SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

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On Sunday, September 19th I had the privilege of attending The Gluten-Free Makeover: A Healthier You, hosted by The North Texas Gluten-Intolerance Group and The Gaylord Texan. This was one of the first events of it’s kind in the nation and had over 700 attendees so, naturally, I wanted to share it with you.

Me, Alta (Tasty Eats at Home), and Katie

I met Alta, from Tasty Eats at Home, and our friend, Katie there.  We came hungry and left…well, stuffed.  And happy.

The vendors and restaurants that participated are too numerous to mention in one post, so here I’m highlighting a handful of my favorites.

The Gaylord Texan

First, let’s start with The Gaylord Texan.  They generously donated their night club, The Glass Cactus, and staff to help with this event.  Very soon they’ll be the very first gluten-free certified hotel in the nation.  That’s no small feat considering that they have 4 restaurants, a night club that serves finger food, extensive banquet & meeting rooms, and 1511 guest rooms – which all have the option of ordering room service.

The Glass Cactus served smoked shrimp on top of jalepeno cheese grits.  This was one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Paella Texas

No one could resist watching these talented cooks put together and cook their artful dish of paella – prepared on site in authentic paella cookware.  As tasty as it was beautiful, I enjoyed every bite.  My favorite part was the asparagus…I can never resist great veggies.

Hail Merry Organic Snacks

This Dallas based raw, vegan snack company is also gluten-free and refined sugar-free.  Founder Susan O’Brein was serving up her Orange Cranberry Granola.  Though not my first time to have Hail Merry Granola, it was still good enough for me to go back for seconds.  Without any shame.

The Great Gluten Escape Camp

True, not a food.  But, I had to tell you about this unique, gluten-free camp.  Every summer, a group of over 100 children ages 7 – 15 have the opportunity to attend a camp in East Texas where all of the food is totally gluten-free.  They do everything that kids do at summer camp – they swim, make crafts, canoe, hike, cook, and even learn about archery.  They even make s’mores by a bonfire – gluten-free!

Garliq Unique Italian Food

Alta & The Garliq Guy

Located in Southlake, Texas, this Italian restaurant not only has gluten-free pasta, it’s dairy-free, casein-free, and refined-sugar free as well.  Their gluten-free menu includes bread sticks, pizza, lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, cookies, brownies, and more.  Somehow I convinced Alta to hop behind the table and pose for a pic.

Kettle Cuisine

Me & Amanda

Ok, I’ve shared Kettle Cuisine before but I adore their Clam Chowder. They use real, in-house made fish stock.  It reminds me of the soup I used to eat in sourdough bread bowls on the pier in San Francisco.  Last time I met Lorna, a.k.a. GFSoupMom on Twitter.  Lorna couldn’t attend this event so her colleague, Amanda, a.k.a. GFMaven on Twitter, served their product.

Other Great Gluten-Free Companies

Some of the other top quality products served there that you might not know about:

• Glow Gluten-Free Cookies (also dairy-free)
• Mary’s Gone Crackers (also sugar-free & dairy-free)
• NuNaturals Stevia
• Katz Gluten-Free Baked Goods
• Hillside Candy
• Beantios Bean Chips (sugar-free, corn-free, dairy-free)
• Falafel Chips from Flamous Brand – Joe loves these! (sugar-free, dairy-free)

Do you have any new gluten-free products or restaurants you love?  Share them with us!