Gluten Free Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia

I recently got back from a whirlwind trip trough Maryland, Northern Virginia and the eastern tip of West Virginia. I had gone down for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam and extended the trip to tour a number of other national parks (I ended up visiting 13 of them, 10 I had never been to before).

Antietam National Battlefield

Before leaving on the trip, I took my own gluten free travel advice and mapped out the places I would be able to eat as well as the grocery stores along the way that cater to the gluten free community. I even brought along my toaster (although I ended up having Kinnikinnick donuts for breakfast most mornings).

My route took me from NJ through southern PA to Hagerstown, MD, I was in that area for three days then headed down to Manassas, VA for three days, before heading to Harper’s Ferry, WV for a day and finally back to the Hagerstown/Frederick area of MD.

I’ll be writing restaurant reviews over the next couple of days but wanted to list out some of my finds, including a handful of places I didn’t get to go:

Maryland / Virginia / West Virginia Gluten Free Supermarket / Grocery options

Common Market (Frederick, MD) – great GF selection and they even had Bavarian Toast Bread (which I haven’t seen in years!)

The Natural Marketplace in Warrenton, VA

Eden’s Natural Market (Gainesville, VA) – large health food shop with a good GF selection.

Healthway (VA/WV) – I didn’t get to stop here but this chain has a handful of locations across these two states.

Martin’s (MD, PA, VA and WV) – fairly sizeable GF section at this large supermarket chain.

MOM’s Organic Market (only in MD/VA) – good selection of GF products.

Natural Marketplace (Warrenton, VA) – small natural food store with a second floor juice bar/sandwich shop. Review coming soon.

Wegmans – I didn’t stop here but I suspect they are much the same all over.

Whole Foods – I also never stopped in a Whole Foods (they're only in eastern MD but I was near some in VA as well)..

Independent Gluten Free Dining options

Alcacia (Frederick, MD) - Bistro that flags GF items on their menu. Unsure on DF options. I almost ate here but they fell victim to me traveling alone. I decided to not eat out alone again that night and instead got take out. It looks like a great restaurant though.

Gambas al Pil Pil at Isabella's in Frederick, MD

Castiglia’s (Winchester, VA) – Italian restaurant with extensive GF menu, including GF bread crumbs, GF bread (manufacturer states bread may be contaminated), GF pizza, and GF pasta. Review coming soon.

Isabella’s Taverna and Tapas Bar (Frederick, MD) – the absolute highlight of the entire trip! Review: Gluten Free at Isabella's Taverna.

My Thai (Frederick, MD) – listed on other sites as having a GF menu. They don’t. However they were extremely accommodating. Review: Gluten Free at My Thai.

The Wild Tomato (Harrisburg, PA) – great GF menu at this Italian takeout restaurant. Sadly, no DF cheese.  Review coming soon.


Maryland/Virginia/West Virginia Gluten Free Chain Restaurants

Chick-fil-A – ate here a couple of times I needed a quick meal. (See my previous review here: Eating Gluten Free at Chick-fil-A)

Glory Days Grill – A mostly gluten friendly menu but they do have a dedicated fryer for gluten free fries! Review coming soon.

Logan’s Roadhouse – gluten friendly menu. Review coming soon.

Red Robin – serving GF / DF hamburger buns and some locations have a dedicated fryer. Review coming soon!

zPizza – pizza chain with both GF pizza crusts and DF cheese. I one night I was going to try them, it got too late for me to get there before they closed. I think they just opened (are about to open) a location or two in NYC. I’ll have to check them out soon.

There are also numerous locations of major chains we have here in NJ that I didn’t try during the trip (but it was nice to know they were there if I needed them): Bonefish Grill, Boston Market, Buffalo Wild Wings (almost nothing here is both GF and DF), Don Pablo’s, Longhorn, Outback, Pei Wei, Ruby Tuesday, and Uno Chicago Grill.

Gluten Free Bakeries

Better Choice Bakery (Brunswick, MD (small town on VA border, near Harper’s Ferry)) – small dedicated GF/DF bakery. Review coming soon.

Jireh Bakery Cafe (Centerville, VA) – I didn’t get to try here.

Triple Oak Bakery (Sperryville, VA) – dedicated GF bakery. No mention online of DF options. I didn’t stop here.

Ok, time to start cracking on those nine new reviews!

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease Awareness: 2012

While I'm looking forward to attending Appetite for Awareness this weekend, and the CSA conference in October on Long Island, the one Gluten Free Event I most anticipate every year is the Colin Leslie Walk in Rye, NY!  Colin Leslie started this walk in 2005 and to date has collected over $335,000 for the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia.

Again this year, the walk will be held at Rye High School in Rye, NY.  The date has moved up a bit, this year it is on Sunday, September 30th.  The walk runs along Long Island Sound (your choice of 2 or 4 miles), and after the walk there is a guest speaker (this year is Dr. Peter Green), lunch available for purchase (from Wild Westchester BBQ / Opus 465 of Armonk, NY), and the highlight of the event – a gymnasium full of gluten free vendors (40 have signed up so far, last year there were so many they filled two gyms)!

I’ll be walking again this year and I highly recommend that you attend and walk as well. The registration page is here: Colin Leslie Celiac Walk Registration Page.

If you can’t make the walk and would still like to contribute, my donation page is here: Jason's Donation Page for the Colin Leslie Celiac Disease Walk.  Any amount is greatly appreciated.

I hope to see you all there!

