Great Deals at Chops Meat Market!

A reader recently tipped us off to the great gluten-free options at the new Chops Meat Market in Burnside. (They’re located at the very bottom of Wright Avenue in the black and red building behind the Ultramar on Windmill Road.) One look at the recent deals on their Facebook page and we knew we had to pay them a visit!

Although you could tell that they are still getting organized and getting stock in, we were pretty impressed at the selection of meats and gluten-free items. Things that caught our eye included:

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Happy National Poutine Day!

I have two pieces of exciting news! One, today is National Poutine Day. Two, Celiacs don’t have to miss out on this delicious dish.

If you’re dining out, there are a few fast food chains that do not use gluten in the preparation of their poutine. (That also means that French fries are cooked in a dedicated fryer.)

• McDonald’s
• New York Fries
• Smoke’s Poutinerie (peppercorn gravy only)

Remember that the possibility of cross-contamination always exists, and to make sure that you inform the restaurant of any intolerances or allergies when ordering.

A safer bet is to make poutine at home. You just need three ingredients:

• French fries (we usually make our own by chopping up potatoes and deep-frying them)
• Leftover roast gravy (from our Market-Fresh Pot Roast or Easy Gluten-Free Roast recipes)
• Fresh cheese curds (we love Fox Hill cheese!)

If we don’t have leftover gravy, it’s easy to mix some up using a gluten-free mix from Maxwell’s Kitchen or Club House! (If you’re using Club House, make sure that you get the package that specifically says gluten-free and has the logo from the Gluten-Free Certification Program on it.)

Happy National Poutine Day!

 

Celiacs are Welcome at Burger Week!

The second annual Halifax Burger Week is upon us! With over 50 restaurants in this year’s lineup, Celiacs have a number of options to choose from.

The first two entries that stand out are from Heartwood and enVie. We haven’t reviewed either restaurant, but both list a gluten-free bun option right in their Burger Week entry!

There are also some amazing places that we’ve reviewed on the list.

• We’ve confirmed that both locations of Finbar’s can make their lamb burger gluten-free.
• The chef at Jamieson’s Irish House & Grill has Celiac disease, and we’ve always found them extremely accommodating.
• Both Relish and Flipburger offer tons of gluten-free options. The French fries at Flipburger are gluten-free, too!
• Rock Bottom Brewpub has one of the best burgers in town, and I’m sure their Burger Week offering will be amazing too.
• 2 Doors Down is one of our favourite spots in the city. We’re not sure if their Burger Week sliders will be gluten-free, but their Old School Cheeseburger (off the regular menu) is fantastic!

Another burger that we’d like to try is the one from Darrell’s. We’ve heard amazing things about their gluten-free options, but we haven’t made it there yet.

Let us know what you’re trying for Burger Week!

Results are in From the Great Gluten-Free Beer Experiment!

It can be hard to find good gluten-free beer. Brands that are 100% gluten-free use grains like sorghum, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, and millet. Unfortunately, it can be hard to mimic the taste of “real” beer without the flavour of barley. (Montréal-based Glutenberg is our favourite, and pretty easy to find in Nova Scotia. Other parts of the country and the U.S. have far more options, such as Mongozo, Green’s, and New Planet.)

Another, more controversial, method of making gluten-free beer is to make beer in the traditional way (with barley) and then treat it to remove the gluten. U.S.-based brewery Omission does this, as well as the Spanish brewery Estrella Damm Daura. Both take great lengths to assure consumers of the safety of their products: Estrella Damm Daura is marketed as “suitable for Celiacs” and Omission tests each batch and puts the results on each bottle, with a QR code that takes you to a more detailed report.

Some Celiacs feel that it’s dangerous to consume anything that originally contained gluten, but there are other products (like wheat glucose and blue cheese) that are manufactured to remove gluten. What sold me on Omission is their Celiac CEO, who has been testing their products for years.

Michael recently started making homemade beer and decided to look into how Omission makes their beer gluten-free.

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Sobeys’ Compliments Brand Launches Gluten-Free Line!

Updated with more products!

