P.S. – If you’ve subscribed before, you’ll have to resubscribe on the new site. 

Tenley Molzahn, a former dancer and contestant on The Bachelor, told me that after years of being sick and seeing tons of doctors (does that sound familiar?), she realized that gluten was the cause of all of her ailments.  She is now working to bring awareness to the benefits of living a gluten-free lifestyle for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerances.

My friend, Linda, told me I had to get my picture taken with Tenley.  I’m not sure why I listened.  Tenley was super-nice, but why do I want my picture next to a model, especially on a day when I had been running around like crazy and not even been near a mirror?  Oh well.

And I need to learn how to smile for real in pictures.

If I had been at Expo West on my own (instead of being there volunteering for the GFCO), I would have tried to take some time to talk more to the companies and take down notes.  Alas, I did not.  But a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

I even have a Kinnikinnick “Follow Me to Gluten Free” shirt signed by Tenley (in a size large).  Who wants it?  Tell me your favorite Kinnikinnick product, or one that you would like to try.  You’ve got until Wednesday, March 30, 9pm central.

Amanda from Kettle Cuisine, me (I really need to learn to smile right in pictures), and Channon of GFCO

So this Thai Curry soup… it tastes a lot like my chicken curry, which I absolutely love.  It’s a little sweet and a little spicy, with chunks of veggies, chicken, and rice.  The curry flavor is nicely accented by a garlic chili pepper sauce.  Compared to a number of soups I’ve had lately, it actually has quite a bit of “stuff” in it (as opposed to being mostly broth).

The Thai Curry Chicken Soup is dairy free, but has a very creamy taste and feel, due to the natural creamed coconut.  You do get 4g fiber and 13g protein from this bowl of soup, but also 11g fat.  From where I’m sitting, it appears most of the fat is probably from the coconut (have I ever mentioned that I love coconut?).  It’s also all natural and minimally processed.

All you need to eat this is a microwave, 3 minutes of your time, and a spoon.  Voila!

And to keep us all safe, this product is certified gluten-free through the GFCO.

I wanted to share a few of my tweets about Kettle Cuisine’s soups from Expo West, but then I realized I only had one, lol.  Honestly, there were so many products (and it was so busy, and I was busy on GFCO business) that there was no way for me to make a detailed account of each thing I tried.  So, tweets it was!

Met Lorna @gfsoupmom at @KettleCuisine! Awesome New England Clam Chowder and Chicken Chili with White Beans! #gf #expowest

The Gluten Free Certification Organization booth was down in the basement, otherwise known as the Hot Products Pavilion.  For the most part, there were not big companies down there.  The nicest thing about being downstairs was that we actually had time to talk to people.   Upstairs, unless you had one of the gigantic booth spaces and lots of people to man it (like Bob’s Red Mill did), you could never talk to anyone for more than a few seconds because there were just too many people.  There were lots of people downstairs, but less, and it was a little bit different atmosphere.  To one of the companies that produces packaging, I said “downstairs is Six Flags; upstairs is Disneyworld.”  A pretty accurate statement, I believe, as it is a madhouse downstairs, but a madhouse times 20 upstairs.

Being in the basement was great for us, since talking to people was the whole point of us being there.  We were educating the ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers and buyers about the Gluten Free Certification Organization, what gluten-free really means (or should mean, at least), how to achieve it, and the steps to and benefits of certification.

In case you don’t know, I do not actually work for the GFCO, or even for GIG.  I am just a volunteer, generally on the local level, as I am the book sales chairman for North Texas GIG.  Cynthia Kupper (GIG Executive Director) had asked me to come along and help in the booth this weekend, to make sure there were enough hands on deck, and that everyone would have a chance to get out, attend the appropriate seminars, and talk to various companies.  I know enough about the company and the process to get the conversation flowing in the right direction, and I’m pretty reliable. 

