I decided that I was a little more “mature” for hot dogs these days, and decided to fill my buns with some nice italian sausages at Earth Fare, also claiming to be gluten free. Win win.

What an easy meal! I dazzled up my sausage with a little hot mustard, and it made for a very tasty dinner. It was a while ago that I made these, and I’m craving them again. So that’s a good sign!

About the hot dog buns:

Since I was making these sausage dogs for myself only, I had a few opportunities to warm up the hot dog buns. Please note: if not done properly, they can get very hard. For instance, don’t put them in the microwave for too long. The best thing to do to warm them is to put them in a toaster over for a short length of time. If they get too soft, they will be difficult to get your hot dog/sausage in, and they will get very had as they cool.

But if made properly, they have a great taste and flavor. I wouldn’t have been able to tell they were gluten free. They weren’t soggy, had a great texture, and didn’t leave any kind of nasty after taste, often associated with gluten free foods. I’m looking forward to trying the hamburger buns I stuffed in my freezer this weekend! I’m headed to the Bywater in Asheville, NC for a little family cook out and to hear some good music. Can’t wait!

A few weeks back, while I was in Washington, DC craving gluten free blueberry muffins, I couldn’t find any!! I checked a bunch of places for Udi’s gluten free blueberry muffins, but they didn’t sell them in the Whole Foods or the Trader Joe’s there. Bummer!!

So, when I arrived in Asheville, NC, I really didn’t expect to find anything better than what they have in The Nation’s Capital. Oh, geez, was I wrong.

Asheville, which boasts itself as the world’s first Foodtopian Society, is the BEST town I have ever discovered for celiacs and gluten free sensitive eaters.

First, I went to the French Broad Co-op, which I heard wonderful things about. Seeing a tray full of muffins, I asked if they carried Udi’s blueberry muffins. The gentleman at the register said, no, they did not and offered up some other gluten free options. But either they were out that day, or they took a cue from my request, because the VERY NEXT WEEK, they DID have Udi’s gluten free blueberry muffins.

See:

Were the muffins good you ask? YES. They were very good. I especially liked the sprinkles of granulated sugar on top

HOWEVER, there is a big difference in having fresh baked muffins and frozen muffins. And I was lucky enough to find the former the week before I finally found the Udi’s blueberry muffins.

My new home away from home, the West End Bakery in West Asheville, NC carries several gluten free options, as well as muffins made from spelt, vegan muffins, and regular muffins and other baked goods. They also have gluten free bread, which means I can eat sandwiches here for lunch!! I love this place.

And here is what their muffin looks like:

So far, these are the only two gluten free blueberry muffins I’ve tried — how about you? I’d be interested in finding more muffins…or the gluten free muffin man.

Rudi’s sent me some gluten free num nums in the mail. I had been craving PIZZA, as usual, and so was pleased to find their gluten free pizza crust in the package (among other gluten free yummies, I’ll be blogging about soon).

So I made a pizza! First, I went to the French Broad Co-op to find some local pizza sauce. That didn’t happen, but I did find some Rising Moon Organics Garlic & Chanerelle Mushroom Pasta Sauce, which worked out quite well. Toppings included green peppers, yellow peppers, mushrooms, scallions, and chicken breast strips. Also, a mixture of Mozzerella and Long Horn Cheeses was melted on top.

I should note here that the French Broad Co-op in Asheville, NC has a very good selection of gluten free eats, including Udi’s gluten free blueberry muffins. YUM.

But, back to Rudi’s. I very much enjoyed the pizza. The crust was not soggy or mushy, it did not crumble and it held its ground. I’ve had some pretty bad gluten free pizza in my day, and Rudi’s is in a different class. I will not say, however, that it was better than Mandy’s, but until Mandy’s is widely available, Rudi’s is a good option. Rudi’s is also a very good option for hot dog buns, which I’ll be posting about soon!

Yay, Pizza!!

Tell us about your favorite gluten free pizza crust and/or recipes! What have you had that’s good?

