Goodie Goodie Gluten-Free®

I have heard so many wonderful reviews of  Bar Breton through other blogs, celiac meet-ups and plain reviews through Google.  This lovely little French restaurant on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Chelsea, NYC was a place I had wanted to try for months!  Their mouth watering menu alone had me salivating with thoughts of amazing gallettes (crepes) both in dessert form and dinner form with ingredients such as ham and goat cheese to Nutella and chocolate mousse wrapped by a buckwheat pancake.  Their menu both interesting and diverse, I thought would draw in a crowd both gluten-free friendly and gluten friendly. Forest Ham and Egg Buckwheat Gallette Nutella Buckwheat Gallette I have to say that I was quite disappointed with the taste, but blown away by the presentation.  How could these gorgeous meals prepared so beautifully taste so tasteless??!  I was shocked.  I even brought a date to this restaurants as I was sure ...

So I think I can now say that Betty Crocker comes to the rescue in times of bind.  Her devils food cake rocked, her chocolate chip cookie mix made vegan was worthy and now the latest Chocolate Coconut Chip Cookies.  I don't use her mixes as is.  I always add ingredients.  I find without the additions the mixes arent fabulous, and gluten-free should be, well Fabulous! They are great basic mixes, but they do need other ingredients. I decided to play around with extracts this time.  I of course added in the xanthan gum, because her mixes do not use that, and that is essential!  I added in 1/4 tsp. of xanthan gum, 1/2 tsp. Coconut extract and 1/2 tsp. Chocolate extract.  I also added in 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (GF).  What a difference!  Omg! I brought these to work and everyone even the skeptics were dazzled by the taste! Most importantly besides ingredients...is pressing the balls of cookie dough till flattened....

Another restaurant becomes gluten-free friendly.  This time it's Manhasset, Long Island.  One would think an Asian Fusion restaurant couldn't really accommodate the gluten-intolerant  but lucky for us they can. Menu Items that are Gluten-Free friendly: Chicken lettuce cups minus the plum sauce.  Their ground chicken has no sauce whatsoever in the meal.  This dish is very gluten-free friendly and I always get it when I am there. Sushi but minus the soy sauce (unless you bring your own) Sashimi or tar tare minus the soy sauces.   Steak, Chicken or Fish naked and plain. Steamed veggies. Now granted you cannot indulge in the noodles and saucy dishes, but when it comes to the entree the chef will make you anything steamed or naked.  When it comes to restaurants like these, if you want to dine there you just have to eat a bit more plain and work around your allergy. Just make sure at you speak to the waiter about your allerg...

Many months back I won a "gluten-free mix giveaway" from Mixes From The Heartland   I was super psyched because I have never won anything in a contest before and was even more excited that it was something I could put to use.  I received 1 huge box filled with tons of mixes from dip mixes to dessert mixes to dinner and soup mixes.  Wow. Last night I made the Spinach -N- Chives dip mix.  It was great!  All I had to do was add sour cream.  I tasted more of the chives then the spinach.  It's a great dip to make if entertaining.  Serve it with chips or crackers.  This I recommend as quick and easy.  Everyone needs these recipes sometimes. xoxo Julie http://www.goodiegoodiegluten-free.blogspot.com/

If you are ever in the mood for those cheese doodles you ate as a kid, then try these.   They are addicting and completely gluten-free.  In fact all UTZ branded foods are.

Best crisp breads out there!  I highly recommend these.  They are made from buckwheat rather then corn and barely any calories. Buckwheat is one of the better gluten-free grains and is high in fiber. Orgran is a brand manufactured in the U.K.-actually one of my favorite processed brands out there.

Since going gluten-free over four years ago, I said goodbye to donuts...not that I needed them anyway, but a donut and gluten-free...and good?  It seemed highly unlikely... Until now. They are addicting.  Delicious.  So good.  No joke.  Warm them up.  Beware, you may eat the whole box! These donuts are not only gluten free, but wheat free, dairy free and soy free. Enjoy! xoxo Julie http://www.goodiegoodiegluten-free.blogspot.com/

Beautiful Decadance Mouth Watering and Gluten-Free Betty Crocker's Devils Food Baking Mix How good to these cupcakes  look?  Let me tell you they were fantastic!  I was a bit of a skeptic because I had made the Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix  a few months back and didn't love the texture.  I thought I had tasted better.  So I bought Betty Crocker's mixes  once again and this time I added in a few extra ingredients and they were delicious! The icing  is very sweet and the chocolate cake is divine.  It's a sweetness that will make any child go gaga for gluten-free cupcakes One of my co-workers daughter had two!  And she was not gluten-free.   This was a fun and creative project.  I added into the batter: 1 Cup Hershey's Dark Chocolate morsels 1/2 Cup Hershey's Butterscotch morsels (both are gluten-free) 1 Tsp. Chocolate Extract  1/4 Tsp. Xanthan Gum xoxo Julie http:/...

