G-Free Spotlight: Jennifer Esposito's NYC Bakery

If I ever find myself in New York City, I'll be making a definite trip to actress Jennifer Esposito's gluten-free organic bakery. Her story of overcoming adversity is such a dose of inspiration as she fought unfair treatment concerning her Celiac disease by former employer CBS on the set of "Blue Bloods". After CBS allegedly ignored Jennifer's physician requests for her to work a temporary reduced work schedule, she collapsed on set due to complications from Celiac related symptoms. Read more about her story on her website Jennifer's Way, which is dedicated to Celiac advocacy and support. Jennifer's Way bakery offers everything from bagels to cakes, breads, and cinnamon rolls -- all free of gluten, soy, dairy, and refined sugar! If you're ever in NYC, I highly suggest you go check it out and say hi to Jennifer. In her words, "Food should be enjoyed, not feared!" Check out the full menu here.

 Photo credit: Jennifer's Way

Special Guest Post: Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Happy official fall! I'm stoked for sweater weather, apple cider, warm bonfires, and of course college football (go blue!). Nowadays, this time of year reminds me of hanging out with my sister and my brother-in-law on the weekends while they lived ten minutes away during grad and law school. Now that they live a little further away, I miss them like crazy! But the times we do share now are always just as special. I'm lucky to have an older sister who is my best friend and is so very inspiring. I'm excited to share her first guest blog post with all of you. So without further ado, here she is!

LNG:

Hello--this is Lindsey, Bethany's favorite (and only, haha) older sister!  I hope you enjoy my first guest post on her blog--I have been waiting for the perfect first recipe to share with all of you.

A bit about myself: I am a lawyer living and working in Michigan with my husband/best friend Joe.  Like Beth, I am on a strict gluten free diet, which I started in August 2009.  I feel very fortunate to have Beth as a resource through all of the challenges of living gluten free.  Really, our mutual need to be gluten free has been a blessing in disguise, because we are closer to each other than ever!

On to the food....

It's starting to feel like FALL in Michigan!  So of course, I have been craving all things pumpkin.  Pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread...they are all on my list.  Last Saturday morning, I woke up with the pumpkin craving and Joe wanted chocolate chip pancakes.  So, we combined our cravings for an awesome batch of pumpkin pancakes!  These pancakes are very moist--almost a cake-like texture.  Please forgive the slightly overcooked pancakes mixed in with the properly cooked pancakes--I got distracted during 1 batch!

 

This recipe uses pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin puree.  Pumpkin butter isn't really "butter"-- it is basically a concentrated form of pumpkin puree, cooked down slowly with spices and sugars until it reaches a spreadable consistency, like butter.  As a result, it is quite rich and contains a ton of pumpkin flavor for the amount you need to use in a recipe.

I got brave and made my own pumpkin butter at home using pumpkin puree, apple cider, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice.  Here's the finished product!:

However, the recipe I used was very time consuming and I would not recommend it unless you want to stand stirring your bubbling, splattering pot of pumpkin puree for over an hour.  Instead, I would recommend picking up pumpkin butter at a specialty food store like Trader Joe's--I believe theirs is under $3.00 per jar.

You could probably substitute pumpkin puree for the pumpkin butter in this recipe--but I would guess you would need to add more of the Pancake Mix because the puree will be much more watery than the pumpkin butter and more pumpkin pie spice.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Yield: about 15 pancakes.

• 1-1/2 cups Pamela's Pancake Mix
• 1/4 cup pumpkin butter
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups water (add slowly)
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or up to 1/2 cup for more chocolate-y goodness!)
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Maple syrup for serving

1. Whisk eggs in a large bowl.
2. Add pumpkin butter and oil and whisk together until smooth.
3. Add pancake mix and stir together lightly, then slowly add water until you reach your desired pancake consistency.  I like mine to be a bit thick so the pancakes don't run all over the pan when I measure them out--if you like thinner pancakes, you can add more water.  Then, stir in the pumpkin pie spice and chocolate chips.
4. Heat your non-stick frying pan over medium.  Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray (I usually don't need to do this with my non-stick + Pamela's, but I noticed this batch sticking a bit--probably due to the pumpkin).
5. Measure 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and pour into pan.  Cook on side one until lightly browned, then flip and do the same for the reverse side.  Serve with warm (100% PURE) maple syrup.

