Friday, October 31, 2014

L'Artisan des Glaces - Epcot

After eating our way around the World Showcase at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, my family decided that they wanted dessert at L'Artisan des Glaces in the France Pavilion.  I have entered this quick service location many times with my family, who loves it, but I have never ordered anything, because I worry about cross contamination in ice cream shops, and I read my friend Sarah's review on her blog Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW.   


I don't know why I asked on this visit if their macaron ice cream sandwiches were gluten free, but I did, and the next thing I know, I was being shown an allergen page, which listed the chocolate and pumpkin macaron as free of wheat and gluten.  What?!?  I had been told in the past that the chocolate macaron was not gluten free, and some of my blog readers have had the same experience as well.  


The cast member who asked me if I had concerns about cross contamination happily got me a pumpkin macaron from the back.  Nina, our international student, loves this dessert, and now I understand why.  A pumpkin macaron filled with pumpkin spice ice cream is my idea of the perfect fall treat, and I am happy to say that I did not feel like I had been glutened at all after eating it.



Ice cream flavors without wheat/gluten include: caramel, chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, mint chocolate, pistachio, pumpkin, and vanilla.

Sorbet flavors free of dairy, egg, and wheat/gluten include lemon, mango, mixed berry and strawberry.

The iced cappuccino, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and caramel sauce do not contain gluten, and the chocolate macaron ice cream sandwich is free of gluten as well.

The allergy page they let me take a picture of had a lot of writing at the top, which got cut off in my picture.  I will be sure to take a look at it during my next visit.

My mom and dad tried both the pumpkin and chocolate macaron ice cream sandwiches, and preferred the chocolate, so I guess I need to try the chocolate the next time I am at L'Artisan des Glaces.

Because the ice cream and sorbet are scooped into waffle cones and brioche that contain gluten at the front of the shop, I would be hesitant to eat these items unless they came from a fresh container in the back, and were dished with a clean scoop.

November 26, 2014 Update

On Sunday, I finally had a chance to try the chocolate macaron at L'Artisan des Glaces, after we had lunch at Coral Reef Restaurant.  I thought the chocolate macaron combined with chocolate ice cream might be too chocolaty for me, but it was not too rich or overpowering.


I asked to see the allergy page, which did have a warning about possible cross contamination.  It is pretty common for Disney to have warnings about possible cross contamination on their gluten free menus and their allergy sheets, because they don't have separate kitchens.  I did not feel glutened after eating either the pumpkin or chocolate macaron.  When we go back, I am not sure which one I would order, because they are both delicious.  


March 14, 2015 Update

Last night, we tried the new seasonal macaron ice cream sandwich at L'Artisan des Glaces.


The strawberries and cream macaron ice cream sandwich is strawberry macarons filled with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sorbet.  I probably wouldn't have ordered it if I knew ahead of time it contained sorbet, because I usually find sorbet to be overly sweet, but it was still delicious.  My daughters both ordered the same dessert and loved it.

August 6, 2015



The new seasonal macaron ice cream sandwich at L'Artisan des Glaces is peaches and cream, with peach macarons and vanilla ice cream.  My favorite seasonal flavor is still pumpkin, but the peaches and cream is delicious, and a great dessert option on a hot summer day in Orlando.

What are your favorite sweet treats at L'Artisan des Glaces in Epcot?  


Monday, October 27, 2014

Cinnamon Banana Waffles with Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix

For the past month, we have been enjoying pumpkin waffles made with Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix.


Sunday morning, I decided to make cinnamon banana waffles with the mix, and even stirred in some mini chocolate chips before making my last batch in my Mickey Mouse waffle maker.


The waffles tasted great, especially with some cinnamon honey butter and maple syrup on top.  


Gluten Free Cinnamon Banana Waffles with Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix

Ingredients


1 pouch of Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix (8.7 oz)

3/4 C lowfat milk
1 large egg
1/2 C mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6 T melted butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional - mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat waffle iron.  Melt the butter, and allow it to cool slightly.


In a large bowl, whisk together the mix, milk, and egg.  Add the banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and vanilla, stirring until just incorporated.  Do not overmix.  Optional - add chocolate chips.  


