This year’s “Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish” promotion at Maggiano’s Little Italy features their first stand-alone menu with expanded gluten-free offerings. Since 2003, Maggiano’s has been a sponsor of Make-A-Wish, leveraging the brand’s made-from-scratch dishes and passion for giving back to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

The stand-alone gluten-free menus (one for May/June and one for June/July) are available from April 30 – July 8 featuring: Patricia’s Cheese Ravioli, Grilled Jumbo Shrimp, Creme Brulee Trio, and Flourless Chocolate Cake. For each entree purchased, Maggiano’s will donate one dollar to the Make a Wish foundation. The menu also features seasonal sangria (two dollar donation) and lemonade (fifty cent donation).

Maggiano’s regular gluten-free menu features corn pasta that can be paired with any of their sauces, salads, meats, and dessert. The restaurant chain takes great care to attend to a variety of food  allergies/intolerance, including gluten through their safe handling program. At a recent visit, once a food intolerance was mentioned, a chef came to the table to review my dietary requirements prior to preparing my dish. That type of service isn’t ordinary and goes a very long way to establishing an exceptional service reputation in the gluten-free community.

The lovely folks at Maggiano’s Little Italy have graciously shared the recipe for creating Patricia’s Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli with Spring Vegetables below:

Serves 4

Spring Vegetable Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper, diced ½”
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, diced ½”

1 Medium Carrot, diced ½”
Salt and Pepper to taste

8 Stocks Asparagus, sliced on a bias ½ “pieces
1 Small Leek, diced ½”

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375˚. Once you have diced your yellow and red peppers place in a small bowl, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and cook for approximately 10-12 minutes or until there is slight char to the peppers. Remove from oven and reserve until the rest of the vegetables are ready.

Place a pot of cold water on stove on high heat. Season water with salt to add flavor to your carrots and asparagus. Once the water has come to a boil, place asparagus in boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how thick the asparagus is. Once the asparagus is al dente, place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. While asparagus is cooling in ice bath place, put diced carrots in same boiling water and cook for one minute. Place carrots in water bath to stop the cooking process. Once asparagus and carrots are cool, place in a bowl and reserve.

Cut one small leek in half lengthwise. Then split the leek in half lengthwise again. Cut into ½” pieces. You want to use some of the green part for flavor. Rinse leeks very good to remove all dirt.

Place clean leeks in same bowl as carrots and asparagus, then add roasted peppers that have cooled reserve.

Parmesan Broth Recipe
4 cups Gluten-Free Chicken Stock
1 Tbsp Corn Starch (plus 2 Tbsp water to mix)
1 Cup Small Diced Parmesan Cheese, about ¼ “
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
4 Whole Black Peppercorns

Instructions
Place gluten-free chicken stock in a medium sauce pot add fresh thyme, bay leaf and black peppercorns and put on the stove on a medium high heat to bring to a simmer. While stock is heating, add two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl with the cornstarch and mix together so corn starch dissolves. Once stock has come to a simmer add corn starch water mixture to stock and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Turn off burner and slowly add small diced parmesan cheese and mix until all cheese has melted into the chicken stock. Strain the broth making sure to remove bay leaf, thyme and whole peppercorns, reserve broth.

Truffle Mascarpone Recipe
½ Cup Cream Cheese, room temperature
½ Cup Mascarpone Cheese
2 Tablespoons White Truffle Oil
¼ Tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

Instructions
Place softened cream cheese and mascarpone in a mixing bowl and mix until incorporated. Add white truffle oil, salt, and pepper. Continue to mix until everything is incorporated, reserve.

Additional ingredients
28 pieces Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli or Gluten-Free Pasta of Choice
4 Tablespoons Whole Butter
4 Tablespoons Sun-Dried Tomatoes
¼ Cup Fresh Chopped Basil

Finishing Dish
Place Parmesan Broth in a large sauté pan and place on medium high heat. Add butter; once butter has slightly melted, add gluten-free ravioli. (Make sure they are not frozen and have thawed in your refrigerator. If you can’t find gluten-free ravioli, you may use any gluten-free pasta of your choice). Follow cooking instructions for gluten-free pasta on box for cooking. Once broth has come back to a simmer, add your spring vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes and continue to simmer, making sure that the ravioli/pasta is not sticking to the bottom. There should be enough of the broth to be able to simmer the ravioli/pasta to cook all the way through. Once heated throughout, turn off heat. Add fresh chopped basil and mix to incorporate. Place ravioli /pasta on a large platter or you may divide into 4 different plates. Evenly distribute the vegetables on top of the ravioli/ pasta. Place three to four small dollops of the truffle mascarpone on top of each dish and enjoy.

