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Gluten-Free Dining in Greenville, SC

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

Several years ago, I remember people reporting that they drove to Atlanta from Greenville, SC to shop for gluten-free food. The pickings’ were quite slim in Greenville back then, apparently. My only other knowledge about gluten-free options in the area was about California Dreamin’. We used to eat there on the way to Charlotte before I was gluten-free and once I inquired about gluten-free options there, we never went back. So, when relatives moved to the area, right away, I assumed that gluten-free dining options would be quite limited and therefore, I’d need to pack a lot of food for visits up there.

Skip to last week, when we had one of the best gluten-free lunches we’ve had in a long while – in Greenville, SC! As always, I googled the city name with gluten-free to see what popped up. The Greater Greenville Celiacs support group came up and it was full of  helpful gluten-free information in the area. What was most impressive was the fact that so many of the dining options listed were not chains. There is nothing more disheartening to me, when searching for gluten-free dining options in an area, than finding only chains like Outback or Carrabba’s listed. No thanks. I can eat at those places at home.

Now that I had several gluten-free dining options for Greenville, I went to my next step – checking the ratings of any places that might be listed on Trip Advisor. Sure enough, several of the places were on Trip Advisor, but one in particular really intrigued me. Larkins on the River not only was ranked 19th out of over 400 ranked Greenville restaurants, there is an amazing gluten-free menu on their website! As it turns out, someone in the Larkins family has to eat gluten-free. Therefore, they make many of their signature dishes gluten-free, including their She Crab Soup! That was all I needed to know. I promptly made lunch reservations at Larkins on the River (via Open Table) and excitedly anticipated the trip.

The restaurant is on the river, of course. However, it is also located in the bustling (but not too large) downtown area of Greenville. Who knew that Greenville was such a  happening place? Probably people that live in the charming city! The area really has a lot to offer the locals and tourists alike. Anyway, the restaurant has both gluten-free sandwich bread and hamburger buns. They bread is baked off -site and I already knew from other reviews that it was indeed gluten-free. I ordered the half sandwich and soup special, which was only $8 plus a $1 upcharge for gluten-free bread. Our delightful server arrived back at the table with a basket of gluten bread and a plate of gluten-free bread for me. I also got my own plate of flavored olive oil for dipping. Since I was only having a half sandwich, I determined that I could eat at least some of the table bread. It was wonderful and it wasn’t toasted or anything! The slices were pretty thick and I immediately thought about how great it would be to use for French toast.

When my meal arrived, the smell of the She Crab Soup alone was enough to send me into a giddy state of mind. I have not had this particular type of soup out in a restaurant in well over four years. The Monte Cristo sandwich was beautifully golden from the parmesan cheese coating on the outside. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a Monte Cristo sandwich of any kind before, but now I’m hooked on them! The smoked ham and Fontina cheese, plus the crispy cheese on the wonderful bread was almost too much gluten-free goodness to take in at once. Add the factor of the best She Crab Soup (yes, better than the gluten version at Uncle’s Ernies in St. Andrews Bay, FL) I’ve ever enjoyed in my life and you have one amazing gluten-free experience!

The gluten-free bread at Larkins was just like bread. It was unlike most other gluten-free breads I’ve had, including those I love. There was no odd taste or texture to it and no aftertaste. The server told us that one of the flours used to make the bread is – you’ll never guess – cactus flour! Yes – that’s one of the flours they use to make the great tasting bread! It also contains garbonzo flour and there is no rice flour in it. Strangely enough, I did not detect the bean flour at all. Now I can’t wait to go back for brunch to enjoy gluten-free French toast!

Review: Gluten-Free Taco Rice Skillet Meal

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

The amount of gluten-free products offered by Mixes from the Heartland is simply mind boggling. The company factory in Texas produces mixes that cover pretty much every category you can think of. From soup and dessert sauce mixes to pasta meal mixes, desserts and breads – Mixes from the Heartland has you covered. Previously, I’d only made desserts from the line. I reviewed the Impossible Coconut Pie here.

Finally, I made a dinner using on of the mixes and now I’m sorry I waited so long before getting around to it. The gluten-free Taco Rice Skillet Meal is super easy to make. You just brown ground beef (or turkey) and pour the mix and some water into the pan and mix it all up. That is my kind of cooking. Open a few things and put them in the pan and stir occasionally – perfect.

After tasting the delicious meal, I realized that in addition to using ground beef or turkey, chicken chunks might also work in the meal. The overall taste is quite delicious, thought it’s just this side of being too spicy for me. I’m a bit of a light weight when it comes to spicy foods. To balance that out, I served mine over a bed of romaine lettuce and cooled it down a bit with a dollop of sour cream. It was simply perfect that way! My husband loved the meal too, but he didn’t have his as a salad since he likes spicy food.

