Biodiversity, Honeybees, and my Gluten-Free Diet

If you are one of those people that define a "beautiful lawn" as a homogeneous expanse of green grass without "weeds" and without exception, then you will not appreciate my yard. But, if you enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, you may wish to consider some bee-friendly biodiversity action, especially with commercial honeybee populations in steady and alarming decline. Fact is, those important gluten-free diet elements (vegetables / fruits) overwhelmingly require pollination in order to exist on your table.

I personally find it anything but surprising that honeybees and other bees are disappearing in conjunction with America's obsession over their "perfect" lawns, and our practice of single-crop planting over massive geographic regions. What are the bees to feast on when vast areas are stripped clean of any naturally flowering plants to make room for grass and/or commercial farming of non-flowering grains? I won't even address the issue of pesticides.

I prefer to give the wild bees in my area a chance to eat a balanced diet of pollens, from various flowering plants (both wild and cultivated flowers, fruits, and vegetables), since I need bees to get the fruits and vegetables I want in my gluten-free diet.

My yard is not just Green

Our yard is naturally attractive and encouraging to bees of all kinds. We have many honeybees, bumblebees, wood bees, and a host of other pollinators circulating throughout our yard. The yard is the attraction, the garden is the destination I aim to entice the bees to locate and pollinate.

Our yard region surrounding the garden consists of all sorts of organic wild flowers and flowering "creepers" like clover, thyme, yarrow, flowering vinca-vine, and yes, even some dandelion (which our gold finches and groundhogs truly love!) And, this relationship is working quite well, as our garden is producing a superb amount of vegetables thanks to the constantly busy corridor of bees between our bee-friendly yard and our flowering vegetables.

Honeybees on Wild Creeping Thyme (in our yard)

Wild Thyme Spreads Nicely after started...

...and, Wild Yarrow and Clover abound...

All lead to Wonderful Garden Vegetables...

This year's gluten-free garden is shaping up quite well thus far. We have some drip-hose irrigation for efficient watering during the dry days, and a nice tall (8 foot) deer-proof fence to protect the bounty. The veggie selection this year includes:

• Celeriac - which I wrote about in this blog entry about gluten-free baking with Celeriac.
• Tomatoes - a "must" for so many dishes, be it Italian or Indian or American.
• Various Greens - lettuce, mustard greens, kale, turnip
• Zucchini - and here is a gluten-free recipe using zucchini, tomato, and pesto in a way I really enjoy.
• Watermelon - though I don't know if they will mature in time here in Ohio, I sure do love them!
• Cantaloupe - another delicious sweet treat for us gluten-free folks (well, everyone else too I guess)
• Peppers - jalapenos, habaneros, and a few less spicy ones.
• Eggplant - great for a variety of dishes like eggplant Parmesan, Chinese garlic-eggplant, or some varied Mediterranean dishes
• Cucumbers and Pickles
• Radishes
• Basil - an essential component of our various recipes using Pesto
• Potatoes
• plus, a few other things I am sure I am forgetting off the top of my head.

In general, most of my favorite foods require those bees for pollination Sure, I even like the honey the bees produce, but that is just an added bonus.

I encourage biodiversity in your own lawn, and chances are you can find some pleasing additions like the flowering creeping-thyme that make for a beautiful lush carpet-like ground-cover that is green for most of the year (it flowers wonderfully for a few weeks as shown above).

Another wonderful thing about the organic non-grass "grass" (like the thyme), is that it requires very little maintenance and mowing, since it tends not to get very tall, and it forms gentle rolling short waves (few inches) of green and/or flowering pink/purple. And, given the price of gasoline, the less lawn mowing the better!

Oh, did I mention how wonderful all that thyme smells as you take a stroll through it... ahhhhh.

Newtree Gluten-Free Chocolate-Mint Bar

"Refresh", indeed! This Newtree brand chocolate was an excellent bar of refreshingly subtle mint coupled with a smooth high-quality dark chocolate, and clearly labeled "gluten-free" (on the back of the package). I love chocolate. I love dark chocolate even more. And, I really enjoy the combination of dark chocolate and mint, be it in a French Mint or a chocolate bar like this.

The bar cost a bit more than I like to spend on chocolate (it is just under 3 ounces, and it cost me nearly 4 bucks!), but I just could not resist when I saw it at World Market the other day. Call it the splurge for the week, or my temporary insanity as my insatiable overwhelming chocolate urges took control of my mind (and wallet) for a moment. :)

One of the interesting additions to this particular chocolate that got my curiosity piqued was the green tea. And, like the label says:

Get your mind and body in mint condition with REFRESH. Rejuvenating mint and green tea extracts make our REFRESH high in antioxidants, offering protection from life's damaging elements. Tea up for health!

