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/

Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Devil's Food Cupcakes.

OH
MY
GOD.


I made these cupcakes for a celebration I'm attending tomorrow, and I don't know if they will make it.
I bought a Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix a while back and never ended up using it for its intended purpose. Tonight I pulled it out, hesitantly (as I always am with new GF products). Wow

These cupcakes make me cheat a little on other allergies--it requires 3 eggs to bake---but since my egg reactions are so minor, I cheated on this one. Make your own decisions on whether or not you can do this. You know your body!

I followed the recipe on the back, with the following exception:

Instead of 1 cup WATER- I used unsweetened almond milk!

That's the only difference I made! I baked them at 325F(+) for 23 minutes exactly.

I topped them with a classic buttercream icing- again substituting almond milk for milk/cream. Delish!

I'm not kidding when I say this mix is amazing. Pretty sure I (unintentially) closed my eyes the entire time I ate my cupcake. I was that happy.

PS. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of my completed work for you all to see. I decorated the cupcakes with a tiffany blue icing and they were beautiful AND delicious. I served them to people at this celebration, and one woman came up to me and said "Is this ACTUALLY gluten-free? Because, gluten-free stuff is not this good".

Others, who had no idea the cupcake was gluten-free, complimented me on how delicious they were.

Product Review: Lander's Australian Macadamia Shortbread

So the time may have passed for shortbread...if you only eat cookies during Christmas! I say, cookies all year round!

In my stocking this year I found a box of Lander's Australian Macadamia Shortbread. Boxed gluten-free goods, you say? I'm always skeptical. I waited to open the box for a week or so before one night my sugar craving was so intense I tore open the box hoping to find greatness on the inside.

Sooooooooo yummmmmmmmmy........

I could easily eat 5 of these cookies if I didn't hold myself back. So deliciously buttery, and a texture just like traditional shortbread. They DO contain dairy, so if you're exceptionally allergic to dairy, unfortunately you can't eat them. I'm not sure how much--- I really don't find myself reacting to them at all.

I haven't seen them anywhere except London Drugs. They were sold out at one location, so it appears that others may have discovered the greatness of these cookies. They come in at $4.50 a box. London Drugs carries a fantastic amount of gluten-free goods--from cookies and crackers, to cereal, to flours! It's an awesome place to check out for a little bit of grocery shopping! The London Drugs on Georgia/Granville has a much larger grocery section than the one on Davie/Cardero. I haven't been to others in town.

Yummy Product Review: Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss

Alright people. We are talking about a serious topic here. Ice Cream.

More importantly, we are talking about Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan (aka. Dairy-Free) Ice Cream.

I had heard about this product through the grapevine, and had been dying to try it. A little while ago at my local Whole Foods, this product was on sale, and I grabbed the VERY LAST carton of it.

The one that was left was called "Naked Coconut"- and even though I'm not a crazy coconut fan, I decided I had to try it.

This stuff is unreal. Although pricey, it is so rich in flavour that you'll find yourself only eating a little at a time (and still being entirely satisfied).

This Naked Coconut flavour was rich in coconut flavour, with little pieces of actual coconut mixed around inside. This is something you'll eat right out of the carton.

I'm looking forward to trying some of their other flavours, including Naked Almond Fudge, Vanilla Island, and Cappuccino. Based on their website, it looks like they have 10 flavours of ice cream, and 2 flavours of ice cream bars available in Canada.

I've seen this product sold at Whole Foods, and Choices Markets so far.
If you love your ice cream, like I do, go out and try this! I highly recommend it!

Kitsilano Farmer's Market- Van Markets

The Kitsilano Farmer's Market is up and running!

Check out the Interactive Market Map!

I've visited the Kitsilano market the past two Sundays and have found some delicious treats from lovely vendors that I'd love to share with you!

First off, here are the details:

Kitsilano Farmer's Market
Just outside the Kitsilano Community Centre at 10th and Larch.
Sundays
10am-2pm

Parking is limited, but it is available. I had to loop around a couple times today until I found a spot. There is parking at the Community Centre, and also a few spots on the street.

Last week I rode my bike, and they were doing free bike tune ups, and also, the fantastic Bicycle Valet is there to keep your bike safe and sound as you shop!

Bring cash, but if you absolutely don't have time to grab some before hand, you can get "Market Money" by using your debit card- all vendors take Market Money, and will give you back exact change, when needed.

Favourite vendors so far:

Paul's Produce- a family farm in Abbotsford. Radishes are only $1 a bunch here! I don't think Paul's Produce is organic, but it is local, and is the best priced produce at the market.

High Crow Gluten-Free Foods- I've tried the Ginger cookie, and a Cranberry/Orange Loaf. Absolutely divine.

Hui's Farm- Mushrooms! Many varieties including many exotic looking mushrooms that I'm hesitant to try, but I've picked up a large amount of Crimini for $4 here. The cutest wee little mushrooms you've ever seen. Delicious.

Kalley Kandy- Almond Nougat. Need I say more. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, with no preservatives, additives, colourings, or gelatine, but it's made of egg-whites. $5 will get you a package of 6 generous pieces.

Jane's Honey Bees- Met "Jane" herself...but actually it's her middle name. Bought myself a LARGE jar of dark honey for $10. Love buying local.

A little tip for those purchasing fresh greens at the market:

Many vendors have laid out "salad bars" where they have chopped, prepared lettuce. A medium size bag will run you about $7-9, BUT if you buy the lettuces by the bunch and prepare it yourself, you will get about 5x as much for the same price. I bought 3 medium bunches for $7.50, and ended up with way more lettuce than I knew what to do with. Seriously. I've been eating lettuce for every. single. meal.

But it's delicious and healthy.

I'm looking forward to my local farmer's market opening up- West End! I will let you know how it goes.

Homesense and Granola!

Yesterday I went on a mission to find storage solutions for my tiny apartment. Instead, I found wonderful gluten-free goodness!

Homesense on Richards/Robson carries a small amount of gluten-free goods including: snack foods, flours, and nuts and seeds. All of these products at lower than grocery store prices!

I ended up buying:
Gluten-free organic vanilla.
Certified wheat free oats.
Black Chia.

I've been looking for Certified wheat-free oats for a while now, and got them for a steal of a deal at Homesense.

So, today, I started doing what I have wanted to do for a while!

Homemade Granola! Gluten-Free! Almond-Free! Cashew-Free! Peanut-Free!

So, here's my recipe that I created:

6 cups wheat-free oats
1 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup black chia seeds
1/3 cup dried apple bits
1/3 cup dried mango bits
1 1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup liquid honey
1 cup maple syrup (has to be the real stuff...throw out your Aunt Jemima. Please. You're Canadian...or maybe not, but we can all agree the real maple syrup is much better than the fake stuff)

Mix the dry in a large bowl. Drizzle over the olive oil, honey, and maple syrup while mixing.

Transfer to 2 large baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes *****stirring once after 10 minutes*****


The verdict: Good! Next time I would add the dried fruit after the baking, but overall, yummy! Go ahead and try it for yourself!

Before:















After: Mixed with some Coconut Blueberry Yogurt