I was treated to a tasting of these items and can easily recommend making the trek to Maggiano’s to sample these exceptional dishes that are only available for a limited time. Of course, customer demand for any of these dishes may persuade the restaurant to make them a permanent menu addition.

Stop by Maggiano’s during April 30 – July 8 to sample their new gluten-free dishes and help them reach their goal of a one million dollar donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

New Quinoa shrimp and mango salad at Jason’s Deli

National fast-casual restaurant Jason’s Deli partnered with MD Anderson Cancer Center to create a culinary alliance called ‘Strike Through Cancer’. This partnership originated when Jason’s Deli realized a number of their team members or families had been treated for cancer at MD Anderson. The company, which has a true devotion to its employees, believes you have to eat well now to live well later, which led them to create the Quinoa Shrimp and Mango salad 

The new salad, which took several months to develop, was co-created by Jason’s Deli chefs and MD Anderson dietitians and cancer prevention researchers. They worked with different combinations of nutrient-dense ingredients until they landed on a taste and presentation they knew would delight Jason’s Deli guests. The salad is specifically designed as a convenient and healthy dining option in accordance with the American Institute of Cancer Research’s and World Cancer Research Fund’s guidelines for cancer risk reduction.

•  Grape Tomatoes: Fresh Grape Tomatoes, Green Onions: Fresh Green Onions, Organic Field Greens: Organic Field Greens, Quinoa/Shrimp/Mango: Organic Whole Grain Quinoa, Mangos (100% Pure Mango), Pico de Gallo (Roma Tomatoes, Red Onions, Fresh Jalapenos, Cilantro, All Natural Lemon Juice), Pickapeppe Mango Sauce (Mangos, Sugar, Cane vinegar, Ginger Powder, Peppers, Raisins, Onions, Garlic, Sea Salt), Shrimp (Wild Caught Shrimp, Water, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Sodium Acidpyrophosphate, Sodium Polyphosphate (added to retain moisture), Salt, Sodium bisulfite (used as a preservative))., Sliced Avocado – 1/4 of whole: Fresh Avocado

Back in 2010, all Fifth Group Restaurants began offering ‘set’ gluten-free menus making them one of Atlanta’s first restaurant groups to institute a company-wide initiative for catering to guests with food intolerance. The gluten-free menus can be found online and onsite at each of their seven restaurants: South City Kitchen (two locations), La Tavola, Ecco, The Original El Taco, Alma Cocina, and Lure.

This move set Fifth Group Restaurants apart from the pack because they recognized the need and made it a priority to serve those on a gluten-free diet before it became a fad diet trend. Cuisine choices from their restaurants include: Southern, Italian, European, Mexican, Latin American, and seafood. A little something for everyone and the gluten-free choices have been vetted by the chefs.

I recently had the chance to chat with Chef Chip Ulbrich of South City Kitchen Midtown about their gluten-free menu and here is what I learned:

How do you come up with the gluten-free items offered on your menu?

• “I basically try to take items that we already have on the menu that are already gluten free or can be easily adapted to be so and go from there. The idea of sensitivity to allergens is always in the forefront of my mind when creating dishes, so we don’t have an overabundance of dishes that are inherently glutinous.”

Share your thoughts on the importance of providing gluten-free options to your guests.

• “It’s important to be able to offer at least some items that can be prepared or are by concept gluten free because it is so prevalent. The reality is that there’s a big segment of our market that is either sensitive or intolerant.”

What is your favorite gluten-free item to prepare?

• “I love red quinoa! In salads or as breakfast cereal. Popped sorghum is also fun and different.”

Share a gluten-free recipe or a substitution trick

• Substitution trick: “I use sorghum flour or rice flour to dredge fish or as part of the coating on fried fish or chicken.”

South City Kitchen also offers Pure Knead’s hamburger buns for their burgers and sandwiches. The last time I was there for bunch, I ordered barbecue eggs benedict on toasted gluten-free buns and it was delicious.

