ask the gluten free chef

A Comprehensive Gluten Free Guide to Halloween Candy (2017)

October 20, 2017 — Leave a comment

Our annual Comprehensive Gluten Free Halloween list is here to help you navigate your candy giving needs. This list comes courtesy of Very Well with the most common celiac safe gluten free Halloween Candy. Did your favorite confection make the list? Let me know in the comments.

Peeps

• Large white peeps marshmallow bunny
• Chocolate mousse flavored peep bunnies
• Yellow peep chicks
• Mike and Ike- lemonade blends
• Mike and Ike- Zours
• Bunnies- blue, pink, yellow, green, orange and lavender
• Mike and Ike- berry blast
• Mike and Ike- original
• Peeps Decorated Marshmallow Eggs
• Original Peeps Marshmallow Chicks – Yellow, white, orange,green,pink,blue, and purple
• Marshmallow Bunnies
• Blue Raspberry Flavored Chicks
• Bubble Gum Flavored Marshmallow Chicks
• Just Born Jelly Beans
• Lemon Delight Marshmallow Chicks
• Lime Delight Marshmallow Chicks
• Mystery Flavored Marshmallow Bunnies
• Mystery Flavored Marshmallow Chicks
• Orange Delight Marshmallow Chicks
• Party Cake Flavored Marshmallow Chicks
• Peeps Decorated Marshmallow Eggs
• Sour Watermelon Flavored Marshmallow Chicks
• Sweet Lemonade Flavored Marshmallow Chicks
• Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow Chicks
• Chocolate Mousse Flavored Marshmallow Chicks
• Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Chicks
• Chocolate Mousse Flavored Marshmallow Bunnies
• Marshmallow Bunnies – yellow, purple, pink, orange, green, blue, and white

Hershey’s

Hershey’s maintains a list of gluten-free candies and updates it several times each year. The following list of Hershey’s candies are considered gluten-free to less than 20 parts per million:

  • Almond Joy (all except for Almond Joy Pieces candy)
  • Mounds (all)
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses
  • Hershey’s Special Dark Kisses (but not the Special Dark candy bar; see below)
  • Hershey’s Filled Chocolate Kisses, only in the following flavors: Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Filled with Caramel, Chocolate Filled with Cherry Cordial Creme, Vanilla Creme, Dark Chocolate Filled with Mint Truffle, Pumpkin Spice (available in the fall), Meltaway Milk Chocolates, Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate
  • Hershey’s Hugs
  • Hershey’s Nuggets, only in the following flavors: milk chocolate, milk chocolate with almonds, special dark chocolate with almonds, and extra creamy milk chocolate with toffee and almonds)
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, only in the 1.55 oz. size
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar, only in the 1.45 oz. size
  • Hershey’s Air Delight
  • Hershey’s Milk Duds (all)
  • Heath Bars (all)
  • Payday (all)
  • Reese’s Fast Break bar
  • Reese’s Nutrageous bar
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (all except for Reese’s unwrapped minis and seasonal shaped items, such as Valentine’s hearts)
  • Reese’s Pieces (all except for Reese’s Pieces Eggs)
  • Rolo Caramels in Milk Chocolate (all except for Rolo Minis)
  • Skor Toffee Bar (all)
  • York Peppermint Pattie (all except for York Pieces candies, York Minis, and York Shapes)

Tootsie Roll Industries

From their website:
“At this time, all of our confections are gluten free. We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts. We do use corn and soy products in the manufacturing of our products.”

Jelly Belly
From their website:
“Jelly Belly jelly beans are gluten free, peanut free, dairy free, fat free and vegetarian friendly.”

Sour Patch
• Sour Patch Watermelon
• Sour Patch Peach, Cherry, Raspberry
• Sour patch Fruits
• Sour Patch Kids

 

• Camille Bloch Torino Swiss Milk Chocolate
• Camille Bloch Torino Filled Dairy Chocolate
• Camille Bloch Torino Filled Pareve Chocolate
• Camille Bloch Torino Swiss Milk White Chocolate
• Camille Bloch Ragusa Jubile Dairy Chocolate
• Camille Bloch Torino Swiss Dark Parve Chocolate
• Chocolate Seder Plate
• Chocolate Bonbenniere
• Assorted Hazelnut Truffles
• Creme De Menthe Chocolate
• All Truffle Chocolates
• Chocolate Bon Bons
• Chocolate Chips
• Cocoa Powder
• All Gummys and Sours
• Fruit leathers
• Fruit Taffy
• Assorted Ball Pops

