Restaurants

Starting with the Basics: Pizza and Pasta

Comfort foods. What can I say; they are the staple foods of many American’s diets. And when transitioning into a gluten-free diet, it may be hard to fill the void of those cravings. But I bring to you gluten-free pizza and pasta. So good that you won’t taste the difference. In my eyes, they are almost as important as gluten-free bread. Both dishes are easy to whip up in the kitchen when using the right gluten-free options.

Pasta. Whether it’s pesto, alfredo, or marinara, you shouldn’t be missing out. A great brand to rely on is Schar. They have everything from penne to spaghetti. The pasta never crumbles or gets too soggy. But, if you are located near a Wegmans, I would recommend Wegmans’ gluten-free penne rigate or fusilli. Both are 100% corn pasta, hold together well, and taste great! If you want to try something more creative with your gluten-free cooking, I would suggest making a delicious homemade lasagna from Tinkyada Born Rice Pasta Lasagne. When prepared the lasagna is not mushy, as it should be. This is the only brand of gluten-free lasagna (that I know of) that will not only taste great, but stay intact too!

Onto the much loved dish of pizza. Honestly you can eat it at any meal: warm and freshly baked for dinner, leftovers for lunch, or cold pizza for breakfast- although I’m not one to eat it for breakfast. Anyways, let’s break this down. You can buy prepared pizza crusts, pizza crust mixes, or order out pizza.

Let’s start with the prepared crusts. My favorite (not only for the convenience factor) is Udi’s Gluten-Free Thin and Crispy Pizza Crusts. My go-to Garlic-Spinach Pizza is made from this thin crust. I simply layered my topping, popped it in the oven for a few minutes, and it was ready in no time! Just remember, each pack only contains two crusts, and they must be stored in the freezer. If you would rather opt for a crust that has a moderate shelf life, I would recommend Schar’s Pizza Crusts. Just beware: the crust is thick- at least ‘thick’ in the opinion of a girl who loves thin crust. The package once again contains two crusts, and simply load on the toppings and bake for a couple of minutes.

Onto the gluten-free pizza mixes- or should I say pizza mix? I have tried numerous brands and all have been too dry, easily burned, crumbly, or consistently undercooked. But Chebe’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix is one I can always rely on. This may be the only product that I continue to use from when I was first diagnosed with Celiac. Everything else, from cereals to crackers, have been replaced by a newer and better tasting brand. But I remain faithful to this one mix. Simply follow the baking instructions on the box, and that perfect pizza is all yours. Of course, this is a little more time consuming than opting for a premade crust, but it’s definitely worth trying!

Last but not least, take out. Whether it’s movie night at a friend’s house or a birthday party, ordering out pizza is almost a given. If you haven’t already looked into it, I would suggest trying to find a local pizzeria that makes and possibly delivers gluten-free pizza. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find pizza places catering to the gluten-free community due to the rapidly increasing size. Around the Philly area, I would strongly recommend Jules Thin Crust Pizza, Bake 425°, Crust, Main Line Pizza, and Mom’s Bake at Home Pizza. Hopefully you will take initiative to find some options around your area, but meanwhile, you have plenty of other options in making pizza!

If you have any gluten-free pasta and/or pizza recipes you would like to share, please do! Just go to the Contact tab above.

Thanks for stopping by!

Grazie,

Anika

Starting with the Basics: Beyond the Bread

Before I jump right into describing what lies beyond the bread, please check out my article on gluten-free bread, Starting with the Basics: Bread! There are a variety of gluten-free products available that one can eat aside from bread. Bagels. Rolls. English Muffins. Baguettes. So on and so forth. And just remember, these personal opinions, so if you agree or disagree, that’s alright! I am just here to guide you through you’re journey of having a gluten-free lifestyle.

So let’s start out with breakfast time. When you’re ready to move on from eating a bowl of mushy rice puffs every morning, you know you have come to the right place! You have just opened a new door of opportunity in finding some wonderful gluten-free products. Have you ever craved to have a grainy, wholesome bagel with a mixed berry jam or a cinnamon raisin bagel with fresh strawberry cream cheese? Now you can! Whether you prefer plain, multigrain, or even cinnamon raisin, they are all within your reach.

