The Gluten Free menu
A great place for blind coeliacs!
When I first heard that a restaurant called Carlos O’Kelly’s had a gluten free menu, my American friends all laughed. They told me it was a Tex Mex restaurant and they would never have expected them to cater for Coeliacs. Luckily for me, they do and their gluten free menu has lots of tasty things to choose from! (more…)
Skippy
Welch's Grape Jelly
I was craving a PB & J sandwich as I hadn’t had one in a while. Back in Scotland I eat an amazing peanut butter from an organic store in Glasgow but since being in the States I haven’t known which varieties I could eat. It was the same with Jam (or Jelly as they call it here).
Last weekend I went with some friends to listen to classical music and watch some amazing fireworks. The event was Symphony Blast in Burlington, Iowa and it was lots of fun. We lay in a grassy park listening and watching. I’ve never been so close to a fireworks display before and it was awesome.
Morgan's delicious Gluten Free tamales
The Red Avocado
I’d been meaning to try The Red Avocado for a while but we always seemed to be in the vicinity between the hours of 2pm and 5pm, when it’s not open. It’s a vegan restaurant in Iowa city and I’d heard that they do quite a few gluten free dishes too. I haven’t found too many gluten friendly restaurants in Iowa that also have personality so I was very excited to try this locally inspired, organic place.
Blue Bunny ice cream
When the sun is shining and the heat sweltering, what better than a freezing cold bowl of delicious, creamy, ice cream….
For a while now I’ve wondered whether I’m being over cautious when it comes to finding safe ice cream. Are all ice creams gluten free unless then have some obvious cake or cookie topping or do some varieties include certain flavourings or colourings that may contain gluten? I figure the later is probably true which is what keeps me from freely ordering ice cream whenever I get a taste for it.
Welcome Blue Bunny, an ice cream company which started in Iowa but whose products are now available all over the States. (more…)
Finding a sandwich meat that’s gluten free can be a difficult task as this type of meat is almost always processed and therefore gluten tends to have found it’s way in somehow. Back in the UK I use Bernard Matthews meat on my sandwiches because it’s labelled as being gluten free and there are a few different varieties to choose from. When I arrived in the States I had to find a similar alternative.
Buddig
It was by chance that I came across Buddig. My boyfriend and I were driving from Iowa to Vegas when we were caught up in a terrifying Tornado warning in Western Nebraska. After driving at insane speeds and hiding out in the home of complete strangers, the storm had passed but I was still too terrified to continue driving that evening. We decided to spend the night at a local motel and it was in the truck stop attached to that motel that I first encountered Buddig. (more…)
I’ve found that most candy doesn’t include on their packaging, information on whether or not the product is gluten free. A fairly large number of candy brands (generally smaller companies rather than world famous brands) say that ‘this product has been manufactured in a factory which also produces wheat, nuts, soy, etc which basically leaves me with no alternative but to stay away. I’m glad companies put this possible contamination information on the label but this doesn’t solve my problem of rarely being able to find safe candy. (more…)
I spent 4 nights in Las Vegas this June. My favourite thing about Vegas is that they give you free drinks if you are gambling….in some awesome casinos this is the case even if you are only gambling 50 cents a time!!
For those who want to eat as well as drink……There are hundreds of places to eat on the Las Vegas strip, most of
Hard Rock Cafe
which are popular US chains like Outback Steakhouse, Hard Rock Cafe, Applebees and Denny’s. I’m not the biggest fan of these types of restaurants but as this is pretty much what Vegas is all about, I thought it would be a good idea to discover what these places have to offer in the way of gluten free options. My research of eateries was limited on this trip as during our stay we tended to buy food at a local supermarket to prepare our own meals but when I popped in to discuss gluten free options with a few different restaurants my findings were very varied. Overall I was not greatly impressed.
The GF Traveller
