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.

Canyon Bakehouse

The good people at Canyon Bakehouse reached out to me recently to see if I'd like to sample some of their products. You know I said yes.  They sent me their 7-Grain Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia, and Hot Dog Buns.

I wrote about their 7-Grain bread over two years ago and said it was the best gluten free bread I had tried. This holds true today.  Their 7-Grain bread is my favorite gluten free bread out there.  I've never been much of a cinnamon raisin bread gal but I've been enjoying their's recently with breakfast.  I turned the focaccia into stuffing for Friendsgiving yesterday and it worked well.  It's currently 25 degrees in NYC so I'm not anticipating hot dogs anytime soon, but I'm sure they are great as well.  I see from their site that they have a deli rye style bread.  I miss rye bread and will definitely be giving this a try.

Canyon Bakehouse's products are certified gluten free, kosher, 100% whole grain, as well as dairy, nut, and soy free. Thank you Canyon Bakehouse for such great gluten free products!

Friendsgiving

Getting ready for Friendsgiving

Every year I travel back up to Vermont to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's all about family, good food, and it opens up the holiday season.  I like Thanksgiving so much that for the past two years I've traveled to Toronto to join my college roommates for Canadian Thanksgiving in October as well. Might as well double up on the joys of Thanksgiving if you can, right?

This year I'm happy to be adding a third Thanksgiving to my list in the form of Friendsgiving.  This afternoon I'm heading to a friend's house with several others to hang out, eat, chat, and watch football.

I spent yesterday and today cooking up a storm.  I'm bringing roasted Brussels sprouts, creamed spinach, stuffing, and pumpkin spice muffins with a cream cheese filling.  I'm even bringing gluten free gravy as to not miss out on any holiday staples.  Other people are bringing turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a dessert someone is accommodating to be gluten free just for me, and lots of other things.  Not everything will be gluten free, but a whole lot of it will be.

I'm really excited about the stuffing I made for today.  My friend Mallory posted a recipe for kale and sausage stuffing that I had to try.  I haven't had very good luck with gluten free stuffing thus far in life, but this homemade stuffing is really good.  I used Canyon Bakehouse's Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia for the bread and added some mushrooms to the veggies.  Thanks for the recipe Mallory!

And those pumpkin muffins cooling up above?  One of them is already gone.

Some of my other go to Thanksgiving recipes include:

Sweet Potato Puree

Mashed Cauliflower

Pumpkin Pie

What are your favorite Thanksgiving staples?

When I'm not Eating Cupcakes

As I was writing about cupcakes the other day I realized that according to my blog I only eat cupcakes, burgers, and lasagna.  While this is generally true, when I'm not eating cupcakes and burgers I do try to eat relatively well and exercise a few times a week.  Today I walked 6.5 miles and then made the delicious lunch above.  It is super easy to make and naturally gluten free.  That's sauteed kale, a small sweet potato that I cooked in the microwave for 4 minutes, half an avocado, two fried eggs, a little bit of cheese, and salt and pepper.  Now I will try not to eat a cupcake and/or a burger for the rest of the day.  No promises.

Trader Joe's Cupcakes

Photo stolen from here.

I went Trader Joe's yesterday for the first time in ages.  I forgot how amazing it is.  Minus the really long lines, which is a huge factor.  Almost a deal breaker for me.  But if you can deal with it then they have really great food.  They also have a lot of gluten free options.

I'm writing this post because I want to tell you about their gluten free cupcakes.  I had read about them online but hadn't really thought about them since.  Then I saw them in the store and they had my favorite flavor: chocolate with vanilla frosting.  I told myself I didn't need them.  I told myself I didn't even really want them.  And then I bought them anyway.  Classic me.

