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GFE-Unique Giveaway: Consultation With Me on Living Gluten Free Easily

my birthday gift from my friend, “Fred”

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Jenny of Creative Cooking Gluten Free! I’ll be in touch, Jenny. Thanks to all who entered! There may be other similar giveaways in the future, so stay tuned. And hopefully, my readers can still glean much on living gluten free easily from my posts here at gfe. Don’t forget I’m only an email away if you have specific questions.

It’s almost the final week of my birth-month, as in the full month from my birthday on, not the actual calendar month that my birthday falls in. My girlfriends and I haven’t been able to have our birthday get together yet, but serendipitously I ended up visiting one of my dear girlfriends and her husband on Friday afternoon. I was headed home from a doctor’s appointment and visiting Son when traffic slowed to a crawl on the interstate. I got off at the very next exit, but that took quite some time. However, many other folks  had the same idea to detour to the parallel non-interstate, but still four-lane road to continue on. So, in just a few minutes, traffic on it was also backed up and creeping along. Did I mention my air conditioning is not working in my car? Soon, I decided I needed a break. I happened to be about a half mile from my girlfriend’s house, so I popped in to visit “Fred” and her husband, Jack.

Fred was actually en route from work, but Jack (who had just returned from being out in the heat all day himself) immediately served me some frosty limeade. It was just what I needed. I thanked him profusely and then we proceeded to chat about all things ice cream until Fred arrived. Jack is an ice cream afficionado who has received some local publicity of late. I’ve mentioned at least one of his incredible flavors before: lemon basil. I’ll be making that one and another amazing flavor of his soon (that one’s will be a secret for a bit).

In a short while, Fred arrived and offered me some adult libations. Just looking into their liquor closet is treat enough. Their house was built in the 1920s and the bar is a basically a large closet off the dining room. It’s no ordinary closet though. It has glass shelves and mirrored walls. With the multi-colored glass bottles and decanters in all shapes and sizes, that are full of liqueurs and other alcohol in even more colors, this closet and its contents are a very attractive sight to behold. I consented to one glass of something mild. First, I tasted the Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur that Fred offered … straight. Too strong for me in that form, but as Fred said it would make a great bourbon and ginger drink. Then I tasted Arancello orange liqueur. Think of Limoncello, but the orange version. Oh, yes, much better. Sort of like TruAde orange (a noncarbonated beverage of old) with a tiny kick. I added some to my limeade and enjoyed a very delightful, refreshing drink.

We visited for quite a while, catching up on news of Fred’s daughter’s wedding and a visit and travels with friends from Scotland after the wedding. Then Fred gave me my birthday present. A gfe reader, Selene, had recommended Boyajian pure citrus oils a few months back when Alta (Tasty Eats At Home) and I were discussing a lemon version of my Perfect Pound Cake. Selene said that the citrus oils could be used in place or zest or extract, and the lemon oil made an amazing lemon glaze. Intrigued, I quicklylooked on Amazon and added the mini citrus oil set to my wish list. (Do you have an Amazon wish list? You might want to consider it. It’s an easy way for friends and family to shop for you and you’ll get what your heart desires. Plus, it’s a way to remember things you want to get for yourself.) A pretty little package of three of the mini sets wound up in my gift bag from Fred. Selene’s comment and the reviews online show that these citrus oils are terrific to use for baking, and even non-baking uses like cocktails. From what I’ve read, a little goes a long way, too. Stay tuned for my experimentation with them. Also in my package was a red leather envelope (for photos, receipts, or such) and the book, The Four Agreements (also from my Amazon wish list). It was a delightful gift package. And, all in all, and not surprisingly, we had a very enjoyable visit. Another girlfriend had my birthday present, a personalized canvas tote bag, shipped to me. It’s one of the loveliest, yet practical, gifts that I’ve ever received. I am truly blessed with many amazing friends!