Whether I am in mint condition now or not is debatable, but I do admit I thoroughly enjoyed this refreshing gluten-free treat, and it made me feel wonderful throughout the time spent consuming it! I even managed to exercise enough self restraint to make it last two whole days (a rather unusual thing for me when it comes to chocolate).

I tend to oft enjoy the more affordable "Endangered Species" brand chocolate-mint (which, as of this writing, I notice are on sale at this link for $2.50 per 4.5 ounce "bag") that is also gluten-free, though it has a bit more robust mint flavor (not overwhelming by any means, just more noticeable). Their dark chocolate is rather nice too, and I can easily locate the chocolate at our local Target brand store.

So, in conclusion: even with the rather inflated price of the NewTree Gluten-Free Mint-Chocolate Refresh bar, I am sure I will occasionally succumb to my desire to re-experience the fine dark chocolate/mint with tea and antioxidants again. It was quite delightful and recommended to gluten-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free (vegan) chocolate lovers everywhere.

Gluten-Free Papadums

If you have not yet tried a Papadum, perhaps it is time to check out these wonderful gluten-free snacks - a crispy and crunchy Indian style snack typically made from bean flours (like lentils, chick peas, gram beans, or fava beans). Not all papadums are gluten-free though, especially due to seasonings, spices, and flavorings that may be added to a particular recipe.

These Baji's brand Papadums (pictured above) were available at Whole Foods Market recently in the snacks and chips aisle. They vary a bit from traditional larger round/flat cracker or flatbread types, but are plenty crispy and delicious. Each little papadum chip is about 2 inches in diameter. After checking the company's website, I found that only *some* of their papadums are gluten-free, so be warned. These Tangy Cilantro ones were gluten-free, as are their Mango Chutney and Traditional Tandoori ones (warning: their Creamy Yogurt Dill variety contains wheat in the flavoring).

I first discovered Papadums when I was in the United Kingdom (UK) last year. The gluten-free ones I found there were a few inches in diameter, and more flat and crunchy, and definitely more of what you would call a traditional Indian Papadum. These Baji's brand gluten-free snacks are crunchy and crispy, just not quite as hard or coarse as what I had in the UK. But, I enjoy both interpretations of what a papadum should be.

I prefer the papadums that have a bit of added spice, like this variety. Chili, Cilantro, Garlic, Coriander, Tumeric, Green Bell Pepper, Onion: all these wonderful flavors come together for a slight "zip" and a lot of flavor. I could have done without the small bit of Sour Cream Powder, which of course turns an otherwise dairy-free snack into one with traces of dairy, though the addition makes the flavor somewhat like a sour-cream-and-onion type accent, but with a bit more robust combination of complementary flavors.

So, the bottome line is that I definitely recommend this product. I welcome anything new, flavorful, crunchy, and easy-to-serve into my snack repertoire. What I should really learn to do next is make my own gluten-free papadums at home, though I would need to first aquire some of the bean flours most commonly used, and make sure they are certified gluten-free. I could always perhaps just grind some lentil beans into flour. One more thing to add to my every-expanding "to-do" list. :)

Jury Duty - finally done!

I apologize for my infrequent Gluten-Free Blog postings the for the past week or two, but I had to do my civic duty when summoned for jury duty. If you have not had the personal experience of sitting on a jury through a trial, and then having to deliberate a case, you are missing out on a rather interesting experience.

Certainly, the worst thing about jury duty is the inconvenience to one's own schedule and/or employment situation, etc. This wasn't too bad for me, since I maintain a fair amount of personal work-schedule control, but I feel bad for those that are not so lucky. In my situation, I had to take a couple days beforehand just to make sure all my scheduled "to-do" items were handled early, and to let various people know I would be unable to address other issues for a while. Luckily, I was still able to print shipping labels and pack books and place them in the mail in my off-duty hours, so I didn't fall behind on that task.

But, we had one younger lady on our jury that was unable to produce the bulk of her income from her job as a waitress for over a week (as she was missing her normal peak restaurant-traffic hours), and it was definitely more than just a minor concern to her. Luckily, a couple of us on the jury started a contribution collection effort to help her out (after the case outcome was determined on the last day), and raised enough cash to lessen the hardship for her -- I was quite thankful at least a few jurors could appreciate how fortunate they were to receive an income while on the jury, and to contribute to another who wasn't so blessed.

Thankfully, that jury service ended yesterday! I was seated on a really difficult legal case to deliberate. Our jury even ended up "hung" for a while too, which just added to the experience as the judge ordered us back into the jury room to attempt to come to a consensus. It just amazed me how differently we could all see the same evidence (or lack thereof), and how we would determine an outcome from it. Getting 12 people to agree unanimously on anything is tough, especially when there was obviously room for different interpretations of evidence / testimony validity.

