Goucher’s Involvement in State LGBT Politics May 7, 2012

Gita Deane, a faculty member at Goucher College, has fought with the ACLU to legalize gay marriage in Maryland. We had a wonderful conversation about Prism, the Queer student union on campus, and the communication issues existing between the organization and herself. Although she spoke at Rainbow Reception, she is usually unaware of petitions and activities around campus.

After years of fighting for the right to call her partner, Lisa Polyak, her wife, Deane, Polyak, and their two children went to Washington, DC for the ceremony and are now happily married.

Hopefully, the future for Maryland.

Mother’s Day Recipies

Mother’s Day is coming up and cooking for her is one of the best presents a child or husband can give her. Flowers are a wonderful present but nothing says ‘Thank you’ like a home cooked meal. This is also a great treat to have between courses, especially when you need to make room for dessert.

Yogurt has healthy bacteria that help with digestion. A combination like this will really make the ‘food baby’ or bloating go down. My preferred yogurt brand is SO Delicious dairy and soy free yogurt.

SO Delicious

This parfait is relatively inexpensive and easy to make. My recipe consists of  coconut milk yogurt, dried fruit, fruit juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, some fresh fruits, and short glasses.

Place the glasses in the refrigerator to cool. They will need to be cold so  layers do not melt together.

Yogurt: Raspberry and Blueberry. This yogurt is light, creamy, and has little bits of fruit in it. It is also dairy and soy free.

Dried Fruit: Papaya, pineapple, and mango are my favorites. Chop up the dried fruit and put it in a small pot. Cover it with the juice, lemon to cut some of the sweetness, and allow the simmer with the spices mixed in. Keep adding juice until the fruit is properly re-hydrated.

Once the dried fruits are done, allow them to cool. Cut the fresh fruits into small pieces. Retrieve the now chilled glasses from the refrigerator. Alternate layers of re-hydrated fruit and yogurt ending with yogurt on top. Make sure the layers do not leak. Add fresh fruit to the top, cover with cling foil, and place in the fridge for five minutes. Remove film and eat!

If you prefer a it a little less sweet, use vanilla and passion fruit mango yogurt or use dried apple, apricots, or pears.

As the weather warms up, a cool treat like this one will taste great, and help you body trim down.

How to drink with Celiac: Part I

Cinco De Mayo, Mother’s Day,  Memorial Day, 4th of July, birthdays, and get-togethers are all times when those who enjoy drinking alcohol. For those with celiacs disease,  beer and many liquors are not an option for you. Thankfully there is a better tasting alternative, hard cider.

There are a wide variety of ciders in many flavors that can satisfy both the palates of men and women. These gluten-free delights are almost equal in calorie count to beer and less fattening than the average wine cooler.

Crisp taste of apples and only 180 calories.

Hornsby’s is one of my favorites. Its on the sweeter side and the flavor has a higher concentration of apples than most. This one is also relatively inexpensive. A six pack runs for about $8.00.

Two more brands, ones that taste more like beer, are Woodchuck and Strongbow. Although Strognbow is a little more difficult to buy, I think it is the better tasting of the two. It usually comes in tall four pack cans, but can be found in bottles as well.

Extremely refreshing, especially on ice.

This cider is imported from England so it will cost a little more but, if you want to impress dinner guests or friends, this  is a good way to do it. Nothing says sophistication, style, and shopping savvy like having imported cider, that will not break the bank, perfectly cooled and ready to serve.

Gluten-Free Goodies on the Go! May 4, 2012

Many of my posts have been about cooking and baking gluten-free foods. These are time consuming and can be costly, depending on how frequently you choose to make them. Also, kids will want more than just baked goods or fruit for a snack. To help yourself out, why not grab a few of these and hide them on the shelf?

When my brother was diagnosed with Celiac disease a few years ago, two of the hardest things he had to give up were beer and Oreos. It is pretty difficult to find someone who does not love the chocolate and cream heaven that can be found with a simple cookie. Well, the thought of an Oreo-less life left him devastated. That is, until he discovered this gluten-free alternative provided by KINNIKINNICK FOODS INC. ^®

 

Oreos!!

These were and still are his favorite. No they will not taste exactly the same but, pretty close. They look almost identical and pretty much do the same thing. 

Another food hard to live without is bread. Baking bread does not take too long, but the morning rush does not leave much time for kneading and waiting. They have a wide variety from white, to brown rice, to flat bread. They even have one called ‘Festive’ thanks to the fruits and spices baked in. 

This company has many products, including yeast free breads for consumers who prefer not to use it. 

Having products like these will definitely lighten the load of baking bread and cookies for your family.

How to Drink with Celiac Disease: Part II

Hello again! Mother’s Day is coming up and Memorial Day soon after. Do you know what that means? Parties! Dinners! What happens at parties and dinners? Drinking! Well, if you are of legal age that is. In part I of this post, cider was the topic of discussion. This time, we will meet some liquors that will not harm those with celiac, well as long as there is responsible drinking.

Thankfully, many liquors do not contain wheat or barley products.

Champagne

If you are looking for Vodkas:

• Ciroc is grape based
• Chopin is potato based
• Smirnoff

If Tequila is your poison:

• Jose Cuervo Gold
• Patron

For the pirates out there looking for Rum:

• Bacardi Silver

All Gins, some wines, and Jägermeister are among other celiac safe drinks.

Unfortunately, many wine coolers have or are made in the vicinity of a gluten product, including Smirnoff Ice, so steering clear of those is probably a good idea. Too much alcohol is not good for the body, but a well shaken little does go a long way.

Mother’s Day Appetizer: Sauteed Salmon Dip April 27, 2012

Mother’s Day is in less than a week, and for those thinking about what to make for her, here is a good starter. If the leading lady in your life likes seafood, try this Sauteed Salmon Dip. Salmon is rich in essential oils that help keep the skin, hair, and brain healthy and glowing.

Ready to eat salmon

Ingredients

• Smoked Salmon
• Candied Salmon (optional)
• Onions
• Sweet Peppers (green and yellow)
• Basil
• Blue Spike
• Tomato Sauce
• Yellow Mustard
• Ketchup
• Rosemary
• Cayenne Pepper
• Turmeric
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
•  Wok or Frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Any other seasonings you may want to add

Chop the onions and peppers into fine pieces. Pour into pot and put two spoons of tomato sauce and a squirt of ketchup and mustard. Turn fire on medium.  Pour on seasonings and allow to sit until contents begin to sizzle. Add salmon and mix in with seasonings. As the fish heats up, it will break apart so do not worry if it is tough at first. Once all the fish has broken up, allow to sit, but watch it because the mixture could burn easily. Add more sauce if needed. After the fish is done, pour a little tsp of olive oil. Garnish with extra basil. Serve!

This goes well with bread or chips and will not require any additional toppings.

This appetizer is not very light and can be a little too salty so be careful of the seasonings you add.

Oatmeal That Won’t Get You Sick

Who likes a nice hot bowl of oatmeal in the morning to start the day? Topped with a little fruit and some honey or brown sugar? Surprisingly, not all instant oats are gluten free. If you are an oatmeal eater and have experienced any strange pain or discomfort and do not know where it is coming from, try switching to the Bob’s Red Mill.

Oatmeal with berries

Not all oatmeal is made equal or the same. For those who have made this a part of their every day diet and happen to have a gluten allergy, the packets of  Quaker Instant Oats will not fulfill your dietary needs. They also already have sugar mixed in, so if you like your oats a little sweeter, you could be taking in a few extra carbs, ones that could be saved for fruit, nuts, or raisins.

Personally, oat meal is one of the last things I would choose for breakfast. I do not like the texture of instant, but Bob’s whole oats stays just firm enough to keep breakfast from becoming a mushy mess.

Delicious Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour April 3, 2012

Recently, I went looking for a different and more delicious flour to make my sweet and savory treats. My journey ended at a simple blue and white box labeled,  King Arthur Flour.

White flour is highly processed, and while it does taste great in bread and pastries, is horrible for the body and causes weight gain. The right gluten-free alternatives give food similar taste with less health issues. Many similar products such as Bob’s Red Mill, run at about the same price but do not have the same flavor. The health benefits within these two brands are the same, but for around $8 you get a 24 oz box and a product that bonds well with other ingredients without the grainy, chalky taste that most other gluten-free flours.

This flour goes with anything including regular cooking for frying or giving gravy more texture

Breakfast Goodies March 30, 2012

Hello hungry world! Hopefully you are as glad as I am to get back to reading about and trying new food. This post will focus more on breakfast items. Not all of them will be gluten-free but aside from one mention of fish, everything will be vegetarian.

Waffles and pancakes are two foods loved by most. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Little Dreams and Lasagna , Trader Joe’s waffles are my favorite. They have a light and fluffy texture and they toast to perfection easily. There are people, like my parents, who would only step into Trader Joe’s over Whole Foods if they are forced to. Here is another brand of breakfast food. Van’s is one of these. They carry many different flavors from home style to blueberry to flax. This company also makes pancakes, french toast, muffin tops, and English muffins. Breakfast win. My favorite are their mini’s…maybe I like playing with my food too much.

After the Cleanse March 23, 2012

I know this post is slightly unrelated to the overall topic of this blog, I felt the need to write a follow-up to my last post, The Cleanse!!!!! My friend and I only did the Master Cleanse for four days, instead of the intended five because she was starting to become sick. The two of us went into this thing with extremely different mindsets. I knew how it felt to give up solid food for an extended period and she did not. She did believe it would be as difficult as I had made it out to be when I initially explained what the cleanse entailed.

My friend, like many of us out there including myself,  can sometimes suffer from some body image issues. She is a healthy weight for her height and a half marathon runner but she still considers herself out of shape. To add to the pressures women feel to look perfect, it is the beginning of bathing suit season. She wanted to lose weight more than anything else and because of this, she did not follow the steps the cleanse outlined for her. When following something like the Master Cleanse, it is imperative to follow EVERY step. She did not drink nearly enough of the mixture and by day four looked visibly sick.

Sleep is a huge factor when doing something like this. Sleep is already needed to keep the body  going. As college students, it is the first thing to be neglected in favor of eating, coffee, and ‘all-nighters’. The lack of food made it extremely difficult to stay awake past 1 am despite my academic needs.

Here are some things I have learned from this last attempt to cleanse:

Refreshing but after the cleanse I can never fully appreciate it again

• It is important to have HEALTHY  expectation. There is only so much change that the body can handle over a certain period of time.
• Choosing to ignore the guidelines set out by those who made the cleanse can result in discomfort and SICKNESS!!
• If you are unable to get a lot of sleep, do not do this. Try it in the summer when there is more free time.
• Try not to do this alone. It is hard enough to go without solid food but doing it by yourself makes the overall experience even more unpleasant.
• If you realize that you are hurting yourself  STOP! A little weight loss is not worth passing out somewhere or doing some form of permanent damage.

There are many other ways to cleanse the body that do not involve removal of solid food from the diet for an easier way to help out your insides. I have not tried any others so I cannot give any examples but they are easy to find and bad cleanses are  pretty easy to weed out.

Oh, if you like lemonade, the Master cleanse is not for you! I am still a little weary of the stuff and at times, I cannot stand the sight or smell of it.

That is enough of cleansing and fasting. I do not know about you but I am ready for some cooking! My next post will be about something sweet and scrumptious so tune in for a delectable treat!