Celiac Awareness month

May 2014: GinnyBakes Coconut Oatmeal Bliss

“Better late than never”

I’d really like to pretend that I’m not writing my product of the month review on the last day of May. Everything about this screams procrastination. Literally it should be my middle name. Now I may be a pro when it comes to the tips and tricks of living gluten-free, but I’m sure as heck an amateur when it comes to managing and budgeting my time! But we all learn with experience, right? At least I like to believe that.

What a month it’s been. A month full of testing. I’m sure we’ve all had it with the abundance of standardized testing, AP exams, and final exams that the glorious month of May brings. All the same, it’s also been a month of celebration. That’s right, today is the last of Celiac Awareness Month. So, wear your green clothing proudly and be happy for the wonderful reality being gluten-free has now become. It didn’t use to be so easy. But with the ever increasing awareness of celiac disease, we have a bright future ahead of us. And that is something to celebrate.

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Bliss. There isn’t a more fitting word in the dictionary. Have you tried any of ginnybakes‘ products? I am relatively new to this company, but I am wholly inspired by their mission and story. They are striving -and have succeeded- at making gluten-free both healthy and delicious- two qualities I have found are scarcely found together. I have only had the pleasure of making the scrumptious coconut oatmeal cookies. This unique combination may be a risk, but it definitely paid off. The oatmeal adds texture to the cookie while the coconut naturally sweetens it. Now, I bought the baking mix for this product, but it is also sold in a box of eleven cookies. I do want to get my hands on a box to compare them to the ones I baked! I also have bought the pre-made chocolate chip love cookies. However I’m waiting until June comes around to try them out (now that doesn’t mean I won’t dig into them first thing tomorrow!) because I’ve had my fair share of cookies this month. From Hope’s Cookies to Betty Crocker’s GF Chocolate Chip Cookies to my recent discover of ginnybakes delightful cookie products, it’s been a cookie kind of month! I most certainly ended Celiac Awareness Month with a bang!

What are your favorite gluten-free cookies? Feel free to comment below!

Cheers,

Anika

Nectar

“Enjoy the little things”

… And it’s already Memorial Day Weekend! Gosh time flies by. Hope you’re soaking in the sun and getting a little extra vitamin D that the prolonged winter deprived us of. Celiac Awareness Month is coming to an end, so I’m going to try my best to sneak in a few more posts before the month’s over.

Nectar is one of my all time favorite restaurants. I haven’t had the opportunity to dine there as often as I would’ve liked, but I have been there enough to know that the summery contemporary decor + the excellent Asian-inspired food (with a French flair) make it a wonderful place to dine. The venue is perfect for a spring time party- you can use the patio and open the window-paneled doors for a breeze. The buddha statues bring through the Asian theme while the bright orange decor is a nice contrast that gives it a modern edge. For the private event I hosted there recently, we adorned each tableset with sandalwood fans and mini take-out boxes with handmade French chocolates.

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As for the service, we had a terrific server named Bob managed to keep straight a variety of allergies and dietary restrictions. The group had one gluten-free gal (guess who?!) and three pescatarians, one strict vegetarian, one peanut-free, and one nut-free gal. Quite a crew, right? But that just attests to how on top of everything our server was.

Anyways, the food. Absolutely delicious. For an appetizer, they modified their crispy goat cheese salad to a “true leaf organic greens salad with pickled root vegetables.” The crispy goat cheese was lightly fried in a glutinous batter. However, the pickled root vegetables were quite interesting (for the better). I can’t quite think of anything just like it. Maybe the closest thing- which is still a bit of a stretch- would be a spicy Indian pickle called achar. But this was a more of a sweet Japanese version if that makes any sense. For the main course, I ordered a classic: a spicy tuna roll. When there is sushi, you get sushi. Need I say more? And for desert, the chef was extremely accommodating. The private party menu had said dessert was a “fantasy finish.” Now honestly, what does that mean? Well considering we had no idea what to expect, I was delightfully surprised. There was a slice of gltuen-free chocolate hazelnut bread, a vanilla mousse with apricot jam, and a strawberry sorbet.

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Hopefully you’re tempted enough to give this place a try. Enjoy the long weekend!

Cheers,

Anika

Hope’s Cookies

Hope you’ve all been sporting some green in celebration of Celiac Awareness Month! Definitely try some new gluten-free recipes and restaurants this month- take a risk and challenge yourselves! And this is a great place to start… what better way to spread awareness than trying some delicious, gluten-free cookies?! That honestly can’t be too1 much to ask for, right? And the best part is that these store-bought cookies have the same (or arguably better) quality and taste as home baked ones.