my birthday gift from my friend, Vivian

So to spread my ongoing birthday joy, let’s get to the giveaway part! To be honest, I may be going out on a limb on this one. I don’t know how many gfe readers will actually take me up on this giveaway. As a support group leader and just someone who has “been there/done that,” I often walk folks through the initial stages of being gluten free. It doesn’t matter if it’s due to a celiac/gluten intolerance diagnosis or just a desire to try living gluten free as a way to relieve symptoms of other related illnesses; all of us feel overwhelmed  initially. A little hand holding is needed. Some coping strategies. Some tips. How to get through those first several days. How to eat out. How to go to a friend’s house. How to make the holidays “doable.” And so on. Most folks don’t want to go 180 degrees from how they are eating now. Yes, they understand that they need to eat gluten free, but they want to keep some of their favorites and they want food that will make them happy and their family happy as well. Of course, they do. I mentioned my gfe reader and fellow blogger, Mir (Woulda Coulda Shoulda), the other day and shared her peach pie, an adaptation of my Crustless Apple Pie. What I didn’t share at the time was Mir’s other statement to me: “Your tagline should totally be “Getting people excited about eating again.” Seriously, your blog has broken me out of my “Oh no, don’t mind me, I’ll just sit in the corner sulking and eating spinach” rut.  ”

Oh, how Mir’s statement totally made my day, my week, my month! I’m sharing it because it got me thinking about how many folks are still sulking in corner or thinking being gluten free is possibly the worst thing that has ever happened to them. Do you want to get excited? Let me show you how. I think this task can actually be fairly easy, but it takes a different approach—the gfe approach– and one’s strategies and meal planning needs to be talked out. What are you eating that’s already gluten free? What dishes do you make that can be converted easily to gluten free? Which gluten-free specialty foods do you really need to buy from day one? And, so forth and so on. So this giveaway is a consultation with me via telephone (I will call you “on my dime” at a mutually agreed upon time) or via Skype, face to face for a more personal session. I’m envisioning about an hour to 90 minutes for this consultation and maybe an email or two as follow up. I expect that folks who are new to gluten free or folks who are still struggling with being gluten free or transitioning to living gluten free easily will be the ones who will be most interested in this giveaway. Many of my gfe readers have already figured out this approach (congrats to all of you!) and will not need this consultation; I understand that. In addition, if you are one who wants to purchase a lot of gluten-free specialty products and are looking for input on those, I honestly can’t help you much there. My gfe approach is about eating real food that’s naturally gluten free, some mainstream processed foods that are gluten free, and few (very few) gluten-free specialty products. The gfe approach is the easiest, healthiest, and most economical way to eat gluten free, in my opinion. That said, based on reader comments, Facebook comments, and tweets, there are many folks who may be interested in this gfe-unique giveaway. I am excited about it! I can’t wait to talk to the lucky winner and making living gluten free easier using the gfe approach tailored to his/her needs.

The giveaway will end Sunday, August 15, at midnight my time (Eastern). Here are the ways you can enter below. A separate comment is required for each to get a separate entry. I’m not trying to be annoying; that’s simply the only way I can tally all the comments to enter them into the Random Number Generator. Note that if you already follow me on Twitter, like gfe on Facebook, etc., just say so for another entry. You don’t have to be new to any of those for your entry to count.

1. Leave a comment; e.g., Please enter me in this giveaway.

2. Follow me on Twitter; e.g., I follow you on Twitter.

3. Like gfe on Facebook; e.g., I like gfe on Facebook.

4. Friend me on Facebook; e.g., I am your friend on Facebook.

5. Tweet about the giveaway; e.g., Shirley is giving away a consultation on living gfe!

6. Post on Facebook on the giveaway.

7. Post on your blog about the giveaway.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

New Planet Beer Review

Full disclosure: The beer reviewed in this post was complimentary from New Planet Beer in Colorado. However, the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I am sharing my review because I genuinely like this beer. I’m not a beer connoisseur so you won’t find all the aspects of beer critiqued here, just pretty much my overall assessment.

The folks from New Planet Beer emailed me and asked if I’d like to try some of their new beer. I’d read great reviews over at Pete’s (No Gluten, No Problem)—one for the 3R Raspberry Ale (with the 3R meaning Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and another for the more traditional flavor, Tread Lightly Ale (the latter as part of a blind beer tasting). So I quickly replied, “Sure!”

Admittedly, I’m not a huge beer fan, but gluten-free Son certainly is, not to mention Mr. GFE (who still consumes gluten). Plus, I had this Beer Can Chicken recipe in mind.  (As I share in that post, even though New Planet beer doesn’t come in a can, that was a minor detail and easily remedied.) I have to admit it’s an odd thing to have beer delivered in a cardboard box by our FedEx friend. An odd thing, but definitely not a bad thing. It comes at room temperature, of course, but with instructions to chill immediately.

