A trade association, or other similar organizations, whose sole purpose is to serve their paying membership, should not focus on serving the lowest common denominator all the time. Too often - in my daily work for an association - the question (any question really) receives the answer: “Do it the same way as last year.” And while repetition of previous success does have its place, I think more is to be gained from trying new methods because even bad ideas that prove to be wrong help us all LEARN something. As Ben said, once you crossed the ocean in a boat and now we fly. The result is the same but the method is more effective.

And here comes the ultimate question… how does everyone combine their talents, interests, passions into one mission? Where is the place that is safe for new ideas to emerge, and solid/proven ideas can merge into the kind of forward movement that carry associations into new territory? I seek that place.

Search Engine Ranking. I don’t use any specific tools to achieve a high ranking, but I do use some surefire techniques. Before I get ahead of myself - let me make a strong point. Go ahead and look up “ainsley mcdougal” or “techchix” in Google, yahoo, ask.com, msn, dogpile, and altavista - the predominantly ranked entries on the first page come up and legitimately credit back to me. How did I get there? By methodically building my online “cred” over time.

When I sign-up for a new site, I almost always get Techchix as my username. Which is a kind of branding online - at least to search engines. Even though I read most web sites thru my google reader, I take the time to thoughtfully respond to posts which actually interest me or ones where I have VALUABLE commentary to provide. I give the link-love to those whom I read, enjoy and admire/respect.

I focus my efforts intentionally. Once upon a time I toyed with putting google ads on my site, but ultimately decided that I prefer to freely contribute to the mass of knowledge on the net. AND I don’t really believe people, you or me, should make money from that. To be honest, I never click on ads from anyone else’s site, nor do I use those as my source of shopping for anything. REALLY. You would do better to focus on providing information, or just using a blog to spout your own opinions and thoughts.

My third good tip for you is something that has LONG peeved me about other blogs. WHY do bloggers insist on posting pictures that not only do not relate to their post, but do not help make a point? I am very tired of this type of blogging.

Lastly, I do not offer a feedburner option because I prefer to subtly track loyal readers via other means. The key word being subtle. My stats are every bit as effective and I let people subscribe to the RSS readily via the domain name in the reader of their choice. No need for me to email my posts. Some would call this counterintuitive, but it makes sense to treat my readers how I want to be treated.

That’s all I’m willing to share at this time, hopefully this helps someone.

lastly, i have always thought seth godin had it right in the first place.

(sigh) In other news, I am now an iPhone 3g 16GB owner. WOOHOO! And yes, I LOVE it. Years ago, dreaming of the perfect PDA phone… I think apple Grokked me and answered the call. So we are officially a fully MAC household. We have 1 inadequate pc for compatibility testing on our website designs, but that’s it. Why did I wait so long to make the switch?

More to come soon and if someone has tips for converting…I’m open to suggestion. Might have to bring in the big guns for this one.

Did any of you read the article about that art student at Mount Holyoke who created an art project using fellow students online pictures?

I’m going to leave you all with that thought for today… go ahead - send me emails. (I know you will)

PS - Yes. This means I’m officially back from hiatus and posting again. (quit sending emails)

Now. Having said that, I would like to clear my throat and make a very important observation. One that most people, in their money-grubbing lust for power and riches… neglect. Yes, I said they neglect it.

Here it is… People like things for free. And I believe they should get it. Oh, I’m not a socialist and I don’t give away my time and efforts for free. But when someone asks my professional opinion, and I sense that they are genuine in their desire to hear it. I give it. For that reason alone, I have more loyal clients and supporters than ones that I have gained through any kind of advertising. Anyone familiar at all with marketing techniques, know that statistically word-of-mouth is the most valuable asset you have in marketing yourself or your services.

Let’s explore this… My husband and I own a business. (www.DigitalPure.com) We do a variety of things and we started it for several reasons.

1. We believe it is important for a married couple to share a vision or goal, towards which they work TOGETHER. Prior to our marriage we owned separate businesses, and simply merged them seamlessly after our marriage.

2. We enjoy creating web pages, logos, marketing campaigns… helping people start their own business or helping a small business owner transition onto the web or helping a charity realize a dream to have their own website presence.

3. We consider what we do to be both a business and a ministry.

4. We are very transparent about who we are and what we believe.

5. If in idle conversation, someone asks me a serious question about their site, logo or their web presence in viral or social marketing niches… I give them an honest answer.

Because of ALL these reasons, we have many LOYAL clients. Let me make a suggestion for all your bloggers out there. QUALITY. Not quantity.

In counseling our clients, we advise them in this same manner. If your goal is to come up first in google, then you have to ask yourself if you really seek to create useable content for clients or readers…. OR if you just want to be perceived as the coolest blogger on the block.

Some suggestions:

1. Quite writing e-books and selling it on your site for money. Just publish it. People will THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge, and will refer others if they find it of any benefit.

2. Using Google Ads on your site just annoys your readers, and detracts from the overall design.

3. Placing stupid and un-related cross-links in your site MAY increase your google ranking. It will not, however, engender trust and reliability to a truly devoted reader. It only annoys us.

4. Inserting pictures into your post which are un-related to the topic, JUST BECAUSE you read somewhere that people will stay longer for pictures… well, I would ask you to quite contributing to the increasingly short attention span which people claim to have… Instead, try writing good content and including pictures that actually communicate something.

5. Disgracing yourself by fighting directly with other bloggers. Some of you are saying this is hypocritical of me - I know you might think that - but you will notice I never NAME any one blogger here. They all remain anonymous if I am feeling critical about something on their site. Picking a fight with another blogger just gives us all a bad name, and creates a war that WINS NOTHING.

This concludes my post for now. There are other things I would like to add… but I can save those for another post.

Part One: How can I learn more about Him and His Word? Lord, what would you have of me today, next week, this lifetime? The answers to those are actually easy and straightforward. Read the Bible regularly. Meditate on His words, day-and-night. Pray as if your life depended on it. And Still your thoughts to allow God to speak into your life.

Part Two: How can I inspire others to want to know you, Lord? How can I encourage Christians to engage in their belief? Lord, keep me humble so that I may not grow frustrated with those who know You, and don’t talk about You. How can I empower others to find their part to play in God’s great commission? These answers are ever so difficult.

