by Aline Maillard, Switzerland 

This year, the CYE board decided to visit Zagreb, specifically the youth organization CeliVita, for our first in-person board meeting. Antonio and Jana (our delegate) from the CeliVita board remarkably established an active and hospitable coeliac youth organization in less than 2 years! This is why the CYE board was ever so eager to see them in action. Unfortunately, Amalie was not able to join us on the trip, so she participated remotely in our board meetings. 

When we arrived, we were invited to the CeliVita headquarters, which they share with a gluten-free bakery, for a youth event. We made “palačinke” (Croatian pancakes) and enjoyed them in the company of fellow CeliVita members. Our conversations traversed the paths of our diagnoses, the diverse structures of youth groups across different countries, and the prospective trajectories of our organizations. 

The next day started with board meetings, followed by delicious gluten-free bagels for lunch. In the afternoon, we enjoyed a guided city tour led by Jana, immersing ourselves in the culture of Zagreb. On our way back, Paula and I stopped at a gluten-free bakery (purely for research purposes, of course!). 

We spent our evening in a local bar, where we tasted the local drink “rakija” and dived deeper into conversations with Jana and Antonio, gaining valuable insights into their roles and CeliVita as an organization. 

On Sunday, we managed to catch a sliver of sunshine right before our board meeting; a welcoming change after the off-and-on rain we experienced so far. We spent the late afternoon with CeliVita, meeting for teatime and visiting the famous Museum of Broken Relationships. 

On Monday, we managed to fit in some shopping; souvenirs and the essential acquisitions of gluten-free delicacies, of course. After our farewell lunch with Jana, we headed back to our Airbnb and started packing and cleaning. We cooked some Fajitas for dinner, tidied up, and then reluctantly set the alarm for 05:15 o’clock the next morning, marking our departure from this enriching experience. 

by Aline Maillard, Switzerland

We all know it; we’re invited to a fancy work party and there are cakes, puddings, cookies, muffins, whatever the heart desires. Just not in gluten-free. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we ask for gluten-free options and get a fruit salad. Or as it was in my case, an orange. Don’t get me wrong, it was a tasty orange, but it still pained this little sweet tooth’s heart.  

So, I took it upon myself and offered a little gluten-free dessert buffet at my Birthday Party. Just to prove, that there’s more than fruit salad.  

I made a matcha cake, that I can strongly recommend; it’s absolutely delicious. The recipe is by Thy Than and you can find the cake recipe here on YouTube. Its slight bitterness goes well with the insanely chocolaty brownies that I also made (recipe down below). And, to round it off with something fruity and of course as an hommage to that singular orange, I made an orange Tiramisu (please don’t come for me; I do prefer fruit Tiramisu).  

Now, in order for the whole “happy ending” aspect of this article, I’ve included my CHOCOLATE brownies recipe down below for you to try out yourselves! (Caps Lock is intended; they’re very very chocolaty).

CHOCOLATE Brownies

Preparation: 30 min 
Baking: 25-30 min @ 180 °C 

Ingredients: 

200 g gluten-free flour mix (take whatever you have, it is a very forgiving recipe) 
1/2 tbsp salt 
1/2 tbsp baking soda 
225 g butter 
300 g sugar 
60 ml coffee  
350 g dark chocolate 
“1” vanilla thingy (you can use a package of vanilla sugar or, like I prefer, about 1/4 tbsp of vanilla paste.) 
4 eggs 
150 g walnuts 

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 °C.  
2. Mix the flour, salt and the baking soda in a bowl.   
3. Chop the chocolate into pieces. Put the butter in a big cooking pot. Add the sugar to the butter and then add the cut chocolate to the pot. Add the coffee and your preferred vanilla thingy.  
4. Melt everything together at about medium heat and under constant stirring.  
5. Let the mixture cool down for about 3 min and mix in the 4 eggs. Add the dry ingredients. Then cut the walnuts in big-ish but not too big-ish chunks and add them to your mixture. 
6. Prepare a baking tray or your preferred brownie mould by buttering it up quite thoroughly.  
7. Put your brownie dough on your tray, spread it evenly and then put it in the oven for about 25-30 min @ 180 °C. The brownies are supposed to be rather moist when you take them out. So don’t worry, that’s intentional.  

8. Enjoy!

How did FACE Joven come about?

FACE Joven, our youth association, was created in 2008 when a group of Spanish young people with coeliac disease, including Jon Zabala (former president of FACE) and Beatriz Delgado (current president of the region of Cantabria) got together in order to promote the organisation of activities aimed at the youngest members of all the associations.

