Make your own with Liz Steinberg

2. Freshly squeezed juice

Freshly squeezed Pomegranate juice and Orange juice are ubiquitous in Israel. When we visited, persimmons were in season and oranges were out of season, so the ones you saw around the country were not the freshest fruits on the tree, if you get my drift. I was excited to try fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I didn’t really like it. Luckily besides the orange juice (actually very tasty), gourmet fruit stands like the one at Shukhanamal gourmet market at the Tel Aviv Port sell an amazing variety of delicious fruit drinks. I think my favorite was a passionfruit concoction with crunchy seeds and a totally unique flavor that Toddler Yum and I shared. I’d never had anything like it before or since. Jamba Juice eat your heart out. PS Looking for Shukhanamal, my favorite spot for organic produce and other gourmet goodies at the port? Walk to Aroma and then scan the horizon for the Sea Horse logo.

3. Meze or Tapas

Besides the breakfasts, my favorite dining experience in Israel was at seaside restaurants serving assorted meze with bread and grilled, salted, or fried seafood. Especially when traveling overseas, I tend towards a pescatarian diet because when you cut out gluten sometimes there aren’t enough vegetarian gluten-free options to keep well-fed and satisfied. I read another blog where they were talking about a gluten-free diet in Israel and listing the options- and halfway through said, the author commented that it would be hard to keep gluten-free and meat-free in Israel. Well, I didn’t feel the need to eat meat persay but consuming seafood really helped make restaurants feasible and satisfying options. Here is one of the nicest meze spreads we enjoyed at a place in Caesarea called Pondak Hatsalbanim (crusaders) that we read about in Frommers. Although I used a gluten-free dining card at some restaurants, after it often seemed to make things more complicated than not, I ended up just telling them “no wheat/bread” and ended up with an amazing assortment of tapas. I skipped one bean sprout dish that I suspected was seasoned with soy sauce, but I enjoyed the eggplant with mayo, baba ghanoush, olives, beets, hummus, tomato salad, and tahina without bread and then we had a grilled fish that Toddler Yum absolutely loved.

4. Roasted Eggplant with Tahina (tahini)

Make that, roasted eggplant with tahina, hummus with tahina, tahina with tahina. One of my favorite things about food in Israel has to be the availability of tahina and tahina enhanced dishes. Barring cross contamination in the kitchen, roasted eggplant with tahina was usually one of the safer things on the menu, and something that I could eat for almost every meal given the opportunity. Keep an eye on the spices, but for the most part, it was served with nothing more suspicious than a little sprinkling of paprika. I loved the eggplant itself, cooked to sweet and silky softness inside the papery charred, smoky skin, but it would have been just another burnt vegetable without that addictive sesame sauce. If you think you don’t like tahini because it is bitter, honey, you aren’t buying the right tahini. I switched from that cheapo version in the metal tin to the real stuff in glass jars available in Middle Eastern markets and wow, the difference is amazing. The un-toasted health food store variety doesn’t cut it either, if you’re wondering. I don’t know what the difference is, but hunt down some REAL stuff at a market. I think you’ll taste the difference.

5. Hummus with Pine Nuts

Speaking of Tahina, another gorgeous dish that I couldn’t get enough of in Israel was the hummus. Served like this with an almost obscene amount of toasted pine nuts, it was a transcendent dish. And I know you are supposed to eat it with lots of gluten bread, but you can ask them to bring it sans bread. The waitor may look at you strangely, but they’ll do it, and then you can just dig in with a spoon. I might have felt awkward about it, but I saw plenty of Israeli’s doing the same thing, even when they had a big mound of bread next to the dish. It is just that tasty. The stuff in the refrigerator case at Whole Foods has nothing on freshly made hummus at a good Israeli restaurant. Or, even a hole in the wall restaurant in a touristy town next to a Mosque. Try it, you’ll be impressed. Again, do watch the spices, because you never know when gluten will creep in.

6. Turkish Coffee

This stuff is thick, rich, and has a layer of coffee sediment on the bottom you could eat with a spoon, if you were so inclined. We drank the smooth coffee on top and left the grit. Very invigorating (and sometimes very necessary) after a morning hiking around events. Probably the best one we had was at a little middle-eastern place in German town in Haifa. Cardamon adds the perfect touch and I like turkish coffee best when it is spiked with the stuff. It is also naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, which is handy.

7. Olives

I could eat olives at every meal, and that option definitely exists in Israel. They are served with breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. Works for me! Toddler Yum liked the green olives, without the pit, but I liked all of them. This photo was taken at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. I didn’t actually buy anything there but enjoyed soaking up the sights and sounds. If I hadn’t gone so late in our trip I probably would have stocked up on fresh produce to prepare in our kitchen.

8. Dairy

I had no idea how central dairy was to the Israeli diet until I sat down for my first breakfast in Tel Aviv. There was an entire section of the buffet dedicated to dairy in various forms, from curdy cottage cheese to soft cuttable cheese, to my favorite, silky smooth labneh which can be enjoyed plain or with diced scallions or even fresh dill. I ate quite a bit of dairy as part of my breakfast and enjoyed it, although towards the end of the trip I felt like I had eaten so much dairy I might start to moo in my sleep. My favorite unexpected dish involving dairy was this roasted pepper stuffed with feta-like semi-soft cheese, but I only came across it once at a hotel in Haifa. It was so good I’m going to have to try to recreate it. And I’m already trying to figure out how to acquire some real Labneh in the Bay Area.