Focusing on Part Two above, seems to be the great challenge of my life as a Christian of some maturity. On a personal level, I am the type of person who prefers conversation that “gets to the point”, quickly. My husband laughs at me for telling him, “I love you, but can you give me the Reader’s Digest version?” It can seem rude, but I really feel that time is a commodity that is not abundant at this time in my life. As of April 2008, I will have been a believer in Christ for 10 years.

As a brand-new believer, I fondly recall telling my mother (who is still a non-believer) that she was “going to hell”. Asking her if she cared at all about her eternal salvation. I know, I can hear you all laughing as I write this post. Let’s just say that I am not a Relational Evangelist. I am fonder of beating people “upside the head” with God’s Truth. And no, it has not proved effective. So I feel that my ministry to others relies entirely on (1) me setting the example for others in all aspects of my life, and (2) ministering and mentoring other Christians.

Even five years ago, I would not have necessarily picked either of those two options and proclaimed them to be part of God’s intended mission through my life. Through prayer, patience, learning - it has become abundantly clear to me that God gave me natural talents in the areas of Leadership, Teaching and Communication. These lend themselves perfectly to those two areas of focus I mentioned.

I won’t bore you with the details, but it has recently become a tremendous passion of mine to empower, encourage and challenge Christians to “step up” and take hold of God’s will in their life. Remember what God said: “(15) I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. (16) So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16, NIV) To me - I interpret this as God saying that Christians should be strong, forthright in their belief, and that we should be in this world and not “of this world”. Rise above the mediocrity in which people choose to live; be excellent in all your ways.

One of the ways that I believe one can empower themselves to “live out loud” as Christians, is to read good books AND subscribe to Christian websites that publish QUALITY e-newsletters. One of these sites to which I subscribe (and highly recommend) is FamilyLife.com which is owned by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. They produce a variety of Quality e-newsletters on many topics: Marriage, Family, Children…

[UPDATE-CORRECTION: FamilyLife is not owned by Dennis and Barbara Rainey but is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Dennis and Barbara did cofound the ministry in 1976, and Dennis is still the ministry’s president and CEO. (Thanks to Scott W!)]

Continue reading below where I have pasted their recent series entitled, “Entering Lion’s Country”. It’s fantastic and totally worth reading. It is a Call to Action for Christians everywhere. Below I have pasted Part One and Part Two. Read both of them.

Let me introduce them with a quote by C.T. Studd, who is a missionary - “Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission a yard from the gate of hell.” I feel exactly like that…

Entering Lion’s Country
** PART ONE **

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
- 1 Peter 5:8

I’ve been smelling lion’s breath recently, and have nearly gagged at its odious smell. Where have I been? On a lion country safari? In Kenya? Sudan? At the zoo? No. None of these.

Let’s just say I’ve been in lion country.

Pastor and author A.W. Tozer made numerous visits there. In fact, he may have lived in lion country. After a particularly difficult time, Tozer noted the following: “But I will tell you something - it is a delightful thing when you know that you are close enough to the adversary that you can hear him roar! Too many Christians never get into ‘lion country’ at all!”

After pondering Tozer’s observation, I’ve concluded that we should charge headlong into lion country. You see, “lion country” is territory controlled by the devil. It is the daily domain of the ruler of this world.

Lions in Africa prey on weak, unsuspecting animals and those straggling behind the protection of the head of the pack. Likewise, the devil prowls about trying to deceive (devour) those with weak convictions and naive beliefs. For example, if a Christian refuses to submit to the accountability of other believers in the local church, he will find himself isolated, delicious prey for the crafty deceiver. He may not be able to defend himself when he’s faced with temptation.

How does a lion devour its prey? One bite at a time. I wonder at times if twentieth-century Christians have been anesthetized by prosperity and busy schedules while the enemy chews off three-quarters of their legs!

Far too many Christians are being fooled by the enemy. They have been deceived into thinking that run-of-the-mill Christianity is all there is. Jesus Christ may be a part of their lives, but He isn’t Lord of their lives.

I know, because for more than 14 years I was the prey of the enemy. I thought I knew what was best for me. I wanted God only as my emergency Savior, when I was in a crisis and needed Him. And if you’re like I was, the lion has you in his jaws.

Discuss: When was the last time you took a spiritual safari into lion country? What areas of your life would you say are controlled by God, and what areas are controlled by the devil?

Pray: Ask God to help you be of sober spirit and be on the alert to schemes of the adversary.

——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Entering Lion’s Country
** PART TWO **

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
- 1 John 5:19

Instead of falling prey to the devil, Christians must be aggressive soldiers recapturing the land for Christ. One goal of our spiritual battle is to prevent our adversary from having any sphere of influence in our lives.

Successful invaders are risk takers. Men and women of faith and action. The victory will go to those who move their faith the 18-inch distance from their heads to their hearts. Many Christians, however, seem to prefer comfort to conflict.

Winston Churchill believed the battlefield is the place where great issues are resolved. And I believe the great issues of our day will only be decided when well-equipped Christians invade lion country. Just as Churchill refused to negotiate until the adversary had capitulated, neither can we afford to give in to temptation or compromise.

As you encroach on the enemy’s territory, remember these admonitions from Scripture:

Stand firm and let God’s Word be your guide. We have God’s assurance that we won’t lose the war.(see Eph. 6:14-17).

Pray always and give thanks (see 1 Thess. 5:17,18).

Don’t take temptation lightly; flee immorality (see 2 Tim. 2:22).

Walk by faith, not by what you feel and see. God’s Word and His promises are either 100 percent true or they are not. Since His Word is true, your faith is the difference. Grab hold of His Word and step out (see 2 Cor. 5:7).

C.T. Studd, a missionary to China, understood the challenge well. He wrote, “Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission a yard from the gate of hell.”

The battle has been tough recently, but I wouldn’t trade being in lion country for any of the peace and comfort that depended on compromise.

What about you?

Discuss: Talk with your mate about enemy territory you want to reclaim as a couple. Spend some time in prayer asking for God to show you where He wants you to invade.

Pray: Ask Him for wisdom, guidance and power to stand firm in the battle.

———————————————————————————————————————
Excerpted from “Moments Together for Couples” by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.
Used with permission. Copyright 1995 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. All
rights reserved.

Recently I have come upon several sites that I find are interesting and are written in a somewhat blog style. That is perfect for my brief attention span since the content of many of these is usually mildly interesting but occasionally oustanding. I LIVE for those outstanding moments when writer and venue meet in one happy place.

