I write this post as a warning to all those in Vancouver who love sushi, and follow a gluten-free diet, out of necessity, or otherwise.
Jako Japanese Restaurant, located on Davie St in the Downtown/Yaletown district is NOT a gluten-free restaurant. After eating what should have been a clean roll, I am now in bed, in pain, with a stomach swollen like a balloon!
It leads me to the suspicion that they do not use real rice vinegar to season their rice, but something else like a malt/barley vinegar.
Save your tummies!!
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
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 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/
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Body Awareness
Something I've mentioned through this process of becoming gluten (and allergy) free is my increased body awareness. Since gluten is a common ingredient in processed food--my intake of these processed foods and deep fried foods has decreased to barely any.
This post applies to everyone, whether they are gluten free or not, because it's about the changes in your body when you cut out processed and deep fried foods. Now, I haven't cut them out completely--I haven't even made a conscious decision to limit them...I've simply cut out my allergins, and processed foods are pretty much a main contributor of allergins into my body!
A few days ago I went out for lunch with a few of my girlfriends. I ordered a bunless chicken club sandwich (going bunless is always a great option- often you end up with a dressed up chicken breast for a fraction of what they charge for the entree), with 1/2 fries, and 1/2 salad. It had been AGES since I'd had french fries...and I decided I wanted to indulge (but my conscious only allowed me to order 1/2...).
The fries were delicious. Salty, greasy, comforting...I could have had a million of them. In the moment it was pure pleasure.
But here's the thing.
After, I felt awful. I noticed a change about 30 minutes after I had eaten. I felt sluggish, heavy, tired, lethargic...egh, just gross. I wanted to lay on my couch and nap for the rest of the day. ALL from a 1/2 order of french fries.
It's really unbelievable how my body was able to almost immediately tell me that I had given it something bad. It was upset with me, and just wanted to shut down for the rest of the day. My french fries had immediately told my body to be lazy.
I've found that eating healthier really does make you feel better...but you don't notice it until you've eaten junk. It's a more severe reaction- so you notice it more.
It's so obvious to me why weight gain is a vicious cycle. You would have to fight your every instinct to push against those awful calories and unhealthy fats...The junk food just wants you to sit down, be lazy, and eat more junk.
I think the only way to stop it is to start eating healthy. You eat junk- you feel like junk.
Start with the first step- eating healthy- instead of trying to fight against the current.
This post applies to everyone, whether they are gluten free or not, because it's about the changes in your body when you cut out processed and deep fried foods. Now, I haven't cut them out completely--I haven't even made a conscious decision to limit them...I've simply cut out my allergins, and processed foods are pretty much a main contributor of allergins into my body!
A few days ago I went out for lunch with a few of my girlfriends. I ordered a bunless chicken club sandwich (going bunless is always a great option- often you end up with a dressed up chicken breast for a fraction of what they charge for the entree), with 1/2 fries, and 1/2 salad. It had been AGES since I'd had french fries...and I decided I wanted to indulge (but my conscious only allowed me to order 1/2...).
The fries were delicious. Salty, greasy, comforting...I could have had a million of them. In the moment it was pure pleasure.
But here's the thing.
After, I felt awful. I noticed a change about 30 minutes after I had eaten. I felt sluggish, heavy, tired, lethargic...egh, just gross. I wanted to lay on my couch and nap for the rest of the day. ALL from a 1/2 order of french fries.
It's really unbelievable how my body was able to almost immediately tell me that I had given it something bad. It was upset with me, and just wanted to shut down for the rest of the day. My french fries had immediately told my body to be lazy.
I've found that eating healthier really does make you feel better...but you don't notice it until you've eaten junk. It's a more severe reaction- so you notice it more.
It's so obvious to me why weight gain is a vicious cycle. You would have to fight your every instinct to push against those awful calories and unhealthy fats...The junk food just wants you to sit down, be lazy, and eat more junk.
I think the only way to stop it is to start eating healthy. You eat junk- you feel like junk.
Start with the first step- eating healthy- instead of trying to fight against the current.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
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!
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!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
BEER!
For those who enjoy an adult beverage every once in a while, becoming gluten-free comes with the sad realization that you can no longer enjoy a cold, icy beer.
BUT NOW THERE ARE OPTIONS!
I was never a big beer drinker before, but I definitely enjoyed one occasionally. It's just something that fits well with a BBQ or a warm evening after a day on the beach.
When I first eliminated gluten, I wrote a post on discovering a gluten-free beer at the liquor store, but being too afraid to try it. There are some terrible replacement products out there on the market- and I feared trying to replicate beer would just end in sadness.
However,
New Grist is pretty good!
It's an American beer that sits at 5.7%. It's quite "light", so I would compare it to something like a Corona. In fact, New Grist is fantastic with a wedge of lime!
It's brewed completely without wheat or barley- so it's definitely, without a doubt, 100% gluten-free.
They've replaced the wheat and barley with sorghum, rice, hops, water, and yeast.
