Shutters at Old Port Royale at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights started last night. Being huge fans of this event, we always make dinner reservations at Hollywood Studios the week they start and the week they end.  Well, I procrastinated a little and was not able to get dinner reservations at the restaurant I wanted in Hollywood Studios, so we decided to try Shutters at Old Port Royale at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.  I had heard great things about their food and I was looking forward to visiting a Disney resort I had never been to. 

Most Disney restaurants seem to now be serving GNI rolls, which sadly, most chefs don't know how to prepare well.  My bread was soft around the edges and hard and dry in the middle.  When these rolls are prepared well, they are pretty good, but tonight, that was not the case. 

I usually don't order appetizers, but I really wanted to try the chicken wings.  These amazingly crispy chicken wings were tossed in a habanero-brown sugar glaze.  They might be the best wings I have had in the 5 1/2 years I have been gluten free.  I would go back to Shutters just to get these wings.  They weren't as spicy as I thought they were going to be, so my daughter Emma was able to enjoy them too.  They were served with  blue cheese, which I do not eat, so I can't comment on that part.  Katie ordered the Citrus-Poached Shrimp appetizer with crispy plantains.  They fried them in a dedicated fryer so I could try them too.  I might be ordering the shrimp and wings the next time we go back. 

Shutters has several main courses that are naturally gluten free, but I chose to order the brisket, which needed some modification.  I enjoyed my gluten free sides, green beans and mashed yuca, but the brisket was just ok.  We make brisket at home and and eat it frequently when we go to barbeque restaurants.  It wasn't as tender and flavorful as I was expecting.  I was not served the same sauce as my husband because the original sauce was not gluten free. 

 

I enjoyed the decor of the restaurant and it was nice and quiet.  

Katie enjoying a little cuddle time with Mitch as we waited for dessert. 

For dessert, the chef told me that their cheesecake is naturally gluten free, but I had heard they make gluten free vanilla and chocolate cupcakes.  We ordered two chocolate cupcakes to share.  After struggling to cut them, we realized that they were still frozen in the center, so they were not very edible.  If I ever decide to order the cupcakes again, I will make sure to tell the chef as I order my dinner. 

I think I will have a hard time getting my family to go back to Shutters.  No one was blown away by their entrees and dessert was a complete disappointment.  I would have asked for a replacement, but we were in a hurry to get to Hollywood Studios.  I will definitely be going back for the wings! 

After dinner, we headed to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Lights for the first time this year.  I'm sure this will be the first of at least 5 or 6 visits for us.  You can see someone in the picture with the new Glow With the Show Ears, which will set you back $25. 

We were on a mission from the start to find the purple cat, which is hidden in a new spot in the display every year.  It took us at least 30 minutes and a second tour around to find the purple cat this year.

Spoiler Alert -- the poor cat was stuck in a tree!

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

As part of my goal to eat healthier, I am experimenting with new smoothie recipes.  The first two I created use some of my favorite fall fruits, pomegranate and persimmon.  You can see the recipe for my Persimmon Orange Smoothie here. 

One key ingredient in all of my smoothies is Stonyfield Organic Smooth & Creamy Lowfat Plain Yogurt.  It's organic, certified gluten free, and full of good probiotics. 

I bought kale for the first time in my life after enjoying it in a smoothie at Skyebird in the East End Market. 

I decided to purchase organic frozen fruit for my smoothie experiments. 

Lucky for me, Costco has been stocking pomegranate for a great price and I don't have to do any work. 

My favorite part of this smoothie was the pomegranate garnish.  It gave it such a nice crunch and a great burst of flavor in every sip.  I kept adding more as I drank my smoothie. 

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Ingredients

1 C frozen blueberries
1 C orange juice
1/2 C kale (leaves pulled off the stem)
1/2 C plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 banana
pomegranate for garnish

Directions

Blend the blueberries, orange juice, kale, yogurt, and banana together until smooth.  Garnish with pomegranate. 