YET, there are some sites out there who stubbornly deny the importance of RSS feeds. WHAT?!?! (I know, I couldn’t believe it either) PLEASE PEOPLE, let us enter the new century and realize that VISITING your site is less important to me than gleaming the content that most interests or applies to me. I know this circumvents your handy Google ads setup, but really, I am inundated with enough advertising already. You are never going to make big money on those things!

Of course, if you don’t have anything interesting to share I guess cross-linking makes sense. At some point I will write a post about how excessive stock photos and color text in a post rubs me the wrong way. BUT maybe its just because I’m a graphics designs AND lucky enough to be opinionated… Does no one else think about these things?

Hope you all like my header picture now, and it is NOT my own design as I lack the TIME to dedicate to anything spectacular in the design area right now. Some ideas are floating around in my head though, so when they ripen I promise to share. Along with a new header picture you will begin to see other changes, and I’m glad for them. Never being one to maintain a static life, I am known to change my blog design, colors, or layout when I feel like it. If this was a blog for business purposes, I would be less inclined to do so. Still, those of you who think it’s a good idea may want to consider that I can track that 562 NEW people added me to their RSS reader last week alone (Thanks Mom! … just kidding). Now I could install Feedburner or other similar products if I wanted to track my stats closely, but this blog was originally started just for me. So measuring visitors or audience does not interest me. Besides, if you always write your blog wondering what others will think… chances are what you’re writing isn’t worth reading. You should tick off at least 1 person, or you ain’t living life right.

Another part of those changes are that from now on, most of my writings on food, being a raw foodist, recipes or other similar details will all be found at Raw Food Love. I kind of consider this my alter-ego in the blog world, in the sense that this is a completely personal account of my journey to a healthier life and what happens along the way. Those of you into the details will get them all… weigh-ins, pictures, measurements, - OH, and lots of recipes.

Other industries - take note! This is not just for your teenage, American-Idol, wannabe singer anymore. In the Raw food community you can find an abundance of videos on nutritional supplements (why to use them and how), recipes (showing you how to make them), and sharing useful information.

Now I ask myself, Why don’t more industries use short videos (or YouTube, for that matter) to provide detailed information on a personal level. I think there will be a trend towards more YouTube videos and less Audio Podcasts. Already, some sites have figured out that Video Podcasting seems preferable to the Gen-Y and Millenials than anything else. Officially, I now have my own account at YouTube but I have no plans to post anything soon… well, you never know….

Oh sure, other people may share similar experiences but I have definitely been one to make my own roads, and not follow the status quo. Lately, I might have been missing that a bit in my life. I see that pattern as we grow older of everyone slowly falling into line, doing the same darn things as they see their peers and parents. To some extent - that ain’t a bad thing. In other ways, its a slow way to die. Did you ever hear the story about the frog that was slowly boiling to death in the pot? If you throw a frog in hot water, it will jump out every time. BUT if you throw a frog in warm water and turn the heat up - it will slowly cook to death before it even realizes its dead.

If you’re asking yourself right about now what that has to do with the title of this post, just wait for it…

So let’s jump back to this rebel thing. Aside from the whole inherent truth of the Bible thing, I’ve always admired the fact that I follow a rebel named Jesus. HE was a trouble maker. Didn’t listen to his peers, didn’t follow the norms. Turned over the tables in the temple. (that was radical stuff at the time)

I leave the theatre in a kind of high-state of being. Feeling strengthened in my choices in life and knowing that my choices every day make me different from the mass of humanity who are like cows…. mooing their way thru life until they arrive at the slaughter. Oh sure, I have to have a 9-to-5 job and all that to pay the bills… for now. But that ain’t gonna be forever.

On the drive home I stop at a light and look over at this woman who is interestingly dressed. Allow me to describe — pink and grey striped shirt, flowered patterned silk jacket, grey skirt, polka dot tights and bright pink sneakers. Interesting. (and somewhat fun, I must admit) Then I hear this loud cackling and laughing from the car next to me. A bunch of teenagers who decide to gang up and shout insults out their window at this poor woman. She confidently ignores them, recognizing their own insecurities about what they see. She represents different, and they don’t like it. And they want to belong.

Side note - does anyone else find it ironic that teenagers try so desperately to separate themselves and be different - yet they make fun of anything different. Or that they strive for independence, but lose sight of the ability to think independently around their peers. (not a generalization, just an observation of mine.)

And here’s my thought. The point of this whole story. Everyone - christians and secular humanists, whoever… they are all alike. The majority see different and think its bad. Either you are not Christian enough, or humble enough. I once wore bright red lipstick to a church and a woman told me I looked like a “hussy”. That was a “christian” church.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’ll be the first to beat someone upside the head with the truth of God’s word and the living proof of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. But GIVE ME A THOUSAND BREAKS. That lipstick incidence was almost 5 years ago, and I still wear bright red lipstick to church on occasion - oh, I forgave her. But I will not be moved.

People talk about being “jesus with skin on” or asking “what would Jesus do?”. That’s not really the point, in my opinion. The point is WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW GOD WAS WATCHING. Cuz we forget that, don’t we?

Just like those boys in that car, making fun of that woman for being different. We sit in our comfortable little circles - be they Christian or not - and talk about how holy we are, or how poorly she’s dressed, or how tacky that person is during a conversation, or putting up some other kind of front for others. IT’S ALL JUNK.

So let me come right out and admit my sins. Anyone ever want to know the worst about me? I don’t front and I won’t lie. I will always tell you what you DON’T want to hear if I think - as a Sister in Christ - you need to hear it. And I don’t pretend.

So here they are…

- I stupidly compare myself to other woman, constantly comparing their best to my worst. I internally call myself fat, lazy, ugly, and worse.

- I meet other women and I think they MUST be more holy than me cuz they just seem to glow… or have all the answers. And I still struggle to pray every day, let alone read the Bible on a regular basis. Oh sure, I get a few chapters in for a week consistently - then I fall off the wagon for a week.

- I constantly look at others at see how well they sing, or how nicely they dress, or that they always know the right thing to say in a situation, or that they relate better to others.

- I sometimes tell God I wish I had nicer hair, or a slimmer shape, or longer legs, or more talent.

So here I am - letting it all hang out there - and I’m finally growing my own skin. I’m going to ask God to forgive me every time I remember, and I will embrace the differences that make me - “ME”. Growing my own skin means I will seek to always keep foremost in my mind that God is watching, and he keeps score, and he knows whats going on with me at all times.