Scoop the batter into preheated waffle iron, and cook according to the instructions that come with the waffle iron.

Recipe Notes

Honey cinnamon butter - combine 4 tablespoons of softened salted butter with 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon.  

You can read more about my Mickey waffle maker, and how I cook my waffles here.  Each batch only takes about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes.  

I purchase Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix from Williams-Sonoma.  You can purchase it online, or locally, from their stores in Winter Park or the Mall at Millenia.  I recently discovered that it is also available from Vitacost.com.  

Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix contains cornstarch, white rice flour, sugar, brown rice flour, milk powder, tapioca flour, baking powder, potato starch, salt and xanthan gum.  The only allergy warning on the package is that it contains milk products.



Thursday, October 23, 2014

Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp Gluten Free Cereal

Until recently, I had never really understood the appeal of cereal.  My dad eats it 5 days a week when he is working, and so does my husband.  Except when I was pregnant with my twins and craving Honey Nut Cheerios in my first trimester (pre-celiac), I have never liked any brand of cereal for more than a day or two, until I discovered Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp Gluten Free Cereal.  I actually bought it to make Gluten Free on a Shoestring pumpkin breakfast cookies.  The recipe called for Erewhon Quinoa & Chia cereal, but when I couldn't find that, I substituted Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp cereal as the recipe suggested.  


Don't let the buckwheat scare you away from this cereal, because buckwheat does not contain wheat.  In addition to organic whole buckwheat grouts, my one and only favorite cereal also contains organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, organic hemp seeds, organic maple syrup, and sea salt.  One cup has 220 calories, 5 grams of dietary fiber, and 6 grams of protein.  


With some banana slices and milk, you have cereal perfection!  My dad was shocked when I told him that I was eating this cereal, because he knows I don't like cereal.  I then got one of my dad's famous lectures on how healthy cereal is, and how healthy he eats compared to to the rest of our family.  He's a funny man, my dad.  He was then doubly shocked when I told him that I ate it with milk, because I don't drink milk. After patiently listening to lecture number two about the importance of drinking milk, and that our bodies need calcium, I reminded him that I eat yogurt and cheese almost every day.  Oops, I forgot to tell him about the ice cream.  :-)


I love that Erewhon SuperGrains Buckwheat & Hemp cereal is crispy, and doesn't quickly get soggy in milk, like so many other cereals.  I also like that it is not overly sweet, but has just the slightest hint of sweetness from the organic maple and brown rice syrups.  I am not sure why I thought to add some banana slices the first time I tried Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp cereal, but the combination is really amazing!  


I purchase Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp cereal from my local Whole Foods or from Vitacost.com.  It is non-GMO, organic, and certified gluten free.  Update - I have also found it at The Fresh Market.

March 19, 2015 Update - Yesterday, I learned that Attune Foods will be moving production of Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp Cereal to a new facility, where they will not be able to certify it as gluten free anymore, because of the processing of wheat on the same production lines.  The cereal will be renamed Peace Buckwheat & Hemp to avoid any confusion with other Erewhon gluten free cereals.  This is sad news for me, because this is the only cereal I have ever liked enough to eat on a regular basis.  

What is your favorite gluten free cereal?  


Monday, October 20, 2014

Food Allergy & Celiac Convention

I am so excited for the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention that is being held at Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort on Saturday, November 22nd.  This event is for people with food allergies and celiac disease, and features a vendor expo, speakers, demonstrations & workshops, and allergen-free catered meal experiences.



General admission tickets to the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention are available for purchase online for just $10 for adults ($15 at the door), and $5 for kids ages 3 to 9.  General admission ticket prices include entrance to the expo, speakers, workshops & culinary demonstrations.  

