Pizza Fusion

Despite my ever-expanding, long list of restaurants that have G-F menus or accommodate Celiacs with G-F dishes, I could never find a G-F pizza place. For the wheat-eaters of the world, pizza (good or bad) is eaten approximately ever 2 miles in the metro Atlanta area. The only place I've eaten pizza was on a store-bough crust in my kitchen.

In the search for a G-F pizza restaurant, we came across Pizza Fusion. The Pizza Fusion website (www.pizzafusion.com) boasts a commitment to fresh, organic, and earth-friendly. A few of the things I noted were all organic ingredients, LEED buildings, eco-friendly delivery cars, and their recycled plastic chairs. Their food accommodates everyone, vegan and G-F alike. They discuss this and answered most of my personal FAQ under the "What Separates Us" tab on the website. Conveniently for me, when I discovered Pizza Fusion, their Atlanta location was under construction.

This week, the Monday Night Dinner Crew attended their grand opening. Our waiter was fun and informative. He gave us his "schpeel" about the eco-friendliness of the restaurant, and his "to die for" picks on the menu. The menu was clear and well-laid out. The few pizza toppings that are not G-F were marked with an asterisk. I went with the Seattle, trading out the mozzarella and Parmesan. I skipped apps so I could save room for a brownie.

If waiting for our table full of pizzas, smelling them baking in the kitchen, about killed me, then taking the first bite into the crispy crust of my pie brought me back to life. I was amazed by the crust. It held together seamlessly, was crisp but not over cooked or too dense. The pizza toppings tasted very fresh. When it came time for dessert, I was excited to see a very large helping of chocolate goodness set before me. I expected a fudgier brownie with metallic or fruit-sweetened aftertaste hallmark of other G-F desserts, but found the brownie to by fluffy and the chocolate taste to be flawless. The overall experience was wonderful.

My gluten-eating companions told me they could not taste a difference in the G-F and non-G-F crusts. Their critique was that the olives on the Founder's Pie made the pizza too salty, and that the pies were pricey. (Welcome to a G-F life!) They were all amazed at how good the brownies tasted.

Will I go back? YES! In fact, the first thing I did at on work on Tuesday was tell one of my G-F coworkers he had to check Pizza Fusion out. (I believe he went for dinner right after work.)

Celiac Disease Diagnosis Anniversary

I remember opening the letter dated 11/4/03 and having no idea what my doctor meant by "Celiac antibodies all high!! We need to discuss diet changes." I read it three times, stunned.

Potentially, I could have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease my Junior year of high school. I remember sitting in the Writing Lab with two of my friends pointing out the rash on my hands. I just thought it was from "sensitive skin,"and I had used a lotion that didn't agree with my epidermis. My Junior year was also when I started feeling different. The changes I felt were vague and hard to describe. I didn't feel energized after eating. I felt like my blood sugar would just drop for no reason from time to time. (Really, what was probably happening was my body couldn't absorb nutrients and was suffering.) I just never felt great. Being the overachiever I was, I thought my extracurricular activities and study habits made me tired all the time. Never feeling good became part of my life.

I tried to cut down on carbs, more because I was always unhappy with my weight than because I thought carbs linked to my immune function. I started to see a nutritionist, the wife of my history professor. She had me monitor my blood sugar, and log my food intake. Nothing we did impacted how I physically felt. She counseled me on my home life and thought I was borderline anorexic. True, I didn't eat well and I had body image issues, but so do most teenagers. In hind sight, I the gluten-containing food made me feel worse every time I ate. For me, eating was toxic.

My Freshman year of college at Loyola New Orleans, I was in the bathroom all the time. Stomach upset was a daily part of my life. I continued to never feel great. My weight stayed the same, even though I worked out a 3-4 times a week. I napped for 20-30 minutes almost every day. I was tired. My concentration was poor, but I had been fighting ADD symptoms since high school. Sometime during Spring semester, I systematically eliminated foods and discovered I was lactose intolerant. Cutting out milk products in my diet made an improvement but only solved a small part of my problems.

My Sophomore year of college I moved back in with dad to start pre-nursing classes. I felt listless and unmotivated, but decided it was related to missing my Loyola friends and sorority sisters, trudging through science classes, and working through the newness of my parents' divorce. When I started having hot flashes, an endocrindonologic side effect of the untreated Celiac Di ease, I made my first visit to Dr. Delcher. He ordered my labs, and made my diagnosis.

The first year I felt incredibly better. I had no idea how horrible I had been feeling for so many years until I changed my diet. I lost lost weight from eating better, exercising more often, and not being bloated all the time. I still was sick off and on. The rash on my hands flared. I suffered Reynaud's in the winter. I did not understand that I still had not cut out all of the gluten in my life. I got a few other opinions, and landed back in Dr. D's office in tears. Why did I still have symptoms?

A year later, I started seeing Bernadette Saviano, the G-F nutrition guru (and Celiac herself). My life took a second turn for the better. She taught me the "secrets" of a completely G-F diet and the tricky non-G-F ingredients in foods. Bernadette made me list of supplements to meet my needs- my damaged cilia (a side-effect of eating gluten in Celiac's Disease) could not absorb everything I needed. I never knew I could feel so great. I was not sick all the time. I did not need so many naps. I could concentrate on school work. I learned to cook. I learned to love food. I learned to live.

