30 Days To A Food Revolution - Gluten Free Style

Real Food + Slow food + Back-to-The-Earth Food = Jamie Oliver’ Food Revolution.

Jamie Oliver, well-known UK chef, is definitely on to something and his efforts are bringing big and positive changes to the people who reside in Huntington, Virginia. Quite honestly, I used to watch Jamie’s cooking shows on the Food Network, but then I lost track of him. Until now. He’s back, and in a big way. His Food Revolution is certain to not only help the people of Huntington modify and improve their lives, but it can help anyone willing to step up to the plate and make real food changes to their diet.

Jamie, in true reality show fashion, has been teaching the citizens of Huntington how and why to eat real food, the food that our species was designed to eat, not the majorly processed food (if you can call it that) that comes out of boxes and packages, not the food (you shouldn’t call it that) that’s loaded with a laundry list of ingredients that can barely be pronounced let alone be recognized.

Where can you start? Short of leaning out your window (like in the movie “Network”) and shouting “I’m angry as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore” (I paraphrase!) you can begin by signing Jamie’s petition. He is determined to find one million people willing to add their John Hancock to his petition. Jamie is halfway to his goal and once he reaches it, he plans on taking the petition to President and Mrs. Obama to ask for their help in changing the way America’s public schools feed their students - our children and the future of this country. If you think our children would be better off eating real food instead of pizza, pressed chicken nuggets, and French fries, please help Jamie reach his goal. Every single signature will make a difference. Please go here to add your signature to the petition.

I, and 30 of my gluten free fellow bloggers, are definitely on the same page as Jamie. We are all honored to be a part of this revolution. We truly believe in the mission. In fact, we are SO on the same page that we’ve joined Diane from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang (whole healthy organic living every day), a gluten free blogger who is clearly passionate in her support of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and is leading a 30 Days to a Food Revolution event. If you’ve been reading my blog for the last four+ years, you know that my recipes and stories have encouraged people to eat real food, the food that will help us live healthy and vibrant lives, the food that we were put on this planet to eat. I, along with the 29 other bloggers, will each be sharing a post for this Food Revolution event, one per day. Thirty days of posts that speak about how to embrace real food living, whole food living, healthy food living, full-of-nutrition living. You will learn new recipes, you will find tips for how to implement this kind of eating and cooking, and you will find inspiration, for sure. Please visit this page at Diane’s blog to learn about the other bloggers who are participating in this event.

Upon my Celiac diagnosis, I went gluten free. No turning back for this gal. About one year later, still dealing with a rumbling tummy now and then, I went dairy free and again, I didn’t even look in the rear view mirror. Another year later, I started experimenting with completely eliminating animal products from my diet. Am I 100% vegan? No, but I would call myself (if there is such a thing) a modified vegan. And yet one more year later, after confronting everything I’ve read about the evils of refined sugars, I am trying to only cook and bake with unrefined sugars (coconut sugar, sucanat, agave, stevia, and other sweeteners). The jury is still out on agave and maybe even on some of the other alternative sugars, but for now, I’m using them where and when I can.

I’m majorly psyched about my recipe for Buffalo Tofu with Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing, part of Diane’s 30 Days To A Food Revolution. Back in the days of eating gluten and dairy and meat, when dining at a restaurant, I used to order Buffalo Chicken Wings at every opportunity. Now, in retrospect, I realize that what I really loved about those wings was the sauce and the crispness of the skin (oh, I shudder now). In an effort to duplicate that experience, I regularly make my Buffalo Tofu - and everyone who I’ve served it too agrees that the tofu is a mighty opponent for the wings, not to mention the sauce. Ooh la la. To see it, please visit my guest post at Diane’s blog.

And then, please come back and read the recipe that I’ve posted below for Homemade Almond Butter. It's SO easy and quick to make and SO delicious when it's homemade. And for my money, there's nothing as satisfying as a piece of Breads From Anna gluten free toast smeared with a big dollop of homemade almond butter. Join the Food Revolution, take back your health, embrace your right to make homemade foods that will nourish and sustain you and your family!


Homemade Almond Butter

1 cup raw almonds
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp canola oil

Spread the almonds on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Put the roasted almonds into a food processor with the salt and canola oil and process until blended and smooth. Store in a jar in the frig.