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Gluten-Free Finds in Canada

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

While on vacation in Montreal in May, I found a boxed sans gluten mac-n-cheese and decided to buy it.  I brought it home and eventually got around to making it.  Of all the boxed gluten-free mac-n-cheese products I’ve tried, this is by far the best.  However, I’ve had a hard time trying to figure out what company makes it for Irresistables – the brand it’s sold under.

In the Quebec province in Canada, ingredients on packaged foods are in both French and English.  I read the ingredients on the box, but nothing else.  It wasn’t until after we returned home that I noticed the ‘Made in the USA’ notation on the box.  If a company here makes it, then it stands to reason that the same company is selling it here under a different brand name.  If it’s a brand I’ve tried before, then the product has been greatly improved upon since I tried it.

It appears from this website that the Irresistables line offers both gluten and sans gluten products.  Obviously, I have no idea how any of the other sans gluten products in the line taste.  I did not think the pasta without cheese sauce on it was very impressive, but with the cheese sauce it might even fool a gluten eater.  The mac-n-cheese was surprisingly good, though not out-of-this-world delicious.  If I could buy the same product here, I probably would.

Since we were staying two short blocks from a neighborhood grocery store, we visited it several times during our stay.  It was clear that the staff members at the store were not very familiar with sans gluten products or where I could find them in the store.  It was kind of like being at a mainstream grocery store at home actually.  As you’d expect, the health food stores in Montreal were the best places to find a great selection of sans gluten and allergen free foods.

Because I could not find any online store in the U.S. that offers the Irresistables line (likely because it’s sold under a different brand here), I thought to check Amazon.ca.  It was surprising to me that the site doesn’t even have a food department, when the U.S. site has almost 8000 gluten-free products listed presently.  Be sure to read the ingredients before ordering a new found gluten-free product on the site.  I’ve almost ordered candy, crackers and a couple of other things by mistake because they were listed as gluten-free even though the products all contained wheat.  All-natural and organic items have a way of slipping into the gluten-free list – most likely by mistake.

If any of our readers know if the sans gluten Irresistables Macaroni & Cheese in the U.S., please let us know in the comments below.  Also, let us know if you know what company in the U.S. makes the product for the Irresistables label.

Review: Gluten-Free Menu at Rosa Mexicano

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When the Atlanta location of Rosa Mexicano opened several years ago, word quickly spread that the menu there was very gluten-free and friendly.  The gluten-free training of the staff was slightly shaky at first, but servers who couldn’t answer questions about gluten-free options quickly referred to the chef so they could relay accurate information to gluten-free patrons. I’ve enjoyed lunches with gluten-free friends and joined gluten-eating friends for brunch at Rosa Mexicano many times.

For whatever reason, I’ve never been there for dinner, but all my meals there have been both gluten-free and delicious.  When I found out that the company was rolling out a new gluten-free menu, I made a date to meet a friend there for lunch. The regular menu at Rosa Mexicano is very gluten-free friendly.  In fact, there are more items on the menu that are gluten-free than ones that aren’t.  Even so, after checking out the numerous gluten-free choices, I asked the server if I could have something that was not listed as gluten-free.  It appeared from the description of the Quesadilla de Pollo that it could easily be made gluten-free if made with corn tortillas instead of flour.  The server checked with the chef and said they could easily use corn tortillas to make me a gluten-free quesadilla.

While some people might not be comfortable asking for a special request meal when so much on the menu is already gluten-free, I feel that since I often did that when I ate gluten, there is no reason to stop now.  If something can’t be prepared gluten-free, chefs will let you know and you just order something else.  The key is to always have a second or third menu selection to fall back on, just in case what you want can’t be prepared gluten-free.

My chicken quesadilla made with fresh corn tortillas was simply delicious!  The chips with red sauce we noshed on were as fabulous as ever.  I think I could drink the red sauce from a mug – it’s that incredible!  We skipped the guacamole which is prepared tableside, but it’s also incredible if you like fresh guacamole, of course. After we finished lunch, our server brought us out a lovely light dessert, compliments of the chef.  It was a house made watermelon sorbet with fresh fruit in a light sauce and it was absolutely incredible!  This is a seasonal dessert so it’s not always available.  As it turned out, one of the owners of the company in NYC actually treated us to our meal that day.

Without question, lunch at Rosa Mexicano in Atlanta is one of the best values around.  You get creative dishes prepared with fresh ingredients for the same price as many places here charge for over-processed bland meals.  There are locations of Rosa Mexicano in the following cities:

  • NEW YORK, NY (FIRST AVENUE)
  • NEW YORK, NY (LINCOLN CENTER)
  • NEW YORK, NY (UNION SQUARE)
  • HACKENSACK, NJ
  • WASHINGTON, DC
  • NATIONAL HARBOR, MD
  • ATLANTA, GA
  • MIAMI, FL
  • LOS ANGELES, CA
  • SOUTH BEACH, FL

*The meal reviewed above was provided to me free of charge. As always, my opinions are my own and have not been influenced by any outside sources.

Recipe: Flourless Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

Cookies are always a good thing in my book.  And while it is easy to find pretty decent gluten-free cookies these days at Whole Foods or even the regular grocery stores, it is usually always tastier to make them from scratch.  This recipe is super easy and naturally gluten-free, so there is no worry about what flour to substitute, because there is no flour!

