Taste Guru

Last month I received a sample box from Taste Guru.  I had heard of Taste Guru but had never looked too much into it.  They send a monthly box of gluten free products right to your door.  According to their site:

At TasteGuru, we strive to find the best and most interesting new gluten free products.  In a typical box, we put 7-10 food items, including several full-sized items and a number of samples.  Included in the box is a chef-inspired recipe ... and we usually find space to put an extra little item or surprise in the box.

Every box is different - half the fun is getting the mystery box of goodies delivered to your door each month.

I can now attest to the fact that half the fun was finding out what was in the box of goodies. I was so excited to receive my box and look through all the different products.  I got the box from January (I know, I know, I'm late at posting again).  Inside was:

Lentil and Quinoa Chips from Simply 7

NoGii D'Lites Chocolate Bars

Boulder Granola

Oven Baked Organics Pancake Mix

Tabasco

Old School Grits

WOWBUTTER

Wyoming Authentic Jerky

Funny Face Cherry Cranberries

a copy of Delight Magazine

and some coupons

I really liked this because I got to try a lot of things I wouldn't necessarily have bought myself.  Some products I liked better than others, but either way I was glad to try it all.  They also include a card listing everything inside the box with some product info which was really helpful.

I also like that the box has funny sayings printed in it, such as "Gluten free food that doesn't taste like the box."

I would highly recommend Taste Guru.  It would also make an excellent gift... my birthday is April 25th - just sayin'.

Tres Pupusas

On the same day I received the cookie mix samples I received some coupons in the mail to try Tres Pupusas.  I decided to make a real night of it and have these for dinner and make the cookies for dessert.  I headed to my local Whole Foods and got two free boxes of Tres Pupusas.  I opted for Spinach & Cheese and Green Chile & Cheese.

According to their website, a pupusas is a Salvadoran "stuffed corn tortilla filled with delicious goodness".  Having sampled these myself, I can confirm this is true.  These are one of the very first products I have actually gone out and bought again on my own.  I just had the Spinach & Cheese for dinner with a side of veggies.

I bought the Spinach & Cheese for myself because I liked it the best, but I also tried the Green Chile & Cheese and it was very good.  They have three other varieties including: Pinto Bean & Cheese, Kale & Pinto Bean, and Black Bean & Sweet Corn.  The ones without cheese are not only gluten free but also vegan.

Tres Pupusas are available at several locations across the county.  I highly recommend them for a great snack or part of a meal.

Baking Mixes from Ardenne Farm

Last week I received a box of samples from Ardenne Farm.  Included was gluten free pancake mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, and chocolate cookie mix.  They arrived at my office and when I showed my coworkers they all agreed to help me taste test the cookies.

I went home that night and set to work making the cookies.  Regular cookies are so easy and fun to make I'm quick to judge cookies mixes, but these turned out fantastic.  They were very easy to make and came out great.  The chocolate chip cookies were soft and chewy, just how I like them.  The chocolate cookies turned out a bit flat and crisp, but I think that was my fault for having the butter too soft.  Either way, they tasted great.

I brought both kinds of cookies to work the next day and my coworkers were very happy with them.  They all exclaimed how good they were and that they couldn't even tell they were gluten free.  They devoured them within hours and were pretty upset when I didn't have more to bring in the next day.

I made the pancakes at home this weekend and was pleasantly surprised but how light and fluffy they were.  My GF pancakes always tend to come out really thin so it was a nice change.

They have a lot of other mixes including fudge brownies, sugar cookies, and blueberry muffins.  I would definitely recommend these mixes to anyone looking for some semi-homemade treats.  They can be found at select locations or online.

OMG...It's Gluten Free

I recently received a package of baked goods in the mail from OMG...It's Gluten Free.  Based in Frankfort, IL, all of OMG's products are gluten and nut free.  They also have some dairy and sugar free options.  I sampled a chocolate chip cookie, a fudge brownie, a cinnamon crumb muffin, and a blueberry muffin.  I was very pleasantly surprised by how good they were.

