Jalebi/Chhena Jalebi/Mithai

When I ate Indian one day, I tried a Jalebi and loved it. Then I asked one of the servers what it is made of, and of course, it’s wheat. Ever since that day, I’ve tried to find Jalebi that is made without wheat. Fortunately, I found something at Patel Brothers on Lafayette Road. It was called Mithai on the packaging, but a little Internet research has turned up that it’s generally call Chhena Jalebi, or cheese Jalebi. It’s almost as good as the original. Granted, I ate the wheat Jalebi when it was warm, and the cheese Jalebi at room temperature, so that might have made the difference. I like to eat the Jalebi with ice cream. There are plenty of other GF goodies at the various Indian grocery stores along Lafayette Road, but I’ll save that for another post.

Snyder's of Hanover: GF pretzels

I’ve wanted to try these pretzels ever since I’d heard that they were available in Indy. Finally, during one of our trips to Whole Foods, I remembered about them and bought a bag. As Brandie would say, “OMG, these’re good!” I ate them as a snack to get me through until dinner, but it was hard not to eat the entire bag. I just kept eating and eating and eating. Brandie had to take the bag and hide it, so I wouldn’t ruin my appetite. I would definitely buy these pretzels again, and I think they would be great dipped in chocolate, which is an experiment Brandie and I want to try someday.

Brandie here - I gotta say, GF pretzels are definitely one of those products that are just better GF. I would actually eat GF pretzels over 'regular' pretzels any day.

Enjoy!

Trader Joe's Creme Brulee

I am a huge fan of crème brulee, and when I saw that Trader Joe’s not only sold some, but it was GF, I had to try it. Fortunately, I didn’t have to convince Brandie too much. It is delicious. Not only is it great crème brulee, but it comes in a thin chocolate cup which makes it even better. I could eat these everyday for dessert and never get tired of them.

Look for it in the frozen section. Take them out about 30 minutes or so before you want to eat them (although Brandie prefers them slightly frozen).

Enjoy!

Recipe: 7 Layer Dip

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 LB beef

-1 (16oz) can refried beans

-4c shredded cheese

-1 (8oz) container sour cream

-1c guacamole

-1c salsa

-1 (2.25oz) can black olives, chopped

-1/2c chopped tomatoes

-1/2 c chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Brown beef, set aside to cool.

2. Spread beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch serving tray that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2c shredded cheese on top of beans.

3. Sprinkle beans on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef.

4. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly.

5. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and onions on top.

What I love about this dish: you can mix things up. If you don't like guacamole, don't add it. You can use shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese. There are so many ways to individualize it.

Enjoy!

GF Progresso Soup

So this may not be news to you, but we were shocked when we found out there were some soups that Tommie could eat from Progresso. If you click on the title of this entry it will send you to the Progresso site that has a complete list.

Enjoy.

Allyou.com GF article: Eat Well, Gluten-free

One of Tommie's co-workers tore out this article and gave it to him to read. I just wanted to let everyone know about it. It is pretty short, but has a couple of recipes and product reviews.

If you click on the title of this blog entry it will direct you towards their website.

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: P.F. Chang's

So Tommie and I had a postponed Valentine's dinner on Saturday at P.F. Chang. This was our first time going and I know, we're probably the last people in Indianapolis to dine there. Let me just sum up our experience in one word: AWESOME.

We had the P.F. Chang's for Two which is a four course meal for $39.99. We had the following:
Appetizer: GF chicken lettuce wraps
Soup: GF egg drop
Entree: GF Chang's Spicy Chicken and GF Pepper Steak with white and brown rice
Dessert: chocolate mousse(GF) and cheesecake(not GF)

I had heard so many great things about P.F. Chang's that I figured I'd be disappointed - that I would have my hopes so high that it couldn't possibly be that good. However, it was that good, as a matter of fact it was even better.

We made reservations online, and was that a good thing. When we arrived to the restaurant about 7:10PM (our reservation was 7:30PM) it was crazy packed. I thought that we'd never get a seat but they actually seated us early. Then our service was so great. Tommie explained about being gluten-free and the server was old-hat at gluten-free. He knew right off the bat what we could eat and he still wanted to confirm with the chef that everything would be up to standards.

Our enter experience was excellent and this will not be the last time that we visit P.F. Chang's. I just hope that next time I remember we have a 'Warrior' card and use it to get an even greater deal.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Patachou

I received a comment from a blog reader that Tommie and I should try out Cafe Patachou. I had heard from others that this place was pretty darn good and that they're gluten-free toast option was kick-butt. So, the other morning after working a 12 I decided to take my honey out for breakfast.

We drove over to Broad Ripple and sat down for breakfast. I was first amazed at how fast paced and packed the place was. Their reputation of being popular was definitely head on. The cashier suggested we take a seat wherever.

Before I go any further, I do want to commend Patachou on their gluten-free options. I can't think of any other place in the city where we can get gluten-free toast. That being said, we weren't impressed.

I got the waffle (with no pecans - I'm allergic) and Tommie got the corned beef hash with Udi's gluten-free toast. We both had water to drink (the tea was $4.50 a cup!!! - I find that expensive). We also ordered a side of bacon to share (there really weren't a lot of meat options for breakfast).

My waffle came with a small cup of mixed fruit and it was just okay. The waffle was soggy and I didn't find the batter that tasty - without the powdered sugar it would have been terribly plain and tasteless. Tommie said his corned beef was okay, it was basically a bunch of onions and peppers with small bites of potatoes and beef. He was excited to get 2 full slices of toast. His corned beef also came with two eggs on top. The bacon - well, I don't like mine with fat or bendy. Needless to say, I didn't like the bacon.

Positives:
-If you like coffee they have a great deal, pay for one cup and the rest is self-serve and they had a great selection.
-The atmosphere is pretty casual, business suits to sweat pants.
-If you like eggs for breakfast, this is your place.

Negatives:
-This place was packed. There were a couple of tables waiting to place an order and the poor couple next to us had two little kids and I thought that at one point they were going to walk out (they waited about 10 minutes to be acknowledged).
-If you don't like eggs (I know, I'm a freak) then this isn't the place for you to eat breakfast.
-I found it kind of pricey for what you get. Our total was $22.45 for breakfast. Perhaps I'm just cheap.

Overall, we'll probably not go again. It didn't leave a lasting impression and the fact that they served Udi's isn't motivating us to go back for more.

Udi's Bagels

One thing I missed when I was diagnosed with Celiac was bagels. There were a few out there at the time, but they were either chewy like pipe foam, or dry and crumbly, turning to sand in your mouth. Because of this, I gave up my love of bagels and wept bitter tears whenever I’d see people eating them.

Then I found Udi’s bagels.

When I tried the first one, it was like a Hallelujah moment. I thought that somehow I’d gotten regular gluten-y bagels, so I double-checked the bag. Sure enough, it said gluten-free, but I couldn’t believe it. Now, I’ve found my bagel, and I try to wheedle a bag out of Brandie whenever we go to Kroger. I give these bagels two thumbs up, 5 stars, and an A++.

If you are buying your Udi's bagels at Krogers then check for coupons in the store because you might be surprised when you find a Udi's stand with $1.00 or .75$ off coupons!

Review: Against the Grain Gourmet Frozen Pizza

Brandie and I found these at Whole Foods and decided to give them a try. We were not disappointed at all. They held up very well while baking, and didn’t get too dry or brittle. I had a couple of bites where the crust tasted a little sweet, but that may have just been in my head. Overall, the crust was good, and I would definitely give it another go.

Also, the size was comparable to any pizza you'd get out at a restaurant. I would definitely eat this pizza again!