Eating Friendly

Rebecca's Friendly Quiche

2012-12-02T15:19:00.001-08:00

I adapted this from my chef hubby's quiche recipe. His recipes always allow for a little flexibility, so I recommend reading the directions through before proceeding. Because the flavorings in the custard can vary, depending on the season, I am providing you with the custard base below. Feel free to add whatever flavoring goodies you like. Mine consisted of mild italian sausage, spinach, goat cheese, garlic, and mushrooms.

The interesting part is that I've used the gluten-free pie crust before in a pumpkin pie recipe, and I didn't like it very much. This time it was really great. I realize now that the pumpkin pie recipe needed longer to bake, so the crust was slightly overcooked and slightly bitter. In this recipe, it came out "buttery," flakey, and delicious.

An important note: Since my blog is about reviewing products and sharing good ideas, I tend to feature products instead of providing entire scratch recipes. So I have provided a link to a gluten-free pie crust below for the adventurous cook with a little more time on his/her hands.

Rebecca's Friendly Quiche:

Products used:

Barvaria Mills Gluten-free Pie Crust (ready made)
Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream (I don't recommend Tofutti, because it's too dry and dense compared to this product, which is very creamy. You could use silken tofu as an alternative, but it will not be as flavorful as the vegan sour cream. If you do use silken tofu, you should puree it first.)

(For an alternative to Bavaria Mills GF Pie Crust, check out this link to a Gluten-free Pie Crust Recipe.)

Custard Ingredients:

2 Large Eggs (or 3 small)
1 1/2 C Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 C cream)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook off flavorings (see below.) Spread your flavorings over the crust, leaving enough room for the custard. Whisk together the custard ingredients (if you are using cheese, or dairy-free equivalent, mix into custard.*) Pour the custard over the flavorings and bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until custard is set. It will puff up during baking, but it will deflate while cooling.

*I stirred in about 1/2 C of goat cheese crumbles to the custard before pouring into the pan. Another excellent alternative is cheddar flavored Daiya Vegan Cheese.

Flavoring options:

Bacon, Spinach, Tomatos, Leeks, Artichoke Hearts, Crab, Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions, Garlic, Roasted Red Peppers, etc. Most of your flavorings need to be cooked first, unless they come processed, like canned artichoke hearts or olives.

My entire mixture of sausage, mushrooms, garlic, and spinach equaled just under two cups. Because the spinach cooked down, I used about two bunches. I like to cook things in phases because I have more control over their outcomes. (Make sure you salt according to taste as you go.)

I cooked off about 1/4 lb of sausage and placed it into a bowl. I drained the grease into a clean pan, washed the sausage pan (it was pretty sticky), then I returned the grease to the original pan and added olive oil. I simmered my spinach leaves in the oil until they were tender, then I put them in a colander to drain*. I simmered about 1 C sliced cremini mushrooms in olive oil. Then I added two pealed, chopped garlic cloves to the mushrooms and took the pan off the burner once the garlic began emitting its aroma. I chopped the sausage into finer pieces, and I chopped the spinach, and then I mixed all the flavorings into one bowl before spreading them across the crust. Then I poured the custard over the top, made sure it was settled, and then tucked it into the oven.

*If you cook a wet or oily product, make sure you drain it before you spread it across the crust.

A recap, in approximate amounts:

1/4 lb sausage
2 bunches raw spinach leaves (about 4 C uncooked)
1 C mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Simmer, drain, chop when necessary, mix together, spread across crust. (If you wish to cook everything together, make sure you honor the delicate nature of certain ingredients, and their cooking times. So with my ingredients, I would start with the sausage and let brown a little, then add the mushrooms until they begin to sweat, then add the spinach until wilted, and then add the garlic, stir once or twice, and remove from burner. Then I would drain the ingredients before spreading across the crust.)

Be well, my friends. And enjoy Eating Friendly.

Rebecca's Dairy-free Hot Chocolate Recipe

2012-11-29T15:31:00.001-08:00

A satisfyingly, chocolatey, delicious hot beverage, and it's just in time for a lactose intolerant Santa!

Rebecca's Dairy-free Hot Chocolate:

2 C soy milk (or coconut milk, such as So Delicious or Silk)
1.5 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp cane juice (or sugar, or honey, or agave nectar...syrups can be added to taste) (or 1 dropper full of liquid stevia)
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C Silk French vanilla soy creamer (optional, but it adds depth without making it too rich.)

Directions:

In a sauce pan, on medium-high, add the ingredients in the order you see above. Stir regularly to keep from scorching until steam is rising from the pan. [Do not boil.] Total time: about 5 minutes.

To check your consistency, temperature, and flavor, taste a spoonful before serving. If it's how you like it, serve it up! Feel free to make adjustments with any of the above ingredients, according to your tastes.

Extras:

1. Stir in a couple dashes of cinnamon just before taking the pan off the burner.
2. Add a small scoop of coconut oil for richness. (It will separate and look oily, but it's good. I wouldn't suggest that you add it if you choose to use the soy creamer.)
3. Add one or two drops of food grade peppermint oil to your cup.

Brands of soy milk used for this recipe:

Silk vanilla soy milk, light
Silk French vanilla soy creamer

Enjoy :)

Easy Gluten-Free Granola Recipe

2012-11-02T10:02:00.001-07:00

I adapted this recipe from my chef hubby's restaurant version. It's so delicious, you'll want to eat it by the handful. I think the Olive Oil version of Earth Balance is superior to the original flavor, and it does very well in this recipe. The maple syrup adds depth to the flavor, giving it more of a caramel note. The honey version is cleaner, and will satisfy the tastebuds of any purist. Using coconut oil makes the recipe more rich. You can also do a blend of the Earth Balance and coconut oil.

Friendly Granola

1/2 C Earth Balance (or coconut oil or butter)
1/2 C Honey
1/8 - 1/4 C Maple Syrup (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
4 C Uncooked Gluten-free Quick Oats (I like Bob's Red Mill: see below)
1 C Raw Almonds (or nuts or seeds of your preference)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit.

Melt the Earth Balance, salt, honey (and maple syrup if desired) in a pot over low heat, stirring occasionally. Take off heat and fold in almonds and oats, making sure everything is coated by the sauce. Then spread out thinly over a sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir granola, spread out thinly again, and return to oven for 15 minutes. The last 15 minutes can go pretty quickly, and sometimes the granola will brown pretty fast, so keep your eye on the granola during the second half. You may need to stir it a couple more times before the 15 minutes is up.

Total baking time is 30 minutes.

The granola will be soft when you remove it from the oven. Let it sit and cool for about 30 minutes. The granola will harden as it cools. If you need to bake another batch using your sheet pan, just scoop the granola into a bowl or flat container, and allow the granola to cool while repeating the process above.

Feel free to add cinnamon, shredded coconut, or dried fruit as desired. Sesame and sunflower seeds are also a nice addition. Just make sure that whatever you add, you take away the same amount of almonds. You can replace some of the oats, but they will soak up the sauce, whereas the nuts and seeds won't.

Product used: Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Quick Cooking Oats, 32 oz bag. This is my preferred gluten-free oat product for this recipe. Bob's GF quick cooking oats are perfect because they come out tender and crunchy, unlike rolled gluten-free oats, which tend to be more chewy and hard to break down. The economy size of the bag shown above yields many servings. I used it to make two batches of granola, and I still have nearly half a bag of uncooked oats left!

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In The Spotlight! Gluten-free Olive Rosemary Loaf From New Cascadia Traditional

2012-10-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Another Friendly Favorite!

This is one damn good hard loaf from New Cascadia Traditional, Portland's first gluten-free bakery. Soft, chewy center with juicy, whole black olives and hints of rosemary. Yummm. This bread is so good, it's hard to tell it's gluten-free.

New Cascadia only bakes their olive rosemary loaf on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and it's so good it practically flies off the shelves. They sell it at the Saturday Portland Farmer's Market, at New Seasons Markets, and at their bakery/cafe on the corner of SE Market and 6th.

It stays soft for 2-3 days, which is really great for gluten-free bread. It's excellent with soups and salads, dipped in olive oil, and served with cheese (goat and sheep for me.) It's a crowd pleaser at parties, even for gluten eaters.

I'm sorry that my readers living outside the Portland area can't also enjoy this product. But you will know where to go when you come for a visit.

For a complete list of the purveyors who sell New Cascadia's baked goods, click here.

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In The Spotlight: Harvester Gluten-Free Pale Ale

2012-10-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Another Friendly Favorite! Enjoy a pint of crisp, bitter/sweet, well balanced pale ale from Harvester, Portland's only dedicated gluten-free brewing company.

Harvester is a relatively new, up and coming brewery. They can be a daringly experimental with their beers from time to time. For instance, I bought a bottle of their new IPA, and it was so bitter that I found it undrinkable. However, these guys are learning as they go, and in a few months, their IPA may be their best beer on the market.

But as far as their pale ale is concerned, they've got it figured out. It's consistently good and satisfyingly refreshing. Just remember to be careful when removing the cap. Some of them don't come off that easily.

In The Spotlight: Glutino Gluten-free Lemon Wafers

2012-10-23T16:32:00.002-07:00

Another Friendly Favorite! Glutino Gluten-free Lemon Wafers. Crispy, sweet, tart, delicate, lemony wafters as light as air. Mmmmmm. Need I say more?

My only complaint is that I eat way more than I should in one sitting. Their wafers also come in chocolate and chocolate vanilla. I can't eat them because they're made with dairy. Glutino makes good products, so I bet they're good.

They usually cost just under $5, but right now (October 23, 2012) they are on sale at New Seasons Market for $3.99.

Go get your wafer on.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie Recipe

2012-10-22T15:20:00.003-07:00

During the holiday seasons of years past, I spent hours in the kitchen experimenting with gluten- and dairy-free recipes and dreaming of my delicious first bites. Many times, the actual results were utter disappointments, and I would be the only one at holiday parties chewing through my embarrassingly semi-edible breads and desserts while everyone (including me) pretended not to notice how bummed out I actually was.

But times have changed, and pumpkin pie not only tastes good again, it's delicious!

My entry here is also a review of two products: Bavaria Mills Pre-made Gluten-Free Pie Crust (Pair) and Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Evaporated Cane Juice.

The evaporated cane juice was grainy, so I mixed the sugar blend with the eggs before I put the pumpkin in, giving the cane juice time to dissolve.

The gluten-free pie shell from Bavaria Mills was okay. Its texture was great, but the bare crust's flavor was slightly bitter, dry, and lacking in salt. Simply put, it's a vehicle for your filling and nothing more. Overall, I give it a B, because it comes in handy when you're in a hurry. I would use it again.

Gluten-free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Filling

(EDIT: if you want to use regular sugar, you can substitute it for the cane syrup crystals. The original recipe called for 1/2 C brown sugar and 1/4 C white sugar. I'm sensitive to white sugar, so I went looking for an alternative.)

▪ 3/4 Cup Evaporated Cane Juice

▪ 1/2 Teaspoon Sea salt

▪ 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

▪ 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

▪ 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

▪ 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

▪ 2 Eggs

▪ 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

▪ 1 15-oz Can Pumpkin Puree

▪ 1 Cup Coconut Milk

Needed: 1 Unbaked Pie Shell.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Combine the cane juice, sea salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the sugar mixture until cane juice dissolves. Add vanilla and pumpkin puree, and mix until smooth. Fold in the coconut milk, making sure it is evenly distributed.

Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean.

Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

I recommend refrigerating it over night, to let the spices mingle.

Bavaria Mills Unbaked Gluten-Free Pie Crust

(EDIT: I don't provide a gluten-free pie crust recipe here, but if you're looking for one and you need a recommendation, comment in the box below. Also, look for my upcoming apple pie recipe, in which I review a gluten-free pie crust mix. That one will come out before Thanksgiving.)

For those of you who can't enjoy soy-based whipped cream with your pumpkin pie, try vanilla flavored Enlightened Creme from Enlighten Your Palate. See my previous article about Enlightened Creme for images and details. For a list of retailers who carry Enlightened Creme, click here.

Friendly Spotlight! Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips & Sonoma Golden Teff Wraps!

2012-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: stone ground corn, (one or all of the following oils: sunflower, safflower, canola), brown rice flour, flax seeds, evaporated cane juice, oat fiber, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, quinoa, soy flour, sea salt.

This crispy little treat came into my possession in a GF snack pack put together by an airline. (Thank you progress!!) I love their subtle sweetness and lightness of salt. They are so good that my picky-about-allergy-friendly-food chef hubby went looking for them at the health food store the next day, and helped me polish off a bag in one sitting! If you're living in Portland, they are on sale for $2.99 at New Seasons right now! (October 18, 2012.) Their other chips are great, but these are by far the best product they make.

Ingredients: water, tapioca flour, whole grain ivory teff & millet, expeller pressed canola oil, soy lecithin, cultured corn syrup solids, cellulose gum, maltodextrin, carrageenan, and less than 2% of the following: guar gum, sea salt, honey, aluminum free leavening powder.

If you haven't tried these wraps, you should. Pull them out of the bag, and they smell just like flour tortillas made from wheat, and they taste like them too! But they need to be warmed up to make them soft and flexible. They can be used to make wraps and burritos. I haven't tried to make enchiladas from them yet, but I should!

Today's snack: a veggie-melt wrap of crimini mushrooms, chard leaves, and fresh garlic simmered in olive oil, topped with my favorite goat gouda from holland and a sprinkle of cumin. The garlicky olive oil is all the sauce you need for a wrap like this. Just make sure you don't scorch your oil.

My favorite way to warm these tortillas is to throw them onto a hot burner. I have a glass, electric burner, but you can use a hot skillet instead. Don't use any oil or grease, or they'll turn out greasy and gross. Use tongs, and please don't burn yourselves.

As always, my friends. Be well, and enjoy Eating Friendly!

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Introducing The Friendly Spotlight!

2012-10-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free, vegan pumpkin whoopee pie from Back to Eden Bakery. A soft, sweet confection that will haunt you after it's gone. No kidding. And it's just in time for the holiday season.

Hey folks! Every day I enjoy great allergy-friendly products, like this melt-in-your-mouth delicious pumpkin whoopee pie from Back to Eden Bakery! Mmmmm. Can you smell the cinnamon and nutmeg?

This delicious whoopee pie is one of the many treats that make me think, "I really need to share this with my readers, without the pressure of writing an entire article on the company that makes it...and eating their line of products and gaining a bunch of weight!" :|

No fair, I already wrote an article on Back to Eden today, right? Okay, okay. But the whoopee pie is one of my Back to Eden Favorites! So this one gets an exclusive plug during the introduction of my new concept: The Friendly Spotlight! From time to time, when I have one of my favorite allergy-friendly products in hand, I will give it a brief mention, without writing a feature article about it.

Look for The Friendly Spotlight! here on Eating Friendly, and on my Facebook and Twitter pages!

As always, my friends. Be well, and enjoy Eating Friendly.

Update: Back To Eden Bakery Now Dedicated Gluten-Free!!

2012-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hands down, Back to Eden is my favorite Portland area allergy-friendly bakery. Why? Because they make it so easy! (Click here to read my previous article about Back to Eden.)

Back to Eden is open seven days a week, from 9a.m. to 9 p.m. (Everyone else is closed on Sundays.) They are a vegan bakery, which means that dairy and egg-sensitive eaters aren't limited one or two choices.

And now they make Eating Friendly even easier!! Last week, they made the switch to dedicated, gluten-free!!

As a frequent diner at Back to Eden, I can tell you that their deserts are always consistent. And now that they are all gluten-free, there are more to choose from, including cookies, coffee breads, cakes, and chocolatey confections! My new favorite is the pumpkin whoopee pie.

(By the way, the guy at the counter said there's a good chance that Back to Eden will sell single serving pumpkin pies for the holiday season.)

The change to dedicated gluten-free has sparked an increase in the savory options, and not surprisingly, a rise in lunch sales. Here is a link to their lunch menu.

From left to right: garden salad, curried chicken salad, quinoa pilaf, curried chicken salad wrap, chickpea tuna salad wrap (surprisingly popular!), tomato and kale quiche, tomato and kale cashew tart (one of my absolute favorites!)

Corn and Potato Chowder

Today's soup was a light, yet creamy corn and potato chowder with prominent flavors of cumin and celery. The creamy base was made from cashews. I ate mine with a cheddar, apple, sage scone--a surprisingly moist, salty/sweet biscuit. The scone was light for being gluten-free, and yet it didn't crumble. The only disappointment was that the cheddar flavor just didn't come through. That's vegan cheese for you. It just doesn't make much of an impact.

A closer look at the scone.

Back to Eden is still serving soft-serve and the sundae bar, even though the rainy season is here. For something warmer, try Townshend's Tea or coffee with So Delicious Coconut Creamer.

Gluten-Free Chicken Hot Pot Recipe

2012-10-13T16:52:00.003-07:00

Hello eaters!

With the overwhelming introduction of new blogs and articles about eating gluten-free, I've been rethinking the concept of Eating Friendly. I still plan to review restaurants and bakeries, occasionally, but I've decided that you, my readers, will get more out of my articles if I create recipes using allergy friendly products, such as pizza crusts and cake recipes, and then share my findings with you here, on Eating Friendly. Here's my first recipe: Gluten-Free Chicken Hot Pot!

My GF Chicken Hot Pot has always been a crowd pleaser. It's a perfect recipe for adjusting amounts of certain ingredients, depending on your palate. And it's right on time for the chilly autumn season!

Gluten-Free Chicken Hot Pot:

Components:

Soup
Rice (or) 100% Buckwheat Soba Noodles (see below)
Avocado (optional)
Chopped green onions

Both versions (rice, soba) serve about 4

Ingredients for soup:

2 inch ginger root
1 whole spicy pepper or chili (optional)
1 whole bay leaf
2-3 cloves raw garlic
2-4 green onions
Quartered Crimini (or) sliced Shitake mushrooms, about 1 cup (optional)
2-3 whole chicken legs, skin on
1 TBSP olive oil
Salt (to taste)
Water (about 2 cups)

Directions for soup:

To begin, salt both sides of your chicken legs and set aside.

Salting beforehand allows the salt to penetrate the meat. Otherwise it comes off in the pan the moment it hits the oil. 2 legs are enough, but 3 impart more flavor and provide more protein.

Cut your ginger lengthwise and peel your garlic cloves. Rinse and cut green onions in half. Set the greener, more delicate ends aside. Cut the tougher, whiter ends into 2-3 inch-long pieces and keep them with your ginger, bay leaf, and garlic. (The picture below will give you a good idea of how thick you want your ginger to be. You can use more or less ginger, depending on your preference for its flavor.)

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil until it's just beginning to ripple, but not smoke. Brown your whole chicken legs in the oil on both sides. (Below is a picture of the skin after it's been browned.)

After the chicken legs have been browned, fill your pot with just enough water to cover your chicken, and then add your ginger, garlic, bay leaf, pepper, and the "white sides" of your green onions. Salt your water with one or two pinches of salt (or to taste.) Cover and bring the temperature up to a steady simmer, and then turn down the heat to mid-low or low, depending on your stovetop's power. (You want it to be simmering lightly, but not overflowing and not boiling.)

(You can also add mushrooms to the broth about half way through the cooking process. My favorites for this recipe are shitake and crimini. If you forget to add your mushrooms half way through, you can cook them in the broth while the meat cools (see below.)

You just want to cover the chicken with water, and then add your flavoring components: ginger, pepper, bay, green onion, garlic. Then cover with a lid and let simmer.)

Let simmer for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, cut into the chicken to see if it's cooked through. If it isn't cooked through, then let it go for another 10 - 15 minutes.

If the chicken legs are cooked through, turn off the soup, pull the chicken lets out, place them into a bowl, and let them cool. It's a good idea to separate the meat a little, so it cools down faster.

(If you want to put this over rice, now is the time to cook your rice (see below.) This is also where you want to cook your mushrooms if you forgot to add them halfway through the cooking process. If you slice them thin enough, you just need to add them to the hot broth, and they will cook without the need to turn the burner back on.)

After the meat has cooled, pull it off the bone into bite sized chunks, and then replace the pieces in the broth. Remove your pepper from the broth. (I leave the bay leaf and ginger in and let them continue to impart their flavors.)

Directions for Rice:

1 cup sticky rice
1 1/2 cups of water (salted)

Heat water to a boil. Add rice. Turn heat to low. Stir rice. Cover and let simmer for 18 minutes.
Turn off, stir rice.
Serve soup over rice.
Garnish with sliced avocado and sliced green onions.

Serves about 4.

100% Buckwheat Soba Noodles:

I buy these buckwheat soba noodles at New Seasons Market, a healthy grocer located in Portland, Oregon. They are made in Japan, so it's possible that they are made at a facility that also processes gluten containing products, so celiacs and ultra sensitive eaters should either avoid this product, or check to see if it's 100% friendly, and then let us know in the comments box below ;)

The texture of the noodles should come out dense and slightly chewy, and they should impart a nutty, earthy flavor. I love this product, and it's more nutrient rich than white rice.

100% buckwheat soba noodles are tricky. Follow my directions exactly, and you should be successful in this cooking endeavor.

Directions for soba noodles:

1 pkg 100% Buckwheat Soba Noodles
Water
Pinch salt

Bring salted water to a boil in pot.
In a medium to large-sized bowl, add cold water and ice cubes. (This is called an ice bath. Keep the bowl of ice water in the sink, or keep it next to your cooking pot.)
Add a small amount of soba noodles (1/2 inch to 1 inch thick) to the boiling water, and immediately settle into water with tongs. Try to separate noodles without damaging them. Let boil for about five to eight minutes (the cooking time varies), and then pull one noodle out and pinch with fingernails. (You can also bite into it to see if it's to your liking.) If noodle is tender and breaks apart easily, immediately remove remaining noodles and put them into the bowl of ice water.

Keep cooking noodles this way until you have the desired amount.
You can remove cooked noodles from ice bath and place in bottoms of soup bowls while you wait for the remaining noodles to cook.
Serve soup over noodles.
Garnish with sliced avocado and sliced green onions.

Serves about 4, but if you're a hungry group, you should consider having another package of noodles on hand, just in case.

Things to know: The ginger is for seasoning. It is edible, but it's rather shocking if you get a big bite of it. That's why it's cooked in large slices. It's easy to see them and pull them out. The bay leaf should not be eaten, and if you like its flavor, you should put it in the leftover broth and let it continue to flavor your soup. The same goes with the ginger.

Feel free to add vegetables to this dish as you see fit. Leafy greens are a perfect addition, and they are so easy! All you have to do with chard, collard greens, or kale is slice the leaves and add them to the broth while the chicken is cooling. You don't need to turn the heat back on and simmer them more. The temperature of the soup should cook your tender greens without turning them into mush.

