Intolerance For Food Intolerances

I've had a bit of a rough draft of this post in the works for about a month now, but Shauna's recent post here (http://glutenfreegirl.com/being-welcomed-at-the-table/) inspired me to finally finish it.

I've never really been what would classically be considered a "picky eater." I love pretty much all vegetables (not a huge fan of eggplant because I think it tastes like nothing, but I'll still eat it). I eat weird things that no one has ever heard of, and I haven't yet discovered a type of ethnic food that I don't love. I have preferences and favorites, of course, and there are things I'm not a huge fan of (mainly things that most people haven't ever even tried - things like eel, for example), but I'll pretty much eat anything as long as it's gluten-free. And yet I feel like I can sympathize with those who are picky eaters because I've been accused of being one so many times. It started in junior high when I became a vegetarian and later a vegan (which I did primarily in attempt to try to control the awful stomach cramps and diarrhea and vomiting I had been having since I was 9). Suddenly people were deeply offended that I wasn't eating what they were eating. I can almost understand to a certain extent because I grew up in a farming town full of people who made their livelihood from raising cattle for food. But I wasn't destroying the market for their products by not eating meat - I was simply trying to not be sick all the time so that I could enjoy my life like a normal teenager. (Interestingly enough, grain farmers don't get mad at me for having celiac disease the way some ranchers used to for being a vegetarian. But I digress.)

So fast-forward a bit to college, where I found out when I was trying to donate blood that I was very iron deficient and I started eating meat again. I enjoyed a bit of a reprieve from the relentless judgements about my food my choices. And then when I was 26 I was diagnosed with celiac disease and it all started again. "Did you actually go to a real doctor to find out you have celiac disease, or do you just not eat gluten because it's the cool thing to do right now?" (No, believe me, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have a medical reason for it. There are more fun trends to follow than the one that makes you unable to eat croissants.) "But you always used to eat wheat - I can't believe that it actually makes you sick now." (It was always making me sick, actually, I just didn't know it.) "I thought you couldn't eat carbs. Why are you eating a potato?" (Carbs and gluten are not the same thing at all.) "You're not going to die if you eat just a little piece of cake - my mom made it and she'll be so offended if you don't eat it." (I've thought about responding to that one by saying, "Sure, I'll have a piece of cake, but you'll probably need to buy a new toilet afterwards.") You get the idea.

And here is what I don't get - why is it any of anyone else's business what someone does or doesn't eat? Why does it matter to people so much? I don't care what someone's reason for not eating something is - anaphylaxis, celiac disease, trying to be healthier, religious or moral beliefs, or simply being a picky eater - it's not anyone else's business and they are not hurting anyone by making the food choices that they are making. There's nothing wrong with politely asking someone why they can't or don't eat something, or trying to understand more about their allergy or medical condition or beliefs, or even with offering asparagus to your friend who hates asparagus but who might not have tried it in the unique way that you cooked it just in case they decide they like it. But the whole no means no thing applies to food to. If someone declines some food that you've offered them, it's not a personal offense. Don't harass them about it and don't turn it into a big thing. It's not about you. It's about their body and what is comfortable for them to put in it, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And if you ever come to my house for dinner and you have any kind of food intolerance along the spectrum from serious medical condition to just "pickiness", please tell me about it and I will cook something that is safe for you.

Homemade Gluten Free Granola

You know how you can get gluten free granola at the store and it costs like $20 for a tiny bag of it? Yeah, well, it turns out that it's very easy and cheap to make your own. Just choose from the list of ingredient suggestions below, and mix it up in a ziplock bag. Keep it in the freezer for long-term storage. Traditionally granola seems to be mixed with some kind of sweetener and then baked in the oven, but that is certainly not necessary and just mixing the ingredients together and eating them raw is easier and has a lot less sugar. You can throw in some cinnamon for flavor if you like cinnamon. Eat it with milk like you would eat cereal, or sprinkle it on top of yogurt. Or just eat it plain.

Ingredients suggestions:
GF rolled oats
Toasted quinoa or millet
Puffed quinoa, millet, or rice
Dried cranberries
Raisins
Dried apples
Chopped dates
Broken up banana chips
Dried mango
Dried pineapple
Dried apricots
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Hemp seeds
Sesame seeds
Shredded coconut
Flax seeds
Chia seeds
Peanuts
Sliced almonds
Chopped walnuts
Chopped pecans
Chopped cashews
Mini chocolate chips

Black Bean and Corn Taco Cups

You can make these with any kind of taco filling. This is just one particular version that I came up with one day. But feel free to use meat, melt cheese on top, leave out anything you don't like or add things you do like. Just experiment. That's what I do.

Ingredients:
Corn tortillas
Black beans (cooked or canned - drain and rinse them)
Frozen corn
Chopped fresh mushrooms
Chopped fresh zucchini
Taco seasoning (either a pre-made gluten-free one, or just mix chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper until you think it tastes good)

To prepare the tortillas, soften them either in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. Press them into lightly greased muffin pans. They'll be kind of cone-shaped, but once you put the filling in and bake them in the oven the bottoms will flatten out and they'll look like cups. It's okay if they crack a bit when you do this. The tops of the tortillas will stick up out of the muffin pans. Cook all of the other ingredients in a little bit of oil or butter until the zucchini and mushrooms are soft. Fill the tortillas with the filling (put in enough so that it goes up as high as the top of the muffin pan). Bake in the oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until the tortilla edges are crisp and you can lift them easily out of the muffin pan. Top with salsa, sour cream, avocado, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, or whatever you like. They do fall apart a little bit, so you'll need to eat them with a knife and fork, but it's a nice change from regular every-day tacos (which really do become an every day thing when you're gluten free!).