Before I used some of the beer for the recipe, the three of us sampled. As you can see, the kind New Planet folks had sent two bottles, one each of the Tread Lightly Ale and 3R Raspberry Ale. New Planet beer is brewed from sorghum, corn, orange peel, hops, and yeast, with raspberry puree added for the 3R Raspberry flavor. New Planet beer is certified gluten free. The raspberry ale came in a large, 22-ounce bottle. We each tried some and all declared it very good. Mr. GFE said it reminded him of the blueberry ale he always enjoys in Maine—with just a light flavoring of the fruit used. Neither Son nor I could really taste raspberry, but we enjoyed the beer. I especially liked that it was such a light tasting beer. Most beer has way too strong of a taste for my liking, but much to my delight, not New Planet’s 3R Raspberry ale.

Then we moved on to the Tread Lightly Ale, which comes in a standard, 12-ounce bottle. That flavor was a ”classic” one that I wanted to use for the Beer Can Chicken (using a can from another beverage, of course, since New Planet only comes in bottles). Mr. GFE and I sampled some and we passed the remaining amount—a few sips at best—to Son. Son liked this flavor even better. Mr. GFE and I liked them both. In fact, Mr. GFE proclaimed both the 3R Raspberry and Tread Lightly Ales as “Excellent beer. Just not enough of it!” I agreed. Sadly, I couldn’t run out and buy any more for us to enjoy as New Planet beer is made in Colorado and currently only sold there. However, the company hopes to expand to the national market. I hope they will. We all found this beer to be the best gluten-free beer that we’ve tried to date and, by the way, the beer can chicken was absolutely delicious. (Here it is once it had tumbled over and finished roasting.)

Thanks so much New Planet for giving us the opportunity to try your great new gluten-free beer! To all my buddies in Colorado, find some New Planet beer and drink up … responsibly, of course. And, New Planet, we’ll be waiting for your beer to come to Virginia!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Review of Three Terrific E-Books!

Full disclosure: Purchasing The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook or 7 Quick Start Tips for a Healthy Gluten-Free Fit Life through the affiliate links in this post or on the sidebar does pay gfe a small commission fee, which helps support this blog. Sweet Freedom also has an Amazon link, which earns this site a small commission. However, those associations did not influence my decision to feature these books or my reviews. I am sharing them because I think they fit the gfe approach and  will be of value to my readers.

This post is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Food on Fridays.

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. I’ll contact the winners via email with further instructions. (Please respond within 48 hours or new winners will be chosen.)

There are two winners of Diane Eblin’s (The W.H.O.L.E. Gang) The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook. They are Tricia and Audrey. Tricia said: “I would love love love the Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook. For some reason, everyone sends me dessert recipes, but I’ve gotten into a rut with my daily meals. Everything there looks so delicious!” And, Audrey said: “The saddest part of becoming gluten free was giving up all my unusable cookbooks! More Cookbooks!”

Lisa Greer is the winner of Erin Elberson’s (Gluten-Free Fitness) 7 Quick Start Tips for a Gluten-Free Fit Life. Her comment was: “I’d love any of the books.  thanks…”

Roda is the winner of Ricki Heller’s (Diet, Dessert, and Dogs) Sweet Freedom. Her comment was: “I just started the first phase of the candida diet and I stumbled across Ricki Heller’s blog yesterday and I’m so excited to try so many of those recipes! I’m also excited to try your adaptation of those Banana Chocolate Chip muffins (eventually, when I’m allowed to eat again)! I’d really love to win a copy of Sweet Freedom!”

Congrats to all! Thanks to all who took the time to enter the giveaway and especially to Diane, Erin, and Ricki for sponsoring the giveaway of their great e-books. Remember that gfe readers will get a 20% discount on 7 Quick Start Tips for a Gluten-Free Fit Life by entering “gfe” when ordering; offer ends August 31, 2010. Both The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook and 7 Quick Start Tips will remain on my sidebar if you’d like to order in the near future. You can order Sweet Freedom at Ricki’s site (on sale for $22.95 through August 15, 2010–including shipping/handling!) or on Amazon.

So I mentioned the other day that I’d be posting a trifecta review and giveaway some time this weekend. Well, the weekend passed a few days ago … sigh. Can you say birthday? I played and celebrated longer than I expected and it’s been great. Plus, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of your birthday wishes! But, let’s get to these gfe-style giveaways now, shall we?

