Gluten-Free Baked Yumminess in the GTA

Avoiding gluten is different from avoiding wheat, although wheat is one of the "don't consume" items on the gluten-free diet list. It's a big issue in our family, especially for me.

Something to be aware of when reading labels on gluten-free products is that other allergens, such as corn or dairy products or eggs or even beans (including soy), are frequently used as substitutes for wheat gluten. If you or anyone you know has issues with any of those other ingredients, make sure to be careful with gluten-free labeling.

Glutino is a widely-distributed (both online and offline) maker of gluten-free foods based out of the province of Quebec in Canada-- I've found it in most supermarkets and health food stores. However, they do tend to use dairy products and corn in most of their products, so it's not a great option for me personally.

One of my personal favourites is Kinnikinnick based out of Alberta, Canada. Always read the labels though -- some (but not all) of their baked goods can contain dairy. I'm particularly fond of their brown rice and tapioca bread. Like Glutino, they seem to have a pretty extensive distribution network and can be found in most supermarket chains as well as health food stores.

In terms of consistent safety, I have to say that Whole Foods -- while the most expensive of the various product options -- is also one of the cleanest from a gluten-free perspective. The down-side is that Whole Foods baked products are only available at their stores, and unless you live close to one -- in no way a given in Canada -- these are just not an option for you.

El Peto is widely available in Loblaws, Great Canadian Superstore and many health food stores. Accessibility is a good thing. On the down side, they frequently use corn starch (which can be an allergy issue, at least for me) as well as some multi-syllabic ingredients which I can't pronounce and have to actually work hard to figure out what they are.

For a treat in and around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), falling under the OMG-it-tastes-sooooo-good variety of foods, check out:

1. I Can't Believe It's Gluten-Free! (available at health food stores across the GTA, but they don't seem to have a web site) -- great baked goods, but be careful to watch for dairy and sometimes bean flours. Their frozen baked goods are defrosted squares of heaven. I've found them at Evergreen Natural Foods (St. Clair Avenue at Bathurst) and Planet Organic Market (Bathurst south of Center Street) and Ambrosia Natural Foods (on Doncaster, east off of Yonge and north of Steeles).
   
2. Mollie B . Their pecan tarts are unbelievable. Up side is that they are gluten free. Down side is that they are definitively NOT dairy free. I've seen them for sale at Whole Foods (Avenue Road/Hazelton Lanes location) and The Big Carrot (Danforth Avenue a few blocks east of Broadview).
   

I'll post more options here soon.

In the meantime, if you're looking for ingredients which are not safe for a gluten-free diet, please take a look here at my sister site Feed My Kid!

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pizza Option

Finally!

One of the big Canadian pizza chains has finally gotten with the gluten-free program. Pizza Pizza now offers a gluten-free crust for an additional charge of $3.25 per pizza. It only applies to mediums, so if there are many gluten-free eaters in your dining circle who are also big eaters, the price could add up a bit.

But hey, at least it's an alternative to the exorbitantly expensive Magic Oven!

For more info on the Pizza Pizza gluten-free crust, go here.

Money Saver: Organic Meat: Rowe Farms

Had a great tip from a friend over lunch today. For those non-vegetarians looking for organic meat -- and who either shudder at the prices at Big Carrot, or who are just looking for a (relative) deal, I bring you Rowe Meats. Yes, that Rowe Meats. The one who distributes to most of the health food stores in and around the GTA.

Apparently they have opened up a storefront in the Beaches area. Which in and of itself is relatively cool. But what's even better is that the prices are, according to my friend, approximately half what you'd pay for the same thing anywhere else in the city. (She gave me the example of 4 seasoned chicken breasts for about $20, compared with $9 for one at Big Carrot).

Martini Boys reviewed the store here.

And if you're actually in the area (or feel like taking a trip), here is where to find it:


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Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream: My Current Favourite Ice Cream

Ice Cream Purveyor: Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream
Overall Rating: @@@@@
Flavours Tried (so far!): Caramel Ripple, Cardomon Vanilla, Yoghurt Raisin Khulfi, Fig, Blueberry Lavender, Vanilla

This is my favourite place to go for ice cream right now.

