It’s finally here. After a year and a half of work and research, the Locate Special Diet website is live. Oh… it feels so good to type those words. Let me tell you a little bit about my baby…

Locate Special Diet helps people find local businesses that cater to a gluten-free, vegetarian, or organic lifestyle. 

The database currently includes over 25,000 businesses in 26 U.S. cities. Users can browse local restaurants and grocery stores by location, dietary preference and type of food. There is also a section to filter places that offer gluten-free, vegetarian or organic drinks. Austin is currently the only city with the largest drinks database, and it includes places to get smoothies, juices or even gluten-free beer.

Don’t see your favorite local business in the database? Users can submit businesses to Locate Special Diet and after they are approved by our team, we will add them in. This includes restaurants, grocery stores and drinks for any city. Our team is also furiously working to extend the current database to reach others looking to find places that cater to their special diet lifestyle.

I thought I would share some of my Favorite Things About Locate Special Diet.

partial screenshot of the homepage

• Submit Tips, Photos, Menus and more.
• Create a free account and invite others to join Locate Special Diet.
• Read tips from other users, and save tips to your Favorite Tips list.
• Search local businesses and save them to your Favorite Businesses list.
• Join our social media world by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
• Stay up to date on what’s going on in your city by subscribing to our newsletter.
• Stay tuned for the Locate Special Diet mobile application launching very soon on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
• Submit businesses to our database. Once they are approved by our team as an appropriate business for Locate Special Diet, we will add it to our existing database.

If you would like to learn more out our services, feel free to visit the About section of the website and the Press Studio.

Feedback is appreciated so let us know what you think of Locate Special Diet!

Create your free account TODAY and start browsing!

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Recently, I had the pleasure of joining Emma Janzen of Liquid Austin (Austin 360) for an evening of cocktails and delicious gluten-free food at Lembas Bakery and Breakfast. Lembas is the first completely gluten-free food trailer in Austin, which recently opened, and they are serving a wide variety of breakfast dishes.

Lembas gluten-free cookies, cinnamon roll bun (very popular), and muffins

While we dined, Emma and I enjoyed two cocktails, a St. Germain cocktail that paired well with the Lembas green eggs and ham dish, and a Grand Marnier Mimosa that paired well with chorizo frittata.

Lembas Chorizo Frittata paired well with the Grand Marnier Mimosa

For the full article, head on over to Liquid Austin where you will also be able to see a video of yours truly explaining my experience at Lembas. I enjoyed their trailer and will definitely be back. If you are also dairy-free or paleo, they got you covered!

Cheers!

Link to FULL ARTICLE and VIDEO

For an update for what is going on with me… well I’m furiously working towards the Locate Special Diet launch! If you haven’t signed up for our beta invitation list then you definitely should. We will be launching very soon! Hopefully soon I will get back in the kitchen and create some more delicious gluten-free recipes for you all to enjoy. If you have any requests, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below… I need some inspiration!

This is my second and final contribution to the 2012 Austin Food Blogger Alliance City Guide...which goes LIVE tomorrow (click here to see my gluten-free dinner list in Austin). Make sure and check out the guide to read over 75 posts from some of Austin’s most active food bloggers. We have done the research for you and have come up with great lists for everything from Asian fusion dining to the best coffee bars in Austin.

This post will cover Vegetarian restaurants in south, central and downtown Austin. And just for a small disclaimer, I am not completely vegetarian, but I eat vegetarian/vegan meals on occasion while I’m out and about. Many of these restaurants or businesses have multiple locations. Make sure and check out their websites for more information! Some of these restaurants have separate vegetarian menus so I recommend you double check with staff upon arrival.