All the products arrived intact and were a good size.  The fudge brownie and chocolate chip cookie were especially good.  As she was still chewing the brownie my coworker exclaimed "This is delicious!"  Packaged muffins can be tricky, but these were pretty good, especially the cinnamon crumb.

I only tried the baked goods, but OMG...It's Gluten Free also makes a line of frozen entrees including pizza, lasagna, mac and cheese, and pasta with meatballs.  Their products can be found at various locations across the country, but are also available to order online.  I sure wish I had one of those brownies or chocolate chip cookies to eat right now.

Grab the Gold

I really appreciate that people still send me samples even though I'm pretty bad at updating this site.  It works though because if I like something I will write about it.  For example, I received samples of Grab the Gold snack bars awhile back, loved them, and now here I am telling you about them.

Grab the Gold is a balanced protein snack bar that tastes like a "chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no-bake cookie". That's taken from their promo info, but honestly, that's exactly what it tastes like, and it is delicious.  Grab the Gold are not only gluten free, but dairy free, vegan, high fiber, trans fat free, preservative free, and free of high fructose corn syrup.  Basically, it's a delicious treat you can feel good about.

I received a box and shared them with my coworkers.  Everyone was hesitant at first, and honestly they aren't the most attractive bars, but everyone agreed they taste great.  I would definitely buy these myself.  In fact, I wish I had one right now.  Check out their site for a free sample!

Fort Collins, Colorado

Hey guys.  Thanks for still reading my blog even though I've sucked at posting on it.  It was a busy summer, I spent many weekends away, work is busy, blah blah blah.  Anyway, I wanted to post real quick in case you happen to be in Fort Collins, Colorado and don't know what to eat.

My dad and I used to fly to Fort Collins a lot when I was growing up to visit my grandmother who had Alzheimer's.  We stayed with my aunt and cousins and during our many trips out there we developed a few favorite places to go.  We went back recently to visit and clearly had to hit our old stomping grounds.  I was afraid I wouldn't be able to eat anything at any of the places we used to go, but it turns out I was able to eat at all three.  Fort Collins - winning my heart once again.

Young's Cafe - Vietnamese food.  They now have gluten free sauces on their menu.

The Rio - Actually called Rio Grande, they have delicious Mexican food, a pretty good margarita, and a gluten free menu.

Walrus Ice Cream - Right next door to the Rio for an after dinner treat.  Homemade ice cream with gluten free cones available.

I'm sure there are many more places with gluten free menus in Fort Collins, but these happen to be the restaurants of my childhood.

Ian's Allergy Friendly Products

I loved chicken nuggets as a kid so when I was approached by a rep from Ian's about trying some of their gluten free chicken nuggets I was more than happy to say yes.  I had never had a gluten free chicken nugget and was really excited to try them. They sent me three varieties: Smokin' Sweet BBQ Chicken Nuggets, Southwest Chicken Tenders, and regular Chicken Nuggets.  I was pleasantly surprised by all three and would definitely recommend them to kids and adults alike.

Ian's specializes in natural, allergy-friendly and gluten free frozen foods.  In addition to chicken nuggets they have things such as gluten free fish sticks, onion rings, french toast sticks, pizza, and more.  There is a very helpful search filter on their site to help you find food by different allergies (peanut, tree nut, soy, egg, casein, etc.) as well as by attribute (organic, GMO free, Kosher, vegan, vegetarian, etc).  The chicken they use is free range and vegetarian fed and their fish is wild-caught Alaskan Pollock.  I think Ian's is doing some really good work and I'm very happy to recommend them to you.

Greenview Kitchen's New Gluten Free Products

Last month someone from Giovanni reached out about trying their new Greenview Kitchen Organic Pasta Sauce, Pizza Sauce, and Bruschetta.  They recently received their gluten free certification and asked if I'd help spread the word.  They sent me their Roasted Garlic pasta sauce, Spicy Tomato pasta sauce, Pizza Sauce, and Bruschetta. So far I've only tried the sauces but I really enjoyed both of them.  The Roasted Garlic is a little bit sweet (in a good way) and the Spicy is a little bit spicy (not overwhelmingly so).  They have aided in some very easy dinners these last few weeks which has been super helpful as my job is busy and I was extra busy finding a new roommate (she moves in tomorrow)!