I got their Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.  Guys, these are amazing.  Like almost some of the best gluten free cupcakes I have ever had.  Which says a lot because I have clearly had a lot of gluten free cupcakes in my day.  However, because they are prepacked cupcakes they have their nutrition facts on them.  Let me tell you, these cupcakes are REALLY bad for you.  Like, disgustingly bad.  But taste so good.  This is a real conundrum.  I'll let you make this important life decision on your own.

Bareburger

From my dinner at Tommy Lasagna I met a lot of great new bloggers.  This includes Candice from London to NYC. Candice is one of those food bloggers you love but also kind of hate because she clearly likes eating yet she's tall, thin, and beautiful.  When I first went to her blog her most recent post was an analysis of gluten free burgers in the city.  I want to be thin and eat burgers all day.  She also has an adorable accent.  Sigh.

Anyway, Candice's favorite burger is from Bareburger and it made me realize that I've been to Bareburger many times and have never written about them.  Which is a real shame because they are my go to burger as well.  Their burgers are organic, all natural, and grass fed.  They aren't as greasy as most burgers and they have a lot of interesting meat choices like elk, wild boar, bison, and ostrich.  They also have your go to beef, turkey, and veggie burgers if you aren't feeling quit as adventurous.  You can create your own burger or get one of their tasty creations.  Their gluten free bun holds up pretty well.

My only gripe about Bareburger is they make you order french fries separately.  Of course you want french fries but you want them to come with the burger so you can be all, "well, they came with the burger so I guess I better eat them."  Instead, they shame you into ordering french fries and a burger.  However, I should note that I have never NOT ordered the fries.  That would be just crazy talk.  Fortunately, an order is pretty big so you can share them with a friend.

There are several locations throughout the city.  And they deliver.  Mmm burgers.

Tommy Lasagna

Last night I was invited to dinner at Tommy Lasagna to try their new gluten free menu with other gluten free bloggers in New York City.  Erin of Gluten-Free Fun and Gluten-Free Globetrotter organized the event.  Also at the table were Carolyn, Candice, Katie, Kristen, Mike, Molly, and Judith (our token gluten eating blogger).  It was really fun to have dinner with these people in real life because I know many of them from their blogs and twitter but had only met a few in person.  In addition to her blog, Katie has a tumblr that makes me laugh/cry all the time.

Tommy Lasagna opened a few years ago but their gluten free menu is new.  So new that we were among the first to try it.  Tommy graciously offered us six courses of amazing food and all the gluten free booze we wanted.  We ate so much that I think most of us waddled out of the restaurant.  All in the name of research, of course.

To start we had gluten free focaccia with olive oil.  For a first course we had Mango Shrimp with a Fennel Slaw.  Next was Ceviche.  Third we were able to try the Green Market Lasagna and the Bolognese Lasagna.  Fourth we had fresh Fettuccine with Lobster and Papperdelle with Bolognese.  Fifth we tried the Cioppino and Veal Involtini.  To finish we had Cheesecake and Flourless Chocolate Cake.  Not only were there six courses, but most courses involved two samplings.  I'm still full thinking about this meal.

Everything was amazing.  My favorite was the Bolognese Lasagna.  It is a lasagna restaurant after all.  The veggie lasagna was also really good and you could taste the freshness of the vegetables that Tommy gets from the Union Square farmer's market.  Lobster pasta?  Yum.  Unless, of course, you are allergic to shellfish, which some of the people at the table were. Tommy was really accommodating though, and for those folks he brought out a Caprese Salad instead of the Mango Shrimp, Pear Salad instead of Ceviche, pasta with Vodka sauce instead of Lobster, and Crispy Chicken over Hash Browns and Shaved Brussels Sprouts instead of the Cioppino.  They confirmed these things were excellent as well.

I honestly really liked everything I had.  I hardly ever eat veal, but stuffed with spinach, asparagus, and fresh mozzarella it was really good.  The focaccia was a good start to the meal and the desserts were heavenly.  I wish I had more room to eat them.  Don’t worry though guys, I was still able to eat all the cheesecake.

