The Cheesiest

Posted on May 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

I think that even if I got the new Celiac vaccine that just passed clinical trials, I would still eat this mac and cheese from Outrageous Foods that I got at G-Free NYC in my big stock up before moving to Washington DC tomorrow.

At first I was skeptical because this mac and cheese comes frozen, but it was the best that I’ve ever had!  It’s like the Velveeta kind that’s super thick and cheesy, with lots of the cheese sauce to go around.  The noodles are also really soft and substantial.   I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing in one sitting just so I could eat it twice 🙂

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Terri: Meat and gluten free in Flatiron

Posted on May 5, 2011 | 3 comments

Last week I wanted a full lunch one day, but something healthier than my old haunt, Mozzarelli’s.  So I stopped into a vegetarian place that I knew had gluten free wraps that I was eager to try.

Terri Organic Vegetarian is very crunchy.  They have a whole fridge full of super juices, and their menu is riddled with flax, quinoa, and hemp.

I do love that they try to put a spin on health food by making it sound like junk food (ie: buffalo “chicken” sandwich, “bacon” “chicken” cheddar ranch wrap).  There are a lot of quotation marks on the menu as well.

I ended up getting the hummus and avocado wrap, with added veggie “chicken”.  At first I wanted to order the tofu wrap, but one of the workers told me that it was not gluten free.  (This probably should be listed on their menu?)

Anyway…it was delicious.  The hummus was spicy, the veggie chicken added bulk, and the pickled jalapenos added a little zing.

My only complaint is that the wrap was over $8, but I did have half for lunch and half for dinner, so I guess it was worth it.  I’m looking forward to trying the quesadilla here!

Terri

64 W. 23rd Street

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Red Velvet Cupcakery, I bow down to you

Posted on May 3, 2011 | 1 comment

Last weekend I was in Washington DC (again), and was in dangerously close proximity to some great cupcake places that carried gluten free versions.  After seeing Claire’s post on Sprinkle’s red velvet cupcakes, I was determined to try them for myself.  But, when we walked by there was a line out the door, plus I had just eaten ice cream at Georgetown Scoops, so I didn’t have the dessert itch in me at the moment.

So, I “settled” for Red Velvet Cupcakery instead.

They only had one type of gluten free cupcake, but luckily it was a Black Velvet one – chocolate cake + chocolate icing = winner for me!  They said that they also carry seasonal gluten free varieties, but none right now.

This cupcake. was. perfection.

I ate half for dessert, and half for breakfast.

I can’t believe that it was also vegan, because the buttercream frosting was as good as any one that I’ve had.  It was super moist, rich chocolate flavor, and I loved the rainbow sprinkles on top.

I bow down to your cupcake glory.

Red Velvet Cupcakery

501 7th St., NW, Washington DC

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Skinny snacks: gluten free

Posted on April 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve tried two “skinny” snacks lately that I’m hooked on.  I kind of hate that I’m even calling these skinny snacks, but they’re skinny in shape and low in calories, so the name fits.  None of these snacks will make you skinny, especially when you eat four servings at a time like I do.  But they sure are tasty!

Skinny Snack #1

Skinny Crisps

I tried a free sample of these at G-free NYC last week and loved all of the flavors, but I picked up a bag of the cinnamon crisps and have hardly put down the bag since. The most interesting part about these is that they taste just like pita chips baked with butter and cinnamon, but they’re low carb! (?)  The first ingredient is ground almonds, then chickpea flour, organic ground golden flax seed, psyllium husks, organic dehydrated cane juice, and olive oil.  So there’s NO rice flour, like most gluten free cracker products, and they’re so much more indulgent. Well, they taste more indulgent, but they’re really not (8 big crackers for 120 cals)

Skinny snack #2

Annie Chun’s Seaweed Snacks

These are basically like fish food for people.  They’re a great thing to mindlessly snack on at work, and have a ton of Vitamin A.  You will look like a weirdo eating these, but they’re pretty addictive.

Skinny Snack #3

Falafel Chips

I brought these to a potluck at work, and was surprised to hear how much everyone loved them!  The spicy chips taste JUST like the crispy part of falafel, only they aren’t fried (11 chips for 118 cals) and you can store them for longer.

Snack it up!