Are you a little confused about who GFCO and GIG are?  GIG, or the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, is a 501c3 non-profit support group for persons living with celiac disease and gluten intolerances.  GIG is very active in increasing awareness and educating doctors, patients, consumers, manufacturers, restaurants…everybody, really.  There are many local branches across the United States.  GIG also runs programs that make all of our lives better, like the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP), the Gluten-Free Food Service Accreditation program (GFFSA), some gluten-free kids camps, the Annual Education Conference (will be in Orlando July 1&2), and the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO).

The GFCO is not just an endorsement program.  GFCO assesses the risk of all ingredients for a product/manufacturer, and goes out to the facility and does a thorough testing process to ensure that the product is gluten-free.  In addition to yearly or more frequent audits, the products are constantly tested.  GFCO even pulls products off the shelves to have tested (I helped pull some for testing while at the show).  If any product tests over 10 ppm, then GFCO can (will, and has) force a recall or keep the product from being shipped.

Why 10 ppm?  Why not 0 ppm?  Zero is unachievable, and un-testable.  Currently, the US has no definition of gluten-free, because the FDA is dragging their feet and didn’t follow through with their promise to have a definition out in 2008.  The proposed definition is that something cannot be labeled gluten-free unless it contains under 20 ppm gluten.  Now, don’t freak out.  PPM = parts per million.  Think about a million pennies, and how little a portion of 20 pennies would be in comparison to the rest of that million.  Currently, the Codex standard is 20 ppm.  It used to be 200 ppm.  Studies have shown that 20 ppm is below the threshold that would cause damage in the majority of celiacs.  That’s not good enough for GIG and GFCO, so our companies’ products must fall below 10 ppm.  Many of them fall below detectable levels.

GFCO is that outside body that performs the checks and balances, and polices the companies to make sure they are doing what they say, which is providing us with gluten-free products.  When we see that circle GF symbol, we know that those products are safe for us.

After Expo West, I think I’m going to believe in dieting, at least for a week or two.

It is just crazy, the sheer volume of gluten-free products here!  It is so exciting!  I haven’t even seen a third of the companies here yet (of course, I do spend half my time in the GFCO booth).

I wanted to post all of the pictures I’ve been taking of new products, but my connection at the hotel is just too slow.  If you’re a facebook user, you can look at my Expo West 2011 album (it’s public, but you still have to be a facebook user to see it, I think).  If not, don’t worry.  I’ll post them when I get home.

If you’re in Anaheim, come on out for the last day of the show!  If you’re here, come visit me in booth 5311!

This year, Braden’s the one that gets stiffed.  I’ve spent a couple of years at GIG conferences over Carter’s birthday.  Right now, I’m at Expo West in California, spreading the good gluten-free word.

When I get home, we’ll make a great (gluten-free) cake, perhaps with peeps on top (Braden always has peeps on his birthday cakes).

Happy birthday, old man! 

Carter, Corice, and Braden at the Zoo

I choose to fly early in the morning.  I like to avoid the traffic, and I never sleep the night before a trip anyways.  Leaving my house at 4am is actually kind of ideal for me, in that respect.

Upon arriving in California, I boarded a shuttle to the hotels, and ended up sitting between a representative from Dr. Praeger’s and one from Independent Natural Foods Association (who had sat by Cynthia Kupper and Channon Quinn of GIG last year on the shuttle, and commented that this must be a sign for them to be involved in gluten-free).

Today was set up for the exhibitors in the main expo.  Man, that place was intense!  Some of the exhibitors have huge booths with hanging signs and tons of product.  I’ll definitely have to take pictures tomorrow, when everything is set up and ready.

I had the opportunity to pass out some display posters to the GFCO certified companies.  In case you don’t know what the GFCO is:

Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) provides an independent service to supervise gluten-free food production according to a consistent, defined, science-based standard that is confirmed by field inspections, in order to achieve heightened consumer confidence and safety.

I also had the chance to talk with some companies in both the Suppliers Expo and the Organic tent today, about certifying their products with the GFCO.  There are so many products here that are marketing as gluten-free.  Wouldn’t it be awesome to know that we don’t have to worry about them?

This year, at Expo West, there are 69 GFCO-certified companies with their own booths, and quite a few more in the GIG/GFCO booth #5311 – come visit me!  (See the list.)