My good friend, Diane Eblin, over at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang recently published her first e-book, The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook. If you follow Diane’s blog, including her ongoing 30 Days to a Food Revolution event, you know she believes in eating real food and “making good food no matter what”—her trademarked motto. (She shared her personal story here at gfe earlier.) Creating a diner cookbook was a plan that Diane mentioned to me months ago, so I was so excited to see her e-book published several weeks ago. She kept watching the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with host Guy Fieri and decided there needed to be a solution for all the folks who needed to eat gluten free (and dairy free). Her Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook was born. The recipes will delight everyone, not just those with food restrictions. For example, take the Boeuf Bourguignon Burger that I made the other night. The burgers included come grated carrots, garlic, and onions, with ground bay leaf and other seasonings. Doesn’t that already sound like a really good burger?  Well, while the burgers were cooking, I made the sauce as Diane directed. The sauce perfectly completes the boeuf bourguignon effect with its bacon, mushrooms, beef stock, red wine, tomato paste, and thickener.  And, the moment the sauce actually becomes sauce, well you’ll want to bathe in it! I’m not kidding. It’s easy to make, but yet a knockout with its rich flavoring, intoxicating smell (red wine does that every time!), and thick, mahogany appearance. Mr. GFE was as pleased as I was and he can’t even say boeuf bourguignon. Lucky for you, this recipe is also on Diane’s blog. You can check it out here. I made a few minor changes, adding some tapioca flour versus arrowroot to the burger and using cornstarch with cold water for the sauce. I also used ground venison, which is what we almost always use in place of beef. (It’s equivalent to lean ground beef in its low fat profile and is very similar to organic meat in many respects.) I had no tomato paste on hand, but had a tiny bit of chili sauce, so I used that. I think it’s a very adaptable recipe that won’t disappoint. (The photo below shows two Boeuf Bourguignon Burgers.)

I made one other recipe of Diane’s from her cookbook, Bacon-Wrapped Avocado. This recipe is pure decadence. It would make a great appetizer for serving with cocktails. You cut the avocado into eight slices and wrap each with a piece of bacon and then fry just like that. This appetizer was so amazing and filling that I could only eat half of one of the slices—one of those morsels in the forefront of the photo. Since Mr. GFE is not an avocado fan, I only prepared three slices. Then I ate them over the next two days. They were just as good cold as they were hot in my opinion.

Diane’s e-book contains 48 recipes. Every single one looks and sounds delicious.  The next one on my “to make” list is Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup. I had all the ingredients, but ran out of time to make it before our weekend outing. However, this soup was one of Diane’s recipes that Heidi (Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom) made and sampled over at her site. Check out her review and giveaway here. Amy’s (Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free) giveaway of Diane’s e-book is also over, but you can read her review of Diane’s ebook and see her adaptation of Diane’s Chorizo and Potato Frittata here. Now, for the really good part … I’m giving away a copy of Diane’s e-book to two gfe readers!

I mentioned Erin Elberson’s new e-book, 7 Quick Start Tips for a Gluten-Free Fit Life recently. Do you know Erin? She’s the author of the blog, Gluten-Free Fitness. We met on Twitter and haven’t stopped talking since! We’re either cheering each other, thanking each other, educating each other, or challenging each other’s ideas. All that says good friend and great resource to me! But, Erin and her e-book can be a wonderful resource for you, too. She has impressive credentials: Master’s degree in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor’s in Health Science, as well as 100% completion of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness GREAT testing (Gluten Free Resource, Awareness and Education Training) for Allied Health Professionals. However, Erin has much more to offer than her education credentials. She is so personable and down to earth when she’s sharing such great information on transitioning to eating gluten free and healthy, and staying fit. Erin covers celiac and gluten-free topics on her blog with knowledge and ease, so I was extremely honored when she asked me to do an early review of her e-book. I love the way I felt like she was talking directly to me when I read it. Truth be told, I wish I’d had her book when I first went gluten free. It’s a workbook of sorts … with lists and tips. It even includes some recipes, or as Erin calls so many of them, “not really recipes.” By that, she means dishes where you just use a concept and go from there, adapting as you like. For example, she shared my Special Turkey Breast recipe as “not really a recipe,” and made it even better by using balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar and using some different seasonings. (You can see her recipe here.) Erin’s motto is “Eat well and be well.” She has graciously donated a copy of 7 Quick Start Tips to one lucky gfe reader. If you’re one who doesn’t enter giveaways (or if later you find out that you didn’t win the giveaway, but still want Erin’s book), you can click on the link here or on the sidebar and enter coupon “gfe” at checkout to get 20% off. (Note that this coupon expires 8/31/10.)

