September monthly round-up

Ok, so I’m trying something new this month - a roundup of September's food news from the blogosphere and scientific studies, a compilation of some of the links and info I’ve shared on my various social media sites and recipes posted this month.  Please let me know what you think of this!  To stay up to date with my happenings off-the-blog, make sure you follow me on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!

In the News: (Stuff that’s been going on in the news & the blogosphere)

Arsenic in Rice

* A report by Consumer Reports has found high levels of inorganic arsenic in rice grown in the US.  The FDA was asked to get involved, and has been testing rice.  Rice naturally contains small amounts of organic arsenic, but what they’re finding is leftover arsenic from the pre-1980’s when insecticides with arsenic were in common use.  So far it’s not looking good (i.e. people have been tested with having higher levels of arsenic in their urine after consuming small amounts of rice), but we’re urged to not jump to any conclusions quite yet as more testing needs to be done. 

Until more conclusive studies are done, it’s a good idea to wash and soak rice in the traditional fashion:

- Run rice under water, swirl several times (the water will get cloudy) and drain.  Repeat 4-5 times until the water runs clear. 

- Then, for every 1 cup of rice soak it in 6 cups water overnight and drain before cooking.  Cook in more water than needed – bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes and drain off the excess water when done.     

This should help to remove some of the arsenic. 

This is a blow for people with celiac, gluten and wheat sensitivities since rice is such a staple in most of our diets.  I don’t want to freak out and cause a panic that will harm the livelihood of the farmers who work so hard to provide us with rice and grains, but I may consider limiting our rice consumption (in a variety of forms - think rice cakes, rice flour, cooked rice, etc) to some extent until more info is available. 

Other GF grain options include millet, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum and buckwheat (unless you have Oral Allergy Syndrome, buckwheat is on the OAS chart).  These all work pretty much like rice with the same preparation. For alternative bread options, check out my Flaxmeal Sandwich Bread, SproutedRed Lentil Bread and Sprouted Brown Lentil Bread.

For more on this, check out some of these other newspapers and bloggers more detailed articles.

From the Huffington Post

On the Real Food Forager

ALSO: 

* There was a recall on contaminated beef in Canada so make sure you’re beef is safe.  

 

* Mitt Romney and Monsanto

* For your own safety, you’ll want to check this out this article regarding hidden wheat in cosmetics if you’re celiac, have gluten and wheat allergies, or Oral Allergy Syndrome. 

 OTHER UPDATES:

* The Oral Allergy Syndrome chart on the OAS page has been updated and expanded to include a wider list of foods based on recent research. 

* September 4^th I attended Taste of Madison and shared some photos and info on those booths that offered GF food on Google+, Pinterest and Facebook.  

* I attended a fabulous 5.5hr Cheesemaking class at the Willy Street Co-op in Madison, WI, and hope to share some of that wonderful info with you here eventually.

* P & GF is now on Pinterest!  I’ve got boards for other GF recipes I’d like to try, along with some regular glutinous recipes I’d like to try and convert to GF so follow me on Pinterest to check out what recipes I’ve got my eye on!

http://pinterest.com/glutenfreecheap/

* The P & GF site has changed its look! Woo hoo! Things have been cleaned up a bit, a page has been added specifically for reviews of restaurants, places, products and other random things that need reviewing, as well as an About P&GF page to help you learn more about me.  Stay tuned for more updates and changes…

LAST MONTH'S FUN NATIONAL FOOD DAYS:

September 13 – Snack a Pickle Day (?? Someone help me out here, I don’t know what that means!)

September 19 – Butterscotch Pudding Day

September 20 – Rum Punch Day

September 23 – White Chocolate Day

September 26 – Pancake Day (I shared my GF, EF pancake recipe)

September 27 – Milk Chocolate Day

September 28 – Drink Beer Day! (Check out some of my suggestions for GF beer and where to find it)

September 29 – Coffee Day (check out How to Make Turkish Coffee for a belated celebration J )

RECIPES POSTED THIS MONTH:

My absolutely favorite recipe this month (and a bit of a personal triumph for me ;): Holy Moly GF BeetRavioli

This month I went a bit nutty experimenting with Patty Pan squash from the Dane County Famers Market, and made 3 recipes with them, along with some info on their nutritional value and other potential uses. 

Steamed Patty Pan and some other suggestions for using Patty Pan Squash

Thai Inspired Patty PanSquash 

Patty Pan Squash Ravioli Filling with Balsamic Browned Butter Sauce 

Some other things I was cooking up this month:

Steamed Kale Salad with Beets andSweet Tamari Salad Dressing   

How to Make Turkish Coffee inhonour of National Coffee Day!  

GF Ground Cherry Mini Pie, andsome recipe link for ground cherries

Sign up to follow me on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter to stay up to date on happenings, articles and food days as they happen!  

Also, please let me know if you have a piece of food news that you think people should know about!  If you have a blog, link you article below.  If not, leave a link to the news article, or email me at Bellyopudge AT gmail DOT com.