Persimmon Orange Smoothie

When I was pregnant with my twins, I drank a fruit smoothie for breakfast almost every day for the last five months of my pregnancy.  You can see the recipe for what I called My Favorite Fruit Smoothie here. 

One of my goals this year, now that I am no longer teaching, is to feed myself and my family healthier food. 

Just this week, I visited Skyebird Juice Bar & Experimental Kitchen at the East End Market .  I had this healthy and delicious Skye's Fave smoothie with kale, blueberries, banana, raw almond milk, chia, and strawberries.  All of Skyebird's juices and smoothies are organic and gluten free.  You can read about my visit to Skyebird here.  

After visiting Skyebird, I decided that I had to start making smoothies at home again.  One of the smoothies I had hoped to try at Skybird was the Creamsicle, but their persimmons were not ripe.  Thankfully, I had stocked up on persimmons at Costco, so I set out to make my own version of Skyebird's Creamsicle smoothie at home.  I first tried persimmons through Harry & David's Fruit of the Month Club when I was a teenager living with my parents.  They instantly became one of my favorite fruits.  I always buy Fuyu persimmons, the ones that are squat like a tomato.  I don't like the heart shaped ones that leave a furry coating in your mouth if you eat them before they are fully ripened. 

Skyebird uses almond milk in their Creamsicle smoothie, but I decided to use Stonyfield Organic Smooth & Creamy Lowfat Plain Yogurt.  This is my favorite yogurt for smoothies.  It's organic, certified gluten free, and full of good probiotics. 

I was really happy with how my Persimmon Orange Smoothie turned out.  Now I know why Skyebird calls their version a Creamsicle, because that's what it tasted like.  It was delicious, and so refreshing after my morning workout.

Persimmon Orange Smoothie

Ingredients

1/2 C orange juice
1/2 C lowfat plain yogurt
1 large ripe persimmon

Directions

Wash your persimmon and remove the leafy part at the top before chopping it into large chunks.  Blend the three ingredients together until smooth.  I used my stick/immersion blender, one of my favorite kitchen appliances.  

Skyebird -- East End Market

My daughters and I visited the End End Market on Corrine Drive when it first opened a week and a half ago.  We didn't stay long because of the opening weekend crowds, and my daughters were whining that they wanted to have lunch at home.  I decided that I had to drop in again after reading Celiac in Orlando's blog post on the East End Market.  You can read it here. 

Today, I stopped at Skyebird Juice Bar & Experimental Kitchen to try one of their smoothies.  The Creamsicle immediately caught my eye because it contains persimmon, one of my favorite fruits. 

Skyebird has a great selection of cold pressed organic juices.  I almost tried the Tropical Kale with kale, pineapple, cucumber, and ginger when I realized that the creamsicle was not available today because the persimmons were still ripening. 

Krystal, the owner of Skyebird, recommended Skye's Fave smoothie with strawberries, and told me that all of their juices and smoothies are organic and gluten free.   

Skye's Fave contains kale, blueberries, banana, raw almond milk, and chia.  It was such a beautiful color, and so refreshing and delicious!  

If you take your mason jar home, wash it, and bring it back, you can save 50 cents the next time you visit Skyebird.  Mine is chilling with my persimmons. 

I also stopped at Fatto in casa in the East End Market to check out their gluten free cookie selection.  They sell three different cookies that do not contain any gluten ingredients, like the pine nut cookies you see in the picture.  They contain almond paste, pine nuts, egg whites, and sugar.  They are made in a facility with wheat, so there may be a danger of cross contamination. 

I will definitely be visiting East End Market again soon.  It's just a couple of blocks from Baldwin Park, and I am looking forward to trying the Creamsicle smoothie at Skyebird the next time I go back. 

November 12, 2013 Update

The Creamsicle Smoothie is delicious!  

January 15, 2014 Update

I stopped in at Skyebird this morning to try one of their organic juices.  