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Grand Opening Field Trip: G-Free NYC

Posted on April 20, 2011 | 1 comment

I managed to make it up to the Upper West Side today for the Grand Opening of G-Free NYC!  I needed some gluten free oats, plus I wanted to check out if they had any new loot that I couldn’t find at Whole Foods or the other natural stores I usually go to.

The store itself is pretty small, with a window seat, three freezers, a full wall of pantry shelves, and a table in the middle to house the baked goods imported in from Tulu’s.

The first freezer had desserts, including break-and-bake cookie dough, “Ring Tings”, cheesecakes, ice cream sandwiches, tiramisu, and ice cream.  The break-and-bakes and ice cream sandwiches were new to me, but with so many fresh desserts I chose to focus my energy elsewhere.

The second freezer had breads, including hamburger buns, bagels, and Italian bread.

The third had more bread, with frozen baguettes, buns, and English muffins.  The frozen baguettes are not something I’ve seen before, but at $7 and some change I decided to wait until a special occasion.

The pantry shelves held a couple more gems, including one of my purchases: individual packets of tamari soy sauce!  Usually I lug around my La Choy in my purse, but this will be much more convenient.  I’ve considered ordering these online before, but they only come in multi-packs, and who really needs 10 boxes of these?

I found another item that I considered purchasing online before in the pantry as well…Skinny Crisps!  They also had all four flavors on the counter as free samples, and all of them were wonderful.  Onion and cheese for savory-lovers and chocolate and cinnamon/sugar for the sweet-lovers.

Speaking of free samples… cinnamon rolls were out for the taking!

I picked up a carrot cake from Tulu’s for the train home, and an apple pie from Pi!  This things smells amazing and looks buttery and flakey, can’t wait to try it!  They also had potato knishes made by Pi, and some vegan cupcakes (which didn’t look that great to me – especially compared to the frosting perfection on Tulu’s).

I love that this store exists, that I could walk around and not be afraid to taste things, and not have to check labels.  I only wish that it was closer to my work or apartment!

My haul = Skinny Crisps ($7), Tulu’s carrot cake loaf ($3.95), Pi apple pie ($4.50), and 20 pack of tamari soy sauce ($4.95).

For a full list of the products sold at G-Free, check out their website.

I hope more people go to G-Free to support local business and the gf community!

G-Free NYC

77 West 85th Street (1,2, A, C, E)

g-freenyc.com

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Passover Friendly – Real Simple Lemon Almond Macaroons

Posted on April 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

With the start of Passover, I usually start getting a lot of questions about gluten-free foods versus unleavened bread (ie: “Oh, you can have matzoh right? There’s no yeast!”)  Even though I don’t know the ins-and-outs of the holiday, I know that sometimes unleavened does end up meaning that a food is also gluten free (flourless chocolate cake, meringue).

And, as happened to be the case today with… coconut macaroons!

We had a potluck lunch at work, and one of the expert bakers brought these lovely macaroons, made from a recipe from Real Simple. I love that these are naturally gluten free, Passover friendly, and a boost from your traditional macaroon.

View the recipe on Real Simple

These were really light, chewy, and snackable.  I could have eaten four or five easily.  I will definitely add this to my list of “impressive but easy” desserts.

In other news: G-free NYC is opening tomorrow!  I think I may have to stop by after work, even though it’s totally out of the way.

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Best thing I ever ate: Pachanga Patterson

Posted on April 15, 2011 | 1 comment

Last night Pachanga Patterson was packed!  It’s rare to have to wait for a table on a Thursday night in Astoria, but that is what spectacular Mexican food will do for a neighborhood!  I wouldn’t even call it Mexican food, really, it’s more like “new-Mexican”, or just don’t put a label on it  and stuff it in your mouth instead.

The first time I went to Pachanga I got the mushroom tacos, which don’t sound like they would make you jump for joy, but they were the best non-fish, non-meat tacos I’ve ever had.  They must have a miracle marinade for the mushrooms, because they were super flavorful.

But this time, I ordered the Veggie Jenga.  At first I thought that Jenga was a word in Spanish that I didn’t learn in high school, but then the waitress explained to me that it’s called that because it’s layered and stacked up just like the block game.

Can you see a resemblance?