This post is long, and I don’t care. I never finished college anyway, so you all can probably excuse that as why I may not write as well as you like… but at least I know who I am. And more importantly, I know WHOSE I am.

Your thought for the day: “Do you pay more attention to the fuel you put in your car, than the fuel you put into your body?”

Years and years (from about 10 years old to 22) I suffered from chronic sinus infections, and was constantly clearing my throat after a meal. Eventually, my acid reflux got so bad I had to have surgery and an ENT removed some of the tissue lining my throat and nose due to the extensive damage from stomach acid. Just before surgery I spent 6 weeks with a throat and sinus infection - I went thru 3 rounds of antibiotics until someone finally sent me to a wonderful ENT who correctly diagnosed the problem.

Now, I am not actually allergic to dairy. Nope! But because dairy is Mucus-forming is exacerbated my condition.

Needless to say, I hope others can learn this one simple lesson - YOU are your own best doctor and just by listening to your body you can do wonders for your overall health!

Check out this article where a scientist explains it much better than I could…

Self-improvement is a never-ending process…

Some goals of mine for Q1 of 2008:

1. solidify the following Daily Habits - prayer time, Bible reading and regular book reading. (because I think reading is one of the best ways to keep a keen mind and improve your outlook)
2. be more positive in both my thoughts AND words (i can be guilty of having what my grandmother called “a poor mouth”, you know “poor me…”)
3. create a daily habit of doing the activities that further my own business - making phone calls, talking to people, send follow-up emails (after all, if I want to get rid of my job and work entirely in my own business I better WORK for that, huh?)
4. focus on Quality Time with my husband in a meaningful way (not just sit around the house on our computers) - more like going on real dates and taking day-trips together either in downtown DC or somewhere interesting in the nearby area

So those are just a few of my Q1 2008 goals. What are some that you have made?

One of our dreams for the future is to buy a plot of land where we can build our dream house and create a large garden plot for our family. When I was a girl my family grew a lot of vegetables on our own land. I fondly remember picking peppers, zucchini, squash, and other yummies. I was a picky eater and did not truly appreciate how wonderful this was at the time. As an adult, I fondly recall those wonderful vegetables growing patiently in our garden.

More of us should get back in touch with the true, unadulterated nature of fruits and vegetables.

Check out my post here for the recipe and pictures. More to come later on our gluten-free stuffing experiments.

Not so with olives. I have now tried several brands and come to the conclusion that in some way gluten is involved in these precious gems of lovely deliciousness. (sadly)

My readers - I would like some feedback from everyone if you have any knowledge or experience with gluten-free olives. Are there such creatures?

And yes, love ain’t neat and orderly… it’s messy. But loving the one you’re in the foxhole with means committing your life to someone in a way that does not mean you are tied down - it means you are free to be who you are without judgement from at least one other person in this world. Love means accepting the good and the bad, and the times when one spouse needs more from the other.

I can totally relate to this situation, Karina. In my case it was not breaking my hip, it was severely injuring my back and having 2 bulging discs. Fun, fun, fun.

Before hubby and I got hitched, I was bending over the tub one morning in my own apartment when something just clicked in my back and BAM - excruciating pain like you would NOT believe. I hobble to my bed and cry outrageously until my roommate got back from walking her dog. She calls 9-1-1 and the long story short is that for 6 weeks I could do NOTHING for myself. Between my hubby (who was my fiancé at the time) and my roommate, they had to get me dressed, help me go to the bathroom (because I couldn’t even pull my own pants down, let alone sit by myself), help me shower, put me carefully on the couch each morning with plenty of fluids and food within arm’s reach.

The experience was…. humiliating. It was utterly humbling. And I will never again find disgust in how dependent elderly people are upon their caregivers. It is the kind of situation in which you try to retain some shred of dignity. Ultimately, it brought my love and I closer together. When you go thru crap together, you learn a lot about each other. Like whether someone can “stick” in the hard times. And we eloped 2 months later because that situation taught us how short life is and how precious our time together truly is…

CHEERS, Karina! My prayers are with you during this time and I hope your recovery is speedy. And good job for Steve - a nice pat on the butt while you feel like crap is the perfect thing to bring a smile to your face….

Here are some tips I gave her that has saved me many times.

1. Keep GF snacks readily on hand. This does not mean buying processed goods at some super specialty market and letting it sit in your cabinets for eons until it becomes some crumbly hard mess. What I do is make a batch of hummus (easy to make GF and I’ll be posting my favorites recipe and variations soon), store it in a plastic container with a tight lid. So if I come home hungry and there is nothing to make, I snack on that while I am fixing my dinner. (snack, not eat the whole container in one sitting no matter how good it is…)

2. Keep some tried and true recipes handy on your counter. I have several recipes in clear plastic sleeves (the kind that you put in a 3-ring binder) on my counter. They sit off to the side and merely serve to remind me of an ingredient or two if I forget during preparation. Examples of freqeuntly used GF recipes: guacamole, hummus, spicy chicken tacos or burritos (recipe coming soon), my salad inspiration page, and spring rolls with peanut sauce (these require assembly but are SO worth it).

3. Stock items you know you like. For me? It’s Lara Bars and the Green Apple Glutino Bars - YUM. Also, included is rice cakes because they are filling and taste good when you just dab a bit of peanut butter on them.

4. Try New Foods AND Don’t Stock Weird Ingredients. Do not spend all your time trying to duplicate those muffins, that bread you love or other similarly glutenous items that you cannot eat any more. My opinion? It’s a waste of time. See your gluten-intolerance as an opportunity to embrace new things! Try that vegetable at the store that you’ve never heard of and create NEW tastes for you to enjoy. I find that trying to duplicate a taste I cannot have anymore just makes me crave it further. By the way, stocking weird flours and ingredients to make those flavors is expensive!

5. Control the situation and Don’t Apologize. Whether travelling out of town, to a friends house for dinner, or dining in a public restaurant… DO NOT apologize for your condition. It is beyond your control and it’s not as if you CHOSE to have this one. LOVE yourself a little more, babe. Bottom line, you are blessed with an incredible appreciation for the savory flavors available outside of bread, muffins, bagels, and pizza dough. Most American appetites lean so heavily on breads and grains, they have forgotten what a good pomegranate tastes like… even if its a lot of work!

