What companies have gluten free wine?

I was reading an interesting discussion in a Celiac forum about people having a gluten reaction to some kinds of wine.  

I won't go into all the details here but the basic concern is that some wine is fermented and/or aged in barrels sealed with wheat paste, potentially contaminating it with gluten. The other side of the coin is that wine is filtered before bottling to remove contaminates.

So, I did a little research because I figure, better safe than sorry.  Also, if there are companies who are specifically conscious and caring toward those of us with Celiac and willing to supply unquestionably gluten free wine, I want to know who they are!

Here are my results based on wines that I wanted to try:

Frey Vineyards is one that specifically states that their wines are gluten free (and vegan!) on their website here: http://www.freywine.com/vegan-wine.html

Fish Eye Winery advises us to check with our doctor (this rubs me the wrong way, how would my Dr. know Fish Eye's production practices?!?)  http://www.fisheyewines.com/faq/

Then, I took to email for a couple brands that interested me, here are their responses...

Pepperwood Grove (http://pepperwoodgrove.com/) 

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Given the nature of our winemaking, we cannot guarantee that any of our wines are gluten free. I doubt that our wines have gluten in them due to our limited use of oak barrels. If there were to be any in the wine, it would end up being filtered out. However, our winemakers do not guarantee our wines to be entirely gluten free. Thank you.

 Assistant Brand Manager, Foundation Wine Collection

Don Sebastiani & Sons

Nexux Wine Brands (http://www.nexuswines.com/), I was specifically interested in Cara Mia Pinot Noir:

Thank you for the following. The wines are fermented and held after fermentation in Stainless steel. No barrel aging.

These wines do not carry any sort of gluten free certification. 

Thank you.

Nexus Brands, LLC

I hope this helps you, if you're also looking to find wines that are committed to gluten free recipes too!

You you're a sugar addict when...

Yesterday, I was getting my Starbuck's and the barista described to the lady behind me what it was and was in it...I'm thinking "oh a little coffee and milk with syrup" No...it was vanilla syrup and 3 Tbs of Caramel and about 12 ounces of whole milk. Candybar in a cup for breakfast... "only people don't give you a nasty look when you're drinking it out of a cup instead of chewing on a wrapper"

Yes, that is what I said. We all laughed but as I was walking away, I thought, "that's kind of wrong..."

I've always known it was akin to a milkshake and didn't think much of it, especially since I don't get one often - once every couple weeks, as a treat.  But, it did set me to thinking about all the sugar I eat, again.

I've been thinking about sugar a lot the last few weeks.

Ok, so here's the scoop. I've never had problem skin, but recently I've found myself getting really bad breakouts.  So, I was thinking about the things that have changed to cause it. I'm using Clinique facial stuff now...that might be irritating, although unlikely since they pride themselves on being the skin gurus. And my cupboards are starting to see an increased amount of sugar. 

If you have heard of Kris Carr or Suzanne Somers, they will pretty much tell you sugar is the devil when it comes to our hormones (second only to artificial sweeteners and dyes) and can really wreak havoc on our health. But ooooh it tastes so good! and it gives a nice little high when you're feeling dumpy. And it's super duper addictive!!

And, here's my point. I've become addicted.

For the last week I've been meticulously tracking my food on Spark People and noticing trends...sugar. Mostly in drinks. 

This troubles me because there was a point in my life, about a year ago when I rarely had any sugar. Of course, I was addicted to Diet soft drinks instead.

But this week...every day I was having 2 cans of Pepsi Throwback (150 cal each), handfuls of mini marshmallows after lunch, rice Krispie treats for breakfast, 3 times I stopped at starbuck's for my Macchiato, and then came the quarts of grape Koolaid I love, and Bailey's on coffee cubes every night. Believe me, Bailey's has SUGAR!

The moral of the story? I'm coming up with a sugar reduction plan. I tried cold-turkey this morning but for 5 hours all I could think about was rice krispie treats and Bailey's and got kind of shaky and seriously mean. I did a little research and because of it's addictive nature, most people have severe withdrawal, akin to heroin withdrawals...so my best bet is probably a replace/reduce action plan.

If you have any experience or suggestion - PLEASE leave me a comment. Being gluten free and staying off the artificial sweeteners rules out a lot of the "usual" options like chewing gum and sugar free candies or filling up on whole grains for a slow carb energy spike. 

