Raleigh, NC Gluten & Allergen-Free Expo 2012

On Sunday August 12th I attended the first Raleigh, NC Gluten & Allergen-Free Expo. There were over 30 vendors (myself, included), cooking demonstrations, door prizes, an appearance by Mrs. Shannon Ford, the winner of Mrs. USA 2011, and around 750 attendees. It was a fantastic event organized and headed by Mrs. Nikki Everett, owner of ECHO Event Solutions and founder of the Charlotte ROCK Gluten-Free Support Group.

Gluten-Free Expo Director Nikki Everett with
Pam King from the Maryland Center for Celiac Research
at the Charlotte GF/AF Expo earlier this year.
Photo courtesy of Jeff SanGeorge/Gluten-Free in NC

Nikki became aware of the needs of the gluten-free and celiac population when her daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2008. Nikki immediately started a local gluten-free support group and in the same year organized and began the first Charlotte, NC Gluten & Allergen-Free Expo. The expo was an instant success and Nikki immediately started planning for more events. Eventually more and more people asked her for events closer to where they lived in other parts of the country. Nikki eventually quit her job as a hair stylist and began a company called "ECHO Event Solutions" and started planning additional gluten-free & allergen-free expos around the country in places like Omaha, Nebraska and New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Raleigh Gluten & Allergen-Free Expo took place from 2:30pm - 7:30pm on Sunday August 12th at Cobblestone Hall in downtown Raleigh. The facility was a beautiful old building surrounded by the cobblestone streets of the quaint downtown. Around 750 attended the event and had the opportunity to try many different gluten-free foods and beverages from companies all around the US.

I love that we are wearing similar patterns! We're that much alike! haha!

One of my favorite parts of the Expo was FINALLY meeting my friend Debbie, author of the lovely (and locally NC) blog "The Gluten-Free Dish." Debbie is so inspiring. She cooks and bakes the way I want too (and am learning too) -- grain-free, low glycemic, low inflammation, with limited natural sugars (and no white sugar). I love her for her honesty, for her incredibly kind & loving heart, and her genuine faith. She's an amazing person and I'm so grateful we finally got to meet in person and give each other a big hug.

I was also thrilled to finally meet Jenni, the author of another local and absolutely adorable gluten-free food blog called "A Spoonful at a Time." (I so want those measuring spoons Jenni!!! lol) Jenni was actually at the Expo representing Triumph Dining, an awesome company which helps folks figure out which foods are gluten free at restaurants and grocery stores by offering print shopping guides, restaurant translation cards, and even a new shopping app for your smart phone. She had a very busy day selling Triumph's new gluten-free baking guides, written by Iris Higgins and Brittany Angell (more fellow gluten-free bloggers of awesomeness!) The baking guides SOLD OUT and Jenni did a fantastic job representing Triumph!

Another highlight of the day was spending some time speaking with Mrs. USA 2011, Shannon Ford. Shannon is a new representative of Nerium, International. Nerium is a gluten-free, anti-aging facial cream that has produced absolutely stunning results on wrinkles and fine lines and has truly shown to be a unique and effective product in the evolution of skincare. Shannon was very excited about being a new representative of the product and has some very exciting offers if you sign up to be a preferred customer through her Nerium website. I am hoping to try this product soon, as I'm not a big fan of make-up, but I am a true believer in taking good care of your skin. And I have to say Shannon was so incredibly nice, down-to-earth, and easy to talk too! I was thrilled to talk about our paleo lifestyles and now if only I could take up her exercise habits!

Visit Jeff's website: GlutenFree in NC 

I also had fun speaking with Jeff SanGeorge, a genius of social media marketing, fellow gluten-free blogger, and owner of a fantastic and comprehensive gluten-free resource for all North Carolinians: Gluten Free in NC! Jeff's website highlights gluten-free resources in every region of North Carolina from the mountains to the coast. If you are new to the area or trying to find resources for a trip or for gluten-free friends and family, please check out Jeff's incredible site. Jeff also is also the leader of a local gluten-free support/meetup group in Greensboro, NC. I think I'm going to have to crash one of their meet-ups sometime soon since the Greensboro Earthfare (and all the gluten-free goodies they sell) is/are absolutely AWESOME!