It definitely tastes like beer, but the only difference I found that really didn't bother me that much, is that it's mildly less carbonated than a standard beer.
I've found it at various BC liquor stores in Vancouver- just ask where to find it- it's definitely not sitting along with the regular beers. It's usually with the specialty single beers- the fruit beers, etc.
It's sold in bottled 6-packs- and again- grab yourself a lime.
I've also found it at the following restaurants in Vancouver: (list to be updated as I discover more places!)
- The Irish Heather (Gastown)
- Chill Winston (Gastown)
- The New Oxford (Yaletown)
BUT NOW THERE ARE OPTIONS!
I was never a big beer drinker before, but I definitely enjoyed one occasionally. It's just something that fits well with a BBQ or a warm evening after a day on the beach.
When I first eliminated gluten, I wrote a post on discovering a gluten-free beer at the liquor store, but being too afraid to try it. There are some terrible replacement products out there on the market- and I feared trying to replicate beer would just end in sadness.
However,
New Grist is pretty good!
It's an American beer that sits at 5.7%. It's quite "light", so I would compare it to something like a Corona. In fact, New Grist is fantastic with a wedge of lime!
It's brewed completely without wheat or barley- so it's definitely, without a doubt, 100% gluten-free.
They've replaced the wheat and barley with sorghum, rice, hops, water, and yeast.
It definitely tastes like beer, but the only difference I found that really didn't bother me that much, is that it's mildly less carbonated than a standard beer.
I've found it at various BC liquor stores in Vancouver- just ask where to find it- it's definitely not sitting along with the regular beers. It's usually with the specialty single beers- the fruit beers, etc.
It's sold in bottled 6-packs- and again- grab yourself a lime.
I've also found it at the following restaurants in Vancouver: (list to be updated as I discover more places!)
- The Irish Heather (Gastown)
- Chill Winston (Gastown)
- The New Oxford (Yaletown)
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Food Trucks Are All The Rage
As the post title states, food trucks are all the rage in Vancouver these days. In downtown Vancouver, they're hard not to miss- stationed at some of the busiest corners in the downtown core.
Being a person with allergies, these food trucks come with a big red flag- we have no idea what the ingredients are- or really any way to look it up. Street meat is pretty much out. It's unfortunate because so many of these food trucks are raved about. They are definitely the hottest trend for "fast food", and some of the products coming out of these food trucks are absolutely gourmet.
I have discovered my first food truck which boasts an ENTIRELY gluten-free, and dairy-free menu. Not only that- the food is absolutely amazing.
This food truck is called "Off the Wagon". They describe themselves as a "mobile Taqueria specializing in fresh homemade tacos." Having been to Mexico City a couple times and eating authentic tacos right off the street, my standards for tacos are high.
The tacos at Off The Wagon are fantastic. Authentic, and drool-worthy.
I ordered 2 pulled pork tacos- and absolutely would get them again, and again, and again. They also have a vegetarian option (yam and beans) that I would love to try.
They have a Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/OffTheWagonTacos
You can find Off the Wagon at the Kitsilano Farmer's Market on Sundays. You can also find them at Dunsmuir and Burrard during weekdays!
Being a person with allergies, these food trucks come with a big red flag- we have no idea what the ingredients are- or really any way to look it up. Street meat is pretty much out. It's unfortunate because so many of these food trucks are raved about. They are definitely the hottest trend for "fast food", and some of the products coming out of these food trucks are absolutely gourmet.
I have discovered my first food truck which boasts an ENTIRELY gluten-free, and dairy-free menu. Not only that- the food is absolutely amazing.
This food truck is called "Off the Wagon". They describe themselves as a "mobile Taqueria specializing in fresh homemade tacos." Having been to Mexico City a couple times and eating authentic tacos right off the street, my standards for tacos are high.
The tacos at Off The Wagon are fantastic. Authentic, and drool-worthy.
I ordered 2 pulled pork tacos- and absolutely would get them again, and again, and again. They also have a vegetarian option (yam and beans) that I would love to try.
They have a Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/OffTheWagonTacos
You can find Off the Wagon at the Kitsilano Farmer's Market on Sundays. You can also find them at Dunsmuir and Burrard during weekdays!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Cactus Club
It's important as a person with allergies to be informed when you go out to eat. So many sneaky ingredients!
Recently, I went to Cactus Club, and before I went, did some research. It's as easy as it gets. Cactus Club has a "gluten-free" menu listed on their website, informing you of the products you can order that are gluten free, or the modifications you can request to make a dish gluten-free.
Check it out! Just go to menus, and there is a "gluten friendly" bar to choose!
Recently, I went to Cactus Club, and before I went, did some research. It's as easy as it gets. Cactus Club has a "gluten-free" menu listed on their website, informing you of the products you can order that are gluten free, or the modifications you can request to make a dish gluten-free.
Check it out! Just go to menus, and there is a "gluten friendly" bar to choose!
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