Gluten Free / Dairy Free Products I'm Still Searching For

I seem to have a knack for finding Gluten Free and/or Dairy Free products. You see, I have a bit of a Supermarket addiction. After reviewing my credit card receipts, I noticed that on average, I make 12 grocery trips a month! (Yes, that's three a week.) And I don't go to the same store 12 times, but depending on where I am or what product I want, I'd say I visit 5-6 different stores per month (2 different ShopRites, Kings, Whole Foods, Fairway, and the occasional Stop & Shop, A&P, Trader Joes, or Nature's Pavilion).

In visiting so many different stores, when someone is missing something, I usually know exactly where they can find it. Sadly there are still some things I am missing. Specifically:

Gluten free/dairy free ravioli - I used to eat Soyboy, but they don't do gluten free (if you're just dairy free you can buy them at Whole Foods).

Gluten free/pork free pot stickers - Don't remember the brand but Shoprite had chicken ones in their freezer section, sadly, also not gluten free.

Gluten free/dairy free/pork free Pigs-in-a-blanket - I used to eat Cohen's Beef Franks in Puff Pastry (kosher makes them Pork and Dairy free!) Lots of supermarkets carry these if you're just dairy free.

Jelly Donuts - Like I used to eat as a kid at Dunkin Donuts.

If you know where I can find these in the NJ area, please post in the comments below! (I'll settle for links to recipes on where I can make my own, but I'd really rather just pop into a store and buy them!)

Is Peter Wong's in Montvale, NJ Closed?

A friend of mine informed me last week that Peter Wong's in Montvale was closed.  She wasn't sure if this was permanent or if they were just moving.  I checked around and yes, they are closed permanently and concentrating on their ice cream business instead.  If he ever opens another restaurant (and has a gluten free menu), I will be sure to update this entry.

An Energy Kitchen has moved into the same strip mall.  Read my Energy Kitchen Restaurant Review for more info.

And as always, see this list of New Jersey Restaurants with Gluten Free Menus for other nearby options as well.

Restaurant Review: Gluten Free Cart at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

My brothers and I are season ticket holders for Seton Hall Men's Basketball, one of the three teams to play at the Prudential Center ("The Rock") in Newark, NJ (both the Nets and the Devils play there as well).  I was amazed to find this season that they have an entire cart dedicated to Gluten Free eating! 

The cart sells a variety of drinks, hot dogs, sausages, and snacks.  The hot dogs and sausages are cooked on a rolling grill (like you'd see in a convenience store for example).  The hot dogs are Nathans (who within the last year or two removed the gluten they were adding to their hot dogs) and the sausages are Premio.  They also have Glutino GF Pretzels. 

While the hot dog buns are gluten free (they're made by Ener-G), the sausage rolls are The Grainless Baker and contain dairy.  There are mustard packets available at the cart and I recommended to them that they offer relish packets as well.  (Both relish and sauerkraut are available from the regular condiments stations but they are open and quite susceptible to cross contamination.)

Oh, and the best part?  The Gluten Free Hot Dogs are the exact same price as their gluten containing brethren at the regular concessions. (Yes, still over priced, but it's nice to not have to pay even more!)

Updated - 4/25/11

Now that Udi's is making a hot dog bun, I wonder if they'll switch?

Where to Eat Gluten Free / Dairy Free in NJ - A Restaurant Listing

I've put together a list of restaurants in NJ that cater to people who are gluten free and/or with other food intolerances/allergies.  My main requirement was that they post at least a gluten free menu on their website (I find that those that can handle one item are more likely to be amenable to dealing with others).  I did make some exceptions for restaurants I personally have visited or with very good reputations.  [I excluded anywhere that couldn't deal with dairy free so if all they offer is gluten free pizza I skipped them.]

I made the list into its own page here: Gluten Free / Dairy Free Restaurants in NJ

I'll be updating it from time to time as I encounter new options.  If I'm missing any restaurants let me know in the comments below.

