|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Welcome to the April 2012 version of Thriving GFCF...my monthly update on GFCF (gluten and dairy free) products, restaurants, events, retailers and any other information I think may be of interest to you. I hope you find it informative and enriching. Kim Rice, |
 |
Pizza and Beer
The gluten and dairy free way...
 | Jules Thin Crust Pizza
|
Although pizza and beer are not a regular part of our diet, I love the fact that there are so many options available now to gluten and dairy free eaters. I've complied a full list of gluten free pizzerias in my Eating Out Gluten and Dairy Free Guide but meanwhile here's a list of my favorites:
Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Danville
I love many things about this pizzeria. Starting with the clean, modern decor, the friendly staff and the fabulous gluten/dairy free pizza. Click here for the full restaurant review on my blog. My favorite pizza is Meat #4, "Kim's Pie," (ironically this is its name but unfortunately it was not named after me). It's topped with hormone-free roasted chicken, portobello mushroom, caramelized onion, mozzarella (ask for vegan cheese - they use Daiya brand), balsamic barbecue sauce and chives. YUM! I gave Jules an OMGoodness rating.
Zpizza in San Ramon
This Zpizza location has a dining area. Sammy loves to sit and watch the cooks throw the pizza crust in the air. The crust is a little thicker here than at Jules. They have some interesting topping options and their ingredients are organic. My favorite is the "California" - organic tomato sauce, mozzarella (ask for vegan cheese), fresh rounds of tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and black olives. You can add chicken for protein. Like Jules, Zpizza uses Daiya brand cheese.
Amici's East Coast Pizzeria
In my opinion, Amici's and Zpizza's GF crust are very similar. I like the fact that Amici's is close to us and delivers. As far as I know, only the Dublin store carries the GF crust. They do use Daiya cheese and also have several gluten free desserts on the menu but they are not dairy free unfortunately. They do serve gluten free beer.
We usually just order a plain cheese pizza for Sam and then I get the Margherita - Mozzarella (ask for Daiya), Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Olive Oil (Tomato Sauce Optional). The Asanté looks good too although I have not tried it yet - Daiya Vegan Cheese, Baby Spinach, Broccoli, Red Onions, Tomatoes, and Fresh Basil (No Tomato Sauce). Amici's has a nice dining room and is family friendly.
Other places that have GFCF pizza:
Zachary's Chicago Pizza - look for my upcoming restaurant review for this place.
Please note that while other pizzerias feature rice and soy based cheeses (such as Skipolini's and Extreme Pizza), they are not dairy free since they contain caseinate. When in doubt, always read the ingredient list. Most restaurants will accommodate.
Go to YELP to follow my GFCF restaurant reviews.
Gluten Free Beer
Not knowing much about beer, I had no clue it had gluten in it. My experience with beer was less than pleasant. In the past. It always made me bloated and gassy (probably due to the gluten) - not fun at a college party. So, I'm not a beer fan but for those who are, there are many great options. Here's a few I found around town.
Red Bridge (sorghum) which is commonly found at restaurants, Bard's (sorghum), New Grist (made from sorghum and rice), New Planet (sorghum), Green's (three varieties available) and St. Peter's (made from millet, rice, sorghum and buckwheat). Since I have no desire to drink beer, I am having my husband help me with my upcoming blog review. Oh the sacrifices he must make for my business (sigh).
I have discovered that there are many places to find gluten free beers these days including BevMo (wide selection), Whole Foods Market, Sprout's Farmer's Market and the Wine Mine in Oakland. The Wine Mine has a nice selection and you can buy single beers instead of an entire six pack which can be nice for tasting and getting familiar with the different brands. The Wine Mine is right next store to Mariposa Bakery Cafe so you can actually do double duty picking up your gluten free pastries and bread along with your gluten free beer. Just keep in mind that the Wine Mine does not open until 11:00am. Happy GF beer guzzling.