Let me know how you like this recipe, and if you would like to see more. And if you have any eureka moments, feel free to share in the comments box below!

As always, my friends. Be well, and enjoy Eating Friendly!

Flour Mixes from Gluten-Free Gourmand

2012-07-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

Prepackaged desserts are convenient, yes, and they can be delicious, but sometimes the do-it-yourselfer within must do a little baking. The obstacle is in knowing which products to choose, such as gluten-free flour bases.

In the years past, finding a quality gluten-free flour blend was challenging. Some mixes would be imbalanced, or bitter from bean flour, or of poor quality in general. It was easy to wonder if producers of flour mixes had ever even tasted their own products before putting them on shelves.

Times have changed since then. People like you and me, the do-it-yourselfers, are making an effort to bring better products to the market. Who better to produce our allergy-friendly food than someone with the same dietary restrictions, whose needs and desires are similar to our own?

Fellow blogger and food pioneer, Gina Kelley, is that kind of producer. Gina is the author of Gluten-Free Gourmand, a blog that offers tips and recipes to gluten-free eaters. Gina has created a line of gluten-free flour mixes, such as gluten-free pastry flour, pancake mix, and all-purpose flour, and she sells them on her website. I got my hands on Gina's pastry flour and pancake mix, and I did a little experimenting.

My resulting pancakes. Don't they look mouthwatering!

I started with the pancake mix. I followed the instructions on the back to the letter, substituting butter and cow's milk with Earth Balance and So Delicious vanilla flavored coconut milk. The pancakes cooked up a little differently than they would have if they had been made with dairy, and the sorghum flavor was quite present in the resulting batter. Since cooking these pancakes dairy-free changes the outcome, I have decided that next time I will lower the amount of liquid and add another egg instead. I think the extra egg will soften the texture and make the resulting pancakes more golden and fluffy.

Savory pancakes with spinach, mushrooms, oregano, garlic, and olive oil, topped with two eggs over easy.

The sorghum gave the pancakes the taste of maize, or corn flour, which added a savory flavor to the pancakes. They were spongy, yet slightly dense, but not heavy. Having them with maple syrup didn't do it for me. The combination felt imbalanced, as if sweet just didn't work with this batch of pancakes. So I had them in a savory fashion with mushrooms and spinach simmered in olive oil with garlic and oregano, and topped with eggs over easy. I made sure the olive oil was copious enough, and that it was flavored well with garlic and oregano, to behave like a savory syrup. The combination was out of this world delicious! It was so good that I lay in bed later that night and dreamed of the next morning's breakfast!

Teresa Estrada ices our GF carrot cake made with Gluten-Free Gourmand pastry flour.

For the pastry flour, I got together with Teresa Estrada, creator of Enlighten Your Palate and Enlightened Creams, to bake a carrot cake. First of all, I want to say that Teresa really knows what she is doing. I'm glad she helped me test this product, because I learned a lot from her about the performance of ingredients. And her recipe and resulting cake were absolutely amazing. (See recipe below.)

One of the first things we noticed about Gina's pastry flour was how finely ground it was. It was so fine, and so well cared for, that we didn't need to sift it into the bowl. We noticed the sorghum flavor in this product as well, which added a savory element and a slightly grainy texture to the dough when wet. And the batter was drier than other flour bases we had used in the past, and needed more moisture than we had anticipated.

The cake baked up nice and fluffy for being made with a gluten-free flour mix. And with the carrot shreds, pineapple chunks, and pecan pieces baked into the cake, there was plenty of texture to make this sweet and hearty cake a satisfying delight to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee at breakfast, or as an after dinner dessert. Teresa created a tofu-based frosting with lemon zest, which brightened the flavors of the cake, making a normally wintery dessert refreshingly light and summery.

The flowers we used here are not edible. We picked what we had and used them for decoration, so don't use this as a guide for selecting edible flowers. Edible flowers in season right now: nasturtium, calendula, borage, marigold.

Gina, our Gluten-Free Gourmand, is passionate about creating quality products that satisfy her customers' palates and dietary needs. I wouldn't doubt that she will make adjustments to her flour mixes based on consumer feedback, like lowering the amount of sorghum, or replacing it with another gluten-free grain flour altogether. I hope she keeps the pastry flour as is for her tortilla recipe, because the sorghum is perfect in that context. Maybe she will create a separate package for her tortilla recipe, just like she has done with her pancakes.

Gina offers several mixes beyond pastry and pancake flour. She sells mixes for scones, pizza dough, waffles, and she even sells a complete baking kit! So if you're not satisfied with the gluten-free baking products made available through your local grocer, I suggest that you check out Gina's website. You may just find what you've been looking for.

A slice of carrot cake. Look at all that texture! So sweet and delicious!

Carrot Cake Recipe:

3 1/2 cups GF flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

2 buttery sticks - softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded carrots
1 can shredded pineapple - drained
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (toasted for 7 minutes)

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees
Butter and flour two 8 inch cake pans
Toast pecans and set aside

Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.

Blend buttery sticks, eggs, sugar, and vanilla - beat well. Add carrots, pineapple, coconut, and pecans. Fold in dry ingredients until blended.

Folding in dry ingredients.

Pour into cake pans and bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cake batter smoothed into pans just before baking.

Cool on a rack for at least 15 - 20 minutes before turning out cakes. Cool completely on racks before frosting. (Teresa lined the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, which made it easy to turn out the cakes from the pans, and then cool them on the racks by setting them--with parchment paper on their bottoms--directly on the racks too cool. If you plan to be gone for a while after you turn out the cakes, make sure to cover them with a towel.)

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

Three 8 ounce tubs of vegan cream cheese (tofu based in this case, from Trader Joe's)
1 1/2 buttery sticks - softened
3 cups of sifted sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon zest

The frosting turned out a little lumpy, so Teresa said the tofu cream cheese should be room temp before making the frosting.

Eating Friendly at the Portland Farmer's Market, PSU

2012-06-06T11:52:00.002-07:00

Most people think of produce when they think of the Portland Farmer's Market. So do I, unless I happen to be going early in the morning. Then I think of coffee and pastries. But for years, there's been one little problem with that second thought: I can't eat gluten or cow's dairy.

For years after I discovered I had food allergies, I found myself avoiding the Farmer's Market. My reason was simple: it wasn't fun for me anymore. I could easily pick my produce up from New Seasons or the local Co-op, and since none of the purveyors were producing anything for sensitive eaters at the time, I felt alienated. With helplessness and jealousy, I would watch my husband savor whatever gooey, crispy, savory or sweet thing he could get his hands on, and I would feel my heart sink into my belly like a brick. The Farmer's Market experience was no longer mine. So I stopped going.

That was eight years ago. Things have come a long way since then. Now an allergic eater can go to the PSU Farmer's Market and expect to find all kinds of goodies, especially pastries, scones, and pies. And now that there are several options, the issue isn't feeling left out, it's knowing which products are worth your money and time.

The following vendors are the highlights of my findings, but I'm sure you can find more if you go digging.

New Cascadia Traditional

Petunia's Pies & Pastries

Divine Pie

Eatin' Alive (Most noteworthy!)

Nonna's Noodles (not a dedicated vendor)

The Smokery

Anthem and Wandering Aengus Ciderworks

Verde Cocina (not a dedicated vendor)

If you think I've missed an obvious vendor, feel free to make note of it in the comments box below.

New Cascadia Traditional

New Cascadia Traditional's case of gluten-free cookies, cupcakes, pastries, and breads. Some are vegan, but many of their items contain butter, dairy, sugar, and eggs.

New Cascadia Traditional is an artisan style, dedicated gluten-free bakery, which pioneered the gluten-free movement in 2007 by showcasing its breads and pastries at the Portland Farmer's Market. They were needed so badly by the gluten-free community that they could barely keep up with the demand. Their star rose so fast, it nearly launched out of the atmosphere, leaving a glowing mist of crumbs and sprinkles trailing behind them.

Cupcakes by New Cascadia Traditional.

When New Cascadia started, it was novel, the first of its kind. Then other gluten-free bakers came along, and it was shelved by the media in favor of the sexy new kids on the block. But New Cascadia Traditional remains a quality producer of gluten-free baked goods. I've been eating there since they first opened, and I have consistently enjoyed their products, especially their vegan cupcakes: vanilla, chocolate, and carrot. They are always soft, spongy, sweet, and well-balanced. You would never know that their creamy, melt-in-your-mouth frostings were vegan. Their vegan chocolate chip cookies are crunchy, chewy, sweet, with hints of salt and large chunks of chocolate. My only complaint about New Cascadia's pastries is that they've shrunk their vegan options to a minimum, which used to be more abundant.

New Cascadia Traditional's bread case.

New Cascadia still corners the gluten-free bread market, baking all kinds of artisan style hard and soft loaves. I've tried their seeded bread, baguette, teff loaf, hamburger buns, bagels, and cranberry walnut bread. All were delicious, but the baguette was a little difficult to cut. The important thing to note about the breads is that they have a short shelf life. They are best if bought and eaten right away. They can be frozen and reheated, but there is no comparison to fresh baked. Some say the cost of New Cascadia's breads can be a little hard to swallow, but when you're sitting down to break bread with friends who have access to artisan baked loaves, what better way to show off your savvy than to have a loaf of your own?

Check out New Cascadia Traditional at the PSU Farmer's Market, or you can visit their bakery at the corner of SE Market and 6th. For a list of locations that sell New Cascadia Traditional's products, click here.

Petunia's Pies & Pastries

Petunia's case was filled with gluten-free whoopy pies, cupcakes, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and pies.

I first met Lisa Clark, owner of Petunia's Pies & Pastries, at the Saturday Farmer's Market a few years ago. She was just getting started. At the time, she had a simple table that featured a hand full of her gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free pies and pastries. I bought a hazelnut pie with a nut crust...for a lot of money, I might add. Regardless of the price, I had to try one of her baked goods. Baking gluten-, dairy-, and sugar-free is really hard to get right. I wanted to see if she had pulled it off. In short: her hazelnut pie was awesome and worth every penny.

Since then, I have watched Petunia's grow into a full-fledged bakery. Now Lisa's pastries can be purchased at several grocery stores and coffee shops around town, and at Portland Farmer's Markets. Lisa also teams up with local chefs and presents her pastries at restaurants and private dinners.

Petunia's from afar. The crowd was so big, and constantly growing, that I couldn't snap a picture of the case until it was my turn to order.

I love Petunia's, but I have often shied away because of the sticker shock. That's why I was surprised to see a huge crowd standing around the kiosk at last Saturday's Farmer's Market. That is until I approached the case and saw how reasonably priced her pastries were. Still the same good-for-you confections, but at a manageable price. Most items were between $3.00 and $4.00.

I bought a cinnamon roll for $3.50. The dough was soft, yet a little dense, which is expected of gluten-free. The gooey cinnamon filling stretched and broke apart with every bite. It was so delicious that I forgot to snap a photo before I devoured it, and people walking by kept staring at my pastry as I ate it.

The lower cost is good news. It means that Petunia's is available to everybody, not just to people who can afford boutique prices. And because every item is gluten-free and vegan, and some are sugar-free, there's something for every allergic eater. I was standing next to a man whose wife had so many allergies he couldn't remember them all. He named the usual suspects--gluten, dairy, white sugar, and then he mentioned peanuts. Unfazed, the guy behind the counter guided the man toward their most allergy friendly products. You've got to love it when the counter service is as good as the product.

