Beer and the Belly

For those of you who don't know, BEER contains gluten. When I first heard this, I cried, literally, into my beer. Tears, my friends, tears.

What ensued was a quest for the gluten-free beer. I didn't know how arduous and Tolkien-esque the quest would be. Beer contains gluten because it's made with wheat. If it doesn't have wheat, it's not a traditional beer.

I was bombarded at first with the smattering of ciders. Okay, ciders are good, exceptionally Fox Barrel. Sometimes, however, I feel like the enamel on my teeth is being swept down my gullet with every gulp. I can't do sweet.

There are several alternatively brewed beers out there, the most notable being Redbridge. It's an Anheuser-Busch product, and is actually pretty good. It's sweeter than most beers, but it's light, it's easy, and it pairs really well with the hot Austin summers and BBQ.

Jill, the wife, and I were walking through Specs one day when we stumbled upon the Widmer Bros Omission line. Hallelujah. Since we discovered we have severe gluten allergies, we had been craving a beer. As I said before, Redbridge is good, but it doesn't taste like beer. I'm partial to IPAs, and Redbridge does nothing to cure me of that desire. But, lo and behold, Omission has sustained my desire for a hoppy, crisp, and slightly citrusy lager. They have found a way to remove the gluten from the batches after they have been brewed. Part of the reason Omission tastes like beer is because it's actually brewed the way traditional beer is brewed: with wheat. They just add an enzyme to the finished product that eats away the gluten. I'm partial to the Cascade and Sterling hops, and these beers satisfy my craving.

Similarly, on the pricier end, Estrella Damm Daura, a producto de Espana, is processed to remove the gluten after the fermentation has occurred. It's a little closer to Redbridge in profile, drinking like summer.

There is a new product out that my wife and I tried not too long ago. It hails from Colorado, and as such has a palate comparable to the Rockies. It's named New Planet, and it's brewed with only gluten-free ingredients. The amber ale is slightly citrusy, washes clean from the palate, and settles in nicely with fish or chicken.

If you want to spend some money on higher quality Imperial Pints, go in for Green's. They have a tripel, blonde, and dubbel. This company also brews gluten-free start to finish, and has among the better beers I have ever had in my life.

In short, don't despair. There are options out there, you just have to search for them.

Going in for the Grill

The season is upon us, ya'll.

My wife and I just bought a Brinkman smoker and pit. It was a housewarming gift to us from us. Our old grill was Aussie something-or-other and the charcoal trap rusted out, the tires fell off, and the wood warped beyond all reason. But, we had it for near 5 years, and I think I paid only $50 for it brand new. It just... outlived its usefulness.

I digress.

The reason I bring this up is that the grill is a great way to maintain your perfect GFCF diet. The GFCF diet consists mainly of meats, veggies, and fruits. It's diabetes friendly, assuming you stay away from all those grass grains.

So, here's the trick.

My wife and I did some chicken to pioneer our first voyage with the Brinkman. We got some natural hickory charcoal from Home Depot.
Don't follow the directions on the back of the bag for lighting the charcoal. It's a much better use of your time and money to invest in a chimney starter.

This is a chimney starter that has already been started. There's a small compartment underneath meant for housing bits of newspaper or other kindling. The charcoal is poured in the top. The newspaper underneath is lit, and watch as the fire takes over. Once the charcoal has the characteristic white stuff on the outside, carefully pick up the chimney and pour out the contents into the grill.

The Grill
The grill is broken up into two areas, the direct and indirect.

It's important to maintain this segregation. They don't like to play with each other.

So, once the charcoal is poured into the grill, replace the grill plates and wait until you can hold you hand about three inches above the direct heat for close to eight seconds. That's when it's ready. Open up the vents about 2/3 of the way.

The Grilling
The key to good meat is heat first, move second. Slap that chicken (which we butterflied) down on the hot part of the grill meat-side up. Flip after six minutes, then flip and move to in between the direct and indirect heat after another four. The reason is because the breast meat is tender and fragile. You don't want to overheat it or char it. Keep the chicken meat-side up.

For steak, the process is similar, except after you sear, move completely over to the indirect heat.

Burgers can stand a sear on both sides and move to in between the two heat sources.

We are fortunate enough to have an exterior thermometer on our grill. We like to keep the inside temperature around 275 Fahrenheit degrees. This ensures the slow and steady heat animal protein requires.

Add charcoal as needed to maintain the temperature.

If you don't have an exterior thermometer, just use the hand check. If it gets to the point where you can hold your hand five inches above the grill plates without that burning feeling, add charcoal.

Anyways, I'll get into the fine art of spicing your chicken later.

Chayote Squash-ed

There is an abundance of good people within my family and my wife's family combined. In that abundance there are numerous good cooks. My family started and sold a successful restaurant chain in Nacogdoches called The Hot Biscuit. My wife's family has traditions passed down from generation to generation that have been tweaked, augmented, simplified, and purified. That being said, my wife and I developed an improvement on an old family recipe, Calabacita.

For those of you who don't read, speak, or understand Spanish, Calabacita means 'little squash.' Based on that ginormous context clue you can assume the dish has something to do with squash. Normally, the recipe calls for as many squash as you want. We traditionally add three medium sized zucchini or yellow squash for 4-6 servings. However, after digging through the veggie crisper we found that we had only 1 zucchini and 2 chayote squash. We picked up the chayote on a whim. I had heard from a Spanish friend of mine that the aforementioned squash was a main staple for the Aztec and comes directly from the Aztec pronounciation, chayotli. The fruit of the plant are light green and pear shaped. Once sliced down the middle, you will see a soft white flesh and one large seed. That seed should not be tossed out with the trash. You can fry it up or eat it raw. In fact, you can eat the whole squash raw like many other squash out there. This all intrigued me, so I decided to get a couple.