Separate tickets for the following meals and special experiences can be purchased here:
  • Brer's Breakfast Buffet - breakfast pastries, fruit carving station, Mickey waffles and pancakes with all the fixings, gluten-free oatmeal station, and the Three Caballeros' Fajita Station (all completely free of the top 8 allergens and gluten).  I already bought my ticket for this buffet, which is 9:00-10:00am on the day of the convention.  The menu looks amazing!  
  • Be Our (Dinner) Guest - after the expo, enjoy a magical meal, free of gluten and the top 8 allergens.  6:00 to 7:00pm on November 22nd.  
  • Supercalifragilistic Sundae Bar - features non-dairy ice creams and loads of allergy-free and gluten-free toppings.  3:00-4:00 on November 22nd.  
  • A Spoonful of (Allergy-Free!) Sugar (pre-event experience) - cookbook author Laurie Sadowski will discuss baking your way through the holidays, and how you can modify and adapt recipes.  3:00 to 5:00pm on Friday, November 21st.
  • Sunday Funday at Splitsville (post-event experience) - bowl (shoes included), play billiards, then stay for a special lunch (optional).  10:00 to noon on Sunday, November 23rd.  



The keynote speaker for the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention is Gary Jones, the Culinary Dietary Specialist for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.  Other speakers include Matt Maslowski (Disney chef - Contemporary Resort), Elizabeth Barbone (Gluten-Free Baking), Anne Roland Lee (Schar), Kate Hufnagel (The Diary of Ana Phylaxis), Joel Warady (Enjoy Life Foods), Amy Wicker (AllergySafeTravel), Dr. Kendra Baker (4A specialist), Caitlin Brady (chef), Amy Brown (WellAmy.com), and Sue Weber (The Artisan Tavolo).  You can view the speaker & demo schedule here.  

The Vendor Expo runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm.  If you're not sure what a vendor expo is, check out my blog post about my experience at the Gluten-Free Living Conference.  I got to sample so many amazing gluten free products!  You can view the vendor list for the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention here.  


If you are traveling to Disney World from out of town, Destinations in Florida has special group discounts for the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention at a variety of Walt Disney World Resorts.


I hope to see you at Walt Disney World on November 22nd for the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention!












Friday, October 17, 2014

Riverside Mill Food Court Lunch - Port Orleans Riverside

Yesterday, my daughters and I had lunch at Riverside Mill Food Court at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside.  This was our first time dining at this quick service location, which is right next door to Boatwright's Dining Hall, one of my favorite table service restaurants at Disney World.


There are six different food stations at Riverside Mill Food Court, which has a New Orleans theme, with a huge mill wheel that powers a working cotton press as its centerpiece.   


My daughters, who don't have to eat gluten free, headed right for the pasta station, where they created their own pasta bowl with fettuccine, alfredo sauce, and chicken.  The portion was so generous, even my pasta addicts couldn't finish it.  When I asked them if they liked it, they told me it was delicious, though not as good as my creamy garlic chicken penne.  Lol...I love their loyalty!   


Chef Tony and I discussed gluten free sandwich options, which include the roast beef melt, carved cajun turkey club, shrimp or tuna salad, the Angus bacon cheeseburger, the Angus bacon pimento cheeseburger, and the Mahi sandwich.  The beef and turkey are roasted in-house, so I was excited to try one of them.  


Today, I chose the carved cajun turkey club, minus the cajun mayo, which my friend Sarah from Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW loved.  My sandwich of roasted turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, and lettuce on Udi's bread was great without the mayo.  The thick slices or turkey were so moist and delicious.  


As a side, I chose French fries, which were good, but after reading Sarah's review again, I wish I had ordered the coleslaw, which is not mayonnaise based.  In my hometown of Pittsburgh, one of my favorite restaurants was Primanti Brothers, where they piled fresh cut french fries and mayo-less coleslaw on all of their sandwiches.  They were amazing!  I think a little coleslaw would have been great on my turkey sandwich.  


Riverside Mill Food Court is huge, with plenty of seating.  My girls wanted to sit near the mill wheel, where we had a beautiful view of the resort.  


Overall, we were very happy with our lunches, and I look forward to trying the roast beef melt for lunch, or the gluten free Mickey waffles made with Cup4Cup for breakfast, the next time we stop in.

June 10, 2015 Update

Riverside Mill Food Court has adopted a new allergy-friendly menu.  You can view the gluten free options on this menu in my blog post about Disney's Port Orleans Resort Allergy-Friendly Menus.

