Category Archives: restaurants

GF Tip of the Week

Posted on May 5, 2011 | 4 Comments

As promised, I’m going to dedicate my weekly tips series to dining out for the next few weeks. Even though I love cooking, with summer on its way my calendar is filling up. More plans means more meals outside of my kitchen!

Since today is Cinco de Mayo I’m going to talk about eating gluten free at Mexican (and other Latin / Spanish) restaurants!

Some things to consider:

  • Corn tortillas are gluten free naturally. Others are not. When ordering enchiladas, fajitas, etc. ask your server to be sure that your food is made using corn tortillas!
  • The chip basket. Everyone I know loves the basket(s) of chips and salsa that kick off most Mexican food meals. Most restaurants serve chips made from corn but always double check before eating! I’ve had a few instances of being served chips made from flour.
  • A good chip basket substitute in cases of flour chips – dipping a corn tortilla in salsa. It’ll occupy your mind, mouth, and hands the same as with chips. Just make sure you get your own bowl of salsa.
  • Beans and rice are a staple in many Latin cuisines. Make sure that beans aren’t thickened with flour and that the rice hasn’t come in contact with any gluten contaminant!
  • Fried dishes are usually not made with corn flour. Steer clear to ensure a safe dining experience.
  • Remember naturally gluten free foods – vegetables, chicken and other meats, fish and seafood. You can have delicious salads, fajitas, and other dishes that feature these diet staples!
  • If you are of age, enjoying a margarita, mojito, or other drink often is part of the dining experience. Make sure that the liquor in your drink is gluten free! I tend to stick with simpler options like a margarita on the rocks or sangria.

Here are some of my favorite spots that either have GF menus or where I’ve had a successful dining experience:

Rosa Mexicano

Jaleo

Frontera Grill!!!

Vera Cruz Cafe

Casa Oaxaca

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Weekend in Review

Posted on November 14, 2010 | 1 Comment

Hi there! How was your weekend? Mine was full of tons of things except for sleep but I’m hoping to make up for that shortly :)

This weekend was the kickoff training weekend for a leadership program that I run for my sorority. I recruited and selected 10 outstanding women who came from across the country to the DC suburbs for a weekend of fun and training.

I got myself ready for the weekend with a great breakfast on Friday morning. I had an egg sandwich with one egg white and wilted spinach on Udi’s whole grain toast with Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper spread, parmesan cheese, and hot sauce. There was a small Comice pear as well.

I picked up lunch from an old favorite – Java Green. I got the deluxe bibimbap bowl with brown rice and a plethora of veggies. Topped with gluten free hot sauce, this bowl was energizing and filling. I couldn’t eat but half of my rice!

I then made my way out to Virginia and kicked off the weekend with an intro session, ice breakers, and a pretty unexciting meal of a chicken breast with steamed green beans and part of a plain baked potato.

We resumed our sessions at 8am on Saturday morning and worked up until 6pm! There were a few little breaks including lunch and snack time but when you’re teaching and training the day runs together into one long session!

A highlight of the weekend was dinner last night at Big Bowl. They had a gluten free menu which excited me to no end and took being gluten free very seriously. That’s exactly what I like to see! Our server also did a fantastic job of making suggestions, answering questions, and being wonderfully patient.

The team got pot stickers and we also ordered the gluten free vegetable summer rolls which were light, crisp, and flavorful. I believe there were apples inside!

For my entree I got the chicken and broccoli in a garlic ginger sauce with brown rice. When I originally requested that my dish be cooked with less oil, our server offered to cook it with no oil instead if I wanted. I died and went to heaven. The serving was so big that I ate a little less than half, with maybe 1/3 of the rice, eating both leftovers for dinner tonight and there’s still a good cup of brown rice or so leftover!

When I got home this afternoon, I wasn’t sure how to use my few hours of weekend at first. I ultimately decided to quickly unpack and head to Whole Foods for groceries. On my way out the door I picked up a package that came yesterday and boy was I glad that I did.

I have quite the love affair with Udi’s products and last week declared how bad a [non]competitors product was on Twitter. The lovely folks at Udi’s swooped in and surprised me with the best, most exciting care package I’ve received in a while!!

I excitedly tore into the box with my empty grocery backpack still on my shoulders. The bread took priority over Whole Foods in the moment. Inside I discovered Udi’s soon-to-be-released new products: whole grain bagels, cinnamon raisin bread, and cinnamon raisin bagels. PLUS a loaf of my favorite whole grain bread.