 

Gluten-free sisters, and best friends!

Friday Links - Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! Today I'm savoring probably one of the last warm weather days/weeks around here and remembering the great times I had this summer. I had a blast visiting my family and getting up north to Alpena, which is always the best place ever no matter how far I travel. I snapped some great photos of the fam which I enjoyed looking back through. My cousin Nathan is pictured above looking dapper before we engaged in a traditional intense game of thunder and lightening and my aunt's fabulous summer sangria. Have a great weekend, and enjoy these end of the week links I'm loving!

For the kiddos, 5 gluten-free back to school snacks

I'm all about the pumpkin come fall. This healthy pumpkin and spice quick-bread with nuts (vegan/gluten-free) sounds so good.

This gluten-free, soy-free sweet and sour chicken with rice is on my to-make list.

The 14 Best (and worst!) Gluten-free Beers. I love St. Peter's way too much!

GO girl! 2-time "Cupcake Wars" winner shares gluten-free dessert recipes. Totally need to step up my gf cupcake game.

A fantastic blog, "A House in the Hills" is written by a woman with Crohn's disease. Can't believe I've never read this one before!

Updates - gluten-free Tim Horton's and Niagara Falls

School is in full swing again! And I love it! If you would've said to me (anytime before now) that I'd love microbiology and biochemistry this much I would've said you were mistakenly referring to my twin sister. And you would've said, nuh-uh, you don't have a twin sister. And I would've said, exactly. I can't believe how much different of a person I am these days but it's a welcome change. I'm currently prepping applications to other graduate schools in nutrition to finish my masters degree and this includes taking the GRE...so if you've been wondering where I've been, it's been a hassled/sometimes procrastination-filled juggling act of trying to stay focused and kick butt. I will hopefully get back to a normal-ish sschedule of posting next week just to challenge myself to be better at being in a better state of being. Or something like that.

While on a trip to Niagara Falls, ON with Y, we had a leisurely "breakfast" in a little cafe area just across from the falls. The view was amazing to say the least and I finally got to eat something from Tim Hortons for the first time in my life. While in Canada, right? The gluten-free (pre-packaged!) coconut macaroons are a little less healthy than the things I usually put in my mouth but I was on vacation and was grateful for the safe menu option. And the consensus in the gluten-free community seems to be two thumbs up for taste as well as price tag. I have to agree! Have you tried Tim Hortons gluten-free coconut macaroons yet? I'm tempted to make my own version at home, sans processed sugar and frosting. Until next time--here's a few snaps from our trip to Niagara.

Y and I at the horseshoe falls.

Gluten-Free Zone -- Murraysville, PA.

During the end of June this summer, my fiance and I took a fun road trip to Philly to visit his family. On the way home, we were able to stop by a charming little cafe in Murraysville, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh) called Gluten Free Zone which was amazingly 100% gluten-free! There were loads of allergy friendly and gluten-free groceries and a wonderful in house cafe/bakery. I actually had trouble deciding what I wanted to eat which is not a problem I'm used to having (but a welcome one at that). What I loved about this place besides it being dedicated gluten-free was the friendly staff and the story behind the business. The owner's daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease after some health struggles and the family pulled together to support her new positive gluten-free journey. They set out to make delicious, high quality gluten-free and allergy friendly food options and I have to say, they certainly achieved that! You can read more about their story here. I ordered a gluten-free, soy-free pizza and a tomato bisque soup while my non-gluten-free fiance had a gluten-free sub sandwich that he said was amazing. The pizza was one of the best I've ever tasted and our visit made for two happy and full road trippers--reaction free!

We sat down on the cute patio just outside the cafe to enjoy our meal and I was amazed by the total dedication of the shop to keeping the area free from gluten and allergen contamination. Positioned clearly on our table was a sign (pictured above) that stated in bold letters, "Due to Food Allergies, For Gluten Free Zone Customers Only". I felt super cared for, understood, and very surprised in the best way possible. They take their customer's safety seriously and that deserves big applause my friends. Basically, this place is a gluten-free dream and ranks among the best to my knowledge and consideration. Check them out in Murraysville, PA!

I found out about Gluten Free Zone by checking for gluten-free restaurants and shops on the Find Me Gluten-Free iPhone app and website. This site is a serious gem and I highly recommend it for any gluten-free traveler. Thanks to the Find Me Gluten-Free team!