The following Nestle candies have no gluten ingredients:

  • Baby Ruth
  • Bit-O-Honey
  • Milk Chocolate
  • SweeTARTS
  • Oh Henry!
  • Sno-Caps
  • Wonka Pixy Stix
  • Laffy Taffy (including Laffy Taffy Rope)
  • Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip

Illinois Nut & Candy/ Raising the Candy Bar

• Passover Chocolate Locust
• Passover Chocolate Kos Miriam
• Passover Chocolate Mousse Cup
• Passover White Baking Bar
• Passover Green Frogs
• Passover Chocolate Frogs
• Wild beasts

Manischewitz

• Dark Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
• Milk Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
• Toasted Coconut Marshmallows
• White Marshmallows
• Mini Marshmallows
• Toasted Coconut Marshmallows
• Magic Max, Cotton Candy (Blue/Red)
• Dark Chocolate Almond Bark
• Dark Chocolate Seder Plate
• Dark Chocolate Macaroons
• Ultimate Triple Chocolate Macaroons
• Dark Chocolate Covered Marshmallows with Nuts
• Raspberry Jell Bars
• Milk Chocolate Frolic Bears
• Caramel Cashew Patties
• Peppermint Patties
• Tender Coconut Patties
• Hazelnut Truffles
• Viennese Crunch
• Milk Chocolate Lollycones
• Fruit Slices Gift Pack
• Magic Max Cotton Candy

Courtesy of Very Well

A Tribute to Chocolate Chip Cookies | REPOST

October 4, 2017 — Leave a comment

One would be hard pressed to search the web and not find a Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. In fact a simple Google search will pull up millions (literally) of recipes for the all American classic. What is it about the chocolate chip cookie that screams American tradition? A staple in just about every kitchen, every mom and grandma makes claims to have the world’s greatest. The perfect recipe. The best combination. The foolproof technique. No matter the technique, variation, or ingredient there is something nostalgic about a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie. As a gluten free baker I’ve tried, retried, converted, test baked and perfected quite a few recipes. One recent baking session sparked the idea for this post. A post where I show some long overdue love to the classic chocolate chip cookie. I have compiled five of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes from a few of my favorite blogs. Most are gluten free a few are not but can be easily converted with a cup for cup all purpose flour blend. As you know Enjoy Life is my go to brand for allergen free chocolate.

How do you like your chocolate chips?

Let me know in the comments and be sure to try one of these A+mazing recipes and share a few of your favorites.

the gluten free chef’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies courtesy of Blissful Eats brown butter chocolate cookies
Gluten free, Dairy free Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of Silvana’s KitchenChunk Cookies_png-e1367498983963
Date- Sweetened Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of The Sweetest Kitchendate quinoa chocolate chip cookies
Protein Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of The Iron YouProtein oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Dark Chocolate Chunk Eggnog Cookies courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker eggnog chocolate-chunk-cookies-25-600

P.S: This post was originally featured on February 10, 2014

Gluten Free Menu Plan | September 17-23, 2017

September 17, 2017 — Leave a comment

It’s back! I apologize for my inconsistency with weekly meal plans. Between building 540WMain Learning Academy and managing every day life with fibromyalgia my life is constant roller coaster. Sometimes I feel like a hamster spinning my wheels and getting no where. But even though I am often bed bound, I’m always working in front of and behind the scenes and I try to remember that inch by inch it’s a cinch.

But I digress

Fall is  fast approaching and even though the weather has been gorgeous these last few weeks I am waiting for cool days and even cooler nights. This weeks’ menu ideas reflect the anticipation of fall and a reflection on the tepid summer months that are distant memory.

