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...

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...

La Farfalla Cafe (Escondido CA) *****

I was in the need to dine out with just the hubby and wanted something outside the typical Outback or PF Changs dinner. I was told about this place located in Escondido called La Farfalla Café that had Gluten Free items on their menu. Of course when I hear of such things I HAVE to check it out! La Farfalla Cafe is a quaint place nestled in between some other shops on Orange Ave. It is quite small and looks to hold about 26 people for inside dining. It feels very family dinerish and home like. I personally loved the ambiance. The place was also packed and people were waiting to be seated. Seems La Farfalla has a nice following!

Meet Lacy a new GFF! Lacy, her husband and son were sitting at the table next to us. Of course the social person I am started a conversation. Lacy was just as social and we got to talking about why she was Gluten free. Unfortunately, Lacy has fibromyalgia and has found that by going Gluten Free has helped.

So, Started off with the Soup of the day which was the Coconut lemongrass with Chicken. The taste was very simple and VERY refreshing. Cilantro topped the soup which had mushrooms, lemongrass and chicken. YUM! My husband, one who doesn't like coconut, even tried it and ate half. We also talked another couple sitting a couple tables away into trying it. Pleased to say they loved it too!

The bread that came to the table was made fresh and was really moist. It didn't fall apart unlike other gluten free breads. I would love to buy a loaf and take it home.

If I had a chance to order again I think I would have ordered another entree and not one so simple. The entree I ordered was a Pesto Pasta off the menu that came with a salad. The only reason I should of tried something different is that I can make Pesto Pasta at home. I should of picked something I wouldn't ever make at home... there's always next time.

The Pasta came with a side salad which was really good! it had mixed greens, carrots and cucumbers. I would of hoped for some tomatoes as well. Anyways, I had the Italian dressing and it was absolutely fabulous! I wanted to drink it. LITERALLY! The dressing was that good. Very Italian if I might add. it had everything you would think and Italian dressing would have... wouldn't change a thing there!

DESSERT! You cant forget dessert! The gluten free cream puffs where heaven!!! The hubby couldn't believe they were Gluten Free. The custard was perfect! The texture was perfect! THEY WERE HEAVEN! I found that these puffs were an experiment by the Chef there. Well two thumbs up! Maybe try an eclair your next experiment.

The main reason I went to La Farfalla Cafe was to try the carrot cake. This was another taste of heaven! The cream cheese frosting was perfect! Texture, being Gluten Free everything is about texture and it was just like I remember! Soft, cinnamon, sweet.

Me Enjoying my soup. Hubby, watching me enjoy my soup!

PF Changs 5 New Gluten-Free Beef Dishes *****

Someone is smiling on me, or I guess, us anti-glutites! OH! Its PF Changs! DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS??? PF Changs has five (5) NEW Gluten Free Beef dishes...

• Gluten Free Mongolian Beef
• Gluten Free Hong Kong Beef with Snow Peas
• Gluten Free Beef a la Sichuan
• Gluten Free Pepper Steak
• Gluten Free Beef with Broccoli

I can't explain my excitement! PF Changs has a gluten free version of Mongolian Beef? Can you hear the disbelief in my voice **voice of disbelief**

Back when I was a wee anti-glutite, I couldnt hold my own and fell victim to eating such yummy glutenous PF Changs Mongolian Beef (Might I add a horendous aching came of it and I didnt feel well for a couple days). Now that there is a gluten free version of this wonderous beef dish, I say to all anti-glutites, ENJOY, without the aching, rash or whatever comes of eating gluten!

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

Four Seasons Aviara Gluten Free Buffet *****

I was reading through some of my favorite Gluten Free blogs and at the top of the Gluten Free in San Diego Blog was a post on the Four Seasons Aviara.

The Four Seasons Aviara is now having a monthly gluten free buffet for $29. It is on the first Saturday of every month. The buffet includes an appetizer bar, a salad area, hot entrees, cold entrees and a fabulous dessert bar. EVERYTHING is gluten free (unless marked otherwise). When I went, there were just a couple of sandwiches that were marked as containing gluten, otherwise, everything else was gluten-free. The dessert bar must have had about twenty items on it ranging from flourless chocolate cake, to all kinds of cookies, to chocolate-covered strawberries, to creme brulee and more! Go and bring your appetite, but not your thirst. A small bottle of coke will run you $5 with no refills!

Buffet Hours are from 11:30pm - 2:30pm. The Four Seasons offers a Gluten Free menu everyday upon request. Who wants just a menu when you can have a BUFFET!!!!

• Take I-5 to Carlsbad
• Exit at Poinsettia Lane/Aviara Parkway
• Head (east) at Poinsettia Lane
• Turn right (south) at Aviara Parkway
• Turn right (west) at Four Seasons Point and follow signs to Hotel entrance.

Free Parking and Shuttle 7447 Batiquitos Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92011

• Take I-5 to Carlsbad
• Exit at Poinsettia Lane/Aviara Parkway
• Head (east) at Poinsettia Lane
• Turn right (south) at Batiquitos Drive follow signs to Golf Course entrance.

Four Seasons Aviara 7100 Four Seasons Point - the California Grill Carlsbad, CA 92011 (760) 603-6800 http://www.fourseasons.com/aviara/

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

I know I will the first Saturday in Feb for my B-Day weekend!