According to Dr. D and Bernadette, it takes about 5 years of G-F living for your body to fully recuperate. I have reached my 5 year anniversary, and I've truly never felt better. Celiac Disease no longer is an obscure condition; almost everyone I talk to about G-F "knows someone" who shares my lifestyle. Not only can I find G-F products in the "normal" grocery store, stores label shelves to help me locate the G-F products faster. I am surrounded by supportive family and friends who go with me on restaurant adventures, try their hands at G-F baking, make sure I'm accommodated. I am not afraid of running into gluten contamination when I try something new at home or at a restaurant. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything. I am happy. I am healthy.

Legal Seafoods

The Monday Night Dinner Crew hit up Legal Seafoods this week. Per the recommendation of the restaurant, I valeted my car at the Hilton. (That turned into the longest valet experience of all.) I walked into the the bar on the first level. The second level is full of tables and a huge wine storage cabinet. Sammy guessed correctly- there are about 500 bottles on wine on the premise in the big wine locker on any given day.

I think everyonee else gave the restaurant a 7/10. I gave it a 9. They have a separate G-F menu, with plenty of things to choose from. The waitress knew exactly what was in every dish, and how the G-F dishes were made. Sung, our toughest critic and founder of the MNDC, had low expectations to start with. Look how serious he is, even when fiddling with my lobster's claw.

I loved my "light" clam chowder- chowder made with G-F broth instead of cream base. I had the lobster bake, so ate a lobster and a pile of mussels and little neck clams. I was in 7th Heaven. In fact, I think lobster is my favorite food, tied with sushi and fillet. They are easy to crack open, have light juicy meat, and get dipped in my favorite condiment (butter). I think I might have even looked hot in my plastic bib.

One thing I will add is that we paid at the table, using little wireless credit card machines. I can see how this will be helpful in the future, especially for people like Nick who like to finish eating and run out the door. Only, we found it to be kind of tedious and a little confusing.

Martha, Martha, Martha!

Okay. I'm out. I love Martha Stewart. The recipes on her website always turn out incredibly well for me, and are usually pretty easy. Chicken and soup certainly can warm you up on a cold night, so I concocted two of Martha's dishes. They turned out so well! Enjoy.

Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-thighs-braised-in-white-wine?autonomy_kw=chicken%20thighs%20braised%20in%20white%20wine&rsc=header_2

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 2 3/4 pounds)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid, arrange thighs, bone side up; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, wine, and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, 30 minutes.
2. Turn chicken over. Place a lemon slice on each piece; cover and continue simmering until tender, about 15 minutes. Leaving garlic and liquid in skillet, transfer chicken and lemon slices to a platter. Cover tightly with foil to keep warm.
3. Bring liquid in skillet to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Add butter, parsley, and lemon juice; stir until butter has softened and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce and, if desired, rice.

Emerald-Green Velvet Soup

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/emerald-green-velvet-soup?autonomy_kw=Emerald-Green%20Velvet%20Soup&rsc=header_1

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, pressed through a garlic press or minced
• 1 large Yukon gold potato, (about 8 ounces), peeled and diced
• 4 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 5-6 cups (from 1 large bunch) flat-leaf parsley
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Optional garnishes, (choose one): croutons, edible flowers, extra-virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, or minced fresh herbs like chives

Directions

1. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook, stirring occasionally until onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Add potato and broth, and raise heat to high; bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and cook, uncovered, until parsley is wilted, about 2 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree mixture in blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual soup bowls and garnish, if desired, with one of the optional garnishes. Serve immediately.

Holeman & Finch

Holeman & Finch is located on the backside of a new Buckhead high rise community. The restaurant features small plates of Southern-inspired food. One of the dinner club members called ahead to make sure they would accommodate G-F needs; however, our waiter seemed to know nothing about G-F or how to accommodate. I gave him "my card," with the items I do and don't eat. He came back with a menu that the chef had checked off the yes food. I had a choice of 4 dishes. I ate the Georges Bank Scallops- huge and delicious, over sweet corn; the Metzger Farm Pork Belly over collards- very rich, and the collards delicious; Baby Bok Choy with garlic- okay. I rated Holeman & Finch with a 6/10 because I was not impressed with how my food came out after everyone had eaten. My biggest pet-peeve is watching other people eat, especially when I'm starving.

Fox Brothers BBQ

The last time I had barbecue was sometime before I was diagnosed with CD. I've lived in the South for 16 years, and have never really gotten into a lot of southern food. In fact, I have never liked a collard green.

Walking into Fox Brothers on of chilly night, I was a little nervous about trying the BBQ. I had emailed to make sure it was G-F/soy-free, so I knew I should in theory be safe. As we settled in to our table, my high school soundtrack played in the background, Grateful Dead, Government Mule, Dispatch. I ordered ribs, collards, and green beans. My ribs were a little dry, and I'm not too much of a fan of extra sauce, so left that off. The green beans were so overwhelmingly spicy that I don't think I tasted an actual green bean. The collards? I loved them.

My rating on our Monday Night Dinner Club spreadsheet? A 7/10.