 | | Wine Mine in Oakland |
|
|
Product Reviews
 GFCF Frozen Pizza by BOLD Organics (gluten, dairy and nut free)
It's been tough to find a gluten and dairy free pizza that we like. I've noticed that Amy's frozen foods has started using Daiya cheese in their gluten free (and soy free) macaroni and cheese and in one of their gluten free vegetable lasagna meals. My hope is that the Daiya cheese will eventually migrate over to their gluten free frozen pizza. Meanwhile, this new brand appeared on the market several months ago. BOLD Organics. The crust on the pizza is awesome for frozen pizza. Both Sammy and I really liked it. The sauce is true to the brand's name, bold. Sammy kept saying, "boy, this is spicy." Nonetheless it was good and Sammy ate his entire piece. I am not a fan of processed food but it's nice to have a quick option in your freezer. This new BOLD pizza gets a thumbs up from Sammy. It's available at Miglet's Bakery in Danville and Draeger's Market.
Cost: $8 - 9. Several varieties are available.
INGREDIENTS:
NO GLUTEN, MILK, LACTOSE, CASEIN, WHEY, EGG, PEANUT, OR TREENUT. Filtered Water, Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese Alternative (Filtered Water, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Tofu [Soybeans, Calcium Sulfate], Inulin [Chicory Root Extract], Soy Protein, Agar Agar, Sea Salt, Natural Flavor [Plant Based Sources], Carrageenan, Lactic Acid [Vegetable Source]), Organic Crushed Tomatoes, Organic Potato Starch, Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Yellow Corn Meal, Fresh Yeast, Organic Tomato Paste, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Xanthan Gum, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Oregano, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt, Organic Spices (Rosemary, Black Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Red Chili). Contains: Soy
I saw these advertised in a gluten free magazine. The line, "the best tasting gluten free pizza crust" drew me in. I had to order it online since it is not available locally. They offer a small sample you can buy which is nice so you don't have to invest a nice sum of money to find out it's not the best pizza crust. What also intrigued me is that the crusts are dairy, egg and soy free as well. This is a rare find.
I was a little leery at first but this little pizza crust held its own. My son loved it and gobbled it up. I will order more to give him an "egg free" version of gluten free pizza crust. Plus, I love the little size.
The Venice Bakery also sell flat bread, foccacia and frozen pizza dough balls which I think I'll give a try.
Cost: $8.99 for 3 - 5 inch sample crusts.
Udi's gluten and dairy free pizza crust is one of my favorite GF crusts to keep in the freezer. It's handy when my son has a birthday party or other event where they are serving pizza. I keep Daiya mozzarella style cheese in the freezer as well and a jar of Organicville Italian style marinara sauce in the pantry. This serves as both pizza sauce and a easy pasta sauce when needed. The crusts are prebaked so all you have to do is warm them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. They are available at Whole Foods Market, Sprout's Farmer's Market, Miglet's Bakery, Draeger's Market, Valley Health Mill, Harvest House, Berkeley Bowl and Raley's. Cost: $4.99 for two crusts. Udi now also makes gluten free frozen prepared pizzas but unfortunately they are not dairy free at this point. Click here to see Udi's new products coming soon to a retailer near you.
INGREDIENTS: FILTERED WATER, TAPIOCA STARCH, BROWN RICE FLOUR, POTATO STARCH, CANOLA OR SUNFLOWER OIL, EGG WHITES, EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, XANTHAN GUM, SALT, YEAST, ASCORBIC ACID (CONTAINS MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE AND CORNSTARCH), ENZYMES. CONTAINS: EGGS
For whatever reason, I sometimes get it in my head that I need to provide my child with the same childhood eating experiences that I had. As a child, I always loved soft, yeasty rolls (smothered in butter) especially with holiday meals or roast beef. For the most part, it's been hard to recreate that for Sammy until I found these. Schar's gluten free parbaked ciabatta rolls. In the photo below, I am trying to demonstrate how soft and "springy" the roll feels. Sammy loved these with Earth Balance spread. I feel happy now - mission accomplished.
Available at: Draeger's Market, Sprout's Farmer's Market, Valley Health Mill and Raley's. Cost: $5 - 6 for four rolls.
