There's a new place at the City Creek mall, recently voted the best mall in America. (I also didn't realize it was possible to be voted the best mall after 1992, but I stand corrected).My coworker really wanted to go to Johnny Rockets, mostly because I think she wanted an Oreo shake (yeah, not gluten free). I decided to join her. The Johnny Rockets...

The Mandarin in Bountiful is some sort of Utah institution. C raved about it, and there are reviews all over the internet pointing folks in northern Utah to this place. Honestly, the Urbanspoon reviews are split down the middle. Some rave about how the Mandarin is central to the culture of Davis County, serving spectacular Chinese food to the cit...

Have you been to George's Architectural Salvage? You may hit all the thrift stores in town, or the "we paint vintage furniture teal" stores that resell cute chairs and lamps, but George's is one of a kind. And surprisingly, he's adding new layers to his haul all the time. We found that out on our most recent visit. There were a few things we'd seen...

We've got multiple local bakeries with gluten free baked goods in town. Just one of them is Blossom Fine Foods, which are packaged and carried at the Monday Market Sale of the Utah Food Co-op. I've tried the delicious fudge brownie. I also tried the berry streusel cheesecake, which isn't dairy free. Both have great taste and texture, and hit the sp...

I had some dinner with a friend at Dickey's Barbecue Pit, a Texas-style barbecue chain that's relatively new in town. I know there's more than one location, including one by the Costco at 2100 South. We went to the location in West Valley while I was over in that neck of the woods. I would imagine that the staff knowledge of gluten free would vary ...

If you want a cool view of the Salt Lake Valley, warm and textural Chinese food, and friendly service, you should try out the Asian Star Restaurant in Sandy. Tucked near a movie theater just south of the Fort Union neighborhood, it even has it's own parking area, which is appreciated when the movie and shopping parking gets full in the evening.The ...

I am pretty much over the plague, so I thought you might like another great restaurant review for some good gluten free eats in Salt Lake City. A full disclosure confession - I've had these photos for months. While I wouldn't expect that they've changed their mind on gluten free, I haven't confirmed it at Astro Burger since mid-2012. So, keep that ...

I have been sick since last year. I am on round two of antibiotics for a sinus infection and ear infections. I've missed days of work. I've miraculously taken flights I needed to without feeling too terrible, but I'm sure the dehydration of being in the air hardly helped my sickness. Being so down has given me a greater commitment to taking the bes...

If you've lived in Utah County for a length of time and have a friend, grandpa or neighbor who is gluten free, you've probably heard mention of the Australian-themed Wallaby's Smokehouse. Southern, slow-smoked BBQ restaurants can be a good bet for those needing to eat gluten free. We've eaten at several BBQ places either here in the Salt Lake Valle...

One of the best recipes that came out of our holiday adventures showed up for Thanksgiving. These candied walnuts were amazing. Frankly, they are putting our second year of marriage on good footing.We both just survived, by a hair, the plague. Our flight to Reno was on a hot and tightly packed airplane, and the air blowing in my face left me with a...

What a wonderful year! We just got back from an excellent trip to Reno, Nevada to see some family. I wanted to give a shout out to some of your favorite recipes on the site this year! It's our first full year as married people, and it just gets better and better.Two of the things that have gotten a lot of traffic this year include the discussion of...

Thanksgiving this year was just delightful. It was our fifth gluten free Thanksgiving, and so many things have changed in our lives since that first one! We invited some family and a variety of gluten free friends over the join us, and we ended up with five of us enjoying a huge spread of gluten free prettiness. The night before Thanksgiving, I got...

If you're still on the lookout for great gluten free Thanksgiving recipes, here's a list of the ones I've served.[Thanksgiving 2011] [Thanksgiving 2010] [Thanksgiving 2009][Thanksgiving 2008]I'm thankful for food that doesn't hurt my body anymore, for a body that is healing, for family and friends who are kind and understanding and ever-availabl...

It's me. I had probably tricked you into thinking I had moved to a tropical island and wouldn't return to discuss good gluten free eats in Salt Lake. Thankfully, I'm still here.I discovered through a series of events that I was struggling with a vitamin deficiency, which made extracurricular activities like...typing...seem like they were difficult ...

Eggplant. Whether it's gazpacho or fries, eggplant is fall food that I look forward to seeing on the market shelves. This year's eggplant recipe is one that most people have heard the word but aren't sure what the word means: babaganoush. It's actually a creamy eggplant dip with a bright burst of lemon and fresh cilantro, along with some moody garl...

It almost seems like gluten free pizza options are easy to find these days. It's great to see how fast the gluten free landscape is changing. As long as we can feel confident that the restaurants providing gluten free food will take the proper steps to avoid cross contamination!I was in Orem with my coworkers recently and we chose to go to lunch at...