Last year, Loblaws’ President’s Choice brand launched a gluten-free baked goods line. Since then, they’ve expanded into baking mixes, pastas, and crackers. The other day, we were picking up some Udi’s bread at our local Sobeys, and we noticed that there is now a Compliments line of gluten-free baked goods, rolls, and breads!

The product list includes:

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The Best (And The Rest) of 2013

In 2013, gluten was in the news more than ever. Brands like Pillsbury, Breton, Catelli, and Dempster’s started offering gluten-free items. Even Tim Hortons hopped on the bandwagon with certified gluten-free coconut macaroons! Celiacs also received support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with improved labeling and regulations, as well as a new gluten-free certification program from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and the Canadian Celiac Association.

To wrap things up, here are some highlights from 2013.

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Gluten Zero Bread Hits the Shelves

Several weeks ago, a friend and blog reader told us that they found gluten-free Dempster’s bread (called Gluten Zero) in the bakery section of their local Sobeys! Last week, we found some in the Downsview Mall Sobeys, so we picked up a loaf of white bread to try. (It also comes in multigrain.) At $5.99, the price is comparable to brands like Udi’s and Glutino, although the loaf is slightly smaller. (We did get a coupon that brought the price down to $4.99). One of the nice things about this bread is that it is not supposed to be frozen by the retailer: it’s baked and delivered fresh within a few days.

Here’s what the bag looks like:

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Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cookie Mix Now Available in Canada!

Betty Crocker’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix is finally here in Canada! We found a 1078 gram box for $9.69 at the Bayers Lake Costco today. There are two pouches in the box, enough for about 60 cookies.

I’ve purchased these mixes in the United States before, and I really love them. They have a great taste and texture, and they’re easy to make. They’re also made in a gluten-free facility.

The Betty Crocker site also has a few great recipes featuring this mix. Here are some of our favourites:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Ice Box Cake
• Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Bars
• Dessert Pizza (substitute gluten-free cookie mix for the regular cookie mix that is listed)

If you’ve got more ideas for this fantastic mix, we’d love to hear them!

Gluten-Free Items Now Available at Second Cup!

I stopped by our local Second Cup the other day for a coffee and was delighted to see three gluten-free treats available: coconut chocolate macaroons (packaged individually), nature bars (also packaged individually), and biscotti (in a jar by the cash). Since the first two items were packaged individually, an ingredient list, allergen list, and nutritional information was available right on the wrapper. This information was not available for the biscotti.

I tried a nature bar (which is made of candied pineapple and nuts) and found it quite delicious and filling. However, I think the allergen information on the wrapper might give Celiacs some pause. The list clearly states that wheat may be present, although it has been tested to below 20 parts per million (Health Canada’s requirement for gluten-free labeling.) Although it’s nice to have gluten-free options, extremely sensitive Celiacs may want to stay away from Second Cup’s gluten-free treats.

It’s worth noting that this follows the availability of gluten-free coconut macaroons at Tim Hortons. These products contain no gluten, have been manufactured in a dedicated facility, and are certified by the Canadian Celiac Association. Several years ago, Starbucks tried offering gluten-free products, but cancelled the test run. It will be interesting to see if they give it another try!

FDA Releases Gluten-Free Position Statement

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an official position statement on what foods can be labeled gluten-free. Key points of the ruling:

• Foods labeled “without gluten,” “free of gluten,” and “no gluten” are all held to the same standard
  
• Foods must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten to be declared gluten-free
• Gluten-containing grains that have been processed to remove gluten (such as Omission and Estrella Damm Daura beers) can be labelled gluten-free as long as they are tested and show less than 20 parts per million of gluten

Food producers have a year to meet the new guidelines. The FDA estimates that about 5% of foods in the United States that are labelled gluten-free actually contain more than 20 parts per million of gluten, so Americans may see fewer gluten-free foods on the shelves.

These guidelines are similar to Health Canada’s position statement on gluten-free labeling.

This comes on the heels of a recent announcement by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (the American equivalent to the Canadian Celiac Association) that they are partnering with the CCA in their gluten-free certification program, ensuring consistent gluten-free certification in both countries. This certification process is much more rigorous than the gluten-free labeling rules, requiring extensive auditing, interviewing, and testing.