Brown Rice Crisps

I found these today while walking through Target.  They were giving out samples of the Sweet Chili brown rice crisps by riceworks.  The Sweet Chili crisps are full of flavor, yet not too spicy at all!

Some of the benefits listed on their website include:

Natural Ingredients

No Preservatives or Artificial Flavors

Wheat and Gluten Free

No Trans Fat

33% Less Fat than Potato Chips

No Cholesterol

They come in 6 flavors:

Sweet Chili

Sea Salt

Salsa Fresca

Parmesan and Sundried Tomato

Wasabi

Baked Cinnamon

They are sold at Target, Walmart, Jamba Juice, and Costco in South Florida, but check their website for a retailer near you.

Chocolate Cupcakes from Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse

The Gluten-Free Bakehouse from Whole Foods has a huge selection of tasty baked goods. Their products (breads, muffins, cookies, scones, and more) are made at a dedicated gluten-free facility and are sold at Whole Foods Markets in the US and Canada.

The cupcakes (they come in vanilla and chocolate) are the latest Gluten-Free Bakehouse products to hit the shelves at my local Whole Foods.  I can't even tell you the last time I had a cupcake, so you can only imagine how excited I was when I found these.  I haven't tried the vanilla ones yet, but the chocolate cupcakes are out of this world!  Make sure you have a large glass of milk ready because they are big and rich!

I have tried many of their other products over the years and there hasn't been one that I didn't thoroughly enjoy.  My personal favorite (aside from the cupcakes) are the blueberry muffins which I have for breakfast on most mornings.

Some of you may feel that the cupcakes are expensive ($7.69 for a 4-pack), however individual cupcakes at a bakery will cost you at least that much. These cupcakes make a great dessert any night of the week or for a special occasion.  Look for them in your local Whole Foods and enjoy!      

KinniKritters Animal Cookies

I have been purchasing gluten-free products from Kinnikinnick Foods for several years now.  I am a huge fan of their donuts, chocolate chip muffins, and the KinniToos sandwich cookies (the closest thing to an Oreo cookie that I have been able to find).  However, today while browsing the cookie aisle at Whole Foods, I came across their KinniKritters Animal Cookies.  I haven't had animal cookies since I was a kid and thought I'd give them a try.  I opened them as soon as I got home and ended up eating half of the box.  They were delicious and tasted just like the regular ones I remember eating so many years ago. Kinnikinnick Foods is right - Gluten Free Has Never Tasted So Good!   

Penne Pasta with Asparagus, Peas, and Sage

I discovered this recipe recently from a fellow gluten-free blogger (GLUTEN FREE SOX FAN), and just made it last night for dinner. It was out of this world.

As I've mentioned before, I'm just your average cook, so I was a little nervous about all of the ingredients in this recipe. However, I love pasta and asparagus so I thought I would give it a try.  It was actually easier than I thought.

This could really be a meal on it's own, but we grilled some chicken breasts with it so we were sure to have plenty of leftovers.  I had some for lunch today and we still have more left for lunch tomorrow. 

Please visit the link above for the full recipe.

Mother's Day Lunch at Carrabba's Italian Grill

Much to my surprise, lunch at Carrabba's Italian Grill was very good today! I had eaten there several years ago when I initially started my gluten-free adventure and was not very impressed. I don't recall them having an actual GF menu at the restaurant other than the paper from the internet, and the staff didn't seem very aware of celiac disease or gluten-free.  I even recall our server making some comment about not understanding why someone would bother to eat the chicken without the grill baste. Needless to say, I never went back... until today.

Knowing they had a gluten-free menu, my sister suggested eating there for Mother's Day because she had a gift certificate and one of their locations is right across the street from my 96-year old grandmother's apartment.  Since someone always goes to pick up my grandmother when we all get together, we figured this time we would just eat closer to her home.  I was still a little skeptical about going back there, but I knew everyone else would enjoy the change (we don't eat out at Italian restaurants that often). 

As soon as we arrived and I noticed the gluten-free menu the hostess had placed on the table, I knew this experience would be very different than my last visit.  The GF menu actually looked just like their regular menu but it was clearly marked gluten-free.  When I started to order, I told the server that I had the gluten-free menu and I got the impression that he clearly knew what that meant (well enough to know how to enter the order so my food would be made correctly).  It was tough to make a decision with all of the options on the menu, but I ordered the Insalata Carrabba with grilled chicken (without the grill baste).

My meal tasted delicious and the rest of my family enjoyed their food as well.  I will definitely not wait as long to return for my next visit, and I think I'll try the Sirloin Marsala with garlic mashed potatoes.

I want to thank my sister for suggesting we eat there.  I hope my mother and grandmother (and all you moms out there) had a Happy Mother's Day!  

     

Pei Wei

We ventured out to Pei Wei today for a nice relaxing Sunday lunch.  If you have never been to Pei Wei (P.F. Chang's is their parent company), it is a casual Asian Diner serving Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese inspired dishes.

You will notice the contemporary-Asian decor as soon as you enter and see the menu boards posted along the entry wall.  Once you have reviewed the menu, you can go straight to the counter to place your order.  They have a gluten-free menu available at the register which includes:

Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls

Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad

Pei Wei Spicy Chicken or Shrimp

Pei Wei Sweet & Sour Chicken or Shrimp

Once you place your order, you can go sit down at your table and wait for the server to bring your meal (which doesn't take long at all).

This was only my second time eating here.  The first time I had the Asian Chopped Chicken Salad.  The gluten-free menu advises to substitute the dressing on this salad with a lime vinaigrette dressing.  It was a nice size salad and the chicken tasted great, but I wasn't a big fan of the dressing.

Today I had the Pei Wei Spicy Chicken which they were able to make mild for me.  This was also a nice size portion and it comes with rice (brown or white). Everything was delicious today and I will definitely be going back for more! 

The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide

There has been a lot of discussion in the gluten-free community about the release of Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book and the attention it will bring to Celiac Disease.  The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide is being released tomorrow! 

Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be discussing the book on Monday's episode of The View on ABC. 

You can also visit Sure Foods Living for an insightful review of the book.