Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Legal Seafoods

Ok so this restaurant isn't in the Hamptons but it was so good I had to post about it!! I'm on vacation in Florida and met up with one of my dearest friends (she is also gluten free) for dinner. I had heard that Legal Seafoods had an amazing gluten free menu but I had yet to try it myself. First of all they gave us warm gluten free bread!!!! I'm sure you all understand what a big deal this is. Then they handed us a gluten free menu that was two full pages, the waitress probably though I was crazy because I just keep saying "This is all gluten free?".  I decided on the fried clam bellies and french fries!!! Again I'm sure you all understand what a big deal it is to be able to order fried food in a restaurant. My friend Stephanie ordered a Caesar salad with grille shrimp complete with gluten free croutons!!!! We were in awe, never have I had so many gluten free choices in one place. They also had a gluten free chocolate pudding for dessert, but we were so stuffed we didn't try it. Something to look forward to for next time!

Unfortunately there is not a Legal Seafoods on eastern Long Island but there are two that I know of further west. One at Walt Whitman Mall and the other at Roosevelt Field Mall. So if you are doing some "up island" shopping I highly recommend working this place into your plan!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Casual Dinner in Montauk

With the end of the school year approaching, and the weather finally feeling like Summer, I was anxious to have a fun summery dinner.  My family has always loved to go out to Montauk and have dinner at Gosman's, however with my gluten free diet fried clams aren't really an option anymore.  So last night my boyfriend and I went to Gosman's Topside Inlet Cafe upstairs, instead of the clam bar downstair where we used to go.  Not only was the view incredible and the food delicious, but the service was great!!
 We sat at the bar, and the bartender was very knowledgeable about the menu and more than willing to check with the chef about anything I was considering ordering.  I always hate when I say "I'm allergic to gluten" and the server looks at me like I'm speaking a different language, so it was very comforting when he understood what I was talking about right away.  He even checked to see if I would be able to eat what Sean ordered in case I wanted to try his.  However, Sean was very excited to have a night where he didn't have to eat gluten free and sadly I couldn't eat what he ordered. It really didn't matter thought because my meal was more than enough.  I decided on the Seafood Cobb Salad and it was delicious!!! It came with a vinaigrette dressing on the side which he thought should be fine, but he also brought me oil and vinegar as I had requested just to be on the safe side.  The seafood (Shrimp and lump crab meat) tasted really fresh, and the avocado and bacon really topped it off nicely!

After dinner we tried the new frozen yogurt place called Buddha Berry.  Being that they seemed really health conscious I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the gluten free flavors labled.  However, when I asked they were very friendly and offered to check the ingredients list of all the flavors.  They had several flavors (sorry I forgot to count) and only two had wheat ingredients in them. They also had a ton of really great toppings. Including but not limited to: puffed quinoa, flax seed, fresh fruit, nuts, and various candies.  I decided on the Greek Berry yogurt topped with almonds, chocolate chips, and fresh strawberries.  

All in all we had a great night with great food!! And both places we went to really made me feel comfortable about eating their food with out having to worry about being "glutened".  

Thursday, June 6, 2013

I want s'more...




One of my all time favorite summer sweet treats are s'mores.  However being gluten free makes that slightly more difficult. Sometimes when I go to a BBQ that I think will have s'mores I bring my own little s'more kit.  I take a ziploc bag and put a few gluten free graham crackers ( I like the kinnikinnick brand because they are also dairy free and nut free), marshmallows (most marshmallows seem to be fine but I always buy the kraft jet puffed ones because I know they're ok and I don't like to risk it.), and then a hershey bar (most chocolate bars seem to be ok as well but I still just don't like to take a chance.).  Having this with me means I don't have to miss out on the fun activity of sitting around a fire and making s'mores, but I also know I'm not going to feel sick after.

Another way you can enjoy the flavors of this delightful dessert is with my s'mores brownies. You do however need to really plan ahead with this recipe, because they have to sit for several hours before you can they're really ready.  I usually make them the night before I want to be able to eat them.  The brownie recipe itself is gluten free, dairy free, and nut free and is a good brownie on its own if I do say so myself.  Its important also that you always check the labels of the ingredients you buy to make sure you are buying a product that is in fact gluten free. 

S'mores Brownies Recipe

Brownie Ingredients:

1/2 cup of garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup of rice flour
2 tablespoons of arrowroot or cornstarch
1/4 cup of potato starch
3/4 of sugar
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of backing powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of xantham gum
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1/2 cup hot rice milk
1/2 cup of canola oil 

S'mores Ingredients:

gluten free graham crackers
mini marshmallows ( Again I always buy Kraft)
6 full size chocolate bars. 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325.

So I hate when recipes tell you to mix somethings in one bowl and other things in another bowl and then combine it. For me that's too complicated and then too many dishes to do after.  Basically what you need to do is take all of those  brownie ingredients and mix them together in a bowl.  I would say just follow the order I wrote them in, leaving the the wet ingredients for the end.  


This is a whole bag of mini marshmallows. 
Once the batter is mixed together grease a rectangular baking dish and spread the batter evenly through across the dish.  You want it to be kind of on the thin side because you still need to add our s'mores ingredients, later on.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until there is a nice firm top and then remove from oven.  Pour mini marshmallows over brownies, its up to how marshmallowy you want it.  You can use the whole bag or you can use half the bag its really a personal choice.  




Then place the chocolate bars evenly spaced on top of the mashmallows. I usually do 4 across vertically and then two underneath them horizontally.  Place brownies back in the oven for five minutes.  At this point the chocolate should be melted but not dripping all over the place.  Remove from oven. Now cover the entire top with the graham crackers.  Cover with tinfoil and let sit until chocolate has hardened (remember I said this will take several hours).  You can refrigerate  them if you're in a hurry, but they don't come out quite as good.  

Once they are ready to eat cut along the lines of the graham crackers and enjoy!!!

Hope you all like the first recipe and happy summer!!!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Welcome!

I'm very excited to be writing my first post on "Gluten Free in the Hamptons" I've thought about doing this blog for a long time.  I've been completely gluten free for a year now, and I know that at first it was a somewhat terrifying experience.  It was so hard to navigate a restaurant menu or figure out what products to buy in the grocery store.  This is where my librarian research skills kicked in (that's right I'm a middle school librarian by day, gluten free guru by night).  Now I don't claim to know everything there is to know about being gluten free, but I have learned a lot the last year and I'm excited to share it with all of you! I also know that if there had been a local source I could refer to I would have felt a little less lost.  So if you're looking for a good GF recipe or just trying to figure out the best place to go out to dinner then I'm your girl.  Obviously I'm not gonna post everything all at once, you gotta keep them wanting more right? But I do plan on posting several recipes or tips a week, so please check back often.     Tonight I'm making GF S'mores Brownies, and yes they are as good as they sound! Stay tuned for pics and recipe.