Gluten-Free in Montreal: La Fabrique for Brunch

October 21, 2014February 11, 20152 Comments

I have a new person in my life and they love going out for brunch. I used to love going out for brunch. Pre-celiac disease crepes with raspberry sauce was my go to and brunch with my friends was always a great experience. Post celiac disease brunch became a little scary. Brunch spots can be so busy, have so much bread and so many opportunities for contamination. While on the other hand breakfast at home is pretty easy to make and I make a pretty decent brunch in bed. I have missed plenty of friend brunches eating my eggs and potatoes at home but this new person may have convinced me to attempt brunch out again once in a while. I have always felt comfortable at Aux Vivres which has a gluten-free items marked on their menu but it would be nice to broaden my horizons a bit.

This week we tried La Fabrique on St-Denis, near Sherbrooke Metro. While nothing on the changing menu is marked gluten-free they are very familiar with gluten-free and told me to look at the menu and they would make me something around what I liked. I chose the Gravlax and they served it on a potato base with a yogurt sauce and they added an egg. I would definitely recommend La Fabrique for brunch if you are in the area but wouldn’t say you should go far out of your way. I also tried it once for dinner and it was great but there weren’t a bunch of gluten-free options since I don’t eat red meat. I ended up having two starters as my meal.

I will keep you posted about my future gluten-free brunch experiences.

La Fabrique

3609 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2X 3L6

http://bistrotlafabrique.com/

Accommodates gluten-free: Ok

Price: $$

Gluten-free menu: No

Gluten-Free in Montreal: Le Sain Bol

October 16, 2014February 11, 2015Leave a comment

This little brunch spot near the corner of Laurier and Fabre is great at accommodating gluten-free. I haven’t tried it for brunch yet but will keep you posted. You can reserve a spot for a Friday night table d’hote. Dinner at Le Sain Bol made for a cute date spot that was a refreshing change from your average restaurant. I definitely recommend trying this place out. It’s quiet and feels like you are having dinner in the chefs kitchen. We had 4 delicious light courses, all completely gluten-free. It was the perfect fall meal and at $22.50 a person it was a great price for a 4 course gluten-free meal.

Note: I forgot to take a picture of the smoked salmon appetizer before I ate it!

Le Sain Bol

5095 Rue Fabre, Montréal, QC H2J

(514) 524-2292

You can also check out this review in the gazette: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Casual+Dining+Sain/5616551/story.html

Accommodates gluten-free: Yes

Price: $$

Gluten-free menu: No but almost everything on the menu is gluten-free

Gluten-Free Bisquick: Easy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

September 24, 2014February 6, 2015Leave a comment

I have seen many recipes on Pinterest that use Gluten-Free Bisquick but had never seen it in Quebec until this past week and I had to try it out for myself. I found it in the gluten-free section of this IGA (to note this is one fancy IGA that plays jazz music and has lots of gluten-free products throughout the aisles). So far I have just tried these biscuits and they were pretty darn good for a first try. I didn’t used the recipe on the box but kinda followed this recipe online.

These biscuits are yummy and so far I would recommend this mix. But at $6 for just over 2 cups the mix isn’t cheap so I would be more likely to buy it on sale. Forgetting the price, this mix does make a very easy biscuit that tastes a little bit like the biscuits back in the day at Red Lobster which I was obsessed with as a child. I would eat those babies until I was sick and probably gluten poisoned. These easy gluten-free copies make a great side with a soup. Who doesn’t love fresh biscuits with a little cheese and garlic when it gets cold. Did I mention it’s easy. Impress people with oven fresh gluten-free “bread” with the littlest of effort!

Gluten-Free Garlic and Cheese Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick Gluten-Free Mix
1-2 cloves grated fresh garlic (you can use garlic powder if you don’t have fresh on hand, about 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used aged cheddar)
2/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3 eggs
Optional: Poppy seeds to mix into batter and place on top of the biscuits. You can also sprinkle extra cheese and fleur de sel on the tops. Extra melted butter can also be brushed on top of the finished biscuits.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Using a fork or your hands combine the flour mix with the butter and garlic until it becomes crumbly. Mix in the butter, cheese, milk and eggs until dough forms. Add in poppy seeds if using. Place dough onto an ungreased baking sheet in 10 biscuit sized rolls.

Bake for 9-13 minutes until they start to get slightly golden but not overcooked. If you wish brush them with extra melted butter once out of the oven go wild!

Serve warm or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds. They also freeze well!

Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

September 20, 2014February 6, 20155 Comments

You need to try this chocolate chip cookie recipe! They are a great vegan option and no one will know they are gluten-free and vegan. I under bake mine and everyone I know loves a soft cookie. These were a big hit at a recent pot luck BBQ in my backyard. Bonus- the dough is vegan so you don’t have to feel bad about eating it raw!

The recipe from Yammie’s Gluten-Freedom, one of my favourite gluten-free blogs, is perfect as is.

http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com/2014/05/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Veggie Bowl with Easy Peanut Sauce (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

August 20, 2014October 5, 2014Leave a comment

This is one of my favourite quick dinners to make after the gym with my girlfriends. With a few of us doing the chopping and cooking it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare a healthy, fresh and delicious dinner. This recipe is also great on work nights because it makes the best lunches. It’s always a combination of rice noodles or rice, veggies and a quick peanut sauce we make with whatever we have on hand. The recipe below is general because these bowls are all about making something delicious and quick with what you have in your kitchen. There are many recipes for the best peanut sauce online but the two methods are super easy and delicious. To me this is the perfect indulgent but healthy gluten-free dinner that is almost too easy to make.

