MetroCeliacs May Supper Club with Flavah at Coobah

Hello MetroCeliacs and Friends, We are Back!

Well, it is about time for me to update the blog, especially since we have just kicked off our Fall season of meetings and Supper Clubs and I have not even posted the last few events yet, grr. I have some trouble with uploading pictures onto this site at times and it can be tedious. I am back now and plan to be completely caught up by the end of the month!

We had an interesting event at Coobah in May. I was referred to this restaurant by some members and the chef and manager were initially excited to discuss it with me, everything from creating the menu to the seating arrangements. I am all about introducing some serious flavah to our repertoire. Then, just as I was feeling all spicy about how things were going, the serape was pulled out from under me (give me some latitude here, I know no Spanish, so I am working with limited resources). I was unable to reach anyone for a while and, while I was assured that our Supper Club was still planned, we did not have an exact date or anything close to a menu. Just when I was writing the cancellation email for the event, Dios Mio!, Jimmy turned up with a whole menu and a date and some decent enthusiasm. The chef had surgery, but the ever-helpful Jimmy (muchas gracias, Jimmy!) said we could get something in anyway. Bueno. Ok, finito with the pseudo-Spanish.

We had a really nice crowd, we had some wonderful newcomers and some regulars brought friends. There was even a new family with very well mannered and delightful kids. We normally do not accommodate children but we were excited to have them at this event. How cute are they? Awwww…The service was very slow, so I believe they were out past their bedtimes, which was unfortunate but could not be helped as they overbooked the restaurant and did not staff it accordingly, which I describe below.

Here is the description of the restaurant online: This upscale Latin restaurant and bar offers late-night dining and DJs. The menu features inventive dishes from Spain, Cuba, the Philippines, Colombia and Brazil, plus Coobah's signature tamales and sauces. Cuisine is Cuban, Spanish, Nuevo Latino.

The Scene (provided by citysearch.com, with a saucy mix of my own commentary!)
It's a pretty tight squeeze into Coobah (especially in the back room they put us in, which was beautiful but almost required some lap sharing), a dark Latin spot where sexy bartenders mix mojitos and caipirinhas for a crowd of Southport hipsters (yeah, gaggles of drunk girls partying up front, which posed a distraction for our servers). The decor provides plenty of eye candy too, with rust-colored terra cotta walls, metal clamshell light fixtures (it was definitely beautiful décor, but the clams must have been closed because I could barely see my hand in front of my face) and fans waving breezily back and forth above the bar (which was not helpful to us, as we were nowhere near the bar but kind of left roasting near the kitchen). Friendly, on-the-ball service makes up for long waits. (No, it really didn’t. Friendly, absolutely, on-the-ball…um, well, unless the ball was actually on top of them holding them down and keeping them from serving us in a timely manner, there was not a ball in sight. To be fair, there was another large party in the front of the restaurant, the gaggle, but our menu, our event, was planned in advance and if the small kitchen could not handle such a crowd, they should not have taken both parties.)

The food was difficult to judge, as they had too many orders from both parties as well as random walk-ins so the dishes varied in flavor and texture and temperature. They even forgot to serve me altogether. As you can likely tell, I am chatty, so it took me a while to notice. Settling the check took even longer. I would love to have more to say about the actual food, but I will have to rely on those who attended to add comments to the blog please. My food was cold and then had little taste, but was beautifully presented. The event was successful in that we had a great turnout, big crowd, stimulating conversation at a lovely place with an interesting assortment of offerings on an unusual menu. I am not, as I stated, sure about the food reviews, so I look forward to hearing feedback on the blog comments.

I would like to take a minute to say a fond, albeit sad, farewell to one of our regulars, Carol Breckbill, who moved after this event. Carol was always positive, involved, fun and an amazing addition to any event. Carol, if you are ever in town, come visit. We will save you a margarita and clear a table for your infamous dance moves! We miss you already, but I am sure you are active in your new community and we wish you the best. Sniffle.

The Menu for our fiesta:

Appetizer
JERKED “JIBARITO” FIERY JERK CHICKEN CARAMELIZED PLANTAINS RADICCHIO RED ONION-ORANGE MARMALADE
OR
CHILLED PIQUILLO PEPPERS ARTICHOKE AND DRUNKEN GOAT CHEESE STUFFING BABY GREENS

Entrée
TILAPIA “AZUL” RICE PAPER TOASTADA
SPRING VEGETABLES GINGER-LIME VINIAGRETTE
OR
STRIP STEAK URUGUAY ALL NATURAL BEEF
FRESH HERB CHIMICHURRI BLACK BEANS CARMELIZED PLANTAINS

Dessert
GUAJILLO CHILE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
OR
FRESH BERRY COMPOTE VANILLA SAUCE

Soda, tea and coffee included.