Oh my, oh my!  I just read an article in  Gluten-Free Living magazine  that Starbucks has confirmed that there is a lot of cross-contamination in the process of their coffee and specialty drinks.  This saddens me, as getting coffee is at Starbucks is part of my daily ritual. Only about 1 1/2 years ago did I discover that Starbucks flavored syrups were NOT gluten-free.  I had to say goodbye to the vanilla syrup, gingerbread syrup, egg nog syrup, pumpkin spice syrup and all those other fancy syrups.  These syrups have Caramel Coloring  coloring in them, and caramel coloring has gluten.  The FDA says it is considered gluten-free because caramel coloring has under 20ppm, but that 20ppm is still gluten.  Therefore you have to gauge your sensitivity.   It took me so long to figure out why my hair was thinning and falling out.  About 1 month after I stopped all the Starbucks syrups and stuck with a plain latte, my hair slowly but ...

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in June of 2006 after going on Weight Watchers.  Everyone around me was losing weight while I was gaining.  My boyfriend at the time was not sympathetic and consistently told me I needed to go to the gym more (stupid boys)!.  I had switched to "all wheat products"; wheat bread, wheat pasta, wheat crackers, wheat flour and all because I was told it was healthier.  Little did I know I was doing more damage to my body then I realized.  I started seeing all different types of doctors.  No one could figure out what was going on.  I had a severe Vitamin D and Calcium deficiency and at the time of diagnosis a Vitamin B deficiency.  I had horrible stomach problems, acne breakouts, hives, hair loss/thinning, gynecological issues and more (these were symptoms I had for many years dating back to childhood).  It was so frustrating not knowing the culprit.  My Pediatrcian told my mom I had a wheat allergy and ...

Since I am on the topic of lunch time I will let you all know that  Hale & Hearty  now also carries gluten-free soups!  Their soups behind the counter each have their own card that will identify the soups ingredients and if it is dairy free and/or gluten-free.  It will provide all ingredients to each of their soups. When approaching the counter on a particular soup as if the soup is gluten-free.  If their waitstaff looks at you funny which sometimes happens (not everyone will understand your allergy), politely ask if you can see the back of that soups card to verify if it is gluten-free.  If it doesn't say in caps gluten-free do not eat it.  But if it does, it's a winner. You also have to understand that although these places do serve gluten-free soups, know that cross-contamination is going to occur.  Hale & Hearty confirms that they do not make their soups in seperate utensils and that contamination could occur. Now always...

I work in the garment district of NYC, and what I find so hard is lunch time.  What is gluten-free in the plethora of "take-out" restaurants so to speak that have sandwiches on the go, soup on the go and salad on the go...of course you cannot go wrong with those tossed salads if you steer clear of croutons and dressings but I honestly don't want to eat lettuce every day.  It gets boring after a while.  I found out about this amazing small eatery right on 39th street (inside the Donna Karen buliding) that has fantastic veggie burgers that are gluten-free.  They are bound together with brown rice, and there are no gluten fillers.  Wonderful news! I usually get two veggie burgers atop a garden salad which is called the Veggie Burger Platter minus the bread and call it a day. Their tacos are also gluten free!  Their tacos are 100% corn.  They are soft and are made with your choice of the following: Steak, Salmon, Pork or Chicken.  The...

Well, well, well, look what we have here...Top restaurants finally joining the Gluten-Free circle by providing GF dishes upon request as well as GF Pasta.  This is a long time favorite of my family.  This fantastic Italian eatery that focuses on homemade dishes served family style.   Carmines is the epitomy of authentic Southern Italian cooking and every meal is unmistakenly delicious.  Known for their fresh sauces and fresh ingredients and known for their pasta. A few years back, we had a family dinner at Carmines and the waitress informed me that everything including their grilled chicken will have some form of flour in it due to coating the chicken or plain ole cross-contamination (which is truely a killer)!.  I didn't eat there that night.  I drank wine.  It was the only item on the menu I was sure did not contain flour or gluten of some sort.  This news of course is a Celiac's worst nightmare and heartbreak all at the same ti...

Take a dip!  Dipping oils are great subs for a spread on GF Bread.  It soaks up the bread with zesty and tasteful flavor.  Go ahead,  try it.   SAGE, BAY AND GARLIC DIPPING OIL Bay and Sage permeate this garlicky oil, infusing it with wonderful earthy and woodsy flavors. 1/2 cup olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 fresh sage leaves 1 bay leaf Combine all of the ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium-low heat until the thermometer registers 180 degrees.  Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes (do not allow the temperature to rise above 200 degrees)  Cool to room temp.  Drain the oil mixture through a sieve into a bowl, and discard solids.  Yield: 12 servings (serving size 2 teaspoons). *** BASIL DIPPING OIL Just two ingredients combine for a complement to all kinds of GF breads. 2 cups chopped fresh basil leaves (about 2 3/4-ounce packages) 1/2 cup olive oil ...