Gilberts Gourmet Goodies

January 31, 2012

Restaurant Review: Peacefood Cafe, New York City

I had a lunch meeting today with Allison and Annie at the Peacefood Cafe on Amsterdam and 83rd Street in NYC. It is a vegan cafe that has a great selection of baked goods, drinks, salads, soups, raw foods and cooked entrees. Some of these are gluten-free, all are made without any meats, dairy or eggs.

The restaurant is deceivingly long with a front room and a back room, a counter and a sitting area for people who order take out, of which there were many. They have a sign up that says that due to the number of people who come for lunch that laptops are not allowed b/w the hours of 12:00 – 3:00. Apparently people come and hang out for long periods of time with their laptops, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a bright and open and welcoming space.

When you walk in there is a nice round table in the corner by the window which we grabbed. It can comfortably sit 4 people and being by the window had great sun. Unfortunately it go so hot between the sun and the heat in the restaurant that eventually we had to move to the back of the restaurant.

Overall my experience was great with one little glitch that I will get to later. We started with fried chickpea “fries” which looked more like little rectangle potato cakes than fries. They are fried in canola oil so I was able to eat them. They have a little tang and a little punch to them. Very yummy.

Then we moved on to butternut squash soup, which is one of my favorites. It also had sweet potato and a few other veggies in it, and thankfully no dairy or gluten in it as most soups do, so I could eat it. We all agreed it was delicious. We also got fruit smoothies (again no dairy) made with green vegies and fruit. After the hot soup in the hot sun and the hot radiator we were melting and moved to the back of the restaurant.

Once we cooled down we realized we were too full to eat a meal, so we ordered desserts. That’s when the fun started for me. The waitress we had at the front of the restaurant was very attentive and very tuned in to food allergies. She checked all of the ingredients for everything I ordered and was able to tell me what was in all of the dishes, what I could and could not eat. Really extraordinary.

The waitress in the back of the restaurant was not so tuned in nor did she seem to understand the seriousness of food allergies. To her credit, each time I asked her to tell me what was in a dish she did go back to check, which was great, but she would come back and tell me only that ‘it was safe for me to eat’. Although I explained that and why I needed to know what all of the ingredients were, each time she would come back with the same answer, ‘it’s safe for you to eat’. She assured me that there was no gluten, soy, nuts or peanuts in the gluten-free pumpkin spice cake and that is what I ordered.

It arrived looking like a thick, moist slice of a pumpkin tea bread with a frosting on it. When I asked her what was in the frosting she seemed annoyed, said she did not know and she would check after she took care of other tables. Ok, so now I was getting frustrated. I decided to start eating the cake and avoid the frosting until she returned. After a couple of bites the owner came by and told me he wasn’t sure what was in the cake, but he was pretty sure there were walnuts. Ok, then . . . so I had to literally spit out the cake in my mouth and decide what to do . . . b/c if there were walnuts in it I was in trouble. He said he would check and I told him that I had specifically asked for, and not received, the ingredients. A few minutes later he came back with the recipe and showed it to me. Phew . . . no walnuts thank goodness! But he did not check on the frosting and had to go back yet again. It turns out that it was fine and I could finish the piece of cake, which, by the way, was delicious.

So overall it was a good experience. The food and drinks are really good. The waitress in the front really “got it” and the owner (Jeff) was helpful although he did not know the ingredients. The waitress in the back did not get it. She was ultimately right about the food, but she was annoyed at having to deal with my questions, and frankly I don’t have the patience or the comfort to deal with this type of server.

Would I go back? Yes, absolutely, and next time I will sit in the front section but not by the window.

Filed under: Allergies,Celiac Disease,Dairy-Free,Food,Food Allergies,Food and Health,Gluten-Free,Kids,Life,Moms,News,Nut-Free,Parents,Peanut-Free,Tree-Nut Free — Tags: allergy-free restaurant meals, Celiac Disease, dairy-free restaurants, Gluten-Free Restaurants, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free meals, vegan restaurants — Liz @ 12:06 am | Leave a Comment »

January 19, 2012

Gluten-Free, Allergy-Sensitive Pizza Recipe

I make my own pizza because of all of my food allergies. I can’t buy ready made GF pizzas at pizza places (using pizza crusts that they have purchased) or frozen pizzas at natural foods and grocery stores. I can’t eat “regular” cheese so none of them work for me.