Austin Restaurants with Vegetarian Choices

• Wasota African Cuisine (Nigerian & west African food, south)
• Boomerangs (homemade aussie pies, central)
• Hot Dog King (veggie hot dogs, downtown)
• Conscious Cravings (trailer, central)
• Lulu B’s (Vietnamese trailer, south)
• Thai Fresh (downtown)
• Buffalo Bob’s Chalupa Wagon (chalupas, south)
• Taco Deli (veggie tacos, south, central, north)
• Titaya Thai (central)
• Sagra (Italian, central/downtown)
• Swad (Indian, central)
• Daily Juice (cafe, juices, central)
• Juiceland/Soup Peddler (soups, juices, south)
• Whole Foods (downtown, north)
• Beets Cafe (raw, vegetarian restaurant, downtown)
• 24 Diner (diner open 24 hours, downtown)
• Flying Carpet (Moroccan, south)
• Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse (great menu, south)
• Elizabeth Street Cafe (French Vietnamese, south)
• Hula Hut (tex-mex, american, lake views)
• Snap Kitchen (downtown)
• My Fit Foods (to-go food, multiple locations)
• Wheatsville Co-Op (grocer, cafe options)
• Central Market (grocer & cafe, south, central)
• Man Bites Dog (veggie dogs, south)
• Magnolia Cafe (american, 24 hours, south, central)
• Guero’s (Tex-Mex, south)
• Curra’s Grill (Mexican, south)
• How Do You Roll (sushi, downtown)
• Rutamaya (coffee & more, south)
• Clay Pit (Indian, downtown/central)
• Maudies (Tex-Mex, multiple locations)
• Sugar Mama’s Cupcakes (south)
• Veggie Heaven (downtown/central)
• Snack Bar (New American, downtown)
• Mr. Natural (bakery, juicebar, 2 locations)
• Vivo (Tex-Mex, downtown)
• The Vegan Yacht (downtown)
• Leaf (salads, downtown)
• Eastside Cafe (New American, downtown)
• Shady Grove (American, south)
• Z Pizza (westlake)
• Austin Java (American, coffee, multiple locations)
• Toy Joy Cafe (desserts, central)
• Spider House Cafe (coffee, cafe, drinks, central)
• Aster’s Ethiopian (central)
• Whip In (cafe, grocer, south)
• New India (south)
• Tarka (Indian, south)
• G’raj Mahal (Indian trailer, downtown)
• Mother’s Cafe (central, all vegetarian)
• Casa De Luz (south, all vegetarian)
• Promise Pizza (multiple locations)
• Quack’s (bakery, coffee, central)
• El Sol Y Luna (Tex-Mex, downtown)
• Peche (downtown)
• Thundercloud Subs (sandwiches, soups, multiple locations)
• Thom’s Market (grocer)
• Black Sheep Lodge (bar, American, south)
• Polvo’s (Mexican, south)
• Zen (Japanese, multiple locations)
• Progress Coffee (coffee, east of downtown)
• Cheer Up Charlie’s (downtown)
• Karibu (Ethiopian, downtown)
• Blue Dahlia (European Bistro, east of downtown)
• Zandunga (Mexican, east of downtown)

Note: This is a partial list of vegetarian restaurants in Austin. Also, this is not a gluten-free list. Yes, some of these have gluten-free options but this list is geared toward vegetarians. Check out the blogger guide if you would like to read about vegetarian restaurants in North Austin. If you are vegan, make sure and check out the post by Lazy Smurf. Other city guide posts include dining out sustainably and raw food. 

If you would like to leave a restaurant or business suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment below. Also if you know of a specific dish at one of these restaurants, feel free to share in the comment section. 

Update 2012: Please visit Locate Special Diet for more gluten-free (vegetarian or organic) listings in Austin (and other cities). Keep your eye out for the mobile application launching soon. 

Another year and another post for the awesome Austin Food Blogger Alliance Annual City Guide. I’ve participated in the city guide for the past two years for SXSW (2011, 2010), but this year we are trying to give Austinites (and friends) a more detailed approach to the guide. Make sure and check out the full guide, which will be posted in it’s entirety March 1st on the main AFBA website. You will be able to check out over 75 detailed posts from local food bloggers who know their city!

There will be three gluten-free posts in this year’s guide. I am writing about local places to grab a yummy gluten-free dinner, and two other bloggers will be writing about local gluten-free breakfast and lunch spots, so make sure and check out the guide if you want to read those.

