Gluten Free Bread

Its been a while since I last posted. I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting products, but I don't like to post unless they have my attention. Udi's year after year gets props for their gluten free bread but I think its the nastiest gluten free bread available. Its only okay if you like to eat cardboard both in texture and taste. I'm talking about bread folks, not toast. Even if we were talking toast, Udi's is still really NASTY!

My attention over the last year has been on Canyon Bakehouse. My awesome mom was at Sprouts and brought 2 loafs (is that how you spell it?) for me to try, the Cinnamon Raisin and the Mountain White (of course I like to eat the Mountain White it was named after my husband... tee hee). At first I thought it was going to be like every other nasty bread that needed to be toasted, buttered and jammed before it was edible. I held my breath, but had to give it "the first bite without toasting" test. To my surprise my mouth was met with happiness! The Mountain White was fresh, moist, and had flavor. FLAVOR people, not the flavor of cardboard but a REAL bread flavor! A flavor I thought I would never taste again, daily, unless I went to La Farfalla Cafe (in Escondido, CA) daily to have Terri's delicious gluten free fantastic, wonderful, flavorful, moist, happy bread. My mouth had the same reaction with the cinnamon raisin too! Remember folks, I didn't toast these breads, there was no need they were that good.

Just for the record, I don't like slamming other companies and their products, but I have over the past several years tried other manufacturers. I just try not to post about them if I am SUPER dissatisfied.

I have tried the following...

• Kinikkinik
• Rudi's
• Dr. Schar
• GNI
• Udi's
• Food for Life
• EnerG
• Glutino

Okay back to Canyon Bakehouse! Shelf life... NO NEED to keep in the fridge or freezer. I go through a loaf a week and don't freeze or refrigerate. The moisture and fabulousness is nicely kept in that week. After a week you will need to refrigerate so it doesn't get moldy.

Last, I want to comment on breakage. You notice when you use a gluten free bread for a sandwich it breaks into small pieces. You put mayonnaise on it or mustard it crumbles? Use Canyon Bakehouse within the first week and you wont get breakage. I cant say enough good things! Go out and try it PLEASE! I live in San Diego and find it at Sprouts.

Ok one last thing... why the hell do all these celebrities support crap like Udi's? Oh... they get paid! Screw what celebrities say and listen to us small folks who blog about being gluten free. You can trust a celebrity as much as I trust my dog not to touch my egg sandwich if I put it in his bowl :)

Happy eating, learning and living! Gluten Free...

Happy New Year!

Its been almost a year since I posted. I have been on the down low enjoying what I know about being and eating Gluten Free and not out searching for anything new.

I have been asked to write a book about my experiences, but how boring is that? With all the new products and everything, this blog serves the public well and it stays up to date (plus its free and I dont have to have an editor look over my writing).

I am now pretty confortable with where I am at with the Celiac Disease and have realized noting is worth eating to make me feel like crap. When your newly Gluten Free you think everyone is out to get you and not care about you. In fact its the oppposite. I have had so much positivity in the last year and am thankful for that.

I am now at a point where I am helping other Anti-Glutites enjoy life and understand what newly being Gluten Free is about. It doesnt need to be stressful, dramatic, painful or mental. You have to think of it as a new adventure and try new things and get excited about it.

Pass my blog along if you know of anyone who is new to being Gluten Free. Hell if you have my number give me a call! Nothing better than to have someone empathize with you over the phone and chat about this Gluten Free thing with.

Happy eating, learning and living! Gluten Free...

PASTA! Who doesnt like Pasta?

I cant believe that I have never posted anything in regards to pasta. I am a pasta LOVER! There are several different brands of Gluten Free pasta on the market, but one dominates ALL the competition. It dominates so much, my family and friends cant even tell its Gluten Free. When your in the search for pasta when you first become gluten free you vividly remember the taste of the glutenous version. You remember just how wonderful it is.

Let me introduce you to a few less superior pastas first...

• Trader Joes Brand

When I found I was gluten free, that first day, I wanted pasta. Crying, I went to Trader Joes because that was the only place I knew that had gluten free anything. I bought a few boxes of their pasta to make for dinner. All I have to say is, I kept crying when I ate it. It was HORRIBLE! I thought maybe its just this first experience and tried it again. Cried again at how horrible it was. WARNING! Stay away from Trader Joes Gluten Free pasta!!! I give this pasta 0 (zero) stars. Good effort Trader Joes, but try harder PLEASE!

