Product Review- Blendtec

Kayleigh here. Now, since the breadmaker deserved its own post, I feel like it's time to spotlight another weapon in our anti-gluten arsenal- the Blendtec. Yes, a blender. But hear us out- it's a big up-front cost, but it'll save you LOADS in the long run.

Jason has been dreaming of buying a Blendtec for years now, since the creation of those ridiculous “Will it Blend” videos. If it can pulverize cubic zirconia, then it must be able to make a decent frozen drink! So, with dreams of Strawberry Daquiris and homemade milkshakes tantalizing our mental tastebuds, we took the plunge as our first major apartment purchase.

When it first arrived, I was surprised to find a rather large cookbook amidst the packing paper and blender parts. Even more surprised when the majority of the book was NOT drinks. No sir, this fancy machine can blend, grind, mill, pulverize, and even clean itself! From mixing pancake batter, to processing peanuts into butter, to grinding coffee beans, you can do almost any task that requires a bit of horsepower. And believe me, this last month has seen MANY batches of homemade nut butters, and the blades are not any worse for wear.

Now, why does this belong on Gluten Free Singularity? Well, because gluten free flours are expensive! And what are they, really? Finely ground versions of a lot of common household staples. So far, we have used the Blendtec to make several different rice flours, buckwheat flour, and even coconut flour, all with a single press of a button! Sure, some flours and starches (like corn) are still cheaper and easier to just buy pre-ground, but being able to do this with the harder to find varieties has been a HUGE boon to us.

Jason here. Like Kayleigh mentioned, I have wanted a Blendtec for a long long time. I have never liked beer, and most other alcohol, but I have always loved frozen daiquiris. For at least the first 2 weeks we had the blender I would say we made strawberry daiquiris every other night. I have used a few blenders in the past and seen some struggle with ice, and some even completely fail to blend ice at all. Not the blendtec- this thing makes perfect frozen drinks everytime, exactly to my taste.

But there is one more reason I have always wanted a Blendtec, and this is because of a homemade recipe my Dad and I came up a long time ago when I was still in elementary school. We knew a popular frozen drink was taking Kool-aid packets and dumping those in with some ice, and a little bit of water, to make frozen Kool-aid drinks. We began thinking, why not use other powders, and finally settled on using iced tea mix powder. Wow did we settle on something delicious. It is very sweet, sugary. The basic recipe is to add about 4oz of ice tea mix, 2 oz of water (or Mountain Dew), and about 10 ice cubes. You can add more or less of the various ingredients to suit your tastes. I have found this to be a cheap summer frozen drink, since ice tea mix is fairly inexpensive.

Now, the model we purchased is the Wildside 120V from Amazon here. Different suppliers will have different models, so be careful to do your research before making a decision. Warantees can also vary, since only official Blentec vendors can actually be held responsible for it. If you want the blender mainly for milling your own flours, or plan on using it commercially, then they do actually offer a kitchen mill for purchase at a lower price than the blender. But for our needs, the two-in-one has been working just wonderfully.

Whole Foods To Go Review

Kayleigh here. One of the hardest things about gluten free dining is definitely the fast food conundrum. Sure, most larger chains post allergen information on their websites, but the vast majority of those storefronts are NOT going to be trained in preventing cross-contamination. Maybe the burger patty doesn't have gluten, but what is to say it was not prepared on the same counter as the buns already?

Thus, when we needed a quick dinner on our way to the Olympia National Forest, the options were...a tad limited. Trying to avoid the mainstay of pizza takeout, we decided to give Whole Foods a shot. Now, the reviews on their gluten free standards have been mixed at best, as many people mention accidental cross-contamination at any/all of their food bars. Most of the time, this is due to other diners using the serving spoons in the wrong container, or knocking a piece of pasta into the neighboring salad. And I am certainly not going to dispute this danger- Whole Foods is very careful to explain that they cannot certify any dish as being gluten free, as they use but one kitchen to prepare all of their dishes.

This is exactly why we chose to gave them a shot, actually. With an employee stationed at every turn, they were very professional and patient in listening to our needs, and quick to give us not only the gluten disclaimer, but complete nutritional information on each and every dish displayed. Additionally, each employee was able to point out what stations were better equipped (the sandwich station had gluten free bread options, and areas like the Deli are server-operated, so there would not be customer contamination).