Those are my tips for you all - although number 5 is a “life” tip really. Hope this helps other people out there. And if you’re only recently diagnosed as a celiac, don’t worry… it gets easier.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

“Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
- Galatians 6:12-14 (NIV)

Quotation:
“Thus was the Cross of Christ, in St. Paul’s day, the glory of Christians; not as it signified their not being ashamed to own a master that was crucified, but as it signified their glorying in a religion which was nothing else but a doctrine of the Cross that called them to the same suffering spirit, the same sacrifice of themselves, the same renunciation of the world, the same humility and meekness, the same patient bearing of injuries, reproaches and contempts, and the same dying to all the greatness, honors, and happiness of this world, which Christ showed on the Cross.”
… William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life [1728]

Visit my Raw Food blog here - http://rawfoodlove.blogspot.com/ - where you can continue to read about my journey into becoming a 90-100% raw foodist. As an intriguing tease for you, I have lost 26 pounds so far eating about 70-80% raw and I feel terrific. You might want to consider researching this lifestyle for yourself. I cannot say enough good things about it.

On a side note, I am the type of person who is continually trying to improve myself on all fronts… mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, professional… and one of the fave blogs in my RSSreader is Pick The Brain. I highly recommend this blog as it is all about self-improvement.

For example - Has anyone ever tried to change a bad habit? This article provides a step-by-step process and encouraging ways to help you create new and positive habits… Cultivating Good Habits

For those of you who are gluten-intolerant or celiac - I would really encourage you to check out eatin Raw Foods. I feel GREAT and its all naturally gluten-free.

You see - I used to keep separate blogs for myself personally, my thoughts and experiments with food (both raw and cooked), and our family. But…. I have decided that since I never plan to make any commercial venture from my blogs, that I am consolidating all into one place.

Easier on me and easier on you, readers. because now you can just click on a category and get exactly what you want. no more jumping from place to place.

This day’s newsletter caught my eye because I have been seeing more recipes - both Gluten-free and raw - incorporating coconut oil and other byproducts. Just to shed more light on the topic…

Newsletter
Dr. Chet Zelasko | August 28, 2007

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is touted on several Internet websites to lower serum cholesterol, reduce heart disease, and stimulate weight loss. However, most of the websites that recommend the use of this oil high in saturated fat also happen to sell it.

In response to several questions about the potential benefits of coconut oil, I decided to check the research to separate fact from hype. This Newsletter will examine the claims about coconut oil and whether the research substantiates those claims.

Coconut Oil Basics
As one might expect, coconut oil comes from the fruit of the coconut palm tree, although by some definitions it’s considered a seed. The flesh of the coconut is the source of the oil.

Coconut oil contains close to 90% saturated fat, much higher than other nuts such as almonds and peanuts (1). One difference is that the primary saturated fat in coconut oil is a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) called lauric acid. This is important because many of the health claims are related to this high lauric-acid content.

Because the melting point of coconut oil is about 75 degrees, the form found in foods is usually hydrogenated to keep it solid at room temperature. The hydrogenation process also creates trans-fatty acids that have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease; the use of hydrogenated coconut oil in food preparation is being curtailed for that reason. The form sold over the Internet and in health foods stores is not hydrogenated; while the processing varies by company, most oils are minimally processed to insure the oil is as close to what’s found in the coconut flesh as possible.

Coconut Oil and Cholesterol
One of the primary claims made for coconut oil is that it will help lower serum cholesterol. A PubMed search using the keywords “coconut oil” and “cholesterol” revealed over 400 studies. Most studies were performed on rabbits because the rabbit has been the primary model for examining the effects of diet on cholesterol. Examining the relevant studies, most uses of coconut oil produced an increase in cholesterol and triglycerides whether the oil was hydrogenated or not.

Limiting the search to studies on humans did not shed much light on the issue. In the only well-designed study, researchers examined the effects of butter, coconut oil, and safflower oil used as the primary dietary fats (2). Patients with elevated cholesterols completed six weeks using each type of fat in a cross-over design. There were no reductions in total cholesterol while on the diets rich in butter or coconut oil, but there were on the safflower oil-rich diet. However, the safflower oil diet contained less overall fat, which could explain the cholesterol reduction.

What’s remarkable is the lack of any well-controlled studies in humans examining whether coconut oil will lower serum cholesterol. In the few studies done, coconut oil increased serum cholesterol with or without added dietary cholesterol. There’s no real basis to make any claim relating the use of coconut oil to reducing serum cholesterol.

Coconut Oil and Heart Disease
While heart disease and cholesterol may seem like the same problem because of the relationship of saturated fat and serum cholesterol, they’re not the same. Two studies are cited most often as proof that coconut oil doesn’t contribute to heart disease. Here’s a summary of those studies.

A population study was conducted in two islands in the Polynesian atolls (3). These islands were chosen because at the time of the study, the local diet had not been influenced by the Westernized diet, and coconut was a significant source of calories in both islands at 34% and 63% respectively. The coconut-oil advocates state that the benefit of a high-coconut diet–and thus a diet high in coconut oil–is the low rate of heart disease. While that seems to be true, there are distinct differences between the two islands. The total serum cholesterol is close to 35 mg/dl higher in the island that gets 63% of their calories from coconut. In addition, the people are also much heavier and some age groups would be considered obese. While the rate of heart disease might be lower, there are other factors that were not considered such as increased physical activity or lower stress. While the fat intake was high, it doesn’t prove that people living in Westernized society could lower their risk of heart disease by using coconut oil.

Another approach to justify the use of coconut oil is the high-MCT content. In a study that examined the types of fat found in arterial plaque, researchers found a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) than saturated fat (4). This led them to conclude that the trend toward increasing PUFA in the diet should be considered. This study is used by advocates of coconut oil to justify the use of coconut oil due to the high lauric-acid content.

However, in a study published by the same researchers just three years later using more sophisticated techniques for analyzing the plaque, saturated fat represented 50% of the fatty acid found in the arterial plaque (5)–but that study isn’t cited by the coconut-oil advocates. Further, in either study, there’s no evidence that any subjects used coconut oil before their deaths. Again, there’s no evidence of a benefit from using coconut oil.

Coconut Oil and Weight Loss
There are no direct studies that examine the role of coconut oil and weight loss. However, due to the high levels of MCT in coconut oil, people have associated comparative research on MCT versus oils containing long-chain triglyceride (LCT) fatty acids to be indicative of what might happen with coconut oil. In a review study by researchers from McGill University, diets higher in MCT appear to increase the energy expenditure for up to 24 hours after ingesting the MCT-containing oils (6). However, most studies were done on animals and the few that include human subjects were really too brief to make any conclusions–some were as short as 24 hours.