As you can see from their menu, there was a lot to chose from.  

I ended up ordering the 16 oz Immune Roots with sweet potato, carrot, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and almond milk.  I really enjoyed it, and it makes me want a juicer for my home even more than I already do!  I'm patiently waiting for my birthday.  

I noticed that Skyebird now has a raw zucchini pasta and a salad in a jar.

When I asked about them, I was shown these jars and told that you tip them upside down to spread the sauce/dressing.  I look forward to trying them.  

I asked if Skyebird had any menu items with gluten, and was told by the chef that everything is gluten free.

Boma Dinner - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

My family has been going to Boma - Flavors of Africa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge for at least 10 years.  It was originally recommended to us by a concierge at Disney's BoardWalk.  At first, my mom resisted, because she doesn't like buffets, but we loved it so much, Boma would become a restaurant that my family went to every year during our annual trip to Disney.  In the past year, we have also discovered that it is one of the best places to have breakfast at Walt Disney World.  

When I was diagnosed with Celiac six years ago, I worried that I wouldn't enjoy going to Boma anymore, because I wouldn't be able to eat all of my favorite foods.  As you can tell from my first plate, there are plenty of great gluten free options.  

All the food on this dish is from the first station, where almost everything is gluten free, including the whole roasted salmon, slow-roasted pork ribs (my personal favorite), African carved beef strip loin, Durban spiced chicken, fufu (sweet and white potato mash), basmati rice, and the Mater Paneer.  

The Durban spiced chicken was really delicious with fufu on top of it.  I usually bypass this dish, but decided to try it on this visit.  

I always worry about cross contamination at the hummus station, because the bread is right behind it and gets dragged over the hummus bowls.  I asked the chef for hummus from the back, and he brought me papadum and another type of gluten free bread to go with it.  

All four soups at the soup station were gluten free on Saturday night.  One of my favorites is the carrot ginger, and I don't even like carrots.  They also had lentil & sausage soup, coconut curry chicken stew, and African vegetable lentil soup.  The soups vary depending on the day of the week.  

I have always loved the papaya, avocado, and grapefruit salad.  

On this visit, I noticed that the desserts had changed significantly.  Many of the desserts on the buffet were gluten free, including the Kenyan coffee tarts, strawberry mint panna cotta, and the cassava cake.  The Zebra Domes on the buffet contain gluten, but the chef can bring you a gluten free version from the back.  Boma also carries a variety of allergy friendly treats like Enjoy Life brownies.



At the salad station, all of the vinaigrettes are gluten free, including the mango, apple, balsamic, and chili cilantro.  The fruit station, and the lentils & hearts of palm salad are other safe options.  The dishes I mentioned here are just some of the gluten free options available at Boma.  Some are served every night, while others can change throughout the week.

Be careful with the peanut butter rice.  If a chef tells you that it's safe to eat, ask if it has gluten free soy sauce in it.  I have been told by at least three different chefs that it is safe to eat, but when I inquire about the soy sauce, they go check, come back, and tell me I should not eat it.  I'm not really sure why there is such confusion over this dish.  I have the recipe at home, which is how I know it contains soy sauce.  Some of my blog readers have eaten the peanut butter rice, without any reaction.  Read this blog post about soy sauce, and you might understand why.  

October 26, 2014 Update - My friend Shelley dined at Boma for breakfast a couple of weeks ago, and was told that the bobotie is now gluten free, because they have removed the bread!  Before I was diagnosed with celiac, one of my favorite dishes at Boma was the bobotie, so I was really excited to try it.

Here's a close up of the bobotie.  It was just as good as I remembered.  This meat and egg dish has a wonderful combination of spices, and I love the sweetness from the golden raisins.  The chef who gave me a tour of the buffet last night told me they took the bread out, and replaced it with mushrooms.  It didn't taste any different to me, and I definitely didn't taste the mushrooms.  I am pretty sure the bobotie was made with ground lamb last night, but sometimes bobotie is made with ground beef or turkey.  

