It Has Come to My Attention...

Apparently it's Gluten-Free Month.  Or Celiac Awareness Month.  Or something like that.

I, for one, would like it to be called "Hug a Glutard" month.  What's that you say?  "Hug a Glutard" is a no-go?

(This is an opportune moment for a quick disclaimer: if you're the sort of person who is offended by things like swear words and South Park/Family Guy-esque jokes, then this here blog is not for you.  Believe me, it's better for all of us if we lay this out up front.)

Anyways, in honor of Gluten-Free Month, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite glutard-friendly products.  Some are stand-ins for their glutinous counterparts that I used to eat, and others are fabulous on their own.

1) KIND Healthy Grains: Back in my glorious days of glutinous gluttony (sorry, I couldn't resist the alliteration), I loooooooved me some granola.  Almond-coconut granola, blueberry granola, everything.  However, I particularly loved peanut butter granola.  So, you can imagine my unabated joy -- which actually involved jumping up and down while gasping with delight, and probably made passersby wonder if they needed to call the paramedics -- when I saw KIND gluten-free peanut butter granola in the grocery store.

I bought three bags at once, because I suddenly went from "Holyshithisisamazing" mode into "OmigodwhatiftheyonlycarrythisforalittlewhileandthentheypullitIhavetostockpilethisliketheSovietsstockpilednukes" mode.  Mercifully, they haven't stopped carrying it, but I keep buying it.

2)  Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas:  Anyone who longs for the days of burritos and wraps can now re-live those glories, thanks to these awesome tortillas.  As with most GF products, they crumble more easily than regular tortillas -- but that can largely be mitigated by popping each tortilla in the microwave for 20 seconds before folding it up.  I've been using these for super-fast pizzas, but their most notable use to date has been for Mediterranean veggie wraps (recipe to come).

3)  Suzie's Thin Cakes:  Made from popped quinoa, corn, and sesame, these little guys are full of whole grain and are only 11-12 calories per cake.  They make the perfect vehicle for, well, almost anything: hummus, nut butters, jellies (almond butter and strawberry jam is a personal fave) -- the list is endless.

4)  Bob's Red Mill GF Rolled Oats:  When I had my wisdom teeth pulled during college, the silver lining was that I got to eat an obscene amount of oatmeal.  Seriously, oatmeal is magical.  My father thought I'd lost my mind and started asking if perhaps I was becoming a horse -- because the fact is, I really freakin' love oatmeal.  Finding certified GF oats after going gluten-free was one of the greatest and most crucial elements of my health and happiness, since both my tastebuds and my insides love this stuff.

Love, thy name is GF Oatmeal.

5)  They're not pictured here, but Bob's Red Mill GF Oat Flour and Honeyville Almond Flour are objects of great affection in my kitchen these days.  Since I unraveled the mysteries of GF baking (GF baking was, until about a month ago, an enigma wrapped in brown rice flour and shrouded in xanthan gum) and realized that these are the two key ingredients, I've been on a baking binge.  For me, if something enables me to have light, fluffy, and delicious homemade GF blueberry muffins, then that thing will be subject to my undying love and adoration.  I'll probably start writing love sonnets to my GF oat flour and almond flour tonight.

Mmmmm.  Muffins.  Gaaaaaaahhhh.

So, with that -- happy Gluten-Free Month!  May your GF adventures be delicious!