Not only was the food really good, but Tommy really “gets” the whole gluten free thing.  We talked for a while about the different flours he uses, how all the gluten free pasta is made on a separate pasta maker first thing in the morning when everything in the kitchen is clean, and training his staff to fully understand the issues of cross contamination.  I felt completely confident I was eating safely at Tommy Lasagna and will definitely be back.

Thank you so much for making this happen Tommy.  You have a lot of happy new customers. 

Siggy's

A few weeks ago I wandered upon Siggy's with some of my family members.  They boast an all organic menu with lots of gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options.  We decided to give it a go and everyone ended up happy.

Everything gluten free is clearly labeled on the menu.  I got a turkey burger on a gluten free bun with a side salad.  The bun looked too good when it arrived so I made the waiter confirm for me that it was gluten free (yes, I'm that crazy girl).  It wasn't the best gluten free bun I'd ever had, but I was pretty happy with the burger as a whole.  They also have a lot of really good looking salads, gluten free pastas, and entrees. Now that the weather is turning cool I'd like to try the beef stew over spinach and quinoa.  My gluten eating brothers were happy with their mac and cheese.

Siggy's has locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights.  If you like to eat organic or need to find a restaurant for your mash of gluten free and vegetarian friends, Siggy's is a good choice.

Gluten Free Philly

Besties

I just got back from a weekend in Philly with my best friend.  She's in a five year doctorate program and is half way through.  We try to get together once a month either in Philly or New York.  That means I've been to Philly a whole lot in the last few years and I should obviously tell you about two of my favorite gluten free spots there.

For breakfast, lunch, or coffee/tea time we often go to Pure Fare on 21st Street between Sansom and Walnut.  The entire place is gluten free and they have great frittatas.  They also have sandwiches on gluten free bread, salads, smoothies, and some baked goods.

Choosing a dinner spot is always much more of a debacle for us.  We've been to El Rey a few times though and went again this weekend.  It's a pretty good Mexican restaurant with a large gluten free menu.  I recommend the nachos and pitchers of margaritas.  It's a fun place to go with friends but they don't take reservations so go early or plan to wait.

Anywhere else in Philly I should be trying?  I have at least 2.5 more years of hanging out there.

Halloween!

Hi Friends.  Tomorrow is Halloween and I'm already dreaming of free snickers and peanut butter cups.  Without an office to go to (oh hey, I quit my job last month!) or kids to hang out with, I'm worried this might be a bit of a challenge. Not that worried though, it is Halloween after all.

I like to take this time each year to remind you there are plenty of gluten free Halloween treats.  Click here to see my original post with a super helpful list of safe and unsafe candy.

Also, in case you are wondering, I'll be hitting up a Halloween party in Philly on Friday with my best friend Madeline.  In general, I refuse to spend more that $20 on Halloween.  This year I think I'll be a ninja because most of my clothes are already black and I just need to procure a sword.  Anyone that knows me should realize this will be a problem because I will be trying to slash people with my fake sword all night.  Get ready Madeline.

Goldbaum's

A few weeks ago I received a box of samples from Goldbaum's.  I have to admit I had never heard of Goldbaum's, but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety I received from them.  They sent me: fettuccine, french onion flatbread crisps, two flavors of quinoa crisps, onion & garlic pop potato chips, ice cream cones, and chow mein noodles.  Ice cream cones and chow mein noodles?  You guys are already the coolest.

Last weekend I worked the New York City Wine and Food Festival.  It was a really fun few days but also long hours and very hectic.  These Goldbaum snacks really saved me.  I brought the flatbread crisps for lunch with some cheese and let me tell you, these crackers are delicious.  I would definitely buy them.

I also really liked the multigrain quinoa crisps.  They are only 100 calories a bag and come in barbecue, sea salt, and onion & garlic.  They are prefect for on the go snacking.  They also have popped potato crisps if that's more your thing.  The brown rice fettuccine came in super handy for quick dinners.