9. Breakfast Salad

I have never been that crazy about salads, but Israel tested that and made me think maybe I just hadn’t been eating the right salads. When we stumbled down to our breakfast buffet on the first morning, there was this amazing salad with fresh arugula and greens, walnuts, fresh slices of plum, and crumbled cheese. I topped it with olive oil and vinegar and dug in. That salad was a great start to the day, and I vowed to recreate it at home after we got back. Unfortunately after that first day, they switched to apples rather than plum, but it was still good, if not divine. I found that rather than olive and vinegar, I loved drizzling my salads with tahini. A hard boiled egg, some soft cheeses and some olives and I had a nutritious breakfast of champions. Later hotels had a do-it-yourself nicoise salad with boiled potatoes, green beans, and eggs, and sometimes there were basil mozzarella salads with either real fresh mozzarella or a local substitute. You won’t miss salads while on vacation in Israel, that’s for sure!

10. Health Food Store Treasures

I found quite a few health food stores in Tel Aviv and surrounding metropolitan areas, and while they were a little difficult to navigate due to my Hebrew illiteracy, they usually had clearly marked gluten-free sections with extensive selections of gluten-free breads, cakes and cookies. I was a little gun-shy after the first gluten-free bread I tried seemed to bother my stomach, but besides the breads, health food stores are full of great gluten-free pastas, cereals, and crackers. After a while I stopped trying to buy the more exotic stuff and went for the imported stuff with labels I could read. Wimpy, but safe, and it was reassuring to have a staple in my suitcase I knew that I could trust. The pictured health food store was inside the Carmel Market, and had all sorts of goodies. I loved being able to combine a tourist adventure with a quick health food store run. I picked up some gluten-free corn cakes, which turned out to be a brilliant move because the international flight home had (soggy) gluten-free rice cakes with tuna and egg sandwich fillings. I swapped out the soggy rice cakes for corn cakes and had a tolerable, if boring, lunch. I acquired one of the famous gluten-free pita pockets from Adittas at the port, and tried it in my hotel kitchen. It wasn’t bad, but tasted a little beany for my taste. If only I had the nerve to chase down one of the falafel stands offering their famous gluten-free falafel. I had some stomach issues while on my trip and was paranoid about cross contamination, so I didn’t pursue it- but if I go back, you can bet that I will get me some real falafel. I have a feeling that if it doesn’t hurt my tummy, it might be the highlight of the trip for me.

I hope you enjoyed my list of the top ten yummiest (naturally) gluten-free foods in Israel. I enjoyed my trip, and I think if I could read hebrew, I would have enjoyed it even more. I was a little surprised at how stressful it ended up being not able to read even the simplest labels. However, having waitpeople generally able to speak fluent English and researching online ahead of time did help quite a bit, and I learned a lot about a cuisine that I started out knowing very little about. Next, I’m going to try to make Shakshouka at home, one of the most popular hot breakfast dishes in Israel. I can’t wait! And never fear, as soon as I come up with a recipe that I enjoy, I’ll share it with you!

PS I know that you may have your own ideas about what you think the yummiest gluten-free foods are in Israel. I only spent two weeks there, and was a bit conservative about what I ate. I’d love to hear your list of the top 10 gluten-free yummies in Israel. Share in the comments!

PS2 While these foods generally worked well for me, there is no guarantee that they will always be gluten-free. Ask your server at every place, every time as ingredients may change and cross contamination risks will differ from kitchen to kitchen.

My Reviews of gluten-free friendly restaurants in Israel:
Fresh Kitchen: Vegetarian Friendly GF Menu
more coming soon

Fresh kitchen
With locations at
Dizingoff 149, 03-5239933
Ben Yehuda 77 03- 5292687
Yehudah Hamacabi 40, 03-5447701
Bazel 37, 03-5445050
More Branches*

I happened across one of the Fresh Kitchen restaurants when I walked to the Dizengoff Center. It was on the right side of the street as I walked from the Port Area towards the center, just a few streets away from the mall entrance. Like most restaurants in Tel Aviv, they had a handy and easy to navigate English menu. Best of all, each gluten-free dish was marked clearly with a little toast icon. I later found another location at Ben Yehuda that was even more convenient to our hotel near the Tel Aviv Port, so we went to that location one evening after Justin got back from work. We were all hungry, so I ordered a salad with cheese, which had a 5% grated cheese, roasted peppers, young lettuce, arugula, baby greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and toasted almonds as well as one of their quinoa-lentil dishes. I picked the one with more middle-eastern flavors and a tahini sauce, and had them add tofu.

The DH absolutely loved the salad, which surprised me a little. He raved about the combination of the dressing, roasted peppers, and cheese. I think he also enjoyed the almonds. It may have been because he was hungry, but he practically inhaled the salad. I was just glad he liked my vegetarian friendly restaurant. Sometimes I feel bad dragging him to the chains with gluten-free menus when there are so many cool, quirky little restaurants that we could go to if only I could feel confident in getting gluten-free food. I ended up having the salad without dressing but with tahina because the thoughtful waitress said that they couldn’t confirm that the dressing was gluten-free. I appreciated her candor, and felt even better about eating there after she cautioned me about the dressing. I thought the salad was nice, but the real star for me was the healthy and hearty quinoa salad.

