Kane’s Handcrafted Donuts Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut

2 International Place | Boston, MA 02110
857.315.2654
http://kaneshandcrafted.com/

Oh. my. word.

So last month, everyone in Boston is freaking out and Tweeting and Facebooking about Kane’s Donuts coming downtown. The artisanal donut fad yada yada yada I get it guys you can all eat beautiful, delicious, gorgeous donuts… and I can’t!

I admit it, I saw their tweets and felt bitter about it. Sometimes, a food fad comes along and an awesome local store opens, and we celiacs just can’t enjoy it, and it’s totally a bummer.

However, there is often more that we can enjoy than what we can’t, and I was in for a surprise regarding Kane’s Handcrafted Donuts.

I was inspired to pick back up blogging here by my travels to Italy last week. I ate like a king the whole week (more on that coming to the blog next week!), and wondered how I had let this blog go! I love food, I love cooking, and I love finding the next great gluten-free pizza, and you guys love to read about it! So I’m all fired up, walking to work with idea after idea for posts coming to me, when I get back to the office after a week away. My boss comes up to my desk and says, “Jenn, I’m sorry it’s a day old, but I got donuts for everyone yesterday and there’s a gluten-free one for you left in the kitchen.” … Say what?!?!

Gluten-Free Sausage, Egg, and Sun-Dried Tomato Casserole

I seriously cannot believe it’s almost Easter. That probably has something to do with how cold it has been here in Boston. I associate Easter with pastels, warmer weather, flowers beginning to bloom… not freezing winds and still surviving snowbanks!

That’s enough about the weather… let’s get down to business: food! My family celebrates Easter with a brunch, and often this egg casserole is served. This recipe is a family favorite, first discovered by my mom, and here I’ve put my own, lighter spin on it. It is the perfect easy brunch dish. You can make ahead the sausage and veggie mixture, then bake the day of. It’s perfect for holidays or brunch with friends, and it is insanely delicious.

You can view the original recipe on Epicurious here, or make my version, which I’ve listed below. I’ve swapped the sausage for chicken sausage, the whipping cream for plain Greek yogurt, and the mozzarella for reduced fat mozzarella for a healthier twist. Either way, it is simply divine.

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Hash Browns

PEOPLE! I have found a reason to never go out to brunch again – and I love brunch. However, no restaurant is ever going to have the delicious, incredible masterpiece of amazing gluten-free sweet potato hash browns I made today. And I don’t want to give them up!

I woke up this morning with a hankering for sweet potato hash browns. Where this came from, I do not know. Since I slept through my brunch plans (whoops!), I decided that they would become today’s undertaking. I checked out some recipes on Pinterest (here and here) to see how difficult they would be to make and they seemed super easy. Noting the lack of garlic and diced onions in the recipes I found (and the addition of Greek yogurt?), I decided I would make up my own recipe (shocker).

They’re super easy to make, and super delicious. Here’s what you need:

• 1 sweet potato, grated
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp gluten-free flour (to bind the ingredients – I used Bob’s Red Mill Biscuit and Baking Mix so I wouldn’t need any xantham gum)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt (to your preference. I used French Fry Seasoning instead!)
• pepper (to your preference)
• olive oil

Hugo’s Restaurant

8041 Santa Monica Boulevard | West Hollywood, CA 90069
http://www.hugosrestaurant.com/

As my dear friend K makes her way back across the country on a plane to her new home of Los Angeles right now, I will finally post my review of a delicious meal we shared when I went to visit her back in June. I apologize for the delay and am so thankful that Hugo’s was so awesome as to promptly send me their June specials list. I can now accurately relay their yummy ingredients!

I was not expecting to like LA when I arrived. The last time I’d been there, at the tender age of 18, I didn’t like it at all. Now, at 23, it was vibrant, fun and exciting and very wonderful to see my best friend in her new home. One afternoon during my stay, she took me to brunch at Hugo’s for some gluten-free brunch.

I’m not a huge breakfast person. At all, really. I’d eat dinners for every meal if it were socially acceptable. So despite there being rather enticing Fresh Peach and Cherry Gluten-Free Pancakes listed on the menu, I was searching for something more savory.

Glutenus Minimus Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Gluten Minimus
www.glutenusminimus.com

Finally, I am here to blog about muffins. My aversion to writing this post is unclear, you’d think I didn’t like these muffins!  Quite the contrary, however…

On my lovely little trip to City Feed and Supply, I discovered Glutenus Minimus Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins in the open fridge in front of the sandwich bar. I don’t quite remember what jumped out at me first: the adorable and rather clever name, “Glutenus Minimus,” the heavenly sounding banana/chocolate chip combination, or the cute little muffins the clear plastic container held. It was most likely a combination of the three.

I could tell just by the looks of these muffins that you don’t see ones like this everyday. As an experienced gluten-avoider, I was not about to take this for granted. I fully realized I could not just eat the muffins. No way. I needed milk!