Plain and Multigrain Bagels. I would highly recommend Udi’s Whole Grain Bagel and Kinnikinnick’s New York Style Plain Bagels. They have to be stored in the freezer, so I recommend microwaving them for a soft bagel. I love the taste of Kinnikinnick’s bagel so much that I eat them with just three sprays of butter (I use ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ butter spray). For a sweeter taste, I recommend the cinnamon raisin bagel. Now, many brands make this bagel. I recall enjoying Glutino, Udi’s, and Kinnikinnick’s Cinnamon Raisin Bagel. But my favorite was Kinnikinnick’s. Again, this is simply a personal preference, so you may enjoy Glutino’s bagel more than Udi’s or vice versa. But I do not recommend buying Rudi’s bagels. I find them to be dry in texture and not nearly as mouth-watering in taste.

Onto the English Muffins. This is a product that I’m still looking for the right one. Have I found good English muffins? Yes, but they aren’t as satisfying as the bagels. The best one is Kinnikinnick’s Tapioca Rice English Muffins. When warmed, they are soft and airy. They must be stored in the freezer. Another brand that I discovered early on in my gluten-free journey is Foods by George’s Plain English Muffins. Although I ate them regularly without complaint when first diagnosed, my current expectation for gluten-free foods has raised. This English muffin is dry with a crumbly, falling-apart texture. But the taste is actually pretty good

Now onto lunch and dinner. If you are planning to have a hearty tomato soup with gluten-free bread, you could switch out the bread for a roll or a piece of a baguette. For a flaky, soft, and light roll, I highly recommend Schar’s Ciabatta Paperbaked Rolls. They come in a pack of four rolls in a vacuum pack. Another great option if you don’t want a plain roll, I would choose Amaranth’s Gluten-Free Rosemary Dinner Roll. They are small, but packed with the flavor of herbs and a seedy texture. For a gluten-free baguette… can you believe I’m saying gluten-free and baguette in the same sentence? It really is incredible! If you haven’t tried Schar’s Parbaked Baguettes, you’re missing out. There are two baguettes per package. With this delicious bread, you won’t feel deprived when the family is eating lasagna with a piece of garlic and herbed baguette.

I don’t want to overwhelm you with a wealth of new information. But, next time you want to make your breakfast, lunch, or dinner a little more exciting and tasteful, you’ll have a couple more options in your back pocket! Any questions, comments, suggestions, or feedback, please go to the contact tab above and fill it out!

Cheers,

Anika

Starting with the Basics: Bread

So let’s start at the beginning. When first diagnosed with celiac disease or simply trying to create a meal for a gluten-free friend, one of the most common foods that you need to replace is bread. Some may agree, as it can be eaten during breakfast with some scrambled eggs, or at lunch encasing a classic PB&J, or even at dinner on the side of a hearty tomato soup. But some people may disagree with me. Some people, when diagnosed with celiac, may choose not to substitute certain foods that previously may have been in their diet. And that’s completely fine.

But I did need to find a gluten-free friendly substitute for Whole Grain Pepperidge Farm Bread or freshly baked sourdough. I wasn’t ready to give it up. Through much trial and error, I was able to find a variety of breads I like… and don’t like. So to save you some trouble, I want to share my findings. Now, these are my personal opinions, so there may breads that I did not list that you believe are amazing or some brands that I enjoy that you may not completely satisfy your taste buds. But if that’s the case, please feel free to let me know! I love to get feedback and comments.

Alright, let’s cut to the chase. So here’s the categories I like to divide gluten-free breads into: frozen, vacuum-packed, or freshly baked. Let’s start with the frozen breads. These are great because you can buy two or three loaves, keep them in the freezer, and use one loaf at a time. Also, I have had the most success with the freezer breads. Two of my personal favorites: Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread and Udi’s Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread. Both are light and soft with a fluffy texture. The whole grain bread is heartier and has more flavor. I prefer the whole grain version, to be honest. The white sandwich bread is a little fluffier, a little whiter, but I’m a girl who likes that hearty taste. These breads are great with eggs on the side, jam or Nutella right on top, or deli fresh meats right in between. Now, if you are bored of your everyday bread and want a sweeter choice, I would suggest Udi’s Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread: a delicious breakfast treat with some fresh berries on the side. Again, this can all be found in the freezer aisles. For a savory choice, I prefer Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse Sun-dried Tomato & Roasted Garlic Bread. Just a fair warning, this is a thicker bread, so it doesn’t melt in your mouth as easily. But if you butter it up just right, the taste of the rosemary, garlic, and herbs can’t be beat. Sweet or savory? Your pick!

