Berries!

Berries are a great source of antioxidants and they are also naturally gluten free!  They provide for a great snack or complement pretty much any other dish.  Driscoll, one of my favorite brands of berries, recently sent me some coupons to purchase their berries.  I got blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries (I'm allergic to strawberries).

I decided to make Berry Cupcakes!  It's a very simple recipe.  All you need is your favorite gluten free cupcake mix or recipe (I used Betty Crocker's gluten free yellow cake mix), top the cupcakes with some gluten free icing (I used Betty Crocker's vanilla frosting) and then add your favorite berries to the top.

For more information about Driscoll products, please visit their website at www.driscolls.com.  Also, check out their extensive assortment of gluten free berry recipes.

Do you have a favorite berry recipe?  Share it in the comments below.

Gluten Free Baked Goods by Butterfly Bakery!

Recently, I was sent a box of gluten free chocolate chip cookies and a tray of gluten free mini blueberry muffins from the Butterfly Bakery.

This company started by making no-sugar products and has recently reached into accommodating the gluten free market.

The blueberry muffins were delicious and the chocolate chip cookies tasted like a regular (gluten-filled) one you would buy from your local bakery.

Butterfly Bakery makes their gluten free products using Teff flour.  Teff is loaded with potassium and vitamin B and has 14% more protein than wheat flour!

Currently, their gluten free product line includes:

• Wild Blueberry, Banana Walnut, Lemon Citrus Poppy, and Spiced Apple Raisin Muffins
• Lemon Citrus, Plain Vanilla Creme, and Espresso Sliced Creme Cakes
• Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Cranberry Raisin, and White Chocolate Coconut Cookies
• Golden/Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Icing

Butterfly Bakery products are available to purchase on Amazon and at selected bakery departments across the country.

For more information, please visit their website at www.thebutterflybakery.com

Naked Pizza In Union Square!

About a year ago, I mentioned that Naked Pizza was coming to Union Square and it has finally arrived!  I was able to try it out for the first time a few weeks ago and the pizza was delicious!  In fact, I also had a pizza delivered last week (free delivery!) and it arrived extremely fast!

The gluten free crust is only available in a 12'' size and you have the option to dress it up with pretty much any vegetable, meat, and/or cheese you can think of.  The ingredients used in the gluten free crust include:

• rice flour
• water
• corn starch
• tapioca dextrin
• non-fat dry milk
• whole eggs
• sugar
• salt
• xanthan gum
• baking powder
• soybean oil

If you visit their website at www.nakedpizza.biz, you can actually watch a video of them preparing a gluten free pizza!

For more information, visit their website or visit them in NYC at:

150 East 14th Street (between Irving Place and Third Avenue) 

or 

954 Third Avenue (between 57th and 58th streets)

They also have many locations throughout the United States and Dubai.

Gluten Free Italian Cuisine in Park Slope!

Recently, I got to try out Scottadito Osteria Toscana, an Italian restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  They offer gluten free pasta and include pasta entrees on their brunch, lunch, and dinner menus.

I went for brunch and had a delicious gluten free penne pasta with melted brie, arugula, and truffle oil (see photograph).

Scottadito Osteria Toscana is located at 788A Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.  For more information, please visit their website at scottadito.com.

Cupcakes Everywhere in Washington!

Just like in New York, the cupcake craze is alive and well throughout Washington.  The only difference is that a lot of the mainstream cupcake places sell gluten free cupcakes!

My first day in Bellevue, Washington, I visited Pinkabella Cupcakes in Bellevue Square.  Pinkabella also has locations in the Alderwood Mall, Queen Anne, Redmond Town Center and the Southcenter Mall.

Here they keep their delicious gluten free cupcakes in the freezer separated from the regular cupcakes.  It was a gluten free chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles (photographed above).

For more information, please visit www.pinkabellacupcakes.com.

A few days later, I also got to try the gluten free cupcake at Cupcake Royale.  Cupcake Royale has locations in Capitol Hill, Ballard, Madrona, West Seattle, and Bellevue.  Their gluten free cupcake has a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and rainbow non-pareils (photographed below).  It was quite tasty!  They use Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour and organic sugar in their cupcakes.

For more information, please visit cupcakeroyale.com.

Two Other Great Restaurants I Tried in Washington!

Another great restaurant I tried was Black Bottle.  They have a location in both Bellevue and Seattle, Washington.  At first glance, I thought the menu with an assortment of small plates was going to be difficult to navigate for one on a gluten free diet, but then the waiter brought out their Allergy Menu.  This menu breaks up the main menu into sections such as gluten free, nut free, dairy free, sesame oil free, etc.

I tried an assortment of dishes including a seared duck breast cranberry port compote, roasted vegetables verjus, and their famous broccoli blasted!  One thing to note is that this restaurant is only for those 21 and older.  For more information, visit their website at blackbottlebellevue.com.

Cafe Flora was also another one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle.  It is a vegetarian restaurant which has both gluten free and vegan options marked on the menu.  I enjoyed a delicious Gluten Free Three Cheese Florentine Pizza.  This consisted of a gluten free pizza crust topped with smoked mozzarella, parmesan, and feta cheeses with fresh baby spinach, chopped garlic, and house made marinara sauce (photographed below).

For more information, visit their website at cafeflora.com or visit them at:

Cafe Flora
2901 East Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98112

Italian Cuisine in Washington!

Cantinetta is an Italian restaurant with locations in both Seattle and Bellevue, Washington.  Although, they did not have a gluten free menu they were able to accommodate a gluten free diet.  I enjoyed a roasted vegetable risotto for my entree with cinnamon gelato for dessert.  For more information, please visit their website at cantinettaseattle.com.

One of my favorite restaurants in Seattle was The Pink Door.  The Pink Door has both gluten free bread (Udi's) and gluten free pasta (Bionaturae).  In addition to their selection of gluten free pasta dishes, most of their other menu items can be made gluten free.  To start, I had the La Fettunta which is grilled gluten free garlic bread with fresh olio nuovo.  Unfortunately, the restaurant is very dimly lit so my photographs of the food did not come out.  For more information and to see the menu, visit The Pink Door's website at thepinkdoor.net or visit them at:

The Pink Door
1919 Post Alley, Pike Place Market
Seattle, WA 98101