Another new GF Find

When I was at that natural food store in Reading, MA this was another product I hadn't seen before. I've been eating a lot of wraps as of late, and this one is definitely a winner.

Made by La Tortilla Factory - these Sonoma brand wraps are made with whole grain ivory teff. Teff is a gluten free grain that is high in protein giving each wrap 2g protein and 3g of fiber. You can check out more nutritional information here. 

I found these frozen, took them home and kept them in my fridge.... After two weeks - they were still rolling up without breaking! Here is the proof in the form of that breakfast roll-up I mentioned a few weeks ago:

Wrap, egg whites mixed with salsa and onions, rinsed black beans, avocado slices and drizzled with lemon. Sooo good, healthy & filling.

Newish (to me) Gluten Free Pizza place in Boston!

90 north washington st • boston, ma 02113 617.723.nebo (6326)

I was online the other day (procrastinating of course, I can literally get lost in the world of blogs for hours, it's bad)... ANYWAY - found a restaurant located right next to the North End in Boston, AND, very close to my office called NEBO that serves gluten free pasta, pizza, etc!!!! REJOICE!

Sadly, I haven't had time to get there to try it.... but perhaps a gluten free girls trip is in order SOON?

I'll be sure to report back. Hopefully the pizza is good -- either way, this is the first place to serve GF pizza in Boston (besides Unos).

Their menu doesn't mention gluten free, but I saw this video on Boston.com where they talk about offering a gluten free options.

Trader Joe's GF/DF English Muffins

I was SO PSYCHED when I saw a new gluten free product at Trader Joe's last week. It's funny - every time I go, I check the bread area hoping to see something new, and never have, until now.

And even better than just finding something new - I actually really like them! I'm not sure I like them as much as Glutino or Joan's -- but I'm sure they are cheaper - I can't remember the price, but it was under $5.

So here is a picture story of my beloved breakfast sandwich:

Better Batter - and really good banana bread

When I was at that natural foods store in Reading, MA -- I saw a new box that was not familiar to me - Better Batter. A pre-mixed gluten free flour containing rice and brown rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, and pectin. I was going to try to mix my own gf pre-made mix - but I don't really bake all that much. I had a big bag of Tom Sawyer GF Mix that lasted me about 2 years.... Plus, I've gotta say - i was drawn to this packaging. You don't see much clean, fresh packaging in the gluten free world - and this drives me crazy. 

So props to better batter for both a cute box -and an even cuter website -- speaking of which, definitely check it out - they have tons of really great looking recipes.

Anyway - I had only dug into the 2lb bag I bought one other time to make some beef stew - so last night, I had some very rotten bananas so I decided to make some banana bread. I used Mark Bittman's recipe from "How to Cook Everything" (no surprise here, I only use this book as of late - and it never fails!)

Anyway -- I used 2.5 cups of the Better Batter, and also used 1/2 cup of just brown rice flour - and OH MAN -- by far, the best tasting banana bread I have ever made. I've had a string of bad luck with baking as of late, and this was delicious! Even matt went back for seconds and thirds - which definitely means it was great - and NO weird gluten free taste at all.

Summer is getting closer... slowly.

I love a good ruby red grapefruit. I used to sprinkle it with sugar, but not anymore, and I really don't miss it. These are quite good on their own.

Matt and I have been splitting one in the morning as of late, and I love it because something about it makes me feel like summer is getting closer. And it is - but  very s l o w l y. Warm weather is supposedly in our near future in the NorthEast.

Anyway, the key to enjoying grapefruit is knowing how to cut them. I found out Matt doesn't know how to cut one properly, and misses out on a lot of the goodness -- so be sure to use a good sharp knife, or a serrated knife and cut around the edge first, then along the edge of each triangle, on both sides.

Then, the best part -- squeeze all the juice onto a spoon or into a bowl & drink it up. :)

Best GF Store-Bought Bread I've found....STERK'S

OK -- who has had this before, and why have you been hiding it from me?

I was in Reading, MA at this cute little place in Reading, MA called The Natural Food Exchange and found quite a few GF products that I had never seen before, that I had to buy.

The best one - was Sterk's Italian Bread.

WOW - this is definitely the closest to real bread flavor & texture (when toasted only) that I have found. AND - there are like no calories or fat*, and there is some protein & fiber. Look, there's 7 ingredients in this bread:

I'm not sure how they get it to taste so good... or get the texture so spot on. Look at this delicious breakfast sandwich:

I mean c'mon -- looks like real toast. Needless to say, I ate the entire loaf in 4 days... and now I'm sad that I've run out, and don't have anywhere near me that sells it.

* I am exaggerating when I say "no" fat or calories - but it was really really low for both. Since I devoured the bag, I threw out the packaging and forgot to write it down. Sterk's doesn't have a website, but I found their products for sale here.

Paris is always a good idea.....

Lovely news today.... Matt and I are going to Paris in May!!!

I am beyond excited - we're just going for a short visit, overnight flight on thursday then flying back on Tuesday.

I CANNOT WAIT.

I haven't been to Paris in about 10 years - and when I went, it was only for 2 days, I saw every sight to see quickly via bus, then went to London. I am excited to go with my love - who also speaks pretty decent french - and to let him show me his Paris. (sorry to get super cheese on you there) We are also going with his sister & her husband who we always have a blast with, so it will be AWESOME.

So - an important question -- Are French Macarons gluten free???

(please say yes, please say yes, please say yes)

Also - who's got some good tips for me on being gluten free in gay paree.