Until recently, gluten free foods typically meant taste-free foods. With the fast-increasing numbers of people avoiding gluten, businesses are meeting the demand with innovative offerings. Non-profit organizations, specialty businesses and websites are resources that those with celiac disease and others eating gluten free diets can now turn to. Whether avoiding foods with gluten out of choice or necessity, you no longer have to give up delicious, nutritious food. Gluten free recipes for baked goods that satisfy the palate were once scarce but no longer. There are now gluten free baked options for various tastes and pocketbooks all over Vancouver Island:
Dedicated Gluten Free Bakery in Victoria
For professionally baked gluten free goods in Victoria visit Origin Gluten-Free Bakery. From savory to sweet, each recipe is uniquely created by pastry chef Tara Black and co-owner Marion Neuhauser. Every single ingredient (some products contain 25) is researched and verified to be gluten free. The food-loving pair take the extra step to educate the eateries that sell their wares about safe handling and serving.
Qualicum Beach Gluten Free Bakery
Up island? Stop in at Village Bulk Foods in Qualicum Beach, which hosts Silly Yak Bakery in its gluten free kitchen. Ready-to-eat breads, muffins and cookies are fresh, while perogies, pizza crusts and pie shells contribute to homemade meals.
Salt Spring Island Gluten Free Bakery
Over on Salt Spring Island, Laughing Daughters Bakery uses organic ancient grains. An entirely gluten free facility, the recipes are the brainchild of Mhairi Carlyle, who is celiac herself. Favourites include lemon poppyseed loaf, date squares, baguettes and cheese sticks. All recipes are taste tested and approved by the daughters the business is named after.
Gluten Free Food from Chefs in Victoria
Several personal chefs are heeding the call and offering gluten free foods delivered to your door. Janice
Mansfield takes weekly orders from her customers for breads, brownies and everything in-between. Check her website fresh sheet, submit your order via email or Twitter and start salivating. Chef Laura Moore also caters to gluten free diets and offers personal cooking lessons.
Dedicated Gluten Free Café Opens in Victoria
The latest addition to the gluten-free scene in Victoria is Santé, a completely gluten-free café on Quadra Street. Owners Hanna Kofman and her husband Boris have studiously ensured only certified gluten-free items cross their door. Homemade patés, quinoa salads and great coffee are on offer. Open as of March 10, 2011, Santé Gluten-Free Café is already a hit with local celiacs who are enthusiastically embracing this opportunity to dine with confidence.
Support for Celiac Disease sufferers
Transitioning to the gluten free diet can be overwhelming, especially when preparing meals for a family. Enter Bonnie Nisbet, a celiac and mother of two. She provides personal consulting on shopping, meal preparation and support to assist those making this lifestyle change. She offers, “everything she wishes were available to her when she found out she had celiac disease”. This now includes Bon’s Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. Just 13 minutes from start to finish for two dozen cookies that taste as delicious as any other.
Another invaluable resource is the Victoria Chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association. They offer support meetings, social events, education, mentoring and many more services to support the newly diagnosed and their families. See www.victoriaceliac.org
The Celiac Scene website is dedicated to helping celiacs find gluten free and gluten free friendly places to dine and shop. Focusing on Canada but with an eye to North America, the site also offers celiacs lists of questions to ask when shopping to determine the gluten free status of products. Started by a celiac, Ellen Bayens, who is passionate about healthy living this site is crucial for anyone living a gluten free lifestyle. www.theceliacscene.com
Make your own Gluten Free FoodThere are several gluten free baking mixes available that offer foolproof results and can be adapted to making pancakes, muffins, cakes and breads. However, if you would like to bake from scratch, Tara suggests doing your research and starting with a simple recipe. Use only certified gluten free ingredients and for maximum nutrition use freshly milled whole grains and seeds.
Gluten Free GrainsQuinoa, a ‘supergrain’ with high protein and iron content, is quick to prepare and mild in flavor. Buckwheat is another versatile seed that is rich in magnesium and manganese. Millet is a tiny yellow grain which is a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. Select individually packaged items labelled gluten free over bulk items to reduce the chance of cross-contamination from foods with gluten. Blogs, websites and specialty magazines provide unlimited recipes.
At the grocery store, check the freezer, the baking and the cookie aisles for gluten free foods. Some stores now have dedicated gluten free sections or special signage to help you locate these items. Gluten free grocery tours and celiac social support meetings are held at stores with larger gluten free selections.
As interest in the gluten free diet grows, manufacturers are working hard to create better tasting and more nutritious products. For those who avoid gluten, by choice or by diagnosis, as well as friends and family, delectable baked goods are now readily accessible. Whether eating out, baking in, or getting personal deliveries, gluten free now means tasty and enjoyable.
Kathryn Kusyszyn - Kathryn Kusyszyn is a nutritionist learning to cook and a yoga instructor learning how to be flexible. A lifelong writer, she studied ...
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