It isn't exactly ice cream season in New York anymore, but I can't wait to try the ice cream cones.  And I'm really not sure when I'm going to use the chow mein noodles, but believe me, that will happen.

Thank you Goldbaum's.  This box of goodies was a very pleasant surprise.

Tate's Bake Shop

Tate's cookies have been sold at gourmet markets in the city for as long as I can remember.  Mostly, I remember because my brother loves them.  He's tall and very thin, yet he has been known to eat an entire package in one sitting.  I recently got to try Tate's because they introduced a gluten free line and I saw them at a market in Astoria.  They have chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate chip cookies, ginger zinger cookies, and brownies.  I tried the chocolate chip and they were delicious.  All are baked in a dedicated gluten free facility.  I hope to see the brownies around sometime because I'd love to try them!

The Sandwich Bar

A few weeks ago I met a friend for lunch and we decided to check out Ditmars Boulevard.  I've lived in Astoria for over 5 years and have only ventured over to Ditmars twice.  We were walking past The Sandwich Bar and I stopped to look at the menu and briefly mourn the lack of sandwiches in my life.  Then I saw they can make their sandwiches on gluten free bread.  I was pretty excited.  I was even more excited when I saw they have a lunch special and hard cider on tap.  I got the pulled pork and cheddar pressed sandwich with a salad and a pint of hard cider.  I love pulled pork.  And cheddar cheese.  And hard cider.

The Sandwich Bar is located on Ditmars Boulevard at 33rd Street, off the Ditmars N or Q stop.  Go.

Crumbs Gluten Free

Cupcakes, as a rule, should be delicious.  I think we can all agree that cupcakes are the world's compromise on what kind of cake to eat.  Why choose one flavor of cake for a gathering when we can get a few of these, and a few of these, and a few of those?

However, as another harsh slap in the face to those of us with Celiac, sometimes gluten free cupcakes are down right bad.  A bad cupcake may sound like an oxymoron, but let me tell you, it's possible and they are lurking out there.  Even on the glossy streets of New York City.  I won't name names, because that's not my style, but they are there.

Crumbs cupcakes, also as a rule, are decadent and delicious.  But until this week, they were way off limits to those of us with Celiac as they were basically baseball sized hunks of gluten rolled in sugar and pretty colors and fairy dust.  Lucky for us, on October 3rd Crumbs opened it's first dedicated gluten and peanut free store.  Crumbs Gluten Free is located in New York City at 37 East 8th Street between Broadway and University.

I went on Thursday and was really impressed.  They had samples and I was able to try the vanilla coconut, red velvet, and some chocolate something or other.  I got a small carrot cake cupcake to take with me and it was really good.  So were the samples.  They have all their regular flavors and some other baked goods available that I did not try.

Thanks for making this happen Crumbs.  I'll definitely be back.

Fruit Bliss

The latest product I was able to try was dried fruit from Fruit Bliss.  Fruit Bliss was founded on the basic principle of all natural, pure, and healthy snacking.  I love these products, especially the "on-the-go" size which were so convenient to take with me on the run and to keep at my desk for an afternoon snack.  Fruit Bliss has figs, plums, apricots, dates, and a fruit medley.  I love dried fruit, and I especially loved these.  They are soft dried, preservative free, and have no added sugar, making them an on the go snack I can feel good about.  Thanks Fruit Bliss!

tummy drops

Photo from enteralhealth.com

Have I mentioned how much I love trying new products?  I was recently approached about trying tummy drops from Enternal Health.  When the package arrived with ginger and peppermint drops I tried them both immediately and liked them.  They are kind of like cough drops but designed to help with upset stomachs.

Ginger tummy drops are meant to help with motion sickness, morning sickness, nausea, and general upset stomachs.  The peppermint drops are designed to help with cramps, bloating, nausea, and upset stomachs.  The ingredients are all natural, gluten free, kosher, fat free, and each drop only has 10 calories and 2 grams of sugar. They also taste great.