Happy National Celiac Awareness Day!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer and is ready for the fall.  Today is National Celiac Awareness Day and while I don't officially have celiac disease, I certainly realize that dealing with my gluten sensitivity would be infinitely more difficult if not for the efforts of the celiac community.  In celebration, I'll be eating out gluten free for both lunch and dinner (lots of reviews will be forthcoming next week as I've eaten out quite a bit this week). 

Daiya vs Vegan Gourmet Dairy Free / Vegan Cheeses

I’ve been dairy free for over 20 years now. I had tried DF cheeses in the past and found them terrible. They all suffer from at least one of three problems: 1) they were lactose free not dairy free*, 2) they didn’t melt, 3) their taste and texture when not melted is terrible. (* most alternative cheeses still contain casein (the protein found in milk). I assume this helps them melt as those without it tended not to.)

Vegan Gourmet Dairy Free Cheddar Cheese

A couple years ago, I decided to try an Amy’s Gluten Free Dairy Free Spinach Pizza. The instructions include a couple minutes at the very end under the broiler. The pizza came out great and a light bulb went off in my head. Perhaps that was the secret to getting casein-free non-dairy cheese to melt.

I bought a block of Vegan Gourmet and gave it a shot and . . . it worked beautifully! I did originally slice the cheese but have found it is much better/easier to shred it (by hand or in a food processor). Warning: if the cheese is layered too thickly the bottom will liquefy and not melt properly, you need a thin layer exposed to the broiler.

I also found a hint online to microwave the cheese on high, 30 seconds at a time, until it melts. I recommend cutting it up as small as possible first and mixing/stirring as you go so it doesn’t separate out. This allows you to use the cheese as a topping without having to broil whatever it is on. The downside to this tip is that the cheese re-hardens quite quickly and then doesn’t really re-melt so you have to work super fast.

Daiya Dairy Free Havarti Cheese Shreds

Vegan Gourmet comes in four flavors: Mozzarella, Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Nacho. I really wouldn’t eat it cold or expect it to melt without broiling or constant stirring (it separates out otherwise).

In the last two years, I started to see Daiya Dairy free Cheese shreds showing up in supermarkets and even a handful of restaurants. It claims to melt like cheese but I found that while it melts better than the Vegan Gourmet it still isn’t the same as dairy cheese. It comes pre-shredded which saves a step but, I found it doesn’t microwave well (although Amy’s GF/DF Mac and Cheese uses Daiya and it microwaves up perfectly). It is also extremely sticky, sticking to bowls, plates, utensils anything it comes in contact with while in its melty form.

Daiya comes in three flavors: Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Pepper Jack. It is passable cold but is much better eaten hot/melty. The real advantage it has over Vegan Gourmet is that it is both vegan and soy free.

Daiya Dairy Free Cheese Wedges (cubed)

Daiya also has launched dairy free cheese wedges (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Havarti). These small blocks of cheese are perfect for cubing up for a salad or cheese platter and capture both the taste and texture of cheese. In all the DF cheeses I’ve ever had they are the first to accomplish this! I have not yet tried cooking with these.

In the end, I think Vegan Gourmet is slightly better. As long as you follow the steps above it melts fine. Daiya is a close second however so if you can’t have soy or can’t find Vegan Gourmet it is a ready alternative.

One final thought: actual dairy based cheese is high in protein and calcium while these non-dairy substitutes are not. I use them as a garnish/to add flavor not for their nutritional content (or more accurately lack thereof)!

Dairy Free Recipes using these cheese replacements:

Dairy Free Lasagna (vegan)

Dairy Free Baked Ziti (vegan)

Gluten Free Travel Tips, part 2

This is part two, click here for Gluten Free Travel Tips Part 1.

Air Travel:

• Most international flights offer a gluten free meal although you may need to pay more for it, or inquire about it. Do not count on it being there or being correct [have a backup plan]. (With multiple food allergies I don’t even try this. I always just bring my own lunch/dinner avoiding anything liquid.)

Coast of Norway at Sunrise

• Always double check the latest TSA regulations. Carrying a note from your doctor wouldn’t hurt either.

• When traveling internationally it is generally forbidden to carry food across borders. This almost always refers to agricultural products [unpackaged fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.]. I’ve never had issues with sealed gluten free processed foods but I do avoid fruits and vegetables [I take them on the plane but eat them before arriving].

• Don’t forget to pack food for the flight back as well. (I usually polish off whatever cereal bars I have left.)

General tips:

• Ask at the hotel. They may have no idea what gluten even is but they may be able to recommend a local health food store and/or super market. (And it doesn’t hurt for them to know. On a recent trip to Oslo I never said anything to the hotel about being GF/DF. They had gluten free crisp bread for the breakfast buffet and there were plenty of naturally gluten free and dairy free items to supplement it. However, on the last day, they restocked the gluten free bread they were out of! Had I mentioned my issues before hand it is likely I would have been enjoying hearty Norwegian gluten free bread the whole time!)

• Be prepared for people that have no clue. Use your trip as an opportunity to educate them.

• It may also be easier to stay in a central location and take day trips from there rather than staying in a new place every night. This is especially true if you rent an apartment.

• Eat at odd times. Find out when the locals eat and eat slightly before or after. It is easier to get the attention you need at less busy/crowded times. (Heck, I even do this here in the U.S. for the same exact reason!)