But there’s a better reason to dismiss any potential benefit from the use of a high-MCT diet as it relates to metabolism. In one of the studies cited, subjects had to add 260 calories from high-MCT oils to increase their metabolic rate. How many extra calories did they burn? Only 115 calories. The net effect was that the subjects ended every day with a surplus of 145 calories. You don’t have to be a math expert to see that this looks like a sure way to gain weight, not lose it.

One could say that if coconut oil were substituted for other saturated fats in the diet, any increase in metabolism would help stimulate weight loss; that’s what the researchers concluded. However, there’s no evidence of that fact; the research did not examine substitutions to the diet, just additions. The subjects’ metabolic rate may have been increased because they took in extra calories.

Again, there’s no evidence to suggest that using coconut oil will stimulate weight loss. As further evidence, the researchers of the McGill study recommended that overweight people should eat a low-fat diet.

Bottom Line
There’s no evidence that the regular use of coconut oil in the diet has any health benefits. What’s apparent after a look at all the available research cited by the proponents of coconut oil is that they use a selective examination of the data to embellish the health claims on coconut oil. It may be that future research will show some health benefits of coconut oil, but it hasn’t happened yet.

What strikes me is that after almost 50 years, a well-funded study could have and should have been performed by those who promote the use of coconut oil. That it hasn’t speaks volumes.

References:

www.nutritiondata.com

Cox, C, et al. Effects of coconut oil, butter, and safflower oil on lipids and lipoproteins in people with moderately elevated cholesterol levels. J. Lipid Res. 1995;36:1787-1795.

Prior, IA, et al. Cholesterol, coconuts, and diet on Polynesian atolls: a natural experiment: the Pukapuka and Tokelau Island studies. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1981;34:1552-1561.

Felton, CV, et al. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and composition of human aortic plaques. Lancet. 1994;344(8931):1195-6.

Felton, CV, et al. Relation of Plaque Lipid Composition and Morphology to the Stability of Human Aortic Plaques. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1997;17:1337-1345.

St-Onge, MP and PH Jones. Physiological Effects of Medium- Chain Triglycerides: Potential Agents in the Prevention of Obesity. J. Nutr. 2002; 132: 329–332.

SO. Thanks to the great collective wisdom I bring you (drum roll, please) …. TA-DA! My new copyright notice - courtesy of Creative Commons. (do you appreciate the irony in that statement?)

Here is the ENGLISH version in plain language. And here is the legal code for those who care to read it. ENJOY!

Cooking is so creative. It brings me such joy to bring a dish to fruition from my imagination to the plate. The whole process - the trials, mistakes, and finally making a dish the perfection of your own tastebuds. That is what I call fun. So although I FEEL better eating raw food (about 80% raw now), and I feel a lot less sluggish.

Actually, I feel more rested in general and a lot of the random aches and pains are gone. It always sounds crazy if you try to describe to people how you feel BAD all the time. Don’t get me wrong, a bunch of that was totally attributed to gluten and once I cut that out of my diet I did feel a tremendous difference. But still there were times when I could just tell things were not right with my body. Excercising has helped, although I am infrequent in the pattern - so that will be something to tackle in my life - regularity with working out.

I will post more soon as I am starting to develop some interested GF/Raw recipes.

My RAW blog - http://rawfoodlove.blogspot.com/

Hubby’s RAW blog - http://myrawfoodworld.blogspot.com/

The only thing we are unsure about it whether we’ll be one of those 80/20 people who do 80% raw and 20% regular food. We are waiting to see how this Detox week goes, and then we’ll assess.

I must say - both of us are adamant about doing extensive research when making a decision like this one. Neither of us have been able to find one bad thing about the Raw lifestyle for eating. Truthfully, I am looking forward to it.

You still have time to sign-up with the Divas if you would like to join us. I’ll be keeping you all updated as the week goes on.

A search of mint on epicurious.com, allrecipes.com, and foodnetwork.com reveal an array of garnish, mixed alcoholic drinks, ice cream, cold soups (yuck), dessert flavorings, etc. I am searching for YOUR recipes, readers. Please post a comment or feel free to email me at techchix [at] gmail [dot] com with any recipe suggestions you have for Mint - specifically Spearmint.

Tim, my work buddy, loves to blend and when I bring him hunks of mint he blends it into a juice concoction.

Then one fine day this week I came across this post on The Sunny Raw Kitchen - the post is of course about chocolate… in the raw. YUMMY. It seems gluten free so I might be trying some of these recipes and posting the results. Carob as an ingredient is a little bit… questionable to me. It’s from the legume family! Why anyone thinks it makes a good substitute for chocolate - well, I just do not know.

Next, any of you who read my site on a regular basis must learn one thing… I am not overly attached to the amounts or measurements of ingredients in a recipe. I cook in a fluid way, always tasting, touching, smelling, stirring. Before I get to the end of most recipes I am already mentally picturing how I would choose to cook it in my own simple manner. Which is definitely why I do not bake much. Oh, sure - that sweet tooth in me sees all the beautiful berries and rhubarb at the Farmers Market. I can just picture my very own Betty Crocker perfect rhubarb pie with blueberries mixed in, and a picture perfect lattice-dough top. (yeah. sure.)

Alas, it was not meant to be. At least right now in my life. I instead satisfy my need to bake with my lovely breadmaker instead. One note for all, I have discovered that my perfect little GF Breadmaker, does not cook GF bread mixes very well on the GF cycle. Strange, I know. Instead, I put Bob’s Red Mill on the Whole Wheat cycle and it turns out perfect every time. (No idea why.) It still works better than the last 2 breadmakers and I happily put out 1 or 2 loaves each week for sandwiches. Imagine that! ME! Eating sandwiches on a regular basis. (I love it best toasted with butter….mmmmmmmmmm)

Lastly for today, I have reached a new milestone here at Gluten Free Techchix. I officially have over 7,700 readers who get regular doses of my posts thru their RSS Readers. WOW. I mean, really. Wow. Thanks for ‘listening’. I never dreamed my little thoughts on food, random recipes, hubby recipe/experiments, and other stuff would prove to have such a loyal following.

So maybe you all should post a comment every once in a while?

