Restaurant Review: From Seed to Sprout

Finally, a brunch where I can eat almost anything I want!

Gluten Free Vegan French Toast at From Seed to Sprout

Recently, I met one of my Celiac Support Groups at From Seed to Sprout (410 Main Street, Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ 07717) for brunch. They're closed Monday, open for breakfast/lunch during the week, and brunch on the weekends (although they do some dinner nights by reservation only). The brunch menu is a bit different from the weekday menu so some of the items we had may not be available during the week.

The restaurant is entirely vegan and has quite a few gluten free options as well (although not all of them are marked on the menu so you'll have to ask). [Only the pancakes couldn't be done gluten free, their only other gluten items were sandwich bread, rolls and english muffins, but they have a delicious gluten free millet and flax seed bread that can be substituted in (and our non-gf waitress stated the gf bread tasted better anyway)!] The juices / smoothies were all vegan (so no worries about cc with milk) although they did offer wheat grass (which if grown/harvested correctly is gluten free).

Grilled Avocado Sandwich on Gluten Free Bread

We ordered a variety of gluten free / vegan meals as well as some freshly prepared juices / smoothies. The gluten free / vegan french toast was amazing (since I can't handle a lot of egg, I haven't had real french toast in years)! Those who ordered it, raved about the grill avocado sandwich. And everyone was enamored with the coconut bacon!

From Seed to Sprout also has two dessert cases, one is for gluten containing baked goods and the other is for their raw vegan desserts which are all gluten free! Since our entire group was gluten free we decided to order one (or two) of every dessert and sample them all. The desserts were all great but the real standout for me was the lemon goji macaroon!

Our Line of Raw, Vegan,
Gluten Free Desserts

This is definitely somewhere I plan on returning to (especially to try that grilled avocado sandwich!)

If you're looking for some other shore area restaurants try:

Via Roma

Good Karma Cafe

Papa Ganache

Or check my full NJ GF Restaurant List!

Are Burger King's New Satisfries Gluten Free?

So what if they're lower fat, are they gluten free?

No gluten ingredient Burger King Fries and Satisfries

Burger King announced today new lower fat french fries or Satisfries. According to the press release the new fries have 40% less fat and 30% fewer calories than the leading (McDonald's) french fries. [Note: this is based on weight, not menu size - small, medium, large, King, etc.] [A little back-of-the-envelope math from the BK nutrition page leads me to believe the Satisfries contain 20% less fat and 20% less calories than BK's regular fries.]

But lets face reality, we're much less concerned about fat and much more concerned about gluten. For that, it mostly comes down to cross contamination. Just like Burger King's regular fries the new Satisfries contain no gluten ingredients. If your local restaurant has a separate fryer and safe handling procedures then the fries should be gluten free. Here are the ingredients from the BK website:

SATISFRIES™: Potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn), tapioca starch-modifies, contains 2% or less of corn starch-modified, paprika extract (color), rice flour, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to maintain natural color), turmeric extract (color), xantham gum.

I stopped at a Burger King on the way home tonight and purchased a small regular fries and a small Satisfries (pictured above). [The satisfries were $.30 more by the way.]  Personally, I thought the new Satisfries tasted better and were fluffier on the inside.

In the end it really comes down to the cross contamination in the fryer and after they are fried (the BK I stopped at didn't but most share a warming bin for the onion rings and fries with just a metal divider between them). With so many other dining options now, I don't often risk a stop at Burger King.


For more thoughts on gluten free french fries, including a list of which restaurants and chains offer them click here: Gluten Free Fries!

And click here for more Gluten Free Fast Food / Chain Restaurants!

Bakery Review: Pink Frosting Bakery (Verona, NJ)

Last year a vegan cupcake shop opened up next to the barber I go to.  They had decorated their front window long before opening and announced that not only would they be totally vegan but that they would cater to gluten free customers as well.  I have had cupcakes from Pink Frosting (534 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, NJ 07044) a number of times since then and have been quite pleased (even though it has taken me way too long to finally review them).

Vegan / Gluten Free Cupcakes (Vanilla Spice / Banana Split)
from Pink Frosting Bakery in Verona, NJ

Their shop is a store front on Bloomfield Avenue directly across from Verona Park.  [There is no street parking directly in front of their shop but a large municipal lot down Park Place around the corner.] They have display cases of pre-made vegan cupcakes including two to four gluten free varieties (flavors vary). They are not just a cupcake shop however, they offer to make any of their cupcake flavors as cakes with advanced notice and they do special orders on flavors of cupcakes as well.  Their menu lists a dozen different cupcake flavors and states that nine of them can be gluten free!