There is rice in the meal, but it’s precooked so the entire cooking process takes about 25 minutes from start to finish (after the meat is browned). Quick, easy and delicious are the things I look for when it comes to making a basic week night dinner and this mix totally fits that bill. In fact, the Taco Rice Skillet Meal was so good that it felt a little like a special occasion meal. When something tastes so good that people think it took you much longer than it actually did to make, that’s a very good thing indeed!

The ingredients in the mix are very “clean” and include  instant rice, tomato powder, chili powder, black pepper, dehydrated onions, carrots, parsley, celery, tomato, red and green bell peppers, celery powder, garlic powder. There are no fake ingredients in the product line.  All of the Mixes from the Heartland products are free of eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, oats, barley, rye and wheat and none of those allergens are used in the factory. Some products are also dairy-free, but Mixes from the Heartland is extremely careful regarding how they handle any and all allergens.

There is no bean flour used in any of the products so the quick breads and brownies taste like they’re supposed to. Meaning they don’t taste like beans. The product line carries the Celiac Sprue Association seal and test at 5 ppm (or less) for gluten. The standard is presently 20 ppm so Mixes from the Heartland is ahead of the game when it comes to gluten-free safety.

Now that I’ve sampled one of the dinner mixes from the Mixes from the Heartland line, I can’t wait to try one of the many other meal mixes available. Mixes from the Heartland mixes has a great deal on shipping – offering a flat $10 free on orders under $100 and FREE shipping on orders over $100. They also have a wonderful gluten-free Buying Club – sort of like a Costco for gluten-free food. Let us know if you’ve tried any products from the company and if so, how you enjoyed them.

Marshall’s Gluten-Free Finds

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

Most people probably don’t go shopping for food at Marshall’s discount store, but time and again I’ve found some interesting gluten-free labeled foods at that store. On my last visit there, I found some great tea that I’d found there in the past. It’s the Tea of Life brand and both types of teas I’ve purchased at Marshall’s are labeled gluten-free. The tins are really nice and reusable. Both the Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas from Tea of Life are wonderful.

There are always some imported pasta sauces at Marshall’s that are labeled gluten-free, but none of them have ever been what I consider a great value. Therefore, I have not purchased any and I don’t recall the brand names. Gluten-free pasta sauces are a dime a dozen anyway so I don’t feel the need to pay for imported brands of that type of item.

A new gluten-free find during my last visit to Marshall’s were Baked Lentil Chips from The Mediterranean Snack Food Company. Right on the front of the bag it says the chips are gluten-free and on the back on the package, it states “vegan and celiac friendly”. The chips are all natural and fairly healthy for a snack food. There is 12% of the RDA of fiber in them and 4 grams of protein in each serving.

I decided to buy the sea salt and cracked pepper lentil chips, even though I need another gluten-free snack like I need a hole in the head. The 4.5 oz. bag was $2.99 which isn’t a great value in my opinion. However, I like the fact that the chips are labeled gluten-free so I decided to try them. The chips were pretty good with a very nice texture, but there was some subtle flavor in them that I didn’t care for. The chips work really well for dips because they are so thick. I’m going to try the Cucumber Dill version if I find it. Please note that not all products in this line are gluten-free.

Here is some interesting information about the company from the Mediterranean Snack Foods website:

  • We are committed to providing the best natural snack products for our customers who we consider part of our family.
  • Our products are grown naturally, free from any additives, chemicals and genetic modification.
  • We are long term partners with our customers and retailers, and value our relationship with them.
  • We are committed to supporting the local communities we serve and the longevity of all our partners, employees and suppliers that work with us.

It’s common for people to start limiting themselves in many ways after they’re told to follow the gluten-free diet for health reasons. It pays off to think outside the gluten-free box whenever you get the chance. Instead of thinking about things you can’t do or foods you can’t eat, it’s much more fun to focus on the great foods you can have and modify your activities to fit your new life. When it comes to shopping for foods, consider all the possibilities around you. There is no need to limit yourself to shopping at expensive health food stores only or even to just grocery stores. I’ve found terrific soups, gluten-free licorice and much more at stores that most people don’t think of for food shopping. It really can be fun to be gluten-free!

Review: BJ’s Brewhouse Gluten-Free Options

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

Today we took my dad out to celebrate a belated Father’s Day and birthday. We decided to give BJ’s Brewhouse a try, as it is right up the street and they had just added gluten-free pizza to their menu. I wrote an article a few weeks back talking about the new pizza and other gluten-free menu items.

