Gluten-free week - the finale

Here we are, at the end of the journey. This is perhaps unexpected, but I don't exactly look forward to gluten-full meals. Is that strange? Having discovered that I can survive without gluten, I no longer feel a slave to bread and pastries as I once declared myself. Food is just fuel. We should eat the foods that nourish us and avoid those that harm us, whatever those foods are. Probably the key for the success of any cleansing diet is to take things lightly: don't go cold turkey, don't deny yourself treats and don't overindulge in forbidden foods once the cleanse is over. Be moderate, listen to your body and be kind to it.

This being said, I think gluten-free is something that everyone should try once. It's an experiment, and for many of us it will be an entirely new experience. I, for one, had never given up bread and cereal for any extended period of time before this. Maybe it will change the way you live. Maybe it will expand your knowledge of food and your palate. Maybe it will make you love cooking. Or maybe it will just give you something to write about. Who knows? Like any challenge, this could go anywhere.

To wrap things up, yesterday we went really simple with a brunch of breakfast and fruit and a dinner of soup and cornbread. Not too fancy. A fitting adieu to an adventurous two weeks.

For brunch, delicious buckwheat pancakes with butter and maple syrup. My favorite pancakes so far.

Pancakes go very well with fruit, did you know? Take a look at this very photogenic cantaloupe.

Dinner was innovative this time. We made a chicken two pepper corn chowder with soft goat cheese, our own invention. I was nervous, but... 

it was awesome. By the way: soft goat cheese in soup - brilliant!

The chowder didn't turn out as thick as it should have, because I kept desperately pouring broth into the pot. But it was all for the best, because I personally like more liquid in my soup. Plus, the goat cheese made it taste incredible. 

No respectable corn chowder should present itself without cornbread. This is the best version I've had so far: no sugar, no wheat, no milk, but rice flour, maple syrup and lots of olive oil.

Recipes for buckwheat pancakes and dairy-free cornbread.