First Days of Celiacs

One Friday morning I got a call from my GI doctor's nurse telling me that my blood tests came back positive for Celiac's disease. Prior to this, I had had what seems like every conceivable test known to man. His first reaction was that my stomach problems were caused by my vegetarian diet saying "vegetarian is like being herbivore, humans cannot digest." I was appalled at the notion that my terrible stomach discomfort was caused, not by eating fatty, genetically engineered meats, but by eating vegetables and whole grains. As a last ditch effort my eastern European GI doctor suggested I have a few more blood tests done.
I was completely devastated because it seemed to me my entire life revolved around wheat. My friends call me the pie lady and my favorite food is toast. I had a really hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that TOAST was making me sick. So I decided I would start my life wheat free the next day. That Friday, to celebrate my last day of eating wheat I went to get my favorite red velvet cupcakes. Then went for pizza and a pitcher beer.
Saturday, I felt like complete shit. My joints hurt and I felt run down. I went to my local grocery store to to do a quick shop, start with finding some cereal. I found 3 gluten free cereals out of the hundreds in my big grocery store. I was used to eating granola and Kashi shredded wheat cereals, Rice Chex was not what I was looking for. That night I made quinoa and veggies for dinner, which I love, so it wasn't terribly disappointing. I love quinoa. Being a vegetarian, it is highly versatile and protein rich.
My standard quinoa recipe is to take a cup of red or white quinoa and brown it over medium heat in a saucepan with olive oil. Then add two cups of water and bring to a boil. From there I add a tablespoon of vegetarian Better than Bullion (a paste bullion substitute) and two bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium love and cover. Some nights when I'm feeling lazy I just steam frozen mixed veggies, add a dollop of earth balance and some dried sage and serve it over quinoa.
Sunday I made the thirty minute drive to Whole Foods to go in search of a wider selection of processed gluten free foods. I found a large dedicated gluten free section. They had frozen dinners, donuts, cookies, crackers, and a variety of other snacks. I also did a build your own six pack of gluten free beers. And to my great joy I found whole foods brand frozen, wheat-free pie crusts.
I rushed home to make a blueberry pie to eat my sorrows away. If you've never had a wheat free pie crust, you should try it. They are different from the traditional pie crusts. They have a grainier texture but aren't terrible. The pie was extremely satisfying warm with vanilla ice cream. All in all there seemed to be some hope that I would be able to bake and eat toast again.