A few months ago, my health conscience sister popped by with some gluten free ginger snaps from Trader Joe’s grocery store. This is my sister who will lecture me on eating healthy, all the while she is subconsciously stuffing handfuls of potato chips in her mouth, while I nod “Yes, Shari, I will eat my vegetables”. So I don’t know why she bought the gluten free ginger snaps, which have about 6 grams of fat in 5 cookies [read: not healthy]. “They’re really good”, she said, “try some”. So I did, and she was right, they were pretty good. And I like ginger snaps. I don’t really have cravings for them, like I do for French toast and Reuben sandwiches, but I like ginger snaps.

The gluten free ginger snaps are alright; nothing to write home about (or even blog about, apparently).

However, while in the process of moving out of my house, I was trying not to make any more trips to the grocery store and instead be innovative with what I already had in my cupboards. I ducked down into my bottom cupboard, shuffling around in my mix of packaged and canned food, and this is what I popped back up with:

*Disclaimer: I do not know if Jif peanut butter is entirely gluten free. It does not say that it is on the label.

Before I knew it, a half a jar of peanut butter was gone, because this is what I was doing with them:

Yum, yum, yum. That’s all I have to say. Don’t blame me if you gain a few pounds; I gave you fair warning!

And I know that good gluten free options exist (at least they do in the grocery store and in my kitchen). I know this because last Thanksgiving I made TWO pies, with gluten free pie crust, of course. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to blog about these pies (they were SCRUMPTIOUS, after all).

Anyway, the pie crust I used was from Gluten Free Pantry, which claims “perfect pie crust” right on the box. (By the way, you can buy their gluten free pie crust online, or find it at many organic grocers.)

As this was my first attempt at making the pie crust, and I’m not a very proficient pie-maker anyway, I will say it was a little tricky to roll out the dough. However, once you get a feel for the texture and what it can do, it’s not bad to work with, or just as difficult as regular flour, if you ask me!

I also didn’t do the best job of making the little indents around the pan, (see the pre-cooked pumpkin pie above) but once it came out of the oven, it didn’t look too bad. It was a little flaky, but the taste was indiscernible from that of regular pie crust. I served it to my gluten-loving family, and they all liked it and couldn’t tell the difference!

Also, for the cherry pie, I tried putting the little crisscrosses over top, but that wasn’t working too well for me. I think it has more to do with lack of experience (and patience!) so we won’t blame it on the pie crust.

To the left are my finished products. Anyone else have any crusts they’ve tried or made from scratch? Would love to hear about it and get this pie fad started!

Most foods I love and used to eat have been forgotten because I know my tummy can no longer tolerate them, but there are a couple that come to mind — French toast and Reuben sandwiches — that I get sudden cravings for, cravings that I am now able to fully satisfy, thanks to Udi’s gluten free bread.

I’m not a fancy cook, so maybe it’s ironic that I have a food blog and put some recipes on here from time to time, but I assume that you can Google how to make French Toast and Reubens, so I won’t go into detail about how I prepared them. I just want you to be aware of the options available and to know that this is the best gluten free bread widely available (and I’m not being paid to write this!) I have had some really good fresh gluten free bread at a gluten free bakery, but Udi’s is available in many locations, including Whole Foods, Giant, Ingles, and Trader Joes. And you can order it directly from their website, if you don’t live near a store that carries their products.

For the French toast I used Udi’s gluten free white sandwich bread and for the Reuben, their whole grain gluten free bread. (They also have some recipes on their website if you’re interested, including one for gluten free French toast.)

I am also excited to see the BLUEBERRY MUFFINS on their website!! I don’t think I’ve had a good blueberry muffin in AGES, and am dying for one right now. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on ‘em

Have you had any recent cravings for the ol’ comfort food? Have you been able to find options to satisfy your cravings? Let us know if so or if not — would love to read your comments.

Because I quit eating gluten due to a range of health issues which improved tenfold when I did, I’ve never been formally diagnosed with Celiac disease. Therefore, I can take small doses of gluten without completely killing myself. But, I try to stay away from it completely.

Except I have one weakness.

Beer.

I LOVE beer. (And nothing goes better with pizza, by the way!)