Yesterday I made this pizza using a brown rice pizza crust made by Nature’s Highlights. I like that there are only 2 ingredients in their crust: “whole grain brown rice and potato”! It’s a thin crust, which I like, but it’s more like a very large cracker vs a pizza crust. I put a lot of ingredients onto my pizzas and this crust doesn’t hold up as well as Sami’s Bakery crust. Both crusts are purchased frozen. Nature’s Highlights gives directions on cooking the crust; Sami’s does not. I have tried Glutino’s crusts too, but they have soy in them, which I am allergic to, and they don’t taste good to me. Sami’s crusts are very large so I usually cut them in half and bake a half at a time.

My recipe for pizza is:

pure tomato paste
spreadable goat cheese
onions
broccoli
oregano

I start by baking the crust for approximately 3-5 minutes at 400 degrees. Then I take it out and spread a thin layer of tomato paste on the crust. I scoop out a couple tablespoons of soft goat cheese and mix it into the tomato paste. In the meantime I lightly steam the broccoli and cut up a red onion. I spread the onion onto the tomato/goat cheese mixture and then put the broccoli on top of the onion. I finish it by sprinkling oregano on the pizza. I bake it for 8-10 minutes and it’s ready to eat.

I love eating a pizza that has veggies on it and like all of my recipes this one is very flexible. You can substitute the broccoli, leave it off, whatever you like. My family is not gluten-free, however whenever I make myself one of these pizzas they always help themselves to it too. They still like their regular pizzas, but they see mine as healthier, less oily and good tasting.

I’d love to hear your pizza experiences and suggestions too!

GF Goat Cheese Broccoli Pizza

January 14, 2012

Gluten-Free Fondus

Once or twice a year we make a fondu at home; last night was one of these times. It is easy and fun to make and a lot of fun to eat together. There’s something really enjoyable about preparing it and dipping your food it into a cheese, wine and flour mix and eating it with family and friends.

Our fondus are a little different, and we think better, than any that you can buy at a restaurant. First of all, my husband, and now my son, are experts at making fondu. Secondly, we don’t just dip bread in the fondu, not only because I can’t eat “regular” bread, but because it’s boring. We eat slightly steamed broccoli, small potatoes, sliced apples, cornichons (small french pickles), and the rest of my family eat the bread .

How do I eat fondu given that I am both gluten-free and dairy-free? First of all, we substitute rice flour for “regular wheat flour”. I don’t even have wheat flour in my house. We shred two types of cheese – guyere and swiss – which we mix with the rice flour in a pot with white wine. In the meantime we lightly steam the broccoli, cook the potatoes, cut up the apples and the bread for those who eat bread and put them in bowls around the fondu pot on the table. Then we dig in.

Since I am allergic to dairy I can generally only do this once a year when I am feeling really good, and only with lactose and allergy pills, or so I thought. This was one of the best fondus we have had in a long time.

We topped it off late in the evening with a dark chocolate fondu. I carefully and slowly melted dark chocolate pieces in the microwave to get it to a liquid and smooth consistency. In the meantime I cut up banana, peeled and cut up oranges, apples, and put out strawberries and blueberries. Given that I am allergic to milk chocolate and strawberries and I have a low tolerance for dark chocolate I have to be very careful with this dish too. I even had a separate fondu for people to eat the strawberries. It was fabulous and everyone enjoyed it, including me.

These are great party meals and great fun to eat with family and friends. Everyone loved them and they were happy and fine today. Unfortunately I woke up in agony and was sick all day today. What was I thinking eating dairy at all and eating both dairy and chocolate in the same evening? If you are gluten-free, you can easily substitute rice flour and you can also purchase gluten-free bread/baguettes for your fondu. But if like me you are dairy free, think long and hard before you dig in. It is going to be a long time before I do this again. I may eat it once the memories of my reaction fade, maybe in another year!

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