It's hard to tell you which kiosk you should visit, but if you're not interested in sugar, and you want all the benefits of eating gluten-free and vegan, I highly recommend Petunia's. And judging from the crowd around her kiosk, I would say I'm not the only one who thinks so.

To find a list of places that sell Petunia's Pies & Pastries, click here.

Divine Pie

Divine Pie. Gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, and LIVE!

Since we're on the subject of desserts, let's talk about Divine Pie--rich, decadently creamy pies made from living ingredients, such as dates, nuts, and berries. For example, Alissa Martucci, creator of Divine Pie, uses cashews to make some of her cream fillings and hazelnuts for some of her crusts. According to the documentary made available on her website, Alissa got the inspiration to make her pies when she was on a raw food cleanse. Now she makes them available to everyone. At the kiosk, she sets her pies out on display, and shares yummy little scoops of them on wooden popsicle sticks. From the few I've tasted, I can tell you that the creamy texture is quite surprising--silky, smooth goodness, my friends.

Not everyone can afford to shell out $7.00 for a single-serving pie. Divine Pies are beautiful, absolutely delicious, and good for you, but they are expensive. Of course, it's important to remember how expensive the ingredients are in the first place, and just how much energy goes into making each one. So they're worth it if you can afford them. It's just that, for many people like myself, purchases will be limited to special occasions.

For a list of locations that sell Divine Pie, click here.

Eatin' Alive

(Most Noteworthy!)

Eatin' Alive, offering gluten-free, vegan, and LIVE sweets and savory foods. Paige Common, owner and creator, shares samples of goodies, so don't be too shy to ask.

This kiosk is by far my favorite. Why? Because every single item is vegan, live, and gluten-free. The best part is that Eatin' Alive offers an assortment of savory and sweet treats. You can buy a falafel or collard wrap right there, unwrap it, and eat a very healthy lunch! If you want something crunchy, you can purchase a bag of live krisps, like kale or pizza flavored, and eat them by the handful. Eatin' Alive also offers several jars of sauces, such as pesto, or "ranch" for dipping your krisps. The most interesting item on the menu is a raw, vegan, zucchini lasagna.

For dessert, you can either buy a jar of live, vegan strawberry rhubarb or razzle dazzle (vegan cheesecakes in jars), or you can enjoy a live peanut butter cup or chocolate truffle. I had the peanut butter cup, or PB Loves, as it was called. The top chocolate layer was creamy and rich, almost like a mousse but without the air. The center was filled with real peanut butter, not peanut butter mixed with oil or margarine. The bottom layer was a blend of crunchy nut pieces and chocolate. It was a sweet and salty confection with textures of crunchy, chewy, soft, and smooth. For $2.00, it was a bargain!

PB Loves from Eatin' Alive.

The coolest thing about Eatin' Alive (if you could classify one thing over the other) is the kiosk. It's a bike! Well, it's more like a tricycle than a bike, and on the bottom is a tray that stores all the boxes and totes that hold the goodies. The table top is actually attached to the bike! Paige Common, owner and operator of Eatin' Alive, actually rides her entire business to the Farmer's Market, sets everything up on the table top, and sells goodies from her bike! The entire operation contributes a rather small carbon footprint compared to other purveyors, and that is what makes Eatin' Alive so impressive. Paige's business is smart and conscientious. Her treats are smart and delicious. They will please your palate and nourish your body, and best of all, they're not expensive.

Also, when it comes to eating gluten-free at the Farmer's Market, eater's are mainly forced to choose between sweet items from one bakery or another, but Eatin' Alive is selling an entire meal for alternative eaters from start to finish. Not only will your tummy love you, but so will your pancreas.

Notice, the kiosk is also a bike!

Eatin' Alive may be new to the Farmer's Market, but it has already won over a dedicated crowd. When I was there, people were enthusiastically buying up products by the handful. If you're curious about Eatin' Alive's products, you should look for the bike kiosk located in the center of the PSU Farmer's Market.

If you're curious about Eatin' Alive, you can read more about it here, and you can find a list of places that sell their products here. If you're looking for a healthy catering company, Eatin' Alive provides that service as well. Here's a link to the menu.

Nonna's Noodles

Sarah-Beth (very friendly owner/operator of Nonna's Noodles) holds the last bag of gluten-free pasta she had that day. It was still morning.

I just happened to be scanning the different kiosks for allergy friendly products when I noticed the words gluten-free written on a plaque in the background of a pasta stand. So I stopped and asked Sarah-Beth, owner and maker of Nonna's Noodles, about her gluten-free options. She directed me toward her last bag of gluten-free pasta, made from Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour mix, flax seed, and local free-pasturized eggs.

Nonna's Noodles is not a dedicated gluten-free facility, so very sensitive eaters should probably avoid this pasta, but Sarah-Beth assured me that she takes food allergies seriously. She carefully scrubs everything down before she makes her gluten-free noodles and she keeps them separate from gluten containing products.

For those of you who are looking for homemade gluten-free noodles, a recipe inspired by Sarah-Beth's Italian Grandma (or Nonna), then you should stop by and pick up a package at her kiosk, or you can search her website for more locations here.

The Smokery

The Smokery kiosk. The sign in the back says "Your local source for wild smoked salmon. No preservatives, no additives, all natural."

I decided to add The Smokery to my article because many people are allergic to additives and preservatives. I can't eat salmon because I'm deathly allergic to it, and now I'm afraid to eat seafood, so I can't speak for the products, but I did hear people talking as they were shopping at the kiosk. It seems The Smokery has regular customers who shop there weekly. And if salmon doesn't do it for you, how about smoked, canned tuna?

Anthem Cider and Wandering Aengus Ciderworks

Anthem and Wandering Aengus are owned by the same company, but they are a little different. Wandering Aengus leans more toward traditional flavors, with a variety of ciders ranging from dry to semi-sweet. My favorite was the smooth, dry oaked cider with oak and apple competing on the palate.

Anthem is younger and more flamboyant, expressing itself in a number of combinations: cherry, pear, and my favorite, hops. The cherry is dark and deep and slightly sweet. The pear is light and crisp. The hops is rich, yet light and herbaceous. I could get into trouble with the hops cider, if left alone with a few bottles.

If you're not familiar with ciders, they are sort of like beer, but they're made from apples and pears, so they're gluten-free. People often expect ciders to be sweet, but many are dry and sometimes nutty. Think of cider as an alcoholic beverage with a texture landing somewhere between a light lager and a dry sparkling wine, only with the essence of apples instead of grains or grapes.

These ciders are made from real pressed apples, not syrups, so there's quality and care in every drop. The apples are only sourced from Oregon and Washington, which keeps the money local and supports our neighbors. Anthem and Wandering Aengus will purchase organic apples whenever they are available. Learn more about Anthem and Wandering Aengus by clicking on the links.

Eating Savory

Eating Friendly at the Portland Farmer's Market proved to be disappointing in one major category: savory foods. Other than Eatin' Alive, there were no dedicated, allergy friendly savory food kiosks. With the abundance of sweet, gluten-free, vegan goodies laying around, I was hard-pressed to find a savory food cart that could balance out the sugar rush and offer more sustenance to allergic eaters. I did find a food cart that served rice and curry, but I didn't snap a photo of it because the crowd obscured the view. Frankly, I get tired of having to settle for rice dishes "when in Rome," so I passed it by without much interest.

However, Verde Cocina, whose slogan reads "Northwest Farm-To-Fork Ingredients with a Mexican flair," caught my attention. The aromas wafting from their kitchen smelled amazing, and their food looked fresh and well prepared. I was full from eating pastries, so I skipped out on lunch. But out of the two semi-Friendly vendors selling hot food that day, Verde Cocina would have been my first choice. Neither of these vendors was dedicated gluten-free, so extremely sensitive eaters beware.

As I left the Farmer's Market, I noticed a kiosk selling sausages in buns and one selling pizza. There is potential for gluten-free bakers to work together with these vendors to make gluten-free buns and pizza crusts available to allergic eaters, but they would be sharing the grill and the oven with gluten containing products. But for the not-so-sensitive, wouldn't that be nice! Until then, your choices for savory foods are limited, but things are looking up for sensitive diners who love to shop local. As time goes by, I'm sure we'll see more of a balance between savory and sweet Friendly food alternatives.

These are the highlights of my adventure. I encourage you to take a Saturday and explore the Friendly edibles at the PSU Portland Farmer's Market, or at a Farmer's Market in your neighborhood. You will be keeping it local, personal, and you will be Eating Friendly.

And who knows? Maybe I will see you picnicking in the park Eating Friendly-style this summer!

Gluten-free Pizza Review at Portobello Restaurant, SE Portland

2012-05-29T13:19:00.002-07:00

I have heard good things about Portobello, and their gluten-free pizza has been suggested to me on more than one occasion. The other night, I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I stopped by to check out this famous pizza I'd been hearing so much about. For those of you who have never heard of Portobello, it's a small vegan restaurant in southeast Portland (located at 12th and Division) with a cool, energetic vibe.

I have been a part of the restaurant industry for twenty years, as a server, bartender, prep cook, chef's wife, and food writer. I am regularly spoiled by the amazing cuisine of talented chefs, such as Jason French of Ned Ludd, David Padberg of Park Kitchen, Troy MacLarty of Bollywood Theater, Aaron Woo of Natural Selection (also vegan/vegetarian with gluten-free options), and the list goes on and on. I say this because I am about to give a very lukewarm review. My friends, however, have recommended Portobello to me on more than one occasion, so it's obvious they have enjoyed the food. Maybe you will too.

That being said, the down-side to Portobello for gluten-free diners is that the kitchen uses a lot of portobello mushrooms in its gluten-free entrees, and even though the name of the restaurant is Portobello, I am concerned about the overuse of mushrooms in the gluten-free options, especially in dishes I can cook at home. For example, there are mushrooms in the gluten-free pizza, shown above. The gluten-free, vegan burger is a roasted portobello mushroom. And the mushroom steak and olive oil mashed potatoes is also gluten-free. The menu lists one gluten-free entree that does not name mushrooms in the recipe, the Artichoke Arancini. The next time I eat there, I plan to get that dish.

I like variety. And for those of you who are gluten-free, who also like variety, I think you should know that you are likely to choose between mushroom dishes on the menu. If you can eat gluten, it seems you have a lot more choices.

The thing is, I think Portobello has a lot of potential, but its pizza? Well, I was not impressed. My main issue is that it didn't taste remotely like a pizza. The filling was made of a sweet, chunky tomato sauce, which was nice, but it had no seasoning. I tasted no oregano, and other than the few slivers of fresh basil on top as a garnish, I tasted no basil either. The cashew cheese was sweet, and it tasted like it was spiced with nutmeg, which means it tastes nothing like cheese. The outer ring of the crust was crisp and chewy, which was rather nice, but the bottom layer was really thin and soggy. In my opinion, the pizza was more like a hybrid polenta cake and lasagna than an actual pizza.

Don't get me wrong, the gluten-free pizza has a lot of potential. It just needs more herbs and spices in the sauce in order to be reminiscent of pizza. And it would be nice if the cashew cheese were savory instead of sweet. I couldn't help but think that cumin would be a better choice over nutmeg. If they intend to keep the gluten-free pizza as is, they might want to consider calling it something else to keep from disappointing gluten-free guests who are actually expecting pizza.