The next time you are looking for a place to enjoy a tasty gluten-free meal, stop by one of Fifth Group Restaurants and know the utmost care is taken to ensure your meal is prepared safely. Have you been to one of Fifth Group Restaurants? Which one is your favorite?

Having never been on a walking food tour, I was excited to attend the Downtown Southern food walk hosted by Atlanta Foods Walks. This culinary tour of downtown Atlanta is just as much about the history of Atlanta and the evolution of its food scene as it is about sampling cuisine.

We received a program detailing all seven of the stops on our three and a half hour and two mile walking tour. Included in the program is a listing for each stop, its address and social media handles, a map, and coupons to entice us to return. This tour, which can accommodate special dietary needs, featured full sit down tastings, lite bites, drinks, and dessert. Our tour guide for the day was Alika McConnell, owner of Atlanta Foods Walks, and a travel food writer by trade.

We learned the story of Southern food and how it blends Native American, West African, and British/French cuisines together and is impacted by the history of the South from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement. I learned that Martin Luther King Jr. was originally named Michael and was a foodie himself. We walked through parts of downtown Atlanta I had never seen and admired the street art and historic buildings, like The Peacock where Aretha Franklin and other great African American musicians played back in the day.

Everything I ate was gluten free and dairy free and delicious. The food sampled at The Smoke Ring was my favorite and I will be going back soon. During the tour I dined on:

• Blacked eyed peas, green beans and chicken at Paschal’s
• Pulled pork, pork belly, greens, and Brussels sprouts at The Smoke Ring. We were also treated to flavored moonshine!
• Arden’s Garden let us sample their cheesy kale chips and veggie and fruit juices
• Handcrafted teas were sampled at Just Add Honey
• Shrimp and grits (my shrimp was over a vegetable medley) were brought out at Sweet Auburn Seafood
• Metro Deli in Sweet Auburn Market served up red beans and sweet potatoes
• Pralines from Miss D’s Pralines shop in Sweet Auburn Market were the last bite of the day

I liked the pacing of the tour, which broke down all of the walking into manageable segments. The flow of sampling from sit down to lite bites allowed enough time for digestion between stops. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would highly recommend taking this tour, so here is incentive in the form of a 10% discount. Enter or mention the code FOODIEFUN when purchasing tickets online or over the phone, either for regular tickets or for gift certificates.

Learning about Atlanta never tasted so good!

Disclosure: The ticket for the Downtown Southern Food Tour was provided as a result of a media invitation. I received no compensation for this review. In no way did this influence my opinions and views, which are derived from my personal experience on the tour.

In conjunction with Celiac Awareness Month in May, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) has launched “Seriously, Celiac Disease,” a national campaign to encourage individuals with celiac disease to “Talk. Tell. Test.” with their biological relatives using personal, one-on-one conversations.

When I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1997, no one had heard of this genetic autoimmune disease. I was able to find a great uncle on my mom’s side and an uncle on my father’s side who were diagnosed with celiac, but that was it. My mom, sister, and father have all been tested and they are negative. They all have autoimmune issues. My mom has diverticulitis, my sister and father have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and my father  has diabetes. A whole slew of autoimmune issues plague other family members on both sides and none realize the important of testing.

“Celiac disease is genetically based, so it is more common in those with a family history of the condition, and having an autoimmune condition like celiac disease makes you more likely to develop other autoimmune diseases,” said Daniel A. Leffler, M.D., M.S., NFCA Scientific/Medical Advisory Council Member and Director of Research for The Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “Testing at-risk populations for celiac disease has been consistently shown to improve detection rates among family members and accurate diagnosis is vital to ensure that the disease is managed appropriately.”

Here are the steps and tools in the campaign: 

TALK to your family.

• It’s important to talk to both immediate and extended family members soon after a celiac disease diagnosis to help them understand why getting tested is important for their own health. These private conversations should be initiated in person using a serious yet personal tone.

TELL them the facts.

• Since many people with celiac disease don’t have any symptoms at all, it can be hard to clearly explain what undiagnosed celiac disease can do to the body. That’s why it’s important to relay the facts of celiac disease to relatives. Once one person is diagnosed, all biological relatives need to know that celiac disease is genetic. Those diagnosed play a key role in helping family members understand the importance of a formal diagnosis and its long-term management with a team of knowledgeable healthcare providers.

Urge them to TEST.

