Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Shoppers Haven is Gluten Free Paradise During Passover!

On Sunday I went to the St Patricks Day Parade in Pearl River NY with my wife, family and friends. It was a gorgeous spring day. After the parade we deciding to go to nearby Monsey to the Shoppers Haven Shopping Center. In there there is a place called Rockland Kosher Supermarket.
I have realized in years past how Passover is a great time to be a Celiac but this store was amazing. I spent over dollars one different gluten free Kosher for Passover products. I bought coating mixes, potatoe starch, small bags of chips and potato sticks, and other things I cannot remeber this morning.
So for the best product I have eaten is made by Noam Gourmat. They make the best gluten free Pizza Bagels. I even dare to say it is just as good as Joans Gluten Free Bagels. This product actually tastes like any normal pizza bagel you would find in a freezer section of a store. I wish they would make this product all year long. They dont have a website but you must have to look in stores for this "good eats".

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Spring Time is Happiness!

Even though it is still only the first week of March here in Long Island NY I am happy cause I know spring is just ahead. How do I know this? Why am I so happy? Its because of three major holidays. St Patrick's Day, Passover, and Easter are all holidays friendly to people with Celiac Disease.

Let me start first with St Patrick's Day. This is the day where every one is smiling, even people like me who do not even have any Irish descent. Corned Beef and cabage is a meal that is definately gluten free. I highly recommend usings Freirich. It is the tastiest cornbeef out in the supermarkets and clearly states Gluten free on the packaging.
Being a nonreligious Jewish person, Passover never really meant that much to me except getting together with family and friends for the main dinner. But since being diagnosed with Celiacs, I have a new found love for Passover since due to religous requirements of not being able to eat leavened bread, there are many kosser for passover products that do not contain gluten. There are cake mixes, desserts, frozen tv dinners, frozen products, packaged baked goods such as cakes, cookies, waffles, and breads.

Let me review one such kosher for passover product. After going grocery shopping at Stop & Shop after work I was to tired to cook dinner. So since my wife had eaten all ready I decided to make a tv dinner by a kosher company called Meal Mart. This Passover Edition Salisbury Steak in Gravey served with Mashed Potatoes and seasoned carrots. The price was a little steap at 6.99 but being Kosher that was to be expected and living gluten free what isn't costly. In my prior gluten eating life I used to love eating the Banquet and Swanson salisbury steak dinners. I know tv dinners arent healthy because of to much sodium but hey they are "good eats." So how did it taste. Well the gravey was excellant. The meat was a snip to tough but tasted great. The carrots where supposed to be seasoned but you could not really taste it but I still gobbled them down really quick. The mashed potatoes remained steaming hot even after I had eaton every thing else and they tasted like any other frozen meal. So in summary I would give this meal a "A" and except for the price level couldnt find anything wrong with this tasty meal.

Now we go to Easter. What is more gluten friendly then Hard boiled eggs. They are tasty and naturally gluten free. Candy is major component of Easter and what is more tasty then Marshmellow Peeps by the Just Born Company out of Bethelham PA. They even came out with new Chocolate flavered ones but I have yet to purchase one.