Aside from my disappointment in the pizza, I thought the arugula salad was really great. The leaves were tender and crunchy, and they were lightly dressed in olive oil and salt, and maybe a touch of lemon juice. The light dress on the salad was perfect, as the leaves themselves were so lovely that they didn't need anything else.

Here's a plus: Portobello offers very cheap pours of Badger Mountain's red and a white sulfite-free wines by the glass or carafe. The red wasn't very impressive for me, but I can tell that other people will like it. I thought it was thin, dry, and a little harsh.

To my surprise, the white was refreshing, slightly viscous with hints of pear, grapefruit, and apricot. The finish kind of reminded me of fruit cocktail. I decided to forego the glass of red and order a second glass of white instead.

If sulfite-free wine doesn't do it for you, Portobello has a nice wine list, a house cocktail menu, and a full bar.

Well, that's all for now, folks. Next week I am heading down to the Saturday Portland Farmer's Market to hunt for allergy friendly goodies. Can't wait to tell you all about them!

As always, my friends. Be well, and enjoy Eating Friendly.

Enlightened Creme: Product Review

2012-05-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

Enlightened Cremes: chocolate and vanilla. Ingredients: coconut milk, brown rice syrup, vanilla, vanilla bean--all organic.

Is there anything more delectable than a rich, delicious, creamy dessert that boasts of health-giving benefits? Nope. Not really. How would you feel about a mousse, a frosting, a filling, a butter, a coffee enhancer that is so delicious you actually find yourself fantasizing about the mouthwatering spoonful you're soon going to savor as soon as you get home?

Meet Enlightened Creme, a vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free, diabetic friendly dairy substitute that is so damn good you would never know it was good for you. A smooth, creamy, coconutty confection so adaptable it's hard to pick one way to enjoy it. I have a hard time not eating it out of the jar by the spoonful, myself, but its versatility is truly remarkable. Enlightened Creme can be used in a base for cookie doughs, cake batters, pancakes, muffins, and more. It can be used as a frosting on cakes or cupcakes, or as a filling between two cookies, or spread over tart crusts. It can substitute whipped cream in strawberries and shortcake, and it can flavor your coffee. The best part is that the oil from the condensed coconut milk makes everything taste buttery, even though there is no butter in the recipe.

One day I hope to see Enlightened Creme-filled chocolate truffles, and Enlightened Creme-based panna cottas smothered with fresh berry compotes. Mmmm.

Rich, chewy chocolate cookies (gluten-free & vegan) from Enlighten Your Palate made into a sandwich with the chocolate mousse.

Why am I so excited about this product? Have you ever had a tofu-based dairy substitute make your eyes close with ecstasy? Cashew? Me neither. Case closed.

Enlightened Cremes: chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry mousses. Later I realized that I needed to stir the vanilla, which turned out to be more like the consistency of the raspberry mousse.

Enlightened Creme comes in three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and berry (raspberry at the moment), and each flavor stands on its own. The vanilla is light and smooth with a slightly grainy texture from the coconut, and it has a rich, buttery toffee flavor. I noticed that the vanilla likes to separate a little, so I recommend stirring it up before using it. The chocolate is very rich, with the consistency of mousse, almost milk chocolatey in flavor. The taste of coconut is less pronounced in the chocolate than it is in the vanilla. The raspberry is tart, refreshing, and light. The taste of coconut is almost absent in this one compared to the flavor of raspberry in the creme.

A fabulously flakey, "buttery," gluten-free, vegan tart crust from Enlighten Your Palate topped with the raspberry mousse and a dollop of the vanilla.

The ingredients are organic, and each of the three flavors is sweetened with brown rice syrup, agave, and xylitol. For those of you who are not familiar with xylitol, it's a plant extract with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that are good for teeth and deadly to candida and yeasts. It is diabetic safe. Agave is a neutrally flavored, sweet syrup that has been known for its low glycemic levels. If you have diabetes, it's best to be safe and check with your doctor before partaking in any kind of sweetener you're unfamiliar with. Once you've been given the green light, you will likely start buying these little jars by the caseload.

The chewy chocolate cookie with vanilla mousse, my favorite combination.

The maker of these products, Teresa Estrada, founded an alternative baking and catering company in Portland, Oregon called Enlighten Your Palate in 2007, and she has been making desserts for people like you and me ever since, always with a love of good food and good health in mind. Her goal is to keep Enlighten Your Palate an intimate boutique that nourishes and entertains local connoisseurs of alternative desserts. In other words, you and me.

Estrada (who is nearly as sweet as her desserts) calls Enlightened Creme a "beautiful accident." As a health conscious, very creative, go-getter of a woman, Estrada began experimenting with different combinations (mainly for personal use) until she perfected her recipe. Enlightened Creme is so good, she's making all three flavors available to you. If you've been looking for a dairy-free substitute like this one, like I have, then I bet you're pretty excited about it by now. And you should be. Just remember, products like these can be a little expensive, but for those of you who know how much it costs to source the ingredients that go into Enlightened Cremes, you know that they are worth it.

Estrada can be seen tabling events around town. You should also check out her website. You can book your own party, or you can order your allergic friend that birthday cake you're too intimidated to make. Wouldn't it be fun to literally taste her work and enjoy Eating Friendly...and be Enlightened?

Bollywood Theater: Restaurant Review

2012-05-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

With so many restaurants to choose from, the bustling Portland food scene can be overwhelming. But sensitive eaters like myself have to navigate dining out like a mine field, which can shrink our choices down to a handful. Rarely do I find a restaurant that balances the best of all experiences where I can select from a list of mouthwatering dishes that offer a variety of flavors and textures that include grains, legumes, meats, vegetables, and sauces that are both edible and delectable. But now I've found one, and it's time you know about it too.

Bhel Puri: A refreshing dish that is crunchy, sweet, spicy, and light. It's my favorite dish on the menu. Make sure you ask for it gluten-free if you're gluten intolerant. Menu: potatoes, vegetables, onion, cilantro, peanuts, spices, and puffed rice, drizzled with green and tamarind chutneys.

Bollywood Theater, an eclectic restaurant in the Alberta district, serves straightforward, well-executed Indian street food that not only makes Eating Friendly possible, but easy and enjoyable. Bollywood Theater is a counter service restaurant with upbeat, friendly staff members--a restaurant that blends aspects of casual/fine dining with an unpretentious nosh concept that delivers excellent product at a price that's easy on your wallet.

Aloo Tikki: For a simple dish, the flavors are complex. It's a hearty dish with a mixture of savory elements and refreshing mint that livens and refreshes the dish. Menu: pan-fried spiced potato patties, chickpea cholle, and green chutney.

The menu seems small at first, but it offers a variety of flavorful and intriguing choices that satisfy on many levels. Dishes range from refreshing and sweet, to spicy, to hearty. Complex layers of mint, or cilantro, or aromatic spices antagonize the taste buds, as the flavors are balanced with the above combinations.

Goan-Style Shrimp: Juicy shrimp in a delicate sweet sauce with aromatic spices served over a well-seasoned, fluffy bed of rice. Menu: spicy shrimp with curry leaves, chile, coconut milk, and lime served with saffron rice.

Bollywood Theater was conceived by Chef/owner Troy MacLarty, former chef of Lovely Hulahands and Chez Panisse "alumni," who is known for his love of great local product, and known for applying solid technique to down-to-earth cuisine. By remaining true to the ingredients, MacLarty designs his Indian dishes in respect to the original cuisine he had studied in his monthlong stay in India. Rumor has it that many have said Bollywood Theater's cuisine is reminiscent of mom's home cooking. I'm not Indian, but I can say without hesitation that it's the best Indian restaurant in the city of Portland.

Pork Vindaloo: A must-have for me every time I eat there. Tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth pork with a sweet and slightly spicy sauce. It is served with rolls, but you can order it with rice. Menu: Pork braised with red chilies, garlic, and vinegar served with buttered rolls.

If you're gluten-free, and you're not ultra sensitive, you'll appreciate Bollywood Theater as much as I do. Just make sure to let the person taking your order know about your food allergies. The staff seems pretty well educated, and they usually keep an alternative menu behind the counter for sensitive eaters, but you have to ask for it. Bollywood's menu is also easy for vegetarians and people who can't tolerate dairy. In many ways, the menu is able to accommodate many eaters, unless you have an allergy to citrus, spices, or garlic. Just remember to be as accommodating as you are asking your chef to be. Eating Friendly goes both ways.

As always my friends, be well and enjoy Eating Friendly.

Natural Selection: The Vegetable Lover's Restaurant (Review)

2012-04-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Many restaurants in the food-loving city of Portland are great, but typically, their ability to gratify my taste buds stops at great and goes no further. My partner, and Chef of Park Kitchen, David Padberg, tends to feel the same as I do, if not more so. Being a native midwesterner, and foodie who comes from a culinary desert (aside from one or two oases), I am grateful to have such an abundance of great restaurants to choose from. But occasionally, I find that one restaurant that outshines the rest, and it will sometimes change the way I eat. Matt Lightner (former chef of Castagna) had reached beyond the apex of greatness to bring us stellar cuisine. But he left us for the sequined city of New York. And in his wake, David and I have been waiting for someone to rise above the rest.

Introducing Natural Selection, an elegant vegetarian restaurant that goes above and beyond being great to offer a lovely four-course tasting menu with two columns to choose from. The menu changes often, depending on the season and the availability of ingredients. Natural Selection offers vegan and gluten-free options, which is great for sensitive eaters. Look for the v/g label on the menu, and make sure to tell your server about your allergies so that the kitchen can accommodate you.

Natural Selection rises above the starch-heavy gut bomb of typical vegetarian food preparation to offer beautiful, elegant dishes. A tiny restaurant gracing the north Alberta district with nature-inspired vegetable preparation, Natural Selection doesn’t rely on bread, cheese, tempeh, and textured vegetable protein (TVP) to create overdressed, or mock-meat recipes that disappoint, and then charge exuberant prices because they think no one else in town is making vegetarian a truly memorable experience. In fact, the price point is very reasonable: $35 for the four course tasting menu; $21 for wine pairings. Patrons can order from the menu a la carte, which raises the price of each dish, but only slightly.

My entree: King trumpet & parsley root with sliced black truffles, spring leeks, fennel, shaved radish, and brussels sprouts. A beautifully balanced, savory/sweet dish with elements of earthiness, heat, and herbs. A gluten-free/vegan dish.

Preparing outstanding vegetarian fare is difficult, because the vegetables must stand and represent themselves. It takes a lot of time and effort to prep each ingredient to achieve the perfect texture, color, shape, and flavor. Only an attentive chef, who lovingly prepares his vegetables, can pull off a restaurant like Natural Selection. Mistakes aren't being hidden under pork belly or foie gras. Balance is everything. Herein lies the key of Chef-owner, Arron Woo's, success.

David's entree: Stinging nettles al torchio with garlic, lemon, chilis, red onion, pepitas, and parmesan cream. This dish had gluten and dairy. But they can serve it with a gluten-free pasta instead.

Every one of his dishes has the perfect balance of flavors that play off of and illuminate other ingredients (sweet, savory, salty, umami, and acidic immediately come to mind.) His food is like a dance of flavors on the palate, each competing for the limelight, and then receding into the background for the next to show off its qualities.

My dessert: a gluten-free, vegan ginger spiced cake with rhubarb and orange sauces, topped with white chocolate and apricot. The cake was spongy and moist. Everything about this dish was perfectly balanced, except the rhubarb. I thought it was a little intense, and that the orange and rhubarb sauces should have been switched around on the plate.

