The DR in Atlanta

My friend Amanda is back for two weeks from the Dominican Republic, where she is living and working for the Peace Corps. She brought her project partner, Gabi, for a cultural exchange. This is Gabi's first time leaving her country. In celebration of their visit, Amanda's mother thew an autumn party so that Amanda's friends and family could spend time with her and Gabi.

We had a great time. Amanda's sister, Sarah, is my best friend from high school and former roommate. Now that we are living in different places in the city, I have not been able to see her and her wonderful partner very often. Amanda and Sarah's mother just moved out of the city, so we were able to enjoy her beautiful new home. Nick was able to meet a few friends from high school, and Amanda and Sarah's grandmother and godmother. Oh! And the food. We'll get to that.

In keeping with the autumn theme, Amanda, Gabi, Sarah, and Carol all carved pumpkins. Naturally, this was Gabi's first time carving pumpkins. Sarah and Gabi did a little Googleing for inspiration. Gabi went with my favorite classic pumpkin (lots of geometrics). Carol has an awesome toothy grin with winged eyes. Sarah went with a face that looks like it is straight out of one of her sketches (second from the left). Amanda went with the Peace Corps dove and stars. Once lighted, these pumpkins were so inspirational, I think I might go carve on today.

Mama Meng made sure I was taken care of by getting some Glutino GF pretzels. Nick had no idea they were GF at first. She made a number of great dips, my favorite being the white bean dip. Gabi wanted to fix something delicious for the party, so Amanda encouraged her to make plantains. My life was complete. Plantains (no matter how they are prepared), are one of my favorite things to eat. So, for those of you out there who enjoy a good plantain, or would like to try one, I have provided Alton Brown's recipe below.

Fried Plantains Alton Brown

Cook Time: 10 minutes Level: Intermediate Yield: 4 servings as a side dish

Times:
Prep: 10 minutes Inactive prep: -- Cook: 10 minutes Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 2 green plantains

Directions

Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.

In a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat oil to 325 degrees F. Peel plantains and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway up the side of the plantain). With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains from the pan and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends. With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press each piece of plantain down to half its original size. Then place the plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.

Bring oil back up to 325 degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fried-plantains-recipe/index.html

Breakfast Thoughts

One of my friends, Kristy, lives in a subdivision called Seven Hills. Seven Hills puts on a 5k every fall to raise money for the local schools. Last year I made their 5k my first ever. It was so cold that morning that I could see my breath. I know many many people in northern places run in colder weather than Georgia has all year long, but I am neither a natural-born runner nor a lover of the cold. Even so, I ran, I saw, I conquered.

This year I agreed to cheer on the runners and make breakfast. There is always a small group of us 5k-ers and their spouses eating a smorgasbord of things, like casseroles, eggs, biscuits, pancakes, mimosas. Usually I just eat whatever and omit the biscuits, but this time I was thinking of making some biscuits to go along with breakfast. I used to love the way glutenous canned biscuits flake into layers. I'm thinking GF biscuits won't quite do the peelable layers. I have a bag of Bob's mix, and some Bisquick. The Bob's has been lingering in my pantry, so I think I'll conquer it first.

Outside of 5k breakfast, I keep coming to the same things for pre-work breakfast and "second breakfast." Pre-work breakfast usually occurs at about 5:30am, and is something like 1/2 and english muffin with a topping or a bowl of cereal. Second breakfast occurs at work around 9:30-10:00am and usually consists of a little yogurt and cereal. I think it's time to change it up. Maybe I'll bring back the pumpkin parfait in lieu of fall. Otherwise, I need to find something low in fat and super easy. Any ideas? Let me know.

A Domestic Day

Today was a domestic day. I accomplished a laundry list of things I needed to do around the house, but had been procrastinating. Okay, I'll admit, laundry, dishes, painting, ironing, hike in the woods, organizing, grocery shopping and picking up really do not provide a lot of meat for a blog entry. If you can picture me in running shorts and a t-shirt dancing around the house to hits by everyone from Frank Sinatra (yes, you can foxtrot with a vacuum) to Britney Spears (yes, shaking your derriere on a step stool is dangerous), I guess at least I might get a smirk out of you, oh reader of mine.