Image c/o We Heart Astoria

This creation is out of this world.  It’s one of those anytime meals that makes you eat way more than you anticipated.  When they first put it down in front of me I thought, “There’s no way I can eat all of this.”  Then 20 minutes later I was virtually licking my plate.  The picture above is from We Heart Astoria, since I forgot to bring my camera, but the plate that I got was piled a couple of inches higher with lettuce/cabbage.

I loved the sweet potato puree, which you don’t usually find in Mexican food.  I loved the avocado sauce.  I loved the generous crack of black pepper on top.  I loved the crispy corn tortilla from Tortilleria Nixtamal.  I loved the mild hot sauce that they put in a honey bear container.  Love, love, loved.

I also loved the $6 glass of Torrontes wine that I washed it down with.

Soon they will have brunch at Pachanga, where I can have this as my new favorite hangover food.

Pachanga Patterson
33–17 31st Ave., Astoria, NY
718-554-0525

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Thanks, Orville – Super simple gf dessert

Posted on April 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

Although it may be hard to believe, sometimes I want something besides ice cream for dessert.  Tonight I pulled out the creativity and made some kettle corn from Orville Redenbacher, then topped it with Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips.

It’s like trail mix, only you can eat more of it!

Give me this stuff and a good trashy magazine, and I’ll be set all night.

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The Celiac Kid!

Posted on April 12, 2011 | 1 comment

Last week I received a super fun package, containing a copy of “The Celiac Kid“, by Stephanie Skolmoski.  The cover is amazing – I wish I could have a t-shirt in this design (except with a cartoon that looked a bit more like me, and a bit less like Charlie Brown with a toupee on:) ).

Since I don’t have any kids, I was trying to put myself in the seat of my 6 year old self when I read the book.  I know that kids with Celiac’s must have a really hard time feeling “normal”, explaining their food choices to their friends, and learning about what is and is not okay for them to eat.  I can see how a book like this could be really helpful in explaining the disease to younger siblings, cousins, or classmates who have never heard of a kid who can’t eat bread.  There was obviously a lot of thought put into explaining each type of situation that a kid might find him/herself in (at school, at home, at a picnic, at a party).

I especially appreciated the pages about the mechanics of Celiac’s disease, how it destroys the villi in our intestines and makes us feel sick and lose nutrients.  I wish that I could give some of the people I meet such a simple tutorial!

I also like that the author integrated a lot of typical kid foods into the book, to show that the diet doesn’t have to be so restrictive or unusual.  However, there were a couple of things that I thought could be confusing to kids.  Like there’s a page that says “I love waffles and pancakes – gluten free, of course… So you see, there are lots of different foods I can eat.”  But, without describing that these are special waffles, made with different flour, I can see how another kid might think, “Oh great, my friend can eat waffles!  I’ll make sure to share mine with him/her next time!”

When I first saw the cover of the book, I thought it was going to be more of a fairy-tale-like story about a kid who fights off gluten-filled foods, and maybe takes a journey inside his body (ala The Magic School Bus) to defend his GI Tract from the evil gluten proteins.  Maybe he’d even have some kid of gluten-killing wand, or a sidekick of vitamins to defend himself with.  Instead, the book is more of an explanation of what it’s like to live as a kid with Celiac’s.  Which is definitely helpful, just not as exciting as I thought it would be.  Maybe I should get to writing that Celiac Fairy Tale myself!

After reading the book, I was curious how many other children’s books were out on the market about having Celiac’s, and I found this whole list on Amazon!  Who would have known that there were so many emerging resourced out there?  Hopefully this trend continues so there is plenty ready for when I have kids.

The book is only $6.50, so there’s really no good excuse for not buying it for yourself, your son/daughter, or any young Celiac you know.

Buy it!

 

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Feeling Jovial

Posted on April 11, 2011 | 2 comments

What a way to be welcomed into the office on a Monday morning!  A package of free pasta and cookies from Jovial Foods!  I love their tag line, “inherently good”, as well as this message on the back of the cookies:

“Cookies should bring joy to everyone.”

Peanuts!

Thanks to Sure Foods Living for hosting this give away!

I’ve never seen fusilli-shaped gluten free pasta, so I’m very excited to try this out.  I might have to make this asparagus pasta recipe on their website.

I tried out one of the Fig Newton-esque cookies, and it was really satisfying!  It has a buttery, crumbly texture, and I love that they’re packaged in pairs – that means that I can’t down the whole package at once!

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