And as a minor tag at the end here…. yes. I am re-designing some things for the Techchix GF Store. I’ll post something (naturally) when I am done.

Guacamole
Gluten Free | Vegan | Raw | Dairy Free

3-4 ripe avocados
1/4-cup lemon juice (organic or fresh is best)
2 tsp. sea salt
4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tomatoes (seeds removed, chopped roughly, and set on paper towels to continue draining for 30 minutes)
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro; finely chopped

First, peel the avocados and remove the meat. My preferred method is to use a paring knife to make one long cut from top to bottom around the entire fruit. Twist the 2 halves and they come apart easily. Pop out the seed and use a small spoon to pull out the flesh. Note: If you’re wondering about whether avocados are really a fruit as I indicated… yes, they are. My husband and I had a long discussion about what makes a fruit a fruit - such as why are tomatoes a fruit. Ultimately, it comes down to SEEDS my good friends.

In a large 6-8 cup food processor combine all ingredients by pulsing until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour and stir thoroughly before serving. Don’t worry if the top becomes a bit darker, just stir up the guacamole. You can help prevent this oxidizing process if you cover it with plastic - stick the plastic directly on top of the guacamole in your bowl in the refrigerator.

Guacamole usually only stays good for about 24-36 hours, so don’t make so much you cannot eat it quickly. Tasting while you are combining the ingredients is a good idea, but remember that it doesn’t really reach its full flavor potential until everything sits for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator.

One last note — if you prefer to thicken your guacamole because you don’t like the consistency, I did add 1 Tbsp. of a generic GF flour mix in the initial batch. However, after it sits overnight in the fridge it will thicken anyway. Just keep the little bit of GF flour in mind if you so choose to use it.

Let’s look back at one of my favorite posts recently where my delightful hubby splurged on a GF breadmaker for me. (Isn’t he the best??!?!) Part of that purchase included some Bob’s Mill GF Bread Mix - not just any mix, mind you. It was the GF Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix and WOW you will enjoy this bread. My husband greatly desired that I make homemade-ish bread that we could both eat and enjoy. This bread actually tastes great and has the hearty goodness of a traditional whole grain bread. Best of all, it does not appear to spike hubby’s blood sugar - which is important for all those diabetics out there.

In a word - ugh. Dry, untasty, overly chewy, poorly flavored… All in all they are not worth the jaw-grinding pressure it takes to eat them or the disappointment your tastebuds will experience.

If you want to know more about them you can click here.

Any of you who miss a certain honey nut flavored, round-shaped cereal from your childhood? ME!! This has become my new favorite breakfast, and admittedly it is sometimes dinner when I am out of time or energy.

The apple cinnamon is good as well, but I definitely favor the honey nut. You know what is REALLY nice about this cereal? It retains its’ crunch even after sitting in my favorite unsweetened Almond milk for 10 minutes. Unlike some other cereals - which I will be reviewing very soon.

Click here to see the flier for it, and this is where you can buy some. Although, I usually find these at my local Whole Foods Market.

Pasta with Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:
1-lb extra lean beef
1 pkg of Rice crackers
1 pkg of button mushrooms, rinsed
3-5 cloves of roasted garlic (I make my own - vampires beware!)
Spices (however you like to flavor - oregano, basil…)
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large food processor combine mushrooms, rice crackers, garlic, spices, and salt & pepper. Using a large bowl and your clean hands, combine meat with food processor contents as evenly as possible. Form meatballs to your own preference for size. Place meatballs in a large saucepan and saute, turning every few minutes to sear each side of the meatball (golf ball size is better than tennis ball size). I would recommend you wait 5-10 minutes before covering the meatballs with about 1 cup of tomato sauce. By cooking them with the sauce you keep them moist, I just prefer them to be seared before the sauce is added.

Heat a large 6-quart pot of water (please use filtered, it affects the taste of your pasta) after sprinkling salt and olive oil in the pot. Add 1 package of DeBoles Corn Pasta (my favorite!) to the boiling water and cook to your desired doneness.

After draining pasta, return it to the pot and dump the rest of your favorite Muir Glen pasta sauce on top.

Note: Here is what’s interesting about these meatballs. The mushrooms carry a good deal of moisture so when done right the meatballs have that garlic and mushroom flavor but remains intensely moist and delicious. For grated cheese, I can only suggest a vegan cheese that are readily available at most Whole Foods or Harris Teeter markets - especially wide variety of Vegan Cheese is available at MOM’s Markets (if you are blessed have one nearby).

Pleasantly, this product does NOT taste like sawdust at all. The Glutino GF Breakfast Bars and wonderful for those of us on the GO. Several times I have rushed out to work in the morning and lacked the time to eat a decent breakfast - so I grab one of these. I also have a tendency to keep one in my purse for emergencies, because once your GF the only realistic option for eating out is to find a GF restaurant (good luck). No more runnining into fast food joints for a quick bite.

The apple bars I tried first, but after one bite I knew I would like it. The texture is soft with a slight chew, but not enough to give your jaw a workout (like some other GF bars!). Apple is not my favorite flavor but this one had a nice flavor that filled my mouth and satisfied my tummy. Blueberry is my favorite flavor, but for any chocolate lovers I would suggest you avoid their Chocolate Breakfast bars. (some things just are not the same)

Click Here for a list of all their breakfast bars, and where you can purchase them.

I will be making a post soon of the email I send in for my own submissions, and I would be remiss if I didn’t promote her Google group which has turned into a wonderful/informational venue for those of us with multiple food allergies or diet restrictions. You can find it on her website or by clicking here.

Anyway, if you are wondering how this affects food and cooking I am getting to that point. In reviewing the list of courses, I encountered a Kitchen Chemistry class whose objective is:

Welcome to the seminar entitled Kitchen Chemistry. This is a Pass/Fail, 6-unit seminar (2 hours of class and 4 hours of reading and homework per week). This seminar is designed to look at cooking from a scientific basis. Each week we will do an edible experiment and look at the science behind how it all works. We will examine chemical, biochemical, biological, microbiological, and maybe even physical principles. You are required to attend at least 80% of the classes.

I thought that sound somewhat fascinating… and while exploring the READINGS section online I found that they provide each week’s recipe along with questions that pertain to the different scientific process in each dish. Just had to share these…

Here is a picture of the final creating with the peanut-asian sauce.