I'm glad I did. We found some other stuff to work with and this is what we came up with.

Calamitous Calabacita

2 lbs Chicken breast, sliced

4 tbsp EVOO

1 Sweet potato, sliced thin

2 Chayote squash, halved, seed removed, and cubed 1"

1 Italian squash, cubed 1"

1/2 White onion, quartered and sliced thin

3 Cloves garlic, minced

3 Jalapenos, minced

1 Serrano, minced

3 Roma tomatoes, cubed, pulps in tact.

1 8 oz. can black beans

1 16 oz. bag frozen corn

1/2c. Veggie broth

2 tbsp Adobo seasoning

2 tbsp Ancho chili powder

2 tbsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Top with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, lime, and shredded Oaxaca, queso fresco, manchego, mozzerella, your imagination is limitless.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Once hot, add the chicken, cook (turning frequently to prevent scorching) until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, then remove from heat. If you don't have an internal meat thermometer, go buy one. If you're too poor, just cut a nugget open. If it's still pink in the middle, keep that sucker in the heat.

In a separate crock pot, while the chicken is cooking, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the sweet potato. Cook for about 4 minutes then add garlic and onion and all squash. Cook all together until the zucchini becomes semi-tender, until there is a little resistance when poked with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and chicken to crock pot. Allow to simmer until sweet potato is fork tender and the zucchini is tender. Serve immediately. Don't be distraught if your chayote is still firm. Due to the nature of the squash, it will remain a little more firm than other squash. It's supposed to be that way.

You can keep this in your fridge for up to a week, but the soft veggies will get a little soggy. It reheats like a champ.

So, there it is. I hope you all enjoy this new spin on an old recipe as much as we did. Just don't tell my mother-in-law that her daughter has perfected the art.

More Research

Good day all,

Your path to grain/gluten-free diets should be an individual one. The major problems behind gluten and grain heavy diets is the havoc it wreaks on our blood sugars. I was flipping though Yahoo! news (which is something I don't normally do, but I was bored today), and I found an excellent video interview of Dr. Arthur Agatston, MD. You may recognize him from the South Beach Diet. Watch this here: Dr Agatston talks gluten and some other stuff. The last minute and a half are devoted to hearing Dr Agatston talk about his passions.

At any rate, there is a ton of new research out there supporting the grain-free diet. According to Dr Beverly Meyer, we aren't meant to bend over and eat grass grains like ungulates and dromedaries. We are meant to feast on vegetables, fruits, and meats.

You can make the switch.

My wife and I dropped gluten, and yeah, we felt like we may have needed to check in to rehab. We were angry, tired, and depressed for a few days. Then, we kicked the gluten from our systems and never looked back.

Try not eating wheat for a week. Just try it.

The Story

What do they tell you?
If you want to lose weight, add more whole grains.
If you're feeling tired, add more whole grains.
Want to reverse the signs of aging? Add more whole grains.

Want to add more visceral fat? Want to never shake off that mental fog? Want to increase the chance of premature heart attack? Raise blood sugar? Have an aneurism? Add more whole grains.

I started my journey into the GFCF realm following a heart-scare. I'm under 30 years old. I have no history of heart disease in my family. I'm a runner and an athlete. I (try to) hit the gym three times a week. So why, why did I all of a sudden start having irregular heart rhythm and angina-like symptoms?

It all started when my wife and I were road-tripping to California. My heartburn, which I'd had for a while, was getting worse. My normal remedy of apple cider vinegar and honey wasn't working like it usually did. I would occasionally get these shooting electrical pains that spread across my chest. I had a constant soreness in my left shoulder blade. Sometimes, I felt my heart flutter.

I, being a typical male, refused to go to the doctor. Then, I guess I got scared. I went to a chiropractor and acupuncturist, which helped for a while. I felt better in general, but the pains wouldn't go away.

Eventually, I stepped into Austin Heart. I took a stress test, got an ultrasound, and guess what. Nothing was wrong. Yeah, right. I felt like I was having a heart attack nearly daily and there was nothing wrong with my heart? I was put on high-blood pressure medication. 26 and taking medication meant for geriatric patients? Was it my job causing me stress?

So, I spoke with my acupuncturist and healer, Joel Cone. He recommended I take an IGG. It's a blood test that has more success in determining allergies than the pin prick test.
A couple days later, I found that I was allergic to gluten and to casein, an enzyme found in dairy and some dairy substitutes. I loved bread and cheese (and beer), but if I wanted to be pain-free, I'd have to quit it.

Cold turkey isn't fun, especially with the foods I loved. But, I did. My wife, my rock, stood with me though she didn't have the same allergies I did (she actually is also allergic to gluten). Three weeks later, I was off blood pressure medication. My heart regulated itself. I was back in the gym.

It's been easy.

My mother-in-law recommended a book: Wheat Belly. I recommend it to you as well. In it is a discussion as to how wheat is causing more problems than it is solving. I found that according to research not only done by Dr William Davis but by others as well, wheat is among the chief causes for diabetes, heart disease, and a number of neurological disorders. This is a movement, ladies and gentlemen.

Day 1

Halloo, all ye seekers of breadless entrees.
Starting this week, I shall begin posting on what it truly means to live wheat/gluten free.
It's liberating. You should try it.