Taste American Gra-Frutti at Whole Foods in Duluth tomorrow!

The Whole Foods in Duluth, GA is hosting a Livin' Local tasting event on July 10th from 10 am to 5 pm. Not all vendors will be sampling gluten-free products but from 10-4, American Gra-Frutti will sampling some of their wares. Everything the Marietta, GA company makes is gluten-free. If you haven't tried their products yet (and you live in the Atlanta area), you're really missing out! Atlanta area Whole Foods locations and Return to Eden have been selling American Gra-Frutti products for a while now, and the company sent out a press release yesterday about them rolling out to all Southeast Region Whole Food locations! Below is an excerpt from the notice.      

The “You Love Chocolate Chip” cake and cupcake, as well as the “They’ll Never Know” spice cake, flavored with carrots, squash and spinach, are now on sale at Whole Foods Markets in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina.  Both cakes, topped with a decadent dairy-free frosting, can be purchased as a “grab and go” individual cupcake, a cupcake four pack, or a 5” two-layer cake.

All American Gra-Frutti products are produced in a dedicated, gluten-free facility by company Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Marilyn Santulli. The American Gra-Frutti bake shop is located in Marietta, Ga., and American Gra-Frutti products are sold around metro Atlanta including Whole Foods Markets, Harry’s Farmer’s Markets in East Cobb and Alpharetta, Turner Field, Return 2 Eden, and Life Grocery.   American Gra-Frutti products are also sold at MOM’S Organic Markets in Maryland, and Abbey’s Health Food Store in Tampa, Fla.

Many American Gra-Frutti products are free of dairy (and some other things like MSG, HFCS and artificial colors/flavors) but my fave product from the line is not dairy free. It's the Peachtree Pimento cheese spread. It's a pimento cheese with a twist as there is no mayo in it! Using it to make cheese grits might change your life! Did you know that I am considered a G.R.I.T.S. myself? Yes, I'm a GIRL that was born and RAISED IN THE SOUTH. There is a whole line of products with the slogan on it, but somehow I've never even bought a t-shirt. In case you didn't know, in the South, we're girls until we stop breathing. OK - back to American Gra-Frutti products - try them - you'll like them. No, you'll probably LOVE them - and that goes for people that can eat gluten too!

*I've reviewed this product line several times so you might see a quote from me on the American Gra-Frutti website. They are not a client of mine and I have no affiliation with them other than loving their fabulous products and sharing the news with others. Congrats to the gang at American Gra-Frutti for this big step in the distribution world! I can't wait to see what you create next!    

Win the new cookie mix from Jule Gluten Free!

Sorry I didn't get around to posting about this give-away before now. Today is the last day to enter to win the new cookie mix from Jules Gluten Free. Winner's shipping address must be in the lower 48 U.S. states. Click here if you fit that bill and haven't already entered to win.  

Please note, posting a comment on this post doesn't enter you in the contest. Only comments posted on the www.celiac-disease.com article about the new mix qualify.

Look for my detailed review of our experiences at Jason's Deli (in Duluth, GA) tomorrow. We actually got a preview before they rolled out the gluten-free service on Monday.

Jason's Deli rolls out gluten-free sandwiches in the ATL!

The manager at the Jason's Deli in Duluth confirmed that they will indeed be offering gluten-free sandwiches on Monday, July 5th. I did not contact any other locations so if you want to know if your location is rolling out the sandwiches next week, please contact them directly. You can enter your zip code to find locations on the Jason's Deli website.  The manager who can eat gluten thinks the gluten-free bread is "awesome"! Considering it's supposed to be Udi's bread they're using, he's absolutely right! We already have plans for Monday, but will be sure to pop in the next weekend when shopping at Natural Foods Warehouse to check enjoy a gluten-free sandwich! And by they way, if you love Udi's bread as much as we do, be sure to pick some up at the store above. It was only $3.99 a loaf the last time I was there! Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend!    

    

Update on YEAH! BURGER

When we visited the fun and funky new burger joint YEAH! BURGER recently, we ordered gluten-free buns for our burgers and one order of fries. They were fine, but I didn't know that you are supposed to specify you need gluten-free fries. Not all the fries there are gluten-free (don't ask me why) and I would not trust the staff to figure out I need gluten-free fries even though I ordered a gluten-free bun. This is nothing against the staff - they are just young and overly busy due to the extreme popularity of this place. I ate plenty of the fries we shared so I can say without question that they were indeed gluten-free. That might mean the staff automatically ordered gluten-free fries for us, but again, I would not trust that would happen all the time. Please specify if you need gluten-free fries when dining at YEAH! BURGER. In case you missed it, you can read my full review of the place here.

Gluten-free cinnamon buns coming to Atlanta Whole Foods!

We rarely shop at Whole Foods anymore, except to buy overpriced "to die for" cheeses that we can't find elsewhere. All their gluten-free items cost more than at the store we shop at around the corner (Natural Foods Warehouse) from our Whole Foods. However, there might soon be a reason to pop back into Whole Foods every now and then. Sweet Odelle's gluten-free cinnamon buns will soon be available in the Atlanta area locations. The ink on the deal is dry so look for the cinnamon buns to start showing up at Whole Foods soon! Sweet Odelle's is based in Suwanee, GA and does not have a store front.

The tightly rolled, small cinnamon buns that we had were simply delicious! Sweet Odelle's is a local company and you can buy the cinnamon buns now at the farmers markets they exhibit at. Check their website for market details.We didn't care for the cream cheese glaze which is the most popular for the gluten-free buns. Vanilla is more up our alley when it come to glazes.

The owner of the Sweet Odelle's can't eat gluten so this venture is not about someone jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon without understanding how to make truly gluten-free products. They take every precaution to make safe foods in a multi use facility.

Please note: the photo above is for the regular cinnamon buns. We  had our very early before leaving town and I forgot to snap a photo of them. The gluten-free buns are quite small, but I only ate one of them. My  husband scarfed down four in one sitting. If you buy them at the farmers market, the price is $10 for six small buns or 4 large ones. I'm not sure what the Whole Foods price will be.

Nature's Own gluten-free breads hit more Atlanta area stores!

Two Sam's Club locations in GA and several Ingles stores now carry the shelf stable gluten-free breads from Nature's Own. Actually, the Ingles locations picked it up first and then Sam's came aboard later. To find the store nearest you, please review this list. PLEASE go out and buy at least one of these breads to see how you like it. If you don't like it, don't buy it again. Most people who buy it either like it or love it and very few report not caring for it at all.

Remember these breads are NOT in the freezer as they are shelf stable. They are located in the health food areas in most stores. These breads can roll out nationwide eventually if the Atlanta gluten-free crowd makes it happen by supporting the items here.

To those of you who've contacted me to complain that the stores on the list are always out of the bread, please call your store manager and ask them to hold the bread for you. That is the best way to make sure you can buy it when you get there. It's selling out faster than the truck can get back to south GA to pick up more!    

Gluten-free chicken noodle soup review

When Health Valley changed their tune about some of their soups being gluten-free, I knew something was up, but had no idea what it was. Finally, when Gluten-free Café announced that they were bringing out a line of gluten-free soups, I made the connection.

Health Valley and Gluten-free Café are both owned by Hain Celestial. The company line is that from now on, they will not state anything is gluten-free unless they test the products for gluten. Fair enough. I asked if anything had changed in the Health Valley soup I’d been eating for years (cream of celery to be specific) and was told no, there had been no changes in the ingredients or suppliers for them. I’m so glad to still be able to enjoy that soup today as I use it in a chicken casserole recipe.

One thing I can’t have from the Health Valley line is chicken noodle soup. As with most mainstream versions of that soup, it contains regular wheat pasta noodles. How exciting to find out that the new Gluten-Free Café soups finally hit store shelves in my area. The only version I was interested in trying was the Chicken Noodle soup and it was almost always out of stock at the store I shop at.

Even though it’s been over 90 degrees every day for weeks now, I simply had to try the new soup as soon as I found it in stock. The ingredients are pretty – if not completely – clean. In other words, I can pronounce all of them and know what they are. There is no added MSG in the soup and they are certified by GIG’s rigorous CFCO program. OK- so, how was the soup? Overall it was pretty tasty, but the broth was a little bit cloudy for my liking. I like clear broths and this one doesn’t offer that at all. It does offer  great flavor and decent size tender chicken chunks, unlike the famous chicken noodle soup with the red and white label. The chicken in the Gluten-Free Café soup resembles that in Progresso’s Chicken with Rice gluten-free soup.

It seems like every month a new item is introduced that fills in the gluten foods replacement puzzle even more. Maybe in the future we’ll be able to find some powdered doughnuts (like those from Celiac Specialties) in the grocery store. Having a gluten-free version of chicken noodle soup is another piece of the puzzle. Actually, the Gluten Free Café soup is just the first canned version in the U.S. (that I’m aware of); Kettle Cuisine’s wonderful frozen gluten-free Chicken Noodle soup was introduced a few years ago. The soup from that line is the better of the two in my opinion, but it’s great to have a canned version as well!

The soups from Gluten-Free Café and Kettle Cuisine are sold at Natural Foods Warehouse and Return to Eden in Atlanta, and possibly at other stores around town. Gluten-free Cafe soups will soon be available Amazon.com as well. 

    

Gluten-free tasting event at Rainbow Foods

On Tuesday, June 29th, Rainbow Natural Foods in Decatur will host a gluten-free event. Everyone living gluten-free in the area is invited to drop by and taste house made gluten-free items. Rainbow Foods is really upping their gluten-free game and it's a great place to shop for gluten-free foods. The event runs from 6-7:30 pm.  The store has a pastry chef that trained in Italy and recently returned from learning about gluten-free baking in Colorado. Stop by and learn about all the new gluten-free offerings at Rainbow Natural Foods! 

Gluten-free kettle corn made in Georgia

Recently, I stumbled on yet another interesting gluten-free find. Though most packaged kettle corn (and versions I've had at festivals) is gluten-free, not all of them are labeled as such. The Ike & Sam's brand is labeled gluten-free and it's totally addictive. If you heat it in the microwave for a short time, it will taste like someone just scooped you up a bag of freshly popped kettle corn at a county fair!

It's nice to support local companies when possible which is why we buy White Oaks pastures beef and Springer Mountain chicken. We try to get out to local farmers markets for fresh veggies and herbs as often as possible too. There are many fine food companies based in Georgia, but I have not even heard of the town where my latest gluten-free find is made. The town is called Chickamauga and the kettle corn company there is called Old Mill General Store. I was so excited to see the words "GLUTEN FREE" on the front of the bag of kettle corn that I quickly dropped it into the shopping cart. The corn contains only real ingredients, but I did miss a tiny bit of useful info on the bag. There is a large white sticker on the front of the bag that says "Kickin' Korn". Yes, this version of the kettle corn is VERY spicy. It contains Cajun seasonings and cayenne pepper.

I absolutely love kettle corn but sadly, this hot version was too hot for me. After checking out the company website, I am very interested in finding the original version that is not spicy at all. The texture of the spicy corn is perfect so I know I'll love the regular version if I can find it. If anyone has seen this product in the Atlanta area, please let me know. I got my bag at Earthfare in TN and will be checking that store on our next visit if I don't locate the product here.      

Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins take the gluten-free cake!

By now, anyone who follows the gluten-free diet and lives in the U.S. has heard of Udi's Gluten-Free in Colorado. I guess people who are not online might have missed the news that Udi's Gluten-Free has turned the gluten-free baked goods world upside down. Think all gluten-free bread has to be heated in order to eat it - or even just to make it palatable? Wrong. Enter Udi's fantastic breads, muffins, pizza crust, granola and bagels!

I recently had the chance to try the Double Chocolate muffins and plain bagels from Udi's. Well, the muffin isn't really much like a muffin to me. It's like a fabulously decadent chocolate chip cupcake! All you need is some frosting and you've got a perfect tasting gluten-free treat for a kid's birthday party. I think all the muffins (and most of Udi's gluten-free items) are now available at Natural Foods Warehouse (both locations) and Return to Eden.      

The Udi's bagels are wonderful, quite like their white bread shaped into a bagel form. I put garlic powder and onion powder on half of an over-sized bagel before toasting to a golden brown. Then I add cream cheese and I've got a wonderful gluten-free breakfast. But the most perfect way to enjoy an Udi's bagel for me is to use it for open faced cold sandwiches. I won't be leaving  home without them ever again. My next experiment will involve making a gluten-free version of Panera's cinnamon crunch bagel...if all goes well, I'll post the instructions here later.

Gluten-free hotdogs at Gwinnett Braves

The ballpark out in Gwinnett County where the Atlanta farm team plays now offers gluten-free hotdogs with gluten-free buns. They were actually out of them when I called to find out where to get the gluten-free dog at the park but the Aramark manager went to Whole Foods to pick some up. They don't usually get the buns there but they are having difficulty getting the buns from their supplier (which I think is Kinnikinnick). Anyway, the bun I had (which no one could tell me the brand of) was not very good. I ended up eating mostly just the hot dog and 1/4 of the bun. It was nice to have a gluten-free beer to wash down the dry, cardboard tasting bun. There is a possibility that the gluten-free bun the park normally has is better then what I had. There is also a chance it's even worse so I doubt I'll risk finding out one way or another.

Knowing we'll be back at the park soon, I decided to ask if the hamburgers were gluten-free - without the bun, of course. I'd much rather have a burger without a bun than a hot dog with an inedible bun. Unfortunately, the hamburgers at the Gwinnett Braves park are not gluten-free, according to the Aramark manager. Rather, the hamburger patties are not gluten-free. They didn't order in gluten-free hamburger buns so now that makes sense. Aramark is really stepping up and heeding the call of their allergen free customers. However, there is not enough of a call for gluten-free items at the Gwinnett Braves games for them to worry too much about accommodating our crowd. From now on I'll make sure and have dinner before I head to the ballpark and then I'll stick to peanuts or popcorn. I don't care for Dippin' Dots but they are also offered at the park. At last check, that brand of ice cream was gluten-free.
  
You really can't beat the experience of enjoying a minor league baseball game. It's super easy to get in and out of the park and you can hear everything that happens on the field. It is so much easier (and much cheaper!) than heading into town to see the major league game. However, the gluten-free food cart down town at Turner Field is one of the most impressive in the country. If you do get out to see the G-Braves play, Redbridge is sold only at Neikro's inside the park and that is where I got the gluten-free hot dog as well. We asked for a take-out order but they messed up and served it in baskets you can't take to your seat.

Now that the weather is unbearably hot in Atlanta, it's strange to think of the night we went to the G-Braves game just a few weeks ago. It started raining in the 5th inning and the wind kicked up like crazy. All of a sudden it was freezing cold. I had to buy a Braves Snuggy at the gift shop...lol! I've always sort of wanted one anyway (though not the Braves version) and I'm happy to report that the Snuggy is VERY warm.