Say hello to...thai broccoli salad.

I love Thai food and I love steamed broccoli, so it's a given that I would also love this recipe. The combination of the various ingredients may seem strange, but tastes very unique and delicious together. Give it a try!

Ingredients

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp hot water

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cup broccoli

1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 garlic clove

1. Combine peanut butter, sugar, hot water, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until well blended; set aside.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, red pepper, green onions, and garlic. Stir-fry 3-4 min until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter mixture.

3. Serve warm or at room temperate.

Say goodbye to...Clinique.

My title may seem a bit harsh, but after 10 years of diligently using Clinique products I have finally decided to say goodbye. Once I was aware of my intolerance to gluten, I immediately went through my cupboards, clearing any traces of gluten. I soon realized that makeup could also have gluten. I contacted Clinique regarding each beauty product that I currently owned and was sad that most of my items contained gluten :( I always knew that lipstick could have gluten, but had no idea that mascara, eye shadow, eye cream, and face lotion could also have it. Rather than spending my time continuously contacted companies, I'd rather use products that are clearly gf!

Say hello to...Weis Ice Cream bars.

I'm always on the lookout for gf foods in Seoul. My friend recently told me that she found gf ice cream bars in a beauty chain store called Olive Young. I was surprised that they would be there of all places in Seoul, and soon found myself there purchasing a Macademia Mango & cream bar- during winter :) These bars come in all sorts of exotic tropical flavors, as well as chocolate and coffee. I have since found them in bulk here at Costco, though they originate from Australia. With summer coming soon, you'll be sure to want some ice cream! You won't want to miss out on these amazingly delicious bars- and I'm not even a huge fan of ice cream!

Say hello to...Celimix banana pancakes.

If you're from Canada, you've most likely heard of Celimix. Celimix is a great affordable line of pre-mixed gf products that can be purchased at Safeway, the Great Canadian Superstore, or online. My mother recently mailed me some Celimix pancake mix, bread mix, and muffin mix. The pancake mix tasted great, but a little dry, so I decided to add a few of my own ingredients. Follow the instructions on the box, except use apple sauce in the place of the vegetable oil. Also, add 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup of mashed over-ripe bananas. Tastes fantastic!!!

Say hello to...Riceworks Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps.

It's no doubt that gluten-free snacking has become a lot easier and healthier. A must try for this week is Riceworks Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps. Not only are they healthy to munch, but the taste is AMAZING and they are gluten-free. They come in a variety of flavors, however, I've only tried the sweet chili flavor. Believe it or not, but Costco carries these in Seoul, South Korea! This snack has made me very happy indeed :)

Say hello to...Au Bon Pain.

Au Bon Pain is a healthy fast-food restaurant chain found all over the world. It was recently selected by Health Magazine as one of America's healthiest restaurants. Fortunately there is one here in Seoul, which is one of the few restaurants I can eat at in South Korea. Since it is a bakery, and makes sandwiches and bread bowls, you must eat there with caution. The company is well aware of common allergens and lists these allergens on their online menu. I have never been sick from the Oriental Chicken Salad (with balsamic olive oil dressing) and never been disappointed from this restaurant.

Say hello to...Burt's Bees lip balm.

When it comes to moisturizing my lips, I look no farther than Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm. It comes in several flavors as well as glosses, but I prefer the original. Why not moisturize your lips with natural products that are good for both you and the environment? Besides the lip balm, Burt's Bees offers many other fantastic gluten-free products. Check out their complete product list.

Say hello to...balsamic roast potatoes.

I found this recipe when I was browsing recipes online one day. Unfortunately I can't give credit to the person who created this recipe since I failed to write that information down. However, it's worthy to share with others since it is incredibly tasty!

Ingredients

1kg peeled potatoes

1/2 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

handfuls of sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic

For dressing:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

fresh lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. Mix dressing ingredients (balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and sugar) in a tight container, shake well, and set aside.

3. Pour olive oil in a roasting tray and place in a pre-heated oven to heat oil.

4. Par-boil potatoes in salt water (or microwave if you're lazy). Drain and shake edges roughly. Season with lots of salt and pepper.

5. Remove oil from oven and place garlic and potatoes in tray. Toss to cover with oil.

6. Place in oven and cook 40-45min, turning 2-3 times. Halfway through add a handful of fresh herbs.

7. When finished, pour off most of the oil. Pour dressing over potatoes. Serve immediately.

Say hello to...Chex cereal.

It's been a little over a year since General Mills formulated a version of gluten-free Rice Chex. I was content just knowing that I could purchase atleast one gf cereal at a local grocery store. But wait, it gets much better than this. General Mills has recently re-formulated Corn Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Strawberry Chex, and Honey Nut Chex to be gf. These cereals will be clearly marked gf on the cereal box and will be available in the U.S on June 1st, 2009. What a great advance for General Mills and us- I can hardly wait to try them :)

Say goodbye to...MAC cosmetics.

I usually talk about things that ARE gluten-free, but it can be equally useful in knowing what ISN'T gluten-free. Before I realized that eyeshadows and mascara could contain gluten, I used MAC. After contacting the company and receiving a response MUCH later, I learned that the following products contained gluten: splashproof mascara, star violet eye shadow (barley and wheat germ extract), and all that glitters eye shadow (barley and wheat germ extract). From that point on I decided ONLY to use makeup from companies that had a gf line of makeup. If you're looking for that kind of company check out Afterglow Cosmetics or Everyday Minerals.

Say hello to...Heinz gf list.

I was surprised when I saw how many items were on the Heinz gluten-free list on their website. I was going to simply paste the gf items on my blog, but there were too many! I really appreciated how thorough the list was, even listing the countries where the products were produced. Keep in mind that product formulations can change so be sure to carefully read product labels to ensure that the products remain gluten-free. Happy shopping :)

Say hello to...Zesty Rice Crisps.

If you haven't yet seen these on the shelves of health food stores or grocery stores, you should definitely be on the lookout. I thought they would taste like any other rice cracker, but they make no mistake when saying that these crackers are 'zesty'. Very different from Mary's Gone Crackers Crackers since they don't have any seeds in them but definitely tasty in comparison. These baked crackers taste great with hummus, with cheese and pickles, or simply by themselves. If you can't seem to find them in stores, you'll always find them online at the Gluten Free Mall.

Say hello to...homemade hummus.

Hummus is a quick and easy delicious dip that everyone should learn how to make. It's also a great appetizer for when you're entertaining guests at your place. Here's my specialty recipe:

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves (according to taste preference)

2 15oz cans chickpeas

1/2 cup tahini

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup Organic Ville sun-dried tomato & garlic organic vinaigrette

1/2 tsp salt

handful of fresh parsley

1. In a blender combine mashed garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water, vinaigrette dressing. Process until smooth.

2. Add salt to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley and/or pine nuts.

*Add other spices according to your taste; cumin, curry, pepper, etc.