Dulce Vegan Bakery & Cafe in Kirkwood has reopened after renovating its space to add a new counter, more seating, streamlining the kitchen, and sprucing up the decor. The bakery serves both breakfast and lunch daily with an expanded  menu that includes plant-based sweet treats, sandwiches with veggies,vegan soups, salads topped with quinoa and nutty Parmesan, and more.

Dulce Vegan is one of the few spots that uses almond, coconut, hemp, and soy milk in their baked goods as well as having them available for coffee and tea. It is exciting to see so many gluten-free options labeled on their menu including homemade English muffins, scones, granola, and soup.

I was invited in to sample some of their new cuisine and color me impressed. The owners have cracked the code when it comes to textures. I got to sample the chia bowl – chia pudding topped with homemade strawberry compote, granola and whipped coconut cream. I normally can’t stand chia pudding because the texture it too ‘bumpy’ and odd, but not anymore. Dulce Vegan has turned me into a chia pudding lover and it has everything to do with how the crunchy/chewy granola compliments the creamy/bumpy chia pudding. The homemade whipped coconut cream is also delicious.

I also sampled the roasted cauliflower ‘cheese’ soup, which I couldn’t stop eating. Salty, creamy, nutty and drinkable, this soup is perfect on its own, but I would love to pair it with pasta, use it in a casserole, and dip in chips and/or veggies. It is so hard to find vegan soups that taste this good, so I hope they will start selling it by the quart and let me stock up.

Dulce Vegan also makes gluten-free sweet treats, like chewy ginger cookies topped with homemade marshmallow topping, cupcakes, cake, and much more. Again, the textures and flavors are on point and delicious. And – they are serving vegan gelato from Revolution Gelato in four flavors. Made from coconut cream and cashews, it is rumored to taste better than the ‘real’ thing.

Located at 1994 Hosea L. Williams Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30317, Dulce Vegan’s daily hours are Wednesday through Friday, 7:30 am– 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9 am– 4 pm. Stop by and experience what plant-based cuisine is all about!

It is peanut butter and jelly time in Atlanta as 40 restaurants ban together in support of PB&J for Good, a 10-day fundraiser benefiting Stop Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), going on now through Saturday, October 25. Each restaurant is donating a percentage of sales from their one-of-a-kind peanut butter and jelly themed creations to Stop SAM. In turn, Stop SAM will use 100 percent of these funds to purchase Mother Administered Nutritive Aid (MANA) packets.

MANA packets, a form of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) produced in Fitzgerald, Georgia, contain a mixture of peanut paste and dry whole milk. According to Stop SAM, when these packets are administered three times daily for six to seven weeks they are 98 percent effective at returning children to a healthy and sustainable weight.

In five years, Stop SAM hopes to save one million children through fundraising and distribution of RUTF packets produced by MANA Nutrition. With $50, Stop SAM is able to provide a child suffering from SAM with a six-week treatment that can save his or her life.

Atlanta’s chefs have risen to the culinary challenge by turning peanut butter & jelly dishes into culinary treats. The following restaurant’s dishes are gluten free:

American Food & Beverage – Boiled peanut hummus with bacon jelly and crudites. Specify the order is “gluten free” and the wood-grilled flatbread typically served alongside the dish will be replaced with crudites.

Farm Burger – Peanut butter milkshake (photo)

Queen of Cream – Peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream

The Melting Pot – PB&J milk chocolate fondue with fruit, marshmallows, gluten-free brownies and cupcakes for dipping.

The Spence – Cashew and peanut butter with muscadines and crudites. Specify the order is “gluten free” and the dish will be served without gluten-containing accompaniments.

Let these peanut butter and jelly dishes transport you to wonderful childhood memories while contributing to a great cause!

Sunday marked the launch of Castellucci Hospitality Group (CHG) first Restaurant Week (October 11 – October 17) with the fourth annual All Chefs Dinner followed by six days of dining events and specials at each of its four restaurants. I love this restaurant group because they are very knowledgeable about the gluten-free diet, which is reflected in the many options on their dedicated gluten-free menus. That’s right. Each restaurant has a dedicated gluten-free menu and the food and selection is fantastic.

This restaurant week is quite difference from what Atlantans have come to expect.The schedule is packed and offers new daily specials, such as a night of charity, cooking classes, bar specials, prixe fix menus, and classic dishes making an appearance from past menu.

CHG is giving incentivizing a new name with dining passports to be stamped at each restaurant and redeemed for prizes:

• Two stamps –    $25 gift card
• Three stamps – $50 gift card
• Four stamps –   $75 gift card
• Five stamps – $100 gift card
• Six stamps –    $125 gift card
• Seven stamps – In-home chefs tasting with wine pairings for eight guests with CHG chef of choice (Sunday through Thursday only). Winner must visit at least three different restaurants to be eligible. 

