SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

A week ago, I was browsing 7 miles worth of food and restaurant supply vendors in Chicago. There was a little bit of everything – but to my delight there was a strong showing of gluten-free, sugar-free, organic products.  There was even an entire section devoted to gluten-free foods.

Boring Disclaimer: I’m sharing this because I want to.  I haven’t been paid, nor did I get any free products in exchange for a review.

The Manhattan Chili Co.

I just realized I didn’t take a picture of Bruce’s all-natural, gluten-free chili.  It must have been because I was so hungry – there was food all around me and I couldn’t eat any of it.  Until I happened upon this heavenly meal in a bowl.

When I asked Bruce if it was sugar-free, he smiled and said, “Using sugar in your chili is cheating.”  I liked him right away.  Bruce also uses vegetables to thicken his chili – not starch.  Smart man.

He didn’t tell me that using vegetables as a thickener is much more expensive, but I know it is from culinary school. In fact, it’s actually the preferred method by top chef.  Bruce also has vegetarian chilis and only uses antibiotic free chicken and, yes, Niman Ranch beef.

I’m not into pre-packaged foods because they’re usually full of stuff I just don’t want to eat.  Not so with Manhattan Chili.  I would not only eat Bruce’s chili but could serve it to my family with a clean conscience.

Kettle Cuisine & GF Soup Mom

Another favorite of mine – one thing that I’ve missed since going gluten-free is Clam Chowder. I can remember vividly the rich taste of clam chowder in sourdough boules on the warf in San Francisco.

Lorna Shafir, also known as GFSoupMom on Twitter, explained to me that Kettle Cuisine makes their clam chowder from real fish stock.  I was sold.  There’s nothing better than quality stock.

Their clam chowder was so good, I asked for seconds.

Lorna also told me about a great gluten-free iPhone app, GlutenFreed, which helped her to have a delicious gluten-free meal in Chicago. You can download it at no cost.  Follow GFSoupMom on Twitter for more gluten-free living solutions.

Sandwich Petals

Once again, I was hungry and wanted something substantial.  The NRA show was full of  sweets, bread, and coffee.  I wanted some real food.  The Sandwich Petals booth was handing out gluten-free sandwich wraps.

Sandwich Petals come in three flavors, Agave Grain, Chimayo Red Chiil, and Spinach Garlic. Each wrap is just 100 calories each and packed with whole grains including corn, flax, sesame, buckwheat, brown rice, sorghum, millet, quinoa, teff, and amaranth.  They’re vegan and free of dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

I ate two sandwich petal wraps and enjoyed every last bite.

A neat discovery – when browsing the recipes on the Sandwich Petal website, I found a recipe for Chicken Enchilada Casserole by everyone’s favorite Gluten-Free Easily creative cook, Shirley Braden

Meeting Jen Cafferty from Gluten-Free Life with Jen

Photo, from left to right: Jen Cafferty, Lorna Shafir, and me.

If you don’t know Jen, you should. She not only authors Gluten-Free Life with Jen but is the brilliant mind behind the Gluten-Free Expo that debuted in April.  She couldn’t be more pleasant, kind, or completely devoted to serving the gluten-free community.  I was in awe of how she gracefully handled each question and bit of information that came her way from volunteers in the gluten-free area.

If you don’t subscribe to Jen’s RSS feed, you should. She’ll keep you up to date on the latest gluten-free happenings and you’ll get information first hand about next year’s Gluten-Free Expo.

Falafel Chips

I’m not a chip eater.  I’d rather have fresh fruit or veggies.  But these Falafel Chips were full of flavor and not greasy at all.  They’re completely organic and made with non GMO corn and beans which gives them 4 grams of fiber per serving.  With 118 calories per serving and only 6 grams of fat, they’re much healthier than the standard potato chip.

One of the things I struggle with is ‘party’ food.  Not everyone prefers to dip with vegetables.  Now I have a healthier chip to serve at get-togethers that I know tastes great.

Rick Bayless

My very favorite part of the show, though, was meeting Chef Rick Bayless and sitting in on a session where he talked about sustainability supporting local farmers.  Chef Bayless sought out the best, local produce in the Chicago area to serve in his restaurants and then worked with the farmers to help them create profitable farms.  He’s been doing this since the 1980′s.

I could write an entire post about what I learned from Chef Bayless, but the one thing that’s stuck out in my mind the most is that it’s important to do what you love and do it with zeal and integrity.

If you love Mexican cuisine, you must add Authentic Mexican by Chef Bayless and Deann Groen Bayless to your library.  Many of his recipes are naturally gluten-free, like roasted peppers with onions and herbs, chicken-filled enchiladas with tangy tomatillo sauce, potatoes with Mexican sausage, and zucchini and pork with Mexican flavors.

Have you found a new gluten-free product you love lately? I’d love to know about it!