Fresh Plates

Lunch. It was so delicious. Eating fresh plates (where I assemble my meal as I eat) makes me happy. A fresh plate leaves no room for poor quality ingredients as there is nothing to mask or boost their flavor; each item selected has to pull its weight in freshness and taste. Today, I received the first farmer call saying that local salad mix was ready for our plates. Yippee! Our growing season is beginning! I decided to celebrate with a fresh plate, as I look forward to local tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash, which will encounter my fresh plate again soon, very soon. In addition to eating simple, fresh ingredients, I enjoy the idea of a fresh plate because I like to be present and aware of what I am putting in my mouth. It's so nice to stop and allow all my senses to enjoy the food that fuels me, and I find that a meal that requires using hands facilitates it well.

Raw Rosemary Flaxseed Almond Crackers, Smoked Turkey, Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Avocado, Sweet Onion, Red Bell Pepper, and Green Leaf Lettuce.

Well Fed

Lately, my copious (read: little to no) amounts of free time have been forcing me to choose between working, running, reading, eating, or blogging. I may have been writing infrequently, but rest assured... I have been well, and as always, I have been eating well. Not a surprise, given that I am surrounded by good food at work where I can make something for myself in a dedicated gluten free kitchen, or I can select from a variety of prepared foods when I don't have the time or inspiration. As the seasons change, I don't find myself lacking inspiration to create good food for my belly but I do find myself sometimes lacking the time. Luckily, Arelya has been constantly producing new raw foods from the Fresh Abundance deli, which of course, I am always happy to sample. I mean, someone has to do it, right? Gladly, it's me.

Raw Foods Pesto Pasta and Red Bell Pepper from Fresh Abundance. The noodles are made of zucchini! So good.

I have been really into making sandwiches lately. Sandwiches with fresh spring onions. Yum. As the seasons change, yellow, red, and white keeper onions aren't looking so pretty or firm this time of year. Luckily, we have fresh spring onions to take their place. I have also been enjoying a handful of basil leaves added to the pile of greens that take residence on each sandwich I devour. I just can't seem to get enough greens as my body asks for them over and over again. Ingredients: Sesame bagel, Roast Turkey, Pepperoni, Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Red Spring Onions, Red Leaf Lettuce, Fresh Basil, Vegenaise, Black Pepper.

This next one comes from the lovely Nicole. If you ask me, it's a great way to enjoy the last of apple season until we welcome summer apples to our plates. Ingredients: Sesame Bagel, Smoked Turkey, Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Red Leaf Lettuce, Two slices Pink Lady Apples, Vegenaise. Simple and delicious.

Regardless of how busy life gets, I know that engaging my body in motion is imperative for me to feel well. This week I have taken many beautiful runs. Unlike many who run in the morning, I seem to only make time after a long days work, right about sunset. What a beautiful time of day. Lately, I have found myself halting my run at unexpected moments not because I'm tired, but because there is so much beauty to be seen; I just have to absorb a little more. Here is a glimpse of the beauty I've experienced when exploring Spokane on foot.

Spokane River from the Centennial Trail

On a side note, I am aware that the iphone pics are less than stellar. I will be working on dusting off my camera and putting it to use. This may pose a challenge though, as I already have a hard time waiting to eat food long enough to take a picture; I will learn. A worthy challenge of course, I mean really great food deserves accurate photo representation, right? .

Destination: Portland, Oregon

In the wild and crazy life I lead, necessity found me traveling to Portland, OR a week ago on Monday evening for a whirlwind 24 hour trip. I expected to see my lovely family, and to take care of some necessary appointments; I didn't expect to be greeted by a bounty of readily available gluten free foods. Portland has never treated me so well, and our love affair has been going on for years. Traveling as a Celiac is probably one of the biggest challenges. I live by the rule that if I can't guarantee it's safe, I choose not to eat it. Being hungry and well is better than being fed and sick.

Dad had called me first thing Monday morning warning me not to eat dinner as he had a special treat planned for us. Yes, my entire family LOVES food, and it is often premeditated before ever consumed. Dad and brother J picked me up from the airport at 7:30 on Monday night and we headed straight for the Corbett Fish House. Dad is a fisherman and a Celiac, and this place is his idea of the perfect meal. Being the daughter of a fisherman I have been spoiled my entire life, eating only what we caught. After a few years living in the Inland Northwest, I jump at any chance to consume fresh fish. I don't often eat fried food, but Corbett Fish House is a Celiac's dream if you're looking for this sort of thing. Nearly everything on the menu is gluten free and clearly labeled as such. The only exceptions are the sandwiches as they have yet to find a gluten free bun, and the croutons on the caesar salad. They use rice bran oil and a light dusting of rice flour for all their products, and dry cooking techniques to seal and steam the fish so the finished product has almost no oil: a delicious and healthy serving of fish with a crisp exterior and succulent interior. We started with an appetizer of calamari, a favorite of mine. I was having a hard time choosing between the halibut fish and chips, and prawns as both came highly recommended. The waiter kindly offered to split my order to include both. Yes, that is exactly what I wanted. It was so good. They also offer a few different gf beer options, a great accompaniment to fish and chips.

After heading to McMinnville to see family and sleep for a few short hours, we were back to Portland at 6am for an appointment. Afterwards, Mother and I were hungry and in search of breakfast. To my delight we found New Cascadia Traditional - The Gluten Free Artisans, a dedicated Gluten Free Bakery. This place was amazing... and the very first time I have ever set foot in a bakery where I could choose any item I desired, knowing that it would be completely safe and incredibly delicious. I LOVE a good bagel so I chose the multi-seed bagel. Toasted in an oven and slathered with cream cheese. It was so perfectly hot until the very last bite. When something is really good, I find myself unable to get a picture as I am in awe of it's smell and taste, and I must eat it right then.

With a satisfied belly, I picked out some treats to take home with me. I have not had bread that tasted this good since living in Italy and eating the glutenous stuff. Mother insisted that I take a treat for the plane as well, and although I'm not a person who loves sweets, I indulged her and chose a brownie. Superb choice.

Cheddar Parmesan Bread, Multi Seed Batard, Portland Sourdough, and a Brownie

After Breakfast we headed to Hawthorne Blvd for some shopping. Hawthorne Blvd is one of my favorite places in Portland to browse: tons of second hand shops, neat boutiques, coffee galore, and of course, Powell's Books. We spent most of our time in Powell's and after looking through the entire store, we were notified that they had a second bookstore a couple doors down dedicated entirely to food and gardening. I was in heaven.

Looking at books about food always makes me hungry. To our delight, we found the Oasis Cafe on Hawthorne. Gluten Free pizza, yes please! The dough is not made in house and they satisfied all my questions on how it was handled, using different utensils/pans to avoid cross contamination. We chose the greek pizza, set it on a bed of baby spinach and drizzled it with olive oil. So good, again, too good to get a picture. Being a Celiac, eating out means that you have to clearly ask for what you need and be willing to choose another restaurant if those needs can't be met. It's a lot of work, but the only option. I was so thankful to enjoy so many great meals in Portland this trip, and to feel well after eating. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Portland. I will return to eat again.