Fresh idea for winter salad: Jicama Avocado

Around this time of year I always find myself craving crisp greens and flavorful veggies - the tastes of summer that are long gone here in Vermont! I try to eat only local veggies, which means a lot of winter squash, carrots, and Jerusalem artichokes. A couple times throughout the winter, though, I treat myself to some fresher fare from balmier climes. Jicama and avocado are two Mexican delights which travel well and don't lose too much taste on their long journey. And we now have a couple of local farms which have been able to build greenhouses, which means we are getting small amounts of local spinach and arugula available every few weeks. Find out your co-op's delivery date and snatch it up while you can!

Jicama Avocado Salad with Basil Mustard Dressing
Gluten-Free and Vegan
Serves 2

• 1 large fennel bulb, slice stalks and bulbs into thin strips
• 1 small jicama, peeled, sliced into 1/3 inch pieces
• 2 cups fresh arugula
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• Juice from 1 organic lemon
• 2 Tbsp. Foods Alive Sweet Mustard organic flax oil super dressing or your favorite mustard dressing
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
• 4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Flax Crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup cashews, ground

Directions

1. Prepare a large ice bath.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add fennel and cook for 3 minutes. Drain fennel; immediately plunge into ice bath. Set aside for 3 minutes. Drain.
3. Transfer  fennel to a large serving bowl; pat dry. Add jicama, avocado and carrot.
4. Drizzle salad with lemon juice, lemon zest, Flax oil, basil, salt and pepper.  Gently toss to coat.
5. Transfer to serving dishes. Top with ground crushed Flax Crackers and cashews.  Serve at room temperature.
6. Enjoy.

Recipe courtesy of: Amie Valpone
www.TheHealthyApple.com

Flourless Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Mmm, these sound just scrumptious. I love that figs and sunflower butter are used to bind everything together.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen medium cookies

1.5 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread 
1/4 cup fig butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sunflower butter (or peanut butter)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg 
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups gluten-free oats
5 tbsp. unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
3/4 - 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whip together the Earth Balance, fig butter, and white and brown sugar until well-mixed.  Add the egg and mix together well.  Add in the sunflower butter or peanut butter (depending on your own taste/tolerance) and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, and salt.  Stir them into the wet ingredients and mix well.  Add the sunflower seeds and chocolate chips and stir in to combine.

Scoop the cookies out by the teaspoonful or tablespoonful onto the cookie sheets and space 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes (JUST until they start to brown on the edges), then remove from the oven.  They probably won't look completely done - that's ok.  Let them sit on the hot cookie sheet for another 3 - 5 minutes or until you can scrape them off onto a wire rack without their falling apart.  Cool completely, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.


Originally posted at:
http://www.thisglutenfreelife.org/2011/10/flourless-chocolate-chip-oatmeal.html

When Gluten-Free Doesn't Really Mean Free from Gluten

A cautionary reminder that despite advances, the production of gluten-free products still needs to be improved. I was glad to see that the Upper Valley's very own King Arthur Flour is listed as one of the few producers with strict quality controls in place.

Original post from In Flora's Kitchen.

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As more and more people eat gluten-free, more and more products labeled gluten-free are hitting the shelves. But what does it mean when something is labeled gluten-free?

I suppose a lot of people are misinformed and believe grains that are naturally gluten-free, say corn for example, would be gluten-free. However, how was it transported, handled, stored, milled, packaged, etc? These issues are real and all too often overlooked by companies trying to get a piece of the very lucrative gluten-free pie.

Recently I became aware of a mill (Butte Creek Mill) in my state that grinds flour, including “gluten-free” flours. However, I could not find any information on their website about how they prevented cross-contamination with their gluten-containing products. I love local, small companies, so I was eager to use their products; I emailed them via their website “contact us” form asking how they ensure the gluten-free products are gluten-free. Here is their response:

The only true gluten free items we sell in the store, are things that we have brought in from other companies (packaged items).  We only have one milling room and one packing room, so there could be a dusting of wheat on our products.  If you are celiac, we do not recommend using our products.  We do have many gluten free flours that we mill here, (rice, quinoa, corn, etc.), but once again, they could have a dusting of gluten.
Hope that helps,
Thank you.

Seriously. I was pretty annoyed with this lame response. Personally, I do not believe that companies should be able to market or label items gluten-free when they are in no way ensuring the products are in fact gluten-free. This issue is extremely important for all those with Celiac or wheat allergies and I am hoping that the FDA makes law the proposed “gluten-free” labeling rule which requires that all products labeled gluten-free have less than 20ppm. This is the standard that most countries have in effect.

The FDA is taking public comment [...] on this issue for a next several weeks and I am hoping you’ll join me and take the time to comment the importance of regulating the label “gluten-free.” For all the time, money, and effort we put into preparing safe meals for ourselves or our loved ones, I think we deserve safe products. If they are marked gluten-free, they should truly be gluten-free.

And I should mention there are companies like Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour that have precautions and testing in place to ensure the safety of consumers. These companies are going above and beyond any current regulations and I think their efforts should really be praised. Yes, their products cost a bit more than other brands on the store shelves, but when I grab one of their products I know it was batch tested and I feel they are the safest options available to me.