Lazy days in North Carolina.

So far, we've visited Asheville and we've explored Downtown Brevard and all the 4th of July celebration the city has to offer. Asheville has a lot of gluten free restaurant options available. Our first stop had nothing to do with food, though! We went to a Dillards clearance center. It was pretty cool. Aaron had more options than me, but they had a lot of good clothes at a huge discount, plus, all clothes were BOGO. After 5 hours of bargain hunting (and we still didn't look through everything), we were hungry! Aaron found an egg roll in the mall, but there was nothing for me. So, I used my handy dandy app, and we found a restaurant in the historic Biltmore Village called Neo Cantina. Lovely! They had a gluten free menu, and both the kitchen and wait staff were very knowledgeable. First, because I checked in on Yelp, we got a free queso dip. You can add all sorts of stuff to it, but I just wanted the plain queso. It was very well seasoned. I had grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas with mango salsa. They needed a little heat, so I added some Cholula hot sauce to it, and it was good. Aaron also ordered the tacos, and they put his on corn tortillas, too, so his meal was gluten free as well! That meant we could share an amaretto flan for dessert. And, we were glad that we did!

The next day, I had cottage cheese and a fresh peach for breakfast, then we headed out to the July 4th celebration in Downtown Brevard. The festival was really cute, and it reminded me of city festivals from my home town. Booths housing political propoganda, art vendors, and food lined the street. Car raffles and live music peppered the streets. The downtown shops were open for the public, too. I loved it! I was expecting to have to scrounge for food, but I immediately saw a booth from Poppies market. Hallelujah! They have a huge gluten free food selection (so I've heard - still haven't gone yet), so they are obviously aware. I asked about gluten free options, and I was able to have a bratwurst with sauerkraut without the bun. I also got an enormous piece of watermelon. I would have rather eaten vegetarian, but when options are slim, sausage is a delicious option. :) Toward the end of our downtown adventure, we found a chocolate shop called Downtown Chocolate. The chocolate is all made fresh in the store, so they know exactly what goes into the sweet treats. There were some chocolate bars with Oreo cookies that I couldn't have, but everything else was fine. I chose some toffee bars covered with dark chocolate and almonds, a coconut curry truffle, a cherry white chocolate truffle, and a Mexican hot chocolate truffle. The toffee is amazing, and I'm still working on eating it. For me, the coconut curry truffle is a little overwhelmed with curry flavor, but the cherry truffle was fantastic, and the Mexican hot chocolate truffle in addicting with its sweet chocolate, darker flavor from spices, and a spicy kick from cayenne pepper that is subtle at first and then grows. I only purchased the one truffle, but we will be back before we leave to get some to take home! That night, we waited until after the fireworks to make dinner. I made a simple side salad and some Tinkyada tri-colored gluten free pasta topped with Classico carmalized onion and roasted garlic sauce. Not a bad dinner, if I say so myself! We have left-overs, so that will be a lunch on one of our more quiet days.

Our next day, I had cottage cheese for breakfast again, and then we went waterfall hunting! The waterfalls are breathtaking! Unfortunately, at our second one, we were in the middle of a mile-long hike to reach it, and we got rained out with a thunderstorm. Boo! We wound our way further up the mountain to reach the Pisgah Inn restaurant. On our way, we saw the most awe-inspiring phenomenon. The moisture from the storm met the heat of the mountain, and it created fast-rising steam that made the mountains look like they were smoking. Beautiful! It's nothing particularly new - this is what the Smokey Mountains are known for. However, being in the Blue Ridge mountains, it was a nice surprise! By the time we reached the Inn, we were starving and freezing (because we were drenched from the rain storm). They said they could accommodate gluten free, but what I found was they had a few items that were naturally gluten free, and I could have those. And that's fine. However, they didn't realize that some items like soy sauce have gluten in them. The only thing I found to order was a pork chop with a cranberry apple chutney. I ordered this with a green bean medley and some wild rice. It all tasted very good. In fact, the pork chop was incredible. It tasted like pork and fire. I did, however, suspect (and with reason) the vegetable medley. It smelled like Teriyaki sauce. I asked if it had any sauce, and the waiter said no, but if it smells like Teriyaki, and it tastes like Teriyaki, I have a hard time believing that it is NOT Teriyaki. I don't know... I stopped eating the vegetables, but damage had already been done. So, my stomach is a bit upset. The inn is worth visiting, however, because the view is breathtaking. The restaurant is surrounded by walls of window, so you can see the view from the top of Mount Pisgah as you eat, and from the lookout porch, you can easily see about 15 different mountain peaks. From there, we took the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville and then looped back south to meet some friends in Columbus, NC. They actually live in Orlando, too, and are visiting at the same time. They have a vacation home here, and invited us to dinner. Also, they eat gluten free, too! What an amazing dinner they served! The first course was a mango salad topped with grilled shrimp (which I did not eat, because shrimp likes to kill me) paired with a local white wine. The second course was an antipasta which had delicious vegetables, cheese, and sausage. I was excited for the vegetables! The main course was a delicious risotto. Both of these courses were paired with a red wine. Desert was a sort of Italian frozen custard with peaches paired with a sweeter red rine. A gourmet dinner with fascinating company? Anytime!

