As close to Kraft Mac & Cheese as it gets

Trader Joe's GF Rice Pasta & Cheddar is about as close to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese as I have experienced. This is not your organic, no food-coloring type of Mac & Cheese. No, this is the real stuff, it is bright yellow and has plenty of fake cheesy flavor. Some of the organic GF versions seem pretty bland to me, but not this one - it's good. So, the next time you are craving Kraft Mac & Cheese, give this one a try! It's pretty cheap too - $1.99 per box.

La Farfalla in Escondido

The CSA group went to La Farfalla this past Saturday for dinner and it was amazing! There were a variety of pasta dishes made from gluten free pasta that were amazing! There were also sandwiches, made with DELICIOUS gluten free bread! When was the last time you had a good sandwich??

The best part was the desserts. They had delicious super moist gf chocolate cake and carrot cake, and also fresh baked gf chocolate chip cookies! Yum yum.

Everything was very reasonably priced, with entrees priced under $10, large cookies for $1 each and huge slices of cake for only $2.50.

La Farfalla
155 S. Orange
Escondido, CA 92025
760-741-0835

Smores can be for us again!

Have you missed having smores at a bonfire on the beach? The wait is over!
There are now gluten free graham crackers available from Kinnickinnick.

They seem a little thicker and more dense than regular graham crackers, but
are overall not bad at all.

They are available at various places online for about $4-$5 per box.

http://www.thebetterhealthstore.com/BrandItemDetail.asp?sku=2013300309

No more gluten free snacks at Starbucks

It seems as though Starbucks experiment with gluten free snacks is over. I can't find their GF Orange Valencia Cake anymore and when I've asked, the stores say they stopped ordering it because nobody bought it.

I think part of the problem was that it was sold as a fresh baked good but it was packaged in plastic, which made it look more like a twinkie. Maybe they could start carrying gluten free granola bars instead, which would have a longer shelf life and be more palatable to non-GF folks.

Thanks for trying Starbucks!

www.starbucks.com

Rice tortilla chips

If you can't eat corn, these tortilla chips from Riceworks are an excellent alternative. They are crunchy and flavorful - they come in sweet chili, sea salt, salsa fresca, parmesan, wasabi and baked cinnamon flavors. I tried the sea salt and sweet chili flavors. Both were really good. Overall, I still prefer regular corn tortilla chips, but these are an excellent alternative.

They are available at Whole Foods and other similar stores.

http://www.riceworkssnacks.com/new_index_USA.html

Betty Croker Gluten Free Cookie Mix

Betty Croker's new Gluten Free Cookie Mix is now available in regular grocery stores in the baking aisle. As a cookie mix, it is somewhat lacking - the cookies are pretty dry and crumbly, however, if you add egg to the mix, it becomes more like a chocolate chip cookie bar which has somewhat of a cake-like texture to it. This makes the mix far more palatable and makes the "cookies" easier to eat since they don't fall apart in your hand.

Overall, it is probably not the best GF chocolate chip cookie mix out there, but it is available in regular grocery stores which can be a big plus.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free/

Carrabba's Italian Grill has a GF menu but not a GF grill

Carrabba's also has a gluten free menu, which is nice for an Italian restaurant. Most of the time, I just hope Italian restaurants have risotto, otherwise, I am stuck with salad.

Carrabba's does offer six entrees that can be served gluten free (when cooked without the grill baste). However, they do warn consumers that they do not have a gluten free grill so there is definite cross-contamination issues.

The only gluten free dessert offered is vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and pecans.

You can download the GF menu here: http://www.carrabbas.com/carrabbas-menu.aspx

Fleming's Steakhouse has an official GF menu

It should not be a surprise that a steakhouse can offer gluten free menu items, but it is nice that they have an official gluten free menu so you know exactly what you can order and how to order it. For example, the chilled seafood appetizer is okay, but not the cream mustard sauce on the side. The steak sandwich should be ordered without the soy chili glaze.

Here is the link to their gluten-free menu:

http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/menu/nutritional-guide/#Gluten

Gluten Free Licorice

If you like Licorice and have not been able to eat it since becoming gluten free - here is your answer: Candy Tree Organic Licorice. It comes in both the black and red licorice variety as well as vines, ropes etc.

It tasted just like regular licorice to me - I would never have guessed there was anything different about it.

It is available on amazon.com for about $30 for a pack of 12.