Gluten Free Me

Welcome back to the blog! This week’s blog is a combination of gluten free diets at restaurants, as well as at home.

First up, we have a Mediterranean chicken pasta from The Landmark restaurant in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. The host who showed us to our seats was kind enough to walk me through the entire menu, pointing out each gluten free option. I’ve never seen restaurants do that, so I was pleasantly surprised. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a separate gluten free menu, but there were still a lot of gluten free options. If you like seafood, you would like the food offered here. When ordering pasta, it is always important to keep cross-contamination in mind. If you’ve ever made pasta at home, you would be familiar with the starch (and gluten) that accumulates at the bottom of the pot once you’ve drained the pasta water. Depending on how well the restaurants clean their pots, this may be a problem. I kept thinking about this during the meal, but it was so nice to dine out and enjoy a gluten free meal.

Next up is a homemade charcuterie board. You may be familiar with these if you’ve seen them on social media, but if not, they are fun spreads full of options for snacking. I found that it was a great way to eat my gluten free snacks without it seeming too random. Usually, these types of spreads have meat (charcuterie in french is a store that sells deli meats and other types of cold cuts). However, many processed meats do contain gluten, so I used fruit, hummus, a variety of chips, cheese, and nuts. It is interesting to make your own combinations from the foods you put on your board, whether you choose sweet, savory, or both. To make your own, use crackers, cheese, fruit and spreads as the basics and add snacks and foods to fill the board. Using small bowls or ramekins is a great way to boost its presentation.

Happy snacking!

-Nicole