Jules Shepard, one of the pioneers in the gluten free world, talks with Cynthia Kupper, executive director of the GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group) last week about their upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration.
Cynthia will be joined by GIG’s Director of Social Programs, Sara Vollmer, who will speak about the celebration on November 9th that is planned to honor the organization’s 40-year legacy.
GIG’s Mission is to support persons with gluten intolerances, celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, and other gluten sensitivities, through consumer and industry services and programs that positively promote healthy lives. Among GIG’s programs is their Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), which certifies products around the world as less than 10 parts per million gluten.
The show will focus on the history of the GIG organization, the climate in which gluten and celiac disease were viewed when it was formed 40 years ago, and how things have changed in the world of gluten free since then.
I love reading new magazines and when I checked out the local magazine stand, I cannot believe all the magazines around food allergies — especially the gluten free magazines!
A few weeks ago, I picked up my first copy of Simple Gluten Free and found some wonderful articles and recipes! (Advertisements, which are usually a bother, are very interesting and informative in this magazine, as well!)
A few of the articles I especially enjoyed are …..
Is Gluten Sensitivity Worse Than Celiac Disease
You may be shocked to learn that villous atrophy is about the only difference between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
These gluten sensitive people were just as sick as any celiac case that any doctor has even seen.
Celiac disease is a symptom, It’s one potential manifestation of your reaction to gluten. It;s not the worst symptom, nor is it the end stages of a gluten reaction if you happen to be gluten sensitive.
I was also delighted to find an article by one of my favorite “gluten free” doctors: Dr. Vikki Peterson: Gluten Free FAQs with Dr. Vikki
How to Make Gluten-Free Fermented Vegetables is a wonderful article. I have read before that fermented veggies are really good for you, but had no idea how to make them! The article gives some specific (and easy) instruction on how to make these nutrient rich vegetables.
Another good article (with recipe) is How to Make Gluten-Free French Bread! Having been raised in the San Francisco area, I really miss the wonderful sour dough French bread I use to buy there. Maybe this recipe can satisfy my cravings!!
The back of the magazine is full of harvest style recipes. Some of my favorites are:
Vegan Mac & Cheese — page 87
Pumpkin-Cranberry Oatmeal Pudding — page 105
Pumpkin Caramel Swirl Brownies — page 106
Crunchy Apple Salad with Honey Walnut Dressing — page 110
Apple Cider Margarita — page 117
Caramel Cashew Cream — page 128
Not all the recipes are vegan, but the magazine for worth buying for all the info — and many of the non-vegan recipes can use vegan substitutes.
With easy, no-fuss recipes, the bestselling Happy Herbivore cookbooks show how easy, affordable, and delicious eating healthy can be. Now, in her latest cookbook, Happy Herbivore chef Lindsay S. Nixon provides recipes that put a special emphasis on weight-loss and a set of exercises that, like her recipes, are quick, easy, and produce great results.
Like all Happy Herbivore cookbooks, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean contains filling, flavorful, plant-based recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare. But this time, Nixon takes healthy to an all-new level, with low-calorie, satisfying meals that will help you achieve your weight-loss goals—and without deprivation.
True to its title, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean also includes “recipes” for your body with basic workouts, plus tips and tricks that will inspire you to move more for a trimmer, more-toned you. As always, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean recipes are free from oils, processed foods, and diet chemicals such as artificial sweeteners.
Happy Herbivore Light & Lean keeps it healthy, keeps it simple, and keeps it delicious.
I am happy to be chosen as one of her blog tour participant — which means I will be posting one of the her recipes from this new book next week!
In the meantime, I had the chance to ask Lindsay Nixon a few questions about her upcoming cookbook:
Okay, this is your 4th cookbook, right? What made you decide to write this one?
I was contractually obligated 😉
Though in all fairness I signed up for a total of 6 books freely. I had (still have) a lot of ideas. I’m one of those people who likes a challenge… a goal to work toward. My fans and supporters are also incredibly motivating. Everything I do, I do for them.
How is it different from your last four cookbooks?
Every book is different—they each have their own theme (and their own personality). This book focuses on lower calorie recipes and incorporates exercise. It’s a whole body cookbook. I love it!
How do you manage to come up with some many unique and yummy recipes?
I treat it like a job. When I’m writing a book I spend 8-10 hours in the kitchen every day trying new things. I’ll often grab an ingredient, say a red pepper, and think, “okay… what can I do with this?”
Is there a 5th cookbook in the works?
Yep. I’m writing it now 🙂
Lindsay’s New Happy Herbivore: Light & Lean can be pre-ordered through Amazon here!
One of the questions I have been pondering for a long time: Is GMO Wheat Causing Our Gluten Problems? I did some research and found this wonderful article by Jane Anderson, the About.com Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity expert.
According to Jane, the short answer is NO! You cannot blame GMO wheat for the rising gluten problems. But she does say ….