At the early point in my gluten free lifestyle (over two years ago now) I asked a server at a local bar if they had any gluten free beer (which I had never tried at this point, but I had heard it existed.) She told me no, but they did have hard cider. I don’t generally like to drink sweet things, so I was debating over this option, when she suggested to me a Corona. Her friend, who is gluten-free, drinks Corona all the time, she said, because it is made from corn, not wheat, (she said) and contains only small traces of gluten. Or so she thought. But, hey, it doesn’t take much to talk me into a beer, so of course I went for it.

And you know what? I didn’t really notice any change in my symptoms. The Corona didn’t seem to affect me much at all. Over the last two years, I’ve experimented a lot with what WILL affect me. Mostly what gets burdened is my digestive system, but also my allergies and asthma. This has resulted in me vowing to NEVER EVER devour three slices of bread, several beers, and a piece of cake in one sitting, even if it IS my birthday party.

But over the past couple of years I’ve drank Corona on and off, not noticing much of an impact. I’ve also tried drinking light beers every now and again (more like every couple of months), like Bud Light or Coors Light or PBR, and haven’t noticed much of an impact either. That’s got me wondering — how much gluten is in these beers? I imaging they are mostly water. I DO have extreme problems if I drink the beers I really want to drink, strong wheat Belgians like a Leffe or Chimay. But not so much with these lighter beers. So, what’s the deal? If my body can take small doses of gluten, shouldn’t it be possible to know how MUCH gluten a product contains?

I made mention to Corona Canada of my curiosity over the amount of gluten in Corona via my twitter account, and they got right back to me with this tweet:

The link that they provided regarding Corona’s ingredients says this:

“What are the ingredients of Corona Extra? Corona Extra is made with all natural ingredients, water, barley, hops and yeast”

Notice, it says nothing like the waitress told me about it being brewed with corn, so I have no clue where her and her friend came up with that one. Yes, Corona is gold, but I don’t think that means it’s made from corn!! And, yes, barley contains gluten, so there you have it — Corona is NOT gluten free.

It was quite nice of the Corona people to get back to me (and so quickly — Twitter is great for customer service!) but there is still an unanswered question: how much gluten IS in a Corona? What percentage is gluten? What percentage is water?

And a larger question for the gluten free community: Is this something that people with gluten sensitivities SHOULD be asking, or should we just be trying to avoid it altogether? Should we be trying to not only find out if something is gluten free, but also, if it does contain gluten, how much gluten? Because ultimately it’s up to us (and our bodies) to make that choice between a little discomfort and a whole lot of discomfort. I’d like to know how I’m going to feel later, BEFORE making the choice to eat/drink something.

And I’ve got to say it: I don’t want to avoid gluten completely if I don’t have to. I’ve been self-medicating myself through healthy eating, being conscientious, taking natural vitamins and herbs, exercise and trying different things to see what works for me for years. And if I really want a beer, and I see on the label that one beer contains x amount of gluten, while another contains a much lesser amount of gluten, I might just go ahead and drink that beer with the lesser amount rather than forgo a beer altogether!

I <3 Beer.

What do ya’ll think? Should companies post the volume of gluten on their labels? An estimated volume? I’m not sure how gluten is measured. ?? Questions, questions!

I had been there previously, but my Dad told me they added gluten free pizza to their menu, so of course I had to go again! It’s a family-type of restaurant with friendly service and a little screened-in porch, where most of the seating is arranged.

I’ll cut to the chase; here is what I ordered:

A ham, spinach, and pineapple pizza on tomato pesto sauce with ricotta cheese. Now, when I ordered this pizza the server suggested the tomato pesto as a sauce base and the ricotta cheese and assured me that this was her absolute favorite pizza. She also told me that the “pineapple” consisted of a combination of canned pineapples and mandarin oranges, not fresh pineapple. I would’ve preferred the latter, but beggars can’t be choosers.

To be honest, the crust was thin and hard. However, everything else tasted so good that it seemed to make up for the crust. The best part was this:

That’s right – an 8″ gluten free pizza for only $8.95! Can’t beat that! Unfortunately, there isn’t a Cootie Brown’s in Pittsburgh, or I’d definitely be heading back soon. Alas, it will have to wait until my next trip to Tennessee.