In case you're curious here are the nutrition facts on my Caramel treat, from Starbucks.com:

Caramel Macchiato

Freshly steamed milk with vanilla-flavored syrup, marked with espresso and finished with caramel sauce.

Short 8oz Tall 12oz Grande 16oz Venti 20oz  Nonfat milk Whole Milk 2% Milk Soy (United States) 

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (16 fl oz)

Calories 240	Calories from Fat 60
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	11%
Saturated Fat 3.5g	18%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg	8%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate34g	12%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Sugars 32g
Protein 10g
Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 35% Iron 0%
Caffeine 150mg**
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
**Each caffeine value is an approximate value.

Weekly Meal Plan - Thanksgiving version

You know that most of this week is going to be Thanksgiving leftovers...so I'm making them good!

I have had great success and accolades the last couple years making the maple roasted acorn squash from the gluten free goddess blog, so I'm not going to mess with a good thing!  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/11/maple-roasted-acorn-squash-and.html

For the corn bread I like Bob's Red Mill Gluten free Corn Bread Mix. It makes a nice soft bread that isn't too crumbly, so it holds up well during the mixing.

The curry might sound a little crazy non-traditional for a Thanksgiving dinner, but trust me - it's delicious and no one will think anything of it except the aromatic spices bring out a nice contrast with the apples and cranberries. YUM!

Then there will be the usual staples:

Turkey - I plan to try my famous roast procurement method (http://cocoasglutenfreeplace.blogspot.com/2012/04/look-i-made-roastand-fab-gf-find.html).  Boar's Head has so many yummy sounding options- how will I choose?

http://boarshead.com/products/turkey

Baked potatoes - which can be mashed with milk/butter for the more traditional, then you have leftover baked potatoes for the rest of the week, which adds a little flair to the 3 day turkey sandwich scenario

Green Beans

Pie

Cranberry Sauce - homemade, of course. It's seriously faster and better than opening a can, unless you just crave the jellied kind (I understand!)

Salad

Raw Mushroom Gravy - to supplement whatever sauce I get from the Turkey. I adore Ani Phyo's recipe: http://aniphyo.com/blog/cauliflower-mash-mushroom-gravy/ No, it's not going to taste like meat but it's savory on potatoes and you'll love it, I promise!

Wild Rice

Random Sides as needed

Wine, Gin and Kool-Aid

For the beginning of the week there's Tuna Salad, Steak and Zucchini Parmesean.

What are you having for Thanksgiving?

Review - WEN Pomegranate - My hair never looked worse

I've been hearing about WEN for years and never tried it because...well it's only on infomercials and we all know that 90% of infomercial products are huge let downs. Then one day, I was watching the commercials and they showed the curly haired girls. They had perfectly formed, lustrous curls "without using any other product". With a full money back guaranty, how could I lose?

First off, they only have 1 scent that is gluten free - ALL of the other scents have bonafide Wheat Gluten in them (WHY? WHY?).  The Pomegranate uses a soy base.  Here are the ingredients and directions:

I know, at first I was like "16 pumps!?!? Whoa!" But, seriously, you do need that much to saturate your hair.

Then I was like, "Whoa, I have to leave it on a long time"...then I realized I was leaving on my regular conditioner that long anyway.

But...the 12 ounce bottle I ordered directly from WEN "A 30 day supply", for $30 + S&H, lasted just over 1 week because I had to bump it up to the 16- 24 pumps, since I have thick, long hair.  The 8-16 pumps must be for seriously short hair, no longer than ear length.  So, I ordered a 32 ounce bottle off QVC so I could give it a real shot, for another $60.

I watched the video on QVC after I ordered and they were saying that you should see a 70% improvement in hair after 1 use. I'd been using it for a week and all it was doing was giving me frizz and random spots of goopy build up if I didn't saturate and soak long enough.  But I was determined to use it a full 30 days before requesting my refund. Also, I was hanging on to the hope that "The more you use it, the better it gets." from the commercials.

Here's what I ended up with after 30 days:

This is what I had "before":

You can see before, my curls weren't perfect, but they were manageable and even looked pretty much ok.  After using WEN they got frizzy and snarly and I lost any shine.  I do not recommend this product at all.

Also, did you notice I spent $90 for only 1 month's worth. SERIOUSLY! I went through 44 ounces of this cleansing conditioner in 30 days, not even washing every day! That is $2 per ounce. TWO DOLLARS!!