Aside from that, everywhere you turn, you see gluten-free.  It’s awesome!

There are so many things to taste and I have to move through so quickly, I cannot take the time to write down about each product.  Instead, I will be tweeting about them – short, sweet, and onto the next one.

In case you don’t do twitter, I’ll copy my posts from the day, so you can get an idea of the cool products I’m finding:

• Met the Dr. Praeger’s rep on the shuttle. #ExpoWest is going to be amazing. I can feel it!
• This place is intense! There are 69 @GFCO companies represented, and #glutenfree splashed everywhere! #expowest
• #ExpoWest Just met a sales rep from Taura Natural Ingredients who lives in the town next door to me.
• #expowest Nature’s Path just launched a Mesa Sunrise with Raisins. #gf
• #expowest Heavenly Organics Honey Patties are excellent! #gf
• #expowest I love the Roasted Tomato Basil soup from Boulder Soup Works! #gf
• #expowest Evolution Organic Strawberry Lemonade is sooo good, as is the Organic Ginger Limeade (good with vodka, too, he says). #gf
• Preshow of #expowest, and I already have blisters on my feet. It’s my own fault, for walking a couple of miles, fast, in my boots.

Yeah, I really did that.  The “two large blocks” from my hotel to the convention center turned into a few miles.  At least I can say I got in a good amount of walking today. 

Friday:
9:30-11:00 am – booth
4:00-6:00 pm – booth

Saturday:
9:30-11:00 am – booth
2:00-3:00 pm – (I’ll be in a seminar)
3:00-6:00 pm – booth

Sunday:
9:30-11:00 am – booth
3:00-4:00 pm – booth

So come on out and visit me!  Look who we’re featuring at our booth:

The GIG/GFCO booth at Expo West will feature:

• NoNuttin
• Wayfare
• Pure Market Express
• Gluten Free Oats
• Marion’s Smart Delights
• TH Foods
• Bakery on Main
• Kettle Cuisine
• Mary’s Gone Crackers
• Snyders of Hanover
• Conrad Rice Mill
• Conte’s Pasta
• Chef Roberts/Matt’s Munchies
• 123 Gluten Free
• Kay’s Natural
• Harbar
• Eco Heaven
• Brown Cow
• Glow Gluten Free
• King Arthur Flour
• EO Products
• Cream Hill Estates
• Immaculate Baking Company
• HomeFree
• Lakewood Matzoh
• Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen
• Inspiration Mixes
• Paleo People
• Fabe’s All Natural Bakery

If you’ve never heard of it, then you’re missing out.  According to their website, “Expo West is the world’s largest natural, organic and healthy products trade show.”

Does that sound like it might contain gluten-free heaven?  It sure does to me.

I have the awesome opportunity to be a booth babe for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America.  What does that mean?  It means I get to spend 4 days telling everybody about Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance, the gluten-free diet, and GIG’s awesome programs!  I hope my face can handle all the smiling (I’m sure I’ll be fine – I’ve been practicing the last few months).

I’ve also now purchased my airfare and conference ticket to GIG’s Annual Education Conference in Orlando, FL, July 1st and 2nd.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year…
Don’t know anything about the GIG conferences?  Read about the 2008 Conference or the 2009 Conference.  (Yes, I missed the 2010 Conference, but that couldn’t be helped.)

Can I expect to see you in either place?

I also just wanted to let you know I was still alive and kicking. 

I’ve got some good stuff to share with you, I just need the time to do it, when work isn’t calling or Corice isn’t sitting on my lap, saying “my turn”, and trying to type (like right now – very difficult).

Is anybody going to Anaheim for ExpoWest?  I will be there, working in the Gluten Intolerance Group‘s booth!  I hope I can meet some of you.  I am VERY excited about this trip, and been looking forward to it for months.  And now it’s only 2 1/2 weeks away!

See you soon (if not in person, then virtually, anyways).