I usually buy creamy peanut butter, but the chunky peanut butter used in this recipe gives these cookies a great texture. The recipe has very simple ingredients, so feel free to play around with substitutions to make them slightly different every time.

The few times I have made these, they seem to be a hot item with children and adults. They make a great snack, afternoon treat, nighttime dessert, or even late night nosh.

Recipe

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup chocolate chips

*optional….add 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill), 1/4 cup of shredded coconut, or 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325′

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (I will sometimes do it hours in advance so the dough is ready to go when I am ready to bake)

Shape tablespoon size balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between each cookie.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  They can burn easily, so if you see them start to brown, they are done.

Let cool slightly on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then place on a cooling rack until you are ready to serve.

Makes 2 dozen.

These cookies will disappear fast!

Recipe: Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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With summer here and fresh fruit in abundance, the possibilities for fruit-based desserts seem endless. I like to host regular cook-outs and get togethers, and I try to mix it up and try different desserts… some of my past favorites have been strawberry shortcake and peach cobbler.  Someone mentioned rhubarb to me the other day and I realized, I have never cooked with rhubarb and had no clue what to do with it. The word brings me back to when I was little and buying desserts from the weekly bake sale at the nighttime summer concerts where I grew up.

I had seen it at the store, I knew it existed, but it was one fruit (or as some like to call it a vegetable) that I have never tackled. So, after some research, talking with friends and reading lots of recipes, I came up with my own for strawberry rhubarb pie.  Very easy and very delicious! I had no idea that rhubarb  was so easy to use. Or for that matter that fruit pie was so simple to make.

I love to make my meals, and especially baked goods from scratch, but pies are the one thing I cheat on.  I like to use pre-made pie crusts (for pies and quiches), and thankfully there are some gluten-free crusts that I really like.  I usually use Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse crust, but the day when I went they were out, so I settled on Gillian’s gluten-free pie crust, and I actually think I liked this one better!

I have divided the recipe into two sections.  One for the filling, and one for the crumble topping.

Recipe

Pre-heat oven to 375′

1 gluten-free pie crust

2 cups of rhubarb (cleaned and trimmed),  chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cups of strawberries (stems removed), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

————————————

1/2 cup of your favorite gluten-free flour mix (I used Pamela’s)

1/4 gluten-free rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

Combine the rhubarb, strawberry, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until well combined, and pour into the pie crust.

In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugars and butter, and mix with your (clean) hands until the butter is in small clumps.

Place crumble on top of fruit filling, in the pie crust.

Place pie on a foiled, covered, baking sheet (in case there is overflow), and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Cool completely before serving.

It tastes great on its own, but I also like serving it with a spoonful of plain greek yogurt on the side.

Review: Udi’s Gluten-Free Omega-Salba & Millet-Chia Breads

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I finally had a chance to sample Udi’s new bread varieties – Omega-Salba & Millet-Chia. I have been a huge fan of Udi’s since their products first hit the market.  The breads and muffins came first 2 years ago, then the cinnamon rolls, bagels and such.  I think there was a period of time last summer that I was eating at least one of the bagels a day!

Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to taste the new breads!

I got to work right away creating my sandwich for lunch in my head.  Only problem was that I couldn’t decide which bread to try first.  Guess how I solved that?  I used one piece of each!  For the first sandwich, I toasted the bread; for the next one I had the bread at room temperature.  While the bread tastes amazing both ways, it holds together much better when toasted.  It did seem to crumble slightly at room temperature.

I settled on turkey, cheddar, spinach & sweet pickle relish with roasted okra on the side.  (I have a slight obsession with okra.)

Both breads have decent nutritional stats:

Millet-Chia – 2 slices have 160 calories, 5 grams fat (0.5 saturated), 6 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

Ingredients: Filtered water, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, millet seed, resistant corn starch, sunflower oil, egg whites, cane syrup, salba(chia seed), rice bran, evaporated cane juice, citrus fiber, polydextrose, flaxseed meal, yeast (yeast, potato starch), salt, gum (xanthan gum, sodium alginate,guar gum), pea protein molasses (dry molasses and maltodextrin), modified cellulose, mold inhibitor (Cultured corn syrup, citric acid), enzyme (calcium sulfate, enzymes)

Omega-Salba – 2 slices have 150 calories, 6 grams of fat (0.5 saturated), 6 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

Ingredients: Filtered water, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, resistant corn starch, sunflower oil, egg whites, certified gluten-free oats, salba (chia seed), cane syrup, flax seed, evaporated cane juice, rice bran, citrus fiber, polydextrose, flax seed meal, yeast (yeast, potato starch), salt, gum (xanthan gum, sodium alginate, guar gum), pea protein, molasses (dry molasses and maltodextrin), modifield cellulose, mold inhibitor (cultured corn syrup, citric acid), enzyme (calcium sulfate, enzymes)

Both varieties have more fiber & protein than the original & whole grain varieties that Udi’s released a couple of years back.  It is nice to have additional options out there!  Udi’s products can be found at many stores across the US and online.  Some of the newer products many not be available in stores yet, but should be soon.

Have you tried the new breads from Udi’s?  What did you think?