Gluten-Free Girl - by Shauna James Ahern (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"A delightful memoir of learning to eat superbly while remaining gluten free." -Newsweek magazine

"Give yourself a treat! Gluten-Free Girl offers delectable tips on dining and living with zest-gluten-free. This is a story for anyone who is interested in changing his or her life from the inside out!" --Alice Bast, executive director National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

"Shauna's food, the ignition of healthy with delicious, explodes with flavor--proof positive that people who choose to eat gluten-free can do it with passion, perfection, and power." --John La Puma, MD, New York Times bestselling co-author of The RealAge Diet and Cooking the RealAge Way

"A breakthrough first book by a gifted writer not at all what I expected from a story about living with celiac disease. Foodies everywhere will love this book. Celiacs will make it their bible." --Linda Carucci, author of Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks and IACP Cooking Teacher of the Year, 2002

An entire generation was raised to believe that cooking meant opening a box, ripping off the plastic wrap, adding water, or popping it in the microwave. Gluten-Free Girl, with its gluten-free healthful approach, seeks to bring a love of eating back to our diets. Living gluten-free means having to give up traditional bread, beer, pasta, as well as the foods where gluten likes to hide--such as store-bought ice cream, chocolate bars, even nuts that might have been dusted with flour. However, Gluten-Free Girl shows readers how to say yes to the foods they can eat. Written by award-winning blogger Shauna James, who became interested in food once she was diagnosed with celiac disease and went gluten-free, Gluten-Free Girl is filled with funny accounts of the author's own life including wholesome, delicious recipes, this book will guide readers to the simple pleasures of real, healthful food. Includes dozens of recipes like salmon with blackberry sauce, sorghum bread, and lemon olive oil cookies as well as resources for those living gluten-free.

From the Back Cover

Do you love food? Do you, or someone you love, have to avoid certain foods? Imagine passing on the pizza during your honeymoon in Rome, or skipping the sugar cookies your sister makes at Christmas. Shauna James Ahern understands your pain--literally. After years of inexplicable exhaustion and endless medical tests, she found relief in her diagnosis of celiac disease. After giving up gluten, she learned how to live well and love food more fully. Now you can, too!

In Gluten-Free Girl, Shauna James Ahern shares the journey that changed her from a typical Gen-X processed-food junkie to a fun-loving foodie who enjoys cooking and living gluten-free--naturally. Readers from around the world have followed her stories and insights on her award-winning blog, glutenfreegirl.com. Now she shows you how to say yes to a gluten-free lifestyle, too, and embrace a whole new world of fresh foods and flavors.

Even if you never learned to cook, Shauna shows you how to feel comfortable in the kitchen. You'll discover (or rediscover) the kick of ginger, the irresistible crunch of fresh greens, and other delicious delights. She gives you dozens of terrific recipes that everyone will love, such as Curried Carrot Soup, Chicken Thighs Braised in Pomegranate Molasses, Crusty Sorghum Bread, and Fig Cookies. Her dishes focus on ingredients that are naturally gluten-free. She has not simply reworked recipes and plugged in gluten-free substitutes--these are original recipes. You'll also find important guidance on navigating everyday life without being "glutenized," from reading between the lines of food labels to traveling and eating out safely and successfully.

Enlivened with funny accounts of Shauna's experiences, this book is as entertaining to read as it is to prop up in the kitchen. Whether she's reminiscing about the Wonder Bread and fried-bologna sandwiches of her childhood or musing on the pork-chop-shaped mouse pad she won at a professional cooking conference, her stories are lively and interesting.

Part memoir, part best friend giving advice, part cookbook--and all inspiring--Gluten-Free Girl will put the spring back in your step and your diet, one delicious meal at a time.

Review Quotes

"A delightful memoir of learning to eat superbly while remaining gluten free." -Newsweek magazine

"Give yourself a treat! Gluten-Free Girl offers delectable tips on dining and living with zest-gluten-free. This is a story for anyone who is interested in changing his or her life from the inside out!" --Alice Bast, executive director National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

"Shauna's food, the ignition of healthy with delicious, explodes with flavor--proof positive that people who choose to eat gluten-free can do it with passion, perfection, and power." --John La Puma, MD, New York Times bestselling co-author of The RealAge Diet and Cooking the RealAge Way

"A breakthrough first book by a gifted writer not at all what I expected from a story about living with celiac disease. Foodies everywhere will love this book. Celiacs will make it their bible." --Linda Carucci, author of Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks and IACP Cooking Teacher of the Year, 2002

* Blogger Ahern's story sheds light on celiac disease, a little-known and difficult-to-diagnose autoimmune condition. Those afflicted cannot digest gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, rye, and related grains. Ahern explains how she learned of her malady and found that she was able to enjoy food while avoiding gluten. She even met and married a chef. This entertaining memoir includes gluten-free gourmet recipes. (Library Journal, February 1, 2008)

About the Author

Shauna James Ahern has loved food all her lie. In May 2005, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, a fate that she embraced joyfully. Immediately after going gluten-free, she started a food blog, glutenfreegirl.com, where she shares stories, photographs, and recipes. Her Web site won best Food blog with a Theme in 2006 and receives thousands of hits a day. She is considered one of the most authoritative sources on gluten-free living on the Internet. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Daniel Ahern, a professional chef. She doesn't miss gluten at all.