[Giveaway] Enter To Win A Fabulous Gluten Free Foods Bundle

a selection of products included in the giveaway

A couple of days ago I told you about my latest gluten free, low fat rave. Bean Pasta. Now, other than just telling you about it, we are giving you a chance to win a box of gluten free goodies for yourself.  The online gluten free food speicalists  Gluten Free Food Market contacted me, after seeing the blog post and said, 'do you want to send a whole box of goodies to one of your readers?'.  Um, YES! said I.

They are generously giving away, one of each of the following;

• Explore Asian bean pasta
• Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour
• La Veneziane Tagliatelle
• Bob's Four Grain Porridge
• Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats
• Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran

Enter below.  UK Mainland Only.

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Gluten Free Pizza Bases & Flatbreads - Allergy Friendly

Chewy bread with oh so satisfying pullapartedness and a oily, crunchy outer layer…I've salivated over the memory of it, enjoyed on a Friday night after work, alongside a pizza, way, way back in my butter and wheat eating days.  When the after effects of 'pizza night' made it loose it's appeal, I surrendered myself to the reality that I'd just have to go without.  Of course, I could have made it myself but, to be honest, back then, I didn't believe it would come up to scratch so I didn't bother.  Also, back then, I didn't cook.  I was a microwave queen.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a Free From food show, and spotted one of the stands handing out small round pizzas to a very excited crowd. The fragrance of caramelised garlic and dough was blowing my mind.  I grabbed a slice. I encountered that familiar tug of war between teeth and bread.  It was chewy, with a gorgeously flaky crust, infused with garlic and sweet tomato sauce.  I was in HEAVEN!  

Just who were making this product…and how?! Please take a bow - Venice Bakery UK

The folks from this bakery have recently partnered with the, family owned, original bakery, founded in California back in the 50's. They made the outstanding decision to share their Coeliac (celiac) UK approved flatbreads and pizzas over here in Blighty.  And I am mighty pleased about that.

Gluten free

Wheat free

Soy free

Dairy free

Egg free

Corn free

VEGETARIAN & VEGAN friendly

Their products are also trans fats free, non-GMO, and are free from culinary gums and E numbers.  Are you falling in love yet?  I am!

They have a long shelf life. If you travel a whole bunch and, like me, pack a little pantry of food in your suitcase to tide you over until you track down the whole foods store, then these are perfect, too.  They are vacuum packed and last for 2 months.  And longer, if chilled or frozen.  

I smothered my pizza base in tomato concentrate, a grinding of black pepper and a few basil leaves. Nothing else.  The base is so nicely seasoned and flavoured, it is gorgeous as is, or with minimal adornment.  The flatbread I just drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, scrubbed over with a garlic clove, and topped with fresh rosemary.

Ingredients: Rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flakes, potato start, water, evaporated cane sugar, olive oil, fresh yeast & salt.

My only gripe is that the products contain sugar (for those of you who have not yet quit sugar then no need to worry) but according to Rachel of Freshly Baked sugar is not necessary to make bread, it just makes it prove more quickly but she thinks the flavour develops the longer the yeast gets to hang out.  I rarely eat sugar. It can knock me off balance. The way I see it is this, on occasion (keep it special) it is ok.  The fact that I have found a pizza base that is gluten free, trans fat free and vegan, is a bloody dream come true!  Also,  now I know it can be done.  I will try and replicate it when I get time.  But right now I don't have to as someone has done it for me.  This isn't your typical, 'make allowances because it's gluten free' product.  It is top notch.

It is sold to the UK online from Venice Bakery   3 x 5inch bases are £3.39.  They have an offer for a sampler pack for £10, saving of just under £5.  If you are in the US then you can order it from their Venice Bakery USA store online.

Have you come across any vegan and gluten free products lately, you want to tell us about?  Please let us know and click on the post a comment tab below.

Vitao - London VEGAN restaurant review

I was hopping into London for a Bloggers Meetup so, of course, preplanning where I was to eat(food research...a glorious chore).  The meetup was in Soho so I Googled the area and abracadabra...Vitao flashed its vegan credentials at me.  I had been before but it has altered its style of service to a buffet (to budge over and create some room for it's sister VANTRA - which is more restaurant style).

How it works is this - you get a choice of 3 plates that you have to juggle for 5mins whilst rapping about vegan food, in order to get served..no, I lied. That would be silly.  3 plates of differing sizes; baby plate = £5.50, mommy plate = £6.50, Big daddy plate = £8.90 for as much as you can eat.  The Big Daddy would be like a red rag to a bull and I would have gone mental eating it all so I opted for the middle one (ooh, it's like Goldilocks..except I'm brunette and it ain't porridge). 

If you are vegan/vegetarian, macrobiotic, gluten-free, celiac or coeliac (seems there are two ways to spell it in US or UK), sugar-free, low-fat or just plan HUNGRY, Vitao promise to be your go-to restaurant in the heart of Soho.  So I grabbed a plate and set about discovering if it is true.  If you have a food intolerance then please do check with them.  The noodles, seitan & soy sauce are not gluten-free.

I pretty much filled up my plate.  Unfortunately the waiter could tell me the names for any of the dishes, and I cannot remember all of the 10 or so I filled my plate with, but there were lots of colourful raw salads with tasty dressings, steamed broccoli, curries, stews, veggie rices and potato & cauliflower bakes.  ALL of them were bursting with flavour and each dish highly individual. Only one dish didn't really float my ship and that was the Chinese mushroom stew, purely because the texture of the mushrooms was a bit weird/slimy....IMHO. The tofu and spinach stew and the carrot salads were my current favourites.

Dessert was not on the cards for me this time, as I have been baking at home so much I thought I'd better reign it in for a while.  They had a range of vegan desserts and cakes on the counter that looked very comely!  I devoured a raw apple pie here last year and it was sensational (though not as good as my homemade raw apple pie - I know, not very British of me to boast but someone has got to blow my trumpet in the vast orchestra of online vegan foodies).





They also serve a huge range of vegan milked based drinks, juices & smoothies, herbal teas and just plain, honest to goodness, water.  I noticed, they used to use all organic eco-friendly toiletries in the loos and I was a little disappointed that this was not the case on this visit.

I think Vitao would be equally great for a bunch of friends or just comfy by yourself watching the world go by.