As a side note: Can anyone confirm that Corona is gluten free, or only has small traces of gluten? I sometimes drink this, and it doesn’t seem to bother me as bad as some heavier wheat beers. I can’t seem to find anything legitimately online about it.

Cheers!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do like food, but I’m not a BIG eater so my first thought was “how in the heck am I ever going to eat all this!” Alas, it’s a good thing friends and freezers exist, so that problem was easily solved.

The treat I tried first was the Raspberry Roll, which, in my opinion, should be named the Coconut Raspberry Roll, because if you don’t like coconut, this is not the roll for you. Fortunately, I DO like coconut (a WHOLE lot) and I can only say good things about the raspberry roll, especially if you like sweets. I have to say, this gluten free Coconut Raspberry Roll tastes pretty much just like having a regular baked good. If someone shoved it in my mouth without telling me it was gluten free, I’d have never guessed that it was.

If you have a big sweet tooth, you will especially enjoy this treat, as it is very, very sweet.

Not only is it gluten free, but it’s also soy free, casein free, lactose free, and peanut free. That’s like FIVE WINS!

I checked on Shabtai’s website and the price of this roll is only $7.29, which in the gluten free world, isn’t too terribly high priced. They also have a store locator which shows that I can pick up some of Shabtai’s goodies not too terribly far from my house, and it looks like they’re available in a variety of select grocers, including the almighty Whole Foods Market.

If you’ve ever tried their other products, let me know in the comments. Cheers!

Thanks to my friend Pam, who is also gluten free, I finally found some gluten free pizza with crust that is damn near perfect. I was with my sister Pam (not to be confused with friend Pam) and my Mom on a Saturday night when it was suggested that we have pizza for dinner. However, that suggestion was quickly withdrawn after my sister remembered that I am gluten free and am usually a lame-o when it comes to eating anything fun. But then I remembered friend Pam telling me about Mandy’s pizza and so off we went (20 minutes out of our way) for some PIZZA.

Mandy’s has two locations in Pittsburgh (and one in California). Of course I went to the wrong location first (the one without the gluten free menu). Note to self: the correct location is in Westview at 512 Perry Highway.

The people at the first location couldn’t have been nicer! They gave us thorough directions to the correct location, and a couple free sodas for our troubles. They told us that the owner had pretty much perfected the gluten free crust, as his son has many food allergies and many attempts were made until the son gave his Dad the “thumbs up” on what is now the perfected version. In addition, they told us that people come from ALL OVER the place to get Mandy’s gluten free pizza, so our 20 minutes seemed well worth it so far and we hadn’t even ordered our pizza yet!

After much deliberation over the menu, we sat down and ordered our pizzas to go: one mushroom/pepperoni and one green pepper/pepperoni. The gluten free pizzas are 10″, so we thought we better order two. The pizzas, by the way, were pretty pricey — about $35 for two 10″ pizzas (4 slices) with two toppings each. *worth it*

At the next (correct) location, the people were again very endearing. My mom chatted with the guys behind the counter who told us the owner is also working on getting the gluten free pizza crusts in local stores (Giant Eagle?!) soon. I hope so. We decided to take our pizzas home and eat them there.

I have posted many gluten free pizza reviews since starting this blog, but really, truly this is the best gluten free pizza to date. The crust was not soggy or spongy and the sauce did not seep through at all. It tasted waaaaay better than the wet socks that is Amy’s gluten free pizza.

The crust was really good and even sort of thick and chewy, but also crusty. Crusty! Like crust should be. In addition, there was ample cheese and toppings, and the sauce was very tasty as well. It really, really was very good pizza and I hope to also be able to buy the crust someday soon in grocery stores.

Not only is the crust gluten-free, but it’s also free of wheat, corn, soy, egg, casein, and nuts. Which makes me wonder what the heck IS in it, and makes it even more amazing that it tastes so good. I should also add that there are also allergen-free cheese options, which I did not try, but is vegan and lactose friendly.

In addition, Mandy’s also has a gluten free menu with flatbread and wings (looking forward to trying these someday!)

As always, let me know of any gluten free pizza tips you may have in the comments below!