I had sampled these pretzels at the Gluten Free Fest last year and had been keeping an eye out for them at the grocery store. Finally, finally they arrived on the shelves of Giant. The are equally as tasty the Glutinos brand, but at the cost of regular pretzels. Hooray for the new interest in gluten-free foods driving mainstream snack production!
I had a terrific Labor Day lunch experience at Laxmi's Indian Grille, 4425 Main Street in Manyunk: 215 508 2120 with my partner and two sisters-in-law. While they don't yet have a physical gluten-free menu, Manu Dutt, the owner and the person who took care of us during our meal, said it would be available soon. He was very knowledgeable about gluten, and volunteered appropriate information in a very accommodating way. He was also very hip to vegan concerns, noting that one of the bowls of rice he brought to the table was made with butter, the other without. I ordered the Kadhai Paneer -- Indian cheese cubes in a sauce with vegetables and spices -- and ate every bite. I also ate several slices (pieces?) of papadum, the peppery crackery bread that came as an appetizer before the meal. Manu noted that it was made entirely of lentil flour, and that all of the sauces and chutney that came with it were gluten free as well.
I found the nicely appointed, small restaurant by searching on UrbanSpoon for gluten-free places in Philadelphia. I usually stay away from Manayunk, which tends to be a little to crowded, hip and trendy for me, but on Labor Day at 2 pm, we had easy parking right near the place. The service wasn't speedy, but we were looking for a relaxed atmosphere to chat and catch up. It was a great choice all around, and all us gals were pleased with our meals. I highly recommend Laxmi's and will look for opportunities to return! Jenn got me a 1.1 oz bag of these for a recent car trip. They are delish! They have all of the popcorn flavor without the annoying hulls to get in your teeth. I ate them unadorned, though I suppose one could dip them in something if one felt so compelled.
The whole 1.1 oz bag had 140 calories, which felt like a fair eating-enjoyment-to-calorie ratio. They do come in a larger bag, but given how good they are, I'm glad Jenn got me just the one serving size. Otherwise, I might have scarfed the whole thing. Sample of a product with the Gluten Free tag at Whole Foods. I didn't eat this food -- just an illustration of the GF label. I recently stopped at Whole Foods for a specific item for my sister-in-law, and decided to do a little browsing. I've found that I can generally get what I need for gf living at the nearby Giant supermarket for less than Whole Foods, but when I find myslef in the aisles, I poke around a bit.
I noticed "Gluten Free" tags on products that I hadn't seen before. I first noticed it in the boxed tea selections. I always appreciate being pointed in the right direction, but I thought it was weird that there were some teas that got the GF label, and others that I know are gluten free that didn't. What gives? I went to the Whole Foods website and found a pretty comprehensive GF resource: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/gluten-free.php. Pretty cool and hip. Thanks, Whole Foods! But it doesn't solve the mystery of why some teas were marked with the label and not others. I followed links that took me to the local store's GF product list, and it didn't list ANY tea. Marketing ploy to sell one brand over others? More investigation is required. I'll write the company and see what they say. In the meantime, it is important to note that I HAVE found some teas that have gluten. Specifically, Yogi Healthy Fasting Tea has barley in it. It just goes to show that you can't just assume that there's not gluten in something because you think "Why would there be?" Gotta read the labels and know what to look for. (The Republic of Tea's Get Lost tea is gluten-free, and pretty tasty!) In hindsight, I decided that the Bisquick pizza crust wasn't really a pizza crust. It was just too crumbly and sweet. In the picture of me eating a slice at Carmen's, you'll note that the crust has a little bit of a bend to it. I like that in a pizza crust. Bisquick? No bend.
In a hurricane, Bisquick will do in a pinch. Otherwise, I think it needs to continue to be a pancake mix and not pretend to be a pizza crust. |
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