You can read my breakfast review of Riverside Mill here.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Riverside Mill?


Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Wave Breakfast - Disney's Contemporary Resort

This morning, my daughters and I had breakfast at The Wave...of American Flavors at Disney's Contemporary Resort.  We had a pretty amazing lunch at The Wave this summer, so we were excited to check out their breakfast offerings.  


The Wave's menus feature healthful dishes that often contain locally sourced or organic ingredients.  


Chef Laura told us gluten free options included pancakes, waffles, all the breakfast meats, and egg dishes, minus the biscuits.  


I was most excited to try the spinach, tomato, and feta cheese scrambled eggs served with breakfast potatoes, because this was my favorite breakfast dish at Kouzzina, which is now closed.  I asked for Udi's toast as a substitute for the biscuit, because I love to pile my eggs right on top of buttered toast.  My daughters and I loved the eggs, and I was really impressed by the breakfast potatoes too, which were super flavorful.  


We also ordered gluten free Mickey waffles with bacon.  The waffles were definitely made with Bob's Red Mill, which is not my favorite pancake & waffle mix on Disney property, but they were good.  I was a little disappointed that the bacon was the super thin bacon served at so many Disney restaurants. I prefer a thicker bacon with a little more substance.  


My daughters and I also shared a side of Tillamook cheddar cheese grits with Nueske's Smoked Bacon.  They were deliciously creamy, with the perfect amount of cheese and bacon.   


My girls said that The Wave reminded them of dining on the Disney Dream.  The restaurant definitely does have that feel of a cruise ship lounge with its decor and lack of natural light.  


I loved all the fall decorations, and look forward to seeing how they decorate for Christmas when we have dinner at The Wave in December.  


July 23, 2015 Update

The Wave now has allergy-friendly menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I can't wait to try their sweet potato hash with poached eggs, tomato-fennel sauce, arugula, and chicken sausage.



































































You can make advance dining reservations for The Wave...of American Flavors on Disney's website here.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at The Wave?



Monday, October 13, 2014

Flying Fish Cafe Breakfast - Disney's BoardWalk

This morning, my friend Shelley and I had breakfast at the Flying Fish Cafe at Disney's BoardWalk.  With Kouzzina closed, the Flying Fish will be serving breakfast for a limited time, until Trattoria al Forno opens.

December 25, 2014 Update - Trattoria al Forno is now open for breakfast.  You can read my review here.  


From October 1st to December 7th, if you dine at the Flying Fish Cafe for breakfast, you can get a sneak peak of what they will be serving at Trattoria al Forno when it opens.  Chef Brad told us that the breakfast menu would be the same, with a few more items being added when the new restaurant opens.  


I love tiramisu, so I was super excited to try the gluten free Mickey waffles with whipped vanilla coffee mascarpone.  


They were just as amazing as I had hoped they would be, and definitely reminded me of tiramisu.  I don't like mascarpone on its own, but it was slightly sweet, with a lovely hint of vanilla and coffee.  I am not sure what was dusted on my Mickey waffles, but it complemented the flavors of the dish.  I had a choice of bacon or chicken sausage to go with my waffles, but opted for bacon, which I dipped in my syrup.  Bacon and maple syrup were made for each other. If I don't have a chance to come back to the Flying Fish for breakfast again, I will definitely be ordering this dish at Trattoria al Forno when it opens.  


Shelley ordered the poached eggs with fennel sausage, Parmesan, and tomato gravy, served over soft polenta.  She told me that she liked it better than her favorite breakfast dish at Kouzzina, and that it might be her new favorite breakfast at Disney.  Shelley said the tomato gravy was delicious, and the dish was super flavorful, creamy, and cheesy.  She also loved the addition of the poached eggs.  


Other gluten free breakfast options at the Flying Fish Cafe:
  • Choice of two eggs, served with breakfast potatoes and choice of bacon or chicken sausage
  • Frittata with roasted red peppers, prosciutto, onions, potatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese
  • Scrambled eggs with tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella, served with breakfast potatoes and choice of bacon or chicken sausage
  • Seasonal fresh fruit bowl
  • Sides - breakfast potatoes, bacon, chicken sausage


The Mickey waffles at the Flying Fish Cafe were so good, I added them to my blog post The Best Thing I Ever Ate at Disney - Gluten Free Waffles.

