Right Back At Ya!

As we come to the end of our first month online, I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for all of the incredible support! This month Ms. Celiac Says... has received approximately 300 first-time visitors, with over 100 that have returned back several times for more gluten free news! I am extremely grateful to have been featured on the Gluten Free Health website too!

I am also humbled by the words of praise that I have received from so many in the Celiac Disease community, as well as, many Gluten-Free and Mainstream Food Companies, and others who are just fans of Ms. Celiac Says...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I am also proud to have opened Ms. Celiac's Shop where you can buy products to display your gluten-free pride in a fun, thought-provoking way!

In the coming months, I have so many more restaurants and products that I cannot wait to tell you about and I have many new ideas for improving Ms. Celiac Says...to give you all the best gluten free experience possible.

Next month, I am happy to announce that we will have our first International Feature focusing on the bakeries, restaurants, and gluten free products of Northern Italy! Stay tuned...

And thank you to all of the brands featured this month that have provided us living with Celiac Disease amazing gluten free food options! In case you haven't checked them out, please go to the following links (listed below) and explore some of the fantastic gluten free choices!

Best,
Paige

JANUARY'S FEATURES:

16 Handles

365 Brand

Alexia Foods

Angelica Kitchen

Balthazar

Betty Crocker

Cadbury Global

Cherrybrook Kitchen

Cookies...For Me?

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company

Ferrero

Glutino

GOOP

Hale and Hearty Soups

Hershey's

Jelly Belly

Joan's GF Great Bakes

Josef's Gluten Free

Just Born

Le Pain Quotidien

Manischewitz

Mario Batali

Mars

Nobu

Pamela's Products

Perfetti Van Melle

PEZ Candy

Pinisi Bakery

Pinkberry

Red Mango

S'Mac

Schar

Shabtai Gourmet

Starbucks

Still Riding Pizza Company

Sunspire Natural Chocolates

The Health Nuts

The Open Pantry

Tisserie Bakery

Tootsie Roll Industries

Uno Chicago Grill

Wrigley Company

GOOP

This past fall, Gwyneth Paltrow started a free e-newsletter called, GOOP. If you haven't already signed up for it, I recommend you go to the website now and register! Approximately once a month the newsletter features a variety of recipes for you to try and make. These are usually very health-conscious recipes and are often GLUTEN FREE or can easily be made gluten free.

Back in October, Gwyneth wrote about a delicious Buckwheat and Banana Pancake. Not only is this pancake GLUTEN FREE but it is vegan, as well. All you need to make these tasty pancakes are the following ingredients:

1 1/4 cup soy or rice milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup [+ more for serving]
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas [thinly sliced]

First, mix the wet ingredients together. Second, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the wet to the dry and combine. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium - high heat. Pour on some pancake batter to get the desired size pancake. Cook until both sides are nicely browned. Serve with sliced bananas and maple syrup.

These directions are also provided at the GOOP website, in Make - Newsletter 5.

Bon appetit!

Sticky & Sweet

In the case that you have a major sweet tooth then you can relax because most mainstream candy brands happen to be gluten free! This definitely makes going to the movie theatres and having to avoid the glutinous popcorn so much easier as there is always a huge selection of candies available to snack on as you watch your feature.

I was thrilled when I found out that my two absolute favorite candies were gluten free. Those are Just Born Peeps and Cadbury Creme Eggs! I honestly don't think I could live without my Cadbury! In fact, a large selection of Cadbury chocolate is indeed gluten free. Just go to their website at Cadbury.com for more information.

A short list of some other gluten free candies include:

-M&M's
-Skittles
-Candy Corn [Farley and Jelly Belly brands]
-Hershey's Kisses
-Jelly Belly Jelly Beans [except the buttered toast flavor]
-Manischewitz Milk and Dark Chocolate Coins
-Mike and Ike Candies
-Milky Way Midnight
-Pez Candy
-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
-Snickers
-Sour Patch Kids
-Starburst Fruit Chews
-Swedish Fish
-Tic Tacs
-Life Savers Hard Candy
-Airheads
-Charms Blow Pops
-Tootsie Rolls

So, go to your local candy store and buy candy galore!

Today Is National Chocolate Cake Day!

Today is January 27th and that means it is National Chocolate Cake Day! If you still haven't enjoyed this tasty treat today, then why not head to your local health food store and pick-up Pamela's Chocolate Cake Mix?

Pamela's Products were established in 1988. All of their products are gluten free and contain absolutely no trans fats. They even make their products in a 100% dedicated gluten free facility. Many of their products are also dairy free, egg free, nut free, corn free, potato free, and soy free. And their products are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.