American Spoon Foods is recalling “Apple Chipotle Salsa,” “Maple BBQ Grilling Sauce,” and “Pumpkin Chipotle Roasting Sauce” due to undeclared wheat. The products were sold in American Spoon Foods stores in Michigan, by via mail order from American Spoon Foods, and through specialty food retailers in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.  The product is packaged in glass jars. Lot codes, the first four numbers of a 12-digit code, are printed on the back of the jars. This recall affects the following products:

• Apple Chipotle Salsa, 13.5-oz. jar, UPC code 019363016047
• All codes from 9301–9363, 0002–0365, and 1002–1034
• Maple BBQ Grilling Sauce, 15-oz. jar, UPC Code 019363014371
• All codes from 9301–9363, 0002–0365, and 1002–1034
• Pumpkin Chipotle Roasting Sauce, 14-oz. jar, UPC Code 019363014173
• All codes from 9301–9363, 0002–0365, and 1002–1034

Consumers with questions should contact the company at (800) 222-5886 or e-mail the company at info@spoon.com with any questions.

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Review of Flying Apron’s Gluten Free and Vegan Baking Book

This review was written by Emily Isley who also writes on the topic of online college degrees for Online Social Work Degree.

Well, my dietary restrictions are beginning to add up. I’ve been lactose intolerant since I was a teen and have been vegetarian for a while now because of animal rights issues. Earlier this year when I learned that I was gluten intolerant, I wondered if there would be anything left for me to eat at all. I was glad to find out what was making me sick, but a little worried about how I would get along without bread—or even worse, cookies and cake.

After I climbed out of my little nest of self-pity, I started doing some research. I did a little experimentation with gluten-free flour mixes and baking, and was less than satisfied with the results. Although they were edible, they had a metallic, chalky taste from the flour that I couldn’t seem to mask. Luckily, I found Flying Apron, and have since found a number of baked goods I can whip up that fool even my most picky friends.

It’s not that much of a surprise that the book is so good—it’s written by Jennifer Katzinger, who is an expert in the world of gluten free delights. She owns several successful branches of the acclaimed gluten-free Flying Apron bakery in Seattle. To give you a heads up: the book is dairy-free and soy-free, along with being wheat free. I understand the sentiment: lots of people suffer from these allergens too, so why not just leave them out altogether. Be aware that you can add dairy in on your own, though, if you’re in need of some extra flavor.

I think the secret to the book’s success is the way it pairs rich flavors, to overcome any strange ones that may come up because of the unusual flour. Take the maple berry muffins, for example—they combine raspberries, blueberries, and maple syrup in a way that makes them wonderfully sweet and flavorful. Other recipes, like the hazelnut cookies, stay away from strange flour mixtures altogether, instead utilizing simpler ingredients like hazelnut or almond flour. My blueberry almond scones and apricot almond individuals turned out wonderfully as well. They were very moist and fluffy–you wouldn’t suspect that they were missing gluten at all. My one beef with the book are the bread recipes; the resulting bread turns out pretty crumbly, and is certainly not like bread in the usual sense. You can’t make a sandwich out of it, although it still tastes pretty good.

All in all, I give Flying Apron 4 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it especially to any gluten free beginners. The presentation and photographs are beautiful, and the vast majority of the recipes turned out deliciously, as the pictures led me to believe.

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J. Jacobs is a guest writer for Xray Technician Schools and a writer on the subject of becoming a forensic scientist forForensicScience.net.

The Gluten-Free Pantry: The Must-Have Brands to Stock Your Shelves

If ingestion of gluten makes your stomach rumble or worse, you should probably read on to find out what to throw in your cart the next time you’re at the grocery store. Just because you can’t eat gluten doesn’t mean your food has to taste like cardboard! There are plenty of gluten-free options out there that will have your gluten-tolerant friends salivating to the point where they might need a bucket.

