Let’s Eat Out with Celiac/Coeliac & Food Allergies!: A Timeless Reference for Special Diets by Kim Koeller & Robert La France

               As someone with a food allergy, I understand how hard it is to go out and eat.  With so many things to consider, what is supposed to be an enjoyable time can become very stressful.  Traveling can be even more difficult.  At home I have learned which places to trust.  Out on the road everything becomes suspicious as the ingredients and preparations are all different.

                A couple weeks ago I was reading the travel section from the Chicago Tribune and I saw a book I knew I had to get.  Let’s Eat Out with Celiac/Coeliac & Food Allergies! sounded like just the thing so many people need in their lives.  I checked my library system and found out my local library did have a copy.  Not many days later I picked it up and began to look through.             

                The book is broken down into sections with the first few about personal stories and general information.  This is followed by sections concentrating on different types of restaurants.  These were the sections I found most interesting.  Each type of cuisine uses its own ingredients and preparations.  All create concern for someone who is gluten free or has a food allergy.  The book informs the reader as to what to look out for and which questions to ask.  Reading through everything I was surprised at how many things I would have never thought to ask about.

                After the cuisines there are a few more sections which concentrate on snacks, travel advice, and additional resources. There is so much information that it would take a long time to read it all. But I feel the time would be worth it. This book will really help those who are gluten free or have a food allergy not only in their travel but in their everyday life as well.

Schar Baguette

               The baguette.  It’s the infamous symbol of French bread.  Recently I found Schar’s baguette at Outpost Natural Foods.  For more places for Schar products look at www.schar.com.

                Now you can have garlic bread with your Italian food.

Pizza at Transfer Pizzeria-Cafe

                If I could not eat pizza, I do not know what I would do.  While because of my own food allergy I cannot eat all pizza, I am grateful that there are many restaurants where I can eat it.  To find a restaurant where I can eat the pizza and they have gluten free offerings is a really good thing.  Transfer Pizzeria-Café on Mitchell Street in Milwaukee is one of those places.                 
                For a little bit extra in cost, Transfer’s pizza can be put on a gluten free crust. This is great because Transfer has so many really good types of pizza. The menu is pretty extensive with all different kinds of possibilities. I have not had them all, but the ones I have eaten have been very tasty. The two I have eaten the most are the Da Vinci and the Tutti Vegetariani. If there was not so many to try, I would probably get these two all the time. To see what you may like, check out the menu on Transfer’s website transfermke.com.

Gluten Free Registry

            While I was shopping at Outpost Natural Foods the other day I noticed a man looking at gluten free baked goods.  I asked him if he was gluten free and he said yes.  While we were talking he told me about the Gluten Free Registry as a good way to decide where to go out to eat.  This is why I tribute this post to him.

The web address is www.glutenfreeregistry.com.  Once on the site, you simply pick a state and a city.  This will give you a list of gluten free possibilities for places such as restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores.  There is also an app whose search can be used by entering a zip code.  The list given can be used as a starting point as we realized during our own search that not all the gluten free restaurants in our city have been listed.  I hope more will be added as time goes on. 

             Good hunting.

Sabra Hummus

                  I know a lot of people turn up their noses at the mention of hummus.  For what reason people feel that way, I am not quite sure.  Maybe it is because hummus comes across as such a health food.  A lot of people do not like the thought of anything that could fall in that category.  I am here to tell you, hummus can be really, really good!  Sabra Dipping Co., LLC. proves this. 

                Sabra has so many different flavors of hummus.  My favorites are Roasted Red Pepper and Sun Dried Tomato.  They can be used as dips with chips, crackers, or warm pita bread.  It also works well spread on a tortilla and made into a wrap.  I am sure there are tons of other ways to use hummus, but the warm pita bread and tortilla are the ways I use it most often.

                The great thing about Sabra is most of the hummus flavors, if not all, are gluten free. Sabra’s website, sabra.com, has very clear information about each flavor. It lists the ingredients and has little symbols to represent certain aspects, such as gluten free. The nutrition information is also given. Most major grocery stores, including Pick ‘N Save, carry the Sabra brand. The big tubs of hummus can be found at Sam’s Club.

Chex Cereals at Pick ‘N Save

              You have probably seen the commercials about the flavors of Chex Cereals that are gluten free.  I am here to say don’t just see them as something to eat with milk, try them as a crust.

                I use them for crumb crusts.  Look at survivingtheallergylife.blogspot.com to see how I used Chocolate Chex on my June 15, 2013 post.

                Chex Cereals can be found at all major grocery stores.

Caramels at Glorioso’s Italian Market

                 My mother and I first came upon the caramels of Becky’s Blissful Bakery a few years ago at the Tosa Farmer’s Market.  There were some samples out and my mother and I were intrigued.  We gave them a try and found the caramels to be very good.  Then we heard that the caramels were gluten free.  That was fantastic news.  It meant we had yet another treat we could send off to California.  We bought some and off they went.  I do not know for sure, but I suspect the caramels did not last long once they hit my brother’s door.  They were probably eaten pretty quickly, especially since they contained cashews.       

                Not too long after discovering the caramels at the Farmer’s Market, I began seeing them appear in stores.  The first place I recall coming upon them was at Outpost Natural Foods.  I was really happy to see the business of Becky’s Blissful Bakery growing.  Now the business has grown even more and I see the caramels all over the place.

                When I saw the caramels at Glorioso’s Italian Market on Mother’s Day, I knew I wanted to write about them.  They are a great product, and as I said, they have been popping up all over the place.  I still see them at Outpost and I have come across them at Cermak Fresh Market as well.  The website for Becky’s Blissful Bakery has a list with far more retail locations than I mention here.  If you do not happen to live near any of the locations, the caramels can be ordered from the website.  There are also descriptions of each caramel flavor and whether or not it contains gluten.  Currently only one is labeled as having gluten and that is the Beer and Pretzel Caramel.

                I have not seen Becky’s Blissful Bakery at the Tosa Farmer’s Market recently, but I have a feeling that is because during the Farmer’s Market’s operating hours, Becky’s Blissful Bakery has its own store open in Pewaukee.  That I have not been to yet, but I think it would be fun to visit.  For more information on everything to do with the caramels of Becky’s Blissful Bakery, visit their website www.beckysblissfulbakery.com.

Note: Since this post was originally published, these caramels became no longer available at Cermak Fresh Market.  Please check the Becky’s Blissful Bakery website for the most up to date retail locations.