Over the past year, I've noticed that both the number of daily gluten free offerings and the variety of flavors has increased quite a bit.  Their frosting is surprisingly light and airy / fluffy.  Truth be told, I'm not really sure how to describe it other than to say it is the best dairy free frosting I've had.

The entire shop is vegan and although they charge slightly more for vegan/gluten free cupcakes it is still a reasonable price compared to other gf bakeries.


Other bakeries you may want to try:

Papa Ganache Vegan Bakery

Or any of the others on my New Jersey Gluten Free Bakery List.

Food Truck Review: The Green Radish (vegan with gluten free options)

A vegan burger so good, I'd consider giving up meat!

The weekend before last, I attended the annual summer Montclair Jazz Festival in Nishuane Park.  I had found out about the Festival from a press release announcing a new vegan food truck: The Green Radish. Being dairy free and mostly egg free, vegan food can often be quite safe (unless there is a lot of wheat gluten used as a meat replacer).  

Vegan Black Bean Burger on Gluten Free bread
from The Green Radish

When I arrived at the truck, I was a little concerned that the menu doesn't mention gluten free at all.  A quick inquiry revealed that not only were a number of their menu items already naturally gluten free, they offered gluten free bread for all of their sandwiches as well!

[Just a quick note, since I'm not vegan and my issue with eggs is minor, I only confirmed the bread was gluten and dairy free, I did not confirm it was egg free as well.]

For lunch, I had the Black Bean Burger.  This was by far the best burger (beef or vegan) I have had in years (and possibly ever)!  The bread held together nicely and the vegan chipotle mayo was incredible (I can't handle mayo made from egg so this was a nice change).  I was actually too full afterwards to immediately go back for dessert.

Being both dairy and gluten free means I almost never get dessert.  There are two gluten free / vegan desserts at The Green Radish: Grilled Seasonal Fruit in a Vanilla Sauce and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchy Quinoa Cup (which I did get to try later in the day). It is a vegan chocolate candy about the size of a large marshmallow with a hard outer chocolate shell studded with quinoa and a soft peanut butter and mint center [no not mint flavor, actual fresh mint leaves].  Their other two desserts currently contain gluten but they have trialed them using gluten free flours and hope to change over at some point in the future.

Diners lining up for some amazing
vegan fare from The Green Radish!

And now for the downside - the Green Radish is a brand new food truck and they are still working out the details of where and when you can catch up with them.  From their facebook page it appears they've been out and about for a couple of weeks now.  Hopefully their website/facebook/twitter will be filled with appearances soon!  

I'm already stalking them here: The Green Radish on Facebook and here The Green Radish on Twitter and hope to eat from them again soon!



If you're looking for some other great take-away vegan / vegetarian food in NJ try the Nectar Cafe (review) in Glen Rock. For sit down dining I've flagged the vegan friendly options on my list of NJ Restaurants with Gluten Free Menus as well.

Mango, Cucumber, Jicama, and Avocado Salad Recipe (vegan / gluten free)

I've made this salad a couple of times this summer for various cookouts and barbecues and it has been a hit at each. Jicama might be a little harder to find but a number of local supermarkets have had it for me.

Jicama, Mango, Cucumber, and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1 mango
1 medium cucumber
1 jicama
1 avocado

Dressing:

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2" piece of ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

How to prepare Mango, Cucumber, and Jicama Salad:

Peel, pit and dice the mango.  (Keep dice size the same for all four fruits/veggies - somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2" should be fine.)

Peel and dice the cucumber.

Peel and dice the jicama.(sometimes jicama skin is too tough for my potato peeler if so, use a knife instead)

Pit, remove from skin and dice the avocado.

Combine mango, cucumber, jicama, avocado in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl combine grated ginger, minced garlic, chopped cilanto, olive oil, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper.  Mix until combined being careful not to over mix.  [As a time saver I like to add my dressing ingredients to my magic bullet to both chop the herbs/spices and combine.  If you do this, don't add the lemon juice until after or it will emulsify and you'll have a mayonnaise more than a dressing!]

Pour over salad and toss.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Makes 4-6 side dish servings

Enjoy!



If you're looking for another great cookout recipe, you may want to try my Black Bean Quinoa Salad!

And don't forget to check my full list of Recipes (Gluten Free / Dairy Free / Allergens listed).

