Panne Rizo's Rewards Program

I've talked about Panne Rizo on this blog before, and I'm still a huge fan. It's so nice to have a bakery dedicated to gluten-free eating, but one that offers egg-free and dairy-free products as well. My favourite products are still their bread crumbs, Vegan Chia Loaf, and Bird's Nest Cookies, but I will continue to explore and update you on my findings!

Panne Rizo is also fantastic at providing it's customers with new products for the holidays. Last Christmas they had a delicious assortment of traditional Christmas cakes and cookies, of which I ate plenty!

I noticed that they've also got special offerings for this Thanksgiving! Drop by and pick yourself up a pumpkin pie (or try the recipe on my blog!) or some pumpkin loaf. Or save yourself a ton of time by ordering some gluten-free turkey stuffing! This is fantastic for those who will be serving someone with a gluten-free diet and is overwhelmed by the idea of making their own!

A new feature for Panne Rizo is their free Customer Rewards Program. Gain points by spending money (1 point for each dollar spent), and gain extra points by bringing in your own reusable bags!
Panne Rizo will also register you into the Celiac Registry where you can get your Celiac receipts at the end of the year for tax purposes.

If you are diagnosed Celiac- here is the link to the Canadian Revenue Agency's page on Gluten-Free write-offs:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/330/clc-eng.html

Here is the link to the page of Panne Rizo's new Customer Rewards Program:
http://www.pannerizo.com/rewards-celiac-registry/

Panne Rizo-- Vancouver

Panne Rizo is a place I avoided for a long time. It's a rice-based bakery in Kitsilano that is absolutely 100% gluten-free.

The words "rice bakery" just scared me to death. I have had some awful experiences with rice-based goods...I just imagined everything would be dry, dry, dry. I was afraid to go, and be sad with what I found. Isn't it wonderful to have your expectations blown out of the water?!

I'm so sad that it took me so long to go. This place is glorious. The food is WONDERFUL. I've tried a few different products, and am absolutely in love.

They always have a variety of samples available, which is awesome...you get to try before you buy! Who doesn't love samples?!

Products I've tried:

Chia Bread- Absolutely delicious. I eat it lightly toasted, and the taste reminds me of an english muffin/crumpet. It's become a staple in my house. I buy two loaves at a time, and keep them in the freezer. It's vegan, so NO eggs! That's tough to find in gluten-free bread. It's the only vegan bread loaf in the bakery as far as I know.

Multigrain Loaf- This was a good multigrain loaf. I prefer the chia....bread is more of a 'treat' now for me, so I don't really care if there's seeds or different grains in it. It's less moist than the chia bread.

Breadcrumbs- SO GOOD. I need to go buy some more immediately. I made breaded fish, chicken, yam fries, zucchini, and more with this product. Homemade chicken strips....I thought I was dreaming! Definitely something to keep in the house.

Gingerbread Men- I bought these at Christmastime. They were spicy, and delicious. You would never know the difference between these and "normal" gingerbread men. The package was so cute with a family of 4- two big gingerbread men, and two babies!

Pfeffernussen- This is a type of German Christmas cookie that I discovered through Panne Rizo. They are like little snowballs. They're similar to a ginger cookie, but covered with powdered sugar. Lightly spiced, and absolutely delicious. Between my boyfriend and I, we went through about 2 dozen!

Foccaccia- When I first tried this, I said, "It's actually foccaccia". You won't be disappointed in this one. Careful though, it's heavy on the garlic (delicious, but my tummy was unhappy with me...I'm not supposed to do garlic). I couldn't resist.



I'm slowly discovering more and more of their products, and have not yet been disappointed. Everything's been a wonderful discovery, and I will forever be a loyal customer. It looks like you can order their products online- I'm not sure if they ship!

It also looks like a variety of stores also carry their products including:
Whole Foods (Lower Mainland)
Urban Fare
Planet Organic (Victoria, Coquitlam)
Nature's Fare (Langley)
Edible Flours
Tamaringo's Cafe (Langley)
Good Nature Health Foods (North Vancouver)

I haven't seen them there, but would love to know if you have! Leave me a comment below!

Vancouver Farmer's Market- Earth Day Post

Vancouver has some wonderful Farmer's Markets, and lucky for us, even in the dreary, wet winter, we still have one! This "Winter" market is located right near Nat Bailey Stadium, and there is a moderate amount of parking facilities available. Lots of bike parking- so if you can, ride your bike there!