As you know, all roads lead to the dessert for me, so this is the dish I really remember and I have to say that, as far as chocolate cake goes, fantastico! Ok, I could not let the Spanish go. Wait til you see what I can do with a Greek restaurant. Wait, hmmm, actually nothing but Spanakopita! I will have to work on that.

Muchas Gracias to all who attended and we hope to see you at future events. Please check out our calendar at http://calendar.yahoo.com/metroceliacs and email us about suggestions for meeting themes and supper club restaurants or anything you would like to share at MetroCeliacs@yahoo.com

Jenny and Tanya

MetroCeliacs May Meeting- Vicki Gainsberg Cooking Class at Whole Foods

Guest Writer for this blog is our very own Tanya Davidson, the other leader of the MetroCeliacs. I was unable to attend this meeting and, from the sound of it, I missed a good one!
Take it away Tanya:



It was great to have our very own Vicki Gainsberg lead a cooking class for our May meeting! She is a Registered Dietician, who specializes in Celiac Disease and Food Allergies. The meeting/cooking class was held on May 10th at Whole Foods Lincoln Park on North Avenue (see link above). Whole Foods is very supportive of the Celiac community!



It was a treat to have Vicki show us how to make such easy and delicious recipes. She also answered questions that we had about cooking and talked about various flours.



Asian stores have great fine rice flours, which are great for baking sweet treats.

Vicki introduced us to a new grain called Quinoa. Besides myself and my roommate, no one else had ever tried it. It is an easy grain to incorporate into your meals and it has great nutritional value. Its cooks up a lot like rice. Vicki showed us how to prepare a Southwestern Quinoa Salad. Chop up some peppers and other veggies, mix up a sauce, and add it all to the cooked quinoa and you have a real winner!




Zesty Southwestern Quinoa Salad

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
2 cups Frozen Corn
1-2 Jalapeno’s, chopped
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 can Black Beans, drained
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Orange or Yellow Pepper, chopped
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
3 Limes, divided
4 tsp Cumin, ground (divided)
¼ cup Olive Oil
2 tsp honey, divided
4 oz Pepper Jack Cheese, cubed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions, using 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water. Quinoa will cook for about 15 minutes. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.

Saute chopped jalapeno’s in 1 tsp olive oil. Add frozen corn and sauté until cooked through. Add 1 tsp cumin, juice of 1 lime and 1 tsp honey. Add salt and pepper. Saute a few more minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Add to quinoa, along with beans, peppers, and cheese.

Dressing
Combine juice of 2 limes, olive oil, 2 tsp cumin and 1 tsp honey, whisk well. Add to quinoa mixture. Add in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.



She also demonstrated how to make Meatballs with turkey and chicken meat. I don't know if it could be much easier than what she showed us. Mix up a few ingredients for the sauce and then mix the meat together and simmer in the sauce for about 45 minutes and you have tender, tasty and relatively healthy meatballs!



Not Too Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs

1 can Tomato Sauce (10-12oz)
1/3 cup Ketchup
¼ cup Brown Sugar
¼ cup Lemon Juice (about 2 lemons)
1 Bay Leaf
4-5 Whole Cloves

Combine above ingredients and place in saucepan on medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer.

Mix together:
1 lb Ground Turkey ( ½ lb breast meat and ½ lb dark meat)
1 egg
¼-1/3 cup GF Bread Crumbs
¼ cup water

Shape into balls and gently place in warm sauce. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Shake pot or stir meatballs around occasionally to prevent from sticking.
Remove bay leaf and cloves.
Serve with sauce.

We sampled both of the creations. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed these easy recipes.



In addition to these two things, we also sampled New Grist Beer. Beer people seemed to really like it, and non-beer people seemed to enjoy a little as well. It is better than your standard beers and the best part is that celiacs can drink it! Nice to know it exists.

After that, we sampled Chocolate Chip Biscotti dipped in dark and white chocolate. Vicki had prepared ahead of time, because our hour meetings go by a little too fast to fit everything in. She gave us the recipe and talked about making them. She claimed that they are very easy to make.




Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti

1 ½ stick Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
1 cup Rice Flour
1 cup Cornstarch
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1 Tbsp Potato Flour (not potato starch)
¾ tsp Xanthan Gum
Pinch Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 ½ cup chocolate chips
Nuts, optional

In a medium-size bowl mix rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca, potato flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder.
Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar, add in eggs slowly. Add vanilla.
Slowly add in flour mixture. Mix well. Add in chocolate chips.

Onto ungreased parchment lined cookie sheet, spoon into 2 equal oval-shaped loaves.
Use full length of cookie sheet and leave about 2-3 inches between loaves for spreading while baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. When cool slice into 1 inch slices. Turn slices on their side and rebake for about 10 minutes. Let cool.


We may have to have another cooking class. Everyone enjoyed. It is nice to have a few taste-tested recipes on hand. Thanks for everyone for coming!!!

Our special thanks to Vickie for a wonderful and informative, not to mention very tasty, class. We hope to have her come again!

MetroCeliacs April Supper Club at Roy's

MetroCeliac Supper Club is nothing if not an adventure, culinary and otherwise. We started the evening with a bunch of new members and visitors of the celiac and non-celiac variety. Some regulars and some completely new to celiac and the MetroCeliac experience. I was excited to break them in at Roy's, somewhere I was totally looking forward to going, as their reputation for a wonderful dining experience preceded them.




I did my usual spiel about how the supper club came to fruition out of a desire for celiacs to be able dine out, as well as to encourage Chicago restaurants to become familiar with how to make their establishments gluten-friendly. I also stressed how much work I put into finding a place and working with the manager, the event coordinator and the chef to come up with a safe and delicious, sometimes offbeat (Scylla) menu. I encourage everyone to enjoy themselves, relax, talk about non-celiac topics and just feel comfortable that I have done everything in my power to ensure their security and health. To that end, I always refer the restaurant staff to celiac websites, conduct a dialogue with my contact regarding all of our needs from the actual menu to the preparation of the food to the safest drinks and I even try to get us separate checks to make thing easier (that one is always the most difficult part). But...I try to cover all the bases.



Roy's (Lauren) worked with me and the process was easy and fun and they were very invested in providing us with options they already had on their regular menu to show us that an every-day dining experience would work for walk-in visitors with celiac. It would still be flavorful, beautifully executed and varied. I was excited they had so many options that were naturally gluten-free and that the ones they could adapt would still have the same flavors and consistencies. YAY!

Following is the evite I sent out for the event. I cannot even express how hard it was to write it so far in advance. Every time I read it I was starving. If that was not bad enough, they had pictures on their website. I am not good at delaying gratification. At all. Nope, not at all. Even posting it now makes me want to go back and order one of everything. I have that gift cert burning a hole in my purse (I will get to the gift cert in a minute...) Enjoy the evite and pictures, but seriously, do not read it on an empty stomach.

Aloha MetroCeliac Supper Club Members!

This month, Spring is in our tropical city air. Break out the Hawaiian shirts and flip flops, we are taking a tropical adventure to Roy's.

Roy's is described as...Fresh ingredients, assertive flavors, deliciously wrapped in a Hawaiian state of mind, and who does not love being in a Hawaiian state of mind?Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine blends fresh local ingredients with European sauces and bold Asian spices. Ask the server about the award-winning wine list. Noted for it's diverse and intriguing selection, Roy's offers a vast range of wines from well-known and newly discovered wineries alike. In addition, Roy's offers signature cuves, created in partnership with some of the world's most respected winemakers, specifically with our food in mind.

Hawaiian Fusion Menu $33/person (brace yourselves)

Salad:
Asian Poached Pear Salad with Mixed Greens, Poached Pears, Candied Walnuts Goat Cheese and a Lemongrass Vinaigrette (note the bold, it comes into play later)

Entree Selections:
Tender Braised Honey Mustard Beef Short Ribs with Lomi Lomi Tomatoes, Veal Reduction and Roy's signature Mashed Potatoes

Macadamia Nut Dusted Mahi Mahi with Bacon Chive Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Lobster Brandy Cream Sauce
(Dema and I chose a shared dish, the best way to go!!!)
Fish of the day - Chef's Specialty, TBA on day of event (ended up being an amazing shrimp dish)

Dessert:
Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Molten Hot Center (picture does NOT do it justice. It was so amazing and when your fork glided thru it, yes it glided, the molten center oozed out all hot and gooey and inviting....sigh. I miss it like I would miss an old delicious friend.)

