It wasn’t one of my finest parenting moments but when the Dolci di Maria Chocolate Chocolate Chip Biscotti arrived in my Cuisine Cube I wanted to open them immediately and have them for breakfast with my tea. But of course if I was going to eat them then, the kids would need their own sample as well. What else was I supposed to do?  I taught them how to dunk.

These Italian style biscotti tasted like the real thing to me. They were solid and crunchy with chocolate chips inside and granulated sugar dusting the top. They held together well and were awesome dunked in milk or hot tea. They arrived in my box with 4-5 slices of biscotti intact inside their packaging.

Dolci di Maria’s products are gluten free, dairy free and casein free. All products are made using organic ingredients where possible and created in a dedicated gluten-free facility so there’s no risk of cross contamination from other flours. The company was started by the mother of a gluten-free son so that he could have something good to eat and be able to share with his friends.

To order visit the Stock-Up section of the Cuisine Cube website.

If you thought a taproom serving only gluten-free beer was something you would only ever dream of, think again! Or come to St. Paul, Minnesota, where a brewery is doing just that.

The Burning Brothers Brewery opened their doors for the first time earlier this month and they serve only gluten-free beer. One of the brewery’s co-owners was recently diagnosed with celiac disease, which is what led to the idea of a completely gluten-free brewery. As a result, he began experimenting with gluten-free home brewing.

“Why? Because we get it. We’ve been there and we know what you’re going through. Our calling is to bring the freedom to drink beer back to everyone who is gluten-free. We want to not only give you that freedom, but to push the envelope and bring you flavors you’ve never tasted before.”

The owners of this gluten-free brewery say that they decided to focus on gluten-free beer because they don’t want anyone to have to “fear the beer!”

How exciting! The twin cities are already pretty gluten-free friendly but it’s great that gluten-free folks living in or headed to St. Paul now have another safe place to go for a drink!

If you find yourself in the city and fancy a gluten-free pint, regular hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm to 9pm and Saturdays from noon to 5pm.

Cheers!

http://www.burnbrosbrew.com/

We are excited to announce that we will be appearing at Living Without’s Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest in sunny San Diego on the weekend of May 3^rd and 4^th.

*Come and sample lots of great gluten and allergen-free products at this fantastic two-day event. Some you will already know and love and others are waiting to become your new favorite gluten-free treat.

*Meet fellow gluten and allergen-free folks at this fantastic community event. Share tips and get support from people like you.

*Learn gluten-free baking tips from the experts who will answer any questions you have and share the secrets to making great tasting gluten-free baked goods!

*Get access to some great recipes from the Living Without team.

*Find out the latest in terms of medical research, nutrition, product labeling and all sorts of other interesting research that affects you and your loved ones.

*Meet the team behind the fantastic Living Without.

There are loads of great reasons to stop by this event if you’re in the San Diego area. Don’t forget to stop by the Triumph Dining booth and say hello!

Location and time:

The Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego.

Saturday May 4^th: 10am-6pm

Sunday May 5^th: 10am-4pm

A copy of the flyer can be found here.

http://www.glutenfreefoodallergyfest.com/were-throwing-a-party-and-youre-invited/

If you’re in Northern California, there’s a sweet new addition that needs to be added to your Passover this year- Flourless (and GF!) Fudgy Cupcakes from Kara’s Cupcakes.

This cupcake is available all month long at any of Kara’s shops, or by order online for pickup or delivery. It is made with Scharffen Berger cocoa powder and sprinkled with C&H confectioners sugar and a festive blue fondant Star of David.

The texture and taste of the Flourless Cupcake is spot on, incredibly moist, light (for a GF cupcake as we all know they tend to be more dense) and a great chocolatey flavor without being overly sweet or overly chocolately. These make a great addition to any Passover dinner, or even as just a treat for any day. Click to continue reading »

I’m getting excited about cooking (and eating) at Passover because of all the new products in the local grocery store. This year there is gluten-free panko, gluten-free matzo, matzo crackers, matzo meal and a variety of dessert mixes.

This is a big deal. When I first went gluten free, Passover was a difficult holiday to deal with. The menu all contains matzo and therefore gluten. There’s gluten in the matzo ball soup, the kugel, the gefilte fish, the brisket, and the dessert. We don’t eat bread or certain grains at this holiday but the items I mentioned above are all made with matzo or gluten. Click to continue reading »

Paris in the springtime. Who can resist? Who can resist Paris anytime of the year, actually?!

In a city known for its pastries, Noglu is a gem, conveniently located in the 2^nd. Click to continue reading »

I just got a new blender and as much as I’d love to make a smoothie before I head out the door for work each morning, it’s not going to happen. The mere act of pulling out the blender and all its components in the morning is more than most of us have time to do.

Now, instead of grabbing my standard yogurt and granola as I head out the door there’s a new option –grabbing a Rush Bowl.

Rush Bowls are individually packaged cups of frozen, blended fruit with a packet of gluten-free Udi’s granola included on the side. They manufacturer doesn’t use any artificial sweeteners, additives or preservatives and the bowls are non-GMO. Flavors include options that are vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free and certified gluten-free. They come in three sizes: 12 oz meals, 4 oz snacks or 4 oz naked (without granola) in a variety of fruit blends. Click to continue reading »

Next up for our gluten-free airport series is one of the busiest airports in the US: JFK in the New York City Metro area.

French Meadow Bakery Café (Terminal 2) – French Meadow Bakery is a Minneapolis-based bakery and restaurant, known best for their vegan and gluten-free foods. In Terminal 2 they have a coffee-shop-style quick service station that serves up organic, healthy, quick meals for great prices, even if they don’t have a large selection. The bakery has gluten-free Italian Rolls, Tortillas, Sandwich Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Pizza Crust and Multi-grain Bread that they use to make to-go sandwiches and wraps. They often have gluten-free brownies, cupcakes or cookies available as well. There’s a substantial breakfast menu for early morning flyers. According to their website, “all of our gluten-free products are certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of the Gluten Intolerance Group.” Click to continue reading »

Is it just me or is it getting easier to eat gluten free away from home? When I went gluten-free I’d pour over menus and ingredients at restaurants trying to determine what was in there. I’d explain that I couldn’t eat the croutons because I’m gluten free and they’d say, ‘great’ then offer me cookies for dessert. Clearly clueless.

Lately, though, that seems to be changing. Now I can ask for a gluten free menu and the staff is educated enough to inquire about how sensitive I am. I had a conversation with the host at McCormick and Schmick’s in Illinois about which items on their gluten free menu were below the 20 PPM as designated by the FDA. I’ve had the chef come out from the kitchen to tell me (unsolicited) that the soup should be avoided because it started with a roux. I learned that butter cream frosting at a bakery that my family likes is gluten free but only for certain flavors. Click to continue reading »

Let’s just tell it like it is – it’s not every day that a few bottles of vodka show up at the office, albeit sugar-free, gluten-free ones. So while reviewing these tall pretty bottles of beverage is a definite hardship on me, I’m going to do it for you.

Of course celiacs safely drinking vodka, in and of itself, is controversial. Many experts, including the National Institutes for Health, claim that the distilling process that creates vodka from gluten-containing grains renders it gluten-free. That’s up to you to decide for yourself. Click to continue reading »