Gluten Free with Heide

Hi!  I’m Heide, and I’m gluten free.

I’m glad you found me.  Are you celiac/gluten free also?  Do you know someone who is?  Not really, but perhaps you’re interested in healthy and tasty eating on a budget?

You’re in the right place.

First, you may want to know a little about me. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a disorder of the intestine in which certain proteins — gluten, specifically — cause damage to the tissue. Additionally I am sensitive to dairy and find I feel best when I stick to organic produce and free range meats.

I was crushed by the loss of everything I’d considered good and tasty in the world: pizza, pretzels, and even simple bread and noodles.  But it pushed me to keep learning.  With the Food Network as my teacher and a curious nature as my driving force, cooking once again became my passion.

Years ago, gluten free options were as rare as a unicorn, especially in Anchorage, Alaska, where I was raising two kids. Being on a tight budget and not wanting to cook separate meals, the whole house went gluten free.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and all that, and so cooking from scratch became a requirement.

The stores that at first made me cry became my hunting grounds: specialty stores, health food stores, any stores within driving distance.  Soon I found both patterns and hope.  Asian stores have an abundance of rice-based noodles and exciting sauces as well as an array of vegetables to experiment with.  Health stores, though expensive, have unique spices and even have slowly started carrying gluten free snacks I craved. The biggest downside is my ever growing addiction to kitchen gadgets.

Through a lot of trial and error (some of that error making me horribly ill for days) I developed some great recipes that made everyone happy.  Food has become fun and delicious again, and my waistline once again shows it.  Each new recipe is an adventure.  My style of cooking isn’t the simplest; I love to layer rich flavors to fulfill those cravings.

Now I have the experience and the desire to help others navigate a gluten free life. I love the challenge of not just eating GF but making healthy conscious decisions about what we choose to feed our families. My joy comes from watching people take a bite of my creations and gasp with pleasure.  Is it the same for you?  Then join me, and let me share with you some of what I’ve learned, and some great ideas.

Thank you!- H