Ok, so the staff is a little more casual than you might be used to at Baskin Robbins or any of your other standard ice cream eateries. And "hand packed" isn't quite as full as you might be used to either. But OMG, is the ice cream good.

What I like about Kensington Organics as well is that most of their offerings are, well, organic. And what isn't organic is clearly labeled so you can avoid it without any problem. The biggest drag is that it's only open as a storefront for a few months out of the year; the rest of the time you have to hunt it down at health food stores across the city and pay $2/pint more while you're at it.

The actual address is 650-1/2 Queen Street West (Google Maps didn't like that address so I just put in 650 instead), but in realistic terms what you do is walk north on Palmerston from Queen and you'll see it on your right hand side (across from the gallery).

It's a little challenging to find the storefront spot, so I'm going to help you out here:


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Details on the company, flavours and place can also be found on Facebook here.

Based on the flavours I've tried so far, here are my thoughts (below).

Caramel Ripple = @@@@@
Going by memory on this one, but it was delish.

Cardomon Vanilla = @@@@@
No memory required on this -- I can still taste it. It's a flavour I remember from childhood and have been looking for ever since. Until I had it at Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream again last week. Talk about a sense memory. Wow.

Vanilla (regular, organic) = @@@@
It's good ... and it's organic ... but it's not quite as kick-you-in-the-ass as the other kinds of vanilla offered.

Blueberry Lavender = @@@@
This is an odd one. It kind of comes around from behind to give you a burst of flavour. But if you're going to get it, eat it right there. Once you take it home and it sits in your freezer for a day or two, the flavour dissipates and there is this slightly odd aftertaste. At least until it melts a bit again. Definitely worth a try if you like blueberries and you don't mind lavender.

Fig = @@@
I like figs. I like ice cream. I even like fig ice cream. But this one was ... too much with the fig, not enough with the ice cream. Suggest you get it if you have a really strong craving for figs. Or you mix it with vanilla. Otherwise, I might be inclined to pass.

Yoghurt Raisin Khulfi = @@@@@
OMFG. Not organic. Made from sweet and condensed milk and using an Indian recipe. But it's got that same lingering taste on your tongue of the vanilla cardomon -- only richer. With crunchy bits. I'm really hoping they make this flavour again.

So there you have it. A big push for Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream. They say they'll have some dairy-free options soon; let's see how that goes.

Organic Coffee: Rich Flavour, A Little Strong

Coffee: Fair Trade & Organic Island Reserve Dark
Rating: @@@@
Found: Casa Acoreana & Luis Coffee Stop, Kensington Market


This coffee is darker and stronger than the Rainforest blend from yesterday. Island Reserve Dark is a mid-week coffee, harsher and with a kick that may help get you over the humpday blahs. Eminently drinkable, it's a pale substitute for you espresso drinkers and yet a bit on the concentrated side for medium-roast blend palates.

You can drink it on an empty stomach, but you might want to add milk and sugar; you're also probably going to need something food-like to follow it up with within an hour or two of ingesting the liquid caffeinated goodness.

Definitely worth trying. If I hadn't had the Rainforest blend and loved it, I would probably be reasonably content with this coffee on a daily basis.

Adventures in Organic Coffee

Coffee: Rainforest Alliance Peru Organic
Rating: @@@@@
Found: Casa Acoreana & Luis Coffee Stop, Kensington Market

Took the day off yesterday and went down to Kensington Market in the afternoon on a search for, among other things, some organic coffee. My favourite place is Casa Acoreana & Luis Coffee Stop, the spice and candy and coffee store at 235 Augusta Avenue (right on the corner).
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Day 1 in my quest for good organic coffee starts me off today with the Rainforest Alliance Peru Organic blend. I believe it's also a Fair Trade coffee.

Yum. I'm definitely liking this.

The flavour is light (it's definitely not an espresso type blend) and rich, with a slightly sweet roasted aftertaste. It's a great morning coffee. Not as harsh as a much darker roast on an empty stomach, and very very smooth.

For context, I also take my coffee with organic rice milk (Presidents Choice Organics or YU brand) and organic sugar. We use a metal filter in a Cuisinart stainless steel drip coffee maker.