Last week at Harmons I found something totally irresistible.In the section where nuts and dried fruits are all packed in the same clear plastic and labeled with Harmons labels, there was a little tub of Fresh Veggie Chips. The evidence is long since gone, but the tub was filled with fresh chips made of orange and purple sweet potatoes, carrots, gre...

This is less about food, and more about my new toy. I ordered a new camera, and it arrived yesterday.My last camera was the unfortunate victim to river water, as I tipped myself right into the rushing water with the camera in my pocket. If I had immediately snuggled it in dry white rice, it might have survived, but I didn't put it in rice for sever...

We used to be pros at finding the dumpy little places to find the cheapest, greasiest, and most filling food ever. I use the word dumpy in an endearing fashion. It may not be the type of eats for everyone, but if you appreciate a menu with moveable billboard letters, hand done graphic design on the menus printed at Kinkos, and some quirkiness, you ...

Yesterday I picked up a box of Tagge's Famous Fruit peaches, which are grown not far from here. The sky has finally cleared of the forest fire smoke along the Wasatch Front, and the last bits of light through my living room window were a clear white, instead of a smoke-enhanced fiery orange. I scrubbed a few peaches, wanting to taste the juice and ...

This is not my first onion ring rodeo. However, the husband starts looking at stainless steel stove hoods and kitchen remodeling equipment on the internet whenever I make onion rings the other way, with a batter instead of a breading. And I am sure to remove the 9 volt battery from the kitchen fire alarm.Approaching onion rings without the fry oil ...

This is evening's goal was to have fun.It was C's idea. She told me she wanted to go on the Alpine Slide at the Park City Mountain Resort. After getting off work, we headed to Park City. We were hoping to get out of the wildfire smoke in the Salt Lake Valley, but we discovered there was just as much smoke hanging over Park City. We were so excited ...

This was one of those recipes that turned out like the three-ingredient peanut butter cookies. It was a little too easy, and so when I was told about it, I didn't believe it for a minute.Turns out, my friend A was right. It does work, and it was incredibly easy.When she explained it, she said it came from a recipe on the Trader Joe's website. When ...

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSEverything you wanted to know about me, and the why, how and what I blog. Where do you actually shop?Even though there are lots of stores out there with gluten free foods, most foods we eat can be bought at a regular grocery store (like Smiths or Fresh Market). I would say I buy 40% of our food at the Utah Food Co-Ops Mon...

Potlucks. How do you handle a potluck when you're the only gluten free person in the group?Well, that was my story, this last Monday. A group of co-workers that works closely with my team proposed a potluck, and I signed up for a dessert. My plan was to bring my own single serving main dish, and have a piece of my dessert before it was set out on t...

People. You need to try the Spin Cafe in Heber.It's worth the road trip, and the Heber Valley is just breathtakingly beautiful. (Probably also why I heard recently that it was one of the fastest growing towns in the country of its size.)We went there for our sixth month wedding anniversary. We also went this last week with C, as part of an excellen...

Did you all have a nice Fourth of July? It's one of our annual make-sure-we-doing-something-really-fun holidays, rather than a work-in-the-yard or watch TV holidays. In the past, we've splashed on the shores of Bear Lake or splashed down the slides at Crystal Hot Springs near Brigham City. A paradise kind of day.I'd gotten it into my head that ther...

Have you been to City Creek in downtown Salt Lake City yet? Thankfully, there are a few places with gluten free options there. Today, I discovered another one, and frankly, it's a bit better than the Chick-fil-a (which works ok if you go when they aren't too busy), and taking some chances at the Taste of Red Iguana. (Some, including me, get glutene...

I decided this year at camp (which we just returned from) that I wasn't going to whine about getting older. I wasn't going to skip the ice skating rink because my legs were tired from hiking, skip laughing with the teenagers because my head hurt from too much sun, or skip playing keep-away with a plastic ball in the swimming pool because I had alre...

This is definitely man-food worthy.The husband is a big fan of it so far. Meaty, flavorful, includes bright colors, the crust has just a bit of crunch on it (and admittedly we leave it in the oven long enough to get that crunch), and the tiny bite of lime and garlic in the corn crust.We think you'll like this. Especially if you have a good, well-se...

Let's talk regular stuff. Then I can get around to getting some recipes up for you all, rather than mumbling to myself and wishing the photos weren't on my camera. I hope you enjoy this - I did! 1. Favorite non-dairy milk?So Delicious Original coconut milk in the red carton. Yum! It's great on Rice Chex, and in a variety of recipes.2. What are the ...

I have a really awesome local restaurant review to share with you. Sadly, I've been wrassling with my phone for at least a week to try and get the pictures so I could share them with you! Hold tight though - I will get the pictures and show you this dining experience in all its glory!Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I whipped together some coconut mil...

A simple cake with little to no frosting, and not very sweet, is the husband's favorite kind. For me, I prefer it to include a fruit or vegetable. The toasted walnut cake from this time last year nails this perfectly.But, time for a new variation.We had this delicious carrot cake as part of our Easter Sunday celebration. It was just the two of us, ...

As a preface, I'm taking a mixed media and painting art class right now. It's online, and so I watch technique videos and participate with the class in doing my weekly assignments. The anticipation I kept in my little body before the art class started had me filled almost to bursting. ART? In A CLASS? Please, me, oh please oh please!!! So, it's als...

A few nights ago, my friend A called me up to go out to dinner. Her husband was out of town on business, and she wanted a dinner companion. I'm always happy to agree to something like that! She had been wanting Thai food, which one of the easiest to get gluten free on a regular basis, and without much prep work.I suggested we try a Thai place I'd n...

Are you ready for Waffle Saturday? We are!The husband granted one of my wishes this last Christmas with a Chef's Choice Waffle Pro 830B waffle iron. I used to have a nice waffle iron, but in going gluten free, I decided to give it away to someone else. So, when I opened the box, I was super excited! He went with that model because you can choose th...

I am buried under a pile of work today, but doesn't this make you want to have Waffle Saturday?I'll give you the details on Waffle Saturday this week. Stay tuned!

What better way to tell you about my (many) visits to the Red Iguana by telling you that I've updated and revamped the Salt Lake City gluten free restaurants page? A list of alphabetical restaurants becomes less than helpful when the list is so long. So, you'll now find your favorite Salt Lake (and Wasatch Front) restaurants listed by food type, an...

Have you been to the new Harmons on State Street and 100 South in Salt Lake City?My friend D told me I needed to go, that I would love it, and well, he was right. (I've gushed about the Brickyard Harmons before, which was my first gluten free shopping experience.)I didn't capture major pictures for you, mostly because I was completely blown away.Th...

Back in the day, I posted some really simple chicken noodle soup. We had been sick, and I had some flat Asian rice noodles in the pantry. But I've learned so much since then.When we were sick recently (um, welcome to winter. When weren't we sick recently?), this pumped up version of chicken noodle soup features homemade veggie broth, which is now a...

Something strange happened here in the last week.We both got smartphones, and I suddenly wasn't spending absurd amounts of time on my computer anymore! (Just at work, where I sit in front of the glowing square all day).Such things can have a drastic impact on blogging, and on life in general. The first day I had my head buried in the tiny device, d...

I know that restaurant reviews are helpful when you are traveling, especially when you feel comfortable with the reviewer's sensitivity level to gluten, or the reviewer provides information that could affect cross-contamination. We went on a honeymoon trip to Los Angeles (yeah, I know it's been two months), but I wanted to pass on where we loved ea...

Toasted Coconut Congo Bars. Chocolate chip walnut blondies. These cookie bars go by several different names, and they managed to save our week, in the sense that there was a pan of them available on two different occasions for this hungry household.I left in quite a hurry for a weekend road trip to see one of my favorite nephews (and his sister and...

We spent part of this evening curled up on the couch watching The Gleaners and I, a recommend from one of the husband's coworkers. It's a French film, with subtitles, so we had to pay attention and not fall asleep. At first, the husband stated I would read all the subtitles out loud. Thankfully he gave up listening to me and turned around to watch ...

There's now an uproar if there's not a side of vegetables on the plate at dinner. (Who would have guessed this? Not me.) However, I'm very supportive of our move toward more vegetables. It's good for both of us, especially since our food can seem limited if we don't mix it up all the time.That leaves us with all sorts of opportunities to try new ve...

Ever want something sweet just from ingredients in your pantry? Um, all the time.I actually have a pretty extensive pantry, well-stocked for most occasions. However, this week, the cupboards were a little bare since I hadn't renewed our Costco card yet.I dug through the shelves to find something that I could put together, and I also came across thi...

I just stumbled on an interesting read, called 100 Days of Real Food. She chose to commit to cooking real, unprocessed, unsweetened, home-cooked food for her and her family for one hundred days. Eating gluten and dairy free, we come close to that. But, there's a dark little corner of the world that still has my heart, and it's the sugar. I eat a fa...

 These are just a few, (and a random History of Modern Art there at the bottom) I have a whole shelf full of cookbooks, both gluten free and regular. I like to browse them, mark them, and toy with the recipes. I like to modify endless numbers of regular recipes to be gluten free.But when it comes to my number one, grab and go gluten free cook...

Cookies!These are the perfect January cookies, when everyone's a bit under the weather. They include all the things you would grab, or ask your kind friend to get for you, and they're all combined into one soft and chewy cookie. Honey, ginger, and bright and bitter candied lemons. If you haven't made candied lemons before, you can follow my lead an...

On our trip, we went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. Mostly, I was too busy drooling over things to take a lot of photos, but I wanted to capture the brilliant colors in the early sunshine. Isn't California the place where the streets are paved with gold and fresh produce? Brussel sprouts on the stock. We ended up buying a few things ...