Another Really Good Pasta Dish

The May issue of bon appetit magazine has a lovely picture of a pasta dish that I just knew I could recreate and make gluten free.  I did & it was awesome!  Here is the recipe taken right from the magazine.  The only change I made was to use GF pasta for my serving.  This has several ingredients but trust me, it is easy and oh, so good.  FYI, it is even better the next day.  Enjoy!

FETTUCCINE WITH PEAS, ASPARAGUS, AND PANCETTA

12 oz. Fettuccine or penne
3 oz pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 ¼ lb asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1 inch pieces
2 cups shelled fresh peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
2 garlic cloves pressed or chopped
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite.  Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pot.

    Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet.  Add asparagus to drippings in skillet and sauté 3 minutes.  Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic and sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat.

    Add vegetable mixture, ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley and half of basil to pasta.  Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoons if needed.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Transfer to large bowl.  Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parley and basil over.  Serve, passing more Parmesan cheese

Celiac Disease Facts

Here are some facts about celiac disease and being gluten free. If you have been diagnosed or think you may be experiencing symptoms it is important to do the research.  Be informed.  Take control and your overall health will improve dramatically.


Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.

• One in 133 Americans has Celiac Disease.
• Three million Americans of all races, ages and genders suffer from Celiac.
• 95% of Celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.
• 10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed.
• 17% of Celiac patients have an immediate family member who also has Celiac.

• Celiac Disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune diseases.

• $5,000 - $12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis per person/per year of Celiac, not including lost work time.

• There is NO pharmaceutical cures for Celiac Disease.

• A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for Celiac today.

• A positive attitude, 100% of the time, helps Celiacs create a gluten-free lifestyle for themselves and their affected family members.

• 500,000 new Celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the next 5 years thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of Celiac Disease.

• The gluten-free marketplace is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2010 thanks to new vendors manufacturing better tasting and more affordable products.

This information was taken from The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

Gluten, an Explanation….

To help you better understand what’s happening, here is some information I have learned through my years of research. I am not a doctor and have no training whatsoever in this field. This is only information I found helpful and maybe you will also.

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is also in most oats. Not because of the oat itself but because of the way it is processed. It is what makes pizza dough stretchy, it makes bread rise and it makes pasta hold together. Gluten is also the substance that can make you sick if your system can’t tolerate it.

People who can not tolerate gluten can suffer from many health problems, including seizures, bloating, intestinal problems, immune system issues, depression, anxiety, ADHA, autism, adrenal exhaustion, thyroid problems. This is only a short list.

Unfortunately there is no CURE for gluten intolerance or Celiac Disease. The only thing you can do is stay away from gluten. Just don’t eat it! Most people will start to feel better within days of removing gluten from their diets if they can’t tolerate it, others will take longer. Eliminating gluten sounds simple enough. No bread, pizza, pasta. This is easy! If only it were that simple.

Gluten is hiding in places you wouldn’t even consider to look. Some examples are jelly beans, popsicles, processed meats, canned tomato soup, soy sauce. Most processed food contains gluten. Lipsticks, soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, vitamins, nutritional supplements and medicine are on the list of gluten filled items. I once was enjoying a cup of hot tea. It was flavored and tasted delicious. I picked up the box and read the ingredients. The second ingredient on the list was wheat flour!! Shocking.

Some unsafe items to look for on food labels:
modified food starch
MSG
textured vegetable protein
emulsifiers
caramel color
malt

You will need to think about everything you put in your body. You must read all labels and understand what the words mean. For a list of all safe and unsafe items click here.
Try not to think of this as a negative thing. In fact, it will change your life in the best possible way. It is going to make you healthy. Keep in mind that most foods in their natural state are gluten free, such as fruits, vegetables, meats that are not processed, hard cheeses, fish and seafood.

With Overripe Bananas You Get Banana Bread

In my house the last 2 or 3 bananas get tucked away. When they are dark brown and squishy they get smushed into banana bread. Either a loaf of gluten free banana bread or a loaf of gluten filled banana bread. Today’s bananas will pair nicely with walnuts and chocolate chips and will end up gluten free. I am using a recipe taken from a cookbook called Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly. This recipe is simple, basic and quick and has always turned out well. The recipe does not call for chocolate chips, I call for chocolate chips. The recipe follows verbatim. At the end I will tell you how I changed it up slightly.

Eleanor’s Banana Bread
Makes 1 (9 x 5 inch) loaf

2 cups Basic Gluten-Free Mix (recipe for this follows)
1 Teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
½ cup lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and dust with rice flour and line with parchment paper.

Mix together the gluten-free mix, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.

Cream the butter until white. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Fold in the nuts & chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour or until done.

Basic Gluten-Free Mix: Mix 2 cups brown rice flour or chickpea flour, 2/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup tapioca flour. Or mix 1 cup chickpea or Garfava flour, 1 cup brown rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup tapioca starch. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour for this recipe. I substituted Smart Balance Buttery Spread for the unsalted butter and I cut the sugar down to ¾ of a cup. I added approximately ½ cup of chocolate chips (or to taste), just because chocolate must be used wherever possible and whenever you can get away with it. I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer as it does a wonderful job for any mixing that requires more than a few minutes.

Now get baking!

Food for Thought on Living GF

Some tips for gluten free living taken from "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies" by Danna Korn:

Focus on what you can eat - instead of thinking about the foods you can't have...focus on the foods you can eat, and put a special emphasis on those you especially enjoy.

Expand your culinary horizons with alternative foods - like quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet, buckwheat, acai, kefir and sorghum.

Enjoy an ethnic flair - many Asian cuisines like Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean are often gluten-free, as are many Mexican and Indian dishes.

Tune into the benefits - focus on the reasons why being gluten-free is a good thing. You, unlike many people, have the key to better health - a gluten-free diet!