Restaurant Review: Nectar Cafe (Glen Rock, NJ)

Best Cinnabun I've ever had!

Vegan Watermelon Cucumber Gazpacho from Nectar Cafe

I usually bring my own lunch to work.  It is a rare day the cafeteria hasn't added wheat or dairy to at least part of the two lunch options and the GF/DF options around the office can be a bit of a drive.  20 minutes is at the far end of what I'll drive for lunch, but it turns out that the Nectar Cafe (175 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452 [behind the CVS in the far back of their parking lot]) is well worth it!  [My GPS took me to their address which is on Rock Road, I parked across the street and walked.  However, they are a good block off of Rock Road at the far end of the parking lot.]

I want to start by pointing out that Nectar Cafe is in the middle of an expansion so I'll have to re-review them once their addition is finished.  They are expanding into the store front next to them so the location will remain the same, only be bigger, with an expanded menu and even some seating.  Not sure if their hours will change but for now they are 8am-6pm weekdays and 7:30am-1pm on the weekends.

Vegan / Gluten Free Crabcakes at Nectar Cafe

Right now, it is a small juice / smoothie bar with some pre-prepared items and made to order wraps.  Sadly, the wraps are all wheat based but they are hoping to add a gluten free wrap once the expansion is complete.  Other than the wraps, the only other wheat I saw was wheat grass for the juices (which if grown and harvested correctly can be gluten free although I didn't confirm).  All of the desserts were both gluten and dairy free including surprisingly enough the one that contained oats (I asked and it turns out they used gluten free oats)!  They listed rice, cashew and almond milk for the smoothies but some also contained yogurt.

The only other dairy item I saw was goat cheese on their pizza but they are looking to offer a vegan pizza as well.  However, what they offer in their display case changes from day-to-day so double check.

Vegan Raw Gluten Free YUMM CinnaBUN! from Nectar Cafe

I ended up having the watermelon and cucumber gazpacho and vegan crabcakes (gluten free as well).  The soup was outstanding and the 'crab' cakes were quite good as well.  The tartar sauce for the crab cakes was the highlight of the dish.

Finally, I was going to have the vegan 'snickers' cup but then I asked about the oats and found out they were gluten free.  So I switched to the YUMM CinnaBUN! and am glad I did.  It was delicious and easily better (both tastier and obviously healthier) than the fat, gluten, and calorie laden mess one can get in the mall!  [The label doesn't specify gf oats so double check when you go.]

I'm already looking forward to going back and trying their other offerings (ok, ok, mostly their other desserts)!

If you're looking for other gluten free / vegan restaurants try:

Good Karma Café (Red Bank, NJ)

Papa Ganache (Matawan, NJ)

Loving Hut (Ledgewood, NJ)

Restaurant Review: Lo Fatt Chow (Lebanon, NJ)

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with a gluten free friend at Lo Fatt Chow (56 Payne Road, Lebanon, NJ 08833). Lo Fatt bills themselves as healthy Chinese cuisine and they have added gluten free sauces to their kitchen so that they can accommodate everyone. [They strive to be low fat and low sodium as well but I’m way too concerned about being dairy free and gluten free to worry about salt and fat!] The restaurant is a takeout store front with a decent about of seating if you choose to stay in.

Black Bean Prawns from Lo Fatt Chow in Lebabon, NJ

Their menu is quite extensive with over 200 items. The menu flags items that are vegetarian, items that are hot and spicy and items that contain nuts/peanuts. The bottom of the menu notes that they have gluten free sauces available but it was trial and error to find the dishes that could be gluten free. We each picked out a couple of options and then had to run them past the woman at the counter until we found dishes that we both wanted and she was confident could be made gluten free. (As with most Chinese restaurants, dairy free was quite simple here.)

I ended up having a rice noodle dish I had never tried before, Chicken Chow Feng (it was good but just not my thing). My friend had a much more interesting Black Beans and Prawns that was quite good (and much more photogenic!).  Both items were listed as gluten free on the receipt.

While I would prefer a pre-made list of what can be gluten free the food was quite good and reasonably priced. There aren't a lot of other gluten free options out in that area and the next time I am out that way, I could definitely see myself heading back to Lo Fatt Chow!



If you're looking for some other Asian restaurants to try, there's:

A Taste of Asia II in Chatham, NJ

Pei Wei in Paramus, Cherry Hill and Moorsetown, NJ

And as always, check out the full list for dining gluten free in New Jersey!