Years of living with a talented chef and learning to eat a restricted diet have made me a connoisseur of smart, elegant, honest food preparation that respects quality, local ingredients, and doesn't hide behind the distraction of frills. Aaron Woo fulfills all my wishes for excellent cooking, and he does it without using meat.

The first time we ate at Natural Selection, the server was young and inexperienced. She made a few mistakes, and given my food allergies, I was a little worried at first. Luckily, I came away from that amazing meal feeling satisfied, and feeling no pain.

This time around, the service staff at Natural Selection was solid throughout the restaurant. Our server was impeccable. His knowledge of the menu and wine pairings gave us confidence in his ability to keep us satiated, and it gave me confidence in his ability to keep me safe from allergens. In my opinion, the attentive service at Natural Selection, combined with dishes made by Chef Woo, is a good bet for allergic eaters, because the attention to detail will likely be present throughout the meal. Of course, cross-contamination is always possible in a non-dedicated restaurant, so be sure to communicate the severity of your allergies to your server.

Natural Selection is a casual-fine dining restaurant, so it's a great place to show off your new dress or suit, and a great place to wear a dressed-up pair of jeans. The restaurant is small, so you'll want to make a reservation in advance. You can mention your food allergies in the comment box on Open Table, below your reservation time.

As always, be well, and enjoy Eating Friendly.

Widmer Bros. Omission Gluten-Free Beer Review

2012-04-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I was asked to guest blog for Beer West magazine. The subject: Widmer Brothers' Omission Gluten-Free Beers. I've written a lot of beer articles lately, and I didn't want to force overconsumption on you, so I've decided to provide you with a link to the article instead. I hope you like it. I had you in mind the entire time.

*Update on April 12, 2012: After giving it some time, I've revisited this beer. I am beginning to realize that my stomach can't digest it. I couldn't tell at first, because I accidentally ate dairy the first night I tried Omission, and then ate a heavy meal on top of that.

Omission's creating the finest gluten-free beer on the market at present, so I'm disappointed in my digestive system for creating this obstacle. Love thyself, love thyself, love thyself...

I don't think the gluten content is my problem, because I can tolerate small amounts of gluten, and tests have shown that these beers are well below the national standard for being considered gluten-free (containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten protein.) Many celiacs and gluten-intolerant people are having no symptoms from drinking Omission beers, so I think my case is rare. Still, I thought you should know that it's not for everyone.

Deschutes Brewery, Portland: Review: Bigger isn't Always Better

2012-03-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

A very popular, high-volume watering hole and restaurant, Deschutes Brewery is bound to let a lot of details slip through the cracks. As an allergic eater, this should be a red flag, or at the very least, a yellow one. I have been to Deschutes several times now, and my overall take is--meh.

I first discovered Deschutes Brewery by mistake. David and I stopped into the Pearl District location on July 4th of last year (me with two slices of Udi's gluten-free bread stuffed into my purse, planning to order a glass of wine and a burger--no cheese, no bun--like I always do.) The place was swarming with beer drinkers and buzzing with anticipation for late evening fireworks. Normally, David and I would leave a restaurant so teaming with bodies and with so few seats, but we were lucky enough to slip into two bar seats while a young couple got up to leave.

And then the inevitable happened. While scanning the beer menu, the words "gluten-free" caught my eye. Joy swelled within me, until I was radiating pure excitement at the thought of sipping a beer for the first time in years. I placed my order with a very rude female bartender, but an untouchable elation had already spread across my face, and I beamed at her scowl with unwavering glee, which probably annoyed her even more. But I didn't care.

Half-pint of the gluten-free IPA (photo taken in March of 2012).

She returned with a caramel colored, frothy headed brew in a glass that had a thick rubber band wrapped around it. This is how the staff distinguishes regular beer from the single gluten-free option, which changes every few weeks. The rubber band was clever, yes, but part of me felt exposed. Anyone who understood the system would know that I was the gluten-free person in the restaurant. On the other hand, I also found camaraderie with the people who were drinking out of rubber banded glasses, and we toasted one another for finding a frothy oasis in a long-time beerless desert.

My first gluten-free beer, after the beerless years, was a fragrant, well-balanced pale ale with a rich body. Naturally, I wondered why I hadn't heard about Deschutes's gluten-free option before.

The pager went off, meaning our table became available, and soon we were ushered to the main attraction: dinner. Our server was energetic, organized, and well-educated. Noticing the rubber band around my glass, he set a gluten-friendly menu down on the table and then explained that the kitchen had a separate fryer and preparation area set aside for gluten-friendly food assembly. But they were not a dedicated gluten-free kitchen, so risk of mild contamination still existed. Unhindered, I ordered the elk burger without the cheese.

Gluten-friendly Elk Burger with fries (photo taken in March of 2012).

The elk burger comes on a house-made gluten-free focaccia. The first night I had it, the bread was fresh-baked. It was spongy and moist, and it held together, even after it absorbed the juice from the meat. The burger was juicy, full-flavored, mouthwatering deliciousness. I ate the whole thing and let David eat most of my fries.

I was in allergy-friendly heaven that night. My eyes sparkled for days beyond. I couldn't stop thinking about Deschutes's gluten-free beer, and I started making excuses to go there. All my excuses were refuted by David, who didn't want to spoil the awesomeness by burning ourselves out on the Deschutes experience. I went away telling all my gluten-free friends to go to there.

Since then, I have wished I could repeat this happy story again and again. Unfortunately, my first night at Deschutes was the pinnacle experience. It slid steeply downhill from there.

II

The second time I noshed at Deschutes, I came away half-hearted. The same rude female bartender poured my my first beer, which was a satisfyingly malty, gluten-free amber brew. I shared the burger with a friend, thinking that it was going to make a believer out of him. The bread was old, and its ingredients tasted imbalanced. The burger was over cooked. The best way to describe it--our burger was a tool used to soak up some of the booze from our systems.

III

I tried it again, this time craving the beer, but not feeling excited about the burger. We met friends, and I ordered an amazingly crisp, golden ale, similar to a wheat beer. By this time, I had learned to order the half pints, because the high alcohol content really goes to my head. Like always, I ordered the elk burger. Sadly, it was so rare and bloody that I had to send it back. I told the server not to worry about having them make me a new one. "Tell them to slap it on the grill for a few seconds and call it good," I said.

They made me a new one, and it came out in less than a minute. I thought they sent me somebody else's burger on the fly. There's no way they could have grilled me a medium-rare burger in less than sixty seconds. Knowing a little about meat (thanks to my Chef husband, David), I let it rest for a few minutes before cutting in. It was just as rare and bloody as before, literally bleeding out onto my plate.

Very apologetic, I sent the second one back.

This time, they sent the same burger back (cut in half), way overcooked. Stabbed with toothpicks, my two halves lay between the same two slices of bread I sent back, now dried out and crumbly. I would have been cool with that, but my pathetically overcooked burger came to me on a small plate with no accompaniments whatsoever. It was an obvious F-You to the picky eater in the restaurant. My server, horrified, ran to the kitchen, grabbed a fresh plate of lettuce, tomato, onion, and sauce, along with a fresh plate of fries, and came running back to the table apologizing emphatically. I told her it wasn't her fault, but I made sure to let her know that I read (loud and clear) the kitchen's response to its own mistake--made twice!

I strongly considered never going again. But Eating Friendly hadn't written an article about Deschutes. (I kept forgetting to bring my camera to dinner.) There would be another visit, of course, but it would take me a while to return without resentment.

IV

David and I met a friend at Deschutes at the end of March, 2012. I gave the gluten-free beer and elk burger one more try. For the first time, the beer was the disappointment. It was a lovelessly crafted, flat, heavy, imbalanced IPA that tasted a little like sausage. Having no other choice, unless I wanted to switch to wine, I stuck with it.

The burger, on the other hand, was just fine. It wasn't amazing, like I'd had it the first time; and it wasn't bland, like the second; and it wasn't inedible, like the third. The bread was aged, but reheated, and it was nicely textured and flavored. It stayed together, like before. The elk was cooked through, but juicy. (I learned to go for medium and hope for the best.) All-in-all, I came away feeling mildly satisfied, but certainly not dazzled.

My overall take on Deschutes:

Deschutes is a huge restaurant with a high employee turnover rate. The service staff in general comes and goes like the tide. I assume the kitchen staff waxes and wanes in the same way. The original chef, who enjoyed the challenge of cooking for allergic eaters, is probably gone by now. This makes for inconsistent service and product quality, which can be very good at times, but also, very disappointing.

If that isn't enough to conjure doubt, this might: rude service staff won't care about the consequences of celiacs ingesting a mislabeled beer. Rude kitchen staff will obviously retaliate when under pressure, and the results for highly sensitive types could be devastating.

While I would like to believe that Deschutes is a safe environment for sensitive consumers, for my own reasons, I have to tell you that you should partake with a strong degree of caution. If you go there, keep yourself safe by communicating your level of sensitivity ahead of time, and by asking for the most experienced server's section. Try to be nice about it, but don't expect niceness in return from anyone but the person who's counting on receiving your tip.

As always, my friends, be well and enjoy Eating Friendly.

Harvester Brewing: Review: Local, Dedicated, Gluten-Free

2012-03-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

James Neumeister (Left) & John Dugan (Right)

When I first heard about Harvester Brewing, the pioneer brewmasters who started the first dedicated gluten-free (GF) beer brewery in Portland, my cheek muscles nearly seized from the sudden grin blossoming on my face. I've combed the GF beer aisles of Whole Foods and New Seasons before, and I've tried several damn good GF beers from other parts of the world. But you must know this: Portlanders have a thing for local, and I am right there with them. I am proud to know that our beermongering city has come of age and joined the GF movement grown-up style.

Harvester had a tasting last night at Belmont Station--part beer retailer, part beer bar that boasts of having over 1,200 beers in circulation. I was happy to see that our new beer makers were getting a lot of attention from GF and Non-GF drinkers alike. Harvester featured three beers: Pale Ale, Dark Ale, and Experiment Red Ale. Each beer is made of the same ingredients: chestnuts, GF oats, sorghum, cane sugar, hops, and yeast. The chestnuts are roasted to varying darknesses, which changes the consistency, color, and flavor of the beer. When asked if he planned to use other grains, head brewmaster, James Neumeister, said they were willing to experiment with other grains, including buckwheat, something I've always wanted to taste in a GF beer.

I was told that the GF oats are grown in Montana on an isolated farm. That means their are no gluten-containing grain farms in the vicinity. If that isn't enough, the GF oats are sent to a facility in Seattle for testing before making their way to Harvester Brewing. That tells you how serious these guys are about keeping customers safe.

Harvester is a two-man operation. It was started by James Neumeister in 2009, and he was joined by his partner, John Dugan, in May of 2011. Together they are creating a variety of beers that make taste buds, and sensitive tummies, very happy.

Here's the thing. These guys are just getting started. Their beers are good, but they will improve as the company and its brew masters mature with time. We need to keep our eyes on these guys, and support them by buying their products, and by asking our local beer retailers and restaurants to carry their products. If we do this for them, we will have delicious, dedicated, GF beer flowing copiously throughout our lovely river city. And people like us will be able to order a GF beer at any location we damn-well please, thank you very much!

The following are my tasting notes for each beer:

Experiment Red: An intense ale with dark, smoky, and bitter notes, with a hint of molasses in the mouth. The beer was not well balanced or very complex, and it left a bit of an aftertaste, but it had a lot of potential. I expect this one to mature as they master their technique.