I tore into the cinnamon raisin loaf immediately and am pleased to report that this is quite tasty (and not so bad for you!)! I’ve had 2 slices since I got home this afternoon and give it the Gluten Free Grazer seal of approval. There are tons of raisins and the perfect amount of cinnamon. My apartment smells heavenly now!

I did make it to the grocery store AND to the gym after sitting for 40 hours and too many potato chips. I did ~3 miles on the elliptical, lifted some weights, and then walked around my neighborhood for a good 30 minutes or so afterward while on the phone with my mom. I seem to finally be bitten by the exercise bug. After dinner and more raisin toast I got to using my new toy – The Stick to treat my leg muscles.

Now friends, it’s bed time. I didn’t sleep very much the last 2 nights and have been running on adrenaline!

What’s your favorite bread? Do you volunteer? Where? How was your weekend?

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Posted in product review, restaurants, social networking, sorority, Uncategorized, weekend

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Texas, Texas Yeehaw!

Posted on September 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

That is a University of Texas cheer, not how we really speak down here in Dallas ;)

I woke up this morning at home after a day of travel and kicking off the 2nd half of my weekend with family and some fun.

Before going to bed I whipped up a batch of overnight hot cereal but had to make some substitutions given what was in the pantry and fridge before our big Whole Foods adventure later this afternoon. In the mix:

  • 1/4c Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty GF Hot cereal
  • 3/4c water
  • 2 spoonfuls of Greek yogurt (stirred in after cooking hot cereal)
  • 1/2T chia seeds
  • 1/4t vanilla rice protein powder (didn’t love it but gave it a shot)
  • 1/3c fresh blueberries
  • 1t homemade fig jam
  • 1/2T almond butter

Rewinding back to Saturday night, I snacked on my last peach and a baby Asian pear while watching Texas beat Rice. It was not our best win but it was a W none the less.

To finish project Empty the Fridge I mixed my last serving of Cuban black beans with some frozen and defrosted broccoli, spinach, and bell pepper. Plus a corn tortilla that I baked into chips.

I went out Saturday nigh to celebrate a friend’s birthday but made it home at a reasonable hour to prepare for my day of travel.

Yesterday I woke up about an hour before my alarm was set to go off. Instead of wasting time around my apartment I got my butt out the door for a quick 2 mile walk / run to loosen my legs up from Saturday’s 6.25 miler and before I sat all day on airplanes. The weather was perfect and I even felt a bit of a chill at first – there was 0 humidity which was great but I’m still not ready for fall.

I had an egg sandwich for breakfast with 2 egg whites, some spinach, and hot sauce and red pepper spread on 2 slices of Udi’s whole grain bread.

Enter some more chores, a Super Shuttle ride and airport stuff and I was ready for lunch a few hours later. After finding success in August, I decided to revisit the restaurant where you can create your own salad. I had one made with romaine, broccoli, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, and banana peppers plus a small pinch of parmesan. The woman was confused as to why I didn’t want a mound of cheese on top of my salad but I was completely happy with my 3 little pieces.

I also picked up a Mango all fruit smoothie for the plane.

Enter an uneventful (those are the best kind) plane ride and 3 financial accounting-induced cat naps and I made it to St. Louis with one short plane ride to go. I picked up some ‘local’ all natural Wisconsin string cheese to eat with an Asian pear and the last of some Gorilla Munch cereal.

I finally arrived in Dallas a few hours later and headed to dinner with the family. We picked a place called Fireside Pies which I was at first reluctant to visit. They had GF crust but the last time I ate GF pizza out it ended very badly.

Our experience at Fireside Pies was nothing short of amazing. Both the manager and our server were informed of my dad and I eating gluten free and were extremely accommodating. They answered every question we had, were patient with modifications and clarifications regarding ingredients, and everything arrived hot and perfectly as we had ordered it. This meal was top-notch based on our wait staff experience alone!

My dad and I shared a chopped salad, sans prosciutto and dressing on the side which I dominated a good 2/3 of. We also shared the Texas Beef Sausage pizza on GF crust. My 2 slices were sans cheese. I had 1.5. Delicious – the sausage was hands down the best part.