This year’s list is in no particular order and not organized by neighborhood. Many of these have multiple locations, and not all of them have gluten-free menus. Many on this particular list do have gluten-free menus though or at least marked items on their menu. If it is available on their website I will link to it, if not double check with their staff. Also, check out their websites for more information. I’m placing some of my local favorites in bold!

If you will be traveling to Austin again soon or looking to find more local spots that cater to a special diet lifestyle (in Austin and beyond), then don’t forget to sign up for my new website and mobile app launching very soon. We will be sending out invitations for our beta launch soon—> LOCATE SPECIAL DIET

For those of you on Foursquare, I have also created a gluten-free friendly list with tips for over 45 restaurants and bars in Austin.

Without further ado…

Gluten-Free Dinner Options in Austin, 2012:

• Z Tejas (menu)
• Taco Deli (marked menu): I love Taco Deli and eat there several times a week. The breakfast tacos are great and some of my favorite lunch tacos include the Tacoloco, Cowboy Taco and the Beef Picadillo. Order on corn tortillas and look for the wheat symbol next to the menu items that are not gluten-free.
• Snap Kitchen (menu): Great for busy days where you do not have time to cook and do not want to eat out.
• My Fit Foods (marked menu)
• The Grove (marked menu): I love coming here and eating under the big tree outside. Their pizzas and pasta dishes are great.
• Good 2 Go (Delivery 5 mile radius, marked menu): Wine and gluten-free mac and cheese delivered to my front door? I’ll take it.
• Riviera Bistro (100% GF): Finally, a gourmet all gluten-free restaurant in Austin.
• Kerbey Lane (menu): Love their breakfast menu (pancakes), but they also have a great selection for lunch and dinner too.
• Casa De Luz: A wonderful spot for vegetarian, organic and gluten-free food.
• Hopdoddy Burger Bar (GF buns & fries): Seriously the best burger in Austin (in my opinion). The primetime burger on the gluten-free bun is too-die-for. Get there early…the line is always very long.
• Lambert’s
• Perla’s: Brunch, Lunch or Dinner, this place is amazing. Love the lobster frittata for brunch.
• Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse
• Elizabeth Street Cafe
• Maudie’s (menu): A really great gluten-free Tex-Mex menu! They have numerous locations around town.
• Cantina Laredo (menu)
• Fonda San Miguel
• Apothecary Cafe and Wine Bar (marked menu)
• Eastside Cafe (menu)
• Foreign and Domestic
• Cafe Josie
• Eleven Plates
• Wheatsville Co-Op
• Whole Foods: You really can’t go wrong here…The Lamar location is the flagship store and it’s huge!
• Thundercloud Subs (Lake Austin location only): Great gluten-free sandwiches!
• Beets Cafe
• Galaxy Cafe (menu): I love coming here for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Great happy hour and their gluten-free menu is on the back of their regular dinner menu.
• Parkside: Where I always go if I have a special occasion and want to celebrate… I love Parkside.
• Olive and June: Olive and June recently opened and they are serving fresh gluten-free pasta…need I say more?
• Asti
• Vespaio (marked menu)
• Second Bar and Kitchen (menu): They just introduced a gluten-free menu this week and it is spectacular.
• The Steeping Room (menu): Love their gluten-free options… the desserts are great.
• Kona Grill (menu)
• Carmelo’s (menu): Carmelo’s has a wonderful Italian gluten-free menu.
• Uchi: You can never go wrong at Uchi or Uchiko. High quality food!
• Uchiko
• The Salt Lick: Always good…Besides all their meats, their gluten-free options include their sauce, coleslaw and potato salad.
• Franklin BBQ: The best BBQ in Austin, in my opinion. Sauce is GF. The only things that aren’t gluten-free are the dark espresso barbecue sauce, the chopped beef and of course the bread. Ask them to switch gloves.
• Trio (menu)
• Iron Cactus (menu)
• Fogo De Chao
• Eddie V’s (menu)
• Fleming’s Steakhouse (menu)
• Red’s Porch
• P Terry’s : Go for the bunless burger and fries.
• Brick Oven on 35th (menu)
• Brick Oven South (menu)
• Kenichi: Kenichi is always great at accommodating GF.
• Chez Zee (menu): I love their desserts!
• The Carillon
• Fino
• Mama Fu’s (menu): Gluten-free Chinese food and it is cheap and good. They deliver too.
• Trento (marked menu)
• 360 Uno (marked menu)
• Snack Bar (marked menu)
• Siena Ristorante (menu)
• North by Northwest (menu)
• Plucker’s (menu): Their menu includes gluten-free wings.
• Wink
• Garrido’s (marked menu): The majority of their menu is naturally gluten-free. They have great homemade corn tortillas.
• Guero’s (menu)
• Frank (marked menu): I love their gluten-free hot dogs (with GF buns) and their waffle fries.
• Congress
• Austin’s Pizza (marked menu)
• Z Pizza (menu)
• Jason’s Deli (menu)
• BJ’s Brewhouse (menu)
• Mother’s Cafe (marked menu)
• PF Changs (menu)
• Zocalo Cafe
• La Condesa
• G’Raj Mahal Cafe
• Trace
• How Do You Roll (marked menu)

