Gluten Free in Dallas, TX

I was in Dallas over the weekend for a wedding and was very worried that I would be eating steak and potatoes for the entire three days! First let me say, not surprisingly Dallas is not anything like Boulder. The more I travel as a celiac, the more I realize what a special place I live in and how easy I have it. In Dallas, there were a couple times when a waiter looked at me funny and didn't really understand what I was trying to explain. I was given a salad with croutons, which I returned. Then received a different salad, still with croutons. Eventually, I was give an salad without croutons, but with crumbs all over the place. It was obvious that they had just removed the bread from the salad. Needless to say, I never did get a clean salad and I sure didn't eat one that was contaminated. I had fruit instead.

It wasn't all doom and gloom for my culinary experience... I found LOVE at Kozy Kitchen. This place is awesome. They make their own GF whole grain bread, have grass fed organic buffalo burgers and even have a huge selection of cakes, which are ALL gluten free. Heaven. Heaven. Heaven. This is a restaurant where the food is flavorful, fresh and not only for those on a GF diet.  I wish I would have spent more time at Kozy. Another good thing about Dallas is that you can always hunt down a Whole Foods. Sure this takes planning, but it's well worth the time.  For a quick bite or lunch, Jason's Deli offers a gluten free menu. Nothing spectacular, but when you need fuel, a sandwich does the trick! I had a wonderful weekend, but I am happy to be back in Boulder, the gluten-free mecca.

Kozy Kitchen
Jason's Deli
Whole Foods Market
Wholesome Foods Bakery

The Kozy Kitchen

Grass fed buffalo burger, with sauteed seasonal 

veggies, raw cheddar cheese and mustard

the Oh My God Cake!

(white chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate, etc, etc, etc)

I only had one steak while in TX, but here are a few other restaurants which cater to the gluten free crowd! 

Outback Steakhouse

Texas Land and Cattle

Kona Grill

Fish City Grill

Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza

                                                                               Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza 
Ingredients:

1 12" pizza crust, from the Gluten Free Bistro

1 tbs olive oil 

5 ounces cooked, chopped or shredded chicken

3 scallions, chopped

1 medium carrot, cut in fine julienne strips

1 red bell pepper, sliced 

1  fresh jalapeno pepper, diced

2 -3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped 

1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella

large handful of bean sprouts 

1/2 cup Simply Boulder Coconut Peanut sauce, plus more for drizzling. 

Directions

Brush olive oil on both sides of frozen pizza crust. Grill over medium-low heat (about 500-600°F) for about 2 minutes (one side only). Remove from grill. Top pizza crust with Coconut Peanut sauce, shredded cheese, chicken, bean sprouts, scallions, carrots, both peppers and 1/2 of the cilantro. 

Lower heat. Grill pizza directly on grates for about 7 minutes to 10 minutes, watching carefully that crust does not burn. Crust should be crispy and cheese should be melted and starting to bubble. Vegetables will be slightly cooked but still crunchy and fresh! 

Remove from grill and top with remaining cilantro and drizzle extra peanut sauce on top! Enjoy! 

Blueberry Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

These are hearty moist muffins that are great for breakfast with a cup of coffee. They are not too sweet yet very satisfying!

                                  Gluten Free Blueberry Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
Makes 12-15 muffins

• 1 1/4 cups Bistro Blend GF flour 
• 1 1/4 cups certified gluten free oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk, use 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp cider vinegar added to the milk). 
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for ~20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.