Bio-Naturae gluten-free pasta

We're lucky. (If, like me you are gluten-free, you are included in this we.)

These days, there are so many good gluten-free pastas that we have the ability to choose. Almost every major grocery store carries gluten-free pasta of one kind or another.

But we have the choice of one or another, we always reach for Bionaturae.

When Danny was still at Impromptu, and the entire menu was gluten-free, he always had gluten-free pasta in the back for customers who came in. He only allowed this Bionaturae gluten-free pasta in his restaurant.

It tastes good. It holds up. And unlike some of the other gluten-free pasta, this one doesn't fall apart or sag in the middle. It's from Italy, where they know how to make pasta, for gosh sakes. Why would you trust anyone else?

Buy some. You won't be disappointed.

Trader Joe's Whole Grain Drink

Have you noticed that Trader Joe's is providing more and more gluten-free foods for us to enjoy?

For that matter, have you noticed that every grocery store suddenly seems flooded with more and more gluten-free goods? We seemed to have reached a tipping point, people. We're here to stay.

Of course, as more companies jump on the gluten-free bandwagon, trying to make money from the obvious demand, the quality of those foods varies widely. I've tried some truly awful gluten-free foods in the last few years. The last few months have brought some mouthfuls that I couldn't swallow. Seriously, there's some bad stuff out there.

This, however, is fantastic.

Before my celiac diagnosis, I would not have thought anything called Whole Grain Drink would be any good. Now, however, I've not only come to love whole grains but also appreciate the power they have. We eat quinoa or millet or teff or brown rice every day. I baked with flax seed meal and amaranth flour and oats frequently. The irony is that I ingest more whole grains now than I ever did when I thought I could eat wheat.

This drink is one of the most pleasant ways to get a good dose of whole grains that I've ever tried.

It's not as weird as it sounds. It's like rice milk, or soy milk, or hemp milk — there's another thing I thought I would never like — except this time it's made with brown rice, amaranth, millet, and quinoa.

It tastes faintly of vanilla. It's thick enough to have a texture, but not so thick that you think you're drinking sludge. It's light and somehow quite addictive.

Will it help to know that I enjoyed this so much that I kept taking slugs right from the carton, as I stood in front of the refrigerator? I couldn't help it.

Next time I'm back at Trader Joe's, I'm buying a case.

Elderflower Pressé

I've always had an unnatural passion for all things British. When I was 14, and saw the BBC production of Romeo and Juliet, I swooned — in the swoony swoon way that only a 14-year-old girl can do — for the young man who played Romeo. I swear, I started reading Shakespeare only because Patrick Ryecart was so cute. (Luckily, I kept reading for other reasons.) The Beatles, Brideshead Revisited, bangers and mash — if it was British, I loved it.

After living in Great Britain twice, my passion became calmed when swirled with the real-life details of maddening traffic on the South Circular Road, only 3 television channels (and one of them played a test card of a girl with a clown from midnight until 9), and the not-pleasant surprise of apple pies baked without sugar. At 16, my vision of the place matured beyond swoony swoon.

I love all things British even more for that, now.

My friend Kairu loves the British things too. Last week, for a party, she brought bottles of this Elderflower Presse by Belvoir Fruit Farms. She admitted that she first read about elderflower cordial in a British novel she bought at the airport to keep herself occupied. I'm glad that she had to read a trashy book. That means I've experienced this drink.

Slightly fruity, with a hint of citrus, this drink is subtle. It's not soda. It's not sparkling water. It's not overly sweet. It is delicious. Elderflowers feel very British and Victorian, don't they? Their taste, however, is quite modern. Floral and faint, not enough to assert, just enough to please. I'm hooked.

Danny doesn't drink and I rarely do. Finding interesting non-alcoholic beverages is somewhat difficult, however. This elderflower cordial has the feeling of fine wine, without the alcohol.

And of course, it's gluten-free.

Belvoir Fruit Farms makes a series of appetizing-sounding drinks: cranberry pressé, lime and lemongrass pressé, and cucumber-mint-and-geranium blossom pressé.

Of course, shipping from the UK can be pricey here in the US. Our friend Kairu buys her elderflower pressé by the case at Big John's PFI, here in Seattle.

If you try some, let us know where you found it and what you think.

Zing Gluten-Free Power Bars

I don't really like power bars.

People keep telling me that I should pack them in the car, tuck them in my pockets for long days away from home, and definitely stash them in my suitcase when we are traveling. I have tried. I don't really like them.

A couple of months ago now, when the light was still high in the sky at 9 pm, Keren stopped me. You might know Keren better as Frantic Foodie, and that she is. How the woman organizes dozens of food-related events in Seattle, while she has a baby younger than Little Bean is way beyond me. I'm often exhausted by 6 pm. Keren seems to just thrive on this beehive of activity that is always swirling around her.

Along with this, Keren seems to know everyone. And she wants to connect them all together.

So she stopped me and said, "You have to stay for a few more minutes. I have to find Minh-Hai. You have to try our bars." We waited. We talked with Christine, who was selling chanterelle mushrooms nearby. But I sort of dreaded the encounter, I'll admit. You see, I really don't like power bars (or snack bars, or whatever bars people call them). I've recommended some here, because I know other people like them, and I want to point out the best of them. But in that moment, I didn't need another bar.

Minh-Hai smiled as she reached out her hand. And then she handed me some Zing Bars. "We would love for you to try them. They're gluten-free."
I smiled, said thank you, talked with her for awhile. She's lovely. I forgot the bars and focused on her.

And when we got home, I put them in the cupboard.

Just a few weeks ago, Danny was gone at work, and Little Bean was running me ragged. She wasn't sturdy enough to stand at the counter yet and help me cook. We had no hand-held food in the house. Everything needed to be prepared. So I reached for one of these in the pantry and took a bite.

Wait a minute. What?

These are good. I mean, good. I mean, they taste like actual food. The chocolate peanut butter tasted like a clean Reese's cup. I almost thought it was candy, except it was not too sweet.

The fact that they're full of good fats, important proteins, free of hormones or anything artificial? That's great too. Zing Bars were created by a team of four registered dieticians, who designed them to be wonderfully healthy and ridiculously tasty.

That they are.

I loved the cranberry-0range and almond-blueberry as well. But if I needed a pick-me-up in the middle of the afternoon, a slight pause before taking off after the toddler again? I'd reach for one of those Zing chocolate peanut butter bars in a minute.

silicone financier molds

Yesterday, Danny decided to make polenta. This isn't unusual here. We take turns jumping up from the couch with a new idea for breakfast.

But this one was different, because he decided to make the polenta in Little Bean size.

She's eating all the time these days. Most of all, she likes reaching over to eat what is on our plates. Danny figured that, if we could make more food that fit into her hand, entire, she'd eat her own food.

So he made warm polenta with fresh herbs and goat cheese. Then he pulled out the silicone financier mold we bought last month.

We've been busy. We haven't been able to use them. We imagined savory financiers and small puddings, little bar cookies, and other goodies we have yet to create. However, we hadn't made any of them.

So he spread the polenta over the molds and put them in the refrigerator. An hour later, he popped them out of the molds — no problem — and cooked them in olive oil, topped them in parmesan.

Little Bean speared one with her fork and chewed. Then smiled, then ate them all up.

And then she looked at Danny, who was already teary, patted his hand, and said, "Thank you." (in toddler language, of course.)

We were both unable to speak for a few moments.

Danny said, "You know, I've probably cooked for thousands of people, and it has always meant a lot to me when they enjoyed my food. But that right there? That means more to me than any of those meals."

Yes.

That moment would not have happened without those molds.

Eat Local

One of our favorite places in Seattle is a tiny storefront next to a dry cleaners, on the top of Queen Anne hill.

Eat Local sources its ingredients from some of our favorite local farmers, ranchers, and producers. "Eat Local is an artisan food store offering prepared meals made with seasonal, organic ingredients bought directly from local farms." It sounds good, right?

Their meals taste even better than the ethos sounds. Eat Local uses traditional home cooking methods, rather than mass production, to create frozen meals anyone can enjoy. Have you ever had a pork and apple tagine in a tv dinner? Made with ingredients you recognize and nothing else?

I also love the fact that the meals are packaged with the environment in mind. Much of the food comes in glass dishes that you bring back to the store. It's like a neighbor made you dinner, and then you return the favor. It's a bonus that all the labels and illustrations for the store are created by Nikki McClure, one of my favorite artists, as well.

Not all the food at Eat Local is gluten-free, but much of it is. Greg Conner, the driving force behind Eat Local, has a good friend with celiac, and thus an interest in feeding people safely. (Businesses built on personal connections are always my favorite.) We've eaten their food quite a number of times now, always with great enjoyment, and safely for me.

The lavender creme caramel is particularly stunning.

Eat Local
2400 Queen Anne Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
206.328.3663

Kinnikinnick hamburger buns

Skagit River Ranch ground beef burgers (a little trick: mix in one egg to firm up the burger), cheddar cheese, grilled Walla Walla sweet onion and caper relish. And Kinnikinnick Foods Gluten-Free hamburger buns.

Summer's here.