Please note, as always, this is not a full list of gluten-free friendly dinner spots in Austin. This is only a partial list. Also, the majority of these restaurants are not completely gluten-free, which means you might come across cross contamination. Please do your research, ask questions and dine at your own risk. I can tell you this though, I dine out at all of these restaurants on a somewhat regular basis (yes, I dine out often). If you have any questions, feel free to email me at (atxglutenfreeATgmailDOTcom).

If you want to add to the list, please leave your comments below.

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“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Simplicity can be hard to achieve sometimes.  It requires a different way of thinking… in business, life, etc.

In my personal life, I sway to the term “more is more” when it comes to some things. Let’s use fashion accessories for an example (sorry boys, we’re talking jewelry). I’m a walking jewelry store normally. Actually, let me rephrase that. According to my friends, I’m the “crazy owl lady” who is always wearing multiple pieces of owl jewelry. I guess I like to express myself that way. With business and other things, I feel like I lean more towards the middle. A balance between complexity and simplicity…leaning more towards all things simple and easy. Even that sounds complex.

What does this have to do with food you may ask? Well lately, I prefer my food simple. Plain… (What? Who am I?) These days, I prefer to roast all my vegetables with only salt and oil. I actually hardly saute or steam my vegetables at all now. Roasting brings out such a beautiful flavor in vegetables, and the salt and oil just accentuates that.

In this new year I’ve made a resolution to eat other vegetables on a normal basis that I wouldn’t normally eat… like radishes.

I roasted these beauties on a cookie sheet (after slicing them thin with a mandoline) for 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit with salt and canola oil. I hope you enjoy!

Happy 2012 everyone!

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

Howdy folks. Long time no see. I’ve missed you guys.

I’m still around. Since I finished grad school a few weeks ago, I’ve taken some time to just relax, reflect and work on finalizing the last minute details of our product (which should be launching soon).

As you can see from this pile of papers… we have been hard at work researching. Can you take a guess of what it is?

I’m not cooking this year for Thanksgiving so I’ve decided to provide you with a great roundup of gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes. Some are my recipes, others are recipes from some of my favorite gluten-free bloggers. Make sure and check out their blogs… you’ll find some special (and delicious) stuff.

Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

• Olive Oil Pancakes (ATX Gluten-Free)…add fresh pumpkin puree to the batter for the ultimate pancake recipe.
• Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash (ATX Gluten-Free)…WOW your guest with this beautiful presentation.
• Cranberry Ice Cream (Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free)… indulge in a healthy dessert.
• Quinoa Stuffing with Apples (ATX Gluten-Free)… skip the gluten-free bread stuffing and try out this special recipe.
• Raw Cranberry Sauce (Elana’s Pantry)…go Paleo with this simple sauce.
• Butternut Squash Pizza with Ricotta (ATX Gluten-Free)…a reader fav!
• Grain-Free Cranberry Walnut Granola (Daily Bites)…a great snack for a chilly day.
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Feta (ATX Gluten-Free)…brussels can be a magical ingredient!
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing (Gluten-Free Goddess)….need I say more?
• Mushroom-Rye Stuffing (Silvana’s Kitchen)…loaded with flavor and easy to make.
• Butternut Squash with Ricotta and Thyme (ATX Gluten-Free)… butternut is my favorite squash.
• Cinnamon Poached Pears with Sorbet (With Style & Grace)…an elegant dessert.
• Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free Goddess)… a Thanksgiving staple.
• Gluten-Free Gravy/Bechamel (ATX Gluten-Free)… the best gravy you’ll ever try.
• Roasted Hazelnut Chocolate Spread (ATX Gluten-Free)…eat it by the spoonful.
• Turkey and Sweet Potato Enchiladas (Gluten-Free Goddess)…the perfect way to finish off those turkey leftovers.
• Apple Pumpkin Butter (ATX Gluten-Free)…once again, eat it by the spoonful.
• Baked Cinnamon Spice Donuts (With Style & Grace)…OMG yummy!

I hope you all have a fabulous and delicious Thanksgiving this year. I’ll be back after Thanksgiving with our product announcement and more recipes!

In the meantime you can get a sneak peek into my life by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Happy first day of Fall! Fall is definitely in the air here in Austin (kind of). The temperature is giving us a short break (hopefully long break), pumpkins are being spotted at our neighborhood grocery stores, and the candy is filling the shelves for the trick or treaters.  It’s hard to believe it’s almost October. Life gets busy. Especially when you are starting a company companies, finishing graduate school (October!), and just the general hustle and bustle of life…where has this year gone?

The good thing is after October things should be settled down some. I really can’t complain though. 2011 has been an amazing year so far with so many opportunities presenting themselves. I never thought I would be doing what I’m doing now for work and I can’t wait to share the details with you soon. I know, I know. I’ve been saying that for months right? Well, things keep getting pushed back. I promise I’ll shout it from the mountain tops soon and my dear readers will be the first to know…

Enjoy the flavors of fall with this yummy recipe. Spread it on your favorite muffin or bagel, spoon some into your morning oatmeal or mix it in your favorite smoothie.

Or eat it by the spoonful. That’s what I do. It can be our little secret.

Apple-Pumpkin Butter

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free

Print this recipe

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

• one 15 ounce can pure pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh pureed pumpkin)
• 1 Fuji apple, medium size, diced
• juice of ½ small lemon
• pinch salt
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 packets stevia (4 grams stevia or 8 teaspoons sugar)

Instructions:

Dice apples and place them in food processor. Puree apples until smooth (leave some chunks if desired), add pumpkin and remaining ingredients. Pulse until combined and appears to be a smooth consistency. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Note: For more intense flavors, roast the apples and fresh pumpkin beforehand. If you want a quick recipe, use fresh apple (no roasting) with canned pumpkin. Either way it’s good!

Enjoy!

Don’t miss a recipe or ATX Gluten-Free News segment. Sign up for my RSS feed today, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s already that time of the year… ACL 2011. The gluten-free friendly food options have grown this year. I thought we had it good last year, but this year is great! As always, please be aware of cross contamination. The food and drink companies listed below work in close quarters at the ACL Eats Food Court. Be conscious of your food choices, because there is a risk of cross contamination. Other than that, have fun and I’ll see y’all out there! Also, I should note that if you have Celiac Disease, ask your doctor for a doctor’s note. A doctor’s note stating you have Celiac Disease allows you to bring in your own food. Or be a rebel and sneak in your own food. Do it.

Gluten-Free Friendly Food Options at ACL 2011

Fresh Squeezed Best Lemonade (double check with staff, there was not a confirmation):

• Lemon Lemonade
• Strawberry Lemonade
• Limeade
• Strawberry Limeade

Photo Credit: ACL Festival