Breakfasts
Broccoli & Cheese Omelette recipe & photo courtesy Skinnytaste
Banana Chai Spice Smoothie

 

 
Vegan Sorghum Pancakes
Cranberry Maple Pecan Overnight Oats
PB & J Berry Smoothie

For more gluten free menu planning ideas visit Lynn’s Kitchen AdventuresFor paleo, gluten free, & dairy free recipes visit Minimalist Baker. For recipes that combine whole foods with Weight Watcher’s savvy visit Everyday MavenFor lunch ideas visit Oh My Veggies. For lunch box and super kid friendly recipe ideas visit I’m A Celiac

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Dinners
Spicy Pineapple Fried Rice
Spicy Curry Rice Noodles w/Eggplant
Pan Fried Eggplant & Baby Potatoes

White Bean, Lentil & Kale Soup
Slow Cooker Curry Chicken w/ Steamed Brown Rice & Broccoli
Dessert of the Week: Sorghum Chocolate Pound Cake

Introducing The Gluten Free Chef’s Natural Product Challenge | Pure Haven Essentials 

September 5, 2017 — Leave a comment

I am pleased to announce the Pure Haven Essential Challenge

I was introduced to Pure Haven Essentials through Rochester, NY based Pure Haven Essentials Consultant Heidi Jarvis. Heidi was a vendor at The 2016 Rochester Makers Market at 540WMain Learning Academy (our headquarters) as well as this year’s Rochester Gluten Free Health & Wellness Expo. The Makers Market is all about highlighting local artists, makers, and health and wellness professionals and Heidi and I connected immediately over a shared love of natural and organic home, health, bath and body care.

What is Pure Haven Essentials

What I immediately liked about Pure Haven is their dedication to creating products that are 100% toxin free. The company’s mission is to educate consumers about pure & safe, alternative choices that are easy to add to your daily routine. For the last two years, I’ve been on a quest to remove toxins from my everyday life and begin to make my own all- natural deodorant and toothpaste as well as using purely natural organic essential oils and shea butter based moisturizes. This stems from the knowledge that living gluten free is about more than just what we eat but also what we use on our bodies. The skin is our largest organ and what we put on it is just as important to our overall well-being as what we eat.

Of course, making products from scratch takes a certain level of time and dedication that I do not always have as a business owner. So it is important to have commercial products that are just as trustworthy what I make for myself in my kitchen from scratch.

What is the Pure Haven Challenge

Heidi recently gifted me a box full of  Pure Haven Essentials products and in my excitement I wanted to create a challenge where I tasked myself to use the project line for two weeks at home and at 540WMain and document my honest thoughts and opinions here on the blog. Before I can give my full endorsement of any product line I have to know the products inside and out and genuinely use them in my personal life. This challenge is a perfect way to do that.

What Products Will I be Using?

My gift set includes the following Pure Haven Products:

  1. Glass Cleaner
  2. Moisturizing Hand Soap
  3. Aloe Vera Shea Butter
  4. Shave Gel: Aloe Vera
  5. Surface Cleaner
  6. Lemon Peel Dish Soap

I am beyond excited to get cleaning with Pure Haven and share my experiences with you all two weeks from today.

Happy cleaning 🙂

P.S I was not financially compensated for this post or for the two week challenge. I received products for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my personal experience with the products.

Do Vegans Sleep Better Than Meat Eaters? | Vegan Commentary

July 12, 2017 — Leave a comment

As a society we are becoming more demanding of food producers, brands and manufacturers to be more transparent and up front as to how our food is being produced, grown, manufactured and sourced. This has not only been the case in the gluten free industry but in all industries. More and more we are seeing and hearing seeing buzz words like fair trade, non-gmo, organic and more. The meat production industry has not been immune from these discussions.

In fact, advocates for a vegan lifestyle are seeing the tides change with more individuals learning and understanding  the benefits of going vegan and the dire conditions that have long plagued meat production in the United States. Here on the gluten free chef blog, I have been open about my journey through veganism and advocating a whole foods mainly plant based lifestyle. Many of my recipes are vegan and or vegetarian and contain ingredients that are whole and processed as minimally as possible. The gluten free chef blog, has never touted itself to be a vegan food site but has always spoke highly of the benefits of holistic and plant based living in all areas of life.

A simple Google search will give you a seemingly endless list of the benefits of incorporating more whole foods into your diet and how you can improve your overall healthy by striving to be more plant based. From lower blood pressure, to weightloss and healthier skin; eating more fruits and veggies is one of the easiest ways to impove overall health including our sleep health.

What on earth is sleep health?