Quick Veggie Bowl

Prepare your rice or noodles (We used these amazing Brown Rice and Wakame Noodles).
Pan fry your tofu or protein of choice. We fried our tofu in sesame oil and added some gf tamari once it was getting crispy.
Prepare your veggies. We usually keep most of our veggies raw (julienning the peppers and grating carrots). We steamed the broccoli. Also great with brussels sprouts, bean sprouts, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms etc.
Prepare your bowls and add the peanut sauce.
Can be served with green onions, chopped peanuts, fresh herbs, sambal olek and limes on the side

Quick Peanut Sauce

In a pot combine about a cup peanut butter with half a can coconut milk (you can add more coconut milk depending or thickness and preference, I usually don’t measure). Bring it to a simmer over medium heat then lower heat. Add gluten-free tamari (or gluten-free soy sauce), sambal olek or hot sauce, a squeeze of lime, a little brown sugar, ginger or garlic to taste. All of these ingredients are optional. An alternative method if you are missing the coconut milk is to combine all the ingredients except for the coconut milk and add boiling water until you reach your desired consistency.

That’s it!

Perfect Buckwheat Crepes (Gluten-Free)

August 12, 2014February 6, 2015Leave a comment

I love these buckwheat crepes. They made the perfect brunch for my best friend and her new husband. The recipe below is perfect as is, no changes here. I love Gluten Free on a Shoestring and wish I was a little more patient and innovative when it came to gluten-free baking. I would love to one day make everything on the site! For now I can make crepes!

This recipe makes a great savoury or sweet crepe, it’s quite neutral so fill it with whatever you fancy or top it with lots of maple syrup 🙂

http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-buckwheat-crepes/

Gluten-Free in Montreal: Café Verdure (Currently CLOSED)

July 26, 2014March 20, 2015Leave a comment

Gluten-Free Veggie Burger

Café Verdure is a great little gluten-free vegan cafe on Mackay, right on top of Crudessence. It’s super affordable and everything I have tried so far is delicious. I couldn’t believe a place serving gluten-free veggie burgers was right near my work and I had no idea! I was very happy to have my delicious burger that was so good I had to double check it was gluten-free!

I have tried the bagel and “cream cheese”, the cupcakes and the veggie burger and all has been great so far. I definitely recommend this place for a quick bite if you are downtown.

https://www.facebook.com/CafeVerdure

Café Verdure

2159 Rue Mackay

(514) 842-2212

Accommodates gluten-free: Yes

Price: $

Gluten-free menu: Yes, everything is gluten-free

Delicious Vegan and Gluten-Free Cupcakes

Lots of Celiac Friendly Sweets

Gluten-free bagel with vegan cream cheese

Living with Celiac Disease Part 1

July 18, 2014July 25, 2014Leave a comment

I thought I would post this radio/print piece from last year about the challenges of gluten-free dining. My good friend Morgan interviewed me for the article and it’s a reminder of difficult it can be to eat out of the house.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/gluten-free-trend-risky-for-those-with-celiac-disease-1.2159426

Gluten-Free in Montreal: Baked to Go

July 16, 2014July 28, 20143 Comments

I am no longer buying frozen gluten-free bread. Baked to Go is a 100% gluten-free bakery a few minutes from my house on St Laurent above Rachel. To say it’s amazing to have a gluten-free bakery around the corner is an understatement. It’s even more amazing that all their rolls, bagels, croissants and breads are soft and delicious. The products are fresh enough to eat as is but they also taste great toasted or from the freezer. I much prefer to freeze their bread than buy overpriced freezer burnt bread at the health food store. To add to all this goodness, their products are also affordable considering they are gluten-free.

I personally prefer their bread products. The sweets I tried were good but I can make cookies and brownies at home. It’s bread that I am too lazy to attempt. Their bagels are the best gluten-free made in Montreal bagels I have tried. They were fresh enough that I was able to eat them untoasted two days after buying them, which anyone who is gluten-free would know is a gluten-free miracle. Their croissants are obviously not exactly like the real deal but are pretty close and very delicious. Their fresh rolls (hamburger buns) were amazing with a little butter. I haven’t had a roll that soft and normal since I first went gluten-free over 10 years ago.

I definitely recommend a visit if you are in the downtown area or you can order some of their products online.

http://baked2go.ca

4255 Boul. Saint Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
H2W 1Z4, Canada
Tél: 514-844-3232
info@baked2go.com

Gluten-Free in Montreal: Ottavio’s

July 14, 2014March 19, 2015Leave a comment

Ottavio’s is one of the best options for an affordable family dinner where celiacs and non-celiacs can be equally satisfied and eat safely. It’s also BYOW, which helps keep the cost down if you are dining as a family. While there are no locations in the city, I go the one in St. Laurent several times a year with my family (including my brother who is also celiac).

This past weekend my Nana treated my brother and I to a dinner out which is always a challenge with our dietary restrictions. A picky Nana and two grandkids with severe allergies (my brother also has a long list of food intolerances) definitely narrowed the options down to Ottavio’s. The food is pretty good and they take extra care to keep all gluten-free food separate from the rest of the kitchen. They even serve gluten-free rolls at the beginning of the meal and use special gluten-free plates and utensils.

This time I had muscles and fries, my brother had pasta with meat sauce and my Nana had her glutenny pizza. Everyone was happy! I definitely recommend Ottavio’s for a celiac safe group dinner.

http://www.ottavio.ca/

1134 Boulevard Marcel-Laurin
Montréal, QC
(514) 335-7966

6880 Rue Jean-Talon Est
Montréal, QC
(514) 257-7966