Santiago Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador

• Make friends in safe places. They may be able to recommend other safe restaurants or even deviate from their menu so you don’t have to eat the same thing every night. (I read an account online from someone who mentioned there was only one local restaurant with a gluten free option and even then it was just one dish. He ended up eating it multiple times and got tired of it. I can’t help but think had he talked with the restaurant that the chef wouldn’t have been willing (or even excited) to put together something different for him given some advanced notice.)

• Not every illness is from gluten. Don’t mistake food poisoning / travelers’ diarrhea for exposure to gluten. (For days, I thought I was being exposed to dairy or was super seasick in the Galapagos Islands. Hours after starting the antibiotics that all faded away!)

International Tips:

• Overall the hardest place I have found to travel is right here in the United States! Most countries are much less wheat-centric than we are and are much less likely to bread and deep fry their food or smother it in gravy. There are still some additional tips that can help you through:

• Be polite and gracious. People are much more likely to help if you approach the situation as a request to help rather than a demand for service.

• Learn a couple of words in the local language [remember many countries have more than one language so make sure you learn the correct one for the area you are in]. (With a month of study I was able to learn 100 words of Norwegian for a trip to Oslo. Yes, everyone spoke English and all I ever got to say was “I don’t speak Norwegian, do you speak English” but everyone thought it was great that I tried.) No, you don’t need 100 words, but things like “please”, “thank you”, “celiac”, “gluten free”, “allergic”, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak local_language, do you speak English?” are all incredibly helpful. [There are numerous free online resources for this.]

• Learn the local customs before you go. Most travel guides have a section on local customs including how to dress and behave. Blending in a bit and not expecting things to work the same way they do here will go a long way toward endearing you to the locals.

(Using these tips in Paris resulted in my wondering why anyone ever complains about the French. Everyone I spoke to was nice and helpful –they would even go and find me someone who spoke English if they didn’t!)

Kayaks on the beach we paddled to in Bonaire

• Restaurants in hotels and tourist areas are much more likely to have English speaking staff.

• Pay attention to local business hours. Things aren’t usually open as late as in the NY/NJ area. (I found most establishments in Ireland opened at 9am, closed an hour for lunch, then closed for the day at 5pm.)

• Use travel cards to get past the language barrier. I prefer the allergen dictionary at http://www.food-info.net/allergy.htm since I have multiple intolerances and can therefore print a whole list. Others have also used the Celiac Travel cards from Triumph Dining to great effect.  (You can buy threm from amazon.com here: Gluten Free Dining Cards.  (With my multiple food issues, I’ve never used them.)

Roll with the punches:

And my final tip is to roll with the punches. Things will go wrong at some point so focus on the good parts of the trip and work past the others.

• On a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, I had a craving for chips and guacamole. Chips in Peru are made either from wheat or a blend of wheat and corn. I asked in every single restaurant in Agua Calientes [Machu Picchu Village] before giving up and eating something else for dinner.

• I’ve found restaurants that have gone out of business, entire towns closed for a particular holiday (I’m talking to you Spain!), and arrived in many towns after closing time of the local shops.

In every case I still managed to have a great trip, and so can you!

Gluten Free Travel Tips

Last week I gave a talk at the Northern NJ Celiac Disease Support Group Meetup on traveling gluten free. People I meet are often most surprised by the amount I travel and think it impossible or overly difficult on a gluten free diet. Yes, it takes extra planning, extra effort, and an extra positive attitude but it is doable and certainly well worth it!

I’ve decided to share these same tips here as well. As I pointed out to the group, not all of these tips will apply to everyone or every situation. But hopefully you’ll find quite a few that will work for you.

This article got so big I decided to split it in half. Today’s tips are more focused on the planning, tomorrows will be more on the trip itself. [But there is lots of overlap between the two!]

You should start any trip off with some internet planning:

Outside of Phoenix, Arizona

• Use the global map at the Gluten Free Registry to see if there are any nearby restaurants and stores. Use other gluten free travel sites as well but these tend to not have a searchable map [Travel Gluten Free].

• Search both “Gluten Free” destination and Celiac destination [be sure to use the quotes around gluten free, and try both the city and state/country as the destination]. For example, if going to Atlanta, GA search “gluten free” atlanta, “gluten free” georgia, celiac atlanta, and celiac georgia.

• Repeat those same searches just this time add the words support group and/or blog to them. [Note the lack of quotes on support and group this time.]

• Go past just the first 10 search results as these often belong to larger sites covering a wider area, and you want to get to the locals.

• Reach out to the local celiac support group(s) and/or gluten free bloggers for recommendations if you haven’t found enough on your own through reading their sites. (A couple of weeks back I got an email from a woman in Canada planning a trip to Cape May County and looking for gluten free options. I emailed here a list of local restaurants off of my Gluten Free NJ Restaurant List, found her a local health food store, and even pointed out which local supermarkets were chains that carried a lot of gluten free products!)

• In Europe at least, the Association of European Coeliac Societies [AOECS] maintains this list of member states/organizations: http://www.aoecs.org/?id=-9. So member country sites are extremely informative, others not so much but it is worth a shot.

• Try these gluten free travel bloggers: Gluten Free Traveller is one of the best. Laura {the author} [and her then boyfriend, then fiancé, now husband] have been all over the world and she manages to find some amazing gluten free options everywhere she goes. Gluten Free Globetrotter is written by Erin from the New York Celiac Meetup group. Her travel site is newer but I expect it to fill out as she travels more (p.s. if heading to NYC she’s got an awesome map of GF restaurants in NYC). Gluten Free Kids Travel has actually lived in different parts of Asia and traveled extensively elsewhere with her young celiac daughter. Finally, there is Gluten Free Mrs. D. Based in England she recently has traveled mostly in Europe but has found GF options in places where I searched and could find nothing online.

