The Start of Something New

Ever since I started on my gluten free diet I have been feeling much better than I have in a long long time. Unfortunately, I still feel like I am not back to my normal, happy, pain free self. While I do not have the intense stomach pains that I used to have, my stomach is never content, there seems to always be something slightly bothering it. I am often exhausted, depressed, and my joints ache, all for no apparent reason. So after starting to read "Gluten Free Girl" (thanks Di!) I am realizing that I may not have been vigilant enough about being gluten free.

I make sure that whatever I eat has no apparent gluten in it, but I have not worried about the possible cross contamination in processed foods, the hidden gluten, and the possible gluten in things like tooth paste and moisturizers. I am hoping that for the next month I will turn a new leaf. I will be eating only fresh foods that have one ingredient or foods that specifically state that they are gluten free. I am going to go through my toiletries and make sure that I am using acceptable products.

The point of all this is that I will have quite a bit more new recipes to post and will hopefully be doing that more. Tonight I made dinner for myself and my mom. I cut up my first whole raw chicken and froze the breasts for later use. I blanched the whole chicken with onions, garlic, leeks, celery, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. I then removed the legs and thighs and simmered the rest for a few hours.

Along with the chicken we had cranberry sauce (recipe below), sweet potatoes chopped and broiled and then drizzled with honey, and swiss chard with tamari and feta cheese. Dinner was absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to make something else tomorrow!

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh cranberries

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup apple cider

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Simmer the cranberries, maple syrup, and apple cider until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens. Add the apple and the walnuts and stir. Can be eaten hot or cold.