The quinoa salad came in several flavor variations, from mexican, to italian, and middle-eastern. I chose middle eastern flavors because, well, we were in the middle-east and it just didn’t seem right to order mexican or italian. I appreciated the vegetarian protein in the tofu, but found it a little bland. The combination of red quinoa and lentils was a real winner, though, and it inspired me. I was surprised at how filling the combination was in a relatively small serving. I was happiest of all by the fact that unlike some of the more chancy meals I had in Israel, this one didn’t hurt my tummy at all, and in fact gave me great energy and a satisfied tummy for the rest of the evening. I would definitely go back and have this dish again- maybe even in a different flavor variation, although I do love my tahina.

*Put the link in translate.google.com and set it to translate from Hebrew to English if you can’t read Hebrew like me

In another lifetime as an intrepid young vegetarian college student, I came to this vegetarian cafe restaurant with my significant other. I didn’t have a food blog at the time, needless to say, so I didn’t document the experience and had forgotten entirely about the place until I found myself standing in a parking lot and then an atrium that was eerily familiar. At that time, I don’t think they had a gluten-free menu, so I had to navigate the place for myself with the help of the waitress. This time, I went specifically because of two phrases that turned up in a google search; “Gluten-free menu” and “Vegetarian.” Those two little phrases don’t come up much together, with a few exceptions. After spending the morning with my Dad at the Pike Place Market, gluten-free vegetarian fare sounded pretty good.

But as usual, when confronted with too many options I waffled. Everything sounded good.

I was going to be sharing with Toddler Yum, so I wanted to find two things to order. I was excited by the prospect of gluten-free sweet potato fries, until I found out that they were fried in a shared vat of oil with gluten stuff. Oops. The waitress helped by suggesting their seasonal pizza, which had heirloom tomatoes, corn, macadamia nuts and cheese. Their description sounded better than mine, but I can’t find it on their current menu, so you will just have to trust my possibly faulty memory and eyeball the pizza to see what I might have left out. There was something green and herbal, I do believe. Cilantro? Basil Pesto? Who knows. The important thing was, when the pizza arrived, it WAS good, and beautiful too. Those tomatoes looked and tasted like they could have come straight out of my prized heirloom tomato garden.

The second menu item was a no-brainer. I was so smitten by the description of their Pesto Potato Quiche that I couldn’t help but order it.

“Caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese baked in the traditional custard with a thin crispy potato crust and topped with fresh basil pesto; served with wild greens dressed in balsamic vinaigrette.”

Um, yes please. We got the order in right in time, too, before they took the breakfast items off the table.

Just as I expected from that luscious description, the quiche was divine. Actually, I would have to say that it is probably the best darned quiche that I’ve ever had. That thin potato crust was perfect, and had me questioning if it was really gluten-free. (It was, but I had to reassure myself by neurotically questioning the waitress.) The filling was truly what took the quiche over into the realm of the heavenly, though. The sophisticated flavor of the cheese… the onions… the pesto… all the flavors melded together and showed me just how amateur the other quiches I’d had (and made myself at home) truly were. Oh, it was so good, and even Toddler Yum agreed. However, once she saw my Dad’s portabella mushroom “burger” and fries, she was too busy stealing his fries* to eat much of my good food. *Toddler Yum is not eating fully gluten-free right now. In fact, we’re trying to feed her gluten regularly so she can have the Celiac bloodwork done. I even had her try some of his gluten bread, although she did not like it.*

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Cafe Flora. The food and the ambiance is equally lovely. We started out in the atrium with waterfall, but moved because they have a kids play area that Toddler Yum became obsessed with on sight. Once she had seen it and gasped in rapture “Oh. My. Goooodness!” I knew keeping her out of it was going to be impossible. We moved closer to the play space. Nice play area and awesome food that didn’t hurt my tummy, even 3 1/2 hours afterwards. Even my hardcore carnivore Dad seemed to enjoy it, and kept the “where’s the beef” comments to a minimum. For him, this is big, so I was happy.

I would definitely recommend Cafe Flora and their sophisticated vegetarian menu for gluten-free folks in the area looking for a tasty meal. I just wish there was a similar place closer to me that I could go to regularly! They even have a cookbook which I assume you can purchase on Amazon for those who can’t make it to Seattle or want to recreate their favorite dishes at home. Sounds good to me!

Other bloggers review Cafe Flora:
Oh Taste N See
Lara Ferroni dot com
Megabeth
Gluten-free review of Cafe Flora:
Gluten-free Travel Site

1) Grab a quick gluten-free meal from a gluten-free friendly fast food chain on your way to the resort, if you have the time. You will probably get tired of fancy food at the resort and a quick, cheap meal in the hand is better than being hungry and confused about your options when you first arrive.

On the drive in, I wanted to get dinner at Picazzo’s gluten-free pizza, a local pizza chain that I once enjoyed in Portland, Oregon. But, time was pressing, so we stopped at In-N-Out instead.* They have safe gluten-free fries and milkshakes, and for those that eat meat they have a protein burger in lettuce. Those in the know say to skip the spread as it has cross contamination, and tell them you have a wheat allergy. The french fries are pretty foolproof, though, unless your companion orders something in a bun and it is snuggled in the bag next to the bun. Long ago, I used to get fries from McDonalds on road trips. This was before the great reveal of meat and wheat (although the gluten is probably denatured). Now that I have In-N-Out as an option in both California and Arizona, I am happy to snub the gross grease sticks at McD’s. The people working at In-N-Out are just so darned nice, too. Other options include Wendy’s with their naturally gluten-free baked potatoes (watch for glove cross contamination) and Five Guys fries, which are fried in dedicated friers in peanut oil. Some people swear by Chipotle’s but I haven’t tried them myself.
*Don’t feel too sad for me missing Picazzo’s. Later in our stay we went to the Tucson Picazzo’s… twice. Review coming soon.