So, if you're considering trying out WEN, I'd suggest using QVC because when I emailed them to let them know I wanted a refund, they didn't even make me send the bottle back since it's a potential leaky goopy package and I got the credit within 48 hours.

I still wonder about all the great reviews they get and the fact that they've been in business for years (I remember seeing Alyssa Milano schlepping it in the 90's) so maybe it's just not formulated for my hair!

On a side note, for $90 per month, I think I could get wigs and extensions, if I was that determined to have "perfect" hair. But, I'm back to my $3 bottles of whatever smells good that last for a couple months and back to having happy shiny curls again. Yay!

Right now, I'm using Tresseme Flawless Curls shampoo and Conditioner ($2.25 each for 32 ounces). 

Cookies and Ice Cream

 The other day on my way home from work...ok it was my birthday...I decided I needed sugary goodness.

 When I got home, I checked to see which would be the least offensive points-wise...Udi's chocolate chip cookies (which I vowed never to buy again after the last package that was $6 of yuckiness but the memories of past yumminess overruled that...and I'm not necessarily glad. They aren't as good as I remember them being - recipe change, perhaps? but I digress...) or Breyer's coffee ice cream.

3 points for a teeny tiny cookie (remember I'm only getting 22 points per day here) or 4 points for 1/2 cup of ice cream. I will always choose the ice cream in the future. 1 cookie is pitiful, 1/2 cup of ice cream in a small bowl looks filling. In my opinion :)

In other news, the cheese addict in me found out that 1 Tablespoon of shredded parmesean cheese = 0 points! If you have 2 Tablespoons it's 1 point though...so I guess you can only have 1 at a time!

a small hot chick salad is 0 points - that pretty much rocks!

So, what are your cravings and make -up meals?

Hot Chick salad aka a pound of spinach

So, I read this book and I would recommend it.  It got some mixed reviews - lots of haters out there. But the general philosophy is worth checking out. Plus, it's pretty funny and uplifting. Every single girl everywhere should read it.

And of course after a day of eating nothing but cookies, ice cream and Fritos, I had to have my pound of spinach with a ton of Parmesean cheese, Balsamic Vinegar and NO EVOO!! As prescribed in the book.

It was delicious.

So, you'll notice me incorporating more of their tips into my rotation. 

Like how to build a salad (chapter 2) and 10 things that are secretly magic (page 51).

Have you read this book? I know it's old...but sometimes old advice is good advice. Let me know what you think!

Look Ma! I made bread!

Welcome to installment 2 of Cocoa's slide show instructions :0)

Step 1. Put the ingredients in the bread machine pan.

Step 2. Put pan in machine - don't push down too hard or it will get permanently stuck and you will have to pry it out with tools - which is not the manufacturer's intent.

Step 3. Choose option 9, if you have my machine. It lives under the cupboard so I had to use a mirror to get some light on it for the picture.  

Step 4. Close the lid. Don't forget to press "Start"...yes, I went to check on it an hour later and was stupefied.

Step 5. Store in airtight container.

When I make this bread I remember how much I miss Macaroni's Grill bread, then I remember it's not the bread I missed from Macaroni's - it's the dipping and go drizzle some evoo and balsamic in a plate with a dash of S&P and I'm happy again.

  What do you miss?

"I fake it homemade and I'm proud" roast ala Chez Cocoa

$12.49/ pound. That is how much my roast cost. Then I put 

in in a pan and served it, see?

Ok, so maybe I cut it out of the wrapper first and let all the bloody juice puddle around it.

Kind of hard to imagine it's fully cooked and this is what the deli slices up for you, eh?

Slicing it up makes it "cook" faster.

Tenting it with foil helps the "gravy"

Good alone or smothered in BBQ sauce.  
Also featured instructions on how to procure said roast here: http://cocoasglutenfreeplace.blogspot.com/2012/04/look-i-made-roastand-fab-gf-find.html
Have a nice weekend!

What do you think of Rice Cereal?

 I keep a box of Cream of Rice cereal in the cupboard but I hardly ever cook it...I have mixed feelings that stem from the fact that if you try to make it in the microwave it will boil over, no matter how careful you are, plus...cooking! I don't dig cooking in the morning.

Weekends are different though. I can cook breakfast like a mad woman - mostly because breakfast on Saturday is always after 11:00 AM.