Now, onto the next category: vacuum-packed. This may be my least favorite type of gluten-free breads, but when it comes to traveling, the convenience factor outweighs everything else! Whether you’re hitting the road to visit the cousins or departing for a weeklong international trip, it’s always good to have something you know you can eat. And even better, something you know you can eat every meal! I would recommend Schar’s Classic White Bread. It can be a little dry, but the taste is good. And as far as vacuum-packed bread goes, this is on the top of my list. I have yet to try Schar’s Multigrain Bread, but hopefully it lives up to the same standard.

One of the first breads I ate (after I realized gluten-free bread was real), was Ener-G’s Brown Rice Loaf. I remember eating the dry, crumbly bread for months because we hadn’t found any other alternatives (the choices were very limited when I was diagnosed with celiac). Looking back, now that I have so many great choices, I can’t believe I ate that stuff and for so long! I would really not recommend it.

And the last category: freshly baked. Now this is by far the hardest type of gluten-free bread to find. Anywhere. The freezer and vacuum-packed bread can be found at most local grocery stores or markets. Besides family owned bakeries here and there, the only national chain who has certain locations make an array of gluten-free products is the Great Harvest Bread Co. One of their locations is very convenient for me and does supply warm and delicious gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread. This bread has flavor and texture and simply melts in your mouth. When slightly warmed with a little butter, it’s perfection. The only down side of Great Harvest is that they are not a gluten-free facility. So, they cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contamination. So this depends on what’s best for you. Some may not need to be as careful as long as the food does not contain wheat, while others may want to stay away if cross contamination is a risk they usually don’t take.

Anyways, I hope this has been helpful in starting you off with the right foot forward marching into the wonderful world of gluten-free foods! Please leave any questions, comments, or suggestions in the contact tab above. I would love to hear from you!

Hope y’all are enjoying the summer!

Cheers,

Anika

Birthday Parties

When your friends’ birthdays rolls around again, it may be the best time of year for them. But for you? It could very well be a nightmare.

From the glutinous snacking foods to the greasy pizzas and layered cake with the icinged ‘Happy Birthday!’ in cursive, as others stuff themselves with the party food, you are left to ponder the perfection of each icing letter, until they are gone and in your friends’ stomachs.

Do you allow yourself to go hungry party after party? Or do you bring your own sweet treats? I would suggest informing your friends’ parents. Within the past month, I have attended five birthdays and all of them made gluten-free accommodations. These families were very kind to do so! If you feel uncomfortable asking them to accommodate for you, then please do bring a substitution for yourself. If the host would like to help out in providing gluten-free options, they may ask where to buy gluten-free snacks, pizza, and cake from. Be ready to give specific names of your favorite snacks, local pizzerias that serve gluten-free pizza, and of course the cake!

As for snacks, I would tell the host of a few common items found at most local grocery stores such as Fritos, Snyder’s Gluten-free Pretzels or Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn. In terms of ordering pizza, I strongly recommend Jules Thin Crust Pizza and Bake 425° (some of my local pizza places). And for the gluten-free cake, I recommend Whole Foods’ GlutenFree Bakehouse’s Chocolate or Vanilla Cupcakes. These come in packs of four and are simply delicious! If you would like a small cake, I would suggest Gillian’s Chocolate Cake. It is excellent!

Hope this helps when attending the next party.

Cheers!

 Anika

Tortilla Melt-downs

Ingredients:

  • 4 Gluten-Free brown rice tortillas
  • 2/3 cup grated cheddar blend
  • 4 slices black forest ham, diced
  • 1 small green chile, deseeded, finely chopped
  • 1/2 medium-sized red tomato, deseeded, diced
  • 1/8 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/8 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • Cooking Spray

Combine cheddar cheese, ham, green chile, tomatoes, cilantro, and parsley in a medium bowl. Mix throughly. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and apply cooking-spray. Place one tortilla in the pan, and spread half of the mix on the tortilla. Place second tortilla on top. Spray the top tortilla with cooking spray. Let it heat for three minutes or until lightly browned. Slide the tortilla into a plate. Flip the empty skillet over the plate and turn the plate over on top of the skillet, to have the opposite side of the tortilla facing down. Allow this side of the tortilla to heat for three minutes. Slide tortilla into a plate. Cut tortilla into quarters. Repeat process for second tortilla melt-down. Serve warm with sour cream.