The full schedule and details follow:

Monday, October 12 – The Giving Kitchen Night

During dinner service at Cooks & Soldiers, Double Zero Napoletana, The Iberian Pig and Sugo, all restaurants will donate 10 percent of the evening’s sales to The Giving Kitchen, a local crisis grant program in the restaurant community that provides emergency assistance grants to cover basic living expenses, care-related travel expenses and funeral expenses.

Tuesday, October 13 – CHG Cooking Classes

Four cooking classes at Cooks & Soldiers, The Iberian Pig, Double Zero and Sugo:

• Pintxo Making at Cooks & Soldiers – Join executive chef Landon Thompson at 6 or 8 p.m. to prepare a selection of signature pintxos while enjoying Basque wine and cider for $42 per person. Reserve by calling404.996.2623.
• Hands-on Pizza Making at Double Zero – Learn the art of pizza making with executive chef Edwin Molina at two separate sessions at 6 and 8 p.m. Both classes are $40 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reserve by calling 404.991.3666.
• Albondigas at The Iberian Pig – Master the Pig’s acclaimed albondigas, or wild boar meatballs, with executive chef Eric Roberts and Mr. C at 7 p.m. The class is $39 per person, including a hands-on demonstration, glass of wine and take-home recipe card. Price excludes tax and gratuity. Reserve by calling 404.371.8800.
• Big Green Egg Demo at Sugo – Learn Big Green Egg grilling techniques with a demo that begins at 7 p.m. and is $45 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Call770.817.8000 to reserve your spot.

Wednesday, October 14 – Bar Specials

Specials at each restaurant:

• Txakoli and Cider Tasting at Cooks & Soldiers – Join general manager Nicolas Quinones at 7 p.m. for a tasting of six Basque txakoli and cider accompanied by six pintxos for $60 per person.
• “Negroni Through the Ages” at Double Zero – Learn the history behind the classic cocktail while creating your own Negroni. At 6 or 8 p.m., guests will enjoy a flight of four Negroni variations and light antipasti for $40 per person.
• Whiskey Tasting at The Iberian Pig – Enjoy a tasting of Buffalo Trace Whiskey with Caña pairings for $45 per person.
• Cocktail Class at Sugo – Learn the history and art of shaking up three classic cocktails alongside passed tapas for $39 per person.

Thursday, October 15 – #TBT

At Double Zero, Iberian Pig and Sugo, enjoy dishes from the original 2011, 2009 and 2003 menus, respectively. The menu at Cooks & Soldiers will feature never-before-seen dishes from original menu development sessions.

Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17 – Prix Fixe Menus

To close out a week of toasting and feasting with CHG, each restaurant will offer a special three-course prix fixe menu for $25 at Double Zero and Sugo, and $35 at Cooks & Soldiers and The Iberian Pig.

If you haven’t enjoyed a meal at any of these restaurants, this week is the perfect time to go!

It would take more than a little rain to keep the crowds away from Taste of Atlanta 2015. This is the first year I received media credentials to attend the Bucket List Bash, which takes place Friday night and serves as the kick off event for the three-day food festival. A small gathering of participating restaurants put their best food forward for guests to enjoy while listening to live music, gambling (not real money), and enjoying beer, wine, liquor and cocktails. Attendees get a preview of what’s to come on Saturday and Sunday, but with a much smaller audience and under the stars. I highly recommend attending!

Not all of the dishes at Bucket List Bash were gluten free, but DBA Barbeque, Max’s Wine Dive, and Community Smith served up some fantastic gluten-free cuisine. I am kind of smacking myself for not frequenting DBA Barbeque after trying their glazed St. Louis ribs with Texas creamed corn. I might have gone back for seconds and thirds of the creamed corn because it was just amazing. Made with cayenne mayo, fresh corn, cream, salt and pepper, this simple dish had all the great textures mixed with just a little heat. I could eat a bowl full and still want more. Max’s Wine Dive (sadly this restaurant has closed) braised oxtails over polenta was rich and earthy. The shrimp on sweet potato mash with succotash from Community Smith was light and satisfying with great smokiness coming from the shrimp.

Saturday’s Taste of Atlanta got rained all over, but still the crowds came to sample the diverse cuisine (Italian, Indian,Mexican, Venezuelan, etc.) from more than 90 local restaurants. This year’s festival featured snazzy new RFID  digital wristbands, five hands-on cooking stages, live music, and a VIP zone loaded with booze. The new digital wristbands did away with paper tickets making it much easier (and faster) to purchase and eat. Simply scan the wristband to purchase. Chefs are working each table, so determining the gluten-free status of a particular food was quite easy.