2) Pack or Buy Some Basic Staples to make your life easier.
You may enjoy eating out every meal and trusting to restaurants to provide for you. While a good resort hotel can make reasonable accommodations, especially during regular business hours, I like to have an emergency stash for midnight cereal cravings and to have options for a light meal when I don’t feel like a restaurant experience. I know there is always room service, but I’ve always found that the person taking my order rarely fully “gets” gluten-free so it can be stressful. Besides, room service is always dreadfully expensive! Going on a Target run in your destination city can be a lifesaver.
My Shopping List for Basics:
2 sets of full plastic silverware (unless you like ordering room service a lot or borrowing silverware from the restaurants.)
At least one set of plastic (non breakable, bpa-free preferred) dishes with one cereal sized bowl. If you are minimalist a ziploc type round plastic container will get you far, paired with dishwash solution.
Small dishwash solution or the cheapest dollar store equivalent in a large bottle. You can pitch it prior to packing up.
Freezer safe quart or gallon-sized ziploc bags or your favorite wax paper sandwich sacks etc. for transporting bread to or from your dinner
Gluten-free Dry Cereal (I prefer to buy this in our destination city as it is bulky. Your mileage may vary)
Gluten-free Nuts or Seeds for a quick protein snack. I tend to shop at Trader Joe’s for our nuts. Baby Yum loves sunflower seeds and asks for her “seeds” regularly.
Nut or Seed-butter for a Protein Snack in another form I bought a jar of almond butter in our destination city just for convenience. If peanuts and peanut Cross Contamination is ok for you, Justin’s Almond Butter Squeeze Packs are wonderful for travel. They contain palm oil and some varieties contain sugar. There is a new brand called Barney’s with a similar product that claims to be peanut contamination free.
Gluten-free Protein bars like Lara Bars These are easily available at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts and many other places. Or bring them from home. I like the blueberry muffin, pecan pie, and banana bread varieties myself.
Aseptic Cartons of dairy or dairy-free milk (These do not require refrigeration; just put in your ice bucket prior to opening to chill for best flavor. Bring in your checked bag OR buy from Whole Foods or other health food store.)
Horizon Organic 1 % 8-Ounce Aseptic Cartons
Dairy-free Silk Soymilk 8-Ounce Containers