Mana the dediated gluten free shop of
the Association of Celiacs in Madrid

• List the restaurants/stores you find on a map of your destination and carry that map with you. This way, as you are planning your day you’ll know where you can eat lunch/dinner without having to search somewhere out once you are hungry. This will also help you to plan your flexibility. It’s easier to head out and explore if you’ve got a map of where you can eat when the time comes. (I’ve taken maps of Oslo, Buenos Aires, Phoenix and others with me on my travels. I even picked my hotel in Madrid one trip based on it being in walking distance to the Association of Celiacs Madrid’s Gluten Free store!)

• Email / call the hotels and/or restaurants before your trip to make sure everything is as you expect.

Be Flexible in your Planning:

• The more general you are with your destination/vacation the easier it will be to find somewhere easy to travel to. For example, selecting a general destination of the gulf coast may be easier than a specific town along the gulf coast. Then when you begin to research that general area, if you see a community with a lot of gluten free options you can restructure your trip to take advantage of that opportunity.

Plan your vacation around something other than food: 

• Be prepared to eat a diet of plain grilled meats and vegetables and concentrate on the experiences of where you are. (Back when I was in college, I was speaking with someone at a barbecue who had just come back from Hawai’i. He house sat for someone and brought along bread, peanut butter, and jelly. When someone belittled him for it, he was quick to point out all of the amazing things he saw and did, that he would not have been able to afford had he not packed PB&J. He focused on the experience, not the food!)

La Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Consider staying at a vacation rental rather than a hotel [search vacation apartment rentals and the destination]. You’ll then have your own kitchen [give it a thorough cleaning first and/or cook using foil] for the trip. Consider as well bringing your own small thin cutting board, sponge, and / or other utensils. (I even saw a discussion online about bringing a magic bullet!) (On a recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina I had planned to buy local bread for breakfast but found that all gluten free bread there contains dairy. I was staying in an apartment with a kitchen and ended up eating left over roast chicken, rice and green beans for breakfast!)

• I’ve seen more than a few people online discuss ordering GF products [Amazon.com or Gluten-Free Mall] and having them shipped to their destination. Personally, I’d rather explore the local GF options but I do see the advantage to doing this from a time perspective.

• Pack non-perishable compact snacks – cereal/nut bars, nuts, dried fruit, carrot / celery sticks [if not flying internationally], tuna packets, gf crackers, gf pretzels, hummus, etc. These are great not only for a long flight but also for quick snacks while sightseeing. Hot GF cereal packets would be great anywhere you can get a cup of hot water [i.e. almost anywhere serving tea]. Frozen fruit works great as an icepack to keep other foods cool. [WARNING: sealed packets may burst from change in air pressure on a plane.]

Plan to be flexible:

Waterfall in Costa Rica

• Leave a free day at the end of your trip. This way, if you have any gluten related disasters during the trip and need a gluten recovery day mid trip you can move things around. You can always find something to add that final day if you don’t need it. (Sadly, I missed the last day of a bus tour through Costa Rica due to an unexpected recovery day. Certainly would have preferred to have a make-up day built into the trip!)

• Carry some snacks with you each day to tide you over before meal time.

• Small convenience stores / fruit stands can do in a pinch. (I don’t eat a lot of banana at home but they are a go-to snack when traveling.)

Traveling with others / being a house guest:

• Be reasonable and flexible.

• Have a sit down with your traveling companions before the trip and educate them on your needs and concerns. Be prepared to explain your symptoms and what you need to be safe. Include what you can do and eat. [Think back to how overwhelming this was for you at first, they’re going to be overwhelmed too.]

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Samoa Donut from Babycakes NYC

• Be prepared to spend some time alone. If there is an activity on the trip you aren’t overly interested in that is a great time to break off and check out the local health food store(s). (Some cousins visited from Spain in December and while we were touring Chinatown in NYC we decided to split up. I checked my map (thanks Erin!) and made a beeline to Babycakes for some gluten free / vegan cupcakes and donuts. I then headed back, toured Chinatown quickly and met up with them at the agreed upon time.)

• If taking a tour, make sure you are discussing your dietary concerns with the ‘in country’ tour operator and not the people you are booking through [these are not always the same company].

• If homestaying, Laura from the Gluten Free Traveller has a great article on cooking for a Celiac that you may want to share or use at the starting point for a conversation.

Gluten Free Travel Companies:

There are a number of companies that now cater to gluten free travelers:

Bob and Ruth’s - One of the earliest gluten free travel groups. I find their trips a bit pricey but they arrange everything and even welcome travelers with multiple food allergies.

Colibri Culinary Travel - They plan small groups and bring along their own chef so they can easily handle gluten free, vegan, and any other food issues.

Cruise lines. Consider a cruise but again be flexible as some cruise lines are much more accommodating than others. Make sure you inform them of your needs well in advance and double check closer to your departure.

Disney Land. The mother of all gluten free vacation locations. Truly the happiest place on earth . . . even for celiacs!

Other amusement parks. Each one varies in their offerings and awareness level so check before you go. (Growing up my parents left a cooler in the car and we got our hands stamped at lunch time, returned to the car and had a picnic. They did this to be able to afford a trip to an amusement park but the same technique applies to ensure that you have safe food.)