Next to our booth, Caper a local volunteer with NC FACES shared tons of information about food allergies and how to bring awareness to friends, family, schools, and restaurants. Caper was an absolute joy to speak with throughout the day. Both of her children have severe food allergies, so she knows first hand how important it is to spread awareness. NC FACES has an annual walk to raise funds and awareness for food allergies in children. This year the walk will be held at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC. For more information on how you can participate in this year's walk, please visit the NC FACES website: http://www.ncfaces.org/faanwalk. I am planning on being there and joining in. Food allergies in children is no laughing matter and the more ways we can bring about awareness the better!

My sweet friend Nancy, a member of our local
Gluten-Free Support Group made the awesome
pumpkin bread I was able to share with attendees!
Thanks Nancy!! Here's her recipe! 

I wish I could remember share about all the amazing people I met and all the incredible vendors who attended this year's first Raleigh GF/AF Expo! For more information on the event (and I certainly hope you will join us next year if you're in the area!) and a complete list of the vendors and their websites please read more at Nikki Everett's event page & blog.

This cracks me up.. yep.. that's me! Cindy Blye certainly
captured an interesting expression on my face as I'm leaning over
my vendor table... thanks Cindy! lol
But the hottie to the right there, hubs of course helping me out! 

Lastly, here's a great write-up of this year's Raleigh GF/AF Expo on The Examiner.com -- written by journalist Cindy Blye, Raleigh's Healthy Food Examiner.

Did you attend this year's event? What are your thoughts? What was your favorite vendor? What would you like to see at next year's event? Please share your thoughts below and I'll make sure to send them along to Nikki!

more fun pics from Cindy! lol!!
That was good beer though! We had the raspberry flavor!

Eastern North Carolina Chopped Turkey Barbecue Recipe

While I grew up in the foothills of southwestern Virginia, I've become an eastern North Carolina girl through and through. I realized about a year ago that I had now lived in coastal NC, longer than I had lived in Virginia growing up (how time flies).

One of the first foods I ever tried when I moved to eastern NC was chopped pork barbecue. It's one of the most popular foods at locally owned restaurants all around the North Carolina region. In eastern NC, the sauce is primarily a vinegar-based sauce, while if you head to western NC (or states west of NC) the main sauce seems to be a sweeter tomato-based sauce.

I personally prefer the savory tartness of the vinegar sauces. The vinegary sauce, combined with the slightly sweet (and very simply made) coleslaw makes for an incredible taste combination that I often crave.

The picture above is actually what you'll get if you head to Ayden, North Carolina for some barbecue at The Skylight Inn. You have 4 menu choices... chopped barbecue, cornbread, and coleslaw -OR- you can get that barbecue on a sandwich if you're not a fan of cornbread (but oh you should be!) That's it folks. It's simple straight forward food. Michael and I are huge fans of Skylight Inn and while you won't find much else in Ayden, NC...that wood-smoked barbecue is completely worth the drive. (And guess what? Their cornbread? It's gluten-free! The owner told me it was only made with cornmeal, salt, and water... I tell ya... it's good stuff!) And just a tip... BRING CASH... they don't accept debit cards!!

After our last trip there I decided I was going to try to make barbecue at home, but I wanted to try it with turkey legs. Turkey legs are a great source of cheap protein. You can get 3-4 pounds of turkey legs for about $1 a pound.  I only had to make one batch of this chopped turkey barbecue to declare it a winner. It's the most ridiculously easy recipe you'll ever make and if you're a fan of the hearty chopped pork barbecue, (while I don't know the exact numbers) I'm pretty sure this version is a bit healthier and definitely just as delicious!

Eastern North Carolina Chopped Turkey Barbecue
Free of gluten, soy, dairy/casein
Created by Carrie of Gingerlemongirl.com
Makes: a whole lot!
Printer-friendly recipe.

