I love food. Cooking it, eating it, talking about it, and now writing about it. I grew up surrounded by amazing food, fresh produce, and helped in the kitchen – a lot. I was also the kid with the sensitive stomach. This isn’t exactly something I start talking to people about, but it has changed my eating habits so drastically that I needed to start a journal of the journey.
In May of 2004 I went dairy-free. In July of 2009 I (very reluctantly) went gluten-free. Apparently, I am able to have a fairly pain-free life without these foods in my system. I’ll get to that. More importantly, my diet did not suffer. I still cook. I still cook for others. I love having someone eat my food and THEN telling them it’s gluten free and dairy free. Those words, along with “local”, “healthy”, “sustainable” they are all loaded terms. My job has become to demystify these words, prove that they don’t mean something negative (or something expensive).
At the beginning of my gluten-free life, I tried things. I did not like them. Then I started reading, experimenting, and learning. I made more things, and oh they are so good. I also didn’t have to change some things- but rather changed the way I worded certain things. Polenta. It has always been gluten-free. Growing up in a cook’s home, I understand that and it doesn’t scare me. However, when I say gluten-free to someone else, they look scared. If I put a gluten-free brownie on the table maybe some people would eat it. If I put a slice of flourless chocolate torte on the table I would get “oohs and ahs”. People: it’s the same thing. Or at least, in my world it is.
I tend to steer clear of certain ingredients. I tend to love those “naturally” gluten-free things like polenta, rice, chocolate, quinoa. Sometimes I do need my pasta fix. And I’ve learned which brands I like, which fall apart, and which I need to stay far far away from.
So this is my journey: finding what brands are good, whose recipes are worthwhile, and what food works when. Life is not over when you have dietary restrictions, are on a tight budget, AND prefer to eat local and organic. It can happen. I don’t need to carry around stomach pain meds, change into comfy pants, or even drive my own car so I can go home if I don’t feel well. At the end of the day, the food is pretty tasty.
And let me say this to the blogging world: I’m new at this. I’m not here to teach you how to cook (unless you’re new to that, and then sure) or eat or diet. I’m here to document a journey that is hard to track. There are so many of us out there with dietary restrictions and why reinvent the wheel? If someone had told me 2 years ago how grody certain things are, I wouldn’t have needed to try them (re: tahini cookies). If someone told me that you cannot simply substitute GF flour for the real thing when making a challah- I wouldn’t still have that brick in my freezer waiting to be turned into breadcrumbs. That may seem oh so obvious now, but trust me, it wasn’t once upon a time.
Me (Rebecca) and mom in the kitchen
Salts Kitchen 
Hi Reb! Just heard about your blog, came by to check it out.
My friend and art teacher Sharon has just gone gluten free and sugar free, bless her! I’ve been passing along different blogs and sites, because she, like me (and you) loves loves loves to eat. And now I’ve found yours!
love from your betonka : )
Hi there! Just came across your blog from my referral links on my site. Thanks for adding me to your blog roll and nice to see another GF blogger in Austin 🙂
Thanks so much for checking my blog out. I’m still getting the hang of this, but it’s been a lot of fun getting to know my gluten free cohort out there!
Yeah! I finally checked out the infamous Salt’s Kitchen. That coconut custard tart looks deeelicious. Can’t wait to try some recipes.
hey rebecca seems amazing, interesting, and want to check out more.
Thanks Samantha! Keep checking, I’m learning as I go.
Rebecca, I found your blog through joyfulinthekitchengarden’s blog.
I found I was gluten sensitive 14 years ago, after doing a food elimination diet.
I appreciate your insight about the charged words.Wisdom is profitable to direct.
Hi Michael, Thanks for checking my blog out and for the kind words. It’s always good to hear from our gluten free community.
Happy eating, Rebecca
HI Rebecca,
Love getting to ready your blog! We work with a local restaurant that is hosting a gluten free dinner and would love to extend an invite to you if you are interested. Please send me an email at cat (at) craveusa . com so that we can discuss more.
Thank you so much and look forward to hearing back from you,
Cat
You’re awesome!
Wonderful recipes and blog! I am nominating you for a VBA! http://wp.me/p3S5b4-gB
Thanks so much! That means a lot.
Happy eating, Rebecca
Happy New Year, Rebecca. I would love to invite you to be our guest at the blogger booth at our upcoming Living Without’s Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest next month in Austin. Please feel free to reach out for more detail: lbockhorst@gffafest.com