The case was a mess and a bizarre case as well. And, in the judge's chambers after the verdict was delivered, the judge performed an "exit-interview" with us where we were able to discuss out thoughts and experience with him (I really thought that was a great thing to do - it helped clear my mind a bit of all the questions that were floating around). He clearly stated that the police work (or, should I say the lack of such work) in the case was horrendous (which we all already knew), and that we were presented with an absolutely awful situation both from the prosecution side and the defense side of the bench. Well, thankfully it is all behind me now, and I just hope justice has been served with the outcome.

Now I need to catch up on some things, and with luck I will be back to posting the normal Gluten-Free Blog topics about diet, food, baking, and the like. And for anyone that has recently requested being added to the Gluten-Free news aggregator... do not worry, I have not forgotten you... you are all in my "queue" of outstanding tasks to address :)

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Brownie Mix

Even though we bake nearly all our own Gluten-Free Desserts and publish a book on the subject, that doesn't mean we don't try new gluten-free dessert products when we find one. This week we came across this new Gluten-Free Brownie Mix at Trader Joe's and decided to bake it up to see what it was like.

The nice thing about this mix is how quickly you can create the brownies - simply add 1 Egg, 1/2Cup Vegetable Oil, and 1/4Cup water to the mixx and bake it. We also added some optional ingredients of our choosing - Walnuts and Chocolate Baking Chips. Then you bake it for 1/2 hour.

The Brownie mix itself simply contains the following ingredients: organic evaporated cane juice (sugar), sweet brown rice flour (which I have never seen before actually - anywhere), cocoa, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, sea salt, and xanthan gum. The mix is wheat-free, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and corn-free; all of which will make this a widely acceptable option.

The results: not too bad. As you can see from the ingredients, the recipe has absolutely no leavening agent. So, this is a dense, moist brownie. It's not really chewy per se, but definitely moist; and the texture is just OK for me, though at least I can report that it is not powdery or gritty, since the sweet brown rice flour and cocoa are fine-ground. It was definitely sweet, and quite rich (with a deep, dark chocolate color to match).

Bottom line is that the brownie tasted fine, and for something that can be thrown together very quickly for when you don't have time to bake your own gluten-free desserts from scratch, it is certainly acceptable. I have a feeling many kids would like it without question, though I didn't have any nearby to test it on. The mix was relatively affordable too - I believe the price was $2.99. So, if you have a Trader Joe's store nearby, it might be worth grabbing a brownie-mix bag for the pantry as a quick-bake gluten-free dessert option.

Gluten-Free Chia Seeds : SuperFood Status

If I hadn't entitled this blog posting "Gluten-Free Chia Seeds" would you have been able to guess what ingredient was lurking in the above pictured drink? Perhaps they remind you a bit of pearl tapioca? There are some similarities in texture, though tapioca can not even come close to the awesome nutrition Chia Seeds offer to those of us on a gluten-free diet.

The initial picture above shows Chia seeds (aka, Salvia Hispanica seeds) I have in my morning coffee (before adding some gluten-free soymilk; the post-soymilk picture is next). These offer an incredible burst of fiber and healthful Omega-3 Fatty Acids, with a fair dose of protein as well. They are a perfect diet food, and a great gluten-free baking ingredient too since they add nearly zero flavor to a recipe while introducing a "binding capacity"! I'll discuss their nutrition breakdown in more detail below...



And, this is how they arrive, when ordered online from Nuts Online Chia Seeds web page (they have the best price I could find, and I am quite pleased with their fast shipping and nice packaging).


NUTRITION - AWESOME!
Here's a summary from what Wikipedia says, and I can't say it much better. I'll give specifics about the product above immediately after this quote:

Chia seeds are typically small ovals with a diameter of about one millimeter. They are mottle-colored with brown, gray, black and white. Chia seeds typically contain 20% protein, 34% oil, 25% dietary fiber (mostly soluble with high molecular weight), and significant levels of antioxidants (chlorogenic and caffeic acids, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol flavonols). The oil from chia seeds contains a very high concentration of omega-3 fatty acid — approximately 64%. Chia seeds contain no gluten and trace levels of sodium. There are no known toxic components of chia.

Wow! Doesn't that just sound like a near-perfect food?

Now, here's the nutrition data for a one ounce serving of these lovely seeds. You'll notice they are incredibly low in calories, and even though a high percentage of calories is from "fat", it's *good* fat (Omega 3's). Notice there are NEARLY ZERO NET CARBS (of 12g carbs, only 1g is not fiber!) Amazing stuff!