That doesn’t mean wheat hasn’t changed over the last half-dozen decades, though — it has, as the result of a process called hybridization. And some scientists (although not all) say those changes could be one cause of an increased inability to tolerate gluten.
In hybridization, scientists don’t tinker directly with the plant’s genome. Instead, they choose particular strains of a plant with desirable characteristics, and breed them to reinforce those characteristics. When this is done repeatedly, successive generations of a particular plant can look very different from the plant’s ancestors.
That’s what’s happened with modern wheat, which is shorter, browner and far higher-yielding than wheat crops were 100 years ago. Dwarf wheat and semi-dwarf wheat crops have replaced their taller cousins, and these wheat strains require less time and less fertilizer to produce a robust crop of wheat berries.
Jane continues her article by talking about Dr William Davis’s book, Wheat Belly:
“Small changes in wheat protein structure can spell the difference between a devastating immune response to wheat protein versus no immune response at all,” Davis writes. Modern wheat has been bred to contain more gluten, he says.
What is interesting, and something most people don’t think about, is realizing how much wheat products most Americans consume. Bread, buns, pastries etc. have become the staples of diet over the last years. According to Donald D. Kasarda, the U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist who authored the 2013 study on wheat also points out that so many of our processed foods are filled with extra gluten!
Along with receiving an early edition of the cookbook, I was able to do a short interview with Lindsay:
1. I have read several article and blog posts where you interview new ‘Herbies’ and how they became Herbivores, but I would like to hear your story! How long have you eaten a plant based diet? Why did you decide to change your diet from the typical meat based American diet to plant based? And what do you feel the diet has done for you personally (health wise!)
I was a vegetarian most of my life but lapsed back into meat eating in my late teens from peer pressure and family pressure. A serious health scare in my early 20s brought me back to a vegetarian diet and a year later I adopted a totally vegan, plant-based diet. That was about 6 years ago. I was motivated mainly for health reasons, but was also moved by the environmental impact and the plight of farm animals.
Adopting a plant-based diet has profoundly changed my life. In 10 months after adopting a plant-based diet I ran a marathon, having been too out of shape to WALK a 5k the year before. I took up snowboarding, lost 40lbs, eliminated and reversed all of my medical illnesses and found energy and happiness. I like to tell people you never realize how bad you feel until you see what it feels like to be well and thrive.
2. Tell us about your new cookbook: Happy Herbivore Abroad. Does it include recipes from around the world or does it include tips for eating Abroad? What gave you the inspiration for writing this new cookbook?
It’s an internationally theme book — so recipes from around the world, plus stories of my adventures. I travel constantly and this book celebrates my lifestyle 🙂
3. How long have you been writing your blog? Is the success of your blog what inspired you to publish your cookbooks?
I started blogging 5 years ago, in 2007. When I started happyherbivore.com, I didn’t think anyone would read it — my mom didn’t even read it! I have been blown away by it’s success and popularity, which is what led to the cookbooks. They’re an extension of my blog.
4. Where have you come up with the recipes in your cookbooks and especially your new book?
With my first book, The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, I set out to recreate dishes (“comfort foods”) that I used to eat — but in a new healthy and plant-based way. With my second book, Everyday Happy Herbivore, I went back to basics. I looked at whatever ingredients I had on hand, then created a meal (or meals) out of it. With my new book, Happy Herbivore Abroad, I recreated meals I ate or saw on my travels… I made international cuisine healthy and plant-based — and with everyday ingredients.
5. Do you have any professional people in the health or medical field that are currently endorsing your diet? Can you give us their names and why they switched to the plant-based diet?
Dr. John McDougall, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michael Gregor, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Pam Popper… just to name a few. They’ve all written incredible books and have websites with a wealth of information. If you’re not into reading, a great documentary is Forks Over Knives, which features many of the doctors I’ve listed.
6. What is the main difference between being a ‘Herbie’ and being a vegan?
A “herbie” is just a term my fans call themselves. There is no definition or requirement behind the term — except that I guess you’d have to be a fan of Happy Herbivore.
The term “vegan” has multiple meanings. A vegan (noun) is a person who does not eat or use animal products from an ethical standpoint. “vegan” can also be a designation — a descriptive term. For example a product is “Vegan” if it does not contain animal products and is also not tested on animals.
7. What is the best advice you can give new folks to the plant based Herbivore diet or who wish to switch to the diet?
Take it a meal at a time. Don’t get caught up with over thinking. Worry about this meal, right now — not what you’re doing tomorrow, or next week or next Christmas. Never think in “Can’s haves” — it’s not that you can’t have it, it’s that you’re choosing not to. Also, focus on all the food you can have, not what you’re choosing to give up. I eat a wider variety of food now on a plant-based diet than I ever did on an omnivorous one!
Thanks Lindsay for your time to talk with me today!
Personally, I LOVE her new book. Her recipes are simply and easy to make — nothing fancy or hard to find — and they sound soooooo good! I will be making several of them over the next weeks (probably months!)