Dairy Free / Gluten Free Travel Tips

I've met a number of people who are worried about traveling if they have food intolerances.  I've traveled quite extensively over the last 20 years and have had mostly success.  Traveling domestically can be easier because of the common language but many countries are much more food allergy aware than the US.  I find that dairy in food is much more obvious and I can usually get around it with a couple of key questions ("Do you butter your grill?" for example).  I also find that if a restaurant is up on dealing with one intolerance they are more receptive to dealing with others (sadly this isn't always true, but frequently it is).

Southeast coast of Spain

Here in the US, I use these websites to find GF dining options:

Gluten Free Registry - this site has lists of gluten free restaurants by state. They also have a searchable map but that map lists all the chain restaurant locations and makes it hard to really find the independents (I can certainly eat at a Charlie Brown’s at home). There is also an option to add reviews to the restaurants (although you should note that those for the chains are grouped together and not specific to any particular location.)

Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program - the grand-daddy of them all, this site lists and ranks GF restaurants that have gone through GFRAP training. Best part is a Zip Code search which will display results by distance from a particular zip code!

Celiac Handbook Restaurant List - Another list of restaurants by State. Again, you’ll need to investigate how close these are to where you are going to be.

Going overseas is a little more difficult especially with the language barrier. Triumph Dining makes a pack of 10 cards that explain Celiac Disease each in a different language.  The languages are English, French, Mexican (Spanish), Indian (presumably Hindi?), Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, and Japanese.  They're available online from amazon.com: Gluten Free Dining Cards or the Gluten Free Mall: Gluten Free Dining Cards

Since I have a number of other issues, I prefer the Food-Info Allergy Dictionary - this site allows you to access a list of common food allergies and phrases inter-translated into 30+ languages (most major world and European languages). What I mean by inter-translated is that it just isn’t English-Spanish but also Spanish-Mandarin and Russian-Japanese. Just choose your base language (English is at the top) and then select the other language from a little pull down menu. The result is a pdf file with roughly 200 phrases and allergens listed in both languages. I like to just print out those I’ll need for a trip and highlight my allergies and phrases!

The Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS) is an umbrella organization of national groups throughout Europe.  Their list of member organizations (and web links to each) is here: http://www.aoecs.org/?id=-9  I've used the website of the association in Spain http://www.celiacosmadrid.org/ which was amazing, but didn't have much luck with the site for the association in Norway.  At least it is worth a try.

My final advice would be to do a web search on key phrases (Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Allergen Free) and the name of the place you are going and see what comes up. And of course, you can always post a comment here and I’ll try to help!

Additional articles you may enjoy:

Dining Dairy Free / Gluten Free in Oslo, Norway

Eating Dairy Free / Gluten Free in Buenos Aires, Argentina

And if you're heading to the New Jersey area be sure to peruse this list of New Jersey Gluten Free Dining Options and for US trips see this list of Gluten Free Chains / Fast Food Restaurants.

Where to Shop in NJ for Gluten Free / Dairy Free Products

I started to create a post of where one can find a good selection of gluten free / dairy free products but then decide it would make a better list page: Gluten Free / Dairy Free Stores in NJ .  I've tried to list out the brands you can find in each of these but keep in mind that inventories change and for the chains, not every location will carry the exact same products.  I will update this list as I encounter more stores. 

I have listed the independent shops first.  Sadly, they can not match the economies of scale the major chains have and therefore tend to have higher prices.  However, you are more like to find obscure products, upstart companies, and new products in these locations.

If you know of any shops I am missing please mention them in the comments below.

Eating Gluten Free / Dairy Free in Oslo, Norway

Earlier this month, I spent a long weekend in Oslo, Norway.  While it is often said that Italy is the best place in the world to be a Celiac - Scandinavia must be a close second! 