I did do some fun things, outside of my am hike with the barkers. While I was homemaking, I made a darn good piece of Boston Butt for pulled pork sandwiches. I also had a few hours of bonding time with my adorable 3 month old buddy, Matty B. Matt giggled as I pulled the perfectly smoked pork out of the smoker, and got rocked to sleep as it cooled.

Southern Delight
For dinner, we ate sweet potatoes, green beans, and pulled pork sandwiches. Tossing the potatoes into the oven just before you pull out the pork butt from the smoker gives them 1 hour to cook, and you time to do whatever while your pork butt cools/gets pulled. Remember to season your sweet potatoes with butter (it makes everything better!), cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey. The cinnamon on the potatoes will complement the pork really well. Never be afraid of seasoning pork with cinnamon- they make a great combination!

Pulled Pork
Pork Butt (to be cooked in a smoker)
Fight the Fat Foodie's Awesome Rub
BBQ sauce (see a sample list of GF BBQ sauces here.)

1. Massage your pork butt with the spice rub the night before you intend to smoke the pork, making sure to cover the whole butt. Keep the pork in a sealed container (or wrapped in plastic) in the refrigerator over night.

2. Cook your pork butt for about 4 hours (1-1.5hrs per pound) in the smoker. Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature.

3. The pork butt is done when it reaches 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches this temperature, remove the butt from the smoker and allow to rest for 45 minutes.

4. Pull the pork using 2 forks, being sure to remove any major lumps of fat from the pork. Serve, optionally with BBQ sauce.

Farmburger

The best thing about a great burger? A great GF bun. I have received quite a few messages about Yeah!Burger in Midtown and their GF buns and beers, but I still have not made it over to sample this amazing-ness. I have (x2) gone to Farmburger in Decatur to sample their incredi-burgers. Farmburger is set up similarly to Taquieria del Sol in that you stand in line, order your food, and then hustle to claim a table to be served at. Since the limited seating is a bit of a drawback. All of the burger meat, fixin's, and sides come from local farms in the area, such as Farm 255 in Athens.

Here are my two meal selections:
Eggcellent Burger
* GF burger, cooked medium
* Toppings of fried egg, tomatoes, red onion
* Side salad + sampling of the yummy seasonal pickled veggies

Goat Kick
* GF burger, cooked medium
* Toppings of goat cheese, jalapenos, red onions, tomatoes
* Side of collard greens (perfectly cooked!)

I think my next burger will involve the pecan pesto.

Professional Engineering Recognition Dinner

On Wednesday we attended a Professional Engineer (PE) Recognition Dinner at the Georgia Tech Hotel to recognize our newly appointed PE's. Here is the problem with attending catered events: one never knows what she will be fed. Nick emailed the lady in charge of the dinner, but we had no response. We assumed I'd either a) not be able to eat anything, or b) be confused with a vegan and be served grilled veggies macerated in balsamic vinegar. The best of circumstances is like that of the last wedding we attended- I am served a protein + veggies. The more mediocre outcome was that of the PE dinner- I was served a vegan meal. For those of you who are vegans, power to you. I, on the other hand, have never been satisfied with a protein-less meal (I can't eat soy), so veganism just is not going to work out for me. Plus, GF living is not vegan living. It just is not.

Since Nick never got a response about the meal selection at the PE dinner, we hit up Hotel Palomar beforehand for snacks and drinks. The decor is very classy- the booths are crescent shaped, facing the center of the restaurant's action. Our waiter really impressed me by asking first if anyone had food allergies or dietary concerns. He was helpful in answering questions I had about the menu items. Ali and I ordered 6 things off of the meat/cheese plate on the app menu. I thoroughly enjoyed all of our selections. While we snacked, I looked at the real menu. It was a bit hard to read (the menu was a piece of paper attached to a limp piece of leather ), but I did find a few selections I would like to try on our next visit.