You can view the breakfast menu, and make advance dining reservations for the Flying Fish Cafe on Disney's website here.

Have you dined at the Flying Fish Cafe for breakfast?  What are your favorite gluten free dishes?




Saturday, October 11, 2014

Yak & Yeti Restaurant - Animal Kingdom

Today, we had lunch at Yak & Yeti Restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  This was not our first time dining at Yak & Yeti, but it had been a couple of years, so I was excited to try it again.


Yak & Yeti is a Landry's restaurant, just like Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex and Bubba Gump.  


Yak & Yeti serves Pan-Asian cuisine, in a Nepalese-style restaurant, that is full of original artifacts, according to our server Autumn.  


I loved the little green room we got to sit in upstairs.  It was light and bright compared to other parts of the restaurant, and we had a nice view of the Animal Kingdom.


When I informed our server that I had celiac, she said she would get a chef for me to speak to.  I don't remember there being a lot of gluten free options the last time we dined at Yak & Yeti, but that was definitely not the case today.  Chef Gonzalo had plenty of gluten free appetizers, entrees, and desserts for me to chose from.  


I ended up ordering a new dish on the menu, the chicken tikka masala.  I love Evol's chicken tikka masala, so I was excited to try this dish in a restaurant for the first time.  The ladies at the table next to us were super impressed with the presentation of my meal, and so was I.  


Portion-wise, my meal was huge!  The tikka masala was super flavorful, slightly sweet, with a nice spicy kick.  The dish is usually served with jasmine rice and naan, but Chef Gonzalo gave me the option of having a side of vegetables or more rice instead of the naan.  I am glad I chose the vegetables, because they were perfectly cooked, and sauteed in a wonderfully tasty sauce.  


My daughters ordered the lettuce cups for two with minced chicken breast, chopped vegetables, Saigon Hoison sauce, and crisp lettuce cups.  This appetizer, along with the ahi tuna, can be made gluten free.  Chef Gonzalo told me that the following dishes were naturally gluten free or could be modified to make them gluten free: Lo Mein Noodles (sub rice for the noodles), seared miso salmon, Malaysian seafood curry, sweet & sour chicken (not fried), maple tamarind chicken, and the Kobe beef burger with a gluten free bun.  For dessert, I could choose from a sorbet trio, flourless chocolate cake, or gluten free cheesecake.  My father-in-law had the sweet & sour chicken with grilled chicken, and said it was really good.  


When Chef Gonzalo told me that the gluten free dessert options were the same desserts served at Rainforest Cafe, my daughters were really excited, because they loved the flourless chocolate cake we got to sample there on our last visit.  My girls ended up splitting an order of the flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce, and loved every bite.  According to my twins, it was better than the gluten-filled chocolate cake ordered by my husband and Nina, our international student.  


I ordered the gluten free cheesecake with raspberry and mango sauce, served with fresh mango and strawberries.  I love the oat crust on the cheesecake, and the sauces and fresh fruit are the perfect accompaniment to this dessert.  My husband and father-in-law both enjoyed it as well.


After dining at Yak & Yeti, we headed over to one of my favorite attractions at Disney World, Expedition Everest, where I proceeded to take some selfies while we waited for the ride to reopen. 


Everybody enjoyed their meals at Yak & Yeti, and my husband and Nina were already talking about dining there again, before we even left the restaurant.  My only complaint is that I thought it was a little price, mainly because we couldn't use our Tables in Wonderland discount, and our annual pass could only be used to get a 10% discount on up to three entrees.  Our desserts and appetizers were not discounted at all.

The service and food were great.  Our server Autumn and Chef Gonzalo were super patient with all of my questions, and Chef Gonzalo even hand-delivered my food to the table.

You can view Yak & Yeti's menu, and make advance dining reservations on Disney's website here.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Yak & Yeti?