Makes 8 quarters. Enjoy!

Han Dynasty

This past Sunday, my family and I treated my dad out for a special Father’s Day lunch. We celebrated him at Han Dynasty in Philly. Now, Han Dynasty is not your typical run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant. Oh no, it’s much more. The menu contains a variety of appetizers, soups, entrees, and a unique spice level scale. The spice levels range from 1-10, and each dish has a given number that can be altered based on the desired taste.

For an appetizer, I ordered the spicy crispy cucumber with a spice level of 5. Although the restaurant did not offer a gluten-free menu, the waiter was well informed and said based on what dish I chose, she would tell me if it was gluten-free, can be altered to be gluten-free, or simply not doable. The soy sauce from the cucumbers was removed so that it could be gluten-free. For the main course, I ordered the Garlic Sauce Style Lamb with a spice level of 5 as well. Since the restaurant serves the dishes family-style, I tried the Cumin Style Chicken that my brother ordered, with a spice level of 5. Both dishes were assured to be gluten-free.

I have to warn you, don’t let the spice level fool you. A level 4 or 5 is pretty spicy! (And I love spicy food). Sadly, there was no dessert on the menu, and I really could’ve gone for a cold, refreshing sorbet to cool my taste buds down. But we did make our way to Kiwi, a frozen yogurt (froyo) place just about two blocks away.

Hopefully all of your dads or you (if you’re a father) had a special and memorable Father’s Day!

Cheers,

Anika

Paramour

When going out to celebrate out of my friends birthdays, she chose to dine at Paramour in Wayne, PA. The cuisine is American, but with a distinctive modern and contemporary twist to it. We all had to dress up for the occasion, because the restaurant is classy and chic. My friend knew of my allergy and informed the restaurant beforehand, allowing them time to notify our waiter of appropriate gluten-free choices for dinner.

When walking in, on the left is a sports bar, straight ahead, I caught a glimpse of a private room decked in bright oranges and contemporary furniture. On the right was a posh little table with five of my friends eagerly waiting for me to arrive. Resting on our napkins were small fragrance sachets. I still use mine in my room at home; the scent of ‘Petals of Spring’ never fades away. Additionally, each of us were treated to caramel covered marshmallows. I considered saving mine for my brother, but that plan was quick fall through!

The waiters brought around a variety of rolls and breads, which I had to skip out on. But I was quite satisfied with the earlier sweet treat! For my entree, I ordered the Chop Chop Salad without the turkey. I guess I just wasn’t feeling the meat that day. A rather large portion of salad came out about ten minutes later with carrots, goat cheese, beets, golden raisins, and almonds well mixed in. I throughly enjoyed the salad as I was pretty hungry at that point!

After our belly were full and top buttons opened, we proceeded to the private room! I was very excited to see the colorful room that had caught my eye once more. The room was posh was furnished with a large sofa and many armchairs in the center. A chandeliers glistened above us, and the waiters brought out a birthday cake. We sang and hugged. After heading back to the table, other were brought slices of a red velvet cake, and I was delighted to have a waiter give me about four gluten-free dessert items to choose from. I ended up picking the Cherry Port ice cream. The ice cream was delicious, but after I couple bites, it dawned on me that it had a distinguished taste of wine. I naively had not picked on the play of words of ‘port’. Port has meant port wine. The ice cream was still very good with whole cherries and a French vanilla base, if I’m not mistaken. I would strongly recommend dining at Paramour, and I’ve heard they do superb brunches as well!

Cheers,

Anika

Gullifty’s

I’ve been looking forward to writing about this restaurant for quite some time now. Gulliftys is one of my favorite go-to sit downs. The service is speedy, and the food never disappoints. This contemporary American joint has a menu filled with great signature dishes and a few surprises too! This originally was your around-the-corner sports bar and grill, but the management decided it was time for change. They changed everything from the wallpaper, to the menu, to the bright LCD Screens, to the layout of the dining. These changes, however, gave the once dingy and crowded grill a more classy and finished feel.