Ingles Grocery

This post is a tad out of sequence, but I didn't want Ingles to get buried in another post somewhere. It deserves its own space. Why? It's enormous. Seriously. Publix on steroids. Or, for those who remember, a lot like a large Delchamps. It even has a movie rental place (that we employed, of course). It's not a health store, and it doesn't have more gluten free options than any other grocery store. For that, I must go to a store called Poppies (which I intend to do, just haven't caught it open yet). In fact, in some categories, it has less (like Amy's products). It does, however, have a HUGE gluten free baking section, dwarfed only by Chamberlin's. It has the Betty Crocker gluten free mixes, but it also has other major brands including Glutino. The best part about Ingles, however, is their signage. They have little tan stickers that say "gluten free" under their products. The stickers are right beside the price tags and sale stickers. Not every maintstream gluten free product is listed, but several are. It's a start. I thought that was very nice. It not only helps Celiacs as consumers, but also it helps our confused friends when they try to feed us. Plus, it raises awareness in the general public that we do exist, and that there is food for us. Mainstream food. Yummy food. I don't know about you, but I always get, "Wheat, huh? That must suck. How do you eat anything?" Well, thanks to Ingles, maybe people will know!

Driving to the Carolinas!

My husband decided to surprise me with a romantic vacation this summer. I love him! We rarely get to travel just for travel's sake. Luckily, our WONDERFUL friends have a house in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina that they were willing to let us borrow for a week. So, the next few posts will be about our adventures here. We're near(ish) the border between both Carolinas, so we are planning to explore a little of both. The drive up was long, but surprisingly not boring. The drive in the mountains was sometimes downright scary! Besides the surprisingly nice drive, we also had a surprisingly nice time getting gluten free food! We did bring snacks and drinks, and Aaron, being the wonderful husband he is, purposely brought gluten free snacks so that we should share. :) But, one cannot eat snack food for 10 hours, so we did stop for lunch and dinner. The first stop was in Brunswick, GA. To find GF food, we did have to venture away from the interstate and into the town. We originally planned to eat at a Longhorn Steakhouse because we found a gluten free menu online, but then we saw a Five Guys in the same parking lot and decided it would be cheaper and faster to eat there. Oh darn! ;) They were, as always, very good about dealing with my food allergy, though they kept making Aaron's order before mine, so they had to change their gloves about five times. I giggled a little. I am very glad, though, that the gloves were changed. The food was amazing like always. About half an hour before dinner, we needed to stop to change drivers. We stopped at a Pilot station off of I-26 in South Carolina, and while we walked around, I noticed a bag of caramel popcorn from the Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company that said it was gluten and nut free right on the front of the bag. Reading the ingredients, it also looks dairy free, but I can't verify that. They had other flavors, too, but I'm a caramel fiend. We had snacks in the car, but the bag was $2, and I was curious, so the popcorn got purchased. I had a few bites, but not many because we were on our way to dinner. Oh My God! This popcorn is fantastic. Truly fantastic. It is rich and sweet, but not overbearingly sweet. And at 120 calories per serving (there are four servings in a bag), it's not a diet breaker, either. I have yet to eat anywhere near a serving, and I've snacked on it three times. I will definitely be on the lookout for this popcorn in places other than Pilot stations. This stuff is amazing! For dinner, we stopped in Spartanburg, SC. I used my Droid phone app "Find Gluten Free Near Me" to find McAlister's Deli. The menu had a lot of gluten free options, and while it is a chain, we don't have it in Orlando (though there are locations in Florida), so we were excited about the new experience. It was a great experience. The people were friendly, and the gluten free menu didn't require me to change or substitute much. In fact, my meal was ordered straight from the menu without any modification. I had a pick two meal with a chipotle chicken salad and a potato ole. The chicken salad had lettuce, tomato, chicken, tortilla strips, and a delicious chipotle peach dressing. The dressing was rich and thick, so I did not need much. The sweet and very spicy flavor really complimented the salad. The potato was topping with vegetarian chili, cheese, and jalapenos. This was also delicious! The jalapenos brought heat without it being overwhelming, and the chili had a very nice flavor. Great restaurant! We had a lovely drive, and now I'm going to stop blogging about it and experience the Carolinas!

GF Blueberry Muffins! Udi wins again!