*If at Target, consider picking up some Gluten-free California Baby Sunscreen in the Baby section. More on this later. Also- if your destination in hot and sunny, pick up any extra clothes that might make your stay more pleasant. Do you or your loved ones have a swimsuit? A long sleeved loose cover up to avoid burns or to wear if you acquire one? How about a long sleeved shirt that you could wear into the pool that will block the rays? Need an extra pair of cheap sunglasses? Sandals you can get wet? Pool toys? Selection at the Resort Gift Shops tends to be limited and pricey, and I bet you’d rather buy things you actually want rather than necessities from them.
Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton Arizona Tip: In June, the Walgreens in driving distance from the resort had cute cheap-o sundresses, sunglasses, flip flops, and plastic beach and pool toys for the kids. They ALSO had an interesting Gluten-free snack- Twice Baked Potato Stix. Note: they are produced in a facility that also processes wheat. That being said, I risked it and it worked for me, but your mileage may vary.
2) Pick up some local gluten-free goodies to take to the resort for snacks. If you won’t have refrigeration (which is the case at the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton), keep shelf-life in mind when purchasing.
If your hotel is a nice one, they may offer some basic gluten-free breads to you at meal-times with advance notice. However, resort meals can get pricey and repetitive, so it never hurts to have something in your room to snack on.
Research local Gluten-free Bakeries in your destination area online prior to your visit or do a search from your Iphone etc. in the car
I read up on gluten-free resources in Phoenix and found the Gluten-free Creations Bakery. Their Phoenix bakery is closed on Saturdays, and their cafe is in Scottsdale and we didn’t have time to go, but I was able to find a limited selection of their products at a local Whole Foods in the freezer case with other gluten-free baked goods. I was tempted by a strawberry cupcake, but since Baby Yum seems to be sensitive to strawberries I held off in favor of their Whoopie Pies and Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (pictured left). These lovelies were pricey (oh how pricey), but I do so love trying new local gluten-free baked goods. The Whoopie Pies weren’t really my thing, and I bought them more for the DH who loves chocolate cake type things, but both Baby Yum and I enjoyed the yummy cupcakes. Brilliant! While I was at Whole Foods I also picked up some gluten-free cereal (thank goodness cereal only requires milk), Udi’s gluten-free bagels, and Glutino’s gluten-free pretzels.
Where to Shop for Gluten-free Goodies on a Trip:
If you’re a gluten-free veteran, you probably know this already. But, for nationwide options you have Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Regionally there is Sprouts in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Texas, and local health food stores that I didn’t have time to investigate.
Sprouts is an Arizona-native chain that also has some gluten-free frozen products, although they don’t tend to be local. Among other products, they carry a Canadian-based O’doughs excellent gluten-free banana cake with chocolate chips that I can recommend, although it is not cheap. It keeps well in a dry climate at room temperature. Sprouts also has other gluten-free snacks, bars, and chips in their grocery section so may be worth a stop. I don’t find their produce impressive and the resort should have a decent fruit buffet and salad options, so I would skip their fresh stuff.
3) Bring specialty Gluten-free items from home in your Checked Bags so you don’t have to worry about liquids.
My Gluten-free Packing List:
Gluten-free Soy Sauce Packets
Your options are:
San J Wheat Free Tamari Travel Packs, 200-Count
OR
Kari Out Low Sodium GF Soy Sauce 400-count
You could also pick up a cheap bottle of the gluten-free La Choy soy sauce from Walmart or a regular grocery store if desired. Read the labels carefully as not every type of La Choy soy sauce is gluten-free. I think the flavor of the packets is superior and they are certainly easier to stick in your purse!
Having gluten-free soy sauce makes sushi so much more interesting. While sushi is not available every night, at the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton the Ignite bistro offers sushi on special days (usually around the weekend, Thurs-Sat ). If you are doing a long stay, the variety will appeal to you, believe me. Besides, any major city and even some minor ones will tend to have a tolerable sushi bar that you could dart out to and gluten-free soy sauce will make your avocado and cucumber rolls even tastier.
Toaster Bags for the courageous and determined gluten-free guest
Any dining option with a buffet (such as Core at the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton) will have a toaster for that nasty gluten-filled bread. Do you hear horror music when you think of that toaster? It is scary, and a huge source of cross contamination, unless of course you have some awesome toaster bags, called “Toast it” sold at various online retailers. These babies are great to take on any trip, and kept me very well fed on European trips. You can even melt a cheese sandwich in one if your bread is thin enough! It does take some guts to whip out your bread in a bag in front of other diners or attentive wait staff. If you prefer to, you can trust in the resort to provide you with gluten-free bread (with caution), ask them to toast your bread and hope that they will do it, and do it safely OR choke down your gluten-free bread untoasted. I have also bought a cheap toaster (you can get them for $10 at somewhere like Walmart) and toasted my heart out at less fancy establishments, but I would sure hate to set off the smoke alarm at the Ritz. If you go the untoasted route, which is what I did this trip because I forgot to bring toaster bags, the more sugar or fat there is in the recipe, the longer the shelf life and the better they will taste cold. Protein levels in the flour will also extend life- the higher the protein the softer the bread may be on day 2 or 3. Watch your climate. A dry climate like Arizona is fairly forgiving- worst case is it will dry your bread out somewhat. In a humid climate you may have to fight the mold monster. At a Ritz Carlton or other high quality resort, restaurants MAY have gluten-free pancakes or bread available. Availability may depend on the notice you are willing to give them, or their personal schedule. It may take longer to get anything that they have to make from scratch, and it may not always be available, so keep this in mind. *Report on my experience with gluten-free breads at the Ritz Carlton coming soon*
Gluten-free Graham Crackers
Ok, I don’t ordinarily bring gluten-free graham crackers wherever I go. However, Dove Mountain at the Ritz Carlton offers smores nights for families, complete with potbellied stoves. You can buy a package of (gluten-filled) homemade graham crackers, marshmallows and some form of chocolate from Ignite on some evenings. If I had known this, I might have been tempted to bring my own crackers and either use their marshmallows and chocolate or pick some up from a local drug store. My favorite mainstream option is Kinnikinnick Gluten-free Graham Style Crackers which you can either order from Amazon or find at a specialty health food store. I didn’t notice this product at Whole Foods in Phoenix, but I was also not looking for it. Another option is Health Valley Gluten-free Crackers, which isn’t my favorite but I know some people like them for smores. However, my favorite way to go with graham crackers would be to make my own and bring them, following Rebecca Reilly’s recipe in her cookbook Gluten-Free Baking. Smore nights aside, these are wonderful snacking crackers and I thoroughly enjoyed them when I brought them with me to India.
Gluten-free Sunscreen I don’t usually worry about gluten-free topical products as doctors say that the gluten molecule is too large to enter the body through the skin and should not provoke the gluten antibodies for Celiac.Those with secondary wheat allergies or skin sensitivities will want to avoid topical wheat, of course. However, even those with “just” Celiac will have to take precautions when wearing gluten-containing sunscreen or lotion and snacking with their hands. As an infant, Baby Yum had a dreadful habit of licking lotion on her face or dipping her finger into the jar and tasting it, so I decided to buy her gluten-free and allergen-free creams. I ended up buying California Baby for her, which smells yummy and works beautifully. The lotions keep her dry skin soft and their mineral sunscreen has kept her burn free without nasty chemicals OR gluten. You can buy California Baby Sunscreen Lotion from Amazon or from (nice) Targets in the baby section, which makes it easy to find wherever you are. I also like their gluten-free bubble bath soap, which comes with a bubble wand, smells divine and is fun to bring on trips. Resort bath tubs are perfect for bubble baths! *For those allergic to coconut, their products do contain coconut, but are otherwise very allergy friendly.

This is not connected to being gluten-free at all. But… let me just say that floppy garden hats are the BOMB when it comes to sunny resort vacations. I bought a sassy green floppy hat for gardening and took it on our vacation. It was perfect for the pool! I only had to take it off when we took Baby Yum down the water slide. Baby Yum has a cutie pie Flap Happy Floppy Hat, too, and for the 110 degree weather, I made sure she kept it on. It worked beautifully. My girl has a golden glow but never burned thanks to careful sunscreen application and her stylish hat.
See what fun we had?

Share your experiences traveling gluten-free in the comments! Have you stayed at the Ritz carlton gluten-free? Any tips or stories to share? I’d love to hear them!