There are a couple of things I want to point out about this menu. There is a note at the bottom of the menu that says “Items marked with F share fryers with other products that contain gluten.” The items marked with F are all of the appetizers, so stay clear of those. While I was disappointed that there was not a true gluten-free appetizer choice, I was pleased to see that BJ’s understood the importance of cross-contamination and noted it on the menu.

My son ordered the gluten-free cheese & pepperoni pizza. The pizza crust is an herb-infused 10″ thin crust that can be topped with your choice of toppings. **Meatballs are not gluten-free. My son was nice enough to share his pizza and allow me to have a bite. I was super impressed! The pizza crust was awesome! If I hadn’t known it was gluten-free, I would never have guessed it. I think it may be right up there with Zpizza!

As much as I wanted a pizza, I just had one at Zpizza the other night, so I opted for the garden medley salad with grilled salmon. The salad came topped with fire-roasted red peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. I asked them to add avocado, too. The salad was great, but the salmon was overcooked. I loved the flavor combinations. I asked for the dressing on the side, as I always do, and it didn’t really need it with the avocado and feta cheese. The server and manager offered to get me a new piece of salmon, but I declined. They ended up taking it off of the bill. My dad ordered salmon and he was fine, so hopefully, mine was just a fluke.

My stepmom, Christy, ordered one of BJ’s giant stuffed potatoes. While Christy doesn’t have to eat gluten-free, her meal happened to be on the gluten-free menu, so I wanted to share it here. I couldn’t believe the size of the potato!! I took a picture of it with my Blackberry in the picture so you can get an idea of the size.

While there weren’t any desserts on the gluten-free menu, the Kid’s Sundae appeared to be gluten-free. On the reverse side of the gluten-free menu, BJ’s has an allergy list for all of its menu items. The sundae doesn’t have any wheat listed and after speaking with the server about the ingredients, we ordered it for my son. He inhaled it in under 2 minutes, so there is no picture. That is a teen boy for you!

We really enjoyed our meal at BJ’s and will be heading back in the future. I can’t wait to give one of those potatoes a try and then a pizza, too!

Have you had a chance to try the pizza at BJ’s? What did you think?

Review: Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bread

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 10 Comments

Earlier this month I wrote an article about Rudi’s new gluten-free Bread line. The gluten-free bread went on sale online earlier this week and I received some complimentary samples in the mail courtesy of Rudi’s. I received the bread on Wednesday, coincidentally it was right at lunchtime. I had been trying to figure out what I was going to make for lunch as I was cleaning up the kids’ mess and I heard a knock on the door. It was the UPS man, or the “gluten-free Fairy”, as I like to call him. I would never call him this to his face, but he is here quite a bit. I was excited to see the package was from Rudi’s. My lunch problem was solved!

I received one of each of the varieties of bread. I dove right into the Multigrain. I made a turkey, avocado, and spring mix sandwich with mustard. The bread is soft! I couldn’t believe that I was about to try yet another ground-breaking gluten-free bread! The gluten-free bread industry has come a long way and this year seems to be the time for these revolutionary gluten-free bread that doesn’t need to be toasted and can be stored on the counter.

Rudi’s joins Udi’s Gluten-Free and Canyon Bakehouse in the awesome gluten-free bread category. The bread is soft and has a great texture. The bread did fall apart a little in the middle while I was eating it, but I did have a lot on my sandwich, so that could have been more operator error than the bread itself.

I had the Cinnamon Raisin Bread for breakfast with some almond butter and fruit spread on top. I am storing the bread in the freezer. Rudi’s recommends keeping the bread in the freezer if it won’t be consumed within 4 days. I figured that I would be toasting this bread anyway, so keeping it in the freezer would work out just fine. I toasted the bread and added my toppings. I was really impressed with this bread. The bread was reminiscent of the Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread, but with no swirl. I really enjoyed this breakfast.

Jon had the Original Bread for lunch with turkey & cheese. This bread was soft and tasted good, but not as good as the Multigrain. Jon said the bread was dry, but he doesn’t put any wet condiments on his sandwiches. I told him to add some ketchup. In his teenage boy’s way, he refused. I took a bite of his sandwich and it was no different in moistness level than the other 2 pieces of bread.

After tasting all 3 of these new gluten-free bread, I would have to say there is some steep competition out there. Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bread can be purchased online here. The bread is sold by the case. There are 8 loaves in a case for $42.78, which is $5.35/loaf. The price is comparable to Udi’s & Canyon Bakehouse. The one difference is that you can order Udi’s & Canyon Bakehouse by the loaf and Udi’s price goes down to $4.75/loaf when you order a case of their bread.