Who Loves Cake?

Who loves cake? Well I can tell you She Loves Cake! Cheri from Glutenada and She Loves Cake joined us on the show this past week to talk about some amazing items, and what makes them so special! Imagine if you will, waking up one day and discovering that you could no longer eat any items with gluten in them. That means no wheat in their food at all. Leaving you stranded with out your favorite foods. No bread, no cookies and no cake! Well there’s a new superhero in town, Glutenada is here to the rescue!

Glutenada specializes in gluten free mixes for all your favorite baked goods. When Cheri discovered that she suffered from Celiac Disease she also discovered how difficult it is to cut gluten out of your diet. With so many of her favorite foods now off limits, she was trying to enjoy a new diet. As Cheri attempted to enjoy some of the gluten free alternatives that were out there, she discovered that the flavors left much to be desired. So off to the kitchen for Cheri!

After testing many different mixes, Cheri discovered some great blends of gluten free flours that allowed her to make up some of her favorite items. With slight alterations to the recipe to go after the texture that she missed, instead of the hard cardboard that she had been picking finding, allowing her to not only enjoy the flavor but the texture too: Glutenada was born!

Wanting to name the company in a manner that allowed people to know what she sold, she brainstormed for a name. Originally she thought about calling is Cheri’s Baked Goods, but she thought that the name of that company needed to speak to the fact that there was no gluten in the items that she sold. So after some brainstorming sessions Glutenada was the name. Including gluten in the name and nada meaning none, allowing anyone to recognize what her products are all about!

Not wanting to just sell mixes and wanting to share the love of baked goods, Cheri started She Loves Cake, her gluten free bakeshop, allowing those who do not bake access to her wonderful baked goods. Yummy cookies, cupcakes, and soon to come other baked goods, you will never be disappointed in the taste, texture and quality of Cheri’s items. In fact most people who are not gluten free would have no idea that these items were made any differently. Place them on a platter and serve alongside any of your other foods, and you would be hard pressed to find someone that could tell the difference.

Cheri was also great enough to talk about what Celiac Disease is, and how it affects the body. Celiac is a disease that affects the digestive tract, ingesting gluten for a Celiac causes the little hairs in the intestines to lay flat. This causes a mal-absorption of nutrition in the small intestine which is the primary location that nutrients are taken into the body. This causes what is in effect a slow starvation of the body; not allowing the body to get the nutrition it needs out of any of the food ingested. This can cause two distinct reactions in the body. The first is the appearance of starvation of anorexia even though they are eating a normal diet. The second is uncontrollable weight increase, as the gluten reacts almost like an allergic reaction in the body, causing the body to plump up. The second is the most amazing, because even though someone appears to be eating too much and putting on weight uncontrollably, they are in essence starving themselves. They do not gain any of the nutrients that are needed out of their food.

We are so thankful that Amy from Louisiana Celica brought Cheri and her companies to our attention. With so many great items for anyone living the gluten free life or who just want a great treat, Glutenada and She Loves Cake are great to fulfill that need in their lives. If you want to keep up with Cheri you can follow her on Twitter, or check out what’s new in the kitchen on her blogs Glutenada and Beyond the Wheat. Don’t forget to tune in next week for Chocolate Covered Bacon-The Best in Independent Food Finds, Thursday’s at 6 PM EST on Blockhead Radio. Next week we will have some great popcorn to enjoy that summer movie with.

--James~The ClosetCreature, your host

Emmy's Organics on Chocolate Covered Bacon

Wow another great interview! We had Samantha and Ian from Emmy’s Organics on Chocolate Covered Bacon-The best in independent food finds, and what a great informative interview it was. Ian has been on a raw foods diet for quite some time now and Samantha has been migrating over to the same. In doing so they both became a little bored with the normal foods available to them. They wanted something a little more exciting. So why not make it, right! Well they did not only was it fun for them to make, it tasted great too. When Ian lost his regular 9-5, they decided to make it their full time obsession! Boy, are we glad they did. Sitting down to talk with them was a joy, and if you missed it, well I hope I’m able to recapture everything for you.

Emmy’s Organics specializes in raw, organic, gluten free foods. These help fill a need in many people’s lives for differing dietary needs and lifestyle choices. With amazing products available online through their Etsy and Foodzie shops, like Raw Dark Cocoa Macaroons and Raw Granola you’re sure to find something you like. They have a great variety of macaroons available. They seem to flavor them almost as if they are ice cream, taking unique macaroon flavors to a whole new level. All of their items are made in small batches with 100% raw ingredients and are low on the glycemic index, allowing you to indulge your sweet tooth with out feeling too guilty. As for what they make their items with well let’s hear it from them, “We use the highest quality of ingredients, unprocessed, organic and fair trade when possible.” So they are not only looking out for you health wise but they are looking out for the health for the earth as well.

When I asked them why they got started and what inspired them to start making these amazing items here is what they told me. “We wanted to offer healthy food (especially sweets) that didn’t compromise on flavor, texture or consistency. Ian has been gluten-free & vegan for 8 years & Samantha eats a 90% raw food diet. We wanted to offer food from the source, of the ones who eat what they make.” Ian has a health condition similar to Celiac disease that requires him to be on a gluten free diet, which was a big factor in his focus.

Ian and Samantha also enlightened us as to what a raw foods diet is. Discussing how the items are still cooked, but at a very low temperature for a much longer time. Dehydration is a great example of this. They dehydrate and smoke many of their foods, which provides a safe way to ensure your foods are free of possible pathogens but at the same time retaining most of the nutritive value. Nutrition, after all, is why we need to eat, but why not indulge in some great tasting food.

The limited items that you see in their shops are just the beginning of their arsenal of foods to satisfy your cravings. They sell locally at a farmers market, where they serve up fresh almond milk, made the day before. One of the byproducts of this process is almond meal, which many producers just toss out. They have taken to using even this byproduct to make wonderful food, they usually reserve these items just for themselves and close friends. You can visit their blog where they talk about making hummus from the left over almond meal once they are done straining it. I can imagine how delicious this must be. Available at the farmer’s market they also have Dairy Free ice cream, great for children that are lactose intolerant.

Could you imagine what it would be like to miss out on ice cream growing up? Well this is one of the things that make Emmy’s Organics so great, they work to provide to everyone the very things they miss when they have to go onto a special diet. They even serve their almond milk over some of their raw granola for breakfast at the farmers market! So if you in the area, stop by, say hi and pickup a bowl of granola to enjoy! Don’t forget to wash it down with some ice cream or some of those great macaroons!

Thank you once again Ian and Samantha your story and shop are amazing. Coming up this week on Chocolate Covered Bacon-The best in independent food finds, we have Urban Cheese Craft! Don’t forget to go to Blockhead Radio, pop a player and listen in! We’ll help satisfy your cravings.

James ~ The ClosetCreature