I have been following Jeanne’s blog for awhile now and have thoroughly enjoyed her tips and recipes. I was so excited to hear about her new cookbook and doubly excited when my copy arrived in the mail on Friday!
If you have never tried it, Gluten Free Baking is a completely different animal than baking with wheat-based flour. But Jeanne shares some excellent tips and recipes that she has developed for herself and her family. Jeanne also shared her personal Gluten Free All Purpose FlourRecipe:
1¼ cup brown rice flour
1¼ cup white rice flour
1 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
Scant 2 tsp. xanthan gum
Before I received Jeanne’s Gluten Free Baking for the Holidays Cookbook, I had no idea there were so many types of yummy holiday treats! Here is a quick list of her Gluten Free Cookie recipes:
Speculaas
Lebkuchen
Pfeffernuesse
Springerle
Pepparkakor
Regulach
Benne Cookies
Fortune Cookies
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Spritz Cookies
Shortbread Cookies
Candy Can Cookies
Cutout Cookjies
Thumbprint Cookies
Gingerbreasd Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Meringues
Meringue Mushrooms
Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti
Lemon Bars
Gingerbread House
There is also separate sections of recipes for cakes, pies & tarts, breads & crackers, and deep-fried treats!
The cookbook is a wonderfully formatted hardcover book that includes 60 recipes for traditional festive treats!
Two things I did not like about the book (honestly, I could only find two!!):
1. There was not nearly enough photos! With such wonderfully sounding recipes, I was hoping to see what they looked like!
2. The recipes are not vegan — although she gives several tips and substitution in the front of the book that would be very helpful for the beginner.
If you are looking for some great sounding Gluten Free recipes for the holidays or if you are just interested in finding some new ideas, I would highly recommend Jeanne’s Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays!
Love it, love it, love it …. when someone who lives their beliefs comes out with their own magazine! That is exactly what Food blogger and TV chef Carol Kicinski is planning to do.
Introducing her New Magazine: Simply Gluten Free.
Simply Gluten Free magazine is featuring tips and recipes for those of us who are Gluten Free, Sugar Free and Dairy Free ….
“It’s actually a bit revolutionary,” Carol said. “It’s a magazine for people with food sensitivities, by people with food sensitivities.”
The first November-December issue of the bi-monthly magazine will be released soon. The response, both from the public and the advertisers has been amazing, said Thom, who’s acting as executive publisher.
Carol started out just like the rest of us with a wheat intolerance, diagnosed more than 20 years ago. With little resources available to her at that time, she began experimenting in her kitchen, coming up with some great recipes. She started a blog, published some cookbooks, appeared on TV and even came up with her own Gluten Free flour mixture: Carol’s All-Purpose Pastry Flour. Her next step is the new magazine.
If you have tried your own Gluten Free Baking — then needed to check for a list of other allergens — baking suddenly become a chore that is no longer fun.
Author, Briana Rognlin, reviewed a new cookbook by Colette Martin: Learning to Bake Allergen-Free. Not only does Briana Rognlin review Martin’s cookbook, she has added a wonderful slide show on the site.
Allergen-Free Baking Doesn’t Have To Suck: Making Delicious Treats Without Gluten, Dairy and More
Baking used to be one of my favorite pastimes…until I started weeding out the sugar, wheat, gluten, and dairy from my diet. Now, thanks to newly discovered allergies and food sensitivities, I’ve got dusty bookshelves full of recipes I can no longer use. I’ve started collecting new gluten-free, vegan recipes, but the fun I used to have experimenting with cakes, cookies, and breakfast treats isn’t there anymore. Frankly, baking has started to feel really boring. But Colette Martin, author of Learning to Bake Allergen-Free: A Crash Course for Busy Parents on Baking without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts, says it doesn’t need to be this way. A baker herself, she’s found that if you have the right tools and ingredients–and start with the right recipes–you can experiment with recipes and try new things, even without gluten, dairy, or other allergens.
Allyson Kramer, author of the Manifest Vegan blog, has just releases a new cookbook: Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats. Allyson has been Vegan for many years, but was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2009!
According to Amazon, “Allyson’s recipes and photography have been seen in Veg News Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Kitchn and Slashfood.com. Allyson develops all of the recipes and photos that appear on the site and has become an authority on vegan and gluten-free cuisine. She resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”
“Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats” Book Description
Following a plant-based, gluten-free diet is one of the healthiest lifestyle choices around, yet it can be a challenge to create meals that not only match your needs, but taste delicious too. But not any longer! Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats shows you exactly how to create compassionate and wheat-free recipes that are impressive enough for even the most seasoned foodie. Full of fresh and all-natural ingredients, the 101 fully-photographed, scrumptious recipes you’ll find inside prove that eating vegan and gluten-free doesn’t have to be a sacrifice, but a delight!
From tempting appetizers, to hearty mains, to luscious desserts, you’ll find dishes to suit your every need and craving, including:
