Product Review: Barilla Gluten-Free Pasta

Many thanks to the wonderful folks at Barilla for sending me some gluten-free pasta to try in honour of Celiac Awareness month. How kind is that?!

If you are like me and prefer your pasta on the al dente side, you will be a fan of Barilla's gluten-free line. For those who enjoy their pasta with less bite, there are 2 sets of directions on the box - one for al dente and one for a more done texture. The difference in cooking time is literally one minute, but that can make a world of a difference in the kitchen and I appreciate the instruction!

Barilla Gluten-Free Pasta

So What's It Like?

I really wanted to get a feeling for what Barilla gluten-free pasta truly is, so I was hesitant to add a lot of extra ingredients or make anything with intense flavours. I made a dish with a light, vegetable-based sauce and some fresh crisp peas. Sometimes simple can be better. And in this case, it really is!

The texture is off the charts incredible. It's very close to "normal" gluten filled pasta in structure and mouth feel. I love the little snapping bite you get from following the directions for an al dente dish. As far as taste goes, I thought it was good as well. There is no overpowering hint of anything flavour wise, which some gluten-free pasta brands are notorious for. Barilla uses simple ingredients - a combination of corn and rice flour.

This pasta even holds up after *gasp* reheating leftovers in the microwave a day later! No falling apart or mushiness. Leftover pasta is always a great thing so this is HUGE!

Have you cooked anything up with Barilla gluten-free pasta lately? Share your favourite dish with me!

Gluten Free Garage 2017

Less than 2 weeks to go until this year's Gluten Free Garage

I went last year for the first time and quickly became a fan. The pop-up gluten-free event feels like a farmers market, hidden away in the city. 

What you can expect from this year's event

• Discover local bakeries, restaurants, and retailers that cater to their gluten-free needs
• Sample and purchase gluten-free food, beverages and related lifestyle products from a wide variety of vendors
• Enjoy delicious gluten-free food prepared onsite by local chefs and caterers
• Get information about celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and the gluten-free diet
• Learn more about the gluten-free lifestyle from guest speakers
• Grab a free tote bag for all their gluten-free goodies
• Take home coupons for future purchases as well as samples of gluten-free products

Learn more about the history of Gluten Free Garage by reading my interview with founder, Ronnilyn Pustil.

Hope to see you at this year's event!

Review: Pikanik

I was provided with free product for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own.

Meet Pikanik

If you haven't discovered Pikanik, let me introduce you. Pikanik is a gluten-free and allergen safe bakery located in South Surrey British Columbia. EVERYTHING is free of gluten, wheat, peanut, tree nut, dairy, soy. Some products are even egg free.


They sell everything from bread, muffins, and cupcakes to pasta, baking mixes, and Vegan caesar salad dressing. For a flat $10.00 rate (on orders $30.00+) Pikanik delivers's from West Vancouver to Abbotsford and some surrounding areas.

Single and Lava'n It Chocolate Lava Cake Desset Mix

Price: $8.95

Makes 6 single servings

Chocolate lava cake is new to me. Well, making it is anyways. Being the avid Food Network viewer that I am, more than a few of these have come across my screen. Watching chefs talk about how fussy and intricate these heavenly cakes are to make was enough for me to leave it to the pros.

So imagine my surprise when a mix for chocolate lava cake shows up at my home. I'll admit that I was a wee bit scared at first. I'd be crazy not to be right? Once I read over the extra ingredients and effort required, I was confidently pleased. All you will need on hand is a little bit of oil, coffee (optional), water and sugar.

The recipe is set up so that you can make individual lava cakes or a big one. I opted to get some use out of my ramekins and make individual ones. Cooking time and temperatures vary from oven to oven so please keep this in mind as you may need to make some adjustments. I had to crank the temperature slightly and leave the lava cake in a little longer. Once you figure out your oven, it's easy peasy. And don't worry, a delicate hand is not required for success.