I did some investigating of the GF situation in Oslo before leaving (see the travel tips here: Traveling Dairy Free / Gluten Free).  I really couldn't find any recommended restaurants, but I did identify a gluten free bakery, a coffee shop with gluten free options, and all of the nearest supermarkets.  I saw information leading me to believe that their were gluten free hamburger buns available at both McDonald's and Burger King but I couldn't confirm this (and their Norway sites are only in Norwegian).  [Please note, I did see a couple of gluten free pizza options but none were dairy free.]  I also taught myself a couple of phrases of Norwegian before I went (to be polite) but never needed more than "do you speak English?" as everyone I met did (and quite well!) 

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Roast Beef Sandwich at Bakefri in Oslo, Norway

The first afternoon there, I visited Bakefri (Kirkegata 15, 0153 Oslo, Norway, 22 42 55 55) the gluten free bakery I had found.  After asking which breads were also dairy free, I had a delicious roast beef sandwich (see photo).  It was near the hotel but most days I was out sightseeing in a different neighborhood at lunch time.  I did try to return to this location the final day there (Sunday) but forgot that they were closed that day.  They do have a website: http://www.bakefri.no/ but it is only in Norwegian!

Breakfast was included at the hotel (Rica Oslo Hotel, Europarådets Plass 1, 0154 Oslo, Norway) and I was amazed to find that they had WASA gluten free crisp bread.  (I've since emailed WASA and no, this is not available here in the U.S.)  The last day there they also had gluten free / dairy free multigrain bread available as well!  (In hindsight, I suspect they were out of it and perhaps would have restocked sooner had I asked.)

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger meal in McDonald's in Oslo, Norway

The second day, I stopped at a McDonald's for lunch.  Every McDonald's there has gluten free buns and there is no additional charge.  (Oslo is fairly expensive however, so the hamburger, water, and fries pictured on the left cost about $10 U.S. Dollars!)  The wrapper said gluten free bread/bun in a multitude of different languages!  [Note: at least in the U.S., McDonald's french fries are flavored with beef stock that contains both wheat and dairy in minuscule amounts.]  [See more about French Fries here: Are French Fries Gluten Free]

The McDonald's Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger Unwrapped

The bun was good.  It wasn't the same as a gluten containing McDonald's hamburger bun but it was good enough.  It was also slightly bigger than the patty.

While the restaurant the first night was a little unsteady on their knowledge of celiac disease and food allergies, starting the second night and for the rest of the trip each restaurant was superb.  Saturday night the restaurant even had gluten free bread!  (It was slices of whole grain sandwich bread but better than most restaurants here in the U.S.!)

Burger King's Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger in Oslo, Norway

On the third day, I made it to a Burger King.  Their gluten free / dairy free hamburger bun didn't taste anything like its gluten containing counterpart . . . it was better!  It actually reminded me of a bagel!  Not the type you might get in the Midwest or frozen in the supermarket, an actual Northern NJ / Manhattan area bagel shop bagel!  I wish they sold them plain, I would have bought some to bring home.  Just like McDonald's there was no extra charge for the bun and all Burger Kings had them.

The McDonald's Gluten Free / Dairy Free Hamburger Unwrapped

As I always do when I travel, I stopped in quite a few Supermarkets as well.  (I like to see what's available elsewhere in the world.)  Most supermarkets had gluten free crisp bread and some had a good gluten free selection, including cookies, bread products, and multiple brands of crisp bread.  A good portion of these were dairy free as well. 

One last thought, if you are tempted to purchase a loaf of Schär Gluten Free / Dairy Free Landbrot to take home with you (like I did), don't.  It is extremely bitter and sadly not worth the effort.

Overall, it was a great trip and it was super easy to eat out!

Updated 12/20/10

Added link to Traveling Dairy Free / Gluten Free

Update 3/6/11

Added link to Are French Fries Gluten Free


Other articles you may be interested in:

McDonalds in Spain offer Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Cheeseburger in Paradise to Offer Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Gluten Free Swedish Meatball Recipe (yeah, yeah, wrong country, but it's still a great recipe!)