• Astoria Mills: The creator of this company didn’t let a gluten allergy stop her from making sure her family had mouthwatering Southern meals. She has written several cookbooks that teach readers how to overcome the obstacles of a gluten-free kitchen. You’ll find mixes on this site that will produce “melt-in-your-mouth” biscuits like ones the company’s creator grew up eating in the South and other foods that will surely satisfy your

• Bob’s Red Mill: This company, producing more than 400 products, claims to have whole grain foods for every meal of the day. At Bob’s Red Mill, whole grains didn’t just popularize after reports surfaced about Celiac Disease. Whole grains have been a way of life at the mill for over 25 years. Each item that comes from this company is stamped with the gluten-free seal of approval when it passes the gluten test performed in a quality control laboratory. At Bob’s, you’ll find cereals, entrees, baking aids, and much more. To find a store near you carrying Bob’s Red Mill products, take advantage of the store finder on the website.

• Enjoy Life Foods: This company’s foods are free of 8 common allergies. With this website, you can easily eat three square gluten-free meals that are loaded with deliciousness. Try the cranapple granola or the double chocolate brownie cookies, and you’ll swear you’ve gone to gluten-free heaven! You may use the store locator to find which grocery stores carry “smile-good” foods or buy them online.

• Glutino & Gluten-Free Pantry: This company recognizes that the more than 3 million people living with Celiac Disease in the United States need good food too. The company claims its foods are made with the goodness of home (this doesn’t give you an excuse to visit Mom less often), and are made with only the best quality gluten-free ingredients. The meals from this company are delicious, but also easy to prepare so that you don’t have to worry about changing your busy pace to accommodate good eating. If you’re a gluten allergy sufferer, you’ll no longer be overlooked with Glutino & Gluten-Free Pantry. Glutino & Gluten-Free Pantry have everything you desire, including baking mixes, bakery items, snacks, frozen meals, and more. Most all of the products are available for purchase at glutenfree.com.

• Hormel Foods: This friendly household food brand carries an extensive list of gluten-free products. Find shelf-stable foods, refrigerated meat products, pre-packaged refrigerated lunch meats, frozen items, deli items, and many condiments that are safe to consume. Most of these items are conveniently placed on the shelves of your local grocery store.

• Katz Gluten Free: This company is Gluten Free Bakery Certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group. They have such strict standards at their manufacturing company, that they ensure you that no gluten coming from Katz will ever reach your home. They also understand that although there may be many gluten-free brands circulating, it’s difficult to find a tasty selection of foods that you don’t tire of. To curb this obstacle, Katz Gluten Free is always introducing new foods to their menu. Just browsing the assortment of food at Katz, such as chocolate-strip gluten free bread or honey loaf, will excite your stomach. All products are available for purchase online.

After reading some descriptions of scrumptious gluten-free brands, we hope you learned that gluten-free living can be a very enjoyable experience. For more tips on how to have an enriching gluten-free lifestyle, check out A Gluten-Free Guide.

That’s right.  Kinnikinnick currently has a special Valentine’s donut, available (online only) until February 28th.

We were pretty stoked when these showed up.   Braden and I were the only ones that got to try them (Corice put herself to bed at 5pm that night, and Carter refused to eat his dinner).  It seems to be a theme lately – Braden and I eating dessert by ourselves.

Braden’s comments were: “good texture, lightly glazed, and slippery” (remember, he’s not even 9 yet, so the slippery comment makes sense).

We first tried ours at room temperature, just after they arrived.  They were fine then, but when warmed, they got moist (and even yummier).  The apple cinnamon flavor is very light.  I don’t know if I would be able to pick out the apple part of the flavor if I didn’t know it existed.  But they are very tasty, and really cute, too.  We found them to be fun to eat.

As far as donuts go, these really aren’t too bad, fat-wise.  They have less fat than the vanilla Kinnikinnick donuts.  Definitely not health food, but I can still convince myself that they aren’t too bad…

Go ahead and check them out.  Remember, they are only available online, and only until February 28th.

Now, if you want some chocolate for Valentine’s Day, head over to the Kinnikinnick blog.  They’ve got a contest going.  They’re going to give away a box full of chocolate – one of everything that is chocolate (chocolate donuts, KToos, chocolate cake mix, etc).  Sounds like more fun!

The companies heard.

There are now a few companies producing instant gluten-free oatmeal.  One of them is Simpli.