Our waiter was friendly, helpful, and polite. She was quick to bring me a print out that supplemented their menu in finding gluten-free choices. I ordered the French Breton Salad. The salad contained romaine lettuce, roasted beets, grilled asparagus, goat cheese, candied pecans, and to top it off: fresh balsamic vinaigrette. I thoroughly enjoyed the salad, although just a heads up, the portions are huge! So unless you’re coming in with a big appetite, choose your entrée wisely.

As for dessert, I shared a gluten-free Chocolate Ganache Tort and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I have to say this is by far my favorite gluten-free flourless chocolate tort. The flourless chocolate dome from PF Chang’s is great, but can be overpoweringly chocolately. This tort had the right balance between texture and chocolate, and the vanilla ice cream knocked it out of the park. I would strongly recommend ordering this for dessert, but save room!

Cheers,

Anika

Verdad

For a late bite on a Saturday night with friends, we stopped at Verdad, a European Latin restaurant on the mainline (of Philly). They have a tapas style menu as well as a tequila bar. The atmosphere was great, and our server was very friendly. The waiter was prompt to tell us the gluten-free options.

For a shared appetizer, we ordered the Strawberry Habenero Guacamole. Our waiter assured us that the chips served on the side were corn tortilla chips, but there might be cross contamination in the kitchen. Depending on how severe your intolerance to gluten is, you can make the decision whether or not to eat foods that are gluten-free, but are prepared in a facility that deals with ingredients containing gluten. I personally am okay with eating gluten-free foods made in a kitchen that has gluten. So, I enjoyed the unique flavors of the guacamole with the corn tortilla chips. This was no ordinary guacamole. It had finely cut pieces of strawberry and kiwi as well as habenero peppers. This was hands down the best guacamole I have had. As for the main course, I ordered the Bibb Salad. I ordered it by the recommendation of a friend, and boy did it live up to it! The salad had blue cheese, granny smith apples, spicy cashews, and was topped off with lavender vinaigrette. I would strongly recommend the Bibb Salad and guacamole to anyone dining at Verdad. I am excited to return to this restaurant and explore the rest of their menu!

Cheers,

Anika

Azie

For a dinnertime end-of-the-year celebration, my family chose to dine at Azie. Azie serves a unique contemporary Asian cuisine and is conveniently located on the mainline (of Philadelphia). I personally like to think of the restaurant as having a French-Japanese cuisine- but don’t hold me to it. Nothing can quite match the exquisite dishes prepared at Azie.

The waiter was very helpful in bringing out a gluten-free menu for me. He also was kind enough to ask the chef whether the specials would be all right for me. Although he was accommodating, he didn’t quite understand the concept of being intolerant to gluten. The special appetizer was raw tuna, avocado, and oranges in a honey miso glaze. After asking the chef, our waiter said, ‘Yes, its okay, its okay. But in the honey miso sauce, we can’t be sure. There may be little bit. Very little. But otherwise okay.’ His ignorance regarding gluten-free diets was not a problem, since I myself simply said, ‘No thank you!’ to the appetizer. But its just a heads up- the staff may seem like they have a grasp on gluten-free eaters, but take precautions!

For the entrée, I ordered one of their special. You may think this is a rather daring choice as the waiter ignorantly said the glutinous appetizer was mostly gluten-free. But this time, the waiter reassured us with bringing the chef out to confirm. So, I feasted on a grilled striped bass served with a mandarin orange salad and edamame risotto. I was not a big fan of the risotto, but the fish and salad were excellent! The fish was fresh and juicy, so I would have to recommend ordering seafood from this restaurant.

Last but not least, the dessert. I didn’t have a whole lot of choices. But being gluten-free, you should try to get use to that. (Or don’t! If you’re passionate, take a stance and starting contacting restaurants that you don’t think provide an adequate amount of GF dessert choices!) I decided to have a refreshing raspberry sorbet once my meal was finished. It was a great way to end the celebrations and congratulations!

Cheers,

Anika