I was interested in seeing if they actually work but hadn't had a stomach ache since receiving them a few weeks ago.  My mom was in town visiting last weekend and she randomly said she was feeling nauseous.  I promptly told her about the tummy drops I had received and she opted to try the ginger.  Not only did she like it, but she said it actually helped.  When the nausea came back a few hours later she popped another one and was good.  I now keep some in my purse in case I, or someone I know, has a stomach ache, or if I need a little treat.

Sweet Christine's Bakery

Awhile back I received a box of samples from Sweet Christine's Bakery in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Summer is the crazy busy season at my job so I am quite late on writing this post.  In fact, things have been so busy that I haven't even been able to try everything I was sent!  In early August Sweet Christine's sent me: a loaf of bread, a baguette, 6 small pizza crusts, a cookie, and a brownie.  The day I received the package I immediately opened and shared the cookie and brownie with my stressed co-workers.  The brownie was good and as I sit here writing this I wish I had another (ignore the fact that it's 9 am).  The cookie had the taste and consistency of what I remember Chips Ahoy cookies tasting like, which isn't my preferred cookie, but for a prepackaged cookie is pretty good.

I must say I don't love the bread.  It is a bit sweeter than I like.  I haven't tried the baguette yet but it looks great and I'm keeping it in my freezer until I cook something worthy of serving it with (I'm imagining lasagna).  The pizza crusts are interesting because it says you can use them as pizza crusts, or as wraps or quesadillas.  It suggests to use a pizza stone or right on the oven rack versus on a baking sheet.  I don't have a pizza stone and I was weary of cooking them right on the rack so I opted not to try them as pizza crusts.  First I tried them as soft taco wrappers which didn't work so well, but as quesadillas I really liked them.  I don't think I've had any quesadillas since going gluten free and these were great.

Sweet Christine's has a storefront in Kennett Square, but after doing some research on their website they do so much more.  They are partnering with schools, colleges, and stadiums to get gluten free products available in places they traditionally aren't, which I think is great.

PF Chang's

I love Chinese food.  When I first moved to the city I survived almost solely on steamed vegetable dumplings.  I've been mourning the lack of Chinese food in my life for the last three years.  When PF Chang's reached out to me recently to let me know about their new summer menu and ask if I'd like a gift card to try their gluten free options I promptly replied back with a Heck Yes.  I knew there weren't any PF Chang's in the city, but a quick Google search told me there was one not too far away in New Jersey.  Enter my good friend Mallory from over at Total Noms.  Not only does Mallory love food as much as me, but she happens to live in Jersey City and own a car.  Perfect date for some PF Chang's taste testing.

I made the venture to Jersey last week and let me tell you, it was worth it.  I scoured the gluten free menu before hand and there were so many dishes I wanted to try I had a hard time pinning down exactly what we should order. In the end we decided to order from the PF Chang's for Two Menu which is a $40 four course meal of deliciousness. We got: egg drop soup, Chang's Lettuce Wraps, Chang's Spicy Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and a Flourless Chocolate Dome for dessert.  In addition, we tried the Summer Vegetable Quinoa Fried Rice.  Everything was gluten free and each thing was better than the next.

The Summer Vegetable Quinoa Fried Rice is part of their special Summer menu and is only around for a limited time.  It was a really good accompaniment to our other main dishes.  We used this as our base instead of the plain rice they brought with the entrees.  The chicken lettuce wraps were really good and so was the spicy chicken.  The Mongolian beef though...I'm still craving it a week later.  The sauce on that is amazing.  We definitely didn't need any dessert but we had to try the flourless chocolate dome in the name of research, right?  It's a good thing we did, because it was a little dome of chocolate heaven.  Served with fresh berries, it was the perfect end to our meal.

Thank you, PF Chang's for a great meal.  I would definitely visit again at this location or any of the other locations located across the country.