Papadum is no longer available, so I had my hummus with falafel chips.  I assume these are the same falafel chips they are now serving at Sanaa.  They were pretty good, but I much prefer the gluten free naan at Sanaa.  

I was excited to see broccolini, one of my favorite vegetables, on the buffet last night.  It was seasoned and cooked well, so I hope this new dish is here to stay.  

The watermelon rind salad is a staple on the breakfast and dinner buffet, and I never pass it up, because it has a lovely gingery kick and it's a great palate cleanser.  It's also a very light and refreshing dish when your belly is starting to get very, very full.

I finished my meal with this lovely dessert platter prepared by the chef, and yes, I ate every last bite of it.  I asked for cassava cakes without the coconut on top, and I was also given gluten free zebra domes, fresh fruit, strawberry mint panna cotta, and a Kenyan coffee tart.  

If you have a Tables in Wonderland card, you can save 20% at Boma.  Boma, and Tusker House Restaurant in the Animal Kingdom are my favorite buffets at Disney World.  They both have an impressive selection of gluten free foods. 

You can view Boma's menus, and make advance dining reservations on Disney's website here.

Have you been to Boma for breakfast or dinner?  What are your favorite gluten free dishes?  

White Chicken Chili

My daughters beg me to make white chicken chili on a regular basis.  It's definitely one of their favorite dinners, and my husband and I love it too.  I suggested we use some pinto beans today, but my husband vetoed that decision, saying we shouldn't mess with perfection.  :-)

After church, we stopped in at The Fresh Market to pick up my new favorite chicken stock, chicken breasts, green chiles, corn, and cannellini beans. 

My husband used our kitchen shears to cut the chicken into small cubes.  It is so much easier than using a knife.  

We always buy a huge bag of silver queen frozen corn for this recipe.  I was glad to find some at The Fresh Market so we didn't have to make a second stop at Publix.

July 2014 Update  - I have started using three 10-ounce bags of Publix Organic Sweet Corn in this recipe to avoid genetically modified corn.  

While the chicken is cooking, I put the corn, chiles, and cannellini beans in a huge bowl so I can quickly add them to the pot when the chicken is done.   

Once all the ingredients are in the pot, you only need to cook the chili for about 20 minutes. 

I love to eat my white chicken chili with Organic Valley Fancy Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese.  I serve it with very little broth. 

We love to make this meal on a Sunday so we have leftovers for dinner on Monday.  I was also able to put three containers of white chicken chili in the freezer.  Your broth should cover all the meat and vegetables in the containers you freeze any leftovers in.  

White Chicken Chili 

Ingredients

8 large chicken breast halves (about 5 pounds) - cut into small cubes
6 C gluten free chicken stock
1 T olive oil
3 C sweet onion (about 2 large onions) - diced
6 garlic cloves (3 teaspoons) - minced
6 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles - undrained
6 cans cannellini beans - rinsed
2 pounds frozen corn
5 T fresh cilantro - chopped
2 T fresh basil - chopped
2 T ground cumin
1/2 T kosher salt
Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Tortilla chips
Optional -- sour cream, coarse ground black pepper, and additional kosher salt

Directions

In a very large soup pot over medium heat, cook the onion in olive oil until it begins to soften.  Add the garlic, stirring for a minute or two until the garlic begins to brown.  Add the chicken stock and chicken, turning your burner to medium high heat.

Cook your chicken for about 5 to 10 minutes before adding the green chiles, cannellini beans, corn, cilantro, basil, cumin, and salt.  Bring your chili to a light boil, then simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Optional - serve with sour cream, coarse ground black pepper, and additional kosher salt

Serves 16

Recipe Notes

We like to eat our white chicken chili with Tostitos Simply Natural Blue Corn Tortilla Chips or Late July Organic Sea Salt Multigrain Snack Chips.  No sour cream for us!