Pale Ale: A refreshing, crisp, aromatic beer with a rich, silky texture. A well-balanced brew that is ripe for summer BBQs. I heard that Steve's Cheese will be selling Harvester, and I hope this fine beverage will be on the menu. It will stand up to sharp and pungent cheeses like a champ.

Dark Ale: A delicious, creamy, smoky beer with molasses on the finish. It isn't quite balanced just yet, but it is very drinkable now, and I am confident that the Dark Ale is going to be a future prize contender.

You can find Harvester beers at all New Seasons grocery stores (accept Arbor Lodge, so ask for it) and at Bridgetown Beer House, Saraveza (Yeah!), Food Front Coop, and more. Click here for a complete listing. As of right now, the beers are being sold for $5.99 per bottle. For the GF crowd, you know that's a good price. So go and get you some, and remember to drink responsibly. Make someone else drive.

Click here to "Like" Harvester's Facebook page.

Bob's Red Mill: My New Heroes are Bob and Charlee Moore

2012-03-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

The store sells every single product Bob's Red Mill produces, and it houses a restaurant that serves many of their products, including gluten-free mixes and baked goods. (The restaurant is not GF certified.)

In the past, whenever I heard the name Bob's Red Mill, I thought of grain products packed in little plastic pouches, a red barn, and paintings of a bearded man who looked a bit like Santa Clause. I knew that Bob's Red Mill was like a grain sanctuary, and that they sold gluten-free grains and mixes as well as many other products. I knew that lovers of Bob's whole grains spanned the U.S., but I didn't know that demands for Bob's quality products come from around the globe, and that their labels are written in other languages, including Arabic.

I certainly didn't know anything about Bob Moore and his amazing wife Charlee, or their story of overcoming tragedy, or their devotion to humanitarianism. On our way to tour Bob's Red Mill, I had it in mind that I would write an article about the Whole Grain Store and the Mill itself, but that changed when I learned about these two pioneers of industry.

Bob surprised us with a visit at the end of our tour. I swear the man just appeared. It was almost like seeing Santa Clause in person. I was star struck, but I think I hid it well. It turns out, I wasn't the only one.

It was a dreary Monday morning drive to the store, and my companions and I had a burning anticipation for a whole grain breakfast and a cup of coffee.

I don't think any of us were prepared for what we saw when we walked through the sliding front doors. Shelves stocked with every Bob's Red Mill product you can think of fanned out across the front of the building. In the back right corner of the building, wooden tables dotted the space. A loft space up above ran almost the entire periphery of the building, and people sat and ate their breakfasts while looking down upon the bustling store. Seriously friends. If you've never been to the Whole Grain Store, you really should go. It's like going back in time, yet modern-day conveniences provide you with creature comforts. And some (but not all) of Bob's products cost a lot less at this store than they do at other grocers, such as Fred Meyer, Whole Foods, and New Seasons.

We ordered breakfast at a counter in the back of Bob's Whole Grain Store, took a number, went to our table, and sipped coffee in anticipation. I ordered the "wheat-free," vegan pancakes--made from the gluten-free pancake mix--and a slice of turkey ham. (The pancake mix is made in Bob's dedicated gluten-free facility, but the restaurant is not certified, so they have to call all their gluten-free products "wheat-free" in the restaurant.) My pancakes were cakey, a little dense, and delicious. They endlessly drank maple syrup like sponges, but they never seemed dry. The turkey ham was good, but the pancakes trumped the ham so I gave it to my neighbor.

Everyone else at the table ordered Bob's Favorite Breakfast: two eggs any style, corn grits, and biscuits. I thought it was weird that everyone ordered the same thing, because the restaurant menu is huge, and it offers a gluten-free and a vegan menu. Plus they had a specials board. Some of my companions ordered cereal and Belgian waffles to go with their meals. They said the waffles were a little chewy, but they said nothing about the cereal, which probably meant it was good. Everyone confirmed that the biscuits (shown above) were more like whole wheat rolls than flakey biscuits, but they said they were good. Judging from what I saw, my order was the better choice.

The dedicated gluten-free mill.

Arriving at the mill a few minutes late, and stuffed, we were just in time to hear Kristie, our tour guide, explain how Bob recently willed his entire company to his employees. That certainly got my attention. According to Kristie, every employee is eligible to received a gifted share of company profits. It's entirely voluntary. (Who wouldn't volunteer to receive extra income?) Starting this march, they will begin collecting a share of the profits as partial owners. This happens once a year until they either quit or retire from Bob's. Employees have to sell their shares back to the company when they leave Bob's Red Mill.

Kristie then held up a book titled, "People Before Profit." In it, Bob's business (and probably his life-) philosophy are illuminated, a philosophy he and his wife, Charlee, both seem to agree on. I haven't read the book, but I got the impression that it was about using company profits to create a thriving community, starting with employees, and branching out into the local, and perhaps extended, communities to enrich the lives of others.

Kristie wore a twinkling expression of love an admiration when she spoke about Bob. It was a thought provoking look. I have never once admired nor loved one of my employers, although I've liked one or two. I certainly haven't loved an employer with my heart like Kristie does. I was beginning to think Bob really was Santa Clause.
(I regret not getting a picture of Kristie. Sorry folks.)

The history of Bob's Red Mill goes back to the '60s. Bob, whose DNA is practically fortified with a family line of grain milling, became passionate about milling stones and their reputation for producing quality grain products. He opened his first mill in California with his wife, Charlee. That worked out for a while, but good ol' Oregon was the ultimate destination for Bob's mill.

A picture of Bob sharpening a Mill Stone. Informative pictures like this one decked the walls of the area dedicated to the tour.

In 1978, Bob bought an old mill in Oregon City, and for years he milled the grain while Charlee ran the store (in pictures, it looked like a quaint Amish store) and did the bookkeeping. People came from miles around to buy Bob's quality grains, until 1988, when the mill burned down in a fire. At 63, Bob had to rebuild their entire operation from scratch. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the new Bob's Red Mill was erected in Milwaukie, OR ten years later. And today the company continues to expand at an approximated 24% annual rate.

Bob posing with the restaurant teams of Park Kitchen and Bent Brick. I tagged along on behalf of Eating Friendly.

The thing is, I can tell you how clean both the gluten-free and main facilities are. I can tell you that the corn they process is non-GMO, organic, grade-A corn sourced from only two farms in the entire U.S. I can tell you that all their products are superior quality. I can tell you that stone milling keeps the temperature of the grain cool enough for it to retain its vital nutrients. (Anything above a certain temperature (approx. 110 degrees) can chemically alter the grain.) I can tell you that they store their grains in two-ton, one-use bags that have handy ties at the bottom, which allow them to funnel their products into smaller bags at appropriate production times. I can tell you that their process time--from receiving, to processing, to shipping grain products--is about three weeks, which means fresh. I can tell you that they process and sell other products, such as beans and seeds (including chia and flax). I can tell you that they test all their gluten-free grains at regular intervals to provide safe, quality ingredients to sensitive eaters. I can tell you that they have an on-sight kitchen that conducts regular product testing, and that the staff really enjoys participating in quality control, and that the successful recipes make it into a cookbook that is sold at the Whole Grain Store.

But I want to tell you that, in the middle of Bob's mill, next to the break room, sit two upright pianos. Sheet music rests on the lip of each piano. Both instruments are in tune. Kristie told us Bob had been playing when the first of the tour group arrived, and we had just missed it. Apparently Bob has regular play-offs with one of the staff members named Nancy. The pianos are available to anyone who wishes to play during break. I can tell you that Bob seemed like a nice man with a healthy dose of patience. He comes to the mill and the Whole Grain Store just to meet his customers.

I also want to tell you that Bob's sends clean, left-over grains to a shelter that provides homeless people with baked goods. Their two-ton, one-use bags are sold to farmers and similar business owners that need bags for grain storage. According to Kristie, "nothing is wasted" at Bob's Red Mill.

I came away from the tour thinking about Bob and his wife Charlee, two people who followed one man's passion, who opened and ran a humble grain mill and store together, who raised a family on top of all that, who persevered and started over late in life, and who have built a little world of their own in Milwaukie, OR, which behaves like a living time capsule. These two people have touched the lives of many, and they continue to change lives for the better every single day they are alive. I am glad I got to see that the 1% includes goodhearted people like Bob and Charlee Moore.

*****

Find a list of Gluten-free products produced by Bob's Red Mill.

*****

Bob's famous packaging: the four bag box that holds the products upright.

The Gluten-Free Corn Stone Miller. It can detect when a corn grain is too big for packaging. That grain gets picked up and cycled back into the pile with larger kernels. The hulls are collected and sold to farmers for animal feed.

A Stone Mill Wheel. Bob usually sources them from Denmark. He said he has about 100 in use on-site.

An old Stone Mill. You can see the wheels at the bottom. Bob said the wheels never touch, or at least, they're not supposed to. When they do, it ruins the grain. If you're wondering if Bob's wheels have ever touched, the answer is yes, once. He looked regretful but wise from the experience.

These one-use storage bags can hold up to two tons. As you can see here, that's a lot of grain.

Bob had a small collection of old-fashioned mills on the tour.

This is what it looks like today.

Back to Eden Bakery Boutique: Review

2012-02-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

(To read my latest update about Back to Eden Bakery, click here.)

Tucked into a corner of the NE Alberta district, a shoebox Bakery Boutique--not much wider than a hallway--serves up vegan goodies to the discerning eaters of Portland, Oregon. They call themselves Back To Eden, and they do their best to source local, organic products and provide their guests with healthy alternative sweets and treats.

Aside from being entirely vegan, Back To Eden offers gluten-, soy-, and sugar-free options, and that just makes me happy. For those of us who can't eat dairy, all we have to do is choose from the list of gluten-free desserts, and then indulge with delight.

Back To Eden is not a certified, dedicated gluten-free bakery. So, for those of you who can't ingest even trace elements of gluten, Back To Eden is probably not your best option. They do bake all of their goodies in-house, and although they try to separate gluten containing products from the gluten-free, there is always a chance of cross contamination, even if it's slight or microscopic. For the rest of you, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, albeit a little too cozy at times, and the gluten-free options are abundant.

Top shelf from left to right: Peanut Butter Fudge/Almond Fudge, Black & White Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Amaranth Bar, Chocolate Nut Truffle. Middle Section: Chocolate Lover's Cake. Bottom shelf from left to right: Carrot Cream Cheese Cake, Pistachio Rosewater Mini Cake, and Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee Bar. (All but the pumpkin whoopee pies on the bottom left are gluten-free. That's why I didn't list them.) Most of their baked goods are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice.

The Almond Fudge (pictured above) was too sweet for my taste. And while I enjoyed the amaretto flavor, I would have preferred that the natural almond flavor be lightly sweetened instead of being overwhelmed by too much sugar. I felt like I was eating frosting straight, but maybe that's just me.

The Pistachio Spice Cupcake (pictured above) was good when I ate the frosting and the cake together. But when I ate them separately, I could tell that they were balancing each other out in sweetness. The frosting was very sweet, and the cake tasted more like a spiced muffin. It was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it as a breakfast cake with coffee, instead of having it for an afternoon dessert.

The Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee Bar (pictured above) had a cookie on the bottom, a thick layer of ganache on top, and a hazelnut toffee crumble sprinkled over the ganache. The first time I had the Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee Bar, the cookie wasn't completely baked, which made me think that the bottom layer was made out of almond butter. While I liked its texture, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I liked it better when I had it again a few days later. The cookie had been baked through, which gave it more of a crunch, and the toffee flavors were more prominent. It was harder to eat than the par-baked version, but the toffee, chocolate, and hazelnut flavors were more pronounced and more balanced.

Black & White Cheesecake

The Black & White Cheesecake was excellent! And for those of you who don't eat dairy, you know how valuable a good vegan cheesecake can be. This was no exception. The crust was nut-based, and it tasted like there were gluten-free chocolate cookie crumbles in the mix. The crust had a nice texture, and it was moist. The middle layer tasted like it was made from tofu. It had a fluffy, creamy, cheesecake texture and a light amaretto flavor. The ganache topping was thick, rich, and salty/bittersweet. The combination was a multi-textured, chocolaty, salty/sweet confection that was hard to savor slowly. It was a good thing I was taking notes. Otherwise, I may have eaten the entire slice in mere seconds. It went great with a cup of coffee mixed with agave syrup and So Delicious coconut milk creamer (keeping it soy-free.)

Maple Walnut Scone (contains gluten)

My partner had the Maple Walnut Scone, which contained gluten. He said it was flaky and biscuit-like. He said it wasn't very sweet, but it was tasty, and it was an excellent accompaniment to his morning cup of coffee.

You will have to try the rest of the above featured desserts for yourself.

The top-shelf items: Pistachio Spice Cupcake (GF), Seeded Bagels (contain gluten), and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (GF).

Wait! There's more! Every day for lunch, Back to Eden offers a gluten-free soup of the day with a gluten-free cornbread muffin. Other lunch options are Grilled Cheese with Daiya Cheddar or Pepperjack vegan cheeses, savory hand pies, and quiche (not gluten-free.) I was hoping they offered gluten-free bread and bagel options, but with limited space and facilities, providing gluten-free bread and bagels for lunch could cause cross contamination. You've got to respect them for understanding the importance of that.

The tiny Back To Eden is also a soft-serve vegan ice cream parlor, and it has a huge menu of Specialty Shakes, Sundaes, and Single and Double Servings with toppings and sauces to choose from. They even have a Banana Split! All of their ice creams come from Chicago Soy Dairy. And for the soy-sensitive, they will substitute Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss Ice Cream for an extra dollar.

Basically, you can go there in the winter and eat soup and muffins, or drink a hot cup of coffee or tea and eat cake (or cheesecake, or bars, or truffles...) In the summer, you can get your ice cream fix--gluten-free and vegan style.

Just remember to say excuse me if you bump into another patron while making your way to the counter or to your seat. If you're friendly, you may even make a few new friends who share your love for alternative eating. Being friendly is always preferred to being snooty, antisocial, or just plain mean. But if you're allergic to people, well, we will try to keep an open mind.

Blossoming Lotus: Restaurant Review

2012-01-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

In 2002, the Blossoming Lotus opened in the Portland Pearl District and became a bustling vegan restaurant inside of Yoga in the Pearl. They were my healthy food alternative to the meat-heavy, rich dishes that often passed my lips, thanks to my connection to talented chefs throughout the city. But even though I ate there often, I became habitual about ordering certain dishes. For a long time, I thought about reviewing the restaurant for Eating Friendly, but I felt that my limited knowledge of its menu was unworthy of an article.

Since then, I have tried a number of tasty dishes at the Blossoming Lotus, which is now located on NW 15^th Avenue, just north of Broadway Blvd and right behind Pete’s Coffee. The dishes at a recent lunch date are the subject of this article. (I finally remembered to bring my camera and take notes.) I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed eating the food.

Live Nachos

For our appetizer, we ordered the Live Nachos, which are described on the menu as "spiced tomato & walnut chips, zucchini tahini nacho cheese and ground pecan chorizo topped with onion, tomato, cilantro, scallion, cashew sour cream and avocado ranch served with a lime wedge."

The "chips" were crispy and light with a hint of chili spice. They had an interesting texture that was fun to crunch. The toppings were a combination of tangy, creamy, nutty, sweet, and spicy (but not too spicy for sensitive types), making for a richness that was satisfying yet light. While they were similar to nachos in some way, they were also unique. This is a gluten-free, soy-free, live/raw appetizer that is absolutely delicious and interesting in flavor and in texture. I can see this working as easily in summer as it does in winter, because its components are light and refreshing, but also hearty and rich.

Live Falafel Wrap

For lunch, I ordered the Live Falafel Wrap, a gluten-free, soy-free, live/raw dish that is described on the menu as "walnut & brazil nut falafel, tahini-cilantro pate, cucumber, onion and fresh tomato, wrapped in a leafy green, served with cashew sour cream."

I expected the leafy greens (which looked like raw chard) to be bitter and stringy, but to my surprise, they were tender and not bitter at all. In fact, the main sensation was a refreshing crunch; the leafy greens, the cucumbers, and the walnut and brazil nut falafel were crunchy and light. The tahini-cilantro pate was a nice accompaniment similar to hummus, but also unique in that it was more dense, making it easier to hold the wrap together. This dish is very refreshing and delicious, with nutty, herbal, vegetal flavors and a hint of cumin and other Mediterranean spices. I would have liked the walnut and brazil nut falafel to have more cumin and other flavors that make it more like original falafel, but still, this was a very delicious meal.

Remember to order extra napkins with this dish. It tends to fall apart while you eat it.

Southwest Bowl

The Southwest Bowl is one of my favorites. I couldn't leave the restaurant without sharing it with my date. It is a gluten and soy-free dish with "brown rice, spicy butternut & black bean chili and steamed greens topped with avocado ranch, roasted red pepper sour cream, scallions, and cilantro." This hearty meal offers the best of all possibilities: greens, legumes, grains, and exciting accompaniments. The kale is steamed until tender and served over the chili, which is spicy/sweet. Everything is served separately but together, stacked if you will, into the bowl, so that you can mix and match your combinations. This is definitely a wintery dish, but I've eaten it in warmer months with satisfaction. While I love the large portion of kale, I wish they would chop it up a little more so that it is easier to mix with the other ingredients. I recommend ordering avocado slices to go on top. If you are a light eater, like myself, you can get at least two meals out of the Southwest Bowl.

Live Fudge

I'm not sure what ingredients go into the live fudge, but it is like a large chocolate truffle with flavors of coconut, cinnamon, and salt. It's served cold, but it melts into a creamy confection while inside the mouth. They are usually encrusted with walnuts. I can't stop myself from eating one whenever I go into the restaurant, even if I order food to go.

I don't believe that the Blossoming Lotus is a dedicated gluten-free facility. They are vegan, however, so no animal products here. That doesn't keep the chef, Wes Hannah, recently voted sexiest chef in Portland, from creating fabulous, healthy cuisine that satisfies all kinds of diets, especially for those of us with sensitive digestive systems.

Blossoming Lotus is a busy restaurant, so expect a bit of a wait. And don't be surprised if the service is a little slow. If no one greets you at the door, write your name on the waiting list, so that you get a table before the people who come in after you. If they know about the waiting list, they will write their name before yours, sometimes knowing full-well that you haven't written your name down. If you order something from the bar (fresh juice, cocktail, wine, beer) remember to check on the order if it takes very long. The bar is sometimes ignored by the busy staff. The more complicated the drink, the longer it will likely take.

Take care, my friends, and enjoy Eating Friendly.

Our Daily Red Sulfite-Free Wine: Product Review

2011-10-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

Meet Our Daily Red, an organic, sulfite-free (SF), California red wine. This rather popular alternative has not only cornered the SF wine market, they've begun producing other wine labels as well, which I plan to review, but not today. I've enjoyed SF red wines from other makers in the past, but they never seemed to stick around for long. Our Daily Red has somehow managed, not only to stick around, but to build a loyal fan base. I think it's because they make a very affordable, alternative wine that tastes as good, or better, than higher-priced wines made with sulfites.

The 2010 vintage of Our Daily Red is light and fruity with a lot of cherry upfront, and hints of blueberry and currant at the finish. A clean, very drinkable, well balanced red. The nose suggests cherries, raspberries, blackberry compote, and custard. Get this folks, it sells for $8.49 a bottle! (Fred Meyer sells it for $10.49)

When I sipped Our Daily Red, and made notes for this article, my palate got a little carried away. So, for the heck of it, I thought I would share with you the pairings I was craving.

Suggested Pairings:

1. Apps and salads:

This wine calls for cheese! Pungent, aged cheeses, and triple cream cheeses, especially one's made with goat and cow’s milk. It can even work with very softly flavored cheeses, like chevre and marscapone.
Delicate, buttery savory tarts.
Crepes, savory and sweet.
Yogurt.
Green salads with a light, herbaceous or garlicky vinaigrette, especially salads with nuts, cherries, and goat cheese, as long as the dressing isn't sweet.

3. Dinner:

Meats: pork, duck, and chicken (dark meat), especially grilled.
Could pair nicely with rice and chutney.
Braised spinach and/or chard.

2. Desserts:

Summer berry tarts, crostadas, and crumbles.
Panacottas.

Someone recently asked me if sulfite-free wines produce milder hangovers. My answer was yes, and cleaner wine buzzes too, especially if you're sensitive to sulfites. In Portland, you can find Our Daily Red at Fred Meyer Grocers, Trader Joe's, New Seasons, and Safeway. To find out who else carries Our Daily Red, you will probably have to contact the winemakers by email.

Just a little note: This wine's flavor ranges from dark and fruity to a little on the dry side. I think the inconsistency is due to its lack of preservatives. However, every bottle I've sipped from has been very drinkable and enjoyable.

Be well, and enjoy Eating Friendly!

Green's GF Dubble Dark Ale: Product Review

2011-08-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

Beer was one of the first things taken from my menu when I first went gluten-free (GF.) Many years passed before a friend of mine thoughtfully bought me a six-pack of GF beer that was made from sorghum. It tasted like Keystone Light. In other words, it was swill. Years passed again until only a few weeks ago, where I found myself in a local Portland brewery that served a fantastic GF pale ale (more on this later.)

At first, I wasn't sure that I would still have the palate for beer, but it turns out, it's like riding a bicycle. And once I opened the door, the craving for beer came washing in. I didn't want to be chained to a brew pub, so I decided to see what the local grocer was carrying. Not much, it turns out. At least, not if you're looking for a decent beer and not a close rendition of domestic pee-juice.

The other issue about buying GF beer is the sticker shock. Many bottles of what looked like decent beer were outrageously priced. I decided to consult an expert and called for the beer master who managed that section of the grocery store.

The manager guided me to a single beer, which she said was absolutely amazing. Keeping an open mind, and swallowing back my sticker shock (over $6 for sixteen ounces!) I decided to go for it.

Introducing Green's GF Dubble Dark Ale, a delicious, creamy glass of beer-heaven with notes of caramel, molasses, and orange zest.

I enjoyed this smooth, frothy brew while reading a book and relaxing in my hammock. It was satisfying enough to quell my beer craving...at least for the time being. Did I think it was worth the price? Absolutely! I'm now on the hunt for other beers brewed by Greens. I'll let you know when I try them.

Green's is from the UK, and may be hard to find at your typical grocery store. Fortunately, Green's provides access to their distributor through their website, who in turn provides a list of grocery stores and restaurants that carry Green's beers. If you want to find Green's in your part of the world, scroll back up to the hyperlink and simply click it.

As always, I'm glad to be sharing my knowledge with you. Be well, and keep Eating Friendly.