is for the annual BlogHer Food Conference. And those ladies, they know their audience. Check out the breakfast table —

An Apology to my Husband

Sorry, dude

Dear Husband,

As we dined out last night, and I fretted yet again that the waitress would spat in our appetizers of Brussels sprouts and brie (not mixed together, two separate apps, cuz’ that would be gross), I thought to myself: You don’t deserve this. You, who delight equally in chowing down at Jeane-Georges and on my homemade chicken fried steak. You who wined and dined me during our courtship and taught me the ways of the outer borough dive bars/edgy pub food. Who convinced me to travel to a hot, dry, soccer field in Red Hook for tacos. To the man who was my partner in eating our way through the five boroughs of New York (well, not Staten Island, never Staten Island).

I’m sorry.

Gluten-Free Will Make You Famous, Athletic

GF, You Saucy Minx

Watch out, Gwyneth, you’ve got some g-free competition in the celeb world! There’s so much celebrity gluten in the news this week, that I’m starting to think I’m fashionable. Who knew getting a debilitating disease would be so dang popular? Well, it is. If not disgusting.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck may be a conservative, freedom-hating, obnoxious talk show host, but she’s also a fellow celiac so I’ve got to appreciate the awareness this lady brings to the cause. Today on The View she had famous chefs whip up gluten-free gourmet dishes. I wonder how I can get these people to come hang out in my house. (By the way, who dresses Whoopi Goldberg? Love her, but my god that woman needs a fashion intervention.)

But even more interestingly, apparently the French Open is about to be dominated by Novak Djokovic thanks to his gluten-free diet. Apparently he’s on a major winning streak, and it’s all thanks to his taking control of his gluten allergy (note, this is not the same as celiac disease).

Excuse me as GIMB gets ready for its close-up.

But oh no! It looks like they’re actually testing a celiac disease vaccine! Not yet, cure for my disease, I haven’t had my 15 minutes of fame.

Image via JMacPherson/Flickr

Gluten-Free Austin: Celiac Capital of the World

I’ve only been back from Austin, Texas for a few hours and already I miss the ease of dining as I struggle to figure out where in the world to grab take-out that will appeal to my picky daughter and my celiac self. Because basically, my mind was blown this week as I chowed down in the best city in Texas (and quite frankly, a five state radius).  Here’s what happened in the first 36 hours I was there.

I went to three restaurants in a row that handed me a gluten-free menu. Three! Three gluten-free menus — in a freaking row! They know how to treat a girl who can’t hang with wheat. Also, check out that grocery store aisle above in Central Market. So much g-free business I had to walk away without buying anything so as not to buy EVERYTHING. Whole Foods, you need to take a lesson from the greatest grocery store of all time. Alternately, Central Market — please come to California. You know you want to, especially in the summers.

So here’s where I dined, and you should too if you’re looking for a good gf time in the live music capital of the world.

Best Gluten-Free Beers for Summer Boozin’

Oh, beer. I miss you. Or rather, I miss the idea of you (but IPAs, I do actually miss the drinking of you, a hell of a lot).

But ever since I found out beer is chock full o’ gluten I’ve been gazing fondly at the Sierra Nevada, and lamenting the fact that I can never, truly, enjoy visiting Portland, Oregon again. Luckily in the ever-expanding world of gluten-free goodies, there are a few people out there making a valiant effort in the world of beer. Sorghum is usually the grain of choice, as you can see in this display at Whole Foods, which admittedly, made me a little giddy.

However, all beers are not created equal, and that goes for the healthy for celiac versions as well. In my expert opinion*, these are the tops.

Mother’s Day Edition: Having a Celiac Diagnosis, Changes Everything

I just celebrated my sixth Mother’s Day — holy crap! And my first as a gluten-denier. It turns out, that whole celiac diagnosis changed everything about my special day. Everything! First of all, here’s my Mother’s Day present from my husband, and I guess my kids. Although the two-year-old isn’t much of a shopper, so I’m suspicious about his involvement —

On Falling Off the Wagon

Today I declared to my husband, “I’m about to fall off the wagon.” You see, we have reservations at this über hot restaurant in LA, and one of the chefs is related to a friend of my husband’s. Which means, amuse bouche and ridiculous desserts will be the name of the game. This is AWESOME. Unless you have celiac disease and can’t eat gluten. It’s amazing how gluten can seep into every damn thing. And when your villi look like someone took a chainsaw to the poor little things, you have to repair that shit before you can say, “Oh, maybe just this once.*”

So this is how my husband responded (picture soulful look in his eye): “I know you don’t remember how sick you were. But you were very, very, ill, and for a long time. You were miserable and it affected your entire life. It affected my life, it affected the kids.” (Dramatic pause) “It even affected the dog.”

It’s been about a few months since I did this to my cabinet: