Chef James Aptakin serves his delicious Hawaiian short rib sauce. Credits: A. Fothergill

The Fancy Food Show is put on by National Association for the Specialty Food Trade two times per year; a summer show in New York City and a winter show in San Francisco. With over 17,000 attendess and 80,000 products from 1300 vendors, it is a chance for retailers, restaurants and food service professionals to sample some of the best products on the market. For the vendors, it’s a way for them to connect with those people, in hopes of future sales. It’s also a good way to be “in the know” as new products come out.  Some vendors are already established and some are brand new, hoping to be picked up by small or large grocery stores. Either way, there is always something new.

Last year, there were more new gluten-free products. Whether it’s not quite the right venue or there are less new-comers, it was surprising there were not as many. Last year, gluten-free was a top trend. One reason might be in the labeling.

Some manufacturers are hestitant to call their products gluten-free because they worry about giving the right information to the public. One owner of a spice company said he doesn’t put gluten in any of his products but he can’t Read More »

This is a hearty dish perfect for late fall or winter. It’s also wonderful with any root vegetable like turnip, carrot, parsnip, rutabaga, and sweet potato. If you don’t want to bother cutting the squash many stores offer it pre-cut.
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Here are two delicious and easy-to-make gluten-free stuffing and crouton recipes that are sure to come in handy for your Thanksgiving.

Gluten Free Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 teaspoon dried thyme Read More »

When Sarah Henkin and I were trying to come up with a menu item for samples at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market FoodWise booth, we decided to make delicious, late summer tomatoes the centerpiece. We needed to keep the dish simple since there were some other events happening that day. Roasted tomatoes on top of something seemed like a good option to me.

Since we eat gluten-free, I tend to not think about using bread with tomatoes (although the thought does leave me with pangs of longing for Acme). My standard fallback is usually polenta. I made a similar dish last year with roasted veggies and gorgonzola (see that post here) so this needed to be different. Read More »

Gluten Free Halloween Table

Maybe you are the host and you are getting ready for a ghoulish party. If you need to plan it around one or more gluten-free eaters, you might need some ideas beyond hummus and rice crackers or tortilla chips with guacamole.

Gluten free pumpkin muffin with pumpkin cream cheese frosting

When you are doing your planning, think about the items that you can’t eat when you are gluten-free: bread, crackers, pretzels, pizza, cookies, cakes and cupcakes, doughnuts. Today, there are many options for all of these items. Of course, if you are the one hosting, you will have much more control. That’s my plan this year; delegation! And, even if you aren’t gluten-free, you can use the ideas below to plan your own party.

If you are the host and not the one with the sensitivity, make sure you understand the needs of your guests. Someone with Celiac disease looks at gluten as seriously as someone with a peanut allergy. Gluten can be in ketchup and bbq sauce and is almost always in Read More »

This is often how things work with me. I decide at some point that I want something. Pizza, cookies, a madeleine…and since I’m eating a gluten-free diet, I can’t always go to the store to buy it. Or, maybe I can but it’s not always good.

So it was, that day, when I really wanted a good biscotti. Believe it or not, I’ve never even made them, even with gluten! The next part of the journey began with finding the right recipe.

I wasn’t in the mood for lemon pecan or orange walnut. I didn’t want chocolate either. Cinnamon almond was coming to mind so that’s what I decided to Read More »

Gluten Free Pad Thai Photo: Amy Fothergill

Eating pad thai in a restaurant might be hard if cross contamination is a concern.

Most pad thai sauces contain soy sauce and more likely than not, that soy sauce contains gluten.

If you live in the bay area, access to rice Read More »

Gluten-free goodies at last year's event. Photo: A. Fothergill

Take me out to the (gluten-free) ball game, again!  If you were one of the lucky people to attend last year’s Celiac Disease Awareness Night at AT&T park, you know that a good time was had by all. Karen Friis has once again joined up with the San Francisco Giants to organize the second annual Celiac Disease Awareness Night on Monday, June 6, 2011 at 7:15pm.

You can now order your Giant’s ticket’s for the 2nd annual Celiac Disease Awareness Night at AT&T with World Series Champions, the San Francisco Giants. To purchase tickets, Read More »

I recently received a request for this delicious sauce. It is excellent with meatloaf and happens to be naturally gluten-free. See below for the version made with butter and flour.

This is one of my favorites and my gift to you! Please leave a comment if you like it. Read More »