Tim Horton's Gluten Free Macaroons

They sent me this handy picture to show you

Having gone to school in Canada, Tim Horton's holds a special place in my heart.  There's nothing like a hot chocolate on a -40 degree day (I wish I was kidding about that temperature).  And who doesn't love timbits?  Timbits were actually on the menu the weekend I got so ill I knew I had to finally go to the doctor regarding my pesky chronic stomach aches.

I had long resigned to no more Tim Horton's treats in my life until I was contacted recently about their new gluten free coconut macaroons.  A small package arrived a few days later with a sample of the macaroons.  They come two in a two pack and are pre-wrapped to avoid cross contamination.  So far, they are winning.  They sent me some literature with the macaroons that informed me that not only are they available in all Tim Horton's locations, but they are only $1.29 per package.  This seems very reasonable to me.  They also tasted good. So, overall nice work Tim Horton's.

I've read some reviews that complain how unhealthy they are.  But come on, you are at a doughnut shop, what do you expect?  Low cal, all natural, organic macaroons?  If you are going into Tim Horton's in the first place you aren't there for a nutritious snack.  You are there for some delicious treats.  And now you can have a safe delicious treat along with the rest of 'em.

While I appreciate the gesture of a gluten free treat from Tim Horton's, I do have one complaint: they aren't timbits.  Dear Tim Horton's, please start working on gluten free glazed timbits.  Love, Anya.

Tasty Bite

A few weeks ago I received an email from Tasty Bite asking if I'd like some free samples.  You know how much I love free samples so I promptly replied yes.  I received them quickly and unfortunately I've been too busy to write about them until now.  But here's the great thing about Tasty Bite - they are perfect for a quick meal, which has been extremely helpful in the last few weeks.

According to their site: Launched in 1995, Tasty Bite currently offers products across 4 categories: Indian entrées, Asian Noodles, rices and meal inspirations.  Our products require no cooking, have no preservatives, require no refrigeration and as our brand suggests, taste phenomenal!  You can take our products for lunch at work, use them as a side or main dish for dinner, or take them on the road while camping.

Tasty Bite has almost 30 gluten free products! They also have many vegetarian, vegan, and kosher products   I was sent the Thai Lime Rice, Channa Masala, Lentil Ginger Rice, Lentils, Vegetable Korma, and Bombay Potatoes.  On two especially busy nights I put together two quick meals: the first time Thai Lime Rice and Channa Masala, and the second time Lentil Ginger Rice with Lentils.  Each packet was ready in under a few minutes and they complemented each other well.  I was pleasantly surprised by how good and filling these were.  I can't wait to try the Vegetable Korma and Bombay Potatoes.  I'm saving them for another really busy night when I need to whip up dinner quickly.

Thanks Tasty Bite!

Luigi's Restaurant

Last night I had the best gluten free pasta I have ever had.  It was so good that after a few bites I was convinced it was not gluten free and made the waitress confirm it for me.  She assured me it was and informed me that they make it themselves in house.  I was impressed.

I'm in DuBois, PA, where, according to the internet, there is basically nothing gluten free to eat.  I stumbled upon Luigi's by accident.  I had planned to go to a Mexican restaurant next door because Mexican is usually pretty GF friendly, but it was closed.  It was getting late so I walked into Luigi's (an Italian restaurant) expecting to just order a salad when I saw a sign at the hostess stand that said "Ask about our gluten free menu."

The gluten free menu has gluten free pasta, pizza, sandwiches, salads, and meat options.  I got gluten free penne with Tia's Tomato Alfredo sauce.  Have I mentioned how good it was?  Honestly, the best GF pasta I have ever had.  I wish I could go back and try the pizza.

Luigi's has two locations, one in DuBois, PA and one in Clymer, PA.  From looking at the website, I don't think the Clymer location has a GF menu.  DuBois is located along Interstate 80 which runs across the entire state of PA connecting New York and New Jersey with Ohio.  It's a long highway with few food options along the way.  This is such a great find that I plan to post about them on every gluten free travel site I can find.