I haven't had a chance to try the pizza sauce or bruschetta yet but I'm looking forward to both.  They suggest putting the bruschetta over grilled chicken and I think that sounds like a great idea. Certified gluten free and organic?  What's not to like.

What is Gluten?

Apparently no one knows.  These people kill me.  Figuratively.

Ribalta

One of my college roommates is in town for a work conference.  Typing the phase "in town for a work conference", combined with my 28th birthday being last week, makes me feel really old.  Anyway, she's here and I couldn't be more delighted to see her.  She told me to pick a restaurant for dinner last night and I was going to choose one of my old standbys when I saw a tweet yesterday afternoon about someone's gluten free pizza at Ribalta.

I had never heard of Ribalta.  When I looked it up on the internet I was happy to see it is conveniently located near Union Square (12th Street at Broadway).  I often meet people for dinner in Union Square so I'm happy to have another place to add to my list.  Not only do I like Ribalta's location, I also liked the food, so really it was a win all around.

Amanda and I split the brussels sprouts to start.  I love brussels sprouts.  Especially when they are covered in bacon and cheese.  I then got the gluten free vegetable pizza.  It was quite large and I thought it was pretty good.  Amanda had some gluten filled pasta and was happy with it.  They do have a gluten free almond chocolate cake for dessert but we didn't get it.  You probably should though, because, you know, dessert.

Ariana Restaurant at the James Beard House

Saturday night I was fortunate enough to dine at the James Beard House.  A friend of mine had an extra seat for dinner and I agreed to go without knowing anything about the food that would be there or if I would be able to eat anything.  At the very least I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience a fun culinary event and drink a fair amount of wine.  What I experienced was such a delightful surprise I am still excited about it many days later.

Not only does the James Beard House hold some great culinary history, but the open kitchen allows guests to watch their food being prepared and talk to the chefs.  When the hors d'oeures were being passed I asked the waiter if he knew if they were gluten free.  He told me they were and that everything that night was gluten free.  I pointed to the gougeres and asked "even those?" with some serious doubt.  He said he wasn't sure but he'd go check. He came back and told me they were.  I didn't believe him.  He told me to go talk to the chef.  Well, this is the whole fun of an open kitchen so I went right in and asked Ariana herself.  When I told her I had Celiac she said her whole family has issues with gluten, herself included, and that the whole meal was in fact gluten free.  What a bit of luck.

Ariana and Andres Fernandez

The night only got better from there.  After enjoying the hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour, my friends and I found our table only to realize we were sitting with Ariana's parents and children.  This was really special because Ariana owns Ariana Restaurant with her husband, Chef Andres Fernandez, and her parents, Glenn and Susan Asti.  We got to hang out with her three and six year old daughters, who were not only adorable, but eating caviar like it was no big deal.

Speaking of caviar, the food was amazing.  The entire meal I felt so fortunate that I could eat everything I was served without any pre-planning.  The great thing about sitting with the restaurant owners was that Susan and Glenn walked us through each course, describing where the food came from and the wines they chose to go with each.  We talked a lot about why the entire family is gluten free and how much of their restaurant is gluten free as well.

Each course was better than the next.  I'm trying to pick a few of my favorite dishes to tell you about, but I'm not even sure where to start.  I'd have to say the slow braised beef short rib with parmesan heirloom polenta was probably my favorite.  The wild Oregon salmon with black trumpet mushrooms, truffle-caviar beurre blanc, and Oregon truffles was a close second, and I don't even like salmon.  The entire menu is below.

Ariana is located in Bend, Oregon.  Based on the meal I had in New York, I highly recommend you try it.  And if you've never been to the James Beard House, I recommend you go there too.

