Happy New Year!!!!

Medjool Dates

So why write about dates.  Now that I buy a lot of gluten free items, I noticed the base for a lot were dates, Medjool
Dates.  So what is this odd fruit and why is it in so many products?

The Medjool date is a incredible fruit.  It has a delicious taste, amazing nutritional value and useful properties.  Dates
have been a food and healing source for thousands of years. 

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

As the year 2015 comes to an end, here's another great desert for that New Years party you will be going too.  It is easy and taste great, no one will know its gluten free.
So bake away and enjoy!!

Ingredients

Some New Years Tips For Gluten Free Eating.

As the holidays for now come to an end, this is the  last time to deal with holiday eating.  Gluten free eating has gotten easier over the past few years.  Growing awareness means gluten free is no longer a complete unknown when you  sit down at the holiday table.  So as the New Year comes, here are some last tips to ensure you stay gluten free.

• Plain meat is gluten free- Enjoy turkey, ham, chicken and brisket as long as it has not been marinated with gluten dressings.  Watch gravies thicken with flour.
• Traditional mashed and sweet potatoes are often gluten free.  Just check with the host and make sure no flour was used.

Truvia What Is It?

Having Celiac disease and eating healthy can be challenging.  You try to eat healthy and get all your nutrients from good foods.  To bake and save some calories, some reach for a sweetener.  In my house, we reach for Truvia.
So what is this sweetener, and is it safe for us to use.  Yes I can find pros and cons to all sweeteners, I feel Truvia tastes pretty good.  It comes from nature, is natural, and sweet.  It comes from the Stevia plant, that is fed only water and sunshine.  It is a plant from Paraguay, where people have grown, harvested and used as a sweetener for hundreds of years.  Today, it is grown in Asia and South America due to its need for long hours of daylight, water and warmth.
It can be used in baked goods and comes in brown sugar blend, which has 75% fewer calories then regular brown sugar.

What Is Xanthan Gum?

Now that you are gluten free, that funny ingredient Xanthan Gum is seen in a lot of foods.  What is it's function in the foods you are eating ?
What is Xanthan Gum? 
Xanthan Gum is a common food binder in foods and sold as a white powder to add to foods.  It is what makes gluten free bread have texture and consistency like bread.  It is a food additive approved for use in 1968.  It is gluten free and found in many gluten free products.  Sometimes it is mixed with locust, or guar gum and the result is a better binder for foods. 

Merry Christmas