Last, I’m also a fan of Ricki Heller’s. Ricki blogs at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. And, yes, her blog is as creative and fun as her name. Heck, I even like her own name. It’s got spunk, and so does Ricki. She’s been trying fervently for some time to get on The Ellen Show to share her e-book, Sweet Freedom. (Note: Ricki’s book is also available on her blog or on Amazon as a paperback.) As the title states, it’s a cookbook about living refined sugar free. But, Ricki’s book and blog are about more than that. She also lives vegan. Ellen DeGeneres also is vegan and sugar free, so that’s a large reason for Ricki campaigning to appear on Ellen. See the YouTube video she sent to Ellen here. (Believe me, it’s totally worth watching!) I think Ricki would be absolutely hysterical on Ellen and a promotion of healthy eating is always welcome.

Now, big caveat … Sweet Freedom is not a gluten-free cookbook, although Ricki points out that about a third of the recipes are naturally gluten free (some not requiring flour at all) and two are designed to be gluten free—gluten-free brownies and coconut mini-loaves (or cupcakes). Ricki has been gluten free since she began following the anti-candida diet, but when writing Sweet Freedom, she was not. Ricki used a lot of spelt and barley in these recipes. I’ve written about spelt before. Spelt is not safe for anyone who has celiac, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity, or even a wheat allergy. This is not just my personal opinion;  you can read more here. Many who eat spelt cite no reaction, but remember that lack of a recognizable reaction to a food or ingredients does not mean that a food is safe. One can actually have a reaction, but one that is different from a typical gluten reaction—different enough, in fact, that it is not recognized as such (as in Allison’s story). Or, one can truly not have a visible reaction for a long time, but then develop a very serious illness. The fact is that spelt is a species of wheat. According to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, foods that contain spelt or kamut cannot carry “wheat-free” or “wheat-alternative” labels. Finally, my friend, Alison (Sure Foods Living), also tackled the spelt topic a while back.

But, all that said, Sweet Freedom is a cookbook that one can easily use for gluten-free recipes and one lucky reader will get the e-book version! Replacing the flour with gluten-free flours (and possibly adding xanthan gum, if needed) is an easy thing to do. That’s what I did. When I found a recipe that sounded good, I made it by simply replacing the spelt flour with gluten-free flours. I scrolled through Ricki’s entire ebook, but it was her first recipe that appealed to me most at the time—Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. These muffins, as I made them, are somewhat heartier with mostly millet and almond flours, but yet are still tender. I used honey instead of agave as that’s what we always have the largest supply of at our house, and I like the taste of honey in recipes made with nut flours. With the banana and the honey, even a little nibble with no chocolate chips is sufficiently sweet. Of course, a full bite yields the wonderful melding of banana and chocolate. Remember I told you that Ricki’s recipes are vegan. So, there are no eggs in these delicious muffins, but who can tell? I couldn’t, because the flax meal and water added to the recipe take the place of the eggs beautifully. I like these muffins far better than my usual banana muffin recipe. Son also gave them a big thumbs up. In fact, he grabbed two thirds of the batch as he was heading out the door to our mountain property for camping. The plan was to have them for breakfast the next morning, but honestly, I doubt that they lasted the night … or even the 2-hour trip to get there. They are that good!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

1 cup mashed, ripe banana (about three bananas)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease muffin tin for 10 muffins.

In large bowl, mix bananas, honey, oil, ground flax seed, water, and vanilla extract. Let sit for 2 minutes.

Then add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix a bit (without overmixing). Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Test for doneness.

Adapted from Ricki Heller, Sweet Freedom

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me which of these e-books you would be interested in. Other ways to enter: Post a message on Facebook. Share the giveaway on your blog. Or, tweet. For all of these, leave a separate comment. That’s a potential of four entries, but only one entry is needed to win. I’m so thankful to Diane, Erin, and Ricki for sharing their awesome e-books and look forward to announcing the winners after the giveaway ends on Wednesday, July 28, at midnight (Eastern)!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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