MENU

• Hors d'Oeuvre
  • Foie Gras Mousse–Filled Gougères with Huckleberry Jam
  • Smoked Columbia River Sturgeon with Roasted Ramp Crème Fraîche and Gold Potatoes
  • Pork Belly with Radishes, Chiles, and Lime
  • ARGYLE VINTAGE BRUT 2010
  • WESTSIDE 75 > BENDISTILLERY CRATER LAKE GIN WITH CLEAR CREEK DISTILLERY WILLIAMS PEAR BRANDY, LEMON JUICE, AND ARGYLE VINTAGE BRUT 2010
• Dinner
  • Celery Bisque with Dungeness Crab and Lemon
  • BETHEL HEIGHTS VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2012
  • Venison Carpaccio with Horseradish, Spring Onions, and Parmesan Crackers
  • WILLAKENZIE ESTATE GAMAY NOIR 2011
  • Wild Oregon Salmon with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Truffle–Caviar Beurre Blanc, and Oregon Truffles
  • DOMAINE DROUHIN DUNDEE HILLS PINOT NOIR 2010
  • Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta and Spring Garlic Gremolata
  • DOUBLEBACK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010
  • Passion Fruit Curd, Lone Pine Coffee Espuma, Raspberries, and Cocoa Nib Meringue
  • CHÂTEAU STE. MICHELLE & DR. LOOSEN EROICA RIESLING ICEWINE 2006

The Little Beet

After six months of not working full time I got a new job.  I love the lazy bum that created the name funemployment because I had an amazing six months of fun.  I did a lot of cool freelance projects, had frequent lunches with my brother, went to dance classes in the middle of the day, and did whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.  Quitting my job was one of the best things I have ever done for myself.  Life's too short to be miserable at work.

Anyway, now I'm back to working full time.  I'm doing something completely different but the work is interesting and the people are super nice.  That's really all I can ask for.  Oh, and the point of this whole post is now I have to (get to?) find new places to eat lunch.  Lucky for me, The Little Beet just opened and it's within walking distance of my new office.  Everything at The Little Beet is gluten free.  The whole place.  Which is really kind of amazing.  It's the friendliest of Celiac friendly places.  They also have super good and healthy food. And if you need a gluten free treat they also have baked goods from Tu-Lu's.

The Little Beet is a pretty casual place which makes it a great place to grab something to go for lunch.  They don't have table service, but they do have two floors of seating if you want to sit for awhile.  I go out to eat a lot, but I'm glad there is now a place that is 100% gluten free for those folks who were still too nervous to eat outside of their own kitchens.  And I'm selfishly glad it's just a few blocks from my new office.  Everybody wins!

Ovelia

I mentioned in my last post about the diversity in Queens.  My neighborhood, Astoria, is especially known for Greek food.  Ovelia is my favorite Greek place in the neighborhood not only for the good food, but because they clearly mark all gluten free items on their menu.  I've had the opportunity to try a lot of things and haven't been disappointed.  My favorite Meze are the Gigantes Plaki (lima beans in a tomato and onion sauce) and Ovelia Loukanika (house made sausage).  My favorite main dishes are the Lamb Fig Kebab and The Mprizola Hirini (simply seasoned grilled pork chops).  The main dishes come with a side and I'm partial to the sauteed kale.  Ovelia is located in the heart of Astoria on 30th Avenue and 34th Street.  Enjoy!

Dutch Kills Centraal

Friday night I met my friend and her coworkers for dinner and drinks in Long Island City.  I've lived in Astoria for almost six years and for some reason I hardly ever go out to eat in my neighborhood.  This is ridiculous because Queens is the most ethnically diverse area in the world and with it comes some seriously diverse food.  It's true.  Google it.

We met at Dutch Kills Centraal which isn't exactly in the hippest part of town but the restaurant has a really great vibe, and I never say vibe.  The interior is rustic, cozy, and very inviting.  According to their site, their concept is local, organic, and delicious cuisine at affordable prices.  Concept accomplished.