• Bionaturae

The next pasta I tried was Bionaturae (pronounced bee-oh-na-too-ray). I have to say I felt much better when tasting this pasta. It was definately better than the Trader Joes brand, but still wasn't the taste I wanted. It was definitely edible is all I can say. I give this pasta 3 1/2 stars.

• Glutino

Glutino... made with brown rice. You don't put marinara on rice. I still wasn't pleased, still taste gluten free, but it was a bit better than Trader Joes. I give this pasta 3 stars.

• Tinkyada

If your looking to make an Asian dish that's gluten free you found your pasta. No really this is another brown rice pasta. It does cook well, but not the taste of REAL pasta. I give this pasta 3 stars.

• DeBoles

Now we're getting somewhere. A mixture of flours they have corn and rice pastas available. They cook up nice and actually taste decent with marinara sauce. DeBoles got close, but not close enough. I give them 4 stars.

And now what you have been waiting for! My far SUPERIOR pasta reveal...

Schar (can you hear the horns?) The taste you miss of glutenous pasta exists!

I cant say enough good things about Schar pasta. My friend, Karen Fine, gave me a bag of this pasta to try. That night, of course, we had pasta for dinner. As I was boiling the water and cooking the pasta I took a noodle to my husband to see if its cooked to his liking. He said it was perfect. I went back to the stove, took a noodle out of the pot and as I was about to eat it he yelled at me! He started yelling, "Don't eat it! Its cooked perfect! STOP!" Of course I ate it! He thought it wasn't gluten free. He literally had to come over and look at the package before he believed me. That was proof enough that this would be the pasta we would stick with.

Marinara sauce? FABULOUS! Other sauces? FABULOUS! The thing with Schar pasta is you have to cook it exactly like the directions tell you. Boil the water first... cook and stir... all that. Yes, they do use rice flour in their pasta's and unlike other manufacturers with 2 or 3 types of rice flour they taste nothing like rice. This pasta... I give it 5+ stars!

If you have a gluten free pasta, I didn't mention, that you like... fill me in please. I would love to hear about it.

Mangia bene, vivi felice! Buon appetito!

Happy eating (gluten free pasta), learning and living! Gluten Free...

Subway tests gluten-free sandwiches

Happy days are coming to us anti-glutites! I know you read the subject! Can you believe it? I will, when I see it in my local Subway. How exciting it this for people in Texas!

Here is an excerpt from the CNN article...

Subway is testing a bun made of egg whites, corn starch and tapioca starches for customers with gluten sensitivities at 700 outlets in Dallas and East Texas. The sandwich chain is also offering a gluten-free brownie for dessert. The brownie is made of potato starch, cocoa and sugar.

“Gluten-free is something on the radar,” said Les Winograd, Subway spokesman. “There are number of people at Subway who are particularly interested in gluten-free items for their own particular digestive needs. It’s not something that’s unusual to us.”

With Subway exploring a wheat-free alternative, is this a sign that major food chains are paying more attention to gluten sensitivities such as celiac disease?

I wish I could scream from the top of the world how excited I am. I guess my blog post will have do for now!

Here is a link to the actual CNN article by Madison Park: Subway tests gluten-free sandwiches

Happy eating, learning and living! Gluten Free...

Happy New Year

Well the new year is upon us again. I have to say, I am truly thankful for so many friends, family and blogs out there who have helped me with my journey as an anti-glutite. My goal this year is to decide what type of culinary school would be useful. Baking & Pastry school seems to be the one I feel the strongest about yet I like the idea of cooking with general nutrition to help other anti-glutites.

What is it that you miss the most about being Gluten Free? I miss the yummy breads. Gluten Free bread tastes like cardboard and only when I truly crave bread will I eat it. I have tried bakeries in the area that have Gluten Free bread, frozen bread, making my own bread, and NOTHING is even remotely close to the delectable texture and taste of REAL GLUTENOUS bread. Sourdough, boy do I miss sourdough bread.

I guess I would love to open my own FULLY Gluten-Free Bakery. Think about it... Gluten free cakes, tarts, cupcakes, cheesecakes, brownies, lemon bars, shortbread cookies, eclairs, creme puffs, cookies... my eyes are getting big and my mouth is watering! I would let it be known the bakery is Gluten Free, but I wouldn't produce and sell any baked items unless it was better than the glutenous version so that non anti-glutites would be interested in the product.

Oh, I guess its good to be a dreamer. Maybe I'm just hopeful.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy eating, learning and living! Gluten Free...