Tune in tomorrow for part two!  [Gluten Free Travel Tips, part 2]

Dairy Free Milk Chocolate Bars

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been dairy free for over 20 years now. I first started getting sick when I was 17 and slowly cut out different foods as I identified they were an issue. It took me about 4-5 years to go mostly dairy free and the last holdout was Pizza Hut Pizza! (I’d get together with friends on Sunday night and be sick all day on Monday!) For a couple of years after that I could handle cross contamination and minor amounts of dairy in baked goods. Eventually it got so bad that I cut out dairy entirely.

Chocolate Dream Dairy Free 'Milk' Chocolate Bar

I bring this up since milk is a major ingredient in milk chocolate and at least with American manufacturers an ingredient in dark chocolate as well. This made for a fairly chocolate free couple of decades. Whole Foods carries a couple of dairy free dark chocolate bars and even dairy free chocolate chips. But no Milk Chocolate alternatives.

Over the past year I’ve started to see Chocolate Dream dairy free chocolate bars popping up for sale at more and more locations (I first saw them at Nature’s Pavilion on Rt23N). The bars are made by the same company (Taste the Dream) that makes Rice Dream and Soy Dream non-dairy milks. While they make four dark chocolate bars they also make one ‘creamy’ chocolate bar which is a good substitute for milk chocolate!

If you can't find these locally you can order them from Amazon.com online here: Chocolate Dream Dairy Free Chocolate Bars


Other dairy free snack reviews:

Justin’s Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Kinnikinnick GF/DF Donut Review

Restaurant Review: Healthy at the Garden (Gluten Free Concession at Madison Square Garden, NYC, NY)

For the past couple of years, my brothers and I have made an annual pilgrimage to the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden (4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001).  Each year I either eat before hand, bring a hamburger bun, or eat something bunless.  This year started out no differently with a couple of burger patties on an Udi’s bun while waiting to meet up to drive into the city Tuesday night.  But while we were there I decided to check and see (with all the construction the Garden is doing) if there were now any GF options (after all, how exciting is watching Rutgers lose by 20?)

New Concession at Madison Square Garden (MSG)
where most foods are Gluten Free!

I was pleasantly surprised to find some news articles announcing that there would be a gluten free concession when the renovations were complete.  It seemed to me that they may be done already so for Wednesday night’s games I at a late lunch and brought along a snack bar just in case.  (Both in case they weren’t done and in case there weren’t any DF options.)

At the half of the SHU / Louisville game, I headed down to the 6^th Floor concourse and began my search.  I found the gluten free options at a concession named: Healthy at the Garden (when entering the concourse from Tower A turn left and it is the first concession on your right side).  They offer both GF and non-GF items.  The Gluten Free items include Jumbo Hot Dogs, Chips and Salsa, Pizza (contains dairy), Kozy Shack Puddings (contain dairy), jello, fruit cups, Kind Bars, fruit, chips, chipins (popcorn chips, some contain dairy) and five different Bare Naked Bakery baked goods (sadly all five contained dairy).

Bare Naked Bakery Gluten Free Baked Goods (contain dairy)
at Madison Square Garden

A quick check with the staff revealed that the Bare Naked Bakery hot dog buns are dairy free (although they do contain both eggs and mayo).  For those not familiar with Bare Naked Bakery, they are a dedicated Bakery / Cafe on Long Island (2572 Merrick Rd, Bellmore, NY 11710).  They don’t produce mass market shelf stable baked goods (a la Udi’s) but rather produce homemade quality items.  They have a large and diverse menu quite a bit of which is also dairy free (DF items are marked in their cafe on the menu)

Bare Naked Bakery Gluten Free Dairy Free Hot Dog Bun
at Madison Square Garden in NYC

The hot dog was much larger than those at the Prudential Center and the bun was bigger still (See photo at right).  The bun held together quite well and tasted well . . . homemade.  I’m even confident in saying it tasted better than the gluten containing buns they were serving at other concessions!  [The hot dogs are beef, a fact I forgot to check until after I had eaten it.]

Since the Gluten Free Cart at the Prudential Center is my ‘home’ gluten free concession, I can’t help but make some comparisons.  First, all of the Gilbert’s goodies at the PruCenter are dairy free, it would be nice if at least one of the desserts offered here was.  Second, the only condiments available at the Garden are yellow mustard and ketchup out of communal pumps (compared to individual brown mustard packets and sauerkraut at the GF Cart (plus communal relish, etc if you want to risk cc). 

Gluten Free Menu at Madison Square Garden

And finally, the GF Cart at the Prudential Center charges the same amount as the other concessions while the Garden charges $1.50 more for a hot dog (that Bare Naked bun makes it worth it).  On the up side, the Garden does offer more options overall (especially if you can have dairy).  [Note: a large slice of GF pizza is $7 while an 8” gluten containing pizza is $7.50.]

In the end, it is always awesome to have more GF/DF options especially when a captive audience.  I’ll definitely be returning for more hot dogs as the week goes on – and drown my sorrows over Seton Hall’s untimely exit from the tournament in Bare Naked Bakery goodness!

Gluten Free Super Bowl Weekend!