• A simple blood test is the first step in learning if a person has celiac disease. Depending on the results, a biopsy of the small intestine to check for damage may be ordered by the physician following the blood test.

Visit http://www.SeriouslyCeliac.org to access the following free resources to get the conversation started:

• PSA Video – A powerful video that teaches those diagnosed with celiac disease how to effectively talk to relatives about the importance of celiac disease testing using tactics grounded in the Health Belief Model, one of the most widely used conceptual frameworks in health behavior.
• Discussion Guides – Research-tested tactics that explain the specific “dos” and “don’ts” needed to drive this important conversation between family members, as well as with physicians.
• Personal stories –Personal stories from others diagnosed with the serious genetic autoimmune disease are available to learn about other family testing experiences.

This campaign could be the key to extending and increasing the quality of life for your family. I hope you will take the steps and use the tools to encourage your family to get tested. A simple blood test could change the direction of their lives. 

Seems like a strange title for a post, so let me explain. As a member of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society, I was invited to Lauren Patrick of Pretty Southern’s house for a dinner where all of the dishes were made with NaturAlmond almond butter and Georgia Grinders cashew and peanut butter.  Appetizer, salad, entree, dessert, and after dinner drinks featured nut butters used in ways that were mind boggling successful.

Our dinner was prepared by Jaime Foster who started her company in 2011 to sell her grandfather’s almond butter because it beats the pants off of what is commercially available. The company expanded by adding the Georgia Grinders peanut butter and cashew butter lines. Jaime uses non-GMO almonds from California and peanuts from south Georgia to craft her nut butters.

The menu for our dinner featured:

• Stuffed dates with goat cheese and almond butter wrapped in bacon
• Salmon topped with almond butter (and panko for the gluten eaters)
• Salad topped with cashew butter dressing
• Chocolate chip cheesecake with almond butter
• Peanut Butter cocktail surprise

Since I follow a strict gluten-free diet, my dinner was a little different from what others were eating, but it was just as delightful. Who would have thought coating salmon in almond butter created such a moist and tasty treat? The chocolate chip cheesecake was decadent and loaded with creamy goodness, but it was the peanut butter cocktail that blew my mind. The cocktail was supposed to be ice cream, but it didn’t harden, so Jaime added kahluha and vodka to create a refreshing and crave-worthy cocktail. The only ingredient that would improve upon this cocktail would be a scoop of ice cream.

Thank you Lauren and Jaime for a wonderful evening and for adding a new set of recipes to my collection. NaturAlmond almond butter and Georgia Grinders cashew and peanut butters can be purchased locally at all of The Fresh Market locations, online direct from the company, and at Atlanta-area farmers markets.

Disclosure: Admission to this dinner was provided as a result of a media invitation. I received no compensation for this review. In no way did this influence my opinions and views, which are derived from my experience at this dinner. 

A particularly gloomy Sunday afternoon was brightened by the made-from-scratch ‘Nueva Texicana’ cuisine from Tex’s Tacos food truck. As a member of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society, I was invited to a block party at Pretty Southern’s house where the Tex’s Tacos truck was parked and ready to serve up fine-dining quality food.

The most delicious aromas were wafting from their brightly colored food truck that serves: soft tacos (flour and corn tortillas), quesadaillas, chips, salsa, queso, guacamole, and their signature Texicana lime fries. After a thorough cross examination, I learned their fryer is dedicated making both the chips and fries safe. Given that they are operating in the confines of a food truck where space is limited, it isn’t surprising to learn that the corn and flour tortillas are heated on the same surface.

Since all of their cuisine, except the flour tacos, is gluten free there were so many options from which to choose. With chicken, pork, steak, and veggies taco offerings, it was hard to decide on just one item, but I was up to the challenge. I ordered the Texicana Fries topped with pork, grilled onions, guacamole, queso fresco, and pico de gallo. One of the things I love about ordering from a food truck is the customize-ability of their food. The fries were crispy and didn’t get soggy from the generous amounts of toppings. There was also a great fry-to-topping ratio ensuring every bite was a crispy, crunchy, creamy, and flavorful experience.

I decided to also order their carne asada taco with citrus splashed skirt steak, guacamole, and grilled onions (no cheese or cilantro for me). I asked for no tortilla because of the risk of cross contact and received a lovely taco in a boat with a fork and knife. Ordering tacos without a tortilla usually ensures the portion sizes are larger and  it is the best way to really taste each individual ingredient. The skirt steak was tender and paired well with the guacamole and grilled onions. I have only been to Austin twice now, but this taco transported me back to the land of tex-mex.