I love blueberry muffins. I have since I was a child. I don't eat them all the time, but not eating a blueberry muffin in the year I've been gluten free has been quite sad. Enter Udi baked goods. Again. I knew they made muffins, but my Publix didn't carry them, so I'd never tried them. I was investigating a new Publix to see what they offered, and right in the gluten free bread section was the Udi muffins. The muffins come in a tray of four muffins, and are a bit pricey, but the muffins are large, and it's cheaper (and often tastier) than going to a GF bakery. While I had high hopes because I trust Udi brand products, I didn't really know what to expect. When I opened the package, I was surprised to see huge grains of sugar on all of the muffins. These are not for dieters! These muffins are for days when I exercise or eat lots of salad! The first muffin I ate, I just took right out of the container. It had a good taste, but it was hard and crumbly. I was a bit disappointed, but then I remembered that when things are a bit dried out, it helps to wrap them in a paper towel and microwave them for a few seconds. So, the next day, I tried a muffin with the microwave technique. Bingo! We have a winner! These muffins suddenly were moist, spongy, warm, and delicious. When warmed, the contrast between the soft muffin and the crunchy sugar is really punctuated. The flavor of the blueberry is brought to the forefront. These are easily the best blueberry muffins I have ever experienced, gluten free or not. I highly recommend them, and if I suddenly gain about 50 pounds, you know why. ;) (Not happening!)

Poolside service

Today I'm pretending to live in the lap of luxury. While my husband is attending a conference at the J.W. Marriott here in Orlando, I get to hang out by the pool. Oh darn, right? This place is incredible. The pool area is huge and the areas are all connected by a lazy river. The river has waterfalls and fountains, and the vegetation is beautiful. You don't even have to leave your seat to eat or drink. The servers come to you! As I lie in the shade with a breeze blowing, I think, is there any place I'd rather be right now? Nope! Admittedly, I'd rather be here with Aaron, and I thoroughly enjoy the times when he is able to join me out here. My only concern in this venture was eating. I figured a fancy hotel like this had to have something gluten free, but I didn't know if I could eat outside, or if I'd have to find a super pricey place inside. Luckily, this is a very conscientious hotel. Immediately, we found a little place that all sorts of gluten free snacks and breakfast bars available for purchase. I really wanted some real food, though, so I decided to investigate the outdoor restaurant, Quench. Definitely more a bar than an eatery, the drink list is probably three times larger than the food menu. The cocktails look amazing. I ordered a melon mojito. It was quite enjoyable. The server helping me was very nice, and as soon as I mentioned gluten, he was ready with available options and assurances that the kitchen staff was well equipped to handle allergies. He even offered to cook fries separately for me, since they fry everything together. I haven't taken up that offer yet, but I plan to do so before I leave. For my lunch, I chose to order a blackened fish salad, except that I had it grilled plain, because blackened seasoning and I do not get along very well. What intrigued me most about the salad was the unique toppings. It comes with fish, feta cheese, pickled onion, watermelon, and citrus vinaigrette. It was good. Very good. I ate it in my chair, and since it was a time when Aaron was free, I got to enjoy his company. Like I said, before I leave, I plan to get some fries and one more cocktail, which is a peach flavored rum concoction. Good day! Nice pre-vacation vacation.

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Udi-licious Pizza!

Tonight my friends and I had a make your own pizza party. They bought regular crust, and I brought some Udi gluten free crust. I hadn't tried it before, and I was excited. I made my pizza first, because we wanted to make sure that the shared toppings didn't get cross-contaminated. I thawed the crust, added toppings, and baked it for about 7 minutes. My excitement over this crust was definitely warranted! This is the best gf crust I've ever eaten. It has a soft texture and has elasticity that most gf crusts do not have. Absolutely fantastic. Polish that off with some flan from Publix, and I call that a perfect meal!

Mochi Madness

Oh, Mochi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1)You have the best taro yogurt I have ever eaten in my life (and I'm a bit of a taro yogurt nut).
2)You have delicious mochi ice cream balls (which, unfortunately, I do not think are gluten free...sigh... I did so love the red bean flavor.).
3)Your downtown location is convenient and pleasant. It is also by my favorite movie theater.
4)Your staff is friendly and helpful.
5)You always have the best movies playing in your store. (Tonight was Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory AND Charlotte's Web.)
6)You now serve boba tea.

What? Boba tea! Amazing! Taro yogurt AND the best beverage ever? Yes! Mochi Downtown has boba tea. Actually, they have boba tea and boba smoothies in many delicious flavors for our drinking pleasure.

One should note, however, that the Mochi yogurt is made with Danactive yogurt, and Dannon's gluten NONstatement states that while none of their yogurt is formulated with gluten containing products, they cannot guarantee that their stabilizing agents (referring to alcohol stabalizers, which may or may not be derived from corn instead of wheat, rye, barley, or oat) do not contain trace amounts of gluten. I will say that I have never had an issue with just their yogurt. I have, however, had issues when I've eaten their toppings. I suspect that they cut their fruit on the same cutting board as their pound cake, cookie dough, etc. I have no concrete proof of this, but I do know that I've only had a reaction when I've added toppings to the yogurt.