On the box, and on their website, is an explanation (in a fun diagram form) of the rigorous quality management they employ to keep the oatmeal gluten-free.  (*Scroll to the bottom for an explanation on why we need this.)  Then, they are Elisa R5 tested to ensure they are gluten-free.

A healthy breakfast really doesn’t get much easier than this.  The hardest part was measuring 2/3 cup of water to stick in the microwave.  (I was up really late last night.  The measuring was a little difficult this morning, lol.)  Seriously, you empty the packet in a bowl, pour in 2/3 cup boiling water, stir, and let it stand for a minute or two. Voila!

If you are the kind of oatmeal eater that usually dumps a bunch of sugar in the bowl, you will probably still do that with this oatmeal.  It is definitely not a sugary oatmeal.

It looks like oatmeal with apricots, it tastes like oatmeal with apricots… I guess it must be oatmeal with apricots.

It has a nice apricot flavor, with plenty of little apricot bits in it.  Like the name implies, the ingredients are quite Simpli: oats, apricots, sugar, salt.

Just for the sake of being random, do you pronounce apricot with a long A or with a short a sound?  Me, I say a long A.

If you’ve been missing your morning instant oatmeal, give this one a try.  Perhaps it might fill your void.

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*Why do people with celiac disease/gluten intolerance need special gluten-free oats?
Oats, themselves, do not contain gluten.  There is a percentage of the celiac population (some estimates are 15-20%) that cannot tolerate oats, and have reactions much like their reactions to gluten.  My friend Sara is one of those people.  But for the majority of us, oats are okay, IF great care has been taken.

There are many ways for oats to become “contaminated” with wheat.  Crop rotation: many, if not most, oat fields are wheat fields in another year.  So as the oats grow, some wheat will grow with them.
Harvesting: the equipment used to harvest wheat in one field will be used to harvest oats in the next.
Processing/transport/storage: these all share with the wheat.

Congratulations, Christine!

I’ve been sitting on this giveaway for about a month, I think, with the products right by my computer.  However, between my job, teaching piano lessons, and the children eating at their dad’s house sometimes, I don’t cook very often anymore.  It’s kind of sad, but it’s getting better.

So, I must admit, I still haven’t tried all of the products in this giveaway.  But it’s a great giveaway.

Today’s giveaway is brought to us, through MyBlogSpark and General Mills, on behalf of LiveGlutenFreely.com.  LiveGlutenFreely.com is an online community created by General Mills, to showcase their gluten-free products.  There are also recipes and articles from gluten-free bloggers.

If you’re the winner of this giveaway, you can expect an assortment of gluten-free products from General Mills: Betty Crocker, Chex, Larabar, Bisquick, a Betty Crocker spoon, and some coupons!

You are probably, by now, familiar with a number of these products.  Honey Nut Chex, when it first came out,  was like we had won the lottery.  Finally, a gluten-free cereal that we could find anywhere, that everyone in the family liked.  That stuff is a bit addicting though.

Remember when Betty Crocker came out with the gluten-free dessert mixes last year?  If you don’t, feel free to read my posts about the vanilla cake mix and the brownie mix.

To enter this contest, leave a comment about what product(s) you would most love to see gluten-free, readily available.  For instance, I would LOVE to have a gluten-free cheese-it/cheese nip type cracker.  I love the ones from Out of the Breadbox, but they are pretty hard to come by (without ordering online and shipping, etc.).

This giveaway will close at 9pm Central on Saturday, December 25, 2010.  (Merry Christmas!)

If you are one of those who tends to eat on the go a lot (I usually eat a protein bar in the morning, in the car, while driving Braden to school), or are looking for a new bar to add to your rotations, you might want to check out The GFB – The Gluten Free Bar.

The Gluten Free Bar is a nutrition bar that is all-natural, dairy-free and casein-free, and made in a dedicated gluten-free facility.  The peanut butter bar has 13 grams of protein, and the peanut butter/chocolate bar has 12 grams of protein.