Coming Soon:
A review of the specific Gluten-free Options offered at the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton. My experience should prepare you for what to expect from a Gluten-free Visit at other Ritz Carltons.
A review of the gluten-free offerings at the yummy Picazzo’s restaurant in Tucson (Branches also in Phoenix and other Arizona locations.)

Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger News: This month’s edition is being hosted by Wendy at Celiacs in the House. Sign up now! Last month was hosted by Zoe of Z’s Cup of Tea and the roundup is here. Thanks to both of these ladies for coming to my rescue and helping with the Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger Event. If you would like to host this event, drop me an email!

Review:
I love finding a new, local restaurant with a well-developed gluten-free menu, and I love finding vegetarian restaurants that have food that I can eat. Finding them both in one place is a rare and exciting event. When I discovered Dharma’s gluten-free friendly, vegetarian restaurant in Capitola, California through an online search, I was thrilled. Dharma’s Vegetarian Restaurant is a very large, almost cafeteria style restaurant with a warm and cozy family dining atmosphere. You place your order at the counter, since it isn’t a traditional sit down and place your order type of place. To tell the truth, this kind of ordering situation always makes me twitchy because I find it hard to make a decision standing staring at a menu above me. It is even harder with a toddler in tow. Baby Yum got a little hyper so the DH carted her off to a table with some of the resident dinosaur toys and left me to pick food for all of us.

As soon as I saw it on their online gluten-free menu, I knew that I wanted the Indian curry, which you can get with gluten-free bread if you order it specially. But I didn’t think Baby Yum would be too thrilled with all the “spice, spice” as she refers to anything with seasoning. So. when I saw the daily special was a dish with quinoa, sweet potato and soup, I had to order it… for the DH to share with Baby Yum. Then I felt bad later, because it really wasn’t the kind of thing he would order for himself. What can I say, I don’t order well under pressure.

The Indian Curry, though, that was right up my alley and exactly what I would order if I could choose anything in the world. When I saw that curry I just about swooned. Lots of fresh veggies married to a creamy, coconut-rich sauce and sprinkled with cashews- yum! The brown rice was fine, the yogurt sauce was tangy, the chutney was sweet, but the curry, now that was a real treat. I would give it a 4 out of 4 stars. It was served with a bit of what I think was Kinnikinnick bread. I don’t know how they manage their toasters, so I still didn’t eat it. I didn’t need it, even with giving Baby Yum some of my plain rice.

Because it was Mother’s Day weekend I ordered the raw foods strawberry cheesecake, too. I have decided that cheesecake is my favorite raw foods dessert. How can you not love that creamy, nut-based goodness that seems so naughty but is full of good things? This was a lovely, silky smooth and delicate raw foods cheesecake with a tangy hint of lime. Even the DH approved.

The quinoa sweet-potato special really got my attention because the specials menu mentioned a tahini sauce. I don’t care what you drizzle it on, tahini makes everything yummy. Between thinking of my quinoa-loving Baby Yum and drooling over the tahini, I couldn’t resist. I selected a potato leek soup that was recommended by the guy at the counter, and it was a nice soup but looked so very plain when it came out of the kitchen that I felt quite bad about having ordered it for the DH. On the up side, Baby Yum gobbled down the rice and quinoa we gave her from our two plates. On the down side, this meal just didn’t look sexy or very hard to make at home. Teach me to order the bargain lunch special!

I can’t tell you how exciting it was for me to find a gluten-free friendly vegetarian restaurant on our little road trip. The first restaurant I ever really enjoyed was a little place called the Creative Vegetarian Cafe in Boulder, which closed a few years later. I loved the international take on vegetarian dining, and I’ve missed having the experience of eating good, thoughtful vegetarian recipes out. Here in Silicon Valley it seems the only vegetarian restaurants are based on Chinese/ Taiwanese Vegetarian cuisine, which is so full of wheat-based soy sauce, wheat flour and wheat gluten that it is completely off limits. Or, they are based in Indian cuisine, which I love but often has mystery spice mixes or cross contamination issues. Finding a place that gives me the international dishes I crave but has gone to the effort to have a gluten-free menu was the best Mother’s Day present ever! If you happen to find yourself in Santa Cruz and take an excursion towards Capitola, definitely check out Dharma’s Vegetarian Restaurant and their fantastic gluten-free menu!

*Please note, they do prepare gluten dishes in their kitchen, so you may want to ask questions about preparation and cross-contamination issues.

How we found the restaurant:

I have a crush on Santa Cruz. I’ll admit it. Santa Cruz is the home of New Leaf Health Food Stores, my favorite REAL natural food store in California, and also the home of Love Apple Farm, an organic farm that produces gorgeous produce for a local gourmet restaurant while also cultivating and selling amazing heirloom tomatoes. Love Apple Farm has become increasingly involved in education, providing classes on topics from backyard chicken-keeping to preserving to summer or winter organic gardening. Ever since we bought our first house with a yard, the DH and I have been burning to start a garden. And, shortly before Mother’s Day, we attended a class at Love Apple Farm to get an education on organic gardening. At that class, we learned about the Mother’s Day Plant Sale at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center where you can buy beautiful organic heirloom plants the likes of which would never be found at Lowe’s or Home Depot. This is how I found myself in Capitola, California on Mother’s Day Weekend with a car full of gorgeous plants including purple tomatillos, quinoa, and a rainbow of lettuce. I had all this potential food in the car, and yet- I was hungry! Luckily the DH has an Iphone, and so we did a search and I found a vegetarian restaurant in the area with a gluten-free menu. Yippee! I knew I liked the Santa Cruz area.

