Thursday, May 14, 2009

Amy on the radio!

Yesterday I was interviewed by Jenn Brockman from Blog Talk Radio. She asked me all about my life with Celiac Disease! If you have some free time listen to the interview!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Special-Needs-Kids/2009/05/13/Amy-Feldman-talks-about-being-gluten-free

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Washington DC

Last weekend I went down to Washington DC to visit my best friend for my birthday and the two of us went to the Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Bethesda, MD. The event, which was held in the Hyatt, was very different then any of the other gluten free events I have been to in the past. The Cooking Spree was almost like a cocktail party with gluten free foods.

There were food stations set up on the perimeter of room. Each station was showcasing their “best” gluten free menu item. Being that I am not from DC most of the restaurants were new to me.

The event also showcased some well known speakers. The most memorable was Dr. Bob Anderson, a recognized international leader in the immunology and clinical management of celiac disease from Australia, spoke about his recent work on groundbreaking celiac treatment trial. He emphasized the necessity for diagnosing the enormous number of people around the world living with celiac disease as well as eventually finding a cure. He stated that the US is one of the farthest behind in diagnosing and awareness. Some other speakers were Linda Arterburn, Vice President-Development for Alba Therapeutics Corporation which is currently working on celiac treatment study and Dr. Vikki Petersen, a Chiropractor and Certified Clinical Nutritionist.

There was also a “best tasting dish” contest in which each of the restaurant food stations presented their dishes to a panel of judges. The best part was that everyone was able to taste the food which was being judged. The restaurants that participated were Wildfire Restaurant (bacon wrapped scallop), Lilit Café (crab cake), Jaleo (endives), Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza (pizza), Legal Sea Foods (Paella), Peacock Grand Café (tuna), Sweet Sin (Lamb Chops) and Zengo(scallops).

A separate dessert table was set up as well. In my opinion the most note worthy dessert was the Starbucks new gluten free cake which was not yet out in stores. It was delish! Cherry Blossom Cakes was also there, although, I am privy to Babycakes in NYC.

A silent auction was also held in a separate area along with a small vendor sampling area which included booths from Joan’s (my FAVORITE bagels!), Snikiddy, Mahatma Rice, Cabot Cheese, among a few others. Wegman’s grocery store also provided a great gift bag as we left the event.

Overall, the event was a classy affair which I found very enjoyable. I did notice that the event attendees were not as warm as past events. One of the best parts of attending GF events is meeting the people; I have found that most people are willing to talk and share their stories. However, I felt that this event people tended to stay to themselves. The food was great and the wine and beer were flowing!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Thrive Allergy and Gluten Free Expo

Last week I attended the Thrive Allergy and Gluten Free Expo in Chicago. Thrive was a two day event (April 18-19) which show cased a number of gluten free vendors. The event, which was held at Chicago's convention center, McCormick Place, provided a large forum for a number of gluten free specialist to share information. The event consisted of a number of speakers, cooking demonstrations as well as booths displaying gluten free products for taste testing and purchasing. The Expo also had booths for people with asthma, skin allergies, and nut allergies.

Most of the booths carrying gluten free foods were local Chicago retailers who specialize in gluten free and allergy free specialties. About 90% of the vendors were displaying baked goods, which I expected. I spent the day taste testing and talking with all the vendors supplying GF products.

My Favorite Products
- Meister’s Angel Food Cake: http://meistersgf.com/
- Deerfield Bakery’s Baguette: http://www.deerfieldsglutenfree.com/
- Toro’s Chocolate Chip Cookies: http://www.tasteslikerealfood.com/
- 123 Gluten Free’s Spice Cake: http://www.123glutenfree.com/
- Sunbutter’s Original Sunbutter (sun flower seed butter, no nuts): http://www.sunbutter.com/
- Lil’s Dietary Specialty Shop’s Powdered Donuts: http://www.lilsdietary.com/
- Van’s Gluten Free Waffles: http://www.vansfoods.com/
- Pamela’s Butter Shortbread Cookies: http://www.pamelasproducts.com/

My Favorite Demonstrations/Speakers
- Kim Koeller, http://www.glutenfreepassport.com/
Kim is publishing her second book later this year empowering individuals with the knowledge to safely eat outside the home, while managing celiac disease, food allergies & special diets

- Jennifer Cafferty, http://www.glutenfreeclasses.com/
Jen made outstanding Gluten Free Coconut Chicken Tenders with Mango Chutney and Tuscan Quinoa Salad

- Jules Shepard, http://www.nearlynormalcooking.com/
Jules made an amazing Gluten and Dairy Free Pizza

The event showcased a number of companies that provide an online shopping outlet for a number of gluten free products. Some of the sites I have ordered from are:
http://www.glutenfree.com/
http://www.allergyfreeshop.com/
http://www.edwardandsons.com/

Overall this was a great event, I was able to meet a number of knowledgeable gluten free experts in the Chicago area. I am planning to back to Chicago August 15-16 for the Gluten Free Cooking Expo.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Kosher for Passover Wines

Below are the pictures of the Kosher for Passover Wines we drank over the past week. Incase the pictures are not clear I have provided a list as well. My list is ranked 1 being the best 5 being the worst...let me know what you think about my ranking system!
  1. Alfasi Malbec/Syrah
  2. Alfasi Chardonnay
  3. Altoona Hills Shiraz
  4. Altoona Hills Chardonnay
  5. Manischewitz (GROSS! But classic!)






















