For those of you who participated in the live Going Gluten-Free Webinar, Thanks! I hope it was helpful. If you want to see the recording, Click here.

If you are interested in the 4-week Getting the Support You Need Webinar Series, Register here:

http://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=E155D687804E

Here's what we'll cover:

Building Support for Living Gluten Free

The holidays are right around the corner, so the need for support for living a gluten-free life is vital. This four-week webinar series is designed to provide group support and coaching in all areas of your life:

• Finding and building a supportive team
• Getting the whole family in on it
• Using social networking to build your knowledge base and your network
• Finding people in your area who are dealing with similar issues
• Navigating holiday dinners
• Eating safely and well while travelling
• Tackling weight issues
  

The group size is limited to provide for interaction and opportunities to adjust the content based on the needs of the group. Join us! http://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=E155D687804E

Black lentils are more substantial and earthier than their green cousins, and they hold their shape and texture throughout. Astound your friends with your "discovery"! I find them at the Indian grocery store or health food store. Or use regular lentils (pictured with regular lentils and without greens) – they'll work fine too. My younger son knows of my love of lentils and presented me with a variation of this recipe for my birthday. I don’t know its original source and I’ve made substantial changes, but I thank the person who inspired it. It was a great birthday present.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 193.7  ·        
Fat: 9.6g  ·        
Carbohydrates: 22.4g  ·        
Protein: 8.1g 
 
Ingredients

1 cup Black Lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
16 oz vegetable broth (I use G Washington Brand gluten-free seasoning and broth mix)
1 cup of water
4 cups chopped fresh kale, spinach or greens of your choice
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 pound of interesting mushrooms, chopped
1-2 tablespoons of gf tamari sauce
 
Directions

If you remember to, soak the black lentils overnight to reduce the cooking time.

In a medium pot, sauté the garlic, onions and carrot until tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, water, lentils and peppers. Heat to boil then reduce and simmer uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add the greens and continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.

During the last 10 minutes of simmering, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil and gf tamari sauce. If you forgo the mushroom topping, taste the lentils and greens before serving and salt and pepper to taste.

Dish up the lentils and greens and top with mushrooms. 

Serves 4.

I attended my first Appetite for Awareness event in October of 2010, right after I got my celiac diagnosis. I blogged about it here: http://www.clairebakerok.com/1/post/2010/10/gluten-free-glutton.html. I'm afraid I didn't have much restraint or pace myself very well then. I don't want to leave this year's event feeling like I have to wear my stretchy pants for the next week. Because this is is a definite must-attend festival, I thought I'd offer some tips to the uninitiated for having the best day possible.

1) Have a plan. There is a LOT of food there: restaurants have their standard menu items, product reps have samples of packaged items, bakeries bring cupcakes and cakes and cookies galore. I haven't quite decided my approach, but I will either: a) focus on the fare offered by restaurants I want to try, b) find the best pizza in the place, or c) find the best sweets in the place. NOT ALL THREE. I swear.

2) Go hungry. Think of it as brunch on gay time. Or maybe just have a light breakfast so that you aren't so hungry when you get there that you blow your plan.

3) Don't bring home samples of food that you will regret having in your house later. Or just get ONE sample pack to SAMPLE, not to stock your pantry with. As a rule, gluten-free packaged foods are NOT health foods.

4) Plan on salad for dinner if you have any desire to eat when you get home.

5) Take time to appreciate that just about everybody there gets it. That just doesn't happen very often.

6) Use SEPTA to get there and back. Save yourself the driving and parking hassle. You'll have a big tote bag of stuff when you leave and you can use your train ride time to check it out. Or you can rest your eyes and be filled with the warmth of a 100% gluten-free belly.

7) Remember to patronize the restaurants and vendors who supported the event throughout the year. The more it pays for them, the more other restaurants will notice and hopefully fall in line.

There are probably more tips, but that's a good start. Have fun, go home full but not feeling gross. See you there!

You may have noticed that I am on the quest for the best gluten-free pizza AND that my garden has had a zucchini-riffic summer. I don't eat as much pizza as I'd like because the crusty cheesiness is a bit too seductive and I begin down a slippery slope that only ends when my pants don't fit. However, this zucchini pizza boat recipe is tasty and filling and because I didn't over-cheese it, I kept it to a reasonable dinner, calorie-wise. Plus it's super pretty, quite impressive-looking, and easy to make.

A note of caution: There is no mistaking the zucchini boat crust for actual pizza crust, so when serving it to your kids, you might want to change the name so that they don't get their mouths set for the wrong food. Trust me on this.

Ingredients:

1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium or one large zucchini, split down the middle with seeds
removed (if you are using a large zuke, cut it in half to make 4 "boats")
1 jar or can of your favorite gluten-free pizza sauce (or homemade, of course!)
1 16 oz package of shredded mozzerella cheese or other pizza cheese
Adequate sums of your favorite pizza toppings (for the pizza in this picture, I used red peppers, onions and chopped spinach)
Oregano, basil or other favorite pizza seasonings

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in a skillet to medium heat. Saute garlic, then place zucchini cut side down and cover, cooking until the zucchini is lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the zucchini over and cook covered for an additional 5 minutes. Add more time if your zucchini is especially thick or if you like your zucchini on the softer side. I sauteed my red pepper and onions at the same time
in the same skillet as the zucchini boats to soften them up a bit.

Remove zucchini from the pan and place boat-side up on a baking sheet or in an oven-safe dish. Spoon pizza sauce into the boats, then add your desired amount of cheese, other toppings and seasonings. Bake until sauce is hot and cheese is
lightly browned. Enjoy!

Happy Healthy Gluten-free Webinar!

If you've recently been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, have a health condition that you think may be improved by eliminating wheat from your diet, or you've heard about health benefits of going gluten-free and want to check it out for yourself, then you'll want to join me for this free webinar! During this fun and interactive 60-minute session, I'll give facts and practical tips for eating gluten-free safely and well.

Date: Thursday, September 27, 2012
Time: 9:00 Eastern

Click here to register: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E059DE80844A

Can't make this time? No worries! The webinar will be recorded and you'll be able to watch at a time that is convenient for you.

 

Do you feel lousy and don't know why? Have doctors not been able to figure out what's wrong?

Are you recently diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance? Can going gluten-free help you lose weight? Do you want to know what all the buzz is about?

Then you'll want to join this free webinar! During this fun and interactive 60-minute session, I'll give you the facts and practical tips for eating gluten-free safely and well.

Date: Thursday, September 27, 2012, Time: 9:00 pm Eastern. Register here: Free Happy Healthy Gluten-free Webinar

Date: Thursday, September 27, 2012
Time: 9:00 pm Eastern

Register here: Free Happy Healthy Gluten-free Webinar


Can't make this time? No worries! The webinar will be recorded and you'll be able to watch at a time that is convenient for you. Register to get the replay information: Free Happy Healthy Gluten-free Webinar