Thank goodness I got my milk because these muffins were just divine — the perfect pairing for my beverage. Although my muffin was a bit cold and moist on the outside (it had been sitting in a fridge, afterall), it was light and fluffy inside, making it a great treat for a hot day. The banana/chocolate chip combination was delicious, it tasted like something I shouldn’t have been eating.

These muffins are very reasonable priced for their packs of two, and I took the other muffin to my sister later that day. She ate the muffin after it had acclimated to room temperature which was warm enough that day to melt the chocolate chips a bit, and I believe she enjoyed it even more than I did. If you are looking for an excellent muffin, I suggest you check out Glutenus Minimus. She’s got a great story, too!

City Feed and Supply Gluten-Free Sandwich

672 Centre St. | 66A Boylston St.
Jamaica Plain, MA
617.524.1700 |  617.524.1657
http://www.cityfeedandsupply.com

Sometimes I think I know everything about being gluten-free. I am, afterall, the guru! However, while I am well-versed in many things free from gluten, the variety of options available to me and others continues to surprise me.  Gluten-free doesn’t always have to be hard. Recently, it became clear to me that I certainly don’t know it all — sometimes, I don’t even know when to ask!

This past weekend I stayed with a friend in the city. She wanted to take me somewhere special for lunch, somewhere she knew I’d like. “Let’s go to City Feed,” she said, “I think they have gluten-free stuff there, it has tons of organic stuff.” I pointed out that organic does not mean gluten-free, though awareness of the allergy is generally better. She, however, was insistent about the connection. They must have gluten-free bread.

I decided to go along with it. When City Feed and Supply came into view, I saw that at the very least I could enjoy a nice salad in a super cute locale. Inside had a very “updated general store” type feel to it, fresh and funky. Had I happened upon this spot by myself, I wouldn’t have thought to ask about gluten-free sandwich options. I would have looked for signs (there aren’t any), eventually found the gluten-free muffins (I’ll post about those next), and then have been perfectly content to sit down with a salad. Still, she was so sure that I had to ask.

Ask and you shall receive, they say.  Well, I cashed in big time at City Feed. Not only did they have gluten-free bread, but they also knew to ask how sensitive to it I am! My allergy, luckily, is not very severe, so the girl knew she could make my sandwich on the counter and toast it on the press. On top of all this, the people at City Feed were conscious of how tiny pieces of gluten-free bread are and gave me two sandwiches! Just when I thought my lunch adventure could not get any better, they charged me as much as they would for a regular sandwich, no extra. I have no clue if this was an error, but it was certainly a nice surprise. My dollars have never stretched so far for gluten-free food before!

City Feed, you had me at “or can I put it on the press?” and actually eating the sandwich only added to my love. I got the turkey and brie, and it was quite delicious. I’d never had the particular type of gluten-free bread they used and it was quite good, I’d rate it a step up from WholeFoods sandwich bread.

My friend was absolutely right. And from now on, I know to always ask about the options available to me. I would certainly go back to City Feed — the service and the food was great. It is so nice to eat out and feel as though the people preparing and serving your food understand where you are coming from when you lift your fork, and the people at City Feed knew just what to do for me. If you are looking for a cute place to enjoy a gluten-free sandwich (or two!) City Feed is the place to go.

Cape Cup

54 Main St.
Orleans, MA 02653
http://www.capecup.com/

My gluten-free discoveries are usually deliberate. Either I follow-up on a recommendation or I do some research and seek out places others have reviewed. Cape Cup, however, was a discovery by chance. I was on the way to spend the day at Nauset Beach on Cape Cod with some friends when the other girls began demanding a Dunkin’ run. After a stop at the adorable Friend’s Marketplace for gluten-free beach snacks (cheese and rice crackers…mmm!), we were about to head out of our way to Dunkin’, when the local among us suggested the much closer (not to mention cuter) Cape Cup.

I  wasn’t in the mood for coffee, so I elected to stay in the car. I couldn’t help but gush to our local friend at how incredibly adorable and clever I found the name Cape Cup for a coffee shop! I already loved it. That love was reaffirmed when, as she was getting back into the driver’s seat, my sister threw a bag of baked goods at me. One look at her smile and I knew they were gluten-free.

What a delicious treat they were! She picked up chocolate chip cookies and muffins. They cookies were rather thin, crumbly and crunchy, but they were loaded with chocolate chips and tasted fresh-baked, not dry like the store-bought kinds you can find in supermarkets. I quite enjoyed them. I found the Gluten-Free Blueberry-Oat muffin to be delicious. Unlike the Whole Foods muffins, it was light and not too moist. The addition of the gluten-free oats gave it a more complex and textured taste than most gf products and I really enjoyed that.

Upon investigation of their website, it seems Cape Cup offers other gluten-free menu options and different specials. If you’re on the Cape, I’d recommend getting your morning coffee at Cape Cup… and grabbing a treat while you’re at it!