Good Friday ~

Easter is just two days away and on this Good Friday I look outside my office window to see the snow falling...yes, snow on April 10th. Evidently, this is spring in Nevada.

In my last post I wrote about the possibility of my mother also having Celiac Disease but I don't have an update for you yet - she's still awaiting test results. We are all curious, though I think she's a bit afraid to call the Dr.'s office to find out! We understand.

I wanted to share with you my two gluten-free foodie experiences that I had this week here in Reno:

On Tuesday afternoon I stopped by the local Great Harvest Bread Company in the Plumbgate Shopping center to see if the rumors of gluten-free fresh-baked bread on Monday's and Tuesday's was true - it is! I picked up a delicious loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread that is actually quite tasty and light. They also bake plain white bread and pumpkin bread on Monday's and made-to-order items. If you live in the Reno area, it would be worth a try. It just felt special to walk into a bread company and request a loaf of bread from the rack and then walk out feeling quite "normal"...I know it's only bread, but it's also progress!

Another tasty experience happened yesterday while dining at Beaujolais Bistro with a client. I had the pleasure of working on a TV shoot two weeks ago at this Bistro for another client, and at 5 a.m. Chef/owner Bill Gilbert had prepared an amazing rabbit confit that we were all enjoying, along with some wine for breakfast! I had never dined on rabbit before, mostly due to my affection for the little creatures, but after a 3 a.m. wake up call, the savory, buttery aroma won me over and I dug in for my first bite of authentically prepared rabbit with amazing beans imported from France, sprinkled with hazelnuts...my mouth is watering just recounting and writing this...and yes, it was all gluten-free.


Yesterday's lunch was just as lovely. I ordered the scrumptious Omelette (Organic eggs) with mushrooms and Gruyére, served with a perfect organic salad, drizzled with an amazing vinaigrette. The flavors of this meal were bursting in my mouth and in all honesty, conjured up memories of dining in Paris and France. The freshness of every ingredient is hard to find in this city or in the majority of restaurants, in general. The care and understanding of real French cuisine is defined at Beaujolais Bistro and by Chef Bill.

In addition, the majority of their daily soups are gluten-free and thickened with a light cream, vs. a heavy flour base. Be sure to ask your server but each time I've visited now, I've reviewed the menu with both the Chef and server to discuss what is and isn't safe for a Celiac, and they are very helpful and careful.

It's still snowing and gloomy outside but on this particular day, Good Friday, it seems appropriate. However, by Easter Sunday we should be experiencing temperatures in the high 60's and lots of sunshine ~ just in time to celebrate Life!

Happy Easter and don't eat too many chocolate bunnies!

Cheers ~

A View of San Francisco, Gluten-free ~

It's Monday again....how did that happen?! Time flies, as did my last weekend trip to my hometown of San Francisco. What a wonderful location on the map. The great thing is you can grow up in that city, spend most of your formidable adult years there, yet still go back for a visit and have the ability to play tourist - rediscovering favorite haunts, and stumbling upon new ones.

I guess like most any metropolitan city, this can be the case, but in spite of all the travels I have made on this big, beautiful globe, I can honestly say that coming back "home" to San Francisco always fills my heart with pure joy and a sense of peace.

Isn't that nice?!

You know what else is nice...eating so well and so easily gluten-free in this city. Not as easy as say, Italy or New York...but pretty close. You can dine at open markets at the Ferry Building or at almost any SF restaurant safely, though I do have my list of tried and true that I tend to stick to that have been mentioned before.

Here's my photo essay from my gluten-free weekend in San Francisco ~


The SF Ferry Building tower on the Embarcadero ~


Amazing produce at the Farmer's Market~



The ever-famous Buena Vista Bar ~ Home of the SF Irish Coffee (not GF)






A view of Iluna Basque in North Beach ~

Gluten-free "Normalcy"...Happiness in a Bowl or Two~

It's not often that a Celiac is able to walk into a lovely Italian restaurant, or restaurant of any kind, and sit down to order gluten-free pasta that's made to order right off of the regular menu! Well, recently it was my lucky night as this delicious "Genoa" shrimp, pesto-cream, and pine nuts with gluten-free fettuccine pasta dish you see above was just what the doctor ordered...and it was fantastico! The pasta was light and held its shape perfectly, and the entire time I was eating this savory dish I kept pinching myself that this was a gluten-free dish being served in a terrific and authentic feeling Italian wine bar, in the U.S...for a minute I thought I was back in Italy - it was that good.

I was able to order this wonderful dish at a Boise restaurant, Asiago's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar on W. Main Street. It's quite a savvy and hip eating establishment with a cool bar and wine cellar used for dining and wine tastings. Asiago's also has enjoyable window seating and a lovely patio that opens up onto the street...did I mention the enoteca-styled interior with a mural of "the boot"...AKA..Italy carved out nicely on the main-facing brick wall. Delizioso!

If you are a Celiac or not - definitely visit the lovely Asiago's Wine Bar and enjoy feeling like a "normal eater," as you order off the large two-paged menu and for an hour or two, feeling like you're dining abroad.


Last week I created a new gluten-free Taco recipe and thought I would share this tasty and spicy Mexican dish with you...and it is also happiness in a bowl or on a plate.

We decided on chicken tacos with 100% corn tortillas, along with tasty black beans, some fresh-seasoned rice and yes-oh-yes...Sangria - Ole!

I prepared this chicken taco dish with a bit of a kick, though I didn't actually realize how much of a kick...pheeeew! It was a simple meal that can be added to or minimized according to your individual taste buds~ Serves 3-4 people.

Vamanos:

- 2-3 (organic) chicken breasts, chopped

- 1 sliced onion (any kind)

- 1 orange and yellow chopped peppers

- 1 small can of chile verde (all I found were gluten-free)

- 2 Tbsp. of good olive oil

- 1 Tbsp. of garlic salt

- 1 can of organic black beans

- 1 small can of organic corn

- 1 package of quality maize/corn (only!) tortillas of your choice

- 1 package of manchego cheese

- 2-4 servings of steamed basmati rice

- 2 sliced avocados

- 2 diced tomatoes

- 1/2 chopped head of butter lettuce

- 1 jar of your favorite salsa (we chose a local favorite)

First, I would prepare the rice in your steamer and get that started - takes about 20minutes...then I simply browned the onion and then chopped up up the chicken breasts and placed them in the skillet with the olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Let the chicken start to whiten on the outsides, then add in the chopped peppers and sautee for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to keep from browning too much. After 10 minutes (or when the chicken is well on it's way to being cooked) add in the chile verde sauce - now, I unknowingly used the entire can and though tasty, whoooo, light'em up baby. I would advise using 1/2 the can...or to your preferred taste.

As the chicken is cooking to perfection, combine in a saucepan the black beans and corn after draining both and let simmer on low-med heat. Then chop the tomatoes, avocado and lettuce and place on separate serving plates and shred or crumble the manchego cheese and voila...your toppings are ready to go. I also highly recommend making some guacamole to top off your taco/tostada dish.

Lastly, steam your tortillas or make your own like I did - muy bueno! Then it's the fun part - the creation of your own tacos!

Do you layer with beans first...or cheese and then the rice, or perhaps you start with the delicious chicken verde and then pile on the goods - it's all up to you and rest assured, it most likely tastes equally delicious in the tummy, no matter how you stack it! Just don't forget to add salsa and plenty of guacamole. Your taste buds will thank you.

If you have a favorite GF taco recipe - please share them.

Enjoy and Ole~