Amount Per Serving
Calories 137	Calories From Fat 72

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g	13%
Saturated Fat 1g	4%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 5mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 11g	42%
Sugars 0g
Protein 4g

Vitamin A 0% Calcium 18%

Vitamin C 0% Iron 0%

In addition to "just the numbers", the gluten-free Chia Seeds offer other potential health benefits. I have heard some people claim they have used Chia Seeds as part of a very successful weight-loss strategy (makes sense, given the facts above). Also, there is some discussion about how the Chia Seeds may also slow absorption of other carbohydrates, thus being a good thing for diabetics and people watching their blood-sugar. Certainly an easy thing to try out and see what happens.

USING CHIA SEEDS IN RECIPES
In short: these things are amazing in recipes!! They offer not just nutrition, but an amazing moisture-holding and binding ability. And, it does not take very much of the product to really make a difference in a recipe. They can add much-desired "bounce" or sponginess to recipes like breads and pancakes and the like, as such recipes should have.

In Drinks:
Not that it is much of a "recipe", but I'll start with the simplest gluten-free treat that I like using Chia Seeds in: coffee! (or Tea) I simply add a tablespoon or two of the Chia Seed to my (large - 16oz+) glass of hot coffee, and let them soak for a few minutes before adding soy milk or whatever else. The seeds expand like pearl tapioca, and get that "fish egg" type of feel. I find them enjoyable, and much like tapioca drinks called "boba" or "bubble tea", but unlike pure-carbohydrate tapioca, these Chia Seeds add significant nutrition to a drink.

In Other Recipes:
You will want to start out by pre-hydrating the seeds. Simply place them in a bowl and add water (cold or hot) and allow them to soak for a while (15 minutes perhaps). This pre-soak yields nice results for baking recipes where liquids are used. Vary the liquid-to-chia proportion as needed to create a thicker/thinner "gel" of sorts to add to your recipes where liquids are typically added.

I have made some of the most incredible pancakes ever, by altering my existing pancake formula(s) to include pre-hydrated chia seed. I am rather certain these pancakes could rival any "real" ones. I still need to experiment more with bread and dessert recipes (especially cakes!), though my initial trials are quite promising. I will post variation-instructions on my book-sales site once I get the proportions nailed down, for anyone else that wants to try Chia in such recipes. If you can't wait - just experiment; I don't think it'll be too tough to add a bit of Chia to a recipe and get decent results.

Note: I recommend drinking plenty of fluid with these. The dietary fiber concentration is so incredibly high, the demand for complementary fluids is going to be rather high too. This should be easy enough to achieve, especially if using them in coffee or tea, and should be part of any diet plan with proper hydration.

Thank You:
Thank you to Kelly Smith for recommending these! Kelly has a gluten-free baking operation in Mansfield, Ohio (North-Central Ohio area) where she has been gaining quite a reputation as an awesome gluten-free baker, catering to multiple-allergy clients too. She mainly gets business by word of mouth, but here is a link to her Mansfield Ohio Gluten-Free Bakery website, which she is working to expand on (with online orders possible later this year). Kelly even bakes some desserts from our Gluten-Free Desserts cookbook to help non-bakers acquire tasty treats with a bit less effort :)

New Zealand Pears - Wonderful!

This has to be one of the best pear varieties I have ever tried. As you can see in the picture, it is of New Zealand origin, and appears to be called an Enza "Taylors Gold". I found a few of these on sale recently at Whole Foods Market ($1.99/pound), and a worker there helped me choose the perfectly ripe ones from the pile.

One thing I can always appreciate while living with a gluten-free diet is fruit. I love fruits in general - perhaps because so many are sweet, which satisfies most sugar and carbohydrate cravings.

This particular pear was nothing short of wonderful. It was so sweet, juicy, smooth textured (non-grainy), and had a perfectly pleasing flavor. I couldn't ask for any more from a pear... its mouth-watering succulence was the stuff of legends. :)

Well, you get the idea. I found these pears to be awesome. If you have a chance to try one, look for a pear that is already slightly soft to the touch, and that should be one which is ready to eat immediately. I generally try to buy more locally-sourced (or at least regionally-sourced) items, but I'm glad I gave in and tried these wonderful New Zealand pears.

Though, one thing I still find amazing/frustrating is how they can get pears from somewhere as far away as New Zealand, to the USA, and sell them for $2.00/pound (after paying the grower, shipper, middlemen, and retailer) when I can't even ship a book overseas for less than about $5.00/pound (not even counting the book price in there), and my product can't spoil like fruit or veggies! But, that's another story it seems - chalk it up to volume discounts for shipping tons of produce at once I guess.