From there my family had a hankering for self-serve fro yo and who am I to say no ;) My grandparents also met us as they were eager to see their granddaughter :) I was pretty full so I just got a drop of tangerine / orange sorbet with a few berries on top.

We got home and played rummicube and then called it a night.  Today we are doing a few of the following:

  • visiting a new gluten free bakery that opened up
  • 6 mile walk around White Rock Lake
  • Whole Foods!! And yes, I really do have an unhealthy obsession
  • Labor Day shopping
  • grilling out at home

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

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Posted in family, gluten-free, restaurants, travel, weekend

Food for Thought

Posted on September 2, 2010 | 2 Comments

One of the things I love about my friends is our ability to engage each other in real, honest, and thought provoking conversations. Of course there’s fun thrown in there too. Yet I always find myself appreciative of the opportunity to challenge my assumptions and become a better person.

After reading this Mama‘s post about how a movie enforced her decisions to not eat animals (among other things – it’s a good read!) my wheels started spinning. Add to that a new-to-me thought about the eggs I purchased at the farmers market and have been eating this week and all of the food learning I’ve engaged in over the past three years. At dinner tonight I shared my thoughts and reactions with my friend and we moved on to more fun topics. Later another topic came up that prompted this thought: Is it enough to make ethical decisions solely about food or solely in interactions with colleagues in the workplace, etc.? If not (which I believe it’s not),where do you put your foot down?

Without going into the conversation we had let’s just say that my mind is deep in thought about letting some things slide when one takes such a strong, ethical stand on so many aspects of life. I’ve added a new dimension to my previous assumptions and am trying to decide how I feel.

What do you think? Can some parts of life be more ethical than others? Do your friends ever provide good food-for-thought?

On to the eats!  This morning I got to enjoy my second oats in a jar this week. Am I lucky or what?? This time the jar was crunchy almond butter with flax (~1/2T) with the standard mix with blueberries and cinnamon. Delish! I always get so sad when I finish this breakfast because I know I have a ways to go before the next one gets to be enjoyed.

The morning flew by and before I knew it, lunch time had arrived! I had a salad with roasted veggies and chicken breast with some grapes on the side.

Then things got interesting. Mid-afternoon a colleague on my floor walked through and told us we needed to evacuate the building because of a gas leak. I grabbed all of my things and headed out the door. We first stood across the street and then moved to the end of the block when emergency response blocked off the entire street and Haz Mat arrived. It was quite intense!  We camped out in another meeting and my stomach grumbled as it was snack time. I managed to pick up this salad with veggies and a few chips with hummus to hold me over.

Shortly thereafter we were given the all clear to enter our building. It turns out that someone turned on the boiler on the roof after it had been off for a while. They didn’t think to warm it up first or open windows and it emitted high levels of CO2. Luckily everyone was ok and we finished out the work day.
 
I came home, snacked on an apple with cinnamon and some PB and took care of a bunch of things before meeting said friend from the start of my post for dinner.

I had a Groupon to a Greek restaurant named Zorba’s that I’ve been excited to use. Tonight was the night. I had actually been tweeting with them about the addition of gluten free beer and Greg, one of the managers (?) had offered to buy me my 1st beer when I came in.

I met Greg who was very nice and helped guide me through the menu of what was safe to order and what was not. He made sure the cooks knew that my order was gluten free as well so that there wouldn’t be any contamination issues or anything. He also stayed true to his word and served me up my first beer! I was clueless and poured it straight into the glass only to be laughed and yelled at by my friend to tilt the glass. I’m a total newbie! I had some of it over the course of the night but it’s definitely a very acquired taste. I thought it was like bitter, fizzy water O:-)

Friend and I split the Fire Roasted Feta which I got with sliced veggies instead of pita bread.

My entree was the Fasolia Plakee which had white beans baked with onions, tomatoes, parsley and other herbs, served with Greek salad, a house-made roll and two dolmathes. Instead of the roll I got double salad which was a perfect substitution!

And for dessert, rice pudding which is a favorite indulgent dessert.

I ate a small portion of the feta, half of my entree, and just a few bites of the pudding and left perfectly full and happy. It was another great meal at Zorba’s (it’s one of my family’s favorite places to go in DC) and of course, great conversation with a great friend.

It’s time to get to bed – just one more day stands in between me and the weekend. I can’t wait! G’night!

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Posted in "Oats" in a Jar, friends, restaurants, thoughts