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

“Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping”

Everyone knows all to well the headache that lack of sleep can induce and when lack of sleep becomes a chronic issue, a whole host of biological issues can be impacted. Our friends over at The Sleep Advisor created a wonderful infographic article that further details the importance of quality sleep here https://www.sleepadvisor.org/importance-of-healthy-sleep/

Since how we eat and what we eat plays a huge impact into our body and living functions it would only make sense to deduce that what we eat, can and does impact how we sleep…another way to ask is?

Do Vegans Sleep Better Than Meat Eaters?

We all know that certain foods like (coffee) caffeine can inhibit sleep and also trigger restful. The primary diet of vegans are vegetable and there are a few known veggies that can actually impact restful sleep

Veggies to Avoid Before Bed

• Broccoli/cauliflower – Packed full of healthy nutrients, the downside of these veggies is the high amount of fiber that can keep the digestive system working overtime while you try to get shut-eye.
• Avocados – We love all things avocado but they’re chocked full of fats (good fats) at 21 grams per serving. They’re good for your body but before bed they take longer to digest.

Veggies to Eat for Better Sleep

• Sweet potatoes – A sleepers dream. They promote sleep-friendly carbs and contain potassium, which helps relax muscles.If you do eat meat have you ever asked yourself why? Meat is a good source of protein but should we be eating a steak before bed?

Why Avoid Meat Before Bed?

Meats like steak and other red meat are very high in protein but also high in fat. High fat foods like red meat have been linked to sleep apnea, which can lead to a whole host of health issues over time. Chicken can backfill the digestive system during sleep.

So Do Vegans Sleep Better?

The answer may surprise you (and frustrate) you – there’s no definite answer if vegetarians or meat eaters sleep better. Studies have shown that vegan friendly foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cashew butter, peanut butter, avocados, kale, almonds, walnuts, spinach, and squash all contain vitamin B6, trytophan, and magnesium, which ensure a healthy sleep cycle.  There are also many anecdotal studies that show that those adopting a vegan diet have more energy, better digestion, and in turn better quality sleep.

But don’t just take my word for it. Take the 30 Day Vegan Challenge and see for yourself if you sleep better adopting a vegan diet. Also be sure to learn more about the importance of sleep and how to get more of it courtesy of The Sleep Advisor.

Photo credit: Jon Butterworth  | Sources: One Green Planet |Restonic

 

Honey Strawberry Milkshake

June 29, 2017 — Leave a comment

Three years ago I planted strawberry plants and this year has been their best year yet. Strawberries are ideal for any novice gardener as they are easy to maintain and come up each and every year without you needing to break a sweat… 🙂

I’ve been able to glean some very nice berries that I flash freeze immediately upon picking from my garden. Having fresh frozen berries on hand are perfect when you want to whip up a quick smoothie or milkshake and I did just that last night with this Honey Strawberry Milkshake.  It’s the perfect after dinner dessert or mid-day pick me up. Get into the recipe below:

Honey Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients

5-10 frozen organic strawberries
1/3 cup dairy or non-dairy milk
3 tablespoons raw honey + pinch of sea salt
2 standard icecream scoops of ProYo frozen yogurt or vanilla icecream

Preparation

  1. Add all ingredients into a blender in the order listed and process until smooth
  2. Add more liquid if needed to blend. Transfer to a serving glass.
  3. Serve immediately.

Photo credit:Farsai C.

Special Announcement | The Gluten Free Chef’s Healthy Nutrition & Wellness Education Program

March 21, 2017 — 1 Comment

I am pleased to announce The Healthy Nutrition & Wellness Education Program presented by The Gluten Free Chef

This program is a mobile healthy living and wellness curriculum that I’ve created for students and professionals across a range of fields and ages. The curriculum is broken into six week rotations where I visit once a week and complete workshops and demonstrations to classrooms, professional groups, nursing homes, corporate groups and others. These can happen in the community or at 540WMain Community Center.

After the success Ask The Gluten Free Chef Live! I knew it was time of officially launch this new program to the masses. In addition to the weekly curriculum; organization and groups can also book for me single workshops, classes, or live demonstrations.

I am elated to have a infrastructure to continue to educate, enlighten , and entertain on the simplicity of whole food health & wellness & mindful living. Those interested in rates and details should email asktheglutenfreechef@gmail.com