They kind of taste like cookies with sesame seeds, which I’m really digging. The texture is like a dense chunky brownie, with some crispy rice added in for extra crunch.  I was quite surprised how much I liked them (probably because they do taste like cookies).  I had to remind myself to share with the kids.

On their website, they state “The GFB is built on honesty – simple ingredients, no cheating, no shortcuts, no fillers, no ingredients you can’t pronounce.”   When we were teenagers, my brothers had a favorite game: we would go in the pantry and see who could find the food with the most un-pronounceable ingredients.  Random memory for you.

The Gluten Free Bar people would like to offer a sample pack to the first two commenters.  So, fast fingers, people.  Tell me what seems like the best thing about these bars.

Don’t despair if you’re not the first two.  If you would still like to give them a try, use code delightfullygf (my twitter handle) to get free shipping.

Woodmere, NY, October 19, 2010 –(PR.com)– Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Bakery has just won the Kosherfest Best New Passover Product Competition for the 4th time. This time the winning item was their Gluten-Free Yidels Mini Swiss Chocolate Rolls. The judges couldn’t stop raving about this new item when they first saw and tasted it – one judge said he devoured the sweet in 1 bite.

The super mini roll concept was developed by Shabtai while making sampler packs for the kosher, organic, and natural food trade shows. This new item from Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Bakery is not only gluten free, but also Dairy Free, Peanut Free, Lactose Free, Soy Free, Corn Free, Certified Kosher & is also Certified Kosher for Passover. Retailers are dedicating more shelf space for Gluten Free Foods and allergen free foods sections in their stores. In fact dedicated Gluten Free Food Stores are popping up all over the country, and only carry gluten free products.

In past Years Shabtai Gourmet has won best new product with some of their other items, such as their Gluten Free Devils Food Ring Ting Cupcakes, Gluten Free Bell Ring Cakes, & their unforgettable Marzipan Sushi.

Some other delectable allergen friendly desserts baked by Shabtai are his: Gluten Free Honey Cakes, Gluten Free Rainbow Cookies, Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cakes, Gluten Free Jelly Rolls, Gluten Free Brownie Bites, Sponge Loaf Cakes & so much more.

Many of Shabtai’s baked goods contain no-hydrogenated oils, no trans fats, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no preservatives, are all natural, and baked with organic ingredients.

You can find Shabtai gourmet Gluten-Free baked goods at fine health food stores and supermarkets all year round. You can also purchase Shabtai Gluten-Free items @ www.shabtai-gourmet.com or @ www.glutenfreemall.com.

You can use their store locator to find the nearest retail location to you at http://shabtai-gourmet.com/?page=locator

Look for Shabtai products at Wegmans, Shoprite, ACME, King Kullen, DAG NYC, Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Woodmans, Mrs. Greens, Key Food, & Best Yet Markets.
You can also find Shabtai Gluten Free Baked goods in select Bloomingdale’s stores on the East Coast.

In the weeks prior & during the passover holidays you can find Shabtai Gourmet baked goods at over 35 Supermarket Chains throughout the country. Look for their Kosher for passover symbols listed on their packaging.

Shabtai Gourmet supports various celiac support groups all over the country. Contact them to get involved in your local gluten free event – www.shabtai-gourmet.com (516) 374-7976.

Sweet Sin is a gluten-free bakery and café in Baltimore.  The cupcakes are pretty and enticing, and the food is not your usual fare.

Inspired by Asian and other cuisines, Sweet Sin’s meals offer loads of flavor, but quite likely, not flavors to which you’re accustomed.  I ordered the crab-stuffed tilapia with garlic kale and basmati rice with vegetables.  The rice and vegetables were curry flavored, not something I was expecting, though it was still good.  I was really quite surprised by the garlic kale, as I didn’t think I would like it, but it turned out to be my favorite side.  The crab-stuffed tilapia was fried and crispy (not breaded), covered with a fresh salsa.  I really liked it.  There’s something magical about deep-frying a non-breaded fish.  I’ve only had it twice (the other time was a salmon tostada down in College Station, TX).  The outside becomes crispy, and some of the fish inside melts like butter.  You may feel guilty about eating it, but after a run on the treadmill, you’ll realize it was worth it.  J

The cupcake I ate before my meal (yes, before) was a chocolate peppermint.  The cake was fairly dense and moist, with a good chocolate flavor.  The icing was very thick, and due to the chill of the café, was pretty solid.  It was a very pretty cupcake, with crushed peppermints sprinkled on top of the piped green frosting, and was really good to eat, too.

