May Family Farms Gluten-Free Deli Meat

May Family Farms has introduced a line of deli meats that are all gluten-free!


They proudly feature that their products are gluten-free, both in TV commercials and right on their packages.


There are eleven different flavours, including Cajun, BBQ, Original, Smoked, Thai and more.


I have to mention... I have heard a few people online say they avoid May Family Farms products because the package says, "Processed in a facility with wheat."

I decided to contact May Family Farms to see what they had to say about this.  How can they call the products gluten-free if they're from the same facility as wheat?

They kindly responded right away with the following:

May Family Farms Deli products are all gluten free. The statement that appears on the back of the package which reads: "Processed in a facility that contains soy, wheat and egg", appears as a matter of transparency. We want our customers to know that although our products are gluten-free, our facility is not a gluten-free facility.

All of our customers should be assured that, although our gluten-free deli products are produced in a facility that contains wheat as a source of gluten, the products are produced under a stringent allergen control program. We have been HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) certified since 1998. HACCP is a process management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing and distribution. Our suppliers must also comply to the same standards.

Since there currently is no regulation establishing an acceptable threshold of gluten for "gluten-free" claims in Canada, for our own internal standards we use the Health Canada recommended level of <5ppm (parts per million)in the finished product. Our compliance to these standards are verified by a random testing protocol. This is much lower than that recommended by the Canadian Celiac Association which is 20 ppm. We adhere to a stringent allergen control program in order to achieve these results and are compliant to the current allergen regulations as required by the Food and Drugs Act, in all respects.

So there ya have it. I don't personally eat meat (vegetarian for 12 years) but if I did, I'm certain I would feel comfortable with their testing policy and the procedures in place to ensure the products remain gluten-free.

My Celiac Tattoo

Here's my tattoo.  It is a green Celiac Disease Awareness Ribbon on my right shoulder blade.  I got it done when I was 21 and no regrets :)

Anyone else have a Celiac-related tattoo?

Gluten-Free Veggie Lasagna

I'm not a big fan of recipes where you have to be precise with measurements.  This is roughly based on a recipe I used pre-Celiac days.

Gluten-Free Veggie Lasagna 

Sauce 
Splash of olive oil
A bunch of sliced mushrooms
One green pepper
One small red pepper
One small yellow pepper
One medium zucchini 
Jar of pasta sauce
Jar of salsa 


Cheese Mixture
One egg white
Container of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 


Other
About 10 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 


Directions
Heat large pot with oil.  Add the veggies and saute until soft.


Add pasta sauce and salsa to pot and simmer for about three minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat.


Mix egg white, ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese in medium bowl.


In a medium-large sized lasagna pan, assemble in the following layers: 


(starting at the bottom)
1/3 cup sauce
Half lasagna noodles
1/2 cheese mixture
1/2 remaining sauce
1/2 mozzarella cheese
Half lasagna noodles
1/2 cheese mixture
Remaining sauce
Remaining mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
(top of lasagna) 


Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350*F for about 45 minutes.   


Uncover and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.  


Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Serves 6-10.

 As you can probably tell, I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as too much cheese!

I am proud to say that this lasagna passed the "Dad test" - my dad is not vegetarian OR gluten-free but he said he liked it.  "It doesn't taste like it's missing meat or gluten."

Of course you can use any veggies you prefer.  Broccoli and spinach would work well!

The trick is to use lasagna noodles that don't need to be pre-cooked - I used Rizopia.


I used Classico Four Cheese pasta sauce - according to the website, all Classico sauces are gluten-free!  Tostitos Mild Salsa is on the Canadian Frito Lay gluten-free list.

And most cheeses should be gluten-free. (Thankfully!)

Bon Appetit!