Their delicious selection of treats includes:

Traditional Cookies -
*Butter Shortbread
*Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
*Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies
*Ginger Cookies with Sliced Almonds
*Lemon Shortbread
*Peanut Butter Cookies
*Pecan Shortbread
*Shortbread Swirl

Organic Cookies -
*Chocolate Chunk Pecan Shortbread
*Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Chunk Cookies [My #1 FAVORITE COOKIE]
*Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies [Another one of my favorites!]
*Old Fashion Raisin Walnut
*Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
*Spicy Ginger with Crystallized Ginger

Simplebites Mini Cookies -
*Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies
*Ginger Mini Snapz
*Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies

Biscotti -
*Almond Anise Biscotti
*Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
*Lemon Almond Biscotti

Baking Mixes -
*Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix
*Baking & Pancake Mix
*Chocolate Brownie Mix
*Chocolate Cake Mix
*Classic Vanilla Cake Mix
*Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix
*Vanilla Frosting Mix
*Confetti Frosting Mix
*Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

So, don't forget to get your chocolate cake and eat it too! And for more information on Pamela's Products, check out the website at www.pamelasproducts.com.

[This is today's 2nd post. There will be no post tomorrow morning as I'll be going to the View. -Paige]

Soup's On!

Do you miss the days of being able to go out to eat and ordering soup? The days when you didn't have to worry about the possibilities of hidden gluten lurking within your bowl? Well, if you are in the NYC area then you are in luck. Hale and Hearty Soups has an extensive gluten free menu. My two favorites are the 10 Vegetable and the Three Lentil Chili.

Hale and Hearty was founded in the summer of 1995 and makes all of its soup from scratch using only the freshest and most high quality ingredients. The soups are available in 4 sizes: Small (8 oz.), Medium (12 oz.), Large (16 oz.), and Quart (32 oz.). At the store you can also look for the symbols, V, L, and D that appear alongside some of the choices. They stand for the soups which are Vegetarian, Low Fat, and Dairy Free respectively.

For a list of all the gluten free options and to order in their soup, visit the Hale and Hearty website at haleandhearty.com.

Or check out one of the following locations:

West Side -
81st and Broadway
56th and 6th Ave.
55th and 8th Ave.
49th and 7th Ave.
42nd and 6th Ave.

East Side -
78th and Lexington
64th and Lexington
54th and Lexington
Rockefeller Center
47th and Madison
45th and Madison
43rd and 3rd Ave.
Grand Central

Midtown -
39th and Broadway
35th and 7th Ave.
23rd and Madison
Chelsea Market

Downtown -
Maiden Lane
Broad Street

French Fries Forever!

As many of you living with Celiac Disease know by now, a lot of french fries (especially those that are frozen) contain gluten. However, if you still crave a delicious french fry and don't have the time to make them from scratch, you must try Alexia.

Alexia products are all natural and contain no trans fats! A selection of their products are certified organic and are Kosher certified. All of their potato products are gluten free!

I am a huge fan of Alexia potatoes as they provide so much flavor that is usually lacking from gluten free food. My favorite Alexia potato products include the Sweet Potato Julienne Fries, the Yukon Gold Julienne Fries with Sea Salt, and the Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes & Sea Salt.

You may order Alexia products online through Fresh Direct, Peapod, and the Wellness Grocer.

Also, they are sold at many stores throughout the United States including Whole Foods, Costco Wholesale, Wild Oats, and Target.

*Alexia Foods*
www.alexiafoods.com

Weekend Update Time!

Hey Everyone!

I have some exciting news to report! Uno Chicago Grill, a national chain, will now offer Gluten Free Pizza at all of their locations. For more information on this, read their press release.

Also, Elisabeth Hasselbeck of the View will be releasing a survival guide to living gluten free in May 2009. For further details, visit Publishers Weekly.

Today, I did some baking using a Gluten-Free Pantry Mix for Chocolate Chip cookies. I love the Gluten-Free Pantry mixes as the end results are always light and yummy. The Angel Food Cake Mix is one of my favorite gluten free cakes, but more on that at another time. I've provided a photograph of the Chocolate Chip cookies above.

And in case you are new to the site and want to read my press release, you can check it out here. You may also download it at the link to the right. If you want to find out some books I recommend on Celiac Disease and a gluten-free diet, look for the Amazon ad on the bottom right of this page. And I have also included in the right-hand column a list of my favorite Gluten Free blogs.

Don't forget to join my Facebook group too!

Best,
Paige