My friend and her coworkers picked the place and I just assumed I'd make the whole gluten thing work.  The waitstaff made it incredibly easy for me.  I asked if they had hard cider and the waitress said they had two and described them for me.  I asked if they were gluten free and she said she thought so but would double check.  I had never heard of either but decided to go with the Crispen.  When she brought the Crispen over she pointed to the Certified GF label on the bottle and was just as excited as I was.  I really liked the Crispen.  So much that I might even say it is my new favorite cider.  I love Woodchuck, mostly because they are from Vermont like me, but they can get a bit heavy. Crispen is light, and as the name implies, refreshingly crisp.

For dinner I got a burger sans bun and a side of brussel sprouts.  My friend Kristen got a burger with a side of kale. When I told the waitress I didn't want a bun she asked if it was a preference or if I have Celiac so she could let the kitchen know.  One million bonus points for her.  Not only did I feel safe in her hands, but the food was really good.  The burger was well seasoned and I really love brussel sprouts, especially when they are topped with bacon. Kristen's kale was also really good.  I will definitely be back to Dutch Kills soon.

Just a note that there is no gluten free menu here and they don't claim to be gluten free friendly.  However, I found the waitstaff extremely helpful and ate safely.  As with everything, eat at your own risk.

By The Way Bakery

I like to balance exercise with baked goods.  Or, I guess if we are trying to be healthy about the whole thing, I like to balance my baked good consumption with exercise.  I really enjoy taking long walks, and I really enjoy muffins, so twice now I have made the 6.5 mile walk from my apartment to New York's newest gluten free bakery in the Upper West Side.  Six and a half miles for a muffin sounds like a fair trade off, right?  Even if you answered no to that question, these muffins are worth it.

By The Way Bakery is a gluten and dairy free bakery that recently opened on Broadway and 90th Street in Manhattan.  This makes it New York's 7th gluten free bakery.  Seven!  We sure are spoiled here in NYC. I'm going to go ahead and make a big statement here: By The Way Bakery just might be my favorite of them all.  The store is super cute, they have a great selection of baked goods, and the owner and staff are really friendly.  I've been able to sample a few things, but the reason I'll keep going back are the muffins.  My favorites are the Blueberry Corn and the Pear Cranberry.

By The Way Bakery's original location is in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.  If you are in NYC or Hastings-on-Hudson I highly recommend you give this bakery a try.

Bar Taco

This weekend I went to visit my dear friend Susannah in Stamford, CT.  She's the kind of friend that I can go months or years without seeing and as soon as we are together again it's like we were never apart.  I took the Metro North up Saturday night and within an hour of leaving Grand Central we were sitting in Bar Taco already immersed in what would be hours of nonstop chatting.

Bar Taco is our go to place when I visit not only because of their good food, but because almost the entire menu is gluten free.  In fact, instead of noting the gluten free items on their menu, they mark the few items that are NOT gluten free.  Bar Taco has three other locations, all of them with the same gluten free friendly menu.

Dancing Deer Gluten Free Brownies

Last night around 7:30 my apartment buzzer went off with a delivery from UPS.  I thought it must be a package for my roommate but it turned out to be brownie samples for me!  I had just finished dinner and this was basically the best surprise delivery ever.

It wasn't a total surprise because a rep from Dancing Deer Baking Co. had reached out to me last week to see if I would like some samples of their new gluten free brownies and I provided him with my address, so, you know, they were going to come sometime.  Dancing Deer has been selling their baked goods at specialty stores and online for years.  They are now introducing a gluten free brownie and asked for my feedback and to let you good people know about them (provided I liked them of course).

Well, I did like them.  So much that I ate three within an hour of them being delivered.  I am not proud of this fact, although Dancing Deer should be.  When my roommate got home I told her she had to bring the rest to her office today so I wouldn't eat ALL of them myself.  She agreed, after eating one herself and also realizing they were too good to have around our apartment.