Taste Test

If you are a chocolate fan, this mix is for you! Lava cake #2 (#1 was taken out too early...whoopsie!) was a wonderland of ooey gooey delicious! As you can see from the above photo, some of it stuck to the ramekin, but hey, it looks super rustic and cute! You can taste a nice sweetness, but you're not left with that overindulgent feeling. Though the cake was slightly dense it was lovely and paired spectacularly with whipped cream and powdered sugar. Next time around, I'm going all out and making an ice cream sundae lava cake! The fun combinations are endless. Especially considering the minimal effort needed to make the lava cakes.

Flippin' Fantastic Flapjacks Pancake Mix

Price: $10.95

Makes 60 pancakes

Silver Dollars, Flapjacks and Hotcakes are just some of the that names pancakes go by. For most people, mornings would not be complete without them. I love to make big batches and freeze them for quick (and sometimes late night) snacks.

Like the lava cake mix, this one doesn't require a whole lot of extra ingredients. All you need on hand is oil, eggs, yoghurt, and milk. I replaced the yoghurt with apple sauce and used Almond Milk for our pancakes.

Taste Test

The pancakes turned out pretty great. They flip flawlessly with a spatula which is really important to avoid a muddled mess in the pan. The addition of applesauce added a gorgeous scent and flavour. The pancakes turned out fluffy but slightly thinner than I'm used to. This could be due to my applesauce swap. I really loved that they were not overly sweet and were quite delicious with maple syrup and just a bit of butter. I'm thinking these pancakes would be great for school/work lunches - just spread your favourite jam or nut butter on a pancake and roll it up. Or go wild with a filling of sliced banana and Nutella.

Some Final Notes

• The packaging of both mixes is resealable. How brilliant and ah-mazing is that?! 

• Pikanik has a customer appreciation program that earns you a credit with every purchase!

• Their product selection can be viewed and ordered online here

You can follow and interact with Pikanik on Facebook and Instagram: @pikanikcreations

Review: Boatwright's Dining Hall

Located in the picturesque Port Orleans Riverside resort, Boatwright's Dining Hall is a southern gem waiting to be discovered. The resort theming brilliantly mimics the bayou. It's a peaceful escape from the intense action of park touring. With top notch landscaping that is both relaxing and mesmerizing, it's easy to sit back and enjoy the lush surroundings. 

In all fairness, having vacationed here twice, I have a deep fondness for Port Orleans Riverside. No matter how long we stay, it never seems to be a long enough visit in this treasure of a resort.

Aligator Bayou Rooms

Although Boatwright's is only open for dinner, it never seems to be overflowing with patrons. That's not a bad thing and part of what makes the experience so charming. Sure, peak times are loud and bustling, but it in no way feels crowded or rushed.

Boatwright's Dining Hall

After being seated our waitress promptly greeted us. She was kind, patient and funny - a real delight! Boatwright's now has allergy menus, which simplifies things nicely! Though we were given the option to have the Chef come out before we ordered. As I'm Celiac and my little guy was recently diagnosed with Lactose Intolerance, I opted for a visit from the Chef. This enabled us to ensure both dietary restrictions were understood and would be accommodated.

Boatwright's Dining Room

The gluten-free rolls used by Boatwright's (and many other Disney restaurants) are made by Deanna's Gluten-Free. As they are both dairy and gluten-free, my son and I were brought a basket-full to share. Together we agreed that they are pretty remarkable and outrageously good. They were soft, not crumbly and heated to perfection. I just wish they were available in Canada.

Deanna's Gluten-Free Rolls

I decided to go with the Voodoo Chicken and Waffles for dinner. Having read positive reviews on this dish beforehand, I was mighty excited! Guess what? It lived up to my expectations and then some! The chicken was mouthwateringly good - crispy, juicy and seasoned well. The waffles were great as always. I'm a big fan of Disney waffles and you can get enjoy them at most Disney-owned properties, which is great. 

What the below photo doesn't convey is just how big the portion size is. Though you can probably only see one, there are two big pieces of chicken on that plate. I actually ended up sharing some with my family! They loved it just as much as I did.

 Voodoo Chicken and Waffles

Dinner was followed by a round of dessert. The butterscotch creme brulee I was presented with was marvelous! How a dessert can be both light and decadent, I've no idea but Boatwright's pulls it off nicely. Needless to say, I wasted no time polishing off this beauty of a treat.