Medetative Cooking

I opened my door today to silence. I flipped on the light switch and saw darkness. I realized as I stepped into my house, that even the fish tanks vibrating bubbles were missing. I was attuned to the silent refrigerator. I heard my breath in and out.

The dogs began to stir; I realized the power was out.

I've never noticed before how incredibly silent life can be with no lights, no noise, no movement. It was incredibly peaceful.

I quickly let the dogs and out and returned to the silence. As I lit candles, the energy quotient in the house increased. While the peace remained, the house became less still. I breathed in the beauty of our house by candlelight.

After a few breaths, I was reminded of my groceries. I hastily put them away, took a few more breaths in my kitchen lit by a single candle, and decided upon cooking in the dark.

Each movement was quiet, slow, suiting the surrounding environment. If I drove my knife through the pile of veggies, I risked cutting myself. I lit the burner for the Basmati rice with a lighter and watched the flames dance for a few seconds before I put the pot on the stove. Instead of sight, I relied on smell and feel, making sure my red bell pepper was thin enough, smelling the just melted butter in the pot on the stove. Just as placed the lid on the rice, the power came on. My heart skipped a beat.

I blew out my candle and shrugged, having just put the potatoes in my frying pan. The power went off again. I smiled, breathing in happily. After a few exhales, the power was back on. This time it stayed on. I finished preparing dinner and sat down at my candle lit table with my book as my companion. If every meal was made with such serenity, I might be eternally filled with it's peace.

Basmati Rice
If you've never tried this Indian rice, you should- it's incredible melt-in-your-mouth good and very flavorful. Eschew your rice maker; it is best prepared on the stove. The proportion of water : rice : butter is easily halved or doubled.

You'll Need
2 cups water
1 cup Basmati rice
1/2 stick of butter
pot with a tight fitting lid

1. Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat, moving continuously, as not to burn it. Add the rice.

2. Continuously stir the rice in the butter until it comes to a "boil."

3. Add the water, and let the mixture return to a boil.

4. Once mixture is at a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.

5. Cook for 25 minutes, making sure to never, ever, ever take off the lid. Once the rice has cooked fully, take off the lid and fluff with a fork.

Article

From Medscape Medical News

Celiac Disease Diagnosis Up 4-Fold Worldwide

Megan Brooks

Authors and Disclosures

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July 30, 2010 — Studies from the United States, Europe, and elsewhere indicate that the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) has increased significantly in the last 3 decades — possibly by as much as a factor of 4.

"More and more studies indicate a prevalence of CD of more than 1% in both adults and children. This should be compared with lower prevalence figures [from] 20 to 30 years ago," Jonas Ludvigsson, MD, from the Department of Medicine, Epidemiology Unit, at the Karolinska Institute and Orebro University Hospital, Sweden, and an expert in CD, noted in an email to Medscape Medical News.

"The reason for this increase is mutlifactorial, but there is probably a true underlying increase. This has been shown when old sera have been analyzed with modern techniques, (eg, in Finland)," Dr. Ludvigsson pointed out.

Mayo Clinic Research Confirms Rise in CD

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic also report an increase in CD, according to an article in the summer issue of the Mayo Clinic's research magazine Discovery's Edge. Joseph Murray, MD, and colleagues analyzed stored blood samples, taken from Air Force recruits in the early 1950s, for gluten antibodies. They assumed that 1% would be positive, mirroring today's rate. That assumption was wrong — the number of positive results was far smaller, indicating that CD was "rare," Dr. Murray noted in the article.

This led him and his colleagues to compare those results with 2 more recently collected sets from Olmsted County, Minnesota. Their findings suggest that CD is roughly 4 times more common now than in the 1950s.

