Coke, Caramel Colour and Sangria (yum!)

So after much debate with my fellow celiac friends I decided to find out whether or not Coke did in fact contain gluten. I have good news for all of you addicted to this caffeinated drink... it is in fact gluten free! Here is what the company lists as their gluten free products:

We are able to confirm that, in the U.S. and Canada, the following products are gluten free:
Coca-Cola classiccaffeine free
Coca-Cola classic
Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla
Coca-Cola C2Coca-Cola with Lime
Coca-Cola Zero
Barq's root beercaffeine free
Barq's root beerdiet Barq's root beerdiet
Barq's Red Creme Soda
Diet Coke Black Cherry
VanillaDiet CokeDiet
Coke with Limecaffeine free
Diet CokeDiet Coke Sweetened with Splenda
SpriteDiet
Sprite Zero
Cherry CokeDiet
Cherry Coke
Fresca
DASANI Lemon
Minute Maid Light Lemonade
Simply LemonadeSimply Limeade
POWERade Mountain Blastand 100% of juice products (without added ingredients) are gluten free.
Additionally, we can tell you that all of our other products meet Codex's definition of gluten-free, which is currently less than 200 ppm (parts per million) (0.02%) gluten. Codex is in the process of reviewing this standard and we are monitoring the progress closely. At this time the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have a regulatory definition of gluten-free.U.S. product nutrition information can be found by clicking here.Should you require information on another product, please send us your question in an email.For additional assistance, you may also contact our Consumer Affairs office by calling (800) 438-2653.

I hope this helps you all! Now the reason that there is debate around cola and soft drinks is the caramel colour. For the most part, caramel colour does contain gluten and can make you sick, so before you go and pick up your favourite drink or candy, make sure that the caramel colour used is derived from corn, thus making it gluten free!!

Now I have been lagging on the recipe front, as my new found GF restaurants in Vancouver have been taking up a lot of my time! I will make sure to post a delicious recipe soon enough. For now, here is a recipe for a protein packed, low carb, yummy salad for those warm days when eating food seems to be the last thing on your mind.

Oh and I will add a great recipe for Sangria! yum!:)

Salad

Base:

-Bunch of Spinach or mixed greens (Chlorophyll found in green leafy vegetables are so good for you and have been proven to reduce bad breath, so eat up!)
-1 cup chopped tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
-1/2 english cucumber slices
-1/2 cup broccoli florets
-1/2 red pepper
-1/4 black pitted olives


Add ins:
- 1/4 cup of artichoke hearts (artichokes are really good to calm your stomach, help with a hangover and are also really yummy!)
-1/8 cup of sunflower seeds
-1/2 can of tuna or 1/2 chicken breast diced
1/4 cup grated low fat cheese of your choice (usually I like to use goat cheese or feta)

Dressing:

-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-1tbsp olive oil or sesame oil (nuttier flavour)
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

Mix the dressing in a bowl. Toss greens together mix in dressing, add the "add ins" and Enjoy!!!

Sangria (it is summer after all and a pitcher of this good stuff can just about make any day perfect!)

- 1 bottle of cheaper red wine (no need to but expensive wine as you are mixing it with other juices)
- 3 cans of organic tangerine spritzer (you can find this in any organic section at the grocery market)
-1/2 container of 100% mixed tropical fruit juice (I like to use a mix of mango and papaya)
- ice cubes
-frozen fruit chunks such a peaches, mangoes and strawberries

In a large pitcher, fill 1/4 with ice, add 1/4 cup of each frozen, peaches strawberries and mangoes. Add 1/2 bottle of wine, add 2 cans of spritzer and 1/2 container of juice (adjust to suit your own taste).

** Now I am warning you ahead of time...this stuff goes down fast because it taste so good!**

Have a fabulous day!

Cheers,

Allyson

Thai noodle recipe!

Good morning fellow celiacs! Wow have I ever been lagging in the blogging department. What with moving, starting my research and a full-time job, it seems that blogging has been put on the back burner. But fear not, I am still thinking of all of you and promise to try and post somewhat regularly, even if that means monthly.

In this issue, I will discuss what contains gluten. I found this really helpful table for you to reference when you are unsure about the foods that you are eating.

Allowed Foods
amaranth arrowroot buckwheat cassava corn flax Indian rice grass Job’s tears	legumes millet nuts potatoes quinoa rice sago	seeds sorghum soy tapioca teff wild rice yucca
Foods To Avoid
wheat including einkorn, emmer, spelt, kamut wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed wheat protein		barley rye triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
Other Wheat Products
bromated flour durum flour enriched flour farina	graham flour phosphated flour plain flour	self-rising flour semolina white flour
Processed Foods that May Contain Wheat, Barley, or Rye*
bouillon cubes brown rice syrup candy chips/potato chips cold cuts, hot dogs, salami, sausage communion wafers	French fries gravy imitation fish matzo rice mixes sauces	seasoned tortilla chips self-basting turkey soups soy sauce vegetables in sauce

Celiac disease is a constant battle of label reading and asking questions. Reason being: most products contain some sort of filler, which is usually gluten filled. Take Cheez Whiz for example.... it is jam packed with gluten, or Kraft peanut butter. Things that we would never think should have to contain gluten. I hope you all find this list very helpful! I know when I was first diagnosed, this was the most annoying part to my disease. I had to start reading every label and soon came to change my entire diet because I became aware of what I was putting in my mouth. It is very disturbing/enlightening to begin to understand how food affects our bodies. So happy discovering and feel free to post comments and questions regarding this difficult topic! (I feel like questions may get me to come back and post more often!).

Until next time... eat safe and enjoy you GF diet! Here is a recipe for one of my favourite thai dishes!

1 package rice noodles (thin white ones from an Asian grocer)

1 thai lime, or any lime will do

1 green pepper

1 bunch of kale (or any other leafy green vegetable)

3 baby bok choy

1 bunch of cilantro, to taste

3 cloves of garlic

1-2 tsp of fresh ginger, chopped

** you can add any other vegetables at this point**

sauce:

a few spoon fulls of "a taste of thai", sweet chili sauce (available in the asian food section of most grocery stores, this line of sauces is great and most are GF)

3-4 tsp of Braggs soy sauce (this stuff is awesome, and a must in any GF fridge!)

Directions:

Its pretty simple, soak noodles as per instructions on package, set aside. Cut all veggies, stir fry with garlic and ginger in sesame seed oil (if you only have canola or olive, that will do as well, the sesame seed oil just adds great flavour). Veggies will get a little glossy, this is when you add the sauce and stir-fry for another few minutes or until your veggies are cooked as you like them.(i like mine crunchy so I don't cook them too much longer). Add the noodles, toss and Enjoy!!

** you can add chicken, prawns, beef or tofu to this dish, just make sure to cook it up first, then follow the above steps and add the meat at the end so it soaks up the sauce!**

Cheers,

Ally:)