Thanks to the initiative of these two people, FACE Joven started to organise small gatherings, growing with the passing of time, making new activities, such as the new activities, such as the conferences, workshops, summer camps or even the CYE Summer Camp.

Moreover, I would like to mention CYE, more or less the European FACE Joven, which, although much remains to be done, is achieving, on the one hand, the union of various youth associations and, on the other hand, it facilitates mobility between European countries with projects such as Travel Net.

What is the current situation of coeliac disease among young people?

In spite of the progress that has been made and tools such as FACEMOVIL, one of the current main problems is eating out, as the options are limited and it is almost impossible to improvise.

Therefore, it is important to have friends who understand the disease and what a gluten- free diet is all about. However, one of the things that I have realised while travelling is how advanced we are in Spain, thanks to all the associations and thanks to all the projects that are implemented such as the hospitality project (Restauración).

What kind of activities do you carry out? How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected in this regard?

All our face-to-face activities such as the camps, the conferences had to be cancelled, however, despite the difficulties, we continued to meet online and achieved a lot. We also took advantage of social media in order to carry activities during the last two years.

But finally, at the end of 2021, we started carrying out “standard” activities again; and we haven’t stopped since. From the Board of FACE Joven, we have big plans which we will keep you informed about.

What are the problems that you encounter on a day-to-day basis?

As in all places, sometimes there is a certain resistance to change. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we won’t stop fighting for what we are entitled to have and achieve our goals.

How do you combine studies, life and work with the FACE Joven secretariat?

Hahahaha! Well, I put “the balancing” with quotation marks, but organisation is key. However, above anything, all of this is possible thanks to the great team that we are in FACE Joven, where we organise ourselves to divide the work work between all of us.

What are the main demands of the youngest members of the coeliac community?

Advocacy is currently one of our main actions. Recently, we have joined the Spanish Youth Council – Consejo de la Juventud de España (CJE) – and the Platform of Children’s Organisations – la Plataforma de Organizaciones de la Infancia -, as well as having meetings with the Spanish Presidency of the Government or the Ministry of Social Rights.

Clearly, the major milestone shared by all Spanish coeliac associations is the implementation of public policies by the public administrations. The aforementioned policies guarantee the full inclusion of the coeliac community, in compliance with the obligation of the public authorities to promote equality and remove obstacles that prevent or hinder its fullness, as in this case the coeliac condition.

More specifically, we propose three measures: an effective diagnosis by carrying out a study of the population; the implementation of safe menus for for all allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease in all social action centres (as schools are already); and finally, the implementation of financial support measures.

Finally, I would like to mention Maria van der Hofstadt (former President of FACE Joven and former CYE delegate) and Izaskun Martín (former FACE worker), my godmothers in the coeliac movement and from whom I have learned the most. None of this would have been possible without them.

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the creation of the High Commissioner, a virtual presentation of new projects was held to which FACE Joven was invited.

The main tool presented is the development of a collaborative space, with the aim of working together by pooling resources, skills and experiences aimed at the shared purpose of eradicating poverty in children and adolescents. Therefore, the main purpose of this alliance is to promote equality, through fiscal benefits, joint participation and the achievement of agreements between public administrations, companies and foundations, among other entities.

From FACE Joven, a official note was made to the High Commission Against Child Poverty in order to convey certain demands, such as the need to include gluten-free menus in schools at affordable prices, as the price gap causes certain social marginalisation of children whose families cannot afford a higher price.

We also request that the inclusion of a gluten-free diet for children with coeliac disease living in sheltered homes for minors be considered, as in their situation of vulnerability, they should grow up in an environment of safety and protection.

Therefore, from FACE (the Spanish Coeliac Federation) and FACE Joven (the young section of FACE) we claim the need for children with coeliac disease not to be in inequality with respect to the general child population.

Easter is coming up! We asked our delegates what a typical dish is in their country during these days. We will share a few recipes with you below. Who knows? Maybe you will find your new favourite!

HEALTHY GLUTEN-FREE SPANISH EASTER CAKES “MONAS”

Ingredients

– 3 very ripe bananas. It can also be sweetened with raw honey and dates. Up to your liking
– 100 ml hazelnut and rice drink with no added sugars
– 200 ml milk
– 2 eggs
– 60 g butter
– 12 g fresh yeast
– 400 g wholemeal buckwheat flour (it’s advisable to combine buckwheat flour with almond flour)
– Dark chocolate (85%)
– Toppings: candied fruit, coloured noodles….

