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Gluten Free in
Italy
Dining was divine
in Italy this past June. We found restaurants that provided gluten free menus
and we ate fabulous pasta, pizza (see right), and dessert without concern.
Even at regular restaurants, it was not hard to find gluten free entrees. Fresh
fruits and vegetables were plentiful. When presented with our gluten-free dining
card in Italian, the waiters artfully guided us to the best (safe) choices.
Our trip started in
Venice, then moved westward via train to Verona (the home of Romeo and Juliet),
then on to Florence, Italy's epi-center of art, history, and of course, good
shopping.
Four days on the
Italian Riviera at Portofino showed us how the other half lives. We ate most
dinners at our hotel and practically had the dining room to ourselves. We
brought Heartland Ingredients' bean pasta with us and the chef prepared some
fabulous pasta entrees. We had a variety of Dr. Schaer breads sent
to our hotels for breakfast and dinner.
On train-travel
days, we used these breads for picnics in our train compartment as we cruised by
the beautiful Italian countryside. At local markets, we bought cheeses, Italian
wine (without sulfites), fruit, and canned tuna. When supplemented with
the food we brought from home such as crackers, energy bars, and nuts we ate
very well, indeed. In fact, fellow train travelers looked on enviously as we
pulled all this food from our seemingly bottomless bags. And, of course, we
sampled the famous Italian gelato frequently.
Our trip ended in
Milan, with a day-trip to beautiful Lake Como in the Dolomites. In Milan, we
even snagged last-minute tickets to "La Boheme" at Italy's famed La Scala
Theater, an experience in itself.
New Whole Grain
Labels
The new U.S.
dietary guidelines suggest 3 daily servings of whole grains. What is a whole
grain? According to the Whole Grains Council at
www.wholegrainscouncil.com,
whole grains or
foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring
nutrients of the entire grain seed. If the grain has been processed (e.g.,
cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, lightly pearled and/or cooked), the food
product should deliver approximately the same rich balance of nutrients that are
found in the original grain seed.
How can you get
your daily quota? Look in Gluten-Free 101, for how to cook a wide variety
of whole grains. And Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus has a chapter on grains
including recipes for Tabbouleh (quinoa) Salad, Wild Rice Pancakes, and a Quinoa
& Wild Rice Pilaf.
Try cooking whole
grain amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, or teff as hot breakfast cereal or
side dishes. One of my favorite side dishes is whole grain sorghum, available at
www.twinvalleymills.com. You must
soak the sorghum overnight in water, then cook it in twice as much fresh water
for 30-50 minutes (cooking time varies). It is very hearty and filling and makes
a great tabbouleh.
Some gluten-free
vendors now include the Whole Grain logo on their packages. Developed by the
Whole Grains Council, this logo indicates how well a food satisfies the daily
requirement of 16 grams of whole grains.
United Airlines
(UAL) Serves Sorghum
My Japanese
colleagues at the U.S. Grains Council in Tokyo tell me that United Airlines will
serve sorghum as a side dish on its first and business class Tokyo-U.S. flights
during July-August, 2005 and January-February, 2006. As you know, sorghum is a
wonderfully nutritious gluten-free grain and even if you're not traveling to
Tokyo it's great to know that a major corporation is now serving one of our
gluten-free grains in mainstream meals.
Gluten Free
Living Magazine in Stores
Previously
available only by mail order, you can now find Gluten-Free Living
magazine in health food stores. Complete with a newly-designed full cover color,
look for it alongside the other magazines. If you don't see it, tell the store
manager that you would like the store to carry it. For more information, go to
www.glutenfreeliving.com.
Special Diet
Solutions and Gluten-Free Celebrations Now Out of Print
As of June 30, 2005 my two books---Special
Diet Solutions and Gluten-Free Celebrations---are out of print. They will be replaced by one book
called Cooking Free: 220 Recipes for People with Food Allergies and Multiple Food Sensitivities
by Carol Fenster, Ph.D., from Avery, a division of Penguin Putnam. You may still
find a copy of the old books at Amazon.com, health food stores, or some
gluten-free vendors.
Everything You Ever Wanted to
Know...... New Booklets Help Us Eat without Gluten, Dairy, or Eggs
My new on-line, 20+ page booklets are
available at www.savorypalate.com.
They are jam-packed with information you won't find in my books and answer many
questions you were afraid to ask or didn't know you should ask. The
booklets are priced at $6.95 each and can be downloaded instantly, rather than
waiting for them in the mail. Store them in a 3-ring binder for easy reference.
They are continuously updated as I learn new information so they are always
current and up-to-date.
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