Ingredients: water, corn starch, corn flour, psyllium seed husk powder (vegetable fiber), yeast, rice flour, dextrose, soy protein isolate, palm oil, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, salt, tartaric acid, citric acid. CONTAINS SOY
Schar has also come out with a "deli style" bread that looks interesting. I've yet to find it in a store though.
 | |
Schar's New Deli-Style Bread
|
I was very excited to see Daiya's new cheddar style wedge. We use Daiya cheese at our house quite a bit. I thought it would be nice to have a block style option. I had to order it online through Vegan Essentials since it is not in the local stores yet although I have requested it. In the meantime, we had mixed reviews here about this new vegan cheese. It's definitely not a regular cow's milk cheese direct replacement. It has a funky taste but so does the shredded version although it was more pronounced in this new wedge. Sammy's initial reaction was, "that's the worst cheese ever...right?" The texture is a little funky as well.
Not really sure what to do with this block of vegan cheese that I paid over $10 for including shipping and ice pack, I decided to make a grilled cheese sandwich for Sam. I made it with Auntie Gluten's GF sandwich bread, Earth Balance spread, a slice of the new Daiya cheddar style wedge and a sprinkle of sugar to tame the funky taste of the Daiya. It was good. Sammy ate almost the whole sandwich. The cheese melted nicely and it looked really yummy (see below). I never thought I'd see the day when I would serve a grilled cheese sandwich, that looks just like the old gluten and dairy filled version I ate as a kid, to my GFCF son...nice. I give this an "okay" rating since it does have its faults but I definitely see myself buying it for that occasional grilled cheese sandwich treat. Let's face it, if you want dairy and soy free cheese...Daiya brand is the only option.
 
|
|
|
Recipe Sharing and Chat
Recently one of my friends (and a member of our Thriving GFCF support community) made this pizza for me and it was absolutely delicious. She agreed to share the recipe with us...click here. This would be great to take as an appetizer to a party. No would would guess it's gluten and dairy free.
Share Your Recipes Do you have a GFCF recipe you are especially proud of and would like to share it with the group? Email it to me with a photo and I'll feature it in one of my upcoming newsletters. |
|
|
Thriving GFCF Blog Posts | |
These yummy GF vegan muffins are a must try. Check out my recipe review at Thriving GFCF blog.
 | |
Cybele Pascal's Cinnamon Donut Muffin |
I love these new cake pops I made for Valentine's Day and Easter. They are fairly easy and are a great holiday treat. Check out the instructions on my blog.
|
|
Retailer Update
Mariposa (Gluten Free) Bakery Cafe in SF Ferry Building
This is very exciting news to me...Mariposa Bakery is opening a bakeshop in the San Francisco Ferry Building! Up until now, they only had a kiosk to sell their products in the Ferry Building. Now, you can sit down and enjoy your gluten free goodies in a shop! Road trip! Let me know if you want to go with me.
|
|
|
Coming Soon...
Coach Kim's 30 Day Cleanse Program
I am now expanding my coaching business to include a 30 day program for adults to lose weight and optimize health. If you've removed gluten and dairy from your diet but are still struggling with health issues such as body pain, congestion, belly fat, headaches or even continued digestive stress, this may be the program for you. I will lead you through an elimination diet with group support to help identify what other foods are causing you problems. A person with a gluten and/or dairy sensitivity is very often sensitive to many other foods as well. Email me for my next info night date and time.
Gluten Free Intolerance Fair
Join me at the Pediatric Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance Education Fair in Walnut Creek in April. Many vendors will be there with gluten free food samples including Udi's, Mariposa, Miglet's Bakery and many others.
|
I hope you enjoyed my new newsletter. Please let me know your thoughts and keep me posted on subjects you would like to hear about. I would love to receive feedback from you. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please "unsubscribe" below or feel free to email me directly.
Eat well, live well, thrive!
Legal Disclaimer: I am not a Nutritionist, Registered Dietician or Medical Professional. The information I provide here and in my coaching services are simply tips on how my son and I succeeded on an elimination diet. I offer these tips not as medical advice but simply as a way to jump start the program for you. If you have concerns about your child's [or your own] medical condition, please discuss this information, and any other information you have, with your local licensed health care professional. Please always first follow the direction of your doctor or specialist.
Copyright © 2012 by Kim Rice
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