It never would have occurred to me to check out Tony and Alba’s for Gluten-free Pizza if it hadn’t been for the recommendation of a pizza-enthusiast friend of mine who wrote a lovely post on her favorite pizza joints in the Bay area. It is a great article, and you should check it out. This afternoon as the DH and Baby Yum and I were on our way to Santana Row, we passed Tony and Alba’s in a strip mall on our left. I had never given it a second thought before, but thanks to my friend, I knew they had a gluten-free pizza available. So, after we browsed the mall and let Baby Yum run wild in the children’s play area, we went out for pizza together. Yay!

They use the French Meadow gluten-free pizza which comes in its own baking tin. Don’t freak out when you walk in the door and the gluten-free pizza isn’t listed on their menu. I have to admit, I like it when a company offering gluten-free food plasters notices all over the restaurant. However, when you say gluten-free pizza to the staff, they are completely aware of what you are talking about and it is printed in nice, clear letters on your receipt. And, when they bring you your pizza, the waiters announce “Here is your gluten-free pizza.” These things make me feel better. I get a little twitchy in a pizza joint, and I was reassured by their gestures. I didn’t order the pizza any special way and it was nice and crispy, so perhaps they’ve made it standard to pre-bake the pizza a little before adding toppings.

What did we order? Well, we started with a MARGHERITA, and were glad that we did. The nice, thin crust had a lovely amount of tomato sauce (or very well baked tomatoes?) and cheese, and then was sprinkled with julienned basil. Now, it isn’t quite like how I do a margherita, which is without tomato sauce, whole slice tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and tons of basil, but isn’t the reason you go out to have things a little differently than you would make them at home?

An unexpected bonus was that Baby Yum was delighted by the thin crust and ate almost a whole piece single-handedly, with a little help from her mama. Prior to this, she’s always been a little unsure about layers of flavor on her food. I think getting her used to quesadillas and the recent ravioli fest have gone a long way to warming her up to pizza. Whatever, the reason, she liked it!

After we all devoured our margherita pizza, we decided to order a vegetarian. The vegetarian has Mushroom, Zucchini, Tomato, Black Olive, Artichoke, Garlic, Bells, and Onion. All the toppings seem to be put on raw, and there are a lot of them. There is especially a lot of garlic. I won’t be having trouble keeping vampires at bay after a slice of that pizza, that is for sure! I am fairly picky about my pizza toppings and like a lesser volume. I also like to grill veggies before putting them on pizzas, so I was a little overwhelmed. The DH also grumbled about the veggies he didn’t like (zucchini etc) and Baby Yum wouldn’t eat it, but I think her petite toddler tummy was full. Next time I’d design my own pizza with fewer toppings, and/or try the Bianca (No Sauce, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Provolone, Feta, Sun-dried Tomato, and without the usual garlic). I hear that it is possible to order gluten-free pasta and polenta at Tony and Alba’s too, so that might be fun another time.

I think meat lovers and fans of cozy, family-style restaurants will be very happy with the gluten-free pizza and other offerings at Tony and Alba’s. There are many options for vegetarians, but their house special is very non-veg, and gets rave reviews. The price is also fantastic, with a typical pizza costing around $12 for a medium-size pizza. For our family of two and a nibble-prone toddler, one pizza would be a light meal, and more than (two) is a nice meal with maybe some leftover slices to take home. If you’ve been missing feeling “normal”- this place is for you. We were surrounded by families and pizza fans at this cozy neighborhood pizza joint, with a television playing lightly in the background as we watched the rain outside. It felt pretty good. The owners seem really sensitive to gluten-free issues. They began preparing gluten-free pizza because a very good family friend’s daughter had Celiac and the owner’s wife wanted her to be able to come to their restaurant. Also, their daughter was dating a guy with a wheat allergy. When they researched it, they saw the need for a down-home family style option for gluten-free folks, and so a menu was born! Both the gluten-free pizza and pasta is made in a dedicated area, with a separate cutter and pan, spoons, etc.), and the pasta is made in a dedicated gluten-free pasta. They purposefully bought rotelli-spiral gluten-free pasta so it would never get confused for the gluten pasta. Gluten-free polenta and beer are also available. To my knowledge, they don’t have a dairy-free or soy-free cheese, so if you have sensitivities you might call ahead and see about the pizza crust ingredients as well as topping options.

They do prepare a lot of gluten-containing foods, and the kitchen is open to the seating area so you might want to eat outside if it is a nice day. Overall, I was pleased with my experience at Tony and Alba’s. I am delighted that there are so many gluten-free pizza options for us in the Bay Area and I can’t wait to try them all!

Coming soon: a very positive review of BJ’s Brewhouse, their gluten-free menu and amazingly crisp pizza.

Anyway. On to happier times. Fast forward to Blogher Food 2010, where I impulsively got a ticket and then found myself surrounded by my gluten-free people. It is nice when you are used to being the only weird “special diet” person to suddenly find yourself surrounded by others with your same concerns. To make it even better, our intrepid Gluten-free scout Mother, Diane of the W.H.O.L.E. Gang, had made special plans for us gluten-free folks both before and after the event.