The gluten free brownies are made in a dedicated gluten and nut free facility so you can rest assured they are safe to eat.  They come in packages of four and are currently being introduced at retailers mostly in the Northeastern US, but can also be purchased online at the Dancing Deer website.  Not convinced quite yet? Well, not only are these brownies pretty damn good, but Dancing Deer donates a portion of their profits to charity, making them a really awesome company to support as well.

Ok, I'm off to the gym now.  Does one Shred class cancel out three gluten free brownies?

KuKu Canteen

I love the New York City Celiac community.  Last Friday I found myself on my way to a bar near NYU to meet a friend for drinks.  I realized I was starving and remembered there was a place in the area people had recently been talking about as having a gluten free menu.  I couldn't remember the name of the place so I took to Twitter and had an answer within minutes: KuKu Canteen.

KuKu Canteen offers "fresh Asian fare using signature Korean ingredients."  They have a separate gluten free menu and I tried the Bibimbop.  Their bibimbop sauce isn't gluten free so they let you substitute any sauce you'd like.  This is a very casual restaurant with reasonable prices.  I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to go back, but if you are in the neighborhood and need a quick bite to eat definitely give it a try.

Salted Triple Chip Cookies, My New Favorite GF Flour Mixture, and a Gluten Free Cookie Swap

Salted Triple Chip Cookies are my favorite go to cookie to make.  I've been making them for about a year and I can promise you they are a huge hit wherever you bring them.  Or with yourself if you are sitting home eating them alone. No judgement over here, just know they make A LOT of cookies.  I originally got the recipe from my friend Mallory and instead of re-typing it, here is the link for you.  Seriously, make these.

The only thing you need to do to make these cookies gluten free is swap out the flour.  For a long time I used 3 cups of Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour and 1 and 1/4 cups rice flour.  This works, but I've been meaning to make the gluten free flour mixture suggested by the Gluten Free Girl for a year and I finally got around to it.  You need a food scale for this, and I realize that can be annoying, so don't worry about trying this yourself if you don't want to.  If you do want to, I mixed together 300 grams of millet flour, 300 grams of sorghum flour, 200 grams of sweet rice flour, and 200 grams of potato starch.  This makes a bit more than you need for the cookie recipe, so once it's combined just measure out 4 and 1/4 cups for the cookies.  I also used this mix to make corn bread and it worked really well in both recipes.  Shauna originally said to use 60% whole grains and 40% starches.  In an updated version she uses 70% whole grain and 30% starches.  I'll try this next time.  She also encourages you to play with different kinds of flours. See her post for more information.

I made these cookies for a gluten free cookie swap I went to last weekend.  The recipe really does make a lot of cookies so I also brought a dozen to a holiday party I had the night before and a dozen to a book club I had the next day.  Cookies for everyone!  Speaking of cookies for everyone, there were a whole lot of cookies at this gluten free cookie swap.  We had Jaffa Cakes from Candice, sugar cookies from Molly, and so many more.  There weren't even any duplicate cookies.  It was quite impressive really.  Mmm cookies.

Sun Cups

I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I'm going to go ahead and put them in my top two favorite candies, right behind Snickers.  But not everyone can eat peanuts and so far this post is just really rubbing that fact in their faces.  Enter Sun Cups!  All Sun Cups products are peanut free and gluten free.  To make this even sweeter, they are also soy free, tree nut free, certified Kosher, and all natural.  I was sent some samples recently and my roommate and I both really enjoyed them.  Not only do they have two flavors of sunflower butter cups, but they also have caramel and mint cups.  Each one has a funny name like "yummy in the tummy milk chocolate sunflower butter cups", "ooey-gooey goodness caramel cups", and "terrifically tingly mint cups".

The terrifically tingly mint cups are in fact terrifically tingly.  They are like a York Peppermint Patty but they aren't as sweet and you get two of them!  The caramel cups were really sweet and good.  I liked the milk and dark chocolate sunflower butter cups.  The chocolate shell is harder than a Reese's and they have a much nuttier flavor (i.e. more sunflower than sugar).

I would highly recommend all four flavors not only for folks that can't eat nuts, but for everyone.  They can be ordered online or found at stores around the county.