Since one of my closest friends became gluten-free, I have been overly aware of what she can or cannot eat and drink every time we go out. I had no idea how hard it would be for her and it seems that everything yummy has gluten. Not really sure what being ‘gluten-free’ meant, I decided to ask a nutritionist for an explanation as well as some easy swaps for everyday foods. At the end of this post she shares her lesson.

Meanwhile, with my endless Holiday Entertaining I wanted to make a festive Holiday cocktail drink that I knew she could enjoy, so I was thrilled to create the gluten-free Moscow Mules with gluten-free vodka from Tito’s. A Moscow mule is a buck or mule cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer, mint, and lime served in a copper mug {similar here} garnished with a wedge of lime. Fun fact: these drinks actually became popular during the vodka craze in the 1950’s, but just this season they are having made a big comeback!

Here is the recipe to creating a Gluten-Free Moscow Mule {which means opting for gluten-free vodka}. The key item is the copper mugs you serve them in – aren’t they so fun?! I especially love the way these mugs look over-flowing with garnish so I went a little overboard with my greens. Lastly, so that guests know that it’s gluten-free, it’s best to display the drinks alongside your tray or bar cart when serving.

Gluten-Free Moscow Mule Ingredients:

• 1 lime
• 2 ounces Tito’s vodka {a shot and a half}
• 5 ounces ginger beer {3.5 shots}
• 1 mint stalk per glass

Directions: Cut lime in half. Squeeze 1/2 lime into mug. Add 2 or 3 large ice cubes, then pour in the vodka. Fill to top with cold ginger beer. Stir with a stirring rod {or mint stalk}. Add Mint stalk to replace your stirrer. Use 1/4 lime wedge as garnish on the rim.

Advice on eating and drinking Gluten-Free from Casey Simmons, Certified Nutritionist.

Casey writes: To go along with The Fashionable Hostess’ yummy holiday recipes, I wanted to give you a little background information on what it means to be gluten-free and why gluten-free may be a smart choice for you!

I’m sure you have heard about following a gluten-free diet but it’s important that you know what gluten is and why you may want to stay away from it. Gluten is a protein composite that is found in wheat, rye, and barley. What gluten does is act as glue in breads to help the dough keep its shape. Your body sees a certain protein in gluten as bacteria. This causes your immune system to attack the bacteria and affecting your digestive tract.

It is very important that people with Celiac Disease stay away from gluten because it can damage the lining of the small intestine keeping your body from absorbing important nutrients. But what if you don’t have Celiac disease? Well, Celiac disease is on the rise and many people remain undiagnosed. Gluten may not seem to affect you, but gluten sensitivity is becoming more and more common. Gluten offers no nutritional value and can cause abdominal pain and negative effects to your intestine. Wheat gluten can be addictive causing unnatural cravings for bread and is also associated with autoimmune diseases meaning that your immune system attacks things that are found naturally in your body. There have even been studies that show gluten being involved with neurological illness.

I am gluten-free and since I cut it out of my diet, I found myself with more energy and very rarely do I get cravings like I used to. Go gluten-free for 30 days and see how you feel; you have nothing to lose!

Here’s a few food gluten-free food swaps:

1. Instead of pasta, try spaghetti squash! Way lower in carbs, calories, and gluten-free. {Ideas here}
2. Instead of granola, try Flax Snax! Filled with healthy fats, lower in carbs and calories, same crunchy filling texture, but gluten-free!
3. Start eating lettuce wraps instead of sandwiches; get rid of that yucky bread!

See other tips from Casey in these posts.

So give your holiday parties a new twist that’s delicious, looks festive, and gluten-free! Cheers!

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