Wow, what a weekend! It’s been years since I started a weekend on a Thursday night but that’s where this one started when I finally started using my twitter account. I set the account up a week or two ago but wasn’t 100% following the intricacies of using it. I had dinner with a younger cousin Thursday night and he answered the few remaining questions I had. On Friday, I integrated it with my facebook page and I added a feed of my most recent tweets to the left side menu here on Gluten Free / Dairy Free NJ. My twitter is gfdfnj or you can click “Follow me on Twitter” at the bottom of the feed.

Chick-fil-A's New Gluten Free Grilled
Chicken Nuggets and Gluten Free Waffle Fries

On Friday night I was commenting online that Chick-fil-A now has gluten free grilled chicken nuggets. I wrote that I hadn’t tried them yet and as I did, a light bulb went off. I pass a Chick-fil-A on my way home from work every night. I stopped in Friday night. It turns out they sell them in an 8 pack as well as in their kids meals (3 or 6 piece). It was tough to not start on the gf waffle fries in the car on the way home, but I wanted to get a photo first. Eating gluten free at Chick-fil-A is pretty easy as you can see from my previous article.

On Saturday I was planning on meeting a friend of mine at Europa South in Point Pleasant for dinner (more on this later). I figured since I was heading down that way anyhow (it’s about a 75 minute drive) I might as well make some gluten free stops along the way.

My first stop was at Fallon's Gluten Free Bakeshop in Fords.  They are a small dedicated gluten free bakery.  They had a number of items in their display case but if you want dairy free you have to order in advance.  Everything looked delicious.

Gluten Free Egg Roll at Panda Asian Fusion in Freehold, NJ

I stopped off to try the Gluten Free Egg roll at Panda Asian Fusion (335 West Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728). They don’t have a website so I didn’t have much information going in. The Egg Roll is wrapped in a very thin bean curd wrapper and was very crispy. A bit different from a gluten containing egg roll but it served its purpose – to carry the egg roll innards and my favorite part that orange colored dipping sauce to my mouth! [Full Review coming shortly.]

I stopped at the Wegmans in Englishtown. They had many of the same products I’ve come to expect at a Wegmans but sadly no Sweet Sin desserts. The only new item I saw were Go Raw cookies. GF/DF and raw/vegan. I decided against getting any even though they had interesting looking flavors: Lemon, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate.

Top Tomato in Freehold, NJ seemed to have a large selection of gluten free shelf stable items but didn’t appear to be much if anything in the freezer case. I only stopped in briefly but it appears that their other locations carry gf as well. (Brick, NJ, Freehold, NJ and 4 stores in Staten Island).

And then, right before dinner I hit the jackpot - Dean’s Natural Food Market in Ocean, NJ (also in Shrewsbury, NJ). They have an amazing selection of gluten free brands and items. The highlight of which was that they had Feel Good Foods Gluten Free Egg rolls! This is the first store I’ve seen these in so I bought a box (see below for how amazing they were!) In addition, I also bought Alternative Baking Company cookies, Ian’s GF/DF battered onion rings, and Olive Valley Gluten Free / Vegan Falafel.

Gluten Free Paella at Europa South in Point Pleasant, NJ



And that brings us to Europa South for Saturday’s dinner. Traditionally, Iberian (Spain/Portugal) cooking doesn’t contain wheat or dairy. Europa South flags their GF items on their menu and the two dishes I asked about both were dairy free. I ended up trying the GF Bacalhau A Lagareiro (salted cod fish) which was good. We also had the GF Shrimp in Garlic which was out of this world! [Full Review coming shortly.]

On the way home I stopped at a Whole Foods and found that So Delicious now makes a Coconut milk Greek style yogurt. I never had dairy containing Greek yogurt (not sure it was even available 22 years ago) so I can’t say how authentic or not it is but, if you miss it, it now exists. Personally, I prefer Silk Live Soy Yogurt.

Feel Good Foods Gluten Free Egg Roll



For lunch on Sunday I baked one of the Feel Good Foods Vegetable Egg rolls that I had gotten at Dean’s Natural Food Market the night before. It baked up nice and crispy (but kind of blew out the side a bit as you can see in the photo). I’ll write a longer review later but for now I highly recommend them (and yes, they are good enough that you should ask your local Gluten Free store to carry them!) [Since these come frozen I recommend you purchase them locally, if you can not, then they are available from the Gluten Free Mall here: Feel Good Foods Gluten-Free Egg Rolls, but remember: shipping will be expensive.](One egg roll is hardly lunch so I had some more of my left over Karina’s Chicken Chili with Sweet Potato White Beans and Lime to tide me over until the Super Bowl Party.)

Gluten Free Soft Pretzels (salted and unsalted)

And finally, I decided to bake some gluten free soft pretzels for the Super Bowl party I had been invited to. I used the recipe out of Annalise Roberts’ Gluten-Free Baking Classics.It was already dairy free and I omitted the egg wash (partially to keep them egg free, mostly because I didn’t have any eggs). They look every bit as good as they tasted and everyone at the party loved them – not uncommon praise for Annalise’s recipes. If you don’t already have her baking cookbook I do highly recommend it.




Links to related reviews:

Gluten Free Review of Europa South (Point Pleasant, NJ)

Gluten Free Review of Panda Asian Fusion (Freehold, NJ)

Product Reivew of Feel Good Food's Gluten Free Egg Rolls

NJ Gluten Free Bakeries

NJ Gluten Free Restaurants

NJ Gluten Free Stores

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 1)

What a day!!!  Thank you so much to those who donated!  The final tally isn't in yet, but through the web forms alone (which only about a dozen people used) over $33,000 was raised!