Cold Spring Rolls a la Ainsley
Ingredients:
Asian cellophane or rice noodles
Rice paper or rolls (they come in flat, round sheets that are very delicate)
Carrot
Red pepper
Feta cheese
4 Tbsp peanut butter (creamy or smooth, no nuts)
2 Tbsp GF soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice (you could use lemon if you prefer)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

How to make ‘em…
Chop carrot into 2 inch long sections (after peeling skin, of course) then slice into long thin strips. Clean, section and cut red pepper into long thin strips also. Cut feta into 1/4-inch blocks.

Heat enough water to warm temperature (not so hot you can’t put your hands in it) and cover the rice noodles for 3-5 minutes while they cook. (yes, that’s all it takes) Once they’re cooked pull noodles out of water and set onto paper towel to dry.

Put a small saucepan on stove and add the peanut butter, gf soy sauce, lime juice and vinegar. Heat on medium-low stirring constantly until its warm (NOT hot, don’t boil or simmer ingredients) and all ingredients should be incorporated into each other very nicely. Turn off heat and set pan aside.

Put a wide, shallow pan on stove and fill it with 1-2 inches of water. Heat water until its warm and turn off heat.

I would recommend you setup each of this process in stations on your kitchen counter - in this order: 1-shallow pan on stove with warm water; 2-rice wrappers; 3-large flat plate; 4-cooked noodles; 5-carrots; 6-red pepper; 7-cheese. Left-to-right or the other way — depending on your kitchen setup.

So here is how this goes…
Step 1 - pull rice wrapper out of package and submerge it into shallow pan of water on stove for 30 seconds. Gently pull it out and lay it on paper towels to dry it off.

Step 2 - lay damp rice wrapper on plate and pull a small section of noodles off the cooked noodles. Approximately 1 inch x 1 inch x 2 inches in size. Put noodles on one end of the wrapper.

Step 3 - lay carrots and red pepper in a line along one side of the noodles. put feta in as well - middle or on the side - which ever you please.

Step 4 - begin rolling up wrapper gently, making sure to tuck the sides in as you go.

Step 5 - repeat Steps 1-5 until you run out of something.

Step 6 - put warm peanut sauce into a bowl. you can either dip the spring rolls into the sauce, or use a spoon like me to dab it on as you want.

Note: I am an intuitive cook so if this seems unorganized to you - good! My hope is that you take this and do your own experiments to find what works best for you. ENJOY!

After I made that decision I started finding out about how cruel animal factories and farms really can be. But see this video for yourself…

Disclaimer: I personally do NOT agree with things that PETA has done in the past so I do not in any way endorse them AT ALL. I just like the video I posted here…

I do not believe there is anything more wonderful in this world than being in love with someone who so completely understands you and your wants or needs. My biggest blessing in life is to be married to a man that completes my heart, understands what each one of my expressions means, anticipates my needs, kisses away my frustrations, appreciates me entirely for who I am (good and bad), and he desires always to fulfill my desires. Shauna is not the only one living a great love story!

This is my beautiful, fresh, hot bread with butter…. yyyuuummmmm!

My incredible husband bought me an awesome birthday present - which shipped a bit earlier than he expected and so he gave it to me before my July birthday. (oh, well - my benefit) You see one of my constant frustrations has been that I like bread and I have 2 hand-me-down, gently-used breadmakers in which I have been attempting to make GF bread. No luck. Overcooked, tough, burnt, crumbs…. that is the GF bread they produce. I gave up in sheer frustration at some point and decided to accept the $5+ per-loaf price for store-bought GF bread at our local organic market. Well, in all of his thoughtfulness my darling man decided my need-to-create-thru-cooking should not be cut off from good, fresh GF bread. He did research on different machines, pricing, read reviews, etc. And in the end he bought me the Breadman 2-pound Breakmaker with a Gluten-Free cycle - woohoo!

He gave it to me on Friday night and after rummaging thru my cabinets I came up with a bread mix that I wanted to try out on my brand-new machine. But… I had to wait until Saturday morning because we were going to the Silver Surfer movie and I wanted to be able to monitor the progress of my first creation carefully during each step of its journey.

Here is my husband’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he eagerly made with the fresh bread.

Saturday morning dawned bright and after we got up I immediately set about with my GF Pantry French Bread & Pizza Mix in hand and a hum in my heart. Less than 1.5 hours later I had hot, yummy, yeasty, GF bread - tada! I will post a few pictures of me buttering beautiful hot pieces of bread, and my husband made himself a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We both really liked the hot, fresh bread. My next challenge will be to create a consistent recipe using flax seeds so that I can add fiber to the bread. Since husband is diabetic, a lot of the GF flours create a spike in his sugar because they have a high GI (glycemic impact, which is more important than the glycemic index number some foods have…).

My incredible husband kindly cooked dinner recently and really knocked my socks off with this deliciously simply dish. It is quite delicious and so easy for those of us who frequently need a fast meal. The intelligence of this dish is you could modify it with any vegetables that are handy in your crisper drawer. Color is another aspect that makes the dish savory for the eyes.

For the rice we simply cook it in bulk and freeze portions of it for later use. As I can hear some of you cringing behind your monitors, I must confess that this was a tip given to me by a Chinese Chef. He said the best fried rice at restaurants is made a day or two ahead, frozen and reheated in a wok with oil. I was suspect of this technique myself, but I cannot argue with the results.

Our thought is that perhaps fresh made rice is too moist and lacks the proper consistency for wok cooking. Although we do not own a wok, we merely stir-fried everything in a large non-stick skillet. Whatever your technique, be aware that his recipe below calls for cooked, frozen and reheated rice as I described above.

Vegetable Rice

2 cups rice
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 Tbsp GF soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cups of chopped vegetables (our choice was snap peas)
3 Tbsp of sunflower seeds
Half of a large onion, diced finely

Heat non-stick skillet with sesame oil and soy sauce, over medium-high heat. Put diced onion into skillet and cook until nearly clear; make sure you stir frequently to coat the onion in the sesame oil and soy sauce. Add vegetables to the pot, saute for 5 minutes or so and season with salt and pepper. Finally add rice and cook long enough to heat the rice through.

For those of you who need very specific directions, you may find my website less helpful. I cook by feel more often than by directions, unless I am baking a souffle or something. Hopefully newer cooks are encouraged by the lack of direction I offer because food will speak to you, if you let it. When you cook something right you can smell it, see the look of the food and taste it when you sample something. You can easily learn this process if you are patient with yourself - and I say this from experience!