 I went nutty today and made 4 servings, in an attempt to have prepared breakfast for the next couple days. Since it's a nightmare in the micro I made it on the stove in the biggest pan I had, just in case it was prone to boiling over. It wasn't...because the directions are different...which I found out afterwards when I decided to read the instructions! Ha ha. Boil the water then add the rice...but it works if you do it all at once. Evidence:

Big pan, little blob of cereal, but 4 days of breakfast - so Yay!

It is surprisingly filling and I found that it really doesn't require as much syrup as say...grits or oatmeal, to taste sweet enough. Probably because rice itself is fairly sweet.

So, I'm on the fence about it. I kind of prefer my instant packet of grits for simplicity but there is just something nice about a soft bowl of warm goo in the morning.

What do you think?

Favorites!

Today I made collard green wraps and I thought, "I love collard greens!"

I can't help it- they make me happy. With tuna salad or hummus rolled up, I think it might be the perfect food.  So I started thinking about the things that I always keep in stock...my favorites...my staples.  Everybody has staples. Before Celiac (bc) mine were ramen noodles, frozen vegetables and precooked chicken breasts. Now they look a little like this:

 Chocolate chip cookie dough Larabars - I have one for breakfast almost every day. When King Soopers runs them for $1 each, I clear the shelf.

Apparently, I have a thing for gf cookie dough...this is dairy free too and seriously heavenly.

 Parmesan pancakes - simple and go with everything. You can break them up for "croutons" in a salad or eat them like chips or toss them in with popcorn. 

Raisins...well, they go in lots of stuff and keep forever! I've taken to putting them in my tuna salad (goes good in those collard wraps!) and I find them to be a great snack with a handful of walnuts and chocolate chips - sort of trail mixy.

 A banana a day makes me happy - frozen and pulverized to creaminess is divine!

 Spinach may be one of the most perfect foods. I try to eat a pound a day ala Hot Chicks.

 I keep these in my drawer at work - so much better than a coke for that afternoon pick-me-up. Simple carbs = simple energy, no sugar/caffeine jitters then dragging. 

Expensive? Yes. Delicious? YES! Better than peanut? I think so...

What are your staples and must-haves at your house?

Skinny Muffins & Fat Muffins

So... I'm on Pinterest. Heard of it? http://pinterest.com/dizzycocoa/ So many great things on there to try...

So I saw this picture for 1 minute skinny gf muffins that sounded simple and fun and I tried it (recipe here: http://heathereatsalmondbutter.com/2012/03/01/one-minute-flourless-muffin/). Mine ended up looking like this:

and did not taste good, but I can't say it tasted bad either. It didn't stick to the cup (as promised). It was definitely full of fiber though - I wouldn't recommend eating before something like a long car trip...

You can find the original recipe and various options here: http://www.thebellyfatcure.com/funnel_events/21708-jorges-skinny-muffin?pt=wKb9CpcscsF0YRVnFBnL&art=http://www.kajabi.com/admin/funnels/10159/

So, I think I'll stick to my 20 minute fat muffins:

 I use Pamela's baking and pancake mix and they are always delicious and never make me double over with stomach cramps.

Look! I made a roast...and a fab gf find!

Mmmmm...looks good right? I made it all by myself with a little help from Boar's Head and King Soopers.

 Now, you do have to put on your big girl panties and be brave if you're going to do it... but here's how you fake a homemade roast for your next dinner party:

Step 1: 

Go to the deli counter where they carry Boar's Head meats. Pick out the roast you want in the window based on how many people you're feeding and what seasonings you want. Go here to pre-shop, if you're so inclined: http://www.boarshead.com/digicatessen.php

Step 2: 

Tell the deli person that you'd like the whole roast "un-cut, un-opened". They will weigh it, as usual, and put the label on it with price etc. I chose the All Natural, Cap Off Roast Beef because it comes in a smaller chunk (around 3 pounds) and it's organic, cruelty free etc. I'm sure any other type of roast would be good too and they come in various seasonings.  The best thing is that Boar's Head brand are all gf so you don't have to grill the deli person on ingredients.

Anyway, I have done this a couple times and find that a man give you a tentative stare, smile, slap the sticker on it and wish you a nice day. A woman will ask you what you're planning to do with it. Be prepared to say "Eat it." and smile.

*Bonus* Getting it unopened will also protect you from any cross-contamination issues that run rampant in a deli.