2011 Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease T-Shirt

We were promised 42 vendors but upon arrival we found the number had swelled to 58!  We arrived about 30 minutes before the walk, checked in, put our lime green t-shirts on and headed into the gymnasium to see whomever had set up already.  (See below for the reviews!)

At 10am we headed outside for the walk itself.  There is a choice of two routes (one four miles, the other two) but they run together for the first mile or so.  At the split, the friend I drove up with decided to take the shorter route and I continued on for the four.  I got back around 11:30 - just in time to have missed the day's guest speaker (the guest speech was on cake baking so I didn't really miss out).  That was my only minor issue with the day, I walk very fast but finishing four miles in the 75 minutes between start and speaker wasn't enough time.

Start of the 2011 Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease

Ah, on to the vendors!

I wasn't sure how to order this list.  There were donation levels in supporting the walk and I've decided to list them by those levels:

Gold Level Sponsors:

97lake Sports Cafe and Restaurant - They didn't finish setting up until after the walk but at that point they had trays and trays of Gluten Free (and Dairy Free) chicken wings.  They had a couple of copies of their menu as well but I'm already very familiar with it - Restaurant Review: 97lake, West Harrison, NY.  In talking with the owner I discovered something interesting.  The gluten free beer they serve, Estrella, is made from Barley, Hops, and Rice but they then filter out the gluten and test to below 6ppm. 



Long Island Sound from Along the Walk Route

Fairway Market - Fairway had an extensive setup at the entrance with lots of assorted samples: Andean Dream cookies, Kind Bars, $10 off coupons, etc.  They were also giving out reusable grocery bags (presumably containing samples) but I ended up not getting one (I already had three by the time I got to their table!)


Schär - They also gave out a reusable grocery bag this one containing a 2-pack of their Baguettes.  They had a mailing list sign up and those who did will be getting a package of Ciabotta rolls in the mail.



EZ Gluten - This company makes individual test strips for testing your food for gluten.  I've seen these before (online) but never ordered them.  The woman at the table demonstrated them and they seem easy enough to use but they cost around $12 each depending on how large your order is.  Their literature says they are sensitive down to 10ppm. 

(Continued)

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 2)

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease: Post Walk Recap (Part 3)

Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease – October 16, 2011

It’s my favorite time of the year!  No, not because the leaves are changing, nor because Kinnikinnick is offering Pumpkin Spice Donuts (although a box is on the way) but rather because it is time once again for the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease!  Colin Leslie started this walk six years ago after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age 13.  The walk has raised over $280,000 for Celiac research so far! (Not bad for someone who is still a teenager!)

Again this year, the walk will be held at Rye High School in Rye, NY.  In addition to the walk along Long Island Sound (choice of 2 or 4 miles), there will be guest speakers, a gluten free cake contest, lunch available for purchase, and the highlight of the event – a gymnasium full of gluten free vendors!

I’ll be walking again this year and I highly recommend that you attend and walk as well.  The registration page is here: Colin Leslie Celiac Walk Registration Page.  If you can’t make the walk and would like to donate, my donation page is here: Jason's Donation Page for the Colin Leslie Celiac Disease Walk.

I hope to see you all there!

Zephyr Vocal Enseble Dessert Cabaret

This past Saturday night, I attended a dessert cabaret fundraiser for my friend's wife's vocal ensemble - Zephyr.  Since, I've been dairy free for about 21 years (and gluten free for about six) I didn't really have any high hopes for the desserts; I was going mostly to be a supportive friend.  [Ok, I did think it was possible they'd have some mixed fruit like they had after their April concert.]

Zephyr Vocal Ensemble at Saturday night's Dessert Cabaret Fundraiser



Needless to say, I was surprised to see "gluten free desserts" listed on their website when I went to purchase my ticket!  Since I assumed these would contain dairy, I didn't think much of it, but did email my friend to ascertain the 'gluten-freeness' of these desserts so that I could extend the invitation to some GF friends of mine. 

Turns out, the woman baking them keeps a totally gluten free household as four of the five people in that house follow a gluten free diet.  (And the fifth eats gluten free in the house.)

The concert was terrific and when I finally looked at the dessert table, I was shocked to see that one of the two gluten free desserts (the Jewish Apple Cake) was dairy free as well!  (The French Chocolate Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream certainly wasn't!)  Sadly, by this time the battery in my camera had died and I don't have a photo of it. 

I will keep you all posted if there's going to be gluten free desserts at any of their future events!  Of course, if you're in the Sussex county area and just like live music, there's an event calendar on their website here:  Zephyr Vocal Ensemble.

If you're looking for other gluten free events check here:

NJ Gluten Free Event Calendar

Happy National Celiac Disease Awareness Day!

That's right we get the month of May and September 13th! Due to a scheduling conflict I won't be able to celebrate tonight (who schedules a condo board meeting on a national holiday?!?!?) but I'll be spreading the word on facebook, the forums I'm a member of, and the meetup groups I'm in. I hope you all do as well.

I think I'll end the day with some 'research' into either the "Complete Guide to Gluten Free / Dairy Free Cookies" I'm working on or the "Kinnikinnick Donut Review" I'm working on. On second thought . . . I may need to 'research' both!

Justin’s Vegan Peanut Butter Cups: Product Review (Gluten Free as well)

I may have missed them on my list of GF/DF Products I'm Still Searching For, I was recently reminded of how much I miss Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Reminded that is by seeing Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups at Fairway!  (Warning: while both the Milk and Dark Chocolate Cups are gluten free, but only the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are dairy free/vegan.)