With mud on my boots and an orange rain slicker, I braved the crowds to enjoy  gluten-free cuisine from Max’s Wine Dive, Alma Cocina, gusto!, and 1Kept. Because I was still sort of full from last night’s festivities, I was very selective when spending my tasting points. The Springer Mountain Farms fried chicken from Max’s was tender and flavorful. Thank you Alma Cocina for the savory pork cheek and butternut squash posole topped with apples and cabbage. gusto! was a new restaurant to me and one of the only ones featuring “GF” on their menu. I enjoyed their tender chicken and chipotle mango avocado bowl. I am now a fan of vanilla panna cotta, especially when it is topped with bourbon peach jam. 1Kept’s dessert was on point and left me wanting more.

People with food allergies/intolerance should definitely attend this three-day food festival that is loaded with gluten-free cuisine from some of Atlanta’s top chefs/restaurants.

What was your favorite dish from Taste of Atlanta?

Entire 3-course menu for Cobb Restaurant Week is gluten and dairy free.

Cobb Restaurant week is currently underway (started 9/19 and runs through 9/26) and one of their 34 participating restaurants, Common Quarter, has gone the extra mile to make their three-course menu both gluten and dairy free.

This is the seventh Cobb Restaurant Week and it is a time where diners get to enjoy a specially created prix-fixe (set price) meal for brunch, lunch and dinner at a discounted rate of $15, $25 or $35 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). The best part is there are no special discount codes or coupons necessary. Simply call and make a reservation to take advantage of the offer.

Common Quarter’s restaurant week menu has hot and cold appetizers, chicken, fish, lamb, and pork chop main dishes and finishes out the meal with two dessert choices. I have to say that the desserts are probably my favorite item to see on the menu. It isn’t common to find real desserts that are gluten free at restaurants and leaving out dairy too, is just about unheard of. Flourless chocolate cake with coconut and passion fruit sounds delightful and the flavors of the apple-cranberry crisp signify that Fall has arrived.

It would be surprising to me if any of the diners could tell that their meal was made without gluten and dairy. Food can be just as delicious when made with alternative ingredients and not relying on butter, creme, breadcrumbs, flour, etc. to establish flavor. Hopefully, this bold move by Common Quarter will inspire other local chefs to create dishes that leave out gluten and dairy ingredients.

I hope I can get a reservation to try out Common Quarter’s allergen-friendly menu. Will I see you there?

I love that more and more Atlanta-area restaurants are adding gluten-free sandwich bread and hamburger/hot dog buns to their menus. I can’t tell you how hard it is to find these replacement breads and how rewarding it is to sink your teeth into a burger on a bun, or a BLT on toasted bread; however, it has come to my attention that not all restaurants know how to properly store or prepare it, so I feel compelled to offer my advice.

Having worked with numerous local restaurants, I am here to tell you that dealing with gluten-free breads is counterintuitive. Wheat-y bread can sit on the counter for days without molding or in the refrigerator without going stale. This is not the case with gluten-free bread for a couple of reasons – gluten-free bread does not contain the level of preservatives needed to keep it from molding, nor does it have the additives necessary to keep it from going stale.

The most important thing to know about gluten-free bread is to keep it in the freezer until it is needed. Yes, the freezer, not the counter, or the refrigerator. Gluten-free bread will start to mold after a few days on the counter. Storing it in the refrigerator is a bad idea because it leads to stale/hard bread that is hard to work with and doesn’t taste great. It is always best to go from freezer straight to the oven or cook top. Gluten-free bread is designed to go from the freezer to the oven and be ready to go in under five minutes.

So, how do you heat it so you can work with it? Well, there are a couple of ways to go. Heat it on the grill top on a piece of foil and use a clean utensil (fresh gloves too). Do not butter it with shared butter because gluten crumbs will transfer making it unsafe for those following a gluten-free diet. Another idea is to heat it in the oven wrapped in tin foil until soft. The bread should be soft and without any hard spots. If the bread/bun is still hard, continue to heat until it is ready.

I have had to send back hamburger buns twice because it wasn’t properly heated leaving it hard and unappetizing. If you try to heat stale gluten-free bread it tastes horrible, loses its texture and becomes crumbly, and it will get sent back.

Write up heating instructions and put them up in the kitchen for all to see and follow. Turnover is a growing problem in the restaurant industry, so make sure new employees are familiar with and trained on how to handle gluten-free products. The first line on the instruction should be – change gloves and wash hands before handling any gluten-free breads.

Do it right the first time and you win over a customer. Do it wrong and word may get around that your restaurant doesn’t know what it is doing.

I recently attended the Atlanta Meatball Festival where Atlanta restaurants competed to see who could create the best meatball. More than 20 restaurants put their balls to the test to win bragging rights and a chance to compete live at Taste of Atlanta where the champ will be crown. Produced by Taste of Atlanta, Chef Linda Harrell, executive chef at Cibo e Beve, served as the event’s chef host and proved that Atlanta’s got the best balls.

