gluten-free kids in the kitchen

Way back in June, my girl Lily and I went to the Canadian Celiac Association‘s national conference in Mississauga, hosted by the Halton Peel Chapter.

We were there for the food! Lily participated and I volunteered in a cooking class for kids that ran as part of the conference’s youth program “Surviving Gluten Free.”

After a short bus ride from the conference site to the PC Cooking School at Loblaws, we donned our aprons and got busy. Here are the kids baking buns for subs. What a fun, yummy morning!

Gluten-free buns fresh from the oven.

Quick and easy tri-colour pasta salad.

And, voila! Turkey sub on fresh-baked bread with a side of pasta salad. Lily was stoked to be eating a sub that she made herself! She was just so happy to be able to take part in a cooking class, period.

Doughnut holes BEFORE

Waiting excitedly…

Doughnut holes AFTER

Chef and registered dietitian Amanda Li and chef Monique van den Wildenberg helped the kids whip up a gluten-free feast.

They tossed the hot doughnut holes (which were actually shaped more like mini muffins) in a cinnamon/icing sugar mix.

A hole in one!

Energetic youth program coordinator Jaime Plain did a super job of organizing an educational, camp-like weekend for kids with celiac—the CCA’s first conference youth program! Look at this happy camper! Jaime, you rock!