I had a wonderful time sampling the cuisine from Tex’s Tacos and learned they are available for catering gigs (big and small) with customizable menus to compliment the ‘theme’ of the event. Hire them for the next tailgating or other outdoor event and let them do all of the work!

Leaning there is a new local restaurant offering made-from-scratch gluten-free pizza is usually exciting news. A number of restaurants use frozen crusts as the base for gluten-free pizza, which makes finding a freshly made crust pretty rare. Some, not all restaurants offer gluten-free pizza for customers with food allergies/intolerances, so they understand the importance of preventing cross contact and just how easily it can be accomplished. Unfortunately, Fritti’s gluten-free pizza falls into the latter category rendering it unsafe for anyone avoiding gluten for medical reasons.

Some day in the not too distant future, the gluten-free diet trend will lose momentum forcing restaurants to prepare gluten-free items taking cross contact into consideration. Until then, we are stuck with restaurant’s adding gluten-free items to their menus for those who choose to reduce their gluten intake, which can leave them susceptible to cross contact.

The gluten-free crusts are made using Italmill Flour important from Italy in dedicated mixers in a separate preparation area. The pizzas are also made using separate ingredients and there is no up charge. Wheat-based pizzas are rolled out in rice flour, which cuts back on the amount of gluten in the air. All of this information sounds great until learning the gluten-free pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven and come into direct contact with the same cooking surface used for their wheat pizzas. Why doesn’t the company understand that cross contact is eminent due to the gluten already present on the shared cooking surface?

I understand cooking pizzas in a 1000 degree wood-burning oven is what makes their pizza unique, but it is also the one step that makes it unsafe for anyone who needs to follow a strict gluten-free diet, specifically anyone diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. In this case, at least the company’s procedures are transparent, so diners can make the choice to or not to partake.

It would be much easier if restaurants didn’t add ‘gluten free’ items to their menus without being able to keep them free of cross contact during preparation. After all, those of us with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity are the ones for which following a gluten-free diet is the only medicine. It is a lifestyle change not a choice, so enough with the ‘adding gluten-free items we can’t eat’ mentality. Why not make it safe for everyone?

When invited to attend an event that features gluten-free cake and gourmet cuisine from Christophe’s To Go, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ Members of the Atlanta Food Bloggers Society were invited to a night of gourmet food and beer parings put together by Social Joe and hosted by Piece of Cake. Guests were treated to a four-course tasting menu with baked goods from Piece of Cake for dessert.

People following a gluten-free diet might be apprehensive about attending an event like this one, but both Chef Christophe and Piece of Cake took excellent care to ensure my offerings were free of gluten and full of flavor. The menu was inspired by the beer parings, but since none of the beers were gluten free, I focused on the food.

The evening started with Twisted Cheese Dip made with saffron,chocolate, lime zest, chipotle and cilantro and was served with crudites. The melding of flavors and textures led me to lick the bowl clean and ask for more. It is a perfect dip to enjoy any night of the week, but would be especially fabulous when watching a game or hosting an event. Next up was  Clear Thai Chicken Soup topped with a Stuffed Chicken Wing. The soup was coconut water and chicken stock based with a kick from thai chillies and kefir lime leaves. The third course was slightly modified from other guests and featured tender and wonderfully seasoned Pork Cheek Meatballs with tender veggies.

Guests enjoyed a selection of baked goodies from Piece of Cake including their new line of ice cream. Everyone got to decorate and take home cupcakes, there was a cake decorating contest, and gluten-free cupcakes from Pure Knead for me. Piece of Cake carries gluten-free cupcakes, cookies, and cakes from Pure Knead in a dedicated freezer in each of their locations.

Christophe’s To Go offers a wide selection of  soups, salads, sides, and entrees for those living a paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and/or gluten-free lifestyle. These foods, which are sold as ‘to go’, are made fresh daily with nutrition, taste, and convenience forefront with options that range from comfort foods to osso bucco.

The event was a lovely pairing of food, fun, and friendship that I am glad to have attended.

As part of my membership with the Atlanta Food Blogger’s Society, I attended this event in exchange for media coverage and a review. Regardless, all opinions are my own.