A big thank you to Luigi's for letting me eat such a good meal in DuBois, PA.

Eating Gluten Free at Chain Restaurants

I haven't been posting as much these last few months.  Truth is, being gluten free has become so much a part of routine life that it's hardly noteworthy anymore.  I feel very fortunate to live in New York where there are so many stores, restaurants, and bakeries that cater to my needs.

However, I'm back on the road again for work and didn't have as much time to research restaurants this time.  I've eaten at quite a few chains over the last week and have been surprisingly successful (I hate most chains).  Some of the more mainstream chains I've been to are Applebee's, Chili's, and Longhorn Steakhouse.  Abblebee's and Chili's were just ok, but I actually really enjoyed my meal at Longhorn - so much that I went back the next day.  The waitstaff were really helpful at all three.

A chain I had never tried until this trip was Bonefish Grill.  This chain is a bit on the nicer side and I really enjoyed it.  They have a lot seafood (obviously), but since my company was paying I went with the Lily's Chicken (it's a nonprofit, ok?).  They have several locations all over the country.

Tonight I went to J.B. Dawson's.  They only have four locations, all in Pennsylvania, but I really liked it.  I had a pulled pork sandwich on a gluten free bun with coleslaw and green beans.  I also had a gluten free brownie with ice cream.  Don't tell.  I didn't finish it all, I swear.  I would definitely go back.

You know who's not gluten free friendly?  Panera.  I walked in just wanting a salad and the lady behind the counter told me I couldn't have anything.  It was really sad and I walked back out.  Friendly's is also not gluten free friendly.  Ironic, no?  They tried, but my salad came with croutons and my bunless turkey burger was disgusting.

I hope to go home soon.  Believe it or not, I'm sick of going out to eat.

Gluten Free at the Barclays Center

Last month I went to a Nets game at the new Barclays Center.  I don't love watching basketball on TV, but going to a professional game is really fun.  Between the game, the arena, the fans, the dancers, and the snacks, it's a good time.  Before I went I was very excited to learn the Barclays Center has a gluten free booth.  I'm not sure if they move it around or not, but when I went it was located on street level near section 108, which was coincidentally right near where I was sitting.  I had a hot dog on a gluten free bun and a couple Redbridge beers and was happy as could be.  Thanks Jay.

Good to Go Organics

I have mixed feelings about writing this post because I didn't actually love the food I ate, but I appreciated it so much that I think it's worth sharing.

My brother and I drove home to Vermont a few weeks ago for Christmas vacation.  We stopped along the way at a rest stop in Connecticut for some food.  Normally on these drives I either bring some snacks or eat McDonald's french fries, which is not healthy and questionable anyway.  This time I noticed a sign for Good to Go Organics at the back of the travel plaza.  I told my brother I wanted to check to see if they had anything gluten free and they did - it was a Christmas miracle!

I was so excited to see Applegate gluten free chicken nuggets on the menu.  I was also excited to see tater tots, because really, who doesn't love tater tots?  The nice gentleman working behind the counter was very knowledgeable about what was gluten free and what wasn't.

My brother got regular chicken nuggets and tater tots.  Both of our meals were so-so.  The gluten free chicken nuggets were very small  but I was still excited to be eating chicken nuggets again.  The tater tots had so much potential but had a weird I was microwaved and now I'm sad taste.  After we finished my brother said he wished we had gotten McDonald's.

Even though the food could have been a little bit better, I still think this is a great idea.  Good to Go Organics has five locations.  The one I visited is located in the travel plaza on 95 between exits 40 and 41 in Milford, CT.  Another is in the MetLife Stadium in NJ where the Giants and Jets play.  The other three are food carts - two in Central Park and one at Chelsea Piers.  Please note, as of right now the gluten free chicken nuggets and tater tots are only available at the CT location.