Left (front to back): Wendy, Shirley, Nancy, Diane, Alisa*, Tia
Center: Lael of The Educated Palate*
Right (front to back):Ali, Me, Amber of Blue Bonnets and Brownies*, Lauren, Kim
*Not gluten-free bloggers
Thursday Night Out with the Gluten-free Girls
The Plant
Pier 3, The Embarcadero
415-984-1973
www.theplantcafe.com
Diane made reservations at a very special organic restaurant in the Ferry Building called The Plant. This place has gorgeous food, warm, welcoming and courteous staff, and clearly labeled gluten-free food on their menu. The DH dropped me off early, so I had some time to kill. My policy as a transplanted Seattlite; When in doubt, drink coffee. The Plant has two sides. One, a chill cafe with a small bakery case full of both gluten and gluten-free desserts. Many of the desserts were raw desserts and so naturally gluten-free and vegan but not nut-free. The (non-raw) Mocha roulade made me weak at the knees just from reading the dessert title. I ordered a simple but lovely organic soy latte and sat in front of the window to wait for my party to arrive.

Before long, they arrived and we filed into the crowded but chic restaurant to find a long table waiting for us. The menu inspired. There was an extensive wine list and clever fresh non-alcoholic drinks. I couldn’t resist the napa cabbage salad with sesame lime dressing (sans peanuts). I found it very flavorful, refreshing and delicately balanced. Hungry after her plane ride, Ali of Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen got some coconut yams as a side dish and I was in serious side-envy. They looked so creamy and sweet! And then it came time for the main dishes. I was torn between the Spicy Green Curry or the Ginger Miso Quinoa. I loved the fact that they had main dishes with quinoa instead of the typical rice as the side starch. Green Curry is one of my favorites, but the helpful waiter said that it is not actually very spicy, and the lemongrass is somewhat fibrous. He recommended the Ginger Miso Quinoa. I was relieved to have such a difficult decision made, and tucked into my meal with gusto. It was full of umami, with a lovely blend of vegetables and (optional) fried tofu. This all was nicely contrasted by the crunchy sprouts. I was enjoying my meal when it came out that Ali hadn’t thought that dish was gluten-free, and so hadn’t ordered it for that reason. Have you had this happen? My heart dropped into my shoes. After all this time being so careful, had I poisoned myself with gluten and possibly set myself up to “poison” my breastfeeding baby with sick Celiac mama milk? Of course the menu was gone at that point, so I couldn’t easily verify. I asked the waiter, and he reassured me that it was ok, but that little worrywart voice in my head just wouldn’t be quiet. So, I sidled over to the reception desk to peruse the menu for myself. And, there it was, in discreet lowercase letters, my favorite abbreviation of all. (gf). The waiter noticed my sidled dance with my own neurosis and came over. Not as I thought in my paranoid little brain, to mock me, but to kindly reassure me once more that the dish was ok. It is amazingly nice when waiters take the time to provide peace of mind as well as a plate of food, and in that moment the Plant scored big with me. I could only eat part of my meal, perhaps due to that filling coffee beverage I started with, so I had to take the rest to go. I think it was Nancy who ordered some decadent looking eggplant with mushrooms that gave me plate envy. I love a restaurant that has so many gluten-free options I can’t order everything I want to try! Many of the others ordered yummy desserts, but I abstained. I could not refrain from taking a tiny taste of Shirley’s mocha roulade. One bite had me wishing I’d ordered my own, but that heavenly dip made up for quite a few months of restraint, let me tell you. To conclude, the Plant is a great hip restaurant in a beautiful location (step out the door and have a great view of the bay) with an amazing vegetarian-friendly, gluten-free menu. I wasn’t ordering especially allergen-free (I did skip the peanuts) but they were very flexible about that modification, and many at our table had additional restrictions and seemed very happy. Health aficionados, vegans, and gluten-free diners (or even those who are all three) are well served by The Plant. I’d go there again in a heartbeat. In fact, I just suggested it to the DH as our next “special-celebratory-night-out” restaurant choice. If you have eaten there, share your experience in the comments! If you haven’t, why not try it, and tell me about it!

Definitely last but not least, won’t you meet my gluten-free friends? I’d like to introduce you to the people that made this meal such a pleasure.

The warm and lovely Shirley of the site Gluten-free Easily brightened the day with her gracious Southern charm.

The vibrant and beautiful Kim of Cook it Allergy Free has a lot to offer the gluten-free community, not the least of which is her charming personality.

The striking and dynamic Tia of Glugle Gluten-free has burst upon the gluten-free blogging scene recently with a witty and attractive blog.

I felt that thoughtful and passionate published cookbook author Alisa of the wonderfully informative Go Dairy Free site and personal cooking blog, One Frugal Foodie (*not gluten-free but useful for anyone on a restricted, especially dairy-free diet) was a kindred spirit, and am thrilled to find she’s practically local!

I enjoyed getting to know the radiantly healthy and down-to-earth Ali of The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen blog and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook better, and felt that we had a lot in common. Her husband was also a charming lunch companion the next day!

Intelligent, genuine and thought-provoking blogger mom Wendy of Celiacs in the House has been a faithful participant in Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger and a good online friend.

The extremely nice and friendly Nancy of The Sensitive Pantry was a lovely dinner companion.

Diane Eblin is great fun and pure dynamite; a force to be reckoned with both in person and in her blog the WHOLE Gang, and she has brought all of the gluten-free participants together time and again at conferences. Thank you, Diane!

I first noticed the very impressive Lauren, the Celiac Teen, through her valiant participation in Daring Bakers. This very genuine, sweet, and remarkable teen is a delight both online and in person. I can’t wait to see what great things the future has in store for her!

This is the end of this first post on my BlogHer Gluten-free Dining Experience. Stay Tuned for a review of Pica Pica!