Gluten-free Product Review: Oggi Ravioli

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I recently tried these ricotta & lemon ravioli from Oggi Foods and I definitely recommend them for a great quick weeknight dinner. Ravioli is something us celiacs very rarely get to eat so I was very happy when I found these. Only a few minutes minutes in boiling water and they are ready! I also like that they have a simple ingredient list.

I recently discovered Oggi’s Montreal made products, trying their frozen pasta, frozen pizza and frozen pizza dough. I ordered these ravioli from Lufa Farms and have also seen them at the pasta store in the main hall of Jean Talon Market. We tried both flavours, I preferred the ricotta and lemon and my boyfriend preferred the 4 cheese. A package makes a good meal for 2 people with you favourite sauce. I have seen a package for $7.50-$8.50, last I checked Lufa Farms was the cheapest.

I also highly recommend their pizza, which you can now find at Costco.

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DoughNats Gluten-free Donuts!

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I first had these donuts at a wedding at the beginning of the summer and was blown away by them. Then DougNats was featured on the Seriously Gluten Free Facebook page, which made me feel much better about eating donuts made in the same facility as normal donuts. They are pretty to look at, smell divine and taste even better! They even have 6 different gluten-free flavours so us celiacs can have lots of choice too!

I recently visited DoughNats  myself and Nat explained her process for making sure the gluten-free donuts are kept safe for celiacs, which includes making them first thing in the morning before the regular donuts . These mini gluten-free treats are gluten-free, baked, vegan and most importantly so yummy. I highly recommend trying them! They are located on Decarie and it is best to call before hand and your order will be ready to go.

 

Doughnats

5319 Decarie

514.660.2699

http://doughnats.com/

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Gluten-Free Product Review: Skinny Pasta Frozen Meals

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Based on the packaging I wouldn’t be a fan of these meals. I don’t like that it’s called “Skinny” pasta, to me it’s a play on the idea we should be smaller and also I don’t need my lunch to only be 240 calories. I had previously tried this product when it was under another name and loved these frozen meals. Despite my initial apprehensions I am now a huge fan of the frozen butternut squash ravioli. I love this product mainly because it is delicious but I also appreciate the price point, quality, ease and small ingredient list. As a working student I often have 12 hour days and these meals mean I can avoid picking up a $15 lunch that may have been contaminated by gluten. I got these in the frozen section of my local Rachel-Berri for $5.50 on sale. They take about 5 minutes in the microwave. Try them out, I highly recommend it if you miss ravioli and need a solid option for a quick back-up lunch. I tried the cheese and butternut squash and while I like the cheese one, I much preferred the squash.

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3 Cheese

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Butternut Squash

 

Making Gluten-Free Bread in a Bread Maker- a few tips & a recipe!

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My lovely girlfriends gifted me a fancy Cuisinart bread maker for my birthday and I have been waiting until I mastered a recipe to share one here. I tried several recipes and while they were all decent one was better than the others and that was a recipe my friend Emilie sent me from her mom, who has been making this recipe she found in a cookbook for several years. It was in French so I have translated it here. This bread is amazing and super soft. It’s also nice to know exactly went into it and there is nothing like the smell of my apartment when it’s baking. So while there are some ingredients you will most probably have to go out and buy, once your pantry is stocked it is relatively easy. Once the ingredients are in the machine you don’t have to do a thing, only wait until that delicious loaf is done!

Thanks to my gluten-free best friends for ever (GFBFF’s) for the bread maker and the great recipe! There is something special about getting to make delicious bread for those you love.

To start here are a few tips on using a bread maker:

  1. Since there are quite a few ingredients and I can lose my focus when baking with all the measurements, I find it much easier to measure everything out before hand. It makes it much simpler to combine everything in the mixing bowl of the bread maker and this way I am less likely to miss something.
  2. You will have to play around with the settings on your bread maker. My friends bought me this model as it has a gluten-free setting and it worked well but this recipe specified the use a regular rapid setting, so I used #2 on my machine “Rapid White” and it works perfectly.
  3. Make sure to use a spatula to carefully wipe the sides of the pan while it is mixing so all the flour gets mixed in correctly, if not you can have dry flour patches baked into the sides of your loaf. **IMPORTANT**

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Emilie’s Moms Famous Gluten-Free Loaf

  • 1 3/8 cups of hot water (Water can be heated in the microwave for 60 seconds)
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 TBSPs olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 3 TBSPs ground flaxseed (I did it myself in my Blendtec)
  • 1 TBSP xanthan gym
  • 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
  • 1 TBSP baking powder (gluten-free)
  • 1 TBSP active dry yeast or instant yeast

Put the bread pan in the machine. To start combine the beaten eggs with the water and pour it into the bread pan. Now add the other ingredients in the order they are listed, making a small hole with your fingers for the yeast and pour it in last.

The suggested setting is Quick Bread and on my machine it is option 2 “Rapid White”, not the gluten-free setting. So set your machine to rapid cook or the equivalent, with a dark crust and 2lb setting and start the machine and wait. I added some flax seeds on top when it started the rise cycle but that is optional.

When the bread is finished, mine took around 3 hours, using oven mitts turn the bread pan over onto a baking rack and let the bread cool for at least an hour and once cooled it should be stored in the fridge (wrapped in a cloth and then put in a plastic bag), but I prefer to keep it on the counter if it will be eaten quickly.

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Delicious Grilled Cheese made with my bread!

A delicious panini made with my bread!

