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Champp’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

We have been dining at Champps for a long time. By a long time, I mean since our 18-year-old son was still in diapers. When I first began the gluten-free diet (2006), the server at Champp’s would bring me a printed piece of paper with a few gluten-free options listed on it. That menu disappeared for a while, then a new piece of paper showed up, though outdated, so Champp’s was not high on my list of restaurants to frequent unless I was meeting a group of people there.

Official Website Menu Information: Champps Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Champps Location Near You

I am meeting a few friends at Champp’s soon and I headed to the website to see if anything had changed with their menus I was thrilled to learn that they have added a gluten-free menu. I have to admit that I am not crazy about the name, as I think “gluten-free-Friendly” is the more appropriate terminology. Whatever, I was thrilled to see the gluten-free choices have grown.

The new menu offers appetizers, side and dinner salads, entrees, burgers, and sides. Long gone are the days of few options, one won’t feel deprived when dining at Chammp’s now. Before lamenting the lack of desserts on the “Gluten-Friendly Menu”, focus on filling up on the main course offerings, as Champp’s portions are notoriously large.

As always, dining out with Celiac Disease can be risky; each person should take whatever precautions are necessary for them to remain safe. Please remember to notify your server and manager on duty so that they can take precautions to help prevent cross-contamination.

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Have you tried the new gluten-free offerings at Champps?

Recipe: Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, as I mentioned last week. If you are looking for a quick, simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies, try this one out. The cookies are naturally sweetened with bananas and Medjool dates, making them a healthy snack choice.

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 2 cups gluten-free oats (not instant)
  • 1 cup pitted and chopped dried Medjool dates
  • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Allow mixture to sit for 30 minutes.

Image002

Using a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop out dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies are brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. To make bars instead of cookies, place the dough in a 7 x 11-inch dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and allow to cool. Cut into bars or squares.

*recipe and image courtesy of Veria.com

How will you celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day?

Bertucci’s Gluten-Free Options

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

It thrills me to see gluten-free options at so many restaurants these days. While there are a few restaurants that don’t get it, even though they offer a gluten-free menu, the majority seem to. Of course there is always a risk when dining out gluten-free, but the situation is much improved over the past five years.

Bertucci’s opened their first restaurant over 30 years ago in Somerville, MA. Today they have 89 restaurants from New England to Virginia. They have perfected the art of brick oven cooking.

Menu Thumbnails GlutenFree Entree Salads 0While Bertucci’s doesn’t have any gluten-free pasta or pizza options at this point in time, they do have many other gluten-free menu options ranging from starters to desserts. The gluten-free menu options have been identified with help from the Gluten Intolerance Group.

I haven’t had the opportunity to dine at Bertucci’s as there aren’t any here in Ohio. I have made a note to try them should I have the chance to do so.  Have you tried Bertucci’s gluten-free offerings? If so, please share your experience with us below.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Beet Ravioli with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

When I hear the word “ravioli”, I think of the traditional filled pasta that is most likely not gluten-free.

The following recipe is not your traditional ravioli, in fact, it is plant-based, but is sure to satisfy your pasta cravings.

Gluten-Free Beet Ravioli with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

Ravioli:

  • 2 golden beets
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (juice of 4 lemons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:(Yield: 1 1/4 cups)

  • 1 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • A few turns of fresh ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 3 tablespoons water (if necessary)

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Sauce:(Yield: 1 1/4 cup)

  • 1 large fresh tomato
  • 3/4 cup roasted red peppers
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced2 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
  • 5 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Drizzle:(Yield: 1/2 cup)

  • A handful of fresh basil leaves
  • Handful fresh arugula
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

DirectionsTo Make the Ravioli:

Peel beets and slice them very thin on a mandolin. Place sliced beets in a large bowl or baking pan and marinate in salt, olive oil, and lemon juice for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until softened.

To Make the Filling:

Soak nuts in water, covered, overnight. Drain and put in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and grind to a “cheese.” If it’s too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture moves easily and looks a little thicker than ricotta cheese.

To Make the Sauce:

Coarsely chop pepper and tomato, place in a bowl, and mix with remaining ingredients.

To Make the Drizzle: Place in food processor and process until herbs are well chopped. This “oil” can be chunky with the herbs left in or strained to just get a green oil for drizzling.

Assemble ravioli using beet slices and filling. Press the edges of beet slices together to seal. Arrange them on a serving platter or on plates with sauce spooned over them.
Finish with some herb drizzles.

For a video and more recipes, visit Veria.com.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Pulled Pork Bowl

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

In an effort to cut back on my weekly visits to Chipotle, I have taken menu planning a little more seriously lately. The crock pot has been an integral part of the plan. Pulled pork is one of the meals I can count on everyone eating, though not always the same version. Hannah prefers a sandwich, while Jon likes to eat the pulled pork in soft taco form.

When I got home late from work on Wednesday evening, I didn’t have time to cook brown rice for a bowl with pulled pork and veggies. I silently cursed myself for not thinking about it earlier in the day, but then moved on to what I could use in place of the rice. I found a lone sweet potato in my pantry, so I chopped it up and sautéed it in a bit of olive oil.

Once the diced sweet potato was cooked to my liking, I removed it and added some raw spinach with another dash of olive oil and sautéed until wilted. I added the sweet potato and pulled pork to the pan, seasoned lightly with sea salt and pepper and cooked until warmed through.

IMG 1510The only thing missing was goat cheese!

Pulled Pork Bowl (single serving)

  • 1 sweet potato, diced
  • 2-3 handfuls raw spinach
  • 3-4 oz. pulled pork
  • Sea salt & pepper
  • Goat cheese crumbles

Directions:

  1. Saute sweet potato in olive oil until cooked.
  2. Remove from pan and sauté spinach in small amount of olive oil.
  3. Add pork and sweet potato back into pan. Lightly season with sea salt & pepper.
  4. Pour into bowl or plate, top with goat cheese.

Best thing about this dish is all of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.