Looking for a good gluten free salad?  Here is one I recommend you check out:

All Season Whole Grain Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (250 ml) wild rice blend
• 1 cup (250 ml) quinoa
• Seeds of pomegranate*
• ½ cup (125 ml) sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) sliced green onions
• 1 pear, unpeeled, cored, chopped
• Grated peel and juice from 1 large orange
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (10 ml) Dijon mustard

Baking Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of water and the wild rice blend to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
3. Add the quinoa and stir completely.
4. Return to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool and then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl and chill in the refrigerator. The quinoa and rice mixture can be prepared 1 day in advance if you need to save time.
7. Add the pomegranate seeds, toasted almonds, green onions, pear and orange peel to the chilled grains.
8. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of the orange juice, vinegar, oil and Dijon mustard and then pour this dressing over the salad.
9. Make sure to mix the salad well and then chill for 30 minutes before eating.

[Recipe Courtesy of Medical History Today]

Here is today’s batch of Celiac News & Blog Notes:

• Kids Health has posted a post about Celiac Disease and how it relates to kids.
• Newsleader has a great story up about how Celiac Disease strengthened their family.
• GoDailyFree.org talks about how Nutritious Creations has finally jumped into the gluten free foods market.

It seems like each day young children are now being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. The good news is that the gluten free food industry has taken steps to adapt and fill this need with the recent announcement of the first completely gluten free baby food.

CULVER CITY, Calif. - (Business Wire) Baby food category innovator Homemade Baby® , America’s first and only FRESH all-organic baby food, has become the only certified gluten-free brand of baby food in the USA. While gluten-free products are available from other baby food brands, Homemade Baby is the only baby food brand serving all recipes certified gluten-free.

Collaborating closely with The Gluten-Free Certification Organization, Homemade Baby was the first brand to obtain gluten-free approval & certification for its entire brand. The 10 scrumptious recipes can be part of a healthy gluten-free diet for babies and toddlers.

According to The Gluten-Free Certification Organization, gluten is a general name for storage proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten intolerance or sensitivity may cause health problems for some babies. FOOD TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE cited gluten-free products as one of America’s Top Ten Food Trends as gluten-free fare is gaining significant consumer importance.

More good stuff in today’s edition of Celiac News and Blog Notes:

• The LA Times answers the question, Can Coconut Stop Chronic Diarrhea?
• The Balding Blog answers the question, How Can Celiac Disease Cause Hair Loss?
• Gluten Free DA addresses how to approach weight gain from eating gluten free.
• The CorePsychBlog has posted some interesting notes about Gluten.

These posts are no joke (pun intended). Enjoy!