Preparation

1. Mash the bananas well.
2. Add the 2 eggs, flour and butter.
3. Dilute the fresh yeast in the milk and/or warm vegetable drink.
4. Mix everything together and leave to rise for 1-1.5 hours.
5. Once fermented, make the shape of the cakes “monas” and place on baking paper on a baking tray.
6. Add the toppings and filling (if you prefer).
7. Bake in the oven at 200º for 10 minutes and then lower to 180º until well done (when you put a toothpick in the oven, no liquid comes out, about 15 minutes).

Recommendations:
– Add some filling to make it juicier: chocolate, jam, custard, marmalade, cream…
– Add candied fruit and coloured noodles.
– Brush egg yolk on top of the “monas” before baking.
– Enjoy your time drawing on the Easter eggs or colouring them.😝

STUFFED EGGS WITH CURRY AND CHIVES

The classic at every Dutch Easter lunch table Super easy to make yourself.

Ingredients

– 4 eggs
– 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
– 1 tablespoon of yoghurt
– 1 teaspoon of mustard
– Pinch of paprika powder
– Pinch of curry powder
– Fresh chives

Preparation

1. Boil the eggs hard in about 10 minutes.
2. Plunge the eggs in cold water.
3. Peel the eggs and cut them in half.
4. Take out the egg yolk with a fork or knife and put it in a bowl.
5. Mash it finely with a fork.
6. Add the mayonnaise, yoghurt, mustard, paprika and curry powder and mix well.
7. Put the mixture in a piping bag and make nice tufts in the egg whites and sprinkle with chives.

KWAREŻIMAL

A Maltese special traditional sweet.

It is advisable to roast the almonds, the Kwareżimal will keep much longer with roasted almonds.

Ingredients

– 225 g pure ground almonds (it is advisable to roast the almonds, the Kwareżimal will keep much longer with roasted almonds)
– 225 g sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
– 170 g of gluten-free flour
– Grated lemon peel
– 1 tablespoon flower water (ilma żahar)

Preparation

1. Mix the almonds, sugar and cinnamon.
2. Add the orange flower water, grate lemon peel and flour.
3. Mix well into a dough adding a little water to bind.
4. Cut dough into pieces of 4 inches long and 2 inches wide and place a floured over tin and bake.
6. When done remove from oven and sprinkle the tops with honey and pistachio nuts or slivers of almonds and let it cool.

PANCAKES

Ingredients

– Schär All Purpose Baking Mix
– 2 medium eggs
– 200 ml semi-skimmed milk
– 50 ml water
– oil for frying
– Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Combine the baking mix and salt in a bowl.
2. Beat the eggs and half of the milk until it is well mixed.
3. Wisk the remaining milk and water and leave it out for 10 minutes.
4. Add the mixture to a 20-23 cm frying pan with the oil and place on moderate heat.
5. Leave it on the heat till the pancake moves freely.
6. Flip the pancake to wait till it looks golden.
7. Serve with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Kulich

A belarusian typical recipe!

Ingridients:

1 kg Flour

200 g Butter (room temperature)

500 ml Milk

6 Eggs (room temperature)

300 g Sugar

12 g Dry yeast

1 cup Raisins

Salt

Vanilla extract or vanilla sugar

PLUS – Panettonne paper molds

Preparation:

1. Add the yeast in a warm milk* (but NOT hot!), then add about 500 g the flour. Whisk together. Put the mixture in a warm place or a warm oven* (about 100˚F/37˚C) for about an hour to rise.

*Hot milk or hot oven will deactivate the yeast and it won’t rise. Be carefull!

2. Separate the yolks from the whites and grind them with sugar and vanilla until turning white. Add the yolks in the dough and mix it.

3. Add salt and softened butter. Mix!

4. Beat the whites to soft peaks, mix with the dough and add the remaining 500 g* of flour. Dough should be soft.

*You may need more – until the dough no longer sticks to your hands (it will still feel sticky but won’t stick to your fingers).

5. Stir in 1 cup of raisins. By the way – you can use even more raisins (or substitute them with dry berries, candied fruit – up to you!).

6. Cover and let dough rise another 2 hours in a warm place or a warm oven.

7. Divide dough evenly into the buttered paper baking molds filling them a third. Try not to mix it or stomp it down too much. Cover the molds with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 30–40 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Bake at 350˚F for 30-40 minutes in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown. Check readiness with a wooden stick: it should come out clean. Let kulichi cool to room temperature or just warm.

NOTE: Сover kulichi with powdered sugar or any glaze of your choice

We hope you will enjoy these recipes. If you have anything you wish to share with us, feel free to do so!