Jason here. I was certainly worried about finding some nice fast food to eat. I still wouldn't say whole foods really qualifies as fast food per-say, but it was fast enough on this day. I got the barbeque pulled pork, and a broccoli salad. The pulled pork tasted just fine, but wasn't anything special. It didn't quiet meet my standards for food on the go since it was slightly messy and required a utensil to eat, but that's okay. I had the same problem with the broccoli salad, however it was significantly better tasting than the generic pulled pork. It had some walnuts, raisins, broccoli of course, and a delicious dressing. I definitely would recommend this if you needed something quick for lunch or a light healthy snack. I was just a passenger for our trip, so eating with a utensil wasn't too difficult for me, but drivers may want to be choosier.

All in all, I will have to say that we are not telling you Whole Foods is a totally safe option, but we came out Scott-free. Use your own judgment, and know your own gluten tolerance levels before dining here. Heed the advice of the employees, and just use your common sense. Are there crouton crumbs in the salad? Is the serving spoon being shared between fried chicken and curry tofu? Maybe not the best choice, then. But if you choose to give it a shot, the food is surprisingly good for a grocery store. And while we miss living in New York and having access to a Wegmans, we can certainly make do here.

Eden B. Bakery Review

EDIT- We are very sad to say, but Eden B. Bakery had to close its doors in October 2013. We have high hopes for the owner, Brooke, to continue helping out the gluten intolerant community in some way or another, so we can update this post again with some good news!

UPDATE- The menu has changed, and changed again since this revisit! Their seasonal rotation provides a wonderful opportunity for us gluten-free lunch-seekers to enjoy sandwiches and sweet treats that really match the mood of the weather outside, and leave us with a better, brighter mood.

Jason here. We've had the best luck discovering a bakery that just opened up on 116th Ave called Eden B. Bakery. The entire bakery is gluten free, so absolutely no worries about cross contamination and mislabeled meals. We have gone twice now and enjoyed a variety of their offerings.

Their first time I tried the delicious oven roasted turkey. Now I know what you thinking, “Oh that sounds so plain and boring”, but you would be wrong. First of all the bread was awesome. It was toasted in a Panini press. Second, the sundried tomato pesto, and balsamic added so much flavor to the sandwich.

We also got some delicious cupcakes with our meal. It’s really hard to describe one good cupcake vs another, but I can at least say they stock a variety of dessert items, so you will find something no matter what your dessert tastes are. The second time we ate there I got a philly cheese steak sandwich, which was their daily special.  I’m from the Philadelphia area so I know a good cheesesteak when I taste it.

Kayleigh here. I've got to agree, I don't think they have anything bad on their menu. I've gotten both the grilled and fresh veggie sandwiches, and just love the amount of flavor they packed into each bite. It's not just a pile of sprouts on the bread- they boost it with a mean marinade! And the bread itself is better than I've had in regular bakeries. Particularly the rosemary honey bread- give it a try!

On top of the lovely food, you're not going to find friendlier people than Brooke and Kendall. Even though we've only made it there for lunch a couple of times, they remembered Jason and I, and treated us like a couple of regulars- now that's customer service! And the owner, Brooke, is more than willing to answer any questions about the menu, or give a suggestion if you're stuck on deciding. And believe me- you may have a problem choosing between all the delectable options.

So, if you find yourself around downtown Bellevue, stop by the Chrysler, Jeep, an Dodge dealership. No, seriously, Eden B. Bakery is nestled just inside the front doors of the dealer. In addition to their regular sandwich and salad menu, they carry an amazing variety of cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and various tarts and other baked goodies, as well as a daily special consisting of an unusual soup or creative new sandwich. Check out their facebook page every morning to see their specials, or just drop by and surprise yourself- no matter what, it'll be a flavor-packed experience!

UPDATE- Since this post, their menu has changed to better fit the season. Click here to see our brief update review!

Product Review- Breadmaker!

So, continuing the theme of presents, we recently received a lovely housewarming gift in the mail- a breadmaker!

Noticing that it came with a recipe booklet, I was completely prepared to sit there and scoff at all the different wheat ideas I could never use, when I noticed a two recipe section for gluten free bread. Well then!