Butterscotch Creme Brulee

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with our dining experience. Everyone we encountered was happy and helpful. The ambiance of Boatwright's is just so darn warm and inviting. And of course, the food, which everyone at our table collectively agreed was terrific.


Have you dined at Boatwright's Dining Hall? Tell me about your experience below!

5 Must Try Gluten-Free Eats In The GTA

Anyone living with Celiac knows all too well the importance of finding gluten-free eats that are prepared safely. This means actively avoiding places which give the whole "dietary restrictions are a swear word" vibe. If you're a planner like me, you have a repertoire of go-to places which happily provide safe and yummy food.

Below you will find a few of my favorite digs in the GTA (aka greater Toronto area). *As always, please go over your dietary needs with the restaurant staff to ensure your safety, every visit. If you feel that your needs are not being met, please make a decision to keep yourself safe.

Schooner Fish and Chips

Schooner's is a small but mighty shop located in Oshawa, Ontario. It's a little slice of deep fried heaven and everything a family run establishment should be. Simply saying that they understand Celiac doesn't give them enough credit. They have separate fryers and a designated kitchen area for gluten-free items. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and understanding of Celiac disease.

Not a fan of food that swims? No problem! Schooner's is much more than a fish and chip shop. The gluten-free menu will satisfy your deep fried indulgence needs.

• Onion Rings
• Coleslaw
• Chicken Fingers
• Cheese Balls
• Poutine
• Mini Donuts

Schooner's gluten-free onion rings

Hero Burger

Everyone needs a go-to burger place and for me, Hero Burger is just that. The gluten-free burger combinations are endless and clearly displayed. Stating your dietary restrictions upon ordering, ensures staff will follow allergy protocol, which includes fresh gloves and a separate toasting area for gluten-free buns. Cool fact -those gluten-free buns are care of Toronto's very own O'Doughs. Rounding things off nicely, Hero Burger uses Halal beef and many non-GMO ingredients. They also offer a gluten-free vegetarian burger.

Gluten-free Hero Burger

The Dirty Bird

I really had no idea how incredibly delicious chicken and waffles could be until I visited Dirty Bird. It's off the charts amazing and maybe a little addicting. Think melt in your mouth juicy mingled with crispy perfection.

Their chicken is ALWAYS gluten-free and they have an upgrade for gluten-free waffles. Dirty Bird has a dedicated gluten-free waffle iron that ONLY cooks gluten-free waffles, so it never touches any regular waffles. If you are looking for sides, the coleslaw, ‘tato salad and fries are also all Gluten-free. It's worth noting that the fryer is completely gluten-free. That being said, The “Dirty Fries” do contain french fried onions which are NOT GF, so if you wanted to order that as an option please let the staff know to exclude the french fried onions to keep them safe for you.

Dirty Bird Gluten-Free Chicken & Waffles

Lone Star

Lone Star has long been one of my go-to spots. The staff is well versed in special dietary needs and always eager to please. The fajita meal with gluten-free corn torts and lettuce wraps is fantastic. It really hits the spot. My most recent visit (February 2017) provided an impressive surprise - a gluten-free menu. Another positive change is that a chef manager now brings out gluten-free meals separately. The staff has always been pleasant and knowledgeable in my experience.

Gluten-free fajita meal

The Keg

I can't get enough of the iceberg wedge salad with oven roasted chicken breast. Portioning is impressively generous so you may be taking some home with you. Definitely not a bad thing! The star of the show is dessert. It's not often a dessert menu includes gluten-free options. The Keg offers a scrumptiously indulgent creme brulee that will leave you wanting more.

The Keg takes food allergies and sensitivities very seriously and has strict guidelines and procedures in place to ensure no cross contamination occurs. Just one look at their gluten-free menu will inspire you to visit.

As an extra precaution, if you plan to dine at a Keg location, please ensure you mention any food restrictions to the server, who can inform the Manager on duty. The manager will then oversee the preparation of the meal and bring it out to you.

Creme Brulee at the Keg

If you have any local favorites I'd love to hear them! Feel free to share below.