Tag Archives: Food

B&O Espresso Opens Shop in Ballard, Adds Gluten Free Treats!

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Gluten Free Mousse
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Chai Milkshake
Sarah Bernhardt – Mousse with an Amaretti cookie.
Marzipan
Gluten Free Crème Brûlée
Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

There’s a new kid on the Leary block – our very favorite and long time residents of Capitol Hill did a hop, skip and a jaunt over to the buzz-happy Ballard! And boy are we happy to have them! B&O Espresso isn’t just espresso and they aren’t just desserts, they are the finest espresso and desserts in Seattle. For example, their chai latte’s are freshly brewed chai, made by the owner himself. They have mousses and cookies and towers of cakes. They have chocolates and milkshakes that are tantalizing to taste.

Yes, some of their menu has been discontinued, along with their late night food-munching hours. They do, however, offer early morning pastries, brunch, espresso and desserts. The venu also has a wide array of gluten free desserts like the Sarah Bernhardt, Crème brûlée, double chocolate chip cookies, mousse, Marzipan and my personal favorite – the chai milkshake.

If you ever spent any time in B&O’s Capitol Hill location, you would have noticed the French posters and tributes, colorful Cap Hill patrons and the lavish decor collected from vintage styles over the years. While the new location is smaller and not of the same vibe, it’s still the same friendly people and the same fantastic treats.

10 Signs You Are Gluten Intolerant.

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Say no to gluten.By Dr. Amy Myers

More then 55 diseases have been linked to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s estimated that 99% of the people who have either gluten intolerance or celiac disease are never diagnosed.

It is also estimated that as much as 15% of the US population is gluten intolerant. Could you be one of them?

If you have any of the following symptoms it could be a sign that you have gluten intolerance:

1. Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and even constipation. I see the constipation particularly in children after eating gluten.

2. Keratosis Pilaris, (also known as ‘chicken skin’ on the back of your arms). This tends be as a result of a fatty acid deficiency and vitamin A deficiency secondary to fat-malabsorption caused by gluten damaging the gut.

3. Fatigue, brain fog or feeling tired after eating a meal that contains gluten.

4. Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis.

5. Neurologic symptoms such as dizziness or feeling of being off balance.

6. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, PCOS or unexplained infertility.

7. Migraine headaches.

8. Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. These diagnoses simply indicate your conventional doctor cannot pin point the cause of your fatigue or pain.

9. Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints such as fingers, knees or hips.

10. Mood issues such as anxiety, depression, mood swings and ADD.

How to test for gluten intolerance?

I have found the single best ways to determine if you have an issue with gluten is to do an elimination diet and take it out of your diet for at least 2 to 3 weeks and then reintroduce it. Please note that gluten is a very large protein and it can take months and even years to clear from your system so the longer you can eliminate it from your diet before reintroducing it, the better.

The best advice that I share with my patients is that if they feel significantly better off of gluten or feel worse when they reintroduce it, then gluten is likely a problem for them.  In order to get accurate results from this testing method you must elimination 100% of the gluten from your diet.

How to treat gluten intolerance?

Eliminating gluten 100% from your diet means 100%. Even trace amounts of gluten from cross contamination or medications or supplements can be enough to cause an immune reaction in your body.

The 80/20 rule or “we don’t eat it in our house, just when we eat out” is a complete misconception. An article published in 2001 states that for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity eating gluten just once a month increased the relative risk of death by 600%.

Still unsure?

Seek out an integrative practitioner or functional medicine physician to help to guide you.

About Dr. Amy Myers

Amy Myers, MD is the Founder and Medical Director of Austin UltraHealth, a functional medicine practice in Austin, Texas. Dr. Myers seeks to find the root cause of illness rather than treating only the symptoms with medications. Nutrition is a large part of her practice and she believes that food is medicine! Dr. Myers has published an eBook The Myers Way: Your Guide to UltraHealth and holds monthly nutritionist lead 21- Day Challenges based on her eBook.

This article was originally posted on www.mindbodygreen.com

Gluten Free Crab & Sole Tacos with Guac & Mango Salsa

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Yum! It may look complicated but truly it’s one of the easiest Seattle gluten free meals I make. This dish takes about 10 minutes, if you buy mango salsa and fresh guac from Whole Foods. You can also sub in any white fish. I make this same dish with cod or halibut. Makes 5-6 tacos.