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Hope’s Country Fresh cookies resides on Lancaster Ave. on the mainline of Philly. When recently driving by, I noticed the “NEW! Now serving Gluten-Free Cookies!” sign on the bakery eatery cookie-ry. Ever since, I’ve been anxious to try them since Hope’s has quite the reputation preceding it. Honestly, it’s pretty rare for a gluten-free gal to be treated to a soft and chewy, freshly-baked cookie. Typically, the store bought ones that you find in the gluten-free aisle at Wegman’s or Whole Foods are harder, crunchy cookies. They are what I like to call “pantry cookies“. Don’t get me wrong, there are many brands that have excellent gluten-free shelf cookies, but this is a whole different playing field. Anyways, you’ll be pleased to know that I did eventually try Hope’s new gluten-free cookies- when I found a good excuse to indulge, that is, and hence this post came about. (Side note: exams are always a brilliant excuse to eat and do just about anything)

So onto the scrumptious little baked balls of dough… I was treated to two chocolate chip cookies and two ginger cookies. The unique flavors, chewy texture, and hint of sweetness that create the ginger cookie is unparalleled. And it is truly not so often one can describe a gluten-free cookie as chewy in a positive connotation. The last time I described a gluten-free food as chewy was probably Chebe’s pizza crust when it is undercooked and far too chewy. At any rate, in terms of cookies, I typically associate the word chewy with non-gluten-free, wheat-based cookies because gluten-free cookies are usually drier in texture. However, this time, that was not the case! I just want to make it clear that the chocolate chip cookies were wonderful. With the hint of sea salt, the sweet and salty combination was at its A game. More than anything, I think the fact that the ginger cookie’s flavors were more exquisite and unfamiliar made it the more interesting, and therefore better, cookie.

Unfortunately, Hope’s does not have in information regarding their gluten-free cookies online. You can order all of their other varieties online. Hopefully the GF cookies will be added to the site soon, so you can purchase them online if picking up from the store is a trek. What’s more, as of right now, Hope’s only has two GF cookie flavors. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they will expand their GF selection and hopefully (hopefully hopefully hopefully!) will make a white chocolate macadamia cookie.

Cheers!

Anika

 

Maggiano’s- Little Italy

And a new month is upon us… happy May, everyone! But more importantly, happy Celiac Awareness month! Now unfortunately, the most distinguished month of the year (at least for a gluten-free blogger with celiac disease) coincides with SAT Subject Tests, AP exams, and finals- the whole shebang. I’m going to try my best to keep it new and fresh through out this month, but you’ll have to bear with me.

A few weeks ago, my family and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Maggiano’s. Now just based off the name, you may be thinking, ‘Oh no, not Italian!’. I know, Italian restaurants are notorious for their lack of gluten-free options. From the shrimp scampis to brick-oven pizzas and freshly baked bread to manicotti, it’s always a struggle eating gluten-free within this cuisine. So, I have some good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad news first: there’s no gluten-free menu at the restaurant. Great restaurant, right? But the good news is that, there is no need for a gluten-free menu! The chef can convert many dishes to their gluten-free equivalent, and the waiters are very well informed in those accommodations. And the best news yet… they have gluten-free pasta!! This means that nearly all of their pasta dishes, with a few substitutions, can be made GF! The GF version of the “Famous Rigatoni ‘D'” is fabulous. It has herb-roasted chicken, mushrooms, and caramelized onions in a creamy marsala sauce. So  if that’s your thing, go for it! Hands down the best pasta dish I’ve eaten. However, just a reminder (since you’re probably not very accustomed to having the option of eating Italian foods), the portion sizes are HUGE. I mean enormous. You will have leftovers for the next day and the day after that! And if you’re not feeling the rich and creamy pastas, there are plenty of other choices. For example, when I recently dined at Maggiano’s, I opted for chicken since I had had a homemade chicken and asparagus pesto pasta for lunch that day. The waiter said to pick any chicken that looked most appealing to me, and the chef would cater it for a gluten-free eater. How easy is that?! I had the Chicken Piccata, which was delicious. The Chicken Piccata typically comes with angel hair aglio olio, so that was substituted by GF pasta. And I’m honestly not someone who eats chicken at restaurants- I usually find it too bland. But this is the second time now I’ve voluntarily chosen it. I could quite possibly be turning a new leaf!

Now, dessert can be ever so slightly trickier. They did have vanilla citrus creme brûlée that was GF, but they also had Spumoni (as pictured above) which I couldn’t resist. It was actually my first time eating Spumoni and let me say this: I would never have guessed chocolate, cherry, and pistachio could have tasted so good together! As the Green Machine Naked Juice Bottle says, “Looks weird. Tastes amazing.”

Ciao,

Anika