So, with all of the ingredients already lining the cupboard, we immediately threw a loaf together, and sat expectantly in front of the machine, watching it do it's magic.

Well, okay, we played a couple hours of Diablo III, then ambled back in shortly after hearing the beep. The loaf came out easily, perfectly mixed, with the lovely aroma of fresh baked glutinous bread.

The crust on it was lovely, although the top caved in after a bit- guess the liquid amount was a bit off. The bread itself was very hearty and thick- lovely for soups and burgers, but a little too heavy for everyday deli sandwiches. I would still recommend it, although I think Jason and I will continue experimenting to find a fluffier loaf.
Jason here- I used the bread for a couple purposes.
First I used it as sandwich bread. Every morning Kayeigh would make me a delicious turkey sandwich, with American cheese slices, and mayo. The bread was definitely too dense for this purpose. It also tended to break into pieces, since it didn’t have the stretchiness normal bread has. The taste was fine, tasting approximately like regular white bread. The search for good sandwich bread continues.
Next, I used the bread with some chili we made. I found the denseness of the bread made it easier to dip and scoop some chili onto. However, too big of a piece and it would just break into smaller pieces. While it was certainly okay for this purpose, and might be great if someone was just looking for very dense bread, I still prefer bread which holds its shape through a crunchier and stiffer crust then just being all around dense.
I’ll keep eating any bread we create, and we will be sure to report back and successful attempts we have that are worth noting.

Agave Cocina and Cantina Review

Jason here. A week or so ago we got to try out our first Mexican restaurant, Agave Cocina & Cantina , in Redmond. Like Crossroads which we reviewed previously, Agave is also very gluten intolerant friendly. Right on their website, main page it mentions, “Most of our food is gluten-free with the main exception being the flour tortillas.” in big bold letters. Already, the restaurant and I are getting along wonderfully.

The waiter we had was very friendly, and whom I believe was the manager even made a special stop to our table after I asked about gluten free options to explain that most of the options were gluten free, and if I had any questions he would be more than happy to answer them.

I decided I was in the mood for something on the lighter side, so I ordered the Warm Seafood & Spinach Salad. The salad consists of, prawns, scallops, halibut, baby spinach, bacon, roasted wild mushrooms, roasted red peppers, warm cider-tomatilla vinaigrette, and cotija.

I am not normally a big salad person, so believe me when I say the salad was delicious. Usually when you see bacon as an ingredient for salads, it is just very small bacon crumbles sprinkled on top. With Agave though, there was a substantial amount of bacon in the salad which really added a distinct and enjoyable flavor to the meal. Even before our meal came out, we were enjoying some delicious tortilla chips with salsa. All in all, it was great experience with wonderful food.

Kayleigh here. Unfortunately, I did not check whether my meal choice was gluten free, but I can say that the tortillas in the Roasted Butternut Squash Enchilladas tasted corn-based, so the enchillada menu is at least worth asking about. The squash was cooked perfectly, creating a lovely, somewhat sweet taste balance with the black beans and mild cheese. The meal came with a choice of any two of their sides as well, making sure everyone gets something they enjoy. For me, the asparagus and guacamole sides just seemed to good to be true, since they're both dishes that Jason won't touch if I make them at home.

Oh, did we mention the tortilla chips and salsa they put at every table are also safe to eat?

So far with the last few restaurants, our luck has been really good. Hopefully that keeps up so we can deliver some reviews of more very gluten intolerant aware restaurants with equally good menus.

Crossroads Bar and Grill Review

UPDATE 04/04/2013: Driving by the Crossroads location last weekend, we noticed they are no longer open! There are still four other locations around the area ( check here to find the closest one to you), but the Bellevue location is getting turned into a Tutta Bella, which does not seem to promising for the GF crowd.

Jason here. I finally found a place that has decent gluten free wings, Crossroads Bar and Grill. Now I say decent of course, not fantastic which is fine, they do not specialize in wings. What actually peaked our interest was that they clearly displayed on their sign that you can substitute any burger bun, for gluten free buns for a $1. Any restaurant that is innately gluten intolerant aware, I'm willing to try. I was again pleasantly surprised when we got our menus. The menu clearly labeled every gluten free item with a little symbol. There was a nice variety of choices, from salmon, steak, ribs, wings, chicken, burgers, and salads all of which were gluten free, or had easy substitutions such as buns for the burgers. I would note that while the restaurant has a pretty varied menu, it is certainly catered to bar and grill foods, since that is what the restaurant is.

