Gluten Free Celebrities and Blogs That Inspire Me

Nine years ago, when I gave up wheat and dairy after finding out I was allergic to it, I felt like a lone wolf. This was long before the gluten-free craze and before most stores had alternative options. Soy milk wasn't available in most Starbucks in San Francisco. Nowadays, being wheat and dairy free is much easier. Every weekend, I do my grocery shopping at Rainbow Grocery, which has one of the largest milk substitute sections I've seen. San Francisco now even has a gluten-free store, Gluten Free Grocery.

With all of the abundance, it has become just as easy to find heavily processed gluten free foods as it was to eat processed foods before. It was only when I began my 21-Day Detox Cleanse, that I realized how much junk food I was eating. The worst part was I felt just as sick not eating wheat as I did when I was still eating it. Switching my outlook and my focus has really helped. I have now embraced real food. I cook all of my meals, unless we go out, and all of the meals are made from scratch. Yes, this is time consuming, but I find ways to shorten cooking time, such as baking and stewing. One pot wonders have been lifesavers and kale chips have been a guilty pleasure staple.

The beauty of eating gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free nowadays is that there are so many resources available. There are countless blogs that feature the most beautiful and delicious recipes. While, I'm absolutely horrible at following recipes, I find great inspiration from Against All Grain, The Nourishing Gourmet, Whole Life Nutrition, and Choosing Raw. Each one of these bloggers has a unique point of view and incredible love and passion for food and the recipes they share with us. Without them, this journey of self-discovery would not have been possible.

Also in the last 9 years, many celebrities have also discovered their own allergies to wheat and dairy. Besides my love for food and cooking, I also happen to be obsessed with celebrity gossip and have been an avid follower of Perezhilton.com since he began blogging in 2005 and heard him on Fernando and Greg in the Morning on the radio. As part of my love for celebrity gossip, I keep tabs on celebrities that have food allergies. One of my favorite actresses is Rachel Weisz and she shares my wheat intolerance. Likewise, Geri Halliwell, Ginger-Spice from the Spice Girls is also intolerant to wheat.


             

Also, my style icon and favorite quirky actress, Zooey Deschanel, is gluten free. Unlike, Geri Halliwell and Rachel Weisz, Zooey Deschanel suffers from celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease that affects the lining of the small intestine and can lead to serious malnutrition. One of Zooey's favorite places to enjoy vegan & gluten free treats, is BabyCakes in NYC. My family visited BabyCakes last year and it was delicious! In San Francisco, we also have a wonderful bakery that serves vegan & gluten free cupcakes, Cups & Cakes Bakery and I'm looking forward to ordering a box of cupcakes from them for my daughter's upcoming San Francisco birthday party.

Vegan & Gluten Free Cupcakes from BabyCakes in NYC

Tongue Stew, Tongue Tacos and some Anti-Oxidant Cookies for Dessert

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As you've read in a number of my prior posts, I am no stranger to offal and absolutely love organ meats. Growing up, one of my favorite foods was beef tongue. My mom always made it from scratch for all special occasions and we all enjoyed it with a side of horseradish. Whenever I saw her prepare the dish, the work always seemed so daunting to me. Recently, on a trip to Boston, the hubby and I had the pleasure of dining at Enoteca Coppa, where the chef was recently voted "Best Chef in Boston" by Boston Magazine. At Coppa, I had the most amazing stew with beef tongue, tripe, and pork belly with garbanzo beans. It was so simple yet so rich and yummy! I had to try to replicate at home with some of my own twists.

Enoteca Coppa Beef Tongue, Tripe & Pork Belly Stew

Cow tongue contains a variety of B Vitamins, which means it's great for the nervous system and muscles. Garbanzo beans have more iron than other legumes and are high in folate, which is essential for heart and circulatory health. I also added some leafy greens to my stew for added goodness.

Beef Tongue & Garbanzo Stew with Greens
Ingredients:
1 grass-fed beef tongue
2 carrots diced
2 celery diced
1 large onion sliced
15-20 black peppercorns
1 tbsp Celtic Salt
4 bay leaves
3 tsp smoked paprika
3 cups of Garbanzo Beans (soaked overnight and left out to semi-sprout for one day)

Process:
1. Place all ingredients into Dutch Oven and bring to boil

2. Once at boil, reduce heat and cook overnight on lowest heat setting

3. The following day, once tongue has cooled, remove it from the pot and peel off skin

4. After skin is removed, chop tongue into one inch cubes (leave 2 cups of tongue for another recipe)

5. Place cubed tongue into the pot and bring back to boil

6. Add one bag of frozen greens

7. Mix ingredients until greens have defrosted

8. Enjoy!

Want to know what to do with the leftovers?? How about some semi-homemade Lengua Tacos!

Semi Home-Made Lengua Tacos (makes 4 tacos)
Ingredients:
2 cups of cubed tongue
2 Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas
1.5 cup Rethought Red Beans from the Better Bean Company

1/2 cup Mango-Salsa [Whole Foods] (if you are avoiding night-shades, otherwise any salsa will do)
1/2 avocado
2 tsp Pilsen Latino Seasoning
Cilantro springs for garnish

Process:
1. Take cubed tongue and dice it

2. Heat pan and put beans and tongue in pan and heat

3. Place tortillas on baking sheet and heat in oven for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees

4. Remove tortillas and place on a plate and scoop bean and tongue mixture
5. Mash avocado and mix with seasoning. Add to taco
6. Garnish with cilantro
7. Enjoy!

And finally, after all that tongue action, you're going to want some dessert. I adapted this recipe from Choosing Raw's awesome post, but wanted to make it grain-free. I also used ghee in my recipe instead of oil because I happen to love the caramel flavor it adds to baked goods. If you want a vegan version, then use coconut oil. Also, her recipe called for pumpkin puree, which I forgot to buy and so I substituted with a puree made from juice pulp and water. Finally, I'm allergic to chocolate, but you should feel free to add cocoa nibs.

Grain-Free Antioxidant Rich "Oatmeal" Cookies
(makes about 18-20 cookies)
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup amaranth flakes
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup chestnut flour
2 tbsp chia seeds (or Garden of Life Beyond Fiber) mixed with 1 tbsp water
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
Dash salt
1/3 – cup raw honey
1/3 cup ghee or coconut oil (melted)
2/3 cup juice pulp puree (mix juice pulp with water and blend until smooth)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup goji berries


Process:
1. Preheat oven on 350 degrees
2. Mix flakes, flours, chai seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl
3. In another bowl mix honey, ghee and puree
4. Add wet ingredients to dry
5. Add seeds and berries
6. Using a mixer or your hands mix well 
7. Place walnut size balls on a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or a sheet of unbleached parchment paper and press on balls until they are flat circles
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes
9. Cookies will have a soft texture vs. crunchy
10. Enjoy!