Magiafoco Gluten-Free Restaurant Review

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Magiofoco in the Old Port is a great bet for delicious wood-fired gluten-free pizza. This mozzarella bar has lots of menu options for those following a gluten-free diet. There is a risk of cross contamination as there are normal pizzas but they take measures to reduce chance of contamination. Make sure to talk to your servers about the options and tell them you have celiac disease (if that is the case).

I had a the burrata caprese and the margherita pizza and both were delicious. I love having the option of having a wood-fired pizza and have not found anything like this elsewhere in the city.

***Make sure to confirm what is gluten-free.

Restaurant Mangiafoco

Accommodates gluten-free: Yes

Gluten-free menu: No

Price: $$

105 Rue Saint Paul O, Montréal, QC H2Y 1Z5

 

http://mangiafoco.ca/

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Mozza Gluten-Free Restaurant Review

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A few years ago I had dinner at the Mozza in the west-island and recently I have had lunch several times with my mom at the location on McGill College (near the corner of St. Catherine). They are right in the center of downtown and are a good bet for a gluten-free meal. They have a separate gluten-free menu and while there is a chance of cross-contamination I found them very knowledgeable each time I was there.

The last time I was there I had olives, truffle fries (fried in a dedicated fryer) and a salad for lunch on their patio. Overall, this is a good place for a decent priced lunch right downtown and all their salads have been good.

Mozza

Accommodates gluten-free: Yes

Gluten-free menu: Yes

Price: $$

1251 Avenue McGill College, Montréal, QC H3B 2Y4

http://www.restaurantmozza.com/


Maïs Restaurant Review

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Maïs is a great bet for a gluten-free meal in the Plateau area. The menu is simple with several appetizers, a few sides and about 7 taco options (3 that were veggie).

I have been here a few times and this past visit was told everything on the menu except the desserts were gluten-free. Our group started with guac and chips, and we each ordered 3 tacos. I had the fried cheese, fish and celeriac tacos, which were all delicious. The taco options change often, and have been slightly different each time I have gone. We also had margaritas which were $5 each, since there is a special on Mondays.

Overall the atmosphere is great, the food is good and the drinks are yummy. The price range is pretty good at about $4 a taco and $7.50 for guac and chips for the table. You can have a full meal and a drink for under $25.

It was almost full on a Monday night so be sure to call ahead. They also have a cute room in the back for groups.

***Make sure to confirm what is gluten-free on the menu.

Restaurant Maïs

Accommodates gluten-free: Yes

Price: $-$$

http://restaurantmais.com/

5439 Boul St-Laurent, Montréal
(514) 507-7740

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Product Review: Vegan GF bagels from Merveilles Sans Gluten

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My best friend bought these bagels for me the other day at Veganessa’s store in Beaconsfield. These bagels from Merveilles Sans Gluten (Wheatless Wonder) are so delicious and vegan. They stay fresh and soft for up to 5 days in the fridge and are amazing lightly toasted. So yummy!

Try them out if you can get your hands on them. They are delicious and almost help cure my longing for a real Montreal bagel. Almost…

I looked on their website and saw that Louise Sans Gluten in Dorval carries their products, as do a few other stores on the Island. I will keep you updated if I find other locations to buy the bagels and will try to post about Veganessa soon!

http://www.wheatlesswonder.com

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Mandy’s Gluten-Free Review

The habibi salad

The habibi salad

Mandy’s is a good bet for a healthy gluten-free meal on the go Downtown, on Laurier or in Westmount. All their salads can be made gluten-free and all their dressings but the miso are gf. They also have gluten-free snacks and juices. I have eaten at the Westmount and Downtown locations and both were great about gluten-free and were happy to make me a salad using a fresh bowl and utensils and they are happy to accommodate for gluten-free.

This time I went to the Crescent location, which is quite a bit bigger than the Westmount location and took my salad to go. It was the perfect lunch to have at my desk. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a delicious, healthy and gluten-free casual meal. Their salads are super fresh and delicious and most importantly pretty safe for us celiacs.

Mandys

Accueil

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Tacos Victor Restaurant Review

Shrimp and Vegetarian Tacos

Shrimp and Vegetarian Tacos

I was very happy to learn that everything on the menu at Tacos Victor in St-Henri is gluten-free***. The menu consists of 7 taco choices and 3 fresh juices. That’s it and that’s all you need, simple, delicious and to the point. These were some of the most flavourful tacos I have had in Montreal.

The restaurant is super casual,  a takeout or eat at the counter type place. It can get very busy but it is worth the wait. We went as a group and stood at the table in the middle. The tacos are very filling, with fries on top. I ate two and finished them since they were so delicious but two was too much for me and will probably only eat one next time. I was very, very full. Between our group we tried all 7 types and everyone liked enjoyed their meal. I had the shrimp and vegetarian tacos. The shrimp was delicious and the vegetarian had mushrooms and lots of crispy fried cheese. My boyfriend loved the bavette taco.

This is a great bet for a delicious gluten-free taco that is a little different than most tacos spots in Montreal. Differently worth a try if you’re anywhere near St-Henri.

***Always make sure to double check that everything remains gluten-free, things can change.

Tacos Victor

Accommodates gluten-free:  Yes

Price: $

4376 Rue Notre-Dame O, Montréal, QC H4C 1R8

https://www.facebook.com/Tacos-Victor-813142355450346/

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Bavette, Campechano and Chorizo Tacos

Bavette, Campechano and Chorizo Tacos

Shrimp Taco

Shrimp Taco