Step 3:

Take it home, cut it into thick slices or chunks (like you'd do any roast), tent with foil and put it in the oven to heat. 400 degrees for 30 mins or so will do it. You could put it in the microwave but then you'll miss out on the drama of taking it out of the oven and the authentic roasting smell. :)

Step 4:

Once your guests are assembled around the table, take it out of the oven with great panache and serve with flair. 

While you're at the store also pick up a package of pre-washed veggies like greens (organic), grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, baby carrots and toss together for a beautiful salad. I'd also recommend instant mashed potatoes with some sour cream stirred in and whatever other favorite sides you like.

So that's my secret to feeding a ton of people in 30 minutes or less without looking like you catered it.

In other news, I discovered a fab find. Gimball's candies! They are allergen free according to the website: http://www.gimbalscandy.com/allergen-free.html and so yummy!

CLOSED Gevalia Kaffe Giveaway and Review

Good Morning!

Kraft and MyBlogSpark offered to let me do a review and a FREE giveaway for you all of Gevalia Kaffe. To win your free coffee, please leave a comment below with a way to contact you, if you're the winner.  I will choose a winner randomly on March 16th and MyBlogSpark will send you the prize pack within a week - pass it on to your friends who like coffee too!
Your prize pack will contain: 
(1) sample of the House Blend fromGevalia Kaffe
(1) sample of the French Roast Blend from Gevalia Kaffe
A Gevalia Kaffe branded coffee mug

I wouldn't consider myself a coffee connoisseur. I have dabbled with my espresso machine and you know how I can't resist my Friday Starbuck's treat but for the most part, my coffee staples are 2 jars of instant granules that I keep in the fridge for company or emergencies. One regular, one decaf. 
So, I thought this little taste test would be fun and I enlisted a couple other testers to help me out.

We started with the House Blend

Taster #1's first reaction was "Eww! What is that sour taste?" but after a couple sips it turned to "This is ok, better than most." and proceeded to down 2 cups of it. So, I'd call that a thumbs up.

Taster #2 had a similar reaction to the sour start, and agreed whole heartedly that it had a taste much like old fashioned, boiled in an enamel coffee pot on the prairie coffee but added some creamer to be fair and it wouldn't dissolve

so thumbs down.

Taster #3 gave it a thumbs up as well and would buy it, found it to be smoother than others.

Next we tried the French Roast

#1 thought it was stinky and really icky

#2 thought it smelled better and had a little bit of a nutty taste than the House Blend, which was better but still bitter and added some creamer, which I might add was Safeway brand, the store where you can find Gevalia Kaffe (see below) and it made the French Roast coffee taste better. Thumbs up from #2 and would prefer it to the swill they provide at work.

#3 has not, as of publishing time, tried it because of the jitters from the House Blend but will probably see if the French Roast will make a nice Irish Coffee.

So, can we make a recommendation? Not really. It just goes to show that everyone has different tastes. I'd say, if you're shopping around and want to try something new, give any of these flavors a try and you might be pleasantly surprised, at worst it will be tolerable.
For me and my sporadic coffee cravings, I'll stick with my Starbuck's for now.

So, leave your comment below for a chance to try this for FREE!  Let me know if you've tried Gevalia before.  What's your favorite kind of coffee?

If you'd like more information about all their varieties and offerings, please visit their website: http://bit.ly/GevaliaSite 

Finally, a required disclaimer:
Kraft Foods has provided sample product to me and is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me.  This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by me.

UPDATE:

THE WINNER IS AubreyLaine. 

Thanks to random number generator:

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This was possibly the least healthy thing I have had in...years.  Rightly so since it was basically annihilating my no dairy rule.  I was feeling brave, what can I say?

So, I got the recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/spinach-artichoke-dip-1209

It was part of my grand freezer-purge so, I defrosted the package of spinach in the microwave...

 Chopped up my can of artichoke hearts...

 Stirred in all the goopy ingredients in a casserole large enough to fit (2 quarts)...

 Put it in the oven (this picture is just to show off how clean it is)...

 And of course, something had to fall on the floor...

 When it was all done it looked like this...

 But I had to cook it longer because I'm at a high altitude and then it was done.  The End.

Don't try this if you have any dairy sensitivity at all, unless you like drinking Pepto Bismol 3 times a day, like I do. Ha ha.  Plus, it was bland but then again I've never really been a dip kind of girl.