Fruit Sorbet with fresh berries for those crazy enough to not like chocolate, it can happen that people prefer fruity things over chocolate I am told.


Notice there is not a picture of the salad. The adventure starts there. I had discussed the salad ingredients situation at the last MetroCeliac meeting to see if blue cheese is gluten free and it is one ingredient that we basically avoid unless we can find the GF options. Most places do not serve GF blue cheese. I asked if we could substitute another cheese or leave it completely off the menu and was told it is not a problem. They decided on crumbly goat cheese.

Since I had done such a wonderful job with making the menu (self pat on the back) and since that fact was further reinforced when we arrived and saw the printed menus with goat cheese on them and then the waitress also fully stated goat cheese was on the salad when we went over the full menu, well, I assumed all was well and I relaxed. Oops.

Now, truth be told, I am not salad-y, so I just basically eat the salad to get to the entree, which itself is just a gateway to dessert (if you ask me). When the salad came out, I was yammering on about something (most likely that lame lawsuit against McDonald's, which was a lively discussion at the table) and did not even really look at it. Everyone dove in all enthusiastically (I thought they just shared my hurry-thru-the-salad-to-get-closer-to-dessert philosophy, but people said it was really delicious). I tried mine and it tasted kind of foul. I thought I must not like goat cheese. I know I don't like blue cheese, and, although it looked like blue cheese, certainly smelled like it and for sure tasted like it, I still asked Dema (in picture with me) if it was blue cheese. We both decided that since the menu and the waitress said it was goat cheese it had to be goat cheese. I took another bite and decided there was no way something that tasted like that came out of a sweet little old goat. I pulled the waitress away from some other non-celiac table where she was taking orders (my apologies to those random not-in-any-danger people) and asked her to take a look. Much to our chagrin, it was, indeed, the dreaded blue cheese (insert dramatic duhn-duhn-DUHN). Sigh. Of course, I freaked out, got the manager, the waitress, the cooks and the very nice event planner all involved. I was very upset and explained the situation and the chef said that blue cheese is always GF. EEP! Well, I explained that, regardless of what they thought, we still ordered goat cheese, they printed goat cheese, we were told goat cheese and I don't want any of my members to worry about anything when they come to an event. There are a lot of varying views on what is actually gluten-free and we do not want controversy at a nice dinner. I explained that this was not the regular crowd, it had newly diagnosed celiacs, new members and a visiting member from another group. It was very important that the supper club maintains its stellar reputation for safe and fun dining, safe being the key word!!! They said they understood and would explain to everyone what happened and their responsibility in this "salad incident".

Everyone was done with their salads by this point, so there was the decision of what to do. I decided to press on and finish the meal anyway hoping that the members would still trust me and I would not have to fear a revolt or be overthrown or anything. Lauren apologized, told the table that it is in no way my fault, though that was not nearly as on my mind as everyone cursing me when they were sick later, no matter whose fault. She also came out with $25 gift certificates for all. I still lost it and had to go regroup in the ladies' room for a minute.

Everyone at the table was understanding and wonderful and I had the waitress give me a lovely glass of wine to calm my frazzled nerves. WHEW! I was about at my limit, but then the food came and I forgot about it (sort of, poor Dema, who sat next to me, had to hear me freak out for about 1/2 an hour). I think (hope) everyone still had a lovely time and enjoyed dinner.

It turned out that Lauren took the container of blue cheese, looked it up on the internet and it IS gluten free. She printed out the information and brought it to us at the end of the meal. She again expressed her regret and also her relief and we kind of joked about it a little. Thanks to the wine! They also separated the checks for us, which they usually do not do, and we got to keep the gift certs. I was a bit disappointed that they were not more alarmed, but since we do not go into shock and they do not see the effects, I guess it is not as worrysome as a nut allergy or something more severe. It did end up being a perfectly lovely evening and a wonderful dinner that I have made plans to enjoy again with family very soon. There was some lively chatter and all of the feedback regarding the atmosphere, the food and how the management handled the "salad incident" was positive. Whew!



I think everyone had fun and I hope that everyone returns for the next MetroCeliac Supper Club meeting!