The wait staff was also very pleasant. Aside from just being friendly overall, they were also genuinely cared about the patrons. When my wings came out, I asked what brand of ranch they used, or if they knew if it was gluten free. The waiter said he wasn't sure, but would go ask. He also gave me a scare because he added quickly, that he did not think the wings are gluten free because they are breaded (I do not think they were breaded, but it would be an easy mistake to make on looks alone). He came back and assured me that everything was gluten free. It is very nice when you have a wait staff that care about the patrons which is the case with Crossroads.

My meal consisted of a mixed drink called, "Absolut Sparkling Lemonade",  Garlic Buffalo Wings, and celery with ranch dressing. More and more I see wings come without any celery or carrots, so a tip of my hat to Crossroads for including those. The wings were well cooked, with a nice coating of sauce on the wings. The sauce itself was not very spicy, but very tasty.

The second time we went, I got a Western Round-Up burger substituting a gluten free bun. I asked the waiter if the fries were gluten free and he assured me they most certainly were. So with that I had a side of fries with my burger. The burger comes with cheddar cheese, bacon, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and BBQ sauce. I ordered mine without onions and tomato. The burger was delicious over all. A little messy, so I wouldn’t order this if you are on a date, or trying to look professional. The French fries were crispy on the outside with some fluff on the inside, making them an excellent addition.

Kayleigh here! The first time we went, I was on a huge seafood kick, so I got the coco prawns (which I admit, are not gluten free). Since that's a bit out of the jurisdiction of this here blog, I'll just leave it at a two thumbs up. The second time, I decided to take the GF burger dive with Jason, and got the 'Tree hugger' burger, which is their version of the veggie burger. The rice-based patty was a fantastic surprise, when I was fully ready for the usual frozen Morning Star fare, and the bun was lightly herbed, with a lovely texture. And I must say, for any GF diner missing out on good old fast food style fries, look no further than Crossroads! Combining it with a Happy Hour top shelf drink on the rocks is just a bonus!

SUMMARY
Overall, I think the Crossroads Bar and Grill, has been the best restaurant we have gone to in Bellevue. They are very gluten friendly, and it shows through their menu, and wait staff. The food is great and the wait staff friendly.

Deliciously G-Free Cookbook Review

With the internet as our arsenal, Jason and I started our journey of gluten free enlightenment with an enormous array of contradicting and confusing information. While many websites offer gluten free recipes by substituting with GF all-purpose flour, many others recommend shunning the stuff whenever possible, since they tend to be largely diluted with inexpensive potato and rice flours. But, if the mixes are so bad, then what kind of flours SHOULD we buy?

The saving grace in this madness came as an housewarming/engagement present: the Deliciously G-Free cookbook. Yes, it was written by a celebrity. No, this doesn't mean you should ignore it. The beginning of the book shares her story of diagnosis, and how she turned it around into an adventure. The preface then turns into a very thorough explanation of common flours, starches, and gums, explaining not only what they are, but how they behave, and what they help do in gluten free cooking and baking.

From this book, we were able to make a list, and scoured every market in the area (and even a few on the internet), and quickly found that nearly every grocery store in the area had a decent selection in stock for a fair price. With tens of flours now in hand, we made.....waffles.

Well....we used the cookbook's pancake recipe, added chocolate chips, and made waffles. We kinda forgot to buy the sour cream and lemon needed for the book's waffle recipe. But they came out fantastic nonetheless. So fantastic that we made them again a week later.

The recipes in the book range the whole breakfast-to-dessert gamut, so we definitely recommend it for beginning gluten-free cookers, or simply anyone who'd like a few more recipes on the shelf. We'll certainly be trying quite a few of the meals out in the future!

Jason here. The book has been fantastic. As Kayleigh mentioned, the introduction discussing all of the gluten alternative flours is really helpful if you want to do any of your own baking.

The waffles did indeed turn out very well. They were crispy on the outside, but still light and fluffy on the inside. My favorite part was of course the added chocolate chips. I will probably add more next time. Maybe toss some sliced banana's on top.