Turkey:
3-5 pounds of turkey legs (about 3-4 large turkey legs)

Eastern NC BBQ Sauce: 
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (like Tobasco)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Cook & Prepare the Turkey Barbecue: 
Place turkey legs in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours until meat is "falling off the bone" tender. Carefully remove turkey legs from the slow cooker and place on a large platter. Remove fat surrounding turkey meat. Remove bones & tendons from the turkey meat (this can be a bit tedious depending on the turkey leg). Chop meat as fine as you prefer. In eastern NC, the meat is often chopped quite fine. Place in a large bowl for storage.

**Carrie's Notes: Make sure to strain and save all the broth leftover in the slow cooker from the turkey! That's instant bone broth you can use in recipes through the rest of your week!

Make the Eastern NC BBQ Sauce: 
To make the sauce, simply place all sauce ingredients into a large mason jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to combine. Pour desired amount of sauce over the prepared turkey barbecue and stir to combine. Use as little or as much as you desire... we LOVE a lotta sauce!! Store any remaining sauce in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Serve the barbecue with homemade coleslaw and cornbread or use as a sandwich filling!

2012 Raleigh Gluten-Free Expo & Weekly Menu

Yesterday, Sunday August 12th, I had the privilege of being a vendor at the FIRST Raleigh, NC Gluten/Allergen Free Expo! The event is coordinated by Nikki Everett of ECHO Event Solutions. I plan on sharing a post later this week with all of the highlights of the event, but I wanted to mention today that the event was just awesome!

Nikki did a fantastic job planning the event. It was in Cobblestone Hall in downtown Raleigh, NC. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant at the beginning, because as long as I've lived near the Raleigh area, I had never heard of Cobblestone Hall. But I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this little jewel in downtown Raleigh. The facility was beautiful, it was a great location, surprisingly there was parking in and around downtown that was pretty easy to find!

I had the pleasure of visiting many fellow gluten-free bloggers and friends and meeting a lot of people in the Triangle area who are new to being gluten-free. I received many hugs and smiles and loved meeting people who actually live in the same area I do. I can't wait to share about all the wonderful vendors and bloggers that I met there!

If you ever have an opportunity to attend a gluten-free expo near you, go! It's worth the money, you'll not only get endless amounts of delicious and safe gluten-free foods and beverages, you'll get a chance to meet a huge variety of people who share similar gluten-free struggles and yet celebrate their healthy gluten-free lifestyle!!

A used bookstore SCORE this weekend!!! I've been wanting a paper copy of
Well Fed for about 6 months! I couldn't believe it when I saw this used copy for $12!
Also, I almost bought a copy of Cake Wrecks a few weeks ago at a major
bookstore, but it was nearly $28 dollars... this used copy? SIX dollars!! 

Michael and I also spent the first part of the weekend travelling to Roanoke to see my Dad. The Star City was beautiful as always, and even though it was a very quick overnight trip, we had a REALLY good visit with my Dad. He's looking better every time we see him. He is facing months of recovery, so I know that at times he's frustrated with all the obstacles he faces in the next few months... but overall he just seemed to be in good spirits and I'm thankful we were able to go up and see him! Thank you all for continuing to ask about him and for constant thoughts and prayers.

I didn't have a lot of time to prepare a menu on Sunday. This will be a slight challenge, as we really need to "shop from the pantry and freezer" this week... so we're gonna get creative around here!

This Week's Menu

• Monday -- Leftover pork carnitas from dinner out on Sunday (would love to try to make them from scratch with this recipe) 
• Tuesday --  A hugely modified, gluten-freed version of this recipe for Moravian Chicken Pie -- I used a "Gillian's" wheat-free and gluten-free frozen pie crust, served with a romaine salad dressed simply with salt, pepper, oil, & raspberry balsamic vinegar
• Wednesday -- bunless ground beef burgers served on romaine lettuce with a side of steamed carrots
• Thursday -- slow braised lamb shanks served with baked sweet potatoes and creamed spinach 
• Friday -- out to dinner for a girl's night out with friends! Hubs will have to fend for himself! 
• Saturday -- leftover slow cooked beef stew from the freezer 

Chocolate Cherry "Milkshake" -- a green smoothie in disguise

Basically I just wanted chocolate a few nights ago... then I wanted a milkshake... then I decided just to make a healthy version of a chocolate shake... I had frozen cherries in the freezer from a friend. I had spinach. I had raw cacao powder. I had bananas. I had almond milk. All that stuff + ice = mmmmm. Unexpectedly mmmmm.