Next time you’re in Baltimore, stop by Sweet Sin and give them a try.

My brother surely made his point yesterday, when I had told him to look for a recipe on my blog and he replied “you blog?”

Ouch, Chad.

Roben and I have been having a fabulous week.  We’ve been walking and hiking and running and eating and shopping and a little bit of working and a some chilling on the couch and watching movies.  It’s been a nice change of pace.

Yesterday, we headed to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to Hershey Chocolate World.

See the old guy in the background, posing along with me?

On the chocolate tour, you get to ride along and listen to singing cows and watch the chocolate being prepared.  It’s quite fun.  Then there’s the giant shop.  I worked really hard to behave myself in there.  Honestly, I did.

I did NOT buy a 5 pound bar of chocolate.

I was really laughing hard as Roben took this picture.

I did, however, buy too much chocolate, for which I shall greatly repent at the gym.

If you’re around Pennsylvania, give it a try.  If you know what’s good for you, though, you might want to leave your wallet at home. 

And the winner for the Katz giveaway is commenter #4, Heather S.!

Congratulations!

For the $65 gift card to Cookware.com, commenter #3, Tracy, who would love an indoor grill or cast iron skillet.

For the Gluten-Free Cookies cookbook, commenter #1, Penny, who has attended precious talks by Kristi Chrysler.

Congratulations!

Part 5 of the Giveaway Extravaganza closes soon!

To prepare me for this giveaway, Ian’s sent me some more of the chicken tenders.  Since tomorrow is Corice’s birthday (can you believe it?  Two years old already!), and they won’t be here for dinner, I decided we’d have chicken tenders and french fries for dinner.  Because I’m cool like that.

Don’t worry, we also had fresh peaches.  We didn’t, however, have any vegetables (but Braden did get all of his homework finished, so we’ll just have to add in extra spinach to our next smoothie ).

Corice and Carter gobbled up their chicken tenders, saying they were “good” (honestly, it doesn’t get more descriptive than that from them).

Braden wasn’t quite sure about them, however.  He doesn’t eat gluten-free (except at home, because the house is gluten-free), so he is comparing these to McDonald’s or the school’s chicken nuggets.  He thought the breading was too crunchy.  I prefer the crunchy ones over the softer ones – I should have switched with him.  He also told me that they used the wrong kind of chicken.

Eh?

At which point, I laughed a bit, and asked if he meant ground-up chicken.  Of course he did.  A lovely discussion about chicken processing followed.  I’ll spare you the details.

But I will share the details about this SUPER AWESOME sweepstakes from Ian’s!

This is a contest with actual rules (please read them).

Basically, you:

1. Comment on this blog post about how dietary restrictions affect your life
2. Sign up to be a part of Ian’s Superfit Kid Club (you must do this to win)
3. Are at least 18 years old and live in the U.S.
4. Don’t work for anybody involved with Ian’s or the contest (read the rules ↑)

So, what will you get?  A big party, that’s what!

The winner will receive a party for 14 people: their choice of a “Gluten Free Pizza Party Package” with the new Wheat Free Gluten Free Pepperoni French Bread Pizza and the new Wheat Free Gluten Free Wafer Bites, OR an “Allergen Free Fun Fest” with the Wheat Free Gluten Free Chicken Tenders and their best-selling Alphatots.  The party package will serve 14 guests, and comes complete with invitations, plates, napkins, utensils, and Andy the Otter stickers, tattoos, and prizes!

What a great party for a child!

Ian’s has graciously offered to extend this contest until September 24th, since I forgot it had a deadline (it’s been a rough couple of weeks).  Hurry and comment!

Pssst…everybody else – don’t forget about Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of the Giveaway Extravaganza!