The event was packed with a mix of meatball enthusiasts deciding which balls were deserving of advancing to the live Taste of Atlanta competition. Attendees chose the top three winners by voting for their favorite with a single gold coin. I had a great time at the event, but there were only four meatballs made without breadcrumbs or soy sauce. I expected there to be slim pickings, but I was astonished that only four of the restaurants chose to buck tradition by not relying on breadcrumbs to hold their meatballs together.

It is quite easy to make meatballs sans gluten. Chef Linda used almond and potato flour as a binder while 1Kept, Double Zero, and Smoke Ring relied on eggs to hold their meatballs together. All of these entries were delicious and didn’t lack flavor or texture by leaving out breadcrumbs and/or soy sauce. Here are the yummy gluten-free balls at the event:

• 1Kept made Braised veal meatball with kimchi, scallions, charred orange vinaigrette made with Angel Fire spirits
• Smoke Ring had a smoked duck meatball with fire roasted poblano puree and cotija cheese cream served on kale salad
• Chef Linda made chicken meatball using freshly ground Springer Mountain Farms chicken
• Double Zero had a moist and flavorful pork belly meatball with the perfect dollop of sauce

If these chefs are up to the challenge of preparing meatballs without using breadcrumbs and soy sauce, are other chefs too set in their ways? Are they unwilling to make a change, or are they just sticking with what works? I challenge Atlanta’s chefs to leave out the gluten and experiment by using potato flour, eggs, and my secret ingredient of instant mashed potato flakes as a binder the next time they prepare meatballs (works great for meatloaf too). These gluten-free ingredients are inexpensive and can easily change a gluten-full meatball into a gluten-free one. Maybe these chefs will become inspired with how minor ingredient changes impact their menu and clientele.

Are you up to the challenge?

Chef Linda Harrell is the executive chef at Cibo e Beve and she is a gluten-free boss. Chef Linda has been catering to the gluten-free community for more than 10 years and works diligently to make sure her gluten-free cuisine is not just safe, but delicious.

Recently, she has perfected her gluten-free breading recipe, which is light, crispy, and compliments their current gluten-free offerings. The yummy offerings at Cibo e Beve  are clearly marked on the menu and include: pasta (all of their sauces are gluten free too), soup, creative sides and salads, entree rich with layered flavor, and lick-the-bowl-clean homemade gelato.

Chef Linda has graciously shared her recipe for Chicken Milanese, which features her gluten-free breading recipe:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 – 4 oz. chicken breasts, pounded thin with a meat mallet

2 eggs, beaten 1 cup tapioca starch (for dredging)

4 cups almond flour

4 oz. baby arugula

2 ripe tomatoes, cut into eighths

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 lemons

3 oz. shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese

Instructions:

Begin by setting up pans or mixing bowls with the egg, starch and almond flour. Take your chicken breast and season with salt and pepper. Begin to bread it by placing it in the starch first and coating. Then place it in the beaten egg making sure it is fully coated and then into the almond flour. In a large sauté pan, heat five ounces of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, place chicken in the pan and let it brown slowly to allow the interior of the chicken to cook. If the oil is too hot, then lower the heat. When chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and place on a rack or cookie sheet with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

In a mixing bowl, place the arugula, tomatoes, juice from the two lemons and remaining three ounces of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken cutlets on a plate, top with arugula salad, and finish with the shaved parmigiano.

Buon Appetito!

Since my daughter was born, it has been important to feed her high-quality gluten-free meats and Applegate’s products fit the bill. They are made with simple ingredients (meat, water, sea salt, and spices) and free of: antibiotics, hormones artificial ingredients, preservatives, fillers, nitrates/nitrites, and MSG. If you haven’t tried Applegate’s product yet you are missing out. Their products are always in my refrigerator from hot dogs, to lunch meat (turkey bologna rocks), to pepperoni, and of course uncured smoky cocktail pork franks, which are our favorite.

Summer is here and Applegate wants to turn you into a ‘cleaner weiner grilling master’ with a ‘You Grill Girl’ kit that includes:

–          Applegate Natural Beef Hot Dogs (made with 100% grass-fed beef)

–          Sir Kensington’s Ketchup and Mustard

–          Rudi’s Gluten Free Buns

–          Applegate Cooler Bag

–          Applegate “You Grill, Girl” Apron

–          Applegate Grilling Mitt

–          Meat Thermometer

–          Applegate Bandanas and hair accessory tutorial

–          Applegate Hot Dog Boats

Want to win a kit of your own? Leave a comment below and one winner will be chosen on July 10th.

Good luck!