Justin's Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I put a pack in my basket and finished my shopping.  While I was excited to try them, I’ve gotten burned too many times by products that were better in theory than in taste/texture.  And, like everything organic / fair trade, they’re a bit pricey.

I tried the first one as soon as I got my bag in the car . . . and immediately headed back into the store for more.  (I figured you’d want a photo of a bit more than the empty wrapper and now that that second cup was exposed, it wasn’t going to survive the drive home!)  (I’m happy to report; neither of the cups pictured at right lasted through the photo shoot!)

The cups are a bit thinner than a Reese’s but the chocolate and peanut butter are both of a higher quality.  All of Justin’s products are certified Gluten Free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization. 



Justin's Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup



I haven’t tried their nut butters straight, but I did try a sample of their Gluten Free/ Dairy Free Chocolate Hazelnut Butter earlier this summer and it is certainly a fine dairy free / vegan Nutella substitute.



While Fairway, Wegmans, Nature's Pavilion and Whole Foods are all listed as carrying their products, I can’t say for sure that anyone but Fairway has the peanut butter cups.  While Amazon has a page full of Justin’s products, they haven’t yet gotten the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups in stock as of yet.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Jovial Gluten Free / Dairy Free Fig Cookies

New Vending Machine Allows Users to Preview Ingredients

Finding a Celiac Support Group (or Gluten Free Support Group)

In addition to my supermarket addiction, I apparently have a bit of a support group addiction as well. I am a member of six different support groups (either gluten free or celiac disease). That's the nice thing about living in a very populous area - the number of options available.  Support groups are no different.

Annual Gluten Free Picnic by the Seashore Celiacs

Each group approaches their events differently. Some meet at set locations, some try new restaurants, some share new snacks, some have guest speakers, but the one thing they all have in common is the camaraderie. It is nice, no matter the event or structure of the meeting, to spend an hour or two with people who completely get what I go through in having food restrictions.  Not only that but the other members can be a wealth of information on where to eat and which products are best.

I would highly recommend (especially for those who have GF children) to find and join a support group. Social interactions can be very food centric and it is tough on me as an adult to be the odd man out; I can’t imagine what it is like as a child. Even if you don't match the topic exactly (wheat allergy at a Celiac meeting for example), emotionally you'll get quite a bit out of the experience.

So where can you look for a group if you aren't already in one? (note – if you live in NJ, I’ve added an ‘as current as I can make it’ list at the end.)

• Check with your local hospitals. A good number of them offer support groups and if there is enough interest may add more.

• Try Meetup.com. They list all sorts of local support groups here: meetup.com/topics/health The nice thing about meetup is that you can do a zip code search on your issues and they will point you towards the closest groups.

• If you are GFCF for autism try gfcfdiet.com/support directory which has many resources for both children and parents.

• There is a list of R.O.C.K. chapters (Raising Our Celiac Kids) at celiac.com: Link to ROCK Chapters. It appears that R.O.C.K. doesn’t have their own website but rather is hosted on celiac.com.

• Local affiliates of the Celiac Sprue Association can be found on their website here: csaceliacs.org/chapters.php

• The Celiac Disease Foundation has a list of affiliates as well: celiac.org

• The Gluten Intolerance Group has a list of local affiliated groups: gluten.net/local-branches (sadly, none are in NJ!) [One of their affiliate chapters has a nationwide list here: gigofecw.org/.../supportgroupwebsites.html]

• These sites have listings but I’m not sure how up-to-date they are: enabling.org, celiac.com, gflinks.com, glutenfreedietitian.com, lifewithoutgluten.com/glutenfreesupportgroups, glutenfreefaces.com.

• Try a virtual support group by checking out the forums on glutenfreeandbeyond.org/, forums.glutenfree.com, and/or glutenfreefaces.com/.

• Try searching for a group on Facebook.

• Ask around at your local health food store.

• Google it! (or use any web search site for that matter.)

And remember, if you can't find one you can always start your own. You may just be surprised at how many others in your community have similar problems!


List of NJ Celiac / Gluten-Free Support Groups:

Celiac and Allergy Support Meetup Group - in the Parsippany, NJ area.

CSA Southern NJ - meets in Vorhees, NJ

The Fine Grind GF Club - meets at The Fine Grind in Little Falls, NJ.

Happy to be Gluten Free in Central NJ Meetup - meets in the Westfield, NJ area.

The Jersey City Gluten-Free Meetup - meets in Jersey City, NJ.

Kogen Celiac Center – website hasn't been updated in over a year so I'm not sure this is still active (part of St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, NJ).

Lyndhurst NJ Celiac Support Group - meets in Lyndhurst, NJ.

Morristown ROCK – no website, and I'm not sure this is still active.

Northern NJ Celiac Disease Support Group - they meet almost monthly in Paramus, NJ.  This is my 'home' support group; I've been a member since shortly before I diagnosed myself with gluten intolerance.

Seashore Celiacs - they meet on the third Wednesday of the month in Brick, NJ.

Warren Hospital Celiac Disease Support Group - You'll need to search on their calendar for meetings and call for additional info. They meet in Phillipsburg, NJ


Some other articles you may enjoy:

Are French Fries Gluten Free?

Hidden Sources of Gluten in Your Diet

Politics, Religions and Which is the Best Gluten Free Pasta

Advice for Traveling Gluten Free