 I decided I absolutely had to go visit the market this weekend after watching a thought-provoking documentary called "Farmaggedon" on Friday evening. It focusses on the debate over raw milk (which I can't have anyways...but you lactose-intolerants apparently can!)...and how it is illegal in Canada and in some states in the US. It was eye-opening, but what really got to me was the idea of buying local.

Of course, of course, we all know it's better to buy local, but without proper planning, we find ourselves at the supermarket time and time again without knowledge of where our food is travelling from, and how far it had to travel to get to our plates. It's self-explanatory that local food is better for the earth. Think about all the emissions that go out into the atmosphere every day just getting food to people's plates. Even "every day" type veggies like cucumber, and lettuce travel thousands of miles- why?! It just seems so silly if you think about it.

 The Vancouver (Winter) Farmer's Market had an exceptional number of stands and a very happy crowd slowly moved their way around the market.

I managed to pick up:
cucumbers
apples
carrots
leeks
tomatos
wild pink salmon
sashimi-grade wild tuna loin
GLUTEN-FREE ginger cookie (inspiration for baking them later today...)
GLUTEN-FREE apple and pork sausages
and more.

There was so much available- all sorts of lettuces, peppers, dried fruits, juices, all sorts of meat. Mostly organic, all local. It really makes you feel good supporting these farmers. Supporting the local economy. Knowing where your food comes from.
Whether it's all psychological that it tastes better, or not, is up to you...but in my belief, these products not only are better for the earth and better for your body, but they taste better, too.

I wanted to make a shout out to a couple of vendors:

1. High-Crow Gluten Free. They were the ones who had several baked goods on hand at the market, including the chewy ginger cookie that I purchased. Honestly, this was probably one of the best cookies I've ever eaten in my life. Their products are available at the farmer's market, and Edible Canada Bistro on Granville Island uses some of their products. Their website is: http://www.highcrow.com/

2. Chefs Natural Sausage. A wide variety of sausages, made with locally grown meats. All are gluten-free, no MSG, and no nitrates. I purchased a pack of 4 apple and pork sausages for about $6. Great price- delicious sausages!

If you want to find out more about the farmer's markets in Vancouver check out eatlocal.org

Markets are available all over the city- so look to see when the one nearest you is opening. Until then, check out the one on Saturdays at Nat Bailey!

Being healthy and allergy-free, and eating delicious foods is easy. All it takes is a little extra planning.

Let's Eat Guilt Free Bakery

While I was in Nanaimo a few weekends ago, my Dad took me to a bakery that he had heard about called, Let's Eat Guilt Free. It's a tiny, hole-in-the-wall bakery, attached to a European deli. We were greeted by an incredibly enthusiastic saleswoman, who pushed on us a sample of nearly every product in the bakery...

and I'm glad she did.

Seen below is their "Dried Tomato and Herbs Bread", which is one of the many varieties of loafs they have!


We tried so many things...muffins, breads, cookies...all the delicious treats that someone who can't eat gluten isn't allowed to.

They offered sugar-free and dairy-free options, while everything was gluten-free. GLORIOUS! My Dad and I ended up leaving with 3 loafs of bread, and a half-dozen cookies...although I wish I had left with more.

They don't have a website, but they do have a Facebook page, so check them out- and if you're ever in Nanaimo, absolutely make a visit. I know now that my visits to Nanaimo won't be without a trip to this fabulous bakery.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-Eat-Guilt-free/368655409824935

My struggle to find a good gluten-free bakery in Vancouver continues. I have been searching for somewhere that makes their own gluten-free loafs...not just sells some other companies frozen ones.

Earlier this week I went to Quejo's Cheesebuns on Main St. I arrived just as they were pulling out the Soy (non-dairy) options right out of the oven. It smelled amazing, but I was sorely disappointed with the final product. I purchased 4 buns from them (traditional Brazilian cheese buns made with tapioca) in a variety of flavours, and carried them home to be consumed!

When I cut open the cheese bun, it looked like an uncooked, gooey mess. That's the tapioca. You know the "bubbles" in bubble tea? Well, It looked like a colourless, mashed up version of those in the middle of what was supposed to be my delicious lunch.

Taste-wise- not. good. I was hoping for bread- and what I got was jello bread. Nasty.

I don't necessarily blame the work of the bakery- but the product itself.


Anyways- the search continues for a gluten-free bakery in Vancouver that competes with what I had in Nanaimo.
I even tried making my own loaf of bread earlier this week---to have another fail. It just didnt rise. and no rise= a dense block. HOWEVER- I plan on trying again...and we'll see what happens!


Today I plan on making some Cinnamon buns- so there should be a post..unless they fail...which there will be no post.