"This tells us that whatever has happened with CD has happened since 1950," Dr. Murray said. "This increase has affected young and old people. It suggests something has happened in a pervasive fashion from the environmental perspective," he added.

Excess Mortality Seen With CD and Latent CD

Recent research by Dr. Ludvigsson's team (JAMA. 2009;302:1171-1178) and others supports the concept of "latent CD" or "gluten sensitivity." Latent CD, defined in the Journal of the American Medical Association study by Dr. Ludvigsson's team as having normal small intestinal mucosa but positive CD serology, is something that is estimated to occur in at least 1 in 1000 individuals.

Dr. Ludvigsson's team has also reported evidence that in 1 year, 10 of 1000 individuals with CD will die compared with an expected 7 in 1000 without the disease.

"Not only is the mortality raised in patients with [CD] but also in those individuals with latent [CD]," Dr. Ludvigsson noted in a statement from the United European Gastroenterology Federation.

However, in comments to Medscape Medical News, he emphasized that "although patients with CD are at increased risk of a number of disorders, and at increased risk of death, the absolute risk increase is very small."

A Tricky Disease

CD remains a "tricky disease," Dr. Ludvigsson said. "It can be asymptomatic; have so-called traditional symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, failure to grow (in children), fatigue, and malnutrition; and have nontraditional symptoms such as osteoporosis, depression, adverse pregnancy outcome; and increased risks of both malignancy and death."

The onset of certain autoimmune disorders including autoimmune liver disease, thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, and Addison's disease can actually signal CD, he noted. "This means that clinicians should consider CD in a number of symptoms and disorders."

CD Often Undetected; Cause Unknown

CD often goes undetected, although the percentage of undetected cases varies between countries, Dr. Ludvigsson noted. "In most countries, at least two thirds of individuals with CD have not received a diagnosis by a doctor." The reason for the high percentage of undetected disease is that the disease can be difficult to diagnose, and "it is sometimes almost asymptomatic," he added.

Detection Methods Are Improving

Over the years, Dr. Ludvigsson told Medscape Medical News, "we have improved existing means to diagnose CD. Antibody tests are becoming better and better, although a positive antibody test should be confirmed with a small intestinal biopsy before the diagnosis is certain. Transient increases in CD antibody levels occur. In the future, I expect microscopy in the very small intestine to become a tool for diagnosis."

Alternatives to the Gluten-Free Diet?

At this time, Dr. Ludvigsson said, the gluten-free diet remains the cornerstone of treatment for CD. However, "in the future, alternative treatment strategies may be available. The recent discovery of the structure of transglutaminase 2 may help in designing inhibitors of transglutaminase 2 to treat CD," he said. "Another potential treatment strategy is to ingest enzymes that digest gluten, thereby increasing the safe threshold for gluten intake.

"There is also ongoing research on the topic of decreasing the bowel's permeability to gluten, Dr. Ludvigsson toldMedscape Medical News. He added, however, that the safety of this approach is unclear, as "a decreased permeability here might mean that the body cannot absorb other needed substances.

"Finally, agricultural research may mean that we can modify the gluten structure in wheat produce a kind of wheat that will not illicit an immune response in patients with CD," the researcher noted.

Counseling CD Patients Is Important

Although evidence is scarce, said Dr. Ludvigsson, "most researchers believe that a gluten-free diet will reduce the risk of complications/comorbidity in CD, and it is important for the doctor to underline this for the patients. In patients with CD who do not become better on a gluten-free diet, the most common reason is probably that the patients do not eat a strictly gluten-free diet," he said.

Dr. Murray advocates greater vigilance in CD patients. "It's not enough to say, 'You've got CD, be gluten-free, goodbye,' " he said. "CD requires medical follow-up."

This October, at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Barcelona, Spain, Dr. Ludvigsson will be 1 of 8 researchers to receive the Association of National European and Mediterranean Societies of Gastroenterology and United European Gastroenterology Federation Rising Stars award.