Passover 2009

This past week was Passover, the greatest holiday for gluten free people. Living in NYC (or any area with a large Jewish population) grocery stores stock up on Kosher for Passover foods, many of which are gluten free. The one Passover food that we, as gluten free eaters, need to watch out for is Matzo. Although we have to avoid matzo, matzo meal, and matzo byproducts there are so many goodies available around the Passover season which I buy an store to eat all year round.

My top 5 favorite GF Passover foods available are:

  1. Ossem Pound Cake
  2. Gefen Wine Noodles
  3. Streit's Soup Croutons
  4. Jennies Coconut Macaroons
  5. Shabtai Cakes, Cookies, and Baked Goods (I am eating the Chocolate Chiffon Cake right now!)

Being that I am the only person with Celiac in my family I have everyone come over to my apartment for holidays. This way I know what is being made and I know that there is no possibility for cross contamination. This year we had a smaller group that normal. Passover fell on a weekday and my cousins from Ohio decided not to come in. We had 2 Seders and the menus consisted of the following:

Menu:

  • Home Made Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls
  • Purple Cabbage Salad
  • Cucumber-Dill Salad
  • Roasted Garlic Chicken Stuffed with Dried Fruits and Nuts
  • Cranberry Chicken
  • Primavera Chicken
  • Two-Tone Potatoes with Pesto Sauce
  • Roasted Garlic Asparagus/String Beans
  • Unbelievable Brownies with frosting
  • Sorbet Ruffles

I will post all of the recipes shortly along with a Kosher for Passover wine list. Over the past few years the wine for Passover has significantly improved!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Passover is coming!

My favorite part of Passover has always been the matzo ball soup! Since going gluten free I have been using this outstanding recipe from potato flakes that actually tastes like Matzo Balls!

Try it out for yourself!
Ingredients
4 Eggs
3 tb Chicken fat/margarine
1 ts Salt
1/4 Teaspoon xantham gum
1 c Instant potato flakes
4 tb Chicken stock
Dill- optional
Beat eggs and fat, add salt, dill and xantham gum to potatoes and add to the eggs. Add stock, mix well and chill for 20-30 mins. Wet hands and form into balls cook in simmering soup for 20 mins.

Let me know what you think!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Long Pause

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the long pause...I was in Grand Central right after I started this blog and I had an unfortunate incident with tea. It spilled on my hands and I got second degree burns. NOT FUN! Now I am back in action and ready to blog! This weekend my sister came to visit me...overall a nice visit.
Friday Dinner: Luscious Thai (1st ave and 61st) great red curry and are aware of wheat/gluten allergies!
Saturday Bruch: Beaches Cafe (2nd ave and 72nd) AMAZING brunch, I told the waiter I was allergic to gluten...his response was "oh you have celiac" the eggs were great and the service was so nice.
Saturday Dinner: S'MAC (1st ave and 12th) all they serve is mac and cheese, which was one of my favorite foods B.C. (before celiac). It is very rich, but worth the calories every once in a while!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lable Reading...

So, I was searching through my fridge today trying to figure out what to make for lunch and I came across a package of frozen veggies. Good thing I looked at the back of the package, because low and behold the "Asian veggies" I purchased had soy sauce powder as an ingredient.

Being that my apt is completely gluten free I normally don't read labels once food is in my apt. I recently decided that I need to read ALL labels at the grocery store and then AGAIN when I go to eat the product in question. Although I complain about having to put in the time and effort into continuously reading labels, as I am sure everyone blessed with CD knows, is SIGNIFICANTLY less painful than being glutenized.

Friday, January 23, 2009

About Me

My name is Amy and I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in December of 2007. Since my diagnosis I have been trying to learn as much about living a gluten free life style as possible. Recently I have decided that I don't want to live a gluten free life style, I want to live my life style which happens to be GF. I want to be able to travel, shop, eat, cook, entertain, work, and do all the other things I enjoy without feeling embarrassed, guilty, or nervous. So, I figured the best way to help myself through this "life changing" diagnosis is to combine it with my one true love...GOSSIP!!! The more I know the more I want to share. My commitment to this blog is going to be to simply share any and all information, recipes, travel tips, restaurant reviews, and fun facts with you. I hope you enjoy!