We have a cooking class coming up for our May meeting and the supper club date and locale is still TBA. I prepared a new packet of information to share with the restaurants, one that better outlines our needs and our goals longer-term. I hope that the additional information will make it even easier and more fun and persuade the places we visit to offer celiac-designated options on their menus. Til next month, Bon Apetit!

MetroCeliacs March Meeting - U of C Michelle Melin-Rogovin

The MetroCeliacs were proud to have Michelle Melin-Rogovin from the U of C celiac disease program (www.celiacdisease.net) come speak to our group for our March meeting. The meeting was a wonderful success. The following information about the program is taken directly from their website and then the notes from the meeting were taken by Amy Rousseau (thanks SO much, Amy!)



The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program (http://www.uchospitals.edu/specialties/celiac/) is dedicated to raising diagnosis rates and meeting the critical needs of people affected by celiac disease through education, research and advocacy.

Their celiac disease information line provides expert help with questions regarding symptoms, testing, diagnosis and procedures.

Call Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. central time (773) 702-7593. Most calls will be answered immediately, by a live person. Messages will be returned within 48 hours.



Michelle Melin-Rogovin is the Executive Director for the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program. She received her Master’s Degree in health policy and administration from the University of Chicago in 1992. Ms. Melin-Rogovin feels that her mission is to serve as a bridge between patients and doctors, helping empower patients so they can actively participate in health care decision making.

Michelle has 15 years of experience working with children and families facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Ms. Melin-Rogovin worked in health care public relations and as a consultant for the Abbott Laboratories Fund before joining the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program in 2001.

As Executive Director, Michelle works with Dr. Stefano Guandalini, the Program’s Board of Directors and volunteers to advance initiatives in research, medical education, patient services and public awareness. Ms. Melin-Rogovin also fundraises for every aspect of the program’s work and coordinates media outreach activities.

In 2003, Ms. Melin-Rogovin created an education program called Celiac Disease: Myths and Facts in order to educate the celiac community about the gold standard for diagnosing and treating celiac disease and encourage family members to be screened. She presented this lecture to audiences in 19 cities (14 states) and, as a result, the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program reached over 1,500 people in the communities where they live.

In 2004, she developed Taming Temptation: Practical Strategies for Maintaining a Gluten-Free Diet. The program addressed the fact that many celiacs would like to eat food containing gluten and some do. It also reinforced the need for regular follow-up testing, which is offered infrequently by physicians. Michelle traveled to 22 cities in 11 states, reaching 2,000 people with this presentation.

U of C has one of two research teams in the world that is working to understand the nature of the immune system in the gut and the earliest response of the intestine to the presence of gluten. The principal investigators on this research project include Dr. Stefano Guandalini, founder of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program. Research is currently underway in their dedicated celiac disease laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Bana Jabri, a pathologist and world-renown celiac researcher. Patients who have biopsies for celiac disease at the University of Chicago may be eligible to participate in the research.

For more information about these programs, please call: (773) 702-7593. MIchelle is always willing to help answer questions and while we cannot summarize the meeting notes online, the hotline number is always an option. Please call her with any questions or wait for our meeting with the nutritionist coming up soon!


The meeting went really well. Michelle discussed some of the questions submitted in advance by our members. Many of the questions had to do with labeling and with specific ingredients and foods. Michelle mentioned that we will need to address the nutritionist (we are bringing someone in this summer) about some of those questions, but she still answered a lot of them using information about the labeling laws. Michelle also provided some really great handouts about these new laws, the work U of C is involved in currently and other helpful information. If you would like copies of the handouts, call the hotline and ask for them. We are also grateful to Whole Foods for sponsoring us again and to everyone who brought treats. Those are always welcome and ever so appreciated!




Quarterly gf magazine- Gluten Free Living is a great resource magazine that offers great info on living gf. Web site, http://www.glutenfreeliving.com/

We had multiple questions about everything from liquor to our old favorite, modified food starch. Many of these can be answered by the new food labeling laws and the rest will be answered specifically in our meeting with the nutritionist this summer. Michelle really stressed how we all make our own choices and can believe what we choose to believe and are responsible for how we choose to live.

Thanks so much to Michelle and U of C for all they do and to Michelle for coming to speak to the MetroCeliacs. U of C has a really important event coming up soon, so please visit their website or click on the link to our calendar on yahoo to see all upcoming events. Thanks everyone for coming!

http://calendar.yahoo.com/metroceliacs