This one's a win! It's a green smoothie in disguise. You can add more greens if you like. It's quite sweet with the stevia and fruit, so you could definitely pack in some more spinach or kale. They will never know... it's chocolate, so it's supposed to be brown... they'll never guess that's partially from the greens as well.

Michael also likes this with a few tablespoons of peanut butter thrown in for good measure. I, however... am the purist... just give me the chocolate and the cherries.

Chocolate Cherry "Milkshake" 
Gluten/Grain-Free, Dairy/Casein-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan, No-Added-Sugar
Created by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com

1/2 medium banana
1/2 - 3/4 cup frozen, pitted cherries
1-2 handfuls baby spinach
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (of course if you don't have this laying around just toss in some Hershey's cocoa powder!)
1/2 cup almond milk
3-4 ice cubes
few drops liquid vanilla stevia

Add all to high powdered blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly creamy and resembles a dark chocolate milkshake. Makes 1 large serving -or- 2 small servings.

This Week's Menu - Kindle Cooking!

I never thought I'd say this.... but I am now the proud owner of a kindle. And I loooovvvvvvvveeeee it. I really didn't think I would love it. But I seriously loooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it. I mean I really, really love it.  So far I've read three four books (I got it on Wednesday)... not listened to them... but actually READ them! I honestly haven't done that in years. Sad to say.

And on top of that.... I found a few super great deals on cookbooks I could download on my kindle... so another thing I never thought I'd do? I cooked from the kindle.

When I've actually had the time to do it in the past few months I've started cooking all of our meals on Sundays. My friend Angie has done this for ages and I've done it occasionally in the past few years... but now it's become the norm.

So Sunday while browsing through "Fix, Freeze, Feast" on my kindle -- which is actually more of a "freezer" cookbook, I found ideas for nearly all of our meals this week. It's become a running joke between my dietitian & I that ONE day soon (I've been saying that for probably a year now) we'll have a deep freezer... and it still hasn't happened (but it WILL! One day soon!).... so while I couldn't really take advantage of the freezer part of the recipes... it gave me great ideas for the week.

This Week's Menu: 

• Monday: Chicken Zucchini Casserole... I've been obsessed with this recipe ever since my friend Betty made it for Michael and I a few months ago when we went to visit. The casserole I made last night is a super altered version that includes chicken, rice, and no eggplant. I actually substitute zucchini for the eggplant when we have made it closer to the original directions. 

• Tuesday: Austrian Pork Goulash -- From Fix, Freeze, Feast served with steamed broccoli

• Wednesday: Simple Slow Cooker Beef Stew -- 1 pound stew beef, handful of baby carrots, half an onion roughly chopped, handful frozen peas, 2 chopped red potatoes, about 3 cups beef broth, salt & pepper... literally thrown into the slow cooker and cooked on low for 8 hours... 

• Thursday:  Chicken hash with red potatoes, green peppers, and onions  -- idea from Fix, Freeze, Feast

• Friday:  Mustard-Oregano Pork Chops -- From Fix, Freeze, Feast with garden peas & sauteed zucchini

Breakfasts: I made "regular" bagel sandwiches for hubs to take to work with him (this was cheaper than buying the frozen ones he really likes! lol) and for myself I used the same hash brown ingredients for the chicken hash above, but used eggs in place of the chicken for a breakfast hash for myself to take to work. 

Lunches: are leftovers! 

Desserts: fresh fruit... this has been my dessert of choice lately (we won't mention the fact that I ate nearly ALL of the grain-free, no-sugar-added chocolate cake -- that's a dangerous cake, especially when you add raspberry preserves on top!) my friend Heather gave me some ripe kiwi, which I haven't had in years so kiwi and peaches are my favorite this week!

Do you have a favorite kindle cookbook?? Please share! And so you're in the know... my slow cooker cookbook coming out this fall will be available for the kindle, nook, etc... so if you've become an e-cookbook lover, you'll be good to go! :-)