Recipe:
4 Sole Fillets
1/4 lbs of crab
5-6 Soft Corn Tortillas (Gluten-Free)
1 tsp Coconut Oil
Mango Salsa (Whole Foods or fresh made)
Guacamole
Top with fresh cilantro
Pair with fresh veggies (snap peas are from our garden)

Technique:
Cook on 4 or medium low, heat up teaspoon of coconut oil. Sauté sole (it’s a very thin fish it cooks fast) for 5 minutes. Then add in crab. Sole will break apart natural, so I just gently break it all up so it’s nice chunky mix. If you use halibut or cod, have the butcher cut off the skin for you at the store, it will make your life so much easier.

Heat up soft tortillas on a dry frying pan on medium low, so the tortillas are warm and soft, not crispy. When ready and on a dish, add fish to tacos and top with mango salsa and guac.

If you are making mango salsa from scratch there are lots of options, but here’s a good recipe to follow.

Mango Salsa:
1 mango – peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice

* Recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/mango-salsa/detail.aspx

Is it Hard to Eating Gluten-Free?

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At first, yes. Not because you are going gluten-free, because you are changing your eating habits. Changing your diet in any way isn’t easy. It’s like changing the way you dress, suddenly, or changing your hair. You won’t be used to it at first and might reject this new look or lifestyle you have fallen into.

In most cases, becoming gluten-free isn’t really a choice. Most of us have found in some way or another that we are allergic. Just be thankful you weren’t diagnosed 6-7 years ago when there were virtually no gluten-free products on the market. At that time most gluten-free eaters had to make our own breads! Which meant I cheated often if I wanted a simple sandwich.

Now that I have been eating gluten-free for over 7 years, I am finding it isn’t so hard. I feel better, I don’t have as many digestive troubles, my skin is better, and it’s easier to keep weight off. Being gluten-free has actually forced me to really take a long hard look at what I ate, which was very a high-carb and starch diet. While I still indulge in the occasional gluten-free treat, I’ve actually gradually refined my diet to include very little carbs, so even the gluten-free products aren’t as appealing anymore.

When you are first diagnosed, it’s important to be gradual about your diet change and not be self-hurtful when you slip up and eat wheat. Keep in mind, it’s a drastic change and eating gluten-free in a lot of ways isn’t as fattening or carb-laden (or delicious) as what you were used to. I also eat a little bit of dairy and while a lot of dairy causes a lot of problems for me, a little is okay. So when you are making these changes make sure you find a replacement fiber source and don’t cut out all your savory and sweet treats. I find going cold turkey fuels a HUGE binge, which is never good.

Summertime is the best time to be gluten-free. With barbeques, picnics, in-season fruits, vegetables, and much more – eating is easy, tasty, and colorful! You don’t crave those high carb treats because you are out on a boat, or hiking, or swimming!

Winter is when it can all go wrong. Be sure to include more stews, soups, and warming type of foods in your regular recipes. These type of foods curb cravings for carbs.

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Mastering the Gluten-Free Pancake.

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How many times have you messed around with different flours to get your perfect gluten-free pancake? For me it’s been numerous; almond flour, coconut flour, Bob’s Red Mill (potato & rice flours), Jule’s Gluten-Free Flour (potato, corn, & rice), to name a few and they are never quite what I want. Whether they are too mushy, too dense, or too much like a macaroon, mastering the Seattle gluten-free pancake presents a significant challenge.

Fret no more folks, I have found the perfect Seattle gluten-free pancake recipe that is guaranteed to produce the BEST gluten-free pancake you have ever had. They are so good, you won’t be able to tell the difference between real wheat pancakes and these ones!

What did I use? Mostly Quinoa flour and a little Jule’s Gluten-Free Flour. Recipe Below.

Quinoa Flour Pancakes

2 cups of quinoa flour
1/3 cup Jules GF flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs of agave nectar
1 tbs of vanilla
2 cups + 1 tbs of water
Coconut oil for frying

I used a small teflon frying pan, which helped with making the pancake perfectly round.

Organic & Locally Made Valentine’s Day Chocolates

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Okay, in honor of Valentine’s Day I just HAVE to talk about some of my favorite chocolates.

While chocolate on Valentine’s Day is so over, I think we all still keep a warm spot in our hearts toward someone who gives us a delectable box of euphoric morsels.

Of course, I would never recommend just ANY chocolates. Hershey’s watch out, there are better options now without high fructose corn syrup.

Fran’s Chocolates
Downtown Seattle
University Village
Bellevue

Fran’s Chocolate has to be my all time favorite, especially the salted chocolate caramels….yeah I end up eating the whole box in one sitting. Not a good choice, but these little morsels are so delicious and tantalizing that devouring them is usually the only way the human body can respond. They have a whole Valentine’s Day Collection that is top-notch and a sure winner with the ladies. Headquarters in Seattle, WA.

Theo’s Chocolate
3400 Phinney Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103

Theo’s is a fair trade chocolatier located in Fremont. They mostly sell bars of chocolate like spicy concoctions with Chile, Citrus Orange, Cherries and Almonds, and Mint. You can never go wrong with any of their flavors because most of them are low in sugar and still taste delicious. Headquarters in Seattle, WA

Dagoba Chocolate
Available at PCC and Whole Foods

Dagoba Chocolate is another great chocolatier that is all organic, has a high percentage of cacao, and natural, lower amounts of sugars. My favorite is the lavender blueberry and their spicy chile dark chocolate. Headquarters in Ashland, OR.

Moonstruck Chocolatier
Available at PCC, online, and in Oregon

I’d say out of all the chocolate listings here, Moonstruck is the most artful chocolatier. They sell beautiful packages, have a unique brand, and also make chocolate shapes, flavors, and truffles that are out of the ordinary. Headquarters in Portland, OR.

Want more chocolate options? Visit www.chocolate.com for hundreds of delicious options.

Note: Some of these products may have gluten, but most do not.

The newest addition to Gluten Free: Coconut Flour

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There has been chatter for the last six months or so about coconut flour and its many benefits, i.e. it’s high in fiber, gluten-free, contains protein, and is lighter to cook with than almond flour (another flour growing in popularity).

While I have not experimented with it yet, I am very excited about this new alternative flour. Namely because rice, potato, and tapioca are starches, which means they turn to sugar in your body once they are processed. The aforementioned are not even remotely fibrous, are processed, and pack on the pounds just as fast as baked goods containing gluten.

Coconut flour however has my eyebrow arched. While it may not be as powdery and delicious as it’s counterparts, it is still tasty and good for you. This is a magical notion.

Gluten-free allergies are popping up more and more every day. In my case, I am definitely allergic to gluten, but I also have another condition called PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I don’t believe the allergy is disconnected from the PCOS, in fact for me it seems they both go hand in hand. PCOS causes my hormones to go out of balance, specifically my testosterone increases to levels that start wreaking havoc in my body. What are PCOS symptoms you ask? Unpleasant ones like facial and body hair also called Hirsutism, female pattern baldness aka Alopecia, cysts on the ovaries, fibrocystic breasts, and to top it off acne and weight gain in the mid-section. ALL seem to be exacerbated by eating sugar or processed starches that convert to sugar in the body.

My symptoms are particularly bad, which means in order to not lose my hair and experience all the other unpleasantries, I have to take a testosterone inhibitor called spironolactone, every morning and night. I take 50 mg twice a day and for the most part my symptoms are at bay, but not completely. For example, if I eat too many gluten-free baked goods with ANY TYPE of sweetener I get irritable (blood sugar crashes) and I am depressed the next day.

So you are probably asking yourself why don’t I just cut out gluten-free goods out of my diet completely, avoid the hassle, and get better. Easier said than done. For the most part I choose what I eat very carefully, but sometimes it is hard to avoid breads, especially when you’ve had a bad day and want some gluten-free pizza. The prospect of having a flour that does not affect my body the way the current list of GF flours affect me is a positive one. It’s fibrous, has protein, is low carb, and doesn’t convert to sugar! I will be back to report how my first baking project went in a few days and how I felt after eating it.

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Best Gluten-Free Flours

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Jules Gluten Free Flour
I like the name Jules, reminds me of my grandpa whose name is Julius. Course in this day in age, it’s short for Julie. Jules came up with her own blend of gluten-free flour after experiencing the baking dismal failures of other brands. I must say, it’s hands down the best gluten-free flour I have baked with. Her blend is a mix of corn flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and white rice flour. Over the holidays I made Challah bread (pictured) and Christmas cut-out cookies. No one knew the difference.

She has a comprehensive book of recipes called Nearly Normal Cooking for Gluten-Free Eating. I HIGHLY suggest getting it.

Elana’s Pantry
Another favorite and completely different approach to gluten-free baking is Elana Amsterdam’s recipes using Blanched Almond Flour. It isn’t her own blend, but she is the reason why people are buying it from Honeyville over the last year or so. Bob’s Red Mill also has blanched almond flour, but (she claims) it doesn’t work very well in her recipes. Personally, I have had success with some recipes of hers and failures with others. One thing she tries to do is stay vegan if she can, which ultimately leaves baked goods lacking in many ways. So I add an egg or two more than her recipes call for to add fluffiness.

Below are two of her recipes from her cookbook; almond flour pizza and carrot, date muffins. I have not had success with her breads, however the muffins, cakes, and cookies are usually gobbled up in a matter of hours.

Gluten Free Pantry Country French Bread Mix
You can get this bread mix at most grocery stores, namely QFC, Whole Foods, and PCC. It’s my favorite for making pizza because the yeast makes it fluffy and it goes a long way producing two medium-sized pizzas. I recently made a pear, walnut, gorgonzola, chicken pizza with this bread mix (pictured), you truly could not tell it was without gluten.

The flour mix includes white rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, guar gum, granulated honey, salt, and a packet of yeast.

 

Another favorite is King Arthur’s Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour. I have not personally baked with this flour, but my good friend Elaine has. She made me the best Christmas cookies I have ever had this last holiday season. They were simple Christmas cut out cookies, but tasted exceptionally better than any I have tasted. She said her secret was Irish Butter. Sorry Elaine, had to share it!

King Arthur’s is a mix of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch and can be found at most grocery stores.

Best Gluten-Free Bakeries in Seattle

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Blue Saucer
9127 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 453-4955

Billie, the owner, has brought in Sister Souls’ and another gluten-free bakery’s delicious gluten-free cakes drizzled with icing, along with gluten-free cookies, and gluten-free breads. Flavors: Carrot cake, Coffee Cake, Lemon Poppyseed, Double Chocolate, Ginger Cake, and Chocolate. Blue Saucer also serves coffee, teas, regular baked goods, sandwiches, and other beverages. Gluten-free Seattle.

Flying Apron
3510 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 442-1115

Some of the best Seattle gluten-free baked goods around. Everything in this bakery is gluten-free. They also serve hot and cold beverages.

John’s Mountain Home Bakery
5815 Lacey Blvd SE
Lacey, WA 98503
(360) 491-1151

Not quite in Seattle, but if you want GF baked goods delivered or are on your way down South for a trip, this little bakery carries both GF and regular baked goods. My favorites are the peanut butter cookies.

Laughing Ladies Cafe
17551 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98155

Fun little place just passed 175th off 15th. They carry Skydottir Cookies and GF pies by Josie, which are also Vegan.

Skydottir Cookies
Ballard, WA
(206) 265-3195
http://www.skydottir.com/

The best Seattle gluten-free old fashion chocolate chip cookies. Mostly sells wholesale, but you can order directly from her as well by mail.

Miro Tea
5405 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 782-6832

Miro Tea serves sweet and savory gluten-free crepes and serves all sorts of other baked goods, along with teas and other beverages. Very good!

PCC Natural Markets

All 9 Seattle locations carry Flying Apron, Wheatless in Seattle and many other gluten-free options. They also carry Udi’s GF bread, bagels, muffins, and pizza crusts. Rudi’s GF breads, crackers, cookies, and much more!

The Radical Cupcake
Serving the Eastside and Seattle, WA

The Radical Cupcake bakes cakes for people with allergies, dairy free, gluten free, organic, earth friendly, and more! They make cupcakes, regular cakes, and wedding cakes (it’s no easy feat to find a baker who does that!)

Wheatless in Seattle
10003 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98133

Sells wholesale to a large amount of restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores in Seattle. They also serve a nice selection of baked goods, sandwiches, and espresso. Enter at your own risk, they aren’t the friendliest bunch.

Whole Foods Markets

All Seattle locations carry Udi’s GF breads, bagels, muffins, and pizza crusts, WOW cookies